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#i think about this scene literally so much
makorragal-312 · 9 hours
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The only strong emotion I'm feeling after tonight is FUCKING CONFUSION.
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ghouly-boiiiii · 1 day
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Does Max give anyone else major twist villain vibes???
Okay I haven't talked about Max much yet, but I think it's really funny to see people talking about him like he's just this sweet innocent cinnamon roll when my read on his character was the COMPLETE opposite.
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I mean yes, he seems very sweet. He's very soft spoken. Naive in a way like Lucy, but not as much. Kinda vulnerable. Got a killer smile. And some of the moments with him and Lucy are pretty adorable. But damn if he doesn't have a DARK side!
Like I've heard people say that Max is stupid or that Aaron Moten's acting is bad, but hell no. Aaron Moten sold me on his acting during the interrogation scene. Max was scared shitless and I FELT that. I think Max was meant to be played as a character who lacks understanding about certain things and seems disconnected from people due to both being brought up in basically a cult and having an inherent lack of empathy.
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You think about the fact that he admitted he wanted Dane to get hurt, someone who's supposed to be his best friend. How he coldly sat there and watched Titus die. And before that stood there and watched him get mauled by a bear, almost like he was fascinated by it and wanted to see what was gonna happen. The fact that he tried to kill Thaddeus the moment he became a threat, even though the two of them had appeared to have bonded and developed a genuine friendship. And let's not forget he was willing to let all of Vault 4 get plunged into darkness just so he could keep playing with his power armor.
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Max wants to be a knight, he wants to be a hero. And I think he tells himself he wants it for the right reasons, but I think what he REALLY wants is power and recognition. Which is really what every (okay maybe not every, but a lot) good villain wants, right? Because at the end of the day Max wants what Max wants. He's selfish, even though he doesn't think he is.
And sure, he's nice to Lucy. And he went balls to the wall to save her when he thought Vault 4 was gonna execute her. But she's a pretty girl who helped him and offered him a safe home. When she gave him the proposition that if she helped him bring back the head, he would have the Brotherhood lend her some knights to save her dad, he KNEW he couldn't make that promise. But he made the deal anyway. So he doesn't REALLY care about her or what she wants.
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And that blank stare he gets when he gets mad? ACTUALLY terrifying. The guy's got serious psychopath vibes. Literal anti-social personality disorder, if you ask me. In fact the first thing I thought about when Max let Titus die is this kids going to end up going to the dark side lol.
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And I think that would work really well thematically if they plan on giving The Ghoul a redemption arc beside it. There are so many parallels between Lucy and The Ghoul, and they have such a strong connection to the beginning when the bombs dropped. I get that Max is there to represent the Brotherhood and he's from Shady Sands, the town Hank destroyed, but it felt weird that he didn't seem to be AS important in the grand scheme of things compared to Cooper and Lucy.
But if Max turned out to be a badass twist villain to thematically contrast Cooper's redemption arc, while Lucy remains steadfast to her commitment to goodness and the golden rule I feel like that would really round it out. It would make sense if you consider a lot of people have pointed out that Lucy, Cooper and Max all seem to represent different play styles and different moral alignments. And I think it'd be pretty crazy if the writers of the show set out to make it seem like Ghoul is a bad guy and Max is a good guy, but then it ended up being the opposite.
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I mean, there are definitely hints all over the show that The Ghoul isn't as bad as he may seem. And Max has already done some pretty messed up stuff, so I'd say the possibility is totally there, and I'd be here for it!
Who's with me???
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acourtofthought · 2 days
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Chaol and Nehemia offering Aelin their weapons is one of the most heartwarming moments of the first book.
Azriel offering Elain his knife (which he has offered no one else in half a millennia, and which also became the cover photo of ACOWAR alongside an image of roses…) is similarly heartwarming.
So what exactly is the point of your post?
I also find it hilarious that you included a screenshot of this quote - the moment between Chaol and Aelin;
“Far inside of her, she found a golden chain that bound them together.”
That sounds like mate language, no? Similar to the “thread” between Elain and Lucien?
And yet Chaol and Aelin weren’t endgame. 🤷‍♀️
You forgot the part where Az only offered Elain TT because the female he canonically loved begged him with tears in her eyes to sit out of battle. You and I both know had he not agreed to doing what Mor asked he would have never given Elain TT.
I don't remember Chaol being in love with any other female during the scene where he offered his sword, do you? Or Chaol in the very next book going on to look at someone other than Celaena with heat and yearning? No, Chaol was loyal to her before they were together and during the time they were together.
You also forgot the part where Az never offered to give Elain any help though she was concerned about not knowing how to use TT versus Chaol who helped train Celaena. Chaol who laid on the ground next to Celaena during her Duel.
The scene with Celaena and Chaol was heartwarming, much more so than the scene with Elain and Az because of everything mentioned above. Chaol and Celaena were by far the superior ship to E/riel. In literally every way.
But you're right. Chaol and Aelin weren't endgame because she had a mate who was always going to be her destiny. My point was that Sarah has two series featuring two similar scenes where a possible male love interest offers a weapon to a female but that doesn't actually mean anything in terms of endgame. Sarah J Maas is a millionaire because of the Fated Mates stories she writes. It just doesn't hit quite as hard to become a rejected mates author so people claiming the TT scene means Az is Elain's forever? I'm going with no.
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Despite Aelin initially wanting Dorian in book 1, despite her later calling Chaol her home and him thinking how 4 years (and not just one taste and that would be it like Az wanted with Elain) might not be enough, these men were not her endgame.
Again, my point is that it doesn't matter how special you think the moments for your ship are, mates are always going to fulfill something for these females that no other male love interest can.
The ACOTAR book had a wolf on the cover but it didn't hint at endgame for Feyre, what's your point?
And no, "chain" is not like mate language considering each Archeron's CONFIRMED bond is described as a thread and we know the golden chain connecting Celaena to Chaol was not a mating bond. You're doing my work for me.
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Golden chain is pretty romantic though, maybe a nod to how they might have been right for one another in a different life where there was no such things as fae mating bonds. Much more romantic than "he hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to".
You all get so fixated on your multiple books of buildup while forgetting that Sarah J Maas will take many beautiful moments between two characters and throw them out the window in favor of who she wants to be endgame.
Dorian and Chaol had way more moments with Celaena than Az has had with Elain but in the end, they didn't matter.
Like SJM said, it's not about "want" but is about who the FMC needs to be with in order to have the most growth.
"There is a darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to".
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greentrickster · 2 days
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Okay, so, just so you all know, I'm aware of what many of you have probably been thinking in regards to the Great God Airplane AU: "Yes yes, blah blah Shen Jiu blah blah Bingge, WHERE IS THE MOSHANG, IT'S AN AU CENTERED AROUND SHANG QINGHUA, WHERE'S THE MOSHANG??!"
Thank-you for waiting patiently instead of saying this part out loud, because up until this point Moshang has mostly been doing the literary equivalent of sitting in a corner of my head with head pats and juice boxes being just the goodest boys whom I love so so much, you know?
Here's the Moshang:
It's a few days after the conference where Shang Qinghua got outed as Airplane Shangdi, and that's exactly how long it took Shen Yuan to get used to the idea and go back to treating him like normal (because he's read too much of SQH's terrible porn to ever truly take him seriously for an extended period of time). Which, as it happens, on this day includes razzing Airplane for the fact that, after everything that's happened, his sex scenes still have 'written by a virgin' slathered all over them.
To which our favorite divine hamster, newly imbued with some actual, legit self-confidence and tired of being razzed for this, snaps back that yeah, so he's a virgin, so what, he's been literally too busy his entire time as Shang Qinghua to get around to finding someone to do something about that with! Besides, Mobei-jun's also a virgin, and no one gives him shit about it!
Shen Yuan: ...like hell he is, you're telling him a guy like that's never had sex!
Shang Qinghua: Yes I am! (arms folded and nose in the air) He's the sort who's only interested in doing stuff like that with someone he wants to spend the rest of his life with and he doesn't have any love interests because I didn't write any for him, because I wrote Mobei-jun for one person and that's me! He is my perfect man, no one else's, and we're both virgins, and I'm God, so there! And if you have anything else to say about it, I'll- I dunno. I'll have Precious Blossom shrink Binghe's dick or something!
Shen Yuan: ...
Luo Binghe: A slightly smaller pillar might be more convenient, actually, but don't threaten Shizun. >:(
Our favorite hamster then gets to choke on his own spit, spin around on his cushion (half falling over in the process), and gape at the portal he hadn't noticed Luo Binghe and Mobei-jun just use to sneak into Shen Qingqiu's house.
There is silence for a moment before - in the most daring display of disloyalty he's ever made - Mobei-jun calmly pushes Binghe out of the way, ignores his indignant 'I am your emperor how very dare you-!' squawks, picks up Shang Qinghua by the back of the robes, and walks back through the portal with him.
Shen Yuan: Well that just happened.
Binghe: Husband, what did Shang shibo mean about not having written any love interests for Mobei? What does his writing have to do with that?
Shen Yuan: ...I don't have enough tea and snacks for this.
(also there will be more of this, and we're gonna cut over to our icicle/hamster duo, I'm just very tired at the moment)
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theflyindutchwoman · 2 days
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Let me gush over that last scene for a bit because there was something magical in the way it was filmed and acted… The cinematography… with Kojo sitting behind the door waiting for Lucy, pretty much the same way he did after he destroyed her apartment and she came home - which, incidentally, was also the first time Tim set foot in her place… With the nod to the history these two share in this hallway : Tim's moment of clarity after their practice kiss, the time where they almost crossed that line after Vegas, that breakup scene (that technically wasn't a breakup but felt like one)… Only now, they are further apart than they have ever been, not even standing in the same hallway, not even facing one another. Separated by walls - literally and metaphorically… And yet, the song in the background gives a more hopeful tone to this… "All this trouble's only gonna last for a while".
