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trensu · 8 months

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okay, so it turns out that the hawkins halfway house fic is going to have six chapters, actually. i'm not gonna post anything on ao3 until i have the final chapter done. i'm currently working on that sixth chapter, but here's the rest of chapter five in the meantime.

Continued from here

The man chuckled goodnaturedly. “Didn’t say you were. What’s your name, son?”

“Steve,” he replied. The man chuckled again.

“Thought so,” the man said. At Steve’s questioning gaze, he shrugged nonchalantly. “You look like a Steve. I’m Wayne. Why don’t you come inside? The kids made a batch of lemonade earlier today and there’s a phone you can use to call a tow.”

Which was how Steve found himself seated at a dining table that seemed too large to fit in the room even though he and Wayne were clearly able to move around the place without crowding one another. Maybe the table looked bigger than it was because of the multiple frosty pitchers of various sizes haphazardly lined up on it. Each one seemed almost dangerously full. Steve was sure one unexpected bump would turn them into a river of lemonade.

“That’s…a lot of lemonade,” Steve commented.

“A couple of the kids’ friends are visiting,” Wayne said. “We don’t see them very often. One of them learned a new trick to keep things cold. He was only going to do one pitcher, of course, but you know how kids are. Everyone wanted to make their own lemonade and told Will he had to do it again for each one.”

Wayne used a potholder to grab the handle of the nearest pitcher of lemonade. If Steve didn’t know any better, he’d say the pitcher was coated by ice half an inch thick. Obviously the pitcher had to be made of fancy decorative glass like the kind his mother would’ve bought. Wayne poured two glasses of lemonade, handing one to Steve which he took gratefully. Wayne eased himself into one of the chairs. Steve joined him. He drank half the glass before asking.

“So where are the grandkids you’ve been chasing? The house seems pretty quiet for that many children,” Steve nodded at the series of pitchers.

“They’re not my grandkids. I’m not as lucky as all that,” Wayne said. “I’m just here to lend a hand where I can.”

“A volunteer? Is this like a daycare?” Steve asked, trying not to seem too eager. This could be something. It wouldn’t be parenthood, but maybe he could volunteer to help kids in some small way. He’ll have to look into that later. Robin would help him find something, he’s positive.

“...you could say that, I suppose. As for your other question, they’re all out back, probably in the woods burning off energy with some of the grown-ups supervising.”

“Well, I’ll try to be out of your hair before they come back,” Steve stood, taking both of their glasses to the sink and rinsing them out. He waved Wayne away when he protested about guests doing chores. “If you could tell me where your phone is to call a tow truck, you don’t have to get up.”

“Son, I don’t need no mollycoddling,” Wayne said gruffly. Steve flushed.

“No, that’s not–I didn’t mean–” Except he did. Wayne had been out in the heat and sun with him for who knows how long, risking heat exhaustion for a total stranger. It was also evident in the way he moved that he had some joint pain, particularly in the knees. Steve sighed. “Heat exhaustion is no joke. I used to be a lifeguard, it can get pretty bad for, uh, people of your age group.”

“You’re as bad as my boy, I can already tell,” Wayne said. “Thank god Eddie’s out there with the kids or he’d give me a talking to, as if he had a leg to stand on. I’m able to get around just fine without anyone’s hovering.”

“Uncle Wayne,” a soft solemn voice interrupted. Steve jumped when he saw a kid at the dining room entrance. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching.

“Jesus,” Steve muttered to himself. “Pay attention, Steve.”

The kid had shorn dark hair and big eyes. They wore a dress that looked like it’d been owned by at least two kids previously, and a pair of old light-up sneakers. They held a cane in their hands.

“Well, hey there, little miss,” Wayne greeted jovially. “Do you need anything, El?”

“You forgot your cane,” El said each word carefully. She walked up to Wayne, leaned the cane against the dining table, and held his large hand in her two small ones, as if to reassure him. “Let Steve help. He is nice. Dustin said so.”

El must have him confused with some other Steve she knew, but damn if that wasn’t the cutest thing he’d ever seen. By the way Wayne smiled at her, he seemed to agree. He heaved a big sigh, as if relenting was a big favor he was granting her, and accepted the cane.

“Fine, fine, but only because a sweet young lady asked me, too,” he said. El grinned which lit up her previously somber face. “Why aren’t you outside with the others?”

“Too much sun,” she said. “Hurts.”

