#ghostsandbluesweaters

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! Two days late, but I had the flu so today is my celebration day!

Hope yours was wonderful! John says hello! (And check out his ribbons and medal he won at the dog show the other day!)

Lena: 2, 3, 6, 12, 20

!!

Meerja

Who are they closest to? How did they meet and what do they like to do together?

Pre-war Meerja was closest to her mother. They lived together in a hole in the wall apartment in the red light district of Coronet City on Corellia. Meerja didn’t get to do much except take care of and hang out with her mother whenever she wasn’t busy. Due to the living environment she wasn’t allowed out of the house very much and so didn’t make a lot of friends. During the war Meerja finds Scorch the easiest to get along with. They bounce off each other well and his personality lets her explore and round out her own lacking social skills. The two find it amusing to joke around during meal time by guessing what exactly the nondescript meat substance in their stew actually is and whenever possible they like to explore local cuisine together.

Post-war Meerja becomes very close to Sev, becoming his caretaker during his long road to recovery. Mostly they enjoy sitting out and listening to rain falling in the woods whenever and however they can.

Meerja also becomes close friends with Jaing and Besany.

Are they an early bird or night owl?

In a perfect world Meerja is a natural early bird. That’s not to say she’s pleasant or happy about waking up early, but she’s usually one of the first to wake up nonetheless. It’s her unspoken job to start the cafpot every morning and come hell or high water she will get the first cup in the morning. On Kyrimorut she and Ordo will fight to get said cup.

Are they the type to adopt strays (animals or people?) What or who have they “adopted” over the years?

Not necessarily. One could say she took in Delta Squad but in reality Meerja is the one looking to be adopted. She’s the stray that desperately needs to be taken in; clawing biting and hissing the whole way home. For most of her life survival hasn’t come easily so the responsibility and weight of taking in the needy has always kept her from putting someone or something under her wing. That being said, after dedicating years of her life to the rescue of Delta Squad, the care of Sev, and nagging Vau to take care of himself as he ages one could easily say she finds herself taking in these strays once she has the appropriate resources to be a mom friend for them.

What events changed them as a child?

Let’s be honest the most life changing childhood event Meerja ever experienced was being sent away by her mother with a ticket off planet, the clothes on her back and the name of her father. It sparked a few years of searching and nearly managing to find out about the Clone Army before the onset of the war by pure dumb luck. It was a major turning point in her life and cemented the idea in her mind that no one can be trusted and the only person that ever had her back was going to be her own self.

Lena

What were they like as a child? Were they quiet and reserved, outgoing, or a bit of both?

Lena is a very quiet child. Not only is she verbally quiet but she has a very small presence which makes her sneaky and hard to track down due to her ability to simply walk past someone without being noticed. Kevin tends to be one of the few people that always knows where she is and where she has been.

Are they an early bird or night owl?

Lena is more of a night owl. Getting to bed is a struggle with her and it’s not uncommon to find her wandering the halls and corridors of whatever facility Jackal Squad is stationed in. Many an unsuspecting night personnel have been faced with the sudden appearance of a pale young child asking questions about the heavily classified material in their workroom. Her midnight wanderings quickly become part of orientation briefings and Kevin is earnestly encouraged to rein in his ward and keep her if not in bed, at least in her quarters. It’s an ongoing problem that Kevin does his best to find the most ineffective solutions for. He thinks it’s funny, and he hasn’t been reprimanded yet.

On an average day, what can they be found doing after dinner?

Generally after dinner is Lena’s freetime. Her days are packed full of training, schoolwork, and chores so Riley nearly came to blows with Kevin over not giving Lena any of the limited time ONI does give her to herself. After said argument Kevin allows her an hour after dinner to spend however she likes. She’ll generally spend it playing games, following unsuspecting marines around, or practicing the skills Kevin has taught her that day which usually include ambushing the aforementioned marines.

Are they hot-headed or even-tempered? What frustrates them the most?