And the emotions… The way Lucy lit up when she saw Kojo was so heartwarming… Before it slowly became heartbreaking when her tears feel down… It was painful in an almost cathartic way. If I'm not mistaken, we haven't seen her really cry since that fateful night. And Tim's face… It was like he finally let himself feel all those emotions he has tried to contain and pretend weren't there ever since. There have been some glimpses here and there but I could truly see beyond his wall here. There was pain, there was regret… and I'd like to think that he was starting to comprehend what he has done. Which would be a fitting parallel to his epiphany after that kiss if this is indeed what happened. And then, there's the gift… It was perfect because it came from him. Up until his conversion with Aaron, he wasn't planning on doing anything to mark Lucy's birthday, aware of how this could make things worse and hurt her… But deep down, he knew he couldn't not do anything either. He couldn't let her think he didn't even care, not after all the hurt he has already caused her. So in the end, sending Kojo was perfect. To me, what made this so special was how symbolic this was. This felt like a subtle reminder of their past, of their bond… of what made them them, while respecting her boundaries. This gift wasn't about him or trying to win her back or anything of the sort. This was all about Lucy and letting her know that she is loved.
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moonsaver · 2 hours
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Okay, honestly, I'm still reeling from the entire penacony quest, but here's my take on Sunday so far;
He's manipulative, obviously.
But like.. the type that's kind of hesitant from time to time because he's still sincere to a degree. At least, when it comes to his loved ones.
So, I guess that hesitance decreases a lot if you're just some nobody. Even then, Sunday does want the better for everyone, too. It just means that others may bear the brunt of it for the most part before being able to get ahold of it.
Also, at the very least, even if some people suffer, at the end Sunday believes they will reach where they want to, after. In that case, however, Sunday suffers far more than them, without actually ever reaching his own destination or idea of paradise.
However, this view is a bit distorted. Sunday believes to be "sacrificing" himself, shouldering loneliness and burdens in order to uphold everyone else's "paradise". But to the others, he's simply a tyrant overruling everyone's will with his own idea of Order.
Sunday deeply cares. He cares too much. That's kind of the problem.
A bit of self-destructing tendencies when pushed too far, I guess.
Lets ignore logic established by the quest for a second (because i literally am still reeling from it)
Imagine Sunday first discovers this possibility. He's terrified of it, but at the same time, he truly thinks this is humanity's salvage – for everyone who has deeply suffered. He thinks of you.
You who have had your fair share of pain, who confides in him late at night in the quiet of your privacy, hushed voices like silenced by a thick blanket through the wall.
You deserve to live a sweeter life. He thinks. No. You deserve more. He knows.
The first person he ever wants to step into this paradise – you.
Now, although Sunday was defeated in the end, we all know that unfortunately, our ragtag team had to wake up again because defeating him first was a dream. This means at some point, Sunday did succeed.
And after everyone wakes, you don't. You continue sleeping soundly. So does Sunday.
The rest of the world can return to their miserable, bitter lives outside of this dream; but Sunday will be damned if he's letting you go. Perhaps.. it's not a selfless wish, anymore. Perhaps at this point, Sunday desperately, selfishly, grips onto you with the latches of a sweet, deep dream. One where he was fatally destined to never reach, only to control from the waking world. Now that everyone else has woken, he wants to return to the dream. He wants to return to you, who he has so lovingly entrenched deep into it.
Also, Robin. Im in SO much pain... PLEASW..
Do you guys think.. even if Robin was vehemently resistant against Sunday's ideas..
Even though Sunday knew she wouldn't stand for it..
Do you guys think.. he wanted her to also join him at the end and enjoy the "Paradise" he created aswell?
Do you think he would have wanted Robin to stop worrying about everything, to take rest, to finally come home, and sing to her heart's content inside the dream? The dream where they set the bird free? The dream where Sunday still has a sweet tooth? The dream where she never has to wear elaborate neck-pieces? The dream where neither of them was hurt? Where neither of them left each other?
Oh...ogh. . My heart.
Sunday would be such a scary lover, too.
I mean even normally, I don't think a relationship with him would be that healthy
Particularly because it seems so healthy
If reader was in a relationship with normal sunday, I mean.. it's gonna at least appear healthy and normal, even to them. It's probably just Sunday having to constantly burden himself with all the dirty strings he has to pull, the quiet rush of water when he washes his hands before caressing the side of your face, the tight, closed smile he would give if you ever asked him what was wrong.. he can't let you know.
I think he'll take a yandere route in an established relationship if you do happen to find out what's been going on behind the scenes. He'll have to calm you down, and you promise you won't peep about it. The build up is almost invisible, because things seem to go back to the way they were. Before Sunday starts acting a bit.. restless. That would be when his yan! Tendencies would start kicking in, for a variety of reasons.
I feel like y'know, out of all the hsr cast, he's one of the characters who is genuinely very close to becoming a yandere canonically. Control freak? Check. Twisted ideals? Check. Unchecked power? Check. Hypnotization/manipulation? Check.
Also, the slight difference of his color pallete as opposed to Robin's.
His is much more washes out than Robin's. It's more "duller" but also more professional, and the gold of his halo is more colder than the warmer tone of Robin's halo. They both still have white/grey as a major color in their palletes, but Sunday's is accompanied by deep navy blues, or washed out blues. Robin's is very vibrant and purple. The only blue segment of her pallete is her hair, and it's remarkably more vibrant than Sunday's.
Also.. Sunday's whole ideas on "weak" and "strong"
Of course, it wasn't all correct, but that doesn't mean they didn't hold some semblance of sense.
Regardless, this playing with yan! Tendencies..... HOOOOO boy
So many thoughts. Sunday manipulating his partner is quite possibly the most common theme in them.
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i keep seeing posts/people talking about how buck hates being called evan and how tommy calling him evan is so disrespectful and i just wanna know when buck says that in the show. he didnt even choose the nickname. he went most of his life without it. he has the nickname literally only because there were three other evans in his class at the fire academy so they all started calling him buck and he ended up kinda liking it. but he doesnt say he hates evan now. so when did he start hating evan so much like fandom keeps saying he does. is this just fanon that got so mainstream and now everyone just believes it?
like heres the scene where hes telling maddie about the new nickname and theres no mention of hating evan. none. buck just becomes his go-to name because everyone in this show is connected to him through his job except maddie. and she uses what everyone else does mostly. who knows maybe he told her off-screen to use it cuz she keeps going back and forth depending on the situation.
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now there is one time where buck corrects his dad and tells him to call him buck because people who know him call him buck, and it seems to be almost like some kind of olive branch to reconnect with his parents. that still doesnt say that he hates being called evan and it somehow traumatises him. and it also shows that if buck really was upset about tommy calling him evan he would have already corrected it.
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also im so tired of this ana/edmundo comparison, yeah she called him edmundo but she musta been corrected at some point because she started calling him eddie too. i just cant remember what episode she was corrected or if it even happened on screen tbh, i dont remember everything in season 4.
i also have no idea why none of his exes called him evan, but honestly i think they either probably tried at some point and got told no, because that is something that had to happen at some point, or they went with the flow and called him buck the whole time never once trying to call him evan, who knows.
either way, tommy has not been corrected, he clearly has some kind of permission to do it by buck, or he woulda stopped. buck is a grown man who can tell people to call him by his nickname if he wants to. if i see another deadname comparison i might actually lose my mind ngl
anyway TL;DR: buck has talked about his name twice in the show so far and he's proven he will correct people if he wants to like he did with his dad. tommy isn't doing anything wrong if he's never been told to stop. people cannot read minds so if buck wanted it to stop he'd have to say something and he hasn't. which means 1) he doesn't mind or 2) who knows maybe even likes it.
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etherealily · 3 days
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𝟡 𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 // Nate Jacobs.
Nate Jacobs + Fem!reader. Darker. SFW, but discretion advised.
Part 1 : Whiplash (thanks for the love on there)
You do NOT have permission to repost and/or translate any of my fics.
Desc. : You should be grateful.
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He wasn't supposed to text you. He was supposed to take the beating you'd given him for being a prick, like a man, and shut the fuck up about it.
But here you were, midnight, staring at the chat that had started it all.
'yo, u up?'
You rolled your eyes, going back to your scrolling.
'I hate seenzoners.'
You liked his message.
'That's so much worse.'
'The fuck do u want?'
Nate Jacobs sent a voice message.
You could have just ignored it. You could just block him. You could just… stop. But the allure was far too much. The urge of finding out what he wanted was too strong.
"Guess where I am."
He could've just texted that. No need for a voice message, but he was Nate Jacobs.
"I don't know, the psych ward?"
"You wanna know? You'll have to drive and follow my instructions, though. You trust me enough for that?"
Ha. No fucking chance. "No, I'm good, thanks."
"Oh, so you'll text me, but won't see me in person?"
His voice was oddly sultry, as if he'd either just woken up or hadn't slept for days. Most likely the second one.
"Bingo. Go to sleep, Jacobs."
And then he sent you a picture of him from the bleachers of your school's football stadium - how the fuck did he get in?
"C'mon, don't you want to see what our school looks like at night?"
Uh, yes. But with him? No.
"It's 12:05, ASSHOLE. No fucking way."
"This is the scene where you cave and meet me and we have a cute little nighttime school montage where we sit and talk about life."
You listened to that message a good four times before you stopped laughing.
"This is the scene where I block you."
"I will come over if you don't come to the school. Uh, y'know, if you want your parents to think you're fooling around with the QB."
"I will literally shoot you if you come within fifty feet of my house."
"Come. I'll make it worth your while."
Was it possible to hear smirks?
"I'm not coming, Nate."
No way he was actually at the high school. It was probably an insanely good edit.
"You will be."
The FUCK was that supposed to mean? Not like he could force you to show up.
"Wanna bet?"
"Sure. Fifty bucks says you show up to the high school tonight."
"Not blowing fifty bucks on anything, even if I do win."
"What's it going to take for you to come? Look, I-I know it's been weird, and I might've scared you, but that's… that wasn't my intention, I swear."
Yeah, his intention was just to show you what his blood looked like. You liked his message once more, rolling your eyes.