Steve could sympathize. Too much sunlight sometimes triggered migraines that would knock him down for an entire day, or more if he was unlucky. El looked a bit putout she wasn’t outside with the others.

"Sometimes, it’s better to stay inside when it’s like this. There’s always something fun to do indoors, too," Steve said.

“There sure is,” Wayne agreed. “Weren’t you practicing your braiding? Why don’t you bring your doll over, and you can show us how to do it.”

While El went to find her toy, Wayne showed Steve where they kept the phone. However, they were having some difficulty getting a call to actually connect. Steve tried the number for the towing company, the bookstore he and Robin worked at, and his own home phone to no avail. After the third attempted call ended with Steve nearly slamming the phone into its base, Wayne picked up the phone and listened to it for a moment before dialing a number. After a bit, he hung up the phone much more gently than Steve had.

“House is acting strange. I’ll ask Eddie to look into that. Or maybe Jeff. I think it likes him better, but don’t tell Eddie that,” Wayne said. “I can give you a ride home if you need it, once everyone’s back.”

“Thanks, Wayne,” Steve said with a rundown sigh. “I might have to take you up on that.”

By then, El had returned with a couple of long haired dolls. Once the three of them had settled in the spacious living room, El handed Steve one of the dolls.

“Uncle Wayne knows how, but it hurts his hands,” El explained why she only brought two instead of three dolls. Wayne grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘didn’t raise no narc.’ Steve suppressed a smile and tried to match El’s seriousness. “It is important to know how. I can show you.”

When Steve Harrington was in high school, he not only had the title of king, but had also gotten dubbed ‘The Hair.’ Steve earned that nickname for a reason. He had hair care down to an art. One of his favorite things to do with his various ex-girlfriends was helping them with their hair. All that to say, Steve knew how to braid hair. Steve knew how to braid hair in multiple different ways.

There was not enough money in the world to get him to tell that to the little girl very patiently instructing him at that very moment. In fact, he made sure to fumble a couple of times so that El had the opportunity to correct him. She patiently did, each time, until Steve finished a braid to her satisfaction.

“You did it,” she beamed at him when they had accomplished a single braid.

“I had a fantastic teacher,” Steve nudged her, making her giggle. “Are you going to grow out your hair so you can have braids, too?”

“I do not know. Can hair do other things?” El asked.

Steve reminded himself he was speaking to a child and should not go on with his detailed hair care lecture that Robin constantly made fun of him for; though, Steve liked to point out, it never stopped Robin from following his instructions. Steve claimed all the credit for her excellent hair, regardless of Robin’s indignant protests.

“Well, it depends on what kind of hair you have. Do you have straight hair or curly hair?” Steve asked.

“I have not decided yet.”

“I’m not sure that’s something you can decide, honey,” Steve said gently.

“I can,” El replied simply. “Which is better?”

“Both kinds are good in their own way,” Steve said. “But I like curly hair. Curls are cool.”

“Curls are…cool?” El paused in thought and nodded to herself. “Yes. Dustin and Eddie have curly hair. I think they are cool.”

“I don’t think I’ve met them, but yeah, their curls are probably very cool.”

El’s brows furrowed in concentration for a moment. Her short hair started to grow, as quick as a videotape on fast-foward, into dark ringlets. They continued to grow until they reached past her chin. She pulled one of them in front of her face, studying it, and letting it spring back in place. She looked up at Steve with a shy but proud smile.

“Curls are cool,” she said.

“Um.” Steve’s brain stuttered. He looked over to Wayne, who sat there watching them placidly as if nothing had happened. “Y-Yeah. Like that. Cool, very cool.”

“Did I do it wrong?” El said, curling in on herself as she took in Steve’s no doubt panicked expression. “Human hair is supposed to grow. Jeff told me.”

“That’s right,” Wayne said gently. “It grows like that but a lot slower. I’m sure Steve can explain. How often do you get your hair cut?”

“Uh,” Steve swallowed, trying to ignore his jangling nerves in the face of Wayne’s calm demeanor. “Um. Every–every few weeks. But, uh, R-Robin, my friend, likes hers longer and goes once a year, I-I think.”

“A year is a very long time,” El said quietly. She had shrunken her posture even smaller, eyeing Steve apologetically. “I am sorry I scared you. I did not mean to.”

She sounded so guilty and nervous, it sent a pang through Steve’s heart. She was a little girl who had been nothing but sweet the entire visit and Steve was freaking out over…what? Fast growing hair? Ridiculous.