Lena is extremely even-tempered. Even as a five year old she was complacent and quiet. She never spoke a word when informed that her parents would not be coming back from their fishing trip and she never protested at being handed back and forth among the townspeople to be cared for. She did as she was told and beyond her insistent wandering never caused trouble for her caretakers. This is why it was such a shock to everyone on Losing Hand when she screamed and cried inconsolably at the news that Kevin was leaving for Earth. And why no one put up a real fuss when he announced he would be taking her with him. As she ages she gets a little more outspoken but remains so cool and calm in high tension situations that Kasum likens her to an accomplished Sangheili warrior. She does find it difficult to be the voice of reason as she usually ends up being the subject of or the one in between Kevin and Riley’s disagreements. It’s a well established fact that when Lena raises her voice everyone had best check themselves because she’s probably got a good reason.

How many friends do they have?

As a young child Lena believes every person she meets to be her friend. “Acquaintance” or “coworker” simply isn’t within her capacity for understanding. She believes the MP she followed around on patrol around the barracks two nights ago is her friend. She believes Admiral Osman to be her good friend after only meeting her once.

As she grows older and starts to learn more about how humans work she struggles immensely to make friends. School on Sarcophagus is very difficult for her as she is the only child that lives in the military base near Paxopolis and certainly the only child that claim a Spartan as her benefactor. This alienates her from the other human children and makes the alien children slightly wary of her as a “Demon’s Child”.

He did amazing! I'm so proud of my little boy. He jumped three days and nailed every jump. He got his Dock Junior title, a ribbon to go with it, and a new personal best of 15.3ft.

I need to work on timing my throws better and I'm positive he'll easily be able to jump farther. Since he's still growing I don't expect him to get a lot of strength and power going until next year so mostly I want to work on more confidence and endurance with him for the rest of this year. And getting him out of his life vest so he can get a little.bit more natural movement. But he did incredible and he loved every second of it. We have a lot more training to do but half the battle is getting a dog that loves the sport enough to want to do it. And he desperately wants to do it.

last song I listened to:

Someone (*cough*@biathediamond*cough*) got me really sad about this song and it's going to end up being the base for a whole character playlist at this point.

currently watching: Making my way through the Bad Batch. This season has been loads better than the last. I have a few issues with it but honestly that's me being picky and holding onto a bit of resentment from the disaster of season 2. Overall, it's doing awesome and I am curious and more than ready for the finale. I just hope it ends. No spinoffs. No continuations. Let their stories end. Let them rest.

Also reworking my way through the One Piece Wano Arc. More English dub has been released but I need some context so I restarted the arc.

currently reading: Mostly fanfic, which is kind of strange for me. Working through a DSMP pirate AU recommended to me. Very well done so far, I'm just having focus issues with full length novels at the moment. I'm casually working through Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant again as well. Planning on starting up the Halo Forerunner trilogy again sometime soon.

currently obsessed with: One Piece. This week's focal point is Kid and Killer. I'm just so very fond of the scene between the two of them in Udon prison. It's one of the few times we ever get to hear Kid speak softly and it really drives home the horror of what's happening. I could write a whole essay.

favorite color: Black. Colors directly affect my emotions and not in the traditional way. Red is the kind of joyful passion that borders on mania. Yellow is anger, hatred and pain. Pink is disgust and loathing. Blue is kindness and peace. Black is calm and soothing. I live with a temper that is constantly on edge so the fact that surrounding myself in the color black can help keep it tamped down makes me very fond of it. In such a colorful world life can be both thrilling and exhausting. Black helps make it easier.

One a scale of 1-10 with 1 being: "they've massacred my boy" and 10 being: this is the season to end all seasons and I can die happy" I'd put myself in at a solid 6. Season one was probably an 8 and season two I would place somewhere in between 1 and 2. The extra consideration being solely for: "The Outpost".

The true joy this season is in Crosshair. His journey is being handled with such care and precision I'm really quite impressed. I'm pleased that he hasn't experienced a "healing through the power of love" moment. I assure you that is not how PTSD and psychosomatic injuries work. PTSD is for life. You don't heal from that. You learn to live and to cope in ways that work for you. You can become functional and generally ok over time. You can have more good days than bad. You can even end up having so many good days you forget the last time you had a bad one. But you will never be the same after the damage PTSD does to your mind. So I really really enjoy seeing Crosshair struggle with everyday life. Many people think that going from a high stress situation to a quiet and peaceful lifestyle is a relief and will fix all of the problems but in reality it can actually be a traumatic experience by itself. Losing your purpose and direction so suddenly is jarring and can cause more damage to an already damaged mind. So it's nice to see him struggle with the change and slowly try to work his way back into a dynamic that fits this new way of living. I love seeing Omega be his grounding point. It's a slippery slope in real life choosing one person to be your lifeline in a situation like this but we have to remember this is a kids show and I think Crosshair is already phasing out of the need for her to always be there for him and is slipping comfortably into the protective shadow the rest of the Batch already are.