"Dude, seriously, I swear, I'm not like, a serial killer or anything. You can bring pepper spray, a taser, whatever, if it makes you feel better. I'm just- okay, fuck, you're right. Dumb idea, trying to convince you like this."
Wait, okay, good. That was good. He was getting the message.
Another voice message.
"I forgot who I was talking to. You leave me no choice."
"What?" No.
And then, you received a video. He was teetering off the edge of the top-most row of bleachers. With a gun at his head.
"Come on, Y/N, this is getting really sad, that the only way I can grab your attention is by almost killing myself."
"I don't care. Do whatever. Not falling for it this time."
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"FUCK!", you yelled, as you found yourself running frantically through the school football field for the second time in two weeks.
You'd actually kept your word for a while, pushing out every Nate-related thought for a good night's sleep - you didn't fall for it.
Until McKay called and informed you that Nate wasn't picking up his phone - and that his last message was something along the lines of : 'Call Y/N if you don't hear from me in the next couple of minutes'.
He was deranged. Playing Russian Roulette with his own life was absolutely deranged.
"You actually showed."
GOOD, he was still alive, meaning you could kill him.
You didn't speak. That would simply complicate things, because then you'd have to look at him.
"Plus, you didn't flinch when you saw me. Think that's a win for me in the trust department."
You stood there, glaring at him as he jumped down from the bleachers, even doing that dangerously, as if he was a cat with nine lives, or he was playing a video game and would just respawn.
"You know, you could say something."
He wasn't getting impatient, though, like his tone was trying to portray. No, he was getting more amused. He liked this. He liked the fact that he got you to come to a basically abandoned-for-the-holidays-high school at midnight. He reveled in it.
"Like hey, Nate, thanks for convincing me to actually live a little for a change instead of staying cooped up in my house.", he suggested.
You punched him.
Yeah. You kept running across that field till you were close enough and you punched him right then and there.
You full-on punched him, shoved him back, slapped him, clawed at him. "Stop FUCKING doing this to me! STOP! You can't FUCKING do this to me!", you screamed, hitting him repeatedly on his chest.
He took every beating, and the fact that it seemed he was trying not to laugh just egged you on even more to actually kill him, make his nose bleed, make his head fall clean off his egotistical body.
Eventually, though, it seemed even Nate Jacobs had his limit. He grappled against your hands as he held them between both your chests, clenching his jaw. He wouldn't risk saying anything, seeing as your eyes were already burning with tears.
"You…", you cried out as he shifted his grip on your hands to only one hand, wrapping the other around you. "…Can't keep…"
"Shh, shh, I know.", he muttered as he rested his chin on your head. "Shh, I had to."
"No, you didn't."
He kissed your head, then your forehead, your nose, your cheeks, and stopped for a moment, hovering over your lips but not touching them, as though he was more scared than you were. "You know I did."
You wondered if he could taste the tears, whether he relished it. Knowing what little you did of him, he might have.
"I would've come."
"No, you wouldn't have. Shh." He was right, but there had to be some other way.
"You know what, sweetheart?"
It was sickening how he could do this to you and then use words of endearment against you.
"You should actually be grateful."
And that's when you noticed that he was actually gripping onto your hair, tightening it when your face didn't show any contortion due to pain (only contortion due to unbridled rage and the urge to stab him with your car keys).
"I usually hurt people to get what I want. With you, I'm hurting myself."
You fought the urge to say 'so fucking what?'
"You're not bleeding, baby, that's what you don't get. You're untouched, and safe, and not bleeding. Me, however?"
What was his point? That he was being a gentleman by scaring you half to death instead of having a normal adult conversation?
"I'm bleeding. I'm hurt. I'm in pain. But I'm still holding you."
He said it with exaggerated magnanimity, like he was doing you a favour, or something, like all your problems, trauma, worries, stress, had just disappeared because he was holding you in his 'big strong arms'.
"Then stop!"
"Neither of us wants me to stop holding you."
"I do."
He grinned, knowingly, with a subtle shake of his head. "No, you don't."
"Let me go."
"No."
"Let me go, Nate."
"Fine. Because you called me Nate and not Jacobs.", he nodded, letting go of you and throwing up his arms. "Don't hit me again."
"Was McKay in on this?"
He frowned momentarily, before realization swept over his face. "Shit. Yeah, no, he wasn't. I should text him, huh?"
Oh, now he was asking if he should be a courteous human being?
You watched him loathingly, as he typed out what you guessed was a half-assed apology.
'Sorry, McKay, I'm good, man. Chicks, y'know?' or some absolutely fucked up shit like that, to be sure.
"Done. Now, will you stop being so square and enjoy the fact that you're here at school at midnight?"
"What?" Enjoy?
"I'll bet this is your first time out at midnight period, let alone your first time out at midnight somewhere you're not legally supposed to be."
"Why am I here?"
The condescending look he gave you set your teeth on edge. 'Oh, poor, naive girl. Of course she doesn't even know why she's here. This is why I told her to stay in my grasp. She never listens.'
FUCKING ASSHOLE.
"You're my good luck charm. My good luck charm, but I heard you're fucking Shane. You can't be doing that."
The softness in his movements, the gentleness, it had either completely stopped, or entirely overshadowed the fact that he had put you through yet another nerve-wracking event that would raise your blood pressure.
Shane who, Shane who, Shane- oh. Shane.
Not so much fucking as went on one date with, but it was better for everyone if Nate thought you had already gone that far.
"Why not?"
"He's a punk."
"You're one to talk."
"Look, he plays defense. What if you're just, like, intensely fortunate? Can't have him sneak in a quickie before the game and then he's lucky."
It's like he wanted you to punch him again.
"He's on your team. You'll win anyway."
He shrugged, as though he could see where you were coming from, but was about to respectfully absolutely ruin your argument.
"I like to win."
"Not a team player, are you?"
"Never claimed to be."
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He was so clearly getting frustrated with your lack of response - the initial dopamine and thrill of being a disgusting element of surprise by shooting/not-shooting himself in the head gone.
But what could you say?
You'd already ghosted Shane after the date had tanked, so technically there was no reason for you to still be here. The chances of a 'lucky quickie' were virtually zero.
And so, you just stood there, the two of you, with inexplicable rage pooling within.
Your senses were heightened, your emotions wilder than the crazed look in your eyes as he stood there, looking down at you like an adult looking down at their childhood toy. As if you were the naivest, most precious, pathetically adorable thing he owned, reminding him of a simpler time.
At this point, even a rabbit's foot had been treated with more respect than you.
And you hated every moment of it because it was thrusted upon you, just like the silence of the eerie, void-like field you two were in.
"Why are you like this, Y/N?", he groaned, with the nerve to sound tired.
You? Why were you like this? What about him?
"You're… so cold." His hands flexed as if they were about to move from your hair to your throat. "Just… let loose, please. You're the reason I'm winning, I'd at least like to get to know you!"
"Oh, so this is like, an interview? Is she good enough to be associated with me? You think you're hot shit? Dude, I- you gotta realize how fucked up all of this is."
You were practically pleading. Acknowledge your absurdity, Nate Jacobs, please.
"Hey, whoa, look, you chose to associate yourself with me. Not my problem, ok?", he spat back, clearly happy with the return of banter.
"I didn't choose any of this!"
"You requested to follow me after I followed you. You chose not to block me after I followed you."
"You're putting this all on me?"
That's what normal people do ; they follow people back! He was grasping at straws, but it still seemed as though he had an iron grip on them.
"There wouldn't have been a first time if you didn't care so goddamn much." Like he was mocking you. You almost screamed. You almost hit him. He was so nonchalant.
But that… rang true. However, the humanitarian in you was adamant that there was absolutely no one cold enough to shrug off a video of someone slicing so effortlessly into their palm and exposing their blood so unabashedly.
Well, except Nate Jacobs himself.
"But, y'know what, Y/N?", he said, clearing his throat, matter-of-factly. "That's all in the past. Because now, now, we're going to sort out this arrangement between us and everything will go back to normal."
Normal? Normal as in, both of you go back to being strangers? Unlikely.
"Arrangement?"
"How this thing is going to go. Before every game, you fist-bump me. You don't touch any other players whatsoever, Blackhawk or otherwise."
Great, he was policing who you could fist-bump now.
"I- you brought me here at midnight for this?"
"Uh, no, I brought you here at midnight for fun.", he replied, scoffing. "But since you wanted to be all violent and physical, I thought we should stick to business."
Did he mean to be this insufferable? Was it a bit? There was no way an actual human being could act like this, yes? There was no way anyone could think that this was a justifiable response to a genuine question. Right?
At this point, you didn't know anymore.
Nate Jacobs had officially stumped you.
"If I say okay, can I leave?"
"No, you cannot leave, but you definitely can go sit over there and think about your little attitude before I bring out the tequila."
He burst out laughing at your annoyed face, slinging a heavy arm around your shoulder in an oddly possessive display of 'familiarity'.
"Relax. Loosen up, like I said, and you'll be fine.", he snorted, and that was your only indication that he did not, in fact, actually wish to put you into time-out.
The insane man with a gun had a sense of humour, apparently.
"You brought tequila?"
"I told you, the whole point of tonight was fun and getting to know the reason I'm winning better. So, sit."
You sat, still glaring up at him. You must have looked absolutely fucking cute or something, because he pouted at you before reaching into a duffle bag you hadn't noticed before and whipping out two bottles of straight tequila.
"Body shots?"
"Jacobs…"
"I'm joking, I'm joking. You'll come around soon, though. They all do."
Great. That's brilliant. You'd been reduced from a stranger, to a bitch, to a joke, to now a stereotype. This was just spectacular.
"Why me?"
That question seemed to genuinely catch him off-guard.
Good. Now he knows what this past week with him has been like.
"Hm?'
"Why me? Why am I the good luck charm?"
"I don't know."
"You could just be a really good player. You don't know, you haven't gone a single game without it, so you assume you're winning because of it."
"The third game was the one you weren't there for. You must remember hearing about it, though? Most embarrassing game for East Highland, I swear. 34-nil? That was shameful. That's why I decided, fourth game onwards, I wouldn't have to risk it because I got you."