“It’s alright,” Steve said, forcing more confidence into his voice than he felt. “I’m the one that reacted badly, so I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better.”

Out of the corner of his eye, a tension he hadn’t even noticed loosened from Wayne’s shoulders. Wayne’s grip on his cane relaxed, too. It struck Steve that if he had reacted aggressively, he had no doubt that Wayne would’ve put a stop to it one way or another.

“It’s okay. I understand,” El said, patting his arm as if she’d seen someone do it once but hadn’t had the chance to try it herself. Delicately but with intent. “Mike says humans are…scaredy-cats. That means you get scared easy.” She paused and her brow furrowed. “I do not know why there are cats. You do not look like a cat.”

At El’s earnest confusion, all of Steve’s pent up nerves and fear popped like a balloon into a fit of giggles that were only slightly off kilter. El let out a few shy giggles, too, and the last of the tension left Wayne as he relaxed back into his armchair completely.

“I really don’t,” Steve agreed. “But I like cats a lot.”

El lit up.

“Dustin is sometimes a cat!” she told him excitedly. She cupped her hands as if holding something little. “He is a very small cat.”

Yeah, Steve thought, sure. Why not have a boy turn into a cat with a girl who could fast-forward hair growth? Steve planned to get himself a drink later tonight. He thought he handled this pretty well, all things considered. He deserved a reward.

–

The three of them were playing the tamest game of Uno Steve had ever played in his life when he heard shouting. Wayne sighed a long-suffering sigh that was belied by a fond grin.

"Here comes trouble," Wayne said. El giggled in response. Steve took the opportunity to put down a draw four card for Wayne. Wayne took notice and scowled at Steve. Steve gave him his best innocent look but the effect was ruined by the sound of the front door slamming open.

"HOUSE!" a man shouted. "What the hell? Are you proud of yourself? Are you pleased? You made small children walk for an extra hour out in the blazing sun!"

The shouting was accompanied by stomping footsteps and exaggerated huffing and puffing. Laughter rang all the way through to the living room as children reacted to the dramatics. El brightened at the sound and quickly abandoned the card game to run to the foyer. The loud man seemed to take the kids’ laughter as encouragement.

"More importantly, you made me walk an extra hour, House! These boots were not made for walking. Hey, El! Do these boots look like they’re for walking?"

“No,” El laughed.

"Maybe you should've worn tennis shoes instead, like I told you," a woman's voice pitched in.

"Don't know what you’re whining about," another man added. "I'm the one who had to carry Erica for, like, ten blocks."

"Hey, this is not my fault! None of this would've happened if House hadn't decided to move somewhere else without bringing us along!" the first man protested.

“I’m telling Nancy you got us lost,” a boy said petulantly.

“Not if you ever want to hang out with us again you won’t,” grumbled the first man in response. Then he called out, “Uncle Wayne, you in here?”

“Living room,” Wayne called back as he drew four cards to continue their game of Uno, despite the disappearance of their third player.

“Uncle Wayne!” a chorus of children’s voices rang. Soon, a horde of kids tumbled into the room.

A white boy with curly hair and a black boy both cried out excitedly when they saw who was in the living room. “Steve!”

Steve blinked in surprise. How did these kids recognize him? Had they seen him working in the bookstore? Steve was pretty sure he hadn’t seen either of them in the store before.

The two other boys with them didn’t recognize him. They were both frighteningly pale, though in slightly different ways. The kid with the bowl-cut carried a blue tint in the skin around his lips, eyes, and fingertips in a way that made Steve shiver with a sudden chill. The other boy’s skin held a gray pallor that reminded Steve uncomfortably of corpses.

“This is Steve?” the boy with the blue-tinted skin asked curiously.

“This is Steve?” the gray boy echoed in a much more unimpressed tone.

“Steve?” Steve heard coming from the hallway. It sounded like the shouting man.

“Shit,” the curly haired boy said. The other boy shoved him.

“Way to go, doofus,” he said with a scowl.

“Hey! You said his name, too!”

“Yeah, said. Not shouted.”

“We said it at the same volume!”

“No we didn’t!”

“Have we met?” Steve tried to interrupt the bickering. His question went unheard under the boys’ loud voices.

Before he could ask again, a man entered the living room and Steve’s mouth went dry at the sight of him. He was gorgeous. Rangy but firm, with a headful of dark curls that made Steve think of swirling schools of fish. His eyes were big and dark like seabeds. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with some sort of band logo on it. It was worn thin, and damp with sweat. The man glared at him like he wanted to flay him alive.