Hunter and Wrecker seem to have taken backstage thus far. I'm not too upset with it. This first half of the season has definitely been focusing heavily on Cross and Omega and I do think it's fair for us to be finally getting caught up on where Crosshair is in the story. I would like for them to be just a bit more involved from this point on. This week's episode was a great start to bringing them back to the centerfold.

Lack of Echo makes sense. I'm not saying I like it. But it makes total sense. Losing Tech messed with the entire dynamic of the group. And at that point Echo was already hesitant about remaining a part of the Batch. He wants to help Rex. He wants to make a difference. Echo has always wanted to be in the thick of the action and digging his hands into the hard work. Even way back when he's first introduced to us in the Clone Wars. Echo wanted to be more than just a part of Domino Squad. Echo has always been a "Reg" at heart and while the rest of the Batch certainly cares about the other clones its very apparent that saving them simply isn't high on their agenda right now. Omega and ultimately what the Empire is trying to do with her is, rightfully, their focus. Echo's is saving as many of his brothers as he can.

I'm a bit apprehensive about the Force sensitive Omega thing. Ventress is obviously not telling the whole truth. Though I wonder if Omega's M-count is high comparatively speaking rather than just high in general? For instance, put her next to Ahsoka and Omega's count is miniscule. Put her beside the average clone and her M-count is way higher. Maybe they want her because she's just the first building block to greater things? That would also explain why they start trying to introduce Grogu to the program later on. I never particularly liked the idea of Omega being sensitive to begin with. Can't we just have a few characters that are just.... people? Why does everyone have to have the ability to use the Force? It's lost its wonder at this point.

Tech.... I think my big issue with the season thus far is actually the anxiety that they bring him back. I DO NOT want him to be alive. And I feel like the mouse has just enough stupidity to listen to the masses and bring him back for some stupid shock effect. Now before all y'all Tech girlies come for my head in rabid fashion please consider this: why? Why was he killed in the first place if he's just going to pop up again? What's the point? Why was I forced to go through that kind of emotional toll for them to just laugh it off? His death means absolutely nothing if he waltzes back in alive and well. So yeah, the anxiety that they might bring him back has me on edge.

I am thrilled with the addition of Batcher. And I actually am really excited that they're showing her to be an important part of Crosshair's adaptation and healing process. Huge middle finger to the VA and their "dogs don't help veterans" bullshit. We 👏 love 👏 to 👏 see 👏 it.

Honestly at this point I don't know how it's going to end. I know how I want it to end. But I'm not holding out hope for it to go my way. Personally I'd love for Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker to get killed off and for Crosshair to be left to raise Omega on his own. I like the idea of him being forced to live. The guy who would be ok with dying. The guy who arguably wants to die being forced to live. Because if he doesn't take care of her, who will?

Yeah. It won't end that way. But let me dream.

⛵️ - Fave pirate ship? (like boat ship)

Answered here!

🔫 - Fave canon arc?

I thought this was going to be an easy answer but you know what? It's not. Wano is my most rewatched arc. Followed closely by Dressrosa. Zou is special to me just because I love watching Zoro and Law be tough guys that turn into loser thirteen year olds when they're around each other. But I think the Summit War and specifically the Marineford section holds that special spot. It's just such a huge turning point for the entire narrative. It's heartbreaking but its powerful. Once it happens you can't go back. It really has that "thing" that's missing from so many stories these days.

🆚 - Sub or dub?

Answered here!

☔️ - Scene that made you cry the most? (not necessarily the saddest scene)

Look. I cried at quite a few moments (I don't cry over media ok, One Piece is so special) but the moment that always makes my gut turn and shivers roll down my spine is when Luffy says to Robin: "Tell me you want to live!" Because I wish someone had screamed that at me when I was younger. I wish there had been one determined soul to stand on the precipice with me and tell me that I was allowed to want to live.