Shit. That actually made sense.
"Okay, now you tell me.", he began, slightly turning the bottle in his hand around and examining the contents, curiously. "Shane Crestin? Seriously?"
"What?"
He scoff-snickered, taking an impressively large gulp before answering. "Y/N, the guy's a tool."
Look who's talking.
"He asked me out after the game."
"So, he knows you're my good luck charm.", he said, quietly, like a king trying to figure out where his men's loyalties lay.
Did Julius Caesar have a girl who he gaslit in order to get her to watch him in battle because of superstition? If so, she'd have been the first to stab him.
"Of course he knows, you made a huge spectacle of it that first time."
"Oh, yeah. But still, what a bastard. Trying to steal my lucky girl and her luck like that."
You needed to do a lobotomy on this man, seriously.
It wasn't even like you could ask him what the hell that meant because that would just bring him immense amounts of joy.
"You're not drinking. Why?", he inquired, opening the second bottle and forcing it to your lips.
You frowned as you held onto it. "I don't drink."
"Oh, bullshit. Come on, drink, don't be a nerd."
"I said no, okay?"
"Wait, do you not want to drink around me?"
He was really going above and beyond to break the 'dumb jock' stereotype, wasn't he?
"I can't believe it.", he continued, leaning back on the bleachers as he watched your face. "After all this, you don't trust me."
After all this, he said, as if he had spent his entire life working solely for your benefit. Like a tired mentor.
"I mean, dude, this is like… such a bitch move, you know that? I'm just trying to be nice."
"I don't know what you want me to do, Nate."
"Uh, trust me? Thought we were cool now, Y/N. You think I'm going to get you blackout drunk then have my way with you? Rape you? Are you scared to be around me? At midnight? In a quiet, empty football stadium where no one would think to look for you?", he questioned, still holding your gaze as he lifted his bottle to his mouth.
The elaboration of that statement unnerved you.
"I don't think you're going to rape me, I'm just-"
"Just scared of the possibility?"
"Don't take it personal, but-"
"There's no other way to take it. You're all but accusing me of assault. I thought you were different."
Was that meant to make you melt? 'Oh, no, I'm just like everyone else in that I don't want to end up in a ditch somewhere, the horror!'
"Maybe I'm not.", you shrugged.
"But you came. Tonight. No one else would have. So maybe you're a judgmental bitch like everyone else, but you've at least got your stupidly huge heart going for you."
If you strained your ears, that almost sounded like a compliment.
"Uh, thanks?"
"Drink, Y/N. Please."
Oh, fuck it. You needed that goddamn tequila to shoot through you with a vengeance.
"There we go.", he mumbled, watching you. "Dude, look at you."
"Hm?"
"You're finally badass."
His eyes lit up as he saw your finger enter the scene. He chuckled for a moment. "I'm being serious. I mean, you've beaten me up, what, three times so far - once in front of the entire school - and now you're doing underage shots with me at night at school, which is like, two illegal things at the same time."
See, that's where the difference between the two of you lay.
He thought that was being a badass.
You thought that was being a dumbass.
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"…So yeah. That's why I joined football, basically. Made me feel, like, stronger and more in control, I guess."
This asshole had just told the most human story, and now you had to see him as a person. The cunt.
You watched as he stood in the middle of the field, aiming and shooting at the banners that were strewn up all around the field.
God, he was so fucking terrifying.
How does he play Russian Roulette to bait you into coming one minute and then reload and shoot at banners like a child with his first Nerf the next?
"Control. Yeah, that tracks."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You want everything to go your way. You get pissed when other people do things of their own will."
"Can't argue with that.", he shrugged, as he turned his back to you and shot another banner, impressively shooting right in the centre of the 'O' in a 'GO BLACKHAWKS!' sign. "You know how to shoot?"
"No."
"You should learn."
"I'll get right on that.", you scoffed, as you observed your tequila bottle intensely, ignoring him coming back to rest his feet on the bleachers from your peripheral vision.
"Open your mouth."
"What?"
"Humour me."
"I've humoured you enough tonight."
"Please? Pretty please?"
You rolled your eyes, but opened your mouth. You had no idea what you expected, but it sure as hell was not him stuffing the barrel of his gun in there. You suddenly felt the tequila evaporating from your bloodstream as he slapped your hands away after you tried taking it out, like anyone would. Shit, it hurt. FUCK.
"Just relax.", he whispered, so soothingly that he might as well have been talking you through a panic attack. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Besides the hot gun you've got basically lodged up my throat.
Suddenly, the amount of danger you really were in began to materialize in your head. He was right. It was midnight. It was spring break. It was at high school. No one would think to look for you there.
"Are you scared?"
Oh, God. He was one of those freaks who got off on these things.
You nodded, not really knowing what else to do.
"You think I'll shoot you?"
You shook your head.
"Kill you?"
You shook your head.
"Then why are you scared?"
Honestly, it was the fact that he wasn't going to do either of those things, and decided to shove a gun down your throat simply for shits and giggles.
"You need more tequila."
WHAT?
You frowned, but nodded. Anything to get the gun out of your mouth.
He poured it straight from the bottle into your mouth, watching with sick satisfaction as you swallowed, and you realized that he was psychotically drunk.
"How's that? I do it all the time, y'know? Hot metal plus cold tequila equals the best fucking night ever."
Um, ew. No. But that would be super unwise to say.
"You shove a gun down your throat then take a shot?"
"One of my more dangerous drinking games, yes. God, dude, look at you. Like, you're so fucking uptight, loosen THE FUCK up!"
You were unsure how much 'looser' you could get - you were already going along with his 'dangerous drinking game'.
"I am!"
"Not enough. Not even close. You need more."
"We're all out.", you said, (thankfully) pointing at the empty duffle bag next to him.
"Oh.", he sighed, slumping down next to you and using the duffle bag as a pillow. "Just- I don't get it. What is it about you?"
"That makes you get suicidal?"
He snorted, softly. "That makes me so mad?"
"You're mad?"
"Not like angry-mad. I mean like… crazy-mad. Like I go mad around you."
Five-year-olds could explain things better than him, but, to his credit, he was shitfaced.
"Really? Thought you were born that way."
"I mean, last week? When I kissed you? I don't do that shit. But it was the only way to shut you up. I-ugh. It's you, Y/N. Just fucking up my brain, one game at a time."
"Oh, oh, so you being a psychopath is because I didn't show up to one game?"
"When you're constantly worried about someone needing to be there, you do crazy things. Like cut yourself. I would have done it, too, seriously."
"I know. That's why I came."
"So, we weren't entirely strangers, huh? You knew me a little, at least?"
"Uh, no, we were definitely strangers."
"Now? What are we now?"
"Uh… friends?" You didn't mean that. You wouldn't be his friend if it killed you.
"No, I think I'd know it if we were friends." Phew.
"So, you tell me."
"What? No, you've been in charge this whole time, you tell me."
He just said you'd been in charge.
One offhanded, sweeping statement, and he'd shifted all the blame on you as easy as pie.
How did he do that?
It was obvious what he was referring to: the fact that none of these interactions would have happened if you just hadn't given a shit in the first place.
The fact that every single move of his had been linked to you, in whatever this weird everybody (except you) ante, sketchy poker game he was playing was supposed to be.
And it unnerved you.
Because in some twisted way, it was true.
"Acquaintances."
"But we've kissed.", he reminded, diligently and unwantedly. "Acquaintances - and classmates, before you suggest that - don't just kiss."
"Dude, then what do you want to be?"
Shit. That was what he'd wanted all along. For you to ask in exasperation, to give you his interpretation.
"You know, just… an average relationship between a man and his good luck charm." He inched closer, his hand loosening its grip on the railing as if it was going to do something, but there was no more tequila to reach out for.
There was only you.
And reach, he did.
First, his hands were on your cheek, like they had been a half hour ago. Then, suddenly, they were in your hair, and his tongue was trying to coax your words out of you directly from the source.
And you just let it happen.
If anyone knew why you let it happen, you'd have loved to start a suggestion box.
But you had a funny feeling that the only person who knew why was Nate Jacobs himself.
Fat chance he'd tell you.
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PLS I NEED A FIC WHERE BIG DICK HAN IS TIED UP AND EDGED FOR HOURS BY M!READER UNTIL HE SHAKES AND WHINES 🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴
"h-hyung, p-please, I'm begging, I need to- ah-!" (Edged again) "Please h-hyung, it really hurts, it hurts" then he cries then you edge him for another hour 😩😩
Edge and ruin his damn orgasm atleast 20 times and he will literally cry and beg and shake just to cum
(in my Dom era, yes I like being both so I read both XDDDDDDDD)
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So, after a little chat behind the scenes, @chuuchuu1224 is happy for me write this as a Minsung piece 😃 I don’t think I’ve ever written them by themselves before 🤔 … anyway we’re going classic Minsung with a needy Ji and a domming Min.
Hope you like it 😘 x. Sorsha
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“M-min…p-please…” whined Jisung. “Need to cum… please…please let me…baby, please!”
“Shh! What did I say about your whining, Hmm?” Minho said coldly. “Just shut up and take your punishment.”
“I’m s-sorry, hyung!” He sobbed.
Jisung had been tied to bed for 3 hours now, and he was almost at breaking point. He looked a sight. He was completely naked, sweating, his big delicious cock swollen, angry and leaking, resting against his taut abs. Tears running down his cheeks.
Minho thought he looked perfect being this helpless. That’s why he has really taken his time to tease torment his lover. Just like he himself had been tortured all week by Jisung.
For the past six days he’d been teasing Minho, avoiding his touch and ignoring his glances, flirting with Hyunjin. Grr. It’d been driving him fucking crazy. Cock tease. “I promise you’re gonna pay for this.” He’d told him the other night. He was met with an attitude of “what are ya gonna do about it?”
Well, now Jisung knew exactly what Minho was doing about it.
“You can’t do this to me!!! Aahhh p-please.” He scrunched his eyes as he sobbed loudly.
Minho hovered over Jisung’s cock, taking it in his hand and squeezing it slightly.