“You,” the man hissed.

“Eddie,” Wayne said. Eddie whipped his gaze to where Wayne sat, unconcerned, in the armchair.

“Is that his car outside?” Eddie asked shortly. “How is he here?”

“Ed, calm down,” Wayne said.

“He shouldn’t be here,” Eddie growled.

“I think he should,” Wayne said with a calm shrug.

“Me, too!” the curly haired boy piped up.

“Children’s opinions do not count in this conversation,” Eddie snapped. “All of you, get to your rooms. Chrissy–”

“She took the girls upstairs the second you started your hissy fit,” a handsome man interrupted as he joined them in the living room. Steve vaguely recognized him from the bar he and Robin stumbled across months ago. Jeff, maybe? The word Jeffathan popped up in his mind, which was absurd.

“Take that back, Jeffiam. I do not throw hissy fits,” Eddie said in a tone that Steve personally thought verged hissy fit territory. He chose not to offer up that particular thought to the conversation happening around him. Also, Jeffiam? What on earth? Jeff rolled his eyes.

“Sure,” Jeff said in a way that clearly stated disagreement. “C’mon, boys. We’ll let Eddy and Uncle Wayne figure things out with Steve.”

A series of loud complaints rose up. It almost distracted Steve from how odd Eddie’s name sounded when Jeff said it.

“You guys can stay up an extra hour past bedtime if you come along without fighting,” Jeff said.

The gray boy whooped and ran off the moment the words left Jeff’s lips, with the blue boy close at his heels. The two boys that recognized Steve shot him apologetic looks but chased after their friends with no other complaints. Jeff gave Eddie a stern look.

“Think this through before doing anything, Eddy,” Jeff said, before turning on his heel and leaving.

That left only Steve, Eddie, and Wayne in the living room that was almost painfully quiet now that El and the other children were gone. Wayne looked as peaceable as ever, but Eddie more than made up for it with the glare that had not let up since he saw Steve.

Steve had questions. A lot of questions. He couldn’t even begin to articulate his questions. His car broke down though there wasn’t anything wrong with it; the phone in the house wouldn’t connect his calls; a little girl grew her hair at will; there was possibly a child who could transform into a small cat; an entire building seemingly relocated without anyone noticing; and somehow, despite the impossibility of those things, all of it felt almost familiar.

“What is going on?”

“Why are you here?”

Steve and Eddie spoke simultaneously, though Steve’s words came out incredulous and Eddie’s were angry as hell. Wayne watched them both warily. He didn’t interject.

“I didn't come here on purpose,” Steve said defensively. He didn’t owe this man any explanation, he thought irritably, but Wayne had been so kind to him the whole time. Steve didn’t want to pick a fight with his nephew. “I was going grocery shopping and my car broke down. Your uncle was nice enough to let me use the phone but it didn’t work, otherwise I would’ve been long gone.”

“The phone works fine,” Eddie sniffed. “House just doesn’t like you.”

Wayne snorted.

“The problem is the other way around and you’re being too stubborn to see it, Ed. His car worked fine when I was behind the wheel.”

“You got into the car with him?” Eddie asked, aghast. “Uncle Wayne, stranger danger!”

“I am not a child, Eddie.” Wayne rolled his eyes, which seemed to happen a lot around Eddie. Steve thought about how Wayne had gripped his cane in that tense moment after El’s hair trick, and the way he had eyed him during it.

“I’m pretty sure he can take care of himself,” Steve muttered. Eddie puffed up like an angry cat, indignant at the comment.

“Nobody asked you,” Eddie snapped.

“Alright, what the f–” Steve paused, remembering there were children in the house, and course-corrected. “What the heck is your problem with me, man? You’re acting like I insulted your mother or something, but I’d remember you if we’d met before and we haven’t.”

Even as he said that, Steve couldn’t be sure that was true. A sense of familiarity lingered doggedly at the edges of his mind. Eddie’s beauty was breathtaking but it didn’t feel new.

“Don’t take it personally, Steve,” Eddie sneered. “I don’t like any humans.”

Wayne coughed.

“You don’t count, Uncle Wayne, you’re a god amongst men,” Eddie said without missing a beat. For a brief moment, Wayne smiled crookedly at his nephew.

