#the lost plot

Does the Invisible Library fandom exist here btw? Or at all

spoiler ->

~ books read in 2023 ~

#16: The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

"My dear girl," the woman sitting next to Irene sniffed, "if you haven't opened your veins before, then do let Mr. Harper do it for you. He's had a lot of experience with nervous young things like you."

Fandom is split between the “they have forgotten Crosshair, we don’t like that they’ve abandoned him completely” and “it’s just building up the plot and they can’t mention him every episode”.

While I belong to the first group, mad at the fact the bad batch has completely forgotten Crosshair was one of them and keep rescuing everyone but him, I think that this would have been easily fixed with one extra episode somewhen in the beginning of the season.

Failed rescue

The Bad Batch comes up with a plan to capture Crosshair but it backfires horribly. For the first time, they are faced with a mission too hard for them to complete and they are on the tactical disadvantage because their sniper is gone and they’re not yet used to that. They were confident as usual but this completely breaks them because it’s too hard to rescue him. One of them almost dies. For the first time, they are completely helpless. They need to escape, and do so in a rushed, panicked way.

An episode like this would have given the fans some closure on why the show goes on and Cross is not mentioned by others as more than just a threat, the characters would have been justified in their actions (looking at you, Hunter) and it would make sense why they are not actively planning on rescuing him anymore, or even talking about him.

It would also be nice to see an episode where the batch is helpless and is met with a challenge they can’t complete, setting them up for character development. To see them fail in the end. Also, strategically struggling without the sniper would be a great way to show that he played a role in the missions’ success, highlighting the importance of each member.

I don’t like that the transition to being without Crosshair was that smooth, as if he was never needed. I would have loved to see them struggle the first 1-2 missions because it would have shown the role Crosshair played in the team. The way they did it, Cross is expendable and just an addition, not important. They should have shown the team adjusting to the change and almost failing because Cross was not there and they forgot it. Come on.

Kai Strongrock

the invisible library

All the gifts are in! We also have some treats - there are now 62 works in the collection. And remember, you can keep treating until the 24th August ;)

In some time zones it’s 17th August already: happy pingxie day!

The reveals will take place later today/tomorrow--probably between 5PM and 8PM Central European Summer Time, though the hour is not set in stone. (If you’re trying to get your last minute edits in, we can promise reveals won’t happen before 5PM CEST.)