I cried really really hard when I first watched that scene and it's an episode I have a lot of trouble watching because I really hate crying. 😂

🙏 - Favorite episode?

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I don't know!!!! Just one!?!? Choose ONE episode as my FAVORITE?!?!?

Uh.... How about a type of episode as my favorite? I really love the in-between episodes. The ones where they rest and eat and just... have a good time. I love watching Luffy feast and Sanji get to take his time cooking and doing what he loves. I like seeing Zoro drink and laugh and Nami sit back and not waste time worrying. I love seeing Robin get to read and Franky get to dance to Brook's songs along with Ussop and Chopper. I love watching them reap the benefits of their work. And I think those types of moments are very lacking in modern media.

👂 - Favorite quote?

ONE!?!?!!!! Just one!?!! How can only one be chosen? One Piece is full of so many important quotes. "You shouldn't look for a reason to be loved." "I've decided to live." "I am so happy to be alive." "Tell me you want to live." "Thank you for loving me." See a pattern? Yeah, my suicidal history really loves the emphasis on living.

I guess the one that has really been haunting me lately is when Admiral Fujitora is "watching" Luffy retreat off of Dressrosa after fighting him. He says: "What kind of man are you, really? What colour is your hair? What is the shape of your eyes? What do you look like?... I wish I hadn't blinded myself... I want to see your face. I bet you look kind."

Excuse me, what!?! This man who willingly, gladly, and purposefully took his own eyes in protest against the atrocities he's forced to commit. This man who has never once questioned his own decisions. Who thinks long and carefully before he makes those decisions and then refuses to ever go back on them once made. This man who has never needed his eyes to achieve any goal. This man took a moment to regret that loss. All because of Luffy. All because he wished, for one small moment to look at the face of his sworn enemy. Not because he wants to see the devil in him. Not because he hopes he could see the face of a hardened criminal. But because he thinks that maybe, this pirate, this evil man that steals and pillages and plunders, just maybe, he's kind. I just... ugh!! I want to cry over it. I want to scream. I want to throw up. It just says so much about Luffy. And about Fujitora. And just... *screams*

🔪 - A character who fills you with frustration?

Look, I've been staring at this question for two (three?) days now and I cannot think of one character that actually frustrates me.

I'm actually pretty easy to please to when it comes to characters. Just about the only thing that will piss me off is inconsistenty and you know what? Every character (or at least the main ones I can think of) are fully consistent. Everything about them makes sense. Luffy spent his childhood being rejected and passed around. Constantly abandoned and left for the next person to pick up. And consistently, always and without fail do you know what Luffy does? He loves. He sees hurting people and picks them up and promises never to abandon them. And he acts on that promise. The entire story is constantly Luffy getting sidetracked in a effort to love those around him. He topples governmental systems just to never go back on the promise that he won't abandon them.

Heheh.... I forgot about this.... Sorry.

A song you like with a number in the title

Two Evils by Bastille (it also happens to be the pilot song for my Vau playlist)

A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

Bad Blood by Bastille (lost a friend within a few months after I first heard this song. It kind of has the right vibes. That person seems to hate me for a reason I can't figure out. Wish I knew why. I just hope they're ok and doing well)

A song that needs to be played LOUD

Berserkir by Danheim (dial that sucker to 80 volume and let her rip through the 18" sub. For the record it actually hurt and we had to turn it down. But it sounded friggin' epic)

A song that makes you want to dance

Take Me to Your Leader by the Newsboys (oogh that one shows my age 😅)

A song about drugs or alcohol

Lowlife by Adam Jensen (closest I've got I think)

A song that you would love played at your wedding

Bfg Division by Mick Gordon ??? (I don't know man. I've never considered music for a wedding. Weddings just seem like such a waste of time, energy, and money. I really don't ever want to deal with that)

A song that makes you think about life

Blood Upon the Snow by Hozier and Bear McCreary (this one makes me *screams*. Just wow. Incredible. Terrifying. Beautiful. It's just kind of... wow.)

A song that has many meanings to you