“Fuuuccckkk!!! H-Hyung… stop teasing… I’m gonna die!”
Minho licked the dribbling pre-cum from the tip. It was probably the fifteenth time he’d done so today. Edging poor Ji until he was almost there, then simply licking the precum away and leaving him writhing on the bed.
His balls were so tight and painful looking too. Minho wondered how he’d react if he squeezed them?
“Hyung!!!!” He sobbed. Minho smirked.
“Sungie. You need to listen very carefully. I’m going to untie you now. But only so you can roll onto your stomach. Then you’re going to be tied again. No funny business.”
Jisung whined. “O-okay…”
Minho repositioned Jisung so he was lying on his stomach, arms stretched and tied above his head. He immediately started grinding against the bedspread.
“Ahh… fuck!”’ Jisung squealed as a hard slap landed on his ass.
“No grinding.” Growled Minho.
He bit his lower lip as he caressed the curve of Jisung’s back, causing the boy to shudder, then parting his cheeks and nestling his face between them to lick his hole.
A low groan came from Jisung as Minho ate him out. He knew it would drive him absolutely crazy. But there was something that he knew would really torture his poor boyfriend. He slipped a finger into his hole. Just to the first knuckle. He gently thrust into him one, two, three times, then removed his finger entirely.
“Fuck you, Minho! When I’m not tied up I’m gonna fuck you so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week.” He growled, trying to look back at him.
So he was at the stage of throwing threats now? He’d already begged and bargained to no avail. Desperate, needy boy.
“I mean it. I’m gonna fuck you up—aaahhh. F-fuck.”
Minho couldn’t hold out any longer and laid himself on top of Jisung and pushed his cock into his tight ass.
“Min…fuck…fuck…I’m… fuck you’re deep. P-please…ngh…”
Three deep, precise thrusts from Minho, and Jisung came with his cock squished between his stomach and the mattress. He shook and convulsed underneath Minho, making him almost come too.
“Min….no…too… it’s too much!”
“Shut up. Don’t you fucking know how much I’ve wanted to be buried in your ass this week?” He panted as he snapped his hips.
“Hyung…I love you.” Whimpered Jisung into the matress.
Minho’s thrusts halted for just s moment as his heart burst inside his chest.
“I love you too, Sungie. But for now I need to be a good little cocksleeve for me and be quiet.”
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@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @weareapackofstrays @kangnina @3rachasdomesticbanana @palindrome969 @xxkissesforchanniexx @fun-fanfics @wolfennracha
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Okay y’all, I just finished episode 5, here are some of my thoughts on it!
SPOILERS
-Bruh this bald bitch Xavier is getting on my NERVES. Like I get why you did what you did but you REALLY had to go to get some space girlfriend instead of helping your X-Men? Like I think Magneto KNEW he was going to space because he even mentioned how Xavier went with his Shi’ar Queen- that’s WILD
-Also I didn’t think I realized the magnitude (heh heh, get it?) of what Magneto did until this episode. He does realize he’s probably killing an assload of mutants too right? Like bro has good points but I think killing thousands of people including mutants and like the entire planet may be a tad too far
-Why were they in space when Xavier met with President Kelly? Did I miss something?
-I wasn’t surprised that Rouge joined magneto, but Roberto joining threw me through the loop. I get why, I just didn’t expect it. I mean I’m proud of him though. I wish there was more time before the final battle so we could see Roberto interacting with Magneto and Rouge since we’ve only ever seen him and Jubilee together. (more in next bulletin point about those two) I just feel like there could have been more character interactions in general here. Too much was focused on just fighting. Like how the hell did we go from having 12 hours to 1 so quickly? The fuck????
-More about Rouge, loved her talk with Professor X, you tell ‘em Rouge! Also I love that she wore Gambit’s jacket, I thought it was really sweet.
-Roberto worrying about hurting Jubilee? AWKDKGBDLFN MY HEART AHENGELFKDK like I don’t really know how J feel about romance with them but their friendship and stuff is so adorable and then to have it break like that! Like of course Jubilee would be mad! Roberto effectively went against her family!
-My Queen, my absolute GODDESS storm returned! Yay! I loved the little sister moment Jean and her shared. She had some super cool fighting scenes though, I love how they animate her abilities. I don’t like how my QUEEN GOT MURKED AGAIN WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! So unfair
-Real talk why the FUCK did they send Wolverine to confront Magneto? Honestly Magneto could have done what he did at the end at literally any point, dude was playing it nice. Also, my Morphine loving ass really wishes there was a goodbye scene between Morph and Logan. I mean K know he’s gonna be okay though. It’s Wolverine. I hope we actually get to see more of his healing abilities, we never get too see those….. I mean he is going to be okay, right? My heart cannot take Logan dying he’s like one of my favorite X-Men. Honestly I feel like X-Men 97 haven’t really been doing him right. But it’s pretty much the Scott and Jean show so, go figure
-More on Morph: they got called THEM again!!! That made me so happy! :) but I was a little bit confused when Rouge said something along the lines of: “Morph barely joined our team for 30 minutes and we threw them to the wolves” what does that mean? Am I missing something? Is it from the original show? Because I didn’t watch it so if someone could explain please do!!
-As for Cable, it was really cool to see his powers get shown off! That was awesome. I like the interaction he had with Scott too. Honestly ever since they introduced Cable I was hoping for a Deadpool cameo, hopefully for season two. A girl can only dream.
-Then onto Nightcrawler! Once again my dude has AWESOME GOATED fighting skills!!!!!! We love him. I was surprised he didn’t really try to talk Rouge down during the battle but that fight was way too fast paced. I really liked the scene with the Rosary. I don’t really know why since I’m not religious or anything, I just thought that it was a nice touch.
-Gonna do Scott and Jean in one I guess. I liked the fight between Jean and Mr.Sinister. I think it’s crazy that she could telepathically communicate with Scott that far away. That’s cool. I hope Cable doesn’t kill her. On another note, I love Scott and Jean. Like this show has done WONDERS for Scott’s character but why does EVERYTHING have to be about them?! They’re like the only two characters that got like any character time the entire episode!
-And then because apparently I decided to do everyone I might as well say stuff about Beast, next I’ll do Magneto. (Can you tell this wasn’t planned at all and I’m just rambling lmao?) anyway, Beast was pretty chill here. I always like the little quips he throws out during a fight, and I like that he’s friends with Forge. He is a very swag dude. I’m a little surprised to see him hanging around near the reporter still, especially since she was revealed to be a sentient bot thing and like Roberto said, she somewhat chose to be turned into something that would fight against mutants. But beast is a very peaceful and forgiving person, so I suppose it makes sense.
-Finally, Magneto! Fun fact throughout this entire thing I kept spelling it magneato because I think he’s mag-neat-o (I should be burned at the stake). Well, I would say that if I didn’t think he was a FUCKING IDIOT! Bro another PLANET?! Please tell me how he was planning on loading every mutant up to another planet. I would LOVE to know. There were different ways he could have gone about it, but NOPE. Also- LEECH ACTUALLY DIED?! CKDIFNSKGKELGL SOBBING ACTUALLY SHED A TEAR- like I don’t know what I should have expected but I’m still sad about it. So I guess a huge part of this is a product of grief not just for Genosha but also Leech. God that’s so sad bro-
Forge- unfortunately not much to say here :( I do hope he’s okay though! He’s a really good pilot and very smart!
Overall, I just think this episode was way too rushed. I wish there were more character moments. I mean the professor isn’t dead? Hell I would have punched that old man in the face! I really think the first season should have been longer. I know people disagree but I just want to see more things between other characters that don’t feel so rushed. That’s all I want. I want to see more of my faves instead of having them constantly thrown to the side.
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tayasui-mono · 1 day
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In ce2e2 Mads said that Will was the first person Hannibal saw a future with. Hannibal knew Alana, Bedelia, Randall Tier much before he knew Will but yet he never saw a future with them? Tobias, someone who has a much darker nature than Will and can understand Hannibal because he is a psychopath himself, tried to seduce Hannibal in s1, yet Hannibal didn't see a future with him and declined his efforts. Why do you think he saw a future with Will unlike these other people Hannibal liked?
Sidenote maybe, I don't think Hannibal liked Tobias at all. Tobias is a compulsive killer. He can't stop. Meanwhile Hannibal can stop at anytime, he just chooses not to. I think Hannibal can't respect such an impulsive mind. Again, there is no comparison between all these people, Hannibal likes Will because Will is Will, not because he's better than Alana or Bedelia. It's like ice cream flavours, I like butterscotch not because it's better than vanilla or mint chocolate. I just like the way butterscotch tastes. I can't then go on to say "I'd like mint chocolate if it had hardened caramel bits in it." Because it's absurd to want that.
Why could Hannibal imagine a future with Will? Hannibal is kind of this ideal human being right? He is perfect in every way. He lives up to the human ideals of a god without even trying, and hence he lives in the present. At the final moment on the cliff, he was elated because his mind branched off into a future scenerio. He saw a possibility of having Will's company. Perhaps because Will willingly killed and so this is a step further into forcing Will to solving his cognitive dissonance, or because he had a literal partner in crime in the scene before and imagined a similar thing happening again.
Then what does Hannibal like about Will? I don't like to analyse love too deeply. Then I'd have to breakdown Hannibal and Will's personalities and I don't want to do that. Simply, I'll say Hannibal appreciates Will's bravery and ruthlessness. He also likes his vulnerability and the way he makes sense of the world given the way his mind works the way it does.
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novantinuum · 2 days
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Pink Onyx AU- An Analysis and Theory Post, Part 3
[Part 1] | [Part 2] | [Part 3- You are here!] | [Part 4] | [Part 5]
~
Welcome once again! This is part 3 of my analysis series on the excellent @pink-onyx-au comic made by @ceephorsshitshow. If you haven’t already, please check out the first and second parts- linked above- for more information on what these posts are all about. A lot of this analysis will build on what came previously.
So without further adieu- 
__
Question Four: What is it that makes Onyx finally front as themself? What’s unifying Steven and Jasper, here?