“You’re not human?” Steve asked, looking Eddie over more closely. He didn’t look inhuman. Then again, neither did El and she proved she wasn’t human pretty easily.

“Nope!” Eddie said with a mean sort of cheeriness. “But it doesn’t matter because you won’t remember any of this.”

Eddie started to hum a tune that muffled Steve’s mind. It was a beautiful song coming from the beautiful man, and Steve wanted to give him anything, everything, he wanted.

“Steve,” Eddie said his name like a song. “I want you to for–”

“Eddie Munson, that’s enough,” Wayne’s sharp tone cut through the hum in Eddie’s words.

The enchanting tune stopped abruptly. The absence left Steve reeling, like his mind was not fully connected to his body. He didn’t like it. Steve couldn’t tell if he wanted the song back or to never hear it again.

“This man has done nothing but be sweet to the kids,” Wayne said. “How many times has he shown up now?”

“It doesn’t mat–”

“Yes it does and you know it,” Wayne interrupted. “Twice with Jeff’s card and this is the second time House moved to find him.”

“But–”

“Dustin went missing for days looking for him, Eddie. You’re being stubborn and that put Dustin in more danger than Steve has so far.”

Eddie’s mouth audibly snapped shut at that declaration. Eddie jerked back as if struck. A broken musical sound escaped his throat unthinkingly, and it sent a lance of pain through Steve’s heart. Steve wanted to do something to erase that pain from Eddie’s face, but his mind still hadn’t quite gathered itself. His tongue felt heavy and clumsy in his mouth.

“I understand why, Eddie. You’re not wrong to be cautious,” Wayne said. “But what was the point of getting House if you’re not going to trust it?”

Eddie blinked rapidly, eyes red-rimmed. He didn’t look at Wayne. Eddie’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. Then his shamed expression shifted into one of steely resolution. He stalked towards Steve. It would’ve been frightening if Steve had had his wits about him. Cool hands cupped Steve’s face and all he could see was deep, dark eyes he wanted to drown in.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take House to find you again,” Eddie said, and the music in his words was gentler than before. It kept Steve’s mind calm. “But I need you to leave.”

“Eddie,” Wayne said.

The song strengthened to override the interruption. Steve wanted to kiss Eddie. He’d do anything Eddie asked for a kiss.

“Steve, will you be a good boy for me?” Eddie asked.

“Yes,” Steve gasped. He wanted to be so good for Eddie.

“Today is going to feel like a dream,” Eddie said.

“Nice dream,” Steve murmured hazily. A flicker of a smile from Eddie made his stomach swoop pleasantly.

“Yeah, a nice dream,” Eddie said. “You have to leave me now, but I’m going to miss you so much, Steve.”

Steve whimpered. He didn’t want to leave if it would hurt Eddie. He tried to lean forward, to press his forehead against Eddie’s and promise him his life if it would make that smile come back. Eddie's cool hands held him firmly in place.

“Listen to me. I’ll be so sad with you gone, so you’ll come back to me, won’t you? Come back to me in two days, Stevie. Promise me?”

“Promise,” Steve mumbled. “Two days. I’ll come back. I will.”

“I know you will. Now, go and I’ll be ready when you come back to me.”

–

The next thing Steve knew, he was in the parking lot of the grocery store and it was much later in the day than Steve had originally planned. As frustrating as the car trouble had been, Steve couldn’t regret the loss of time. Wayne was such a nice guy to have helped him fix his car and his nephew was gorgeous. His good old Harrington charm still worked like a dream because he got an invitation to visit again in a couple of days. He could scope out the nephew and see if there was maybe a chance for some romance in his future.

He might as well try, since he had no luck in the adoption front yet. Though, he thought they mentioned something about running a daycare? There may have been some kids running around at some point during the car repairs. Maybe he could volunteer to help out Wayne with the kids. It wouldn’t be the same as fatherhood, but it would be something.

Steve grinned as he got out of his car and headed into the grocery store. He couldn’t wait to tell Robin. Things were starting to look up!

I do not do those reader tag list things. If you’d like to keep up with my stuff please follow my writing tag: trensu tells stories

#hawkins halfway house for homeless horrors #trensu tells stories #stranger things #wayne munson #eddie munson #steve harrington #el hopper #steddie #i swear the sixth chapter will be the last one #after this fic is properly finished #everything else i write (IF i write it anyway) will just be random oneshots set in the 'verse #i do want to write more since i have backstories for all the kids #and eddie's backstory in particular i'm pretty excited to play with #but my seasonal depression is going to be kicking in soon and my carpal tunnel's been acting up a bit #not too bad but it can definitely get worse if i don't take it easy #and i have to start working on a sewing project that has a specific time frame for completion #but damn it! i wanna finish this fic!!