For the whole first six episodes of this comic, Onyx does not have any clear personality of their own- merely existing as a vessel for Steven and Jasper to continuously wrestle for control over. (Like, literally- Steven controls one half of their limbs, and Jasper the other.) 
In episode seven, however, this paradigm changes in a very dramatic way.
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(Episode 7: Page 12)
Jasper is in the midst of trying to split Onyx by dropping a rock on them when the two realize that they’re crying… but that neither of them are consciously doing so.
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(Episode 7: Page 13)
And then it finally happens.
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(Episode 7: Page 14)
Take a good, nice look at that speech bubble. For the first time in this whole comic, it’s solid. It’s Onyx’s pink.
After multiple nights of these two taking this fusion for a spin as a mere vessel for their whims, the fusion’s unique sense of self has finally surfaced.
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(Episode 7: Page 15)
And in one of the most stunning pages of the comic thus far, what they surface to is this haunting realization- the hollow understanding that they don’t truly want to be themself.
As I hinted towards in the last post, I think it’s vitally important to note the reappearance of the Gem battlefield in this page. It’s the same one we saw in the dream Onyx experienced. Not only that, but I’m fascinated by the cracking pink at the bottom of the wedge with Onyx… it appears very much like the bottom of a cracking diamond, and has that familiar oozing pink dripping from it. These two elements featured together alongside the splitting of Onyx as they realize they “don’t want to be me” paint a very clear picture of what binds everyone together in this fusion.
Everyone here- Jasper, Steven as a whole, and even his component parts- are highly dissatisfied with who they’ve become and the choices they’ve made in the past. Jasper doesn’t wish to be “herself-” at least, not as she is now. Neither does Steven. Neither did Rose, for that instance… with whatever out-of-context whispers of his mother’s memory still exists within his gemstone. Hell, Rose didn’t want to be herself so much that she outright “shattered” the old image of herself to become someone entirely new. That’s what I believe the cracking pink design in this panel represents.
Now, slight tangent… one of the biggest questions I had when I started this comic is what Jasper might stand to gain from a fusion with Steven- and I think the finer details of this particular page give us very clear hints as to what truths she might ultimately face.
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(Episode 1: Page 9)
Early on into this storyline, Jasper admits that she does not understand anything Pink Diamond or Steven has done up unto this point. She does not have any context for why Rose made the decisions she has, and thus all her actions as a Diamond seem erratic and unreasonable.
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(Episode 2: Page 10)
Specifically, she does not understand why Pink Diamond couldn’t manage to commit to any of the responsibilities she was given. To Jasper, every single choice Pink/Rose made was filled with immense hypocrisy. Wholly unfulfilled. 
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(Episode 8: Page 9)
Thus, by the end of this, I think one of the big revelations Jasper is going to face will be what makes her and Pink Diamond irrefutably similar. Namely, the self loathing they both intensely felt.
The imagery of that shattering pink wedge at the bottom of Onyx’s frame, flanked by scenes of desolate battlefields right after the corruption blast are just oozing with the fleeting memory of Rose’s self loathing, to me. It is something she held intensely in common with all of them.
Except now… unlike her, who kept her self loathing tightly bottled up… Steven and Jasper are in a position where they just might be able to work out some of their difficult emotions together, as a pair. Because through fusion, mayhaps they’ll grow to understand that they aren’t so different than they originally thought. 
Perhaps through fusion… they’ll realize- and Onyx, too- that they aren’t alone in the way they feel at all.
__
Question Five: Is it possible that both Steven AND Jasper have a point?
The night after Onyx finally surfaces, Steven and Jasper reconvene in the woods.
In the conversation that follows, the two of them showcase very polarizing stances about the nature of fusion as a whole.
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(Episode 8: Page 2)
Essentially, Steven believes that their fusion has free will and that it’s Onyx who is either splitting them apart or causing them to not be able to split whatsoever. He paints a comparison between their situation and what he’s witnessed with Sugilite- a fusion Gem who wanted to exist so badly that she essentially forced Garnet and Amethyst to remain fused even when they were entirely worn out from it.
He does briefly touch on the idea of both him and Jasper subconsciously causing it, but when he later clarifies his ideas, his focus swerves more towards Onyx’s role in the matter as a wholly unique third party.
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(Episode 8: Page 3)
The thought he heard, I imagine, is Onyx’s “I don’t want to be me?” realization.
(A thought that- while they all share in the sentiment- I doubt either Steven or Jasper have acknowledged on their own, yet.)
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(Episode 8: Page 3)
Meanwhile, Jasper’s opinion is that this is complete bunk, and that a fusion is nothing more than the combined whims of the individuals who form it. She sees fusion as something to conquer, an ability to wield. A body to drive.
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(Episode 8: Page 5)
Jasper’s stance may seem a bit harsh and narrow-minded- given what we the audience know about fusion’s full nature beyond Homeworld’s rhetoric- but I do think her insistence that fusion is just “the combined power and wills of the Gem making them” brings up an interesting point about how fusion actually works, one that Steven is trying to brush over a little here. 
Not only- once stability is reached- is Onyx their own person with their own wants and feelings, but the very person they ARE is strongly influenced by the people who combine to form them and who THEY are. There’s a damn lot about a fusion’s actions and personality that can be traced back to their components, basically. Jasper is half right. 
Like, look at Garnet- before her existence as a fusion was revealed to Steven, she acted rather aloof and distant with him… a far cry from the spirited, openly affectionate, confident person she becomes by the end of the show. 
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In my mind a large part of this can be traced back to what we learn in the s4 episode “Three Gems and a Baby,” where we see Garnet momentarily split in front of baby Steven. Steven is distraught about this, bursting into tears- and while one can’t blame the poor little guy (object permanence issues ahah), I think it brings up old traumas for Ruby and Sapphire. Traumas of rejection… of Homeworld Gems not understanding the point of fusion for them at all, of Gems being scared of them. Thus, Garnet becoming a bit more guarded around Steven before this very important facet of her identity is revealed would make sense to me- it all echoes back to what insecurities and fears Ruby and Sapphire are bringing into this fusion.
So, moving back to this episode of the comic, Steven wants to believe that it’s specifically Onyx who is causing their fusion issues because it relieves him of his duty to look into himself and analyze his own problems. (He doesn’t want to think about himself, because he often doesn’t want to BE himself.)
And Jasper isn’t willing to see Onyx as their own person because she’s too afraid of getting attached to yet another fusion who in her mind- once Steven gets the answers he came to her for- won’t ever exist again.
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“Nobody I fuse with ever wants to stay.”
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(Episode 8: Page 8)
Jasper is terrified of being abandoned by people, so much that she’s isolated herself in these woods so she never has to become close to anyone and risk that possibility again. Steven shares in this fear, although his way of coping with it is a bit different- by trying to make himself indispensable to others so they’ll have a reason to want him as a continual part of their lives. 
And thus these buried emotions have boiled in the pot while fused as Onyx to create a fusion who violently ping-pongs between falling apart and being outright stuck together because paradoxically, the two of them are afraid of being alone while ALSO afraid of the vulnerability that comes from not being alone. Staying as Onyx for too long is scary, because deep down they know damn well they have a lot in common to talk about. And yet, their loneliness and deep need for understanding and connection (Jasper is a quartz, and quartzes are ever so social) compels them to try.
Only time will tell if they manage to push past these deep-seated fears and find a true sense of camaraderie and companionship with each other.
_
Look out for the next post in this series at 7am PST tomorrow. Farewell!
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mettywiththenotes · 2 days
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Thinking about how this shot in the opening reminds me of the panel in 340 and I'm fairly certain it's meant to be the same scene (except obviously a little exaggerated but it's the same situation - window, chair, tied up in a room)
When I watched this part in the opening, the word "judgement" came to mind. It sort of feels like that with how the light is cast over him, his head low in that dark room alone
And when you pair the dialogue in the panel with it, it feels like "situation vs emotion", and what I mean by that is the reality of the situation is Aoyama is tied up spilling his fears to Aizawa on the other side listening to him. He's literally not alone. The window is also much smaller in comparison to what the opening depicts. That is the reality of the scene
Emotionally though, this is a low point in Aoyama's character. He betrayed his classmates, his friends. He was arrested. He hurt the people he cares about. Even before he was caught, it was clear he thought of himself as a scumbag, a "villain", for having ties with AFO. In the scene in 340, he goes on to say he wants to crawl into a hole and die, to leave it all behind, which shows just how much he detests himself for what he did. It shows his mental state at the time
So I think the feeling of judgement fits so well with the visual Bones chose for the opening. This is Aoyama confessing his feelings of despair to his teacher, his fear not just of AFO but not being able to sparkle as his friends do. And the judgement paired with the way Aizawa tells him his sins will be with him forever, how Aoyama later goes on about "atoning for his sins" in the story, that matches the atmosphere here too
I'd like to also add that while there's the symbolism of the light outside the cell being associated with good and freedom while the dark inside of it could be associated with feeling trapped and that despair I mentioned earlier, it also reminds me of what Aoyama said about his friends sparkling
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"I'm also scared that I can never sparkle and shine as they do."
Aoyama fearing being, say, dull and lackluster in comparison to his friends is also depicted in the shot in the opening. Aoyama in the dark, no longer twinkling like he usually would before this, while the window shows bright light shining through the bars, almost as if his friends are on the other side, casting his shadow
"The more they express their faith in me, the more I lose faith in myself."
You could also say the idea of the light being his friends on the other side of the bars is also those same friends waiting for him to come out, to join them and fight with them again (which he later gets to do in the war). But then, even as they are waiting for him, he loses confidence, which I think you can see in the way that his head hangs away from the window, so as his friends are waiting for him, putting faith in his return, he is losing faith in himself
I don't really have much left to say on this but I think it is just so interesting how you can tell so much from something that only lasts, what, a second? Which just goes to show how amazingly well this opening was put together. Of course, manga readers already know what happens with Aoyama's plot line, but to be given a shot that shows a symbolic angle on the scene AND Aoyama's feelings is so great
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lover-of-mine · 2 days
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I so agree with everything you said. The difference of reactions when you didn't ship their previous relationship vs when you don't ship B/T is very telling (same with the fact that when some people talked about a cheating storyline, the reactions were always "it would be bad for Buck to do this to Tommy" but apparently it would have been okay if Eddie did this to a woman?? okay lmao)
What I don't understand is how people say that it's Buck's most developed LI/relationship. Like? We don't know that much about him. People have created (themselves and via the actor's cameos) lots of headcanons but that doesn't mean that they are canon.
To me, he really still feels like a love interest device for now. Like with the scene of the kiss in the last episode, they could have include some mentions of another date, whether past or a future one, but they didn't. The kiss was just there to be able to have Buck come out to the rest of the family, but it didn't bring anything more about B/T (we don't know if they saw each other since the coffee date/if it was their second kiss or if there was already more).
Literally. Like, look, I will say one thing, if buddie had hooked up at that bachelor party only one person would be cheating and that's Eddie. Buck and Tommy did not have a we're exclusive talk. They actually had a we can figure things out as we go talk. Personally, I don't think that counts as an we are together conversation, but that's my opinion. But either way no one seemed to care about the Eddie side of it. Eddie who is literally in a relationship serious enough he asked her to move in with him the episode before. But sure, that doesn't count because they hate Edy and forget Marisol exists (I do too, but I spent the whole time saying we shouldn't make the bisexual dude help his best friend cheat because I did not forget Eddie would be cheating and that would be bad no matter what). And to say T is the most developed love interest is a straight up lie. Taylor had a whole season as Buck's friend before they got together. She had a personality, flaws, qualities, she even got her very own tragic background episode. Say what you want about anything, and yes they sucked as a couple, but bucktaylor was developed. On screen. To a point where if the show actually wanted to, which they clearly didn't because they used the s4 Taylor development to stir her away from Buck instead of closer, they could've made bucktaylor work, they just had to make her as intense about Buck as she is with the job, and they could've been a very interesting golden retriever boyfriend/black cat girlfriend dynamic (good god I can't believe this fandom is making me defend fucking bucktaylor). Buck and T had one scene alone before they were kissing. Tommy has no established personality. Pretty much everything about him besides the begins episodes part of him (that dont paint him in the best light) we learned second hand. Through interviews. It's not even things that are being said to the audience in the show. I'm pretty sure the only things we learned from the show are the way he's a pilot, he was in the army, he likes wrestling, cars, and basketball. I could be wrong, fandom annoyed me so much I blackout every time I see him at this point. But he's not developed? He's just a guy? Don't get me wrong, he could be developed. There is space for it. But right now, he is there to serve as a device for Buck to find his bisexuality and that's it. They kissed twice. They went on half a date T left in the middle of. They went out for coffee and decided to figure things out as they went. He was at the hospital after the wedding to work as a way for Buck to come out without making him go around telling everyone. He exists around Buck. And that's it. Personally I don't see the endgame material people keep seeing. I don't see the development either. And anyone can headcanon anything, really go off, have fun with your ship, but people seriously need to stop acting like what Lou is saying in cameos counts as canon. Being in the fandom right now is exhausting because people just decided things about T and BT that are not backed by canon and they get real aggressive if you don't agree. I seriously am dying to see what's gonna happen if canon goes against the idealized version of him fanon created. I don't know if it's gonna happen but by god will I be entertained by it if it does.
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very-straight-blog · 3 days
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In light of that wonderful expo, which gave us so much TGC content, can I just say that Aegon's "I've done everything you ask me to... and I try so... I try so hard, but it will never be enough" line would've hit harder (TGC's acting was so fucking good tho) if hotd would bother to show us scenes (just flashbacks, literally anything) of a young Aegon doing anything, from his studies to his training and showing off his talents/knowledge by trying to interact with Viserys and doing anything to get his attention but seeing/realizing that Viserys was never interested in him no matter what which would kick off his spiral to alcoholism and the frequent ventures to flea bottom (and finally see his book traits of being a sullen boy) and eventually becoming lazy. Instead, they included some dumb af scenes that serve no purpose other than shock factor or trying so hard to be got. They were so allergic to giving/having sympathetic scenes for the greens that some even hated the idea of Aemond being bullied instead of being the bully. Like, I laughed at the praise the show gets when it clearly suffers from so much "telling everything to the audience" instead of letting the audience come to a conclusion by describing the events and actions. BUT, then again, seeing as most of the reaction to Alicent being maritally raped, Aemond being bullied, Aemond claiming Vhagar (and literally losing an eye), and Alicent snapping in Driftmark was clearly so different, never mind lmao. But, that's just my opinion lmao. Sorry for the rant, I've been thinking about it lately but do get ready, just in case some get pissed at this lmao.
Feel you! I even had a big post on this topic - here. I won't repeat myself, but yes - there's a huge problem in the series with describing things instead of showing them. If we talk about Aegon - literally everything we know about him - we know from his words or the words of other people, and this is very annoying, especially considering the difference between what others say about him and how we see Aegon on the screen. Tom plays a depressed alcoholic with mommy issues, who makes vulgar jokes and has some dildos on the bedside table. This is his maximum. We're even shown his disgust at the sight of cruelty - I wrote about it here. However, other characters describe him as a rapist prone to sadism. What? Who wrote this script? I think about it quite often and I get terribly angry every time. Aegon was an amazing character in the book - interesting, dramatic, but in the series all the positive qualities were taken away from him, even in those scenes that we see - like the fact that he wants to escape, while in the book he agreed to accept the crown to protect his family. It's all incredibly frustrating.
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miss-musings · 1 day
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The Official CrossDad Ranking of The Bad Batch Season 3 Episodes
I love TBB Season 3 so much, and it's partly because of Crosshair's arc and his growing connection with Omega. His attitude toward life in general and her specifically really evolves throughout the season, to the point where he becomes CrossDad(TM).
So I thought I'd rank all the S3 episodes by how many and how significant of CrossDad moments we get.
Disclaimer: I'll only be counting episodes where Crosshair and Omega have screentime together (Ep 1, 3-9 and 11). I won't be including the series finale either, because that'd be too hard.
So, starting with the least CrossDad episode and working our way to the most:
9. Episode 3.01 "Confinement"
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Crosshair literally tells Omega that if he had a chance to escape he wouldn't think twice about leaving her behind. Ouch. Not very CrossDad at all.
He also says "I'm not them" when Omega says he's her brother.
But, I guess bro had to start somewhere.
Grade: F
8. Episode 3.03 "Shadows of Tantiss"
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Unsurprisingly this is only slightly better. Crosshair's definitely mad at Omega for just winging an escape, but he goes along with it and watches her back. He's definitely not as protective of her here as he is later in the season, but I guess that's to be expected.
The one highlight is, once she thinks they've failed and they'll be killed or recaptured, his Dad instincts kick in and he praises her for getting them as far as she did.
Grade: D
7. Episode 3.08 "Bad Territory"
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As much as I love Crosshair and Omega's scenes in Bad Territory -- in fact, they're the only good parts of the whole episode -- I don't think Crosshair acts much like Omega's dad in this episode. More like that older sister-younger brother dynamic she's teased him about before.
However, there are a few crumbs I can highlight:
Crosshair telling her she needs to stay safe and Hunter agreeing with him.
Crosshair's unenthused look when Omega talks about Phee.
As Hunter correctly deduces, Omega is the *only* person Crosshair would listen to about getting his hand examined.
Omega telling Crosshair he doesn't like anything and him agreeing with her.
Crosshair looking very sad and upset when he realizes just how much time he's missed with Omega.
Still, overall, definitely not the most CrossDad episode of the season.
Grade: C
TIE-5. Episode 3.11 "Point of No Return"
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This is a weird one, because while we don't get a lot of CrossDad moments with Omega, the episode goes out of its way to make parallels between Crosshair and Hunter to show they're both parental figures to Omega.
I'll talk about this more later on, but one of the ways S3 really solidifies CrossDad is by putting him alongside Hunter so it feels like they're co-parenting Omega together.
This episode does that, in part, by sidelining Wrecker the entire episode. Crosshair and Hunter go up to the colonnade together to get Omega while Wrecker loads the ship, and they watch over Omega together after Wrecker's incapacitated.
And then, we have the parallel between Hunter watching Hemlock's shuttle take Omega away in 2.16 "Plan 99" and Crosshair watching CX-2's shuttle take Omega away from Pabu.
Another poignant parallel that shows Crosshair has become a parental figure to Omega, the way Hunter has been the entire show.
However, I feel like Crosshair ultimately agreeing with Omega's plan to turn herself in is something Hunter would never do. I get that Crosshair was reluctant, tried to talk her out of it and only agreed because he didn't see any better options. But, I still feel like Hunter would never have done that.
Ultimately, I feel like this one's a mixed bag.
Grade: C+
TIE-5. Episode 3.06 "Infiltration"
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Admittedly there aren't many CrossDad moments in this one, as the bulk of the runtime is focused on the CX assassins and Rex's clone underground.
But we do get a few:
Omega copies Crosshair's toothpick thing, just like she did with Hunter in 1.01 Aftermath (and her other brothers throughout the series). Now, she's finally copying him, and he takes note of it.
He just nonchalantly tells Omega the Empire's after her again, but once it's clear there's an operative nearby, he freaks out.
Again, the show pairs Crosshair up with Hunter as co-parents talking about Omega's safety and the bigger problems with Hemlock, Tantiss and the CX operatives. Meanwhile Wrecker hangs out with Omega -- like a big brother distracting/entertaining his sister while the "grown-ups" talk.
Not a lot to work with, but it's cute for what we do have.
Grade: C+
4. Episode 3.05 "The Return"
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This is another episode where we don't get a ton of one-on-one interactions between Crosshair and Omega, and some of the ones we do get fall more into that brother-sister dynamic (ie, "He started it," and Omega sighing in frustration).
But there are some big CrossDad moments in this episode:
When Omega first approaches the beach and Crosshair looks up at her, his expression definitely changes. It's hard to tell because the focus switches as Batcher comes into the foreground, but it honestly looks like he smiles when he sees her. Or at least his expression "lightens up."