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gffa · 1 year

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As time goes on and Disney canon gets messier and messier, I have come to the position of "Lucas views/canon >>>> Disney movies/TV series > Disney supplementary canon" as to what I hold as my own view of Star Wars and how I reconcile things. Sometimes you just can't reconcile things between them and I think for me to try is a fruitless path, because I'd never be satisfied by it. That's why I think viewing these things as different continuities is really the best way forward--when Disney diverges from Lucas' views, well, that's what is true for Disney's canon/continuity, but it doesn't affect Lucas' canon/continuity/views, they both exist at the same time and one cannot change the other. For the attachment thing specifically, I mostly get along by pointing out on my blog that it's not what Lucas put into his movies, it's not what the Jedi say in TCW, and then I just have to move on after that. I love many things about Disney canon, but sometimes I disagree with it and that's just where I have to leave it! I can talk about it on my blog, I can give examples, I can write/encourage others to write the kind of fic that I want, but I also just have to be okay with understanding that sometimes Disney canon doesn't get something right or that they want to change something, but that's only true for that continuity, it doesn't change the one I care about as my foundation (Lucas' continuity). Same for the celibacy thing--is it true for Disney's continuity? Sure. It's true that those characters said what they said. But what does that even mean? It doesn't mean I suddenly have to accept it, I can just say, "This conflicts with Lucas' statements, so I'm going to ignore it on my own level." or I can say, "It's not part of Lucas' canon, so it's not relevant to this discussion." if we're talking about Lucas' canon or I can say, "It's part of Disney's canon, they get to say what goes into their canon, but I get to say what goes into my fan creations and that thing in particular is getting tossed out the window." So ultimately how I reconcile it is that the context depends on the discussion we're having, whether it's relevant to that particular discussion or not (if we're discussing Disney's continuity, it's relevant, if we're discussing Lucas' continuity, it's not relevant, if we're discussing my bigger picture on the narrative themes of the Jedi, I get to personally say it's not relevant to me, everyone else gets to make that same choice for themselves and decide what they want). When I read or watch Disney era stuff, basically I just go, "Yeah, that's not what Lucas said, so I'm throwing that part out, but I'll happily enjoy the rest of the story!" For me, Lucas' continuity always takes precedence, because I'm not writing official Disney content. I'm writing posts on my blog and while I do strive to be objective and accurate when talking about Disney canon, I'm also okay with operating in a mixture of different continuities + my own personal "canon" of what I accept/don't accept. By the way, this is setting aside the huge thorny deliberately unsolvable question of the reliability/need for 100% coherency within Disney's continuity, like, seriously, I think everyone should let that dream go, it is not going to always be reconcilable, like we cannot reconcile the Kanan comics with the The Bad Batch to 100%, we just gotta live with that, and I think Lucasfilm operates on that understanding, no matter what else they said. Anything about how books/novels/comics are on the same level as the TV shows is an absolute lie. It's also setting aside that Lucasfilm has operated on the, "This is what this character said, they may not be a reliable narrator." idea for awhile now too, like when Rael says that Jedi are supposed to be celibate, that's what that character is saying, it's not necessarily written in the narrative stone as undeniably true. (I do think that Disney's Jedi are meant to be celibate, but since we're going with this example, I'm using it to show how I operate within the continuity, if that makes sense!) That's my general philosophy about these things anyway! And I think it's important to ask, what's the point of what any of us want to do here anyway? Why are we having any given conversation? Is it just to have fun? Is it to analyze themes, parallels, or contradictions within various source materials? That determines so much of what and how we reconcile things. If I'm just being silly on the internet, I don't give a shit what Disney says, you know? If I'm examining a Disney novel, okay, I give a shit what Disney says, but it doesn't have to change my bigger views of the Jedi, I might reject it but I might also like it better and adopt it in. At the end of the day, do what makes you happiest, there's no punishment or reward for breaking/following any "rules", only what satisfaction you personally derive from it! It makes me happy to prioritize Lucas canon, so that's what I do. If someone is happier prioritizing Legends or Disney canon or a mix of all three, they should do that! We can recognize when we're talking different continuities with each other and that should be fine. Each of us gets to choose what we