Crosshair has a nice teaching moment with Omega where he describes what it takes to be a good sniper!! :)
Despite his resentment and anger toward Hunter, it's clear that Crosshair agrees with Hunter about not wanting to endanger Omega. In fact, he even defends Hunter's stance to Omega and tells her not to hold it against him.
The "you let Omega be taken to Tantiss" exchange is *chef's kiss*. I feel like I could write entire essays about it.
It's clear that, for the first half of the episode, Hunter doesn't like that Omega and Crosshair are so close. Not only does he not trust Crosshair, but he definitely resents Crosshair for helping Omega escape when he couldn't. I think he's also a bit jealous (???) of all the attention Omega shows Crosshair after she and Hunter have been separated for months. Like, she couldn't even spend one minute having breakfast with him and Wrecker before asking where Crosshair was and immediately going to find him. Hunter also needlessly threw Crosshair a dirty look for seeing how much Omega was following him around before they left for Barton IV. Again, I know it's because he and Crosshair have their own issues -- which they resolve by the end of the episode -- but he never seemed insecure/jealous/resentful of Omega spending so much time with Wrecker, Echo or Tech before.
Overall, this is the one episode where it's clear that, despite their personal differences, Crosshair and Hunter both care about Omega and prioritize her safety. Because they're *both* her dads now.
Side note: the little exchange where Crosshair says he'll handle getting the creature outside the perimeter and Hunter saying "Not alone -- we'll do it together" and then Crosshair asking him if he's sure... you can definitely read that more than one way... :)
Grade: B-
3. Episode 3.04 "A Different Approach"
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This episode isn't the *most* CrossDad episode, but I feel like it's the one where Crosshair first starts down the CrossDad path thanks to two big moments:
THE FIRST:
As I said, the show goes out of its way several times to show that Crosshair is on the same path as Hunter -- just two seasons later. While Hunter acted like Omega's dad pretty much from Day 1, Crosshair's just starting his journey in Season 3.
In 1.01 Aftermath, after TBB fails Tarkin's mission, Hunter decides to go back to Kamino for Omega. Even though there's a possibility TBB could be captured or killed if they return to Kamino, Hunter chooses Omega's safety and well-being over his and his squad's freedom.
At the time, Crosshair argued against returning for Omega. But, here in 3.04, he faces the same decision as Hunter: Ensure his own freedom by going to the spaceport OR follow Omega despite the risk of both of them getting (re)captured or killed.
And like Hunter, he chooses Omega over his own freedom and safety.
This was his own Point of No Return, if you will. The moment he first takes up the CrossDad mantle -- never to let it go again.
THE SECOND:
Additionally, in this episode, we have the Imperial officer mistaking Crosshair for Omega's dad. I'm 99% sure that Hunter is the only Bad Batcher who was assumed to be Omega's dad before this episode. I can't recall anyone ever doing that with Echo, Wrecker or Tech before -- just Hunter. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
The fact that another character in-universe believes Crosshair is Omega's dad is a purposeful choice by the writers. The captain could've easily said "I've never seen you two around here before," and the conversation could've continued the same way. The fact that he says "dad" is significant, because again, we're drawing parallels between Crosshair and Hunter.
And in this episode, where Crosshair ultimately makes the same "Omega>freedom" choice Hunter did, that seems poignant.
ADDITIONAL POINTS:
Outside of the two big items, I'll only say that there are a few other CrossDad elements in this episode, like him being ready to square up against anyone who threatens Omega. Including a poor street kid. LOL
But, the bulk of the time, he follows her lead. She tells him they need new clothes; she has the idea to bribe the spaceport employee; she decides to "hustle" people at the cantina; and she refuses to go with Crosshair after the Imperials take Batcher. Heck, even the "Let's try things your way" line is still HER decision.
Hunter definitely has his moments where he defers to Omega's judgment (and moments when she just 100% defies or disobeys him), but the narrative and other characters definitely see him as the one who has the final say as the squad leader and her guardian.
So, we can see that Crosshair might be transitioning into a "dad" role, but he's definitely not there yet.
I also like how he grabs the briefcase of credits, even though they didn't really need it anymore. He was like, "I'm not going to let all of Omega's hard work go to waste." LOL
The final moment I want to highlight is Crosshair trying to emotionally prepare Omega that Hunter and Wrecker might not be there. Of course he was wrong, but I appreciate that he was not only looking out for her physical well-being in this episode, but also her emotional well-being too.
Overall, this is one worth being in the Top 3 of Most CrossDad episodes.
Grade: B
2. Episode 3.09 "The Harbinger"
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Like 3.05 The Return, we don't have a lot of one-on-one interactions between Crosshair and Omega. But, again, the episode's structure and other characters go out of their way to treat Crosshair as a full member of The Dad Batch.
Asajj seems to view all three brothers as equally problematic toward Omega's possible Force training. She doesn't single Hunter or Crosshair or Wrecker out more than the other two -- they're all "overprotective shadows" in her eyes.
If anything, I think that shows just how well Crosshair has slotted into the family dynamic in such a short amount of time. Hunter and Wrecker have been with Omega longer and arguably know her better, but Crosshair is just as fiercely protective of her as they are.
It also demonstrates how far he's come in just half a season. Seven episodes ago he said he'd leave her behind without a second thought (although he was probably lying), and now he's fighting a former Sith apprentice because she might be a threat to Omega's safety.
But, while Asajj might view all three brothers the same way -- and to a certain degree they are -- the narrative once again has Wrecker playing a different role in Omega's life while putting Crosshair and Hunter on (near) equal footing.
Multiple times throughout the episode -- namely the family meeting in the Marauder and the final conversation with Asajj -- we see Hunter and Crosshair are framed more as co-parents while Wrecker acts as either guard dog or Omega's distraction while the "grown-ups" talk.
One final point I'll make is that, while Crosshair nominally agreed with Hunter's plan to let Omega train with Asajj alone, he also made it clear he disagreed with Hunter’s decision. He basically gave himself an out. Like: "You might've agreed to let Omega train with a former Separatist assassin unsupervised, but I made no such promise so I can intervene if I see fit. I'm only up here with you guys because of peer pressure."
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of this episode in general, and honestly wish we could've consolidated it with 3.08 Bad Territory somehow. But, it's definitely a CrossDad heavy episode, and in that respect, I *am* here for it!
Grade: A
1. Episode 3.07 "Extraction"
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You all knew this had to be No. 1. It's THE quintessential CrossDad episode!!
I love the little touch of Omega going to look down the spire alongside Crosshair. She really is trying to learn from him, and he doesn't seem to be opposed to it.
As we see later in this episode and again in the finale, once Crosshair knows a CX operative is after them, he volunteers to face him. I know he has all sorts of reasons for wanting to confront CX-2 by himself, but protecting Omega must be one of them.
Once they get away and crash-land in the jungle, we get THE CrossDad conversation -- which was apparently a late addition by the production team.
Once again, he's checking on Omega's physical and emotional well-being. He makes sure she's safe and knows what to do, even though they've been in at least two firefights together at this point.
And once again, we get another parallel between him and Hunter, this time by Omega herself!
Omega: You're as bad as Hunter. Crosshair: Oh, I'm much worse.
He's so fully embraced the CrossDad path that it convinces Howzer (who understandably didn't trust Crosshair earlier in the two-parter) that Crosshair really is different.
Once those Jango Fett "dad genes" kick in, all the clones are practically different people, and Howzer clearly sees that in Crosshair. I'm sure it reminded Howzer of his own time on Ryloth and much he cared about the Syndulla family and Hera specifically.
We also get a nice allusion to Crosshair's own journey of loyalty. He said earlier in the two-parter that he wasn't loyal to the Empire any longer, but didn't really specify who he was loyal to now. But, Howzer clearly sees Crosshair's now 100% dedicated to his family, especially Omega.
During the first skirmish between the protagonists and the Imperial troops, Crosshair unnecessarily tells Omega, "Stay by my side and stay down."
I say unnecessarily because 1) he should know by now Omega can handle herself and 2) neither Hunter nor Wrecker felt compelled to give her similar directions. But, he's full CrossDad(TM) in this episode, so his first priority is her safety. It was also objectively a good idea for Omega to stay with Crosshair, considering he has an infrared sight and could see enemies that the others probably couldn't.
Which is exactly what happens when Crosshair realizes CX-2 is after them. So, once again, he takes on the responsibility of distracting CX-2 so Omega and the others can get to safety.
Omega doesn't like his decision, and in the perfect CrossDad move -- in that it combines all of Crosshair's quintessential traits with those of the quintessential dad -- he turns off his comm and says under his breath: "Too bad." LOL
The fight against CX-2 is so well-done, in part because we see exactly who Crosshair used to be in S1 and who he could've become in S3 if he hadn't resisted Hemlock's "re-education" efforts.
Granted, this was a headcanon someone else shared, but I like the thought that Crosshair was able to resist specifically because of Omega.
Either:
Hemlock controls the CX operatives by enhancing the effects of their inhibitor chips (like what Tarkin & co did to Crosshair in S1); in which case, Crosshair is immune because he took Omega's advice in S1 and removed his inhibitor chip.
OR
While he'd never admit it, I'm sure seeing Omega regularly (probably daily) on Tantiss gave him some amount of hope and comfort in an otherwise desolate and isolated environment. In which case, he had something to hold onto mentally and emotionally while he was being tortured. This would be a nice parallel to Hemlock interrogating him in S2. He didn't break then because he was clearly thinking about his family, and it'd poignant if that was the case again in S3.
In any case, 3.07 Extraction is, without a doubt, the most CrossDad episode in S3. I honestly wish we could've gotten more episodes like it, or just more S3 episodes in general. But, I'm thankful we got to see Crosshair and Omega grow so much -- both individually and together -- this season.
Grade: A+
Here's to hoping we get a The Bad Batch comic or something down the road. I personally wouldn't mind seeing a few more CrossDad moments, even if it's not in "The Bad Batch" TV show! :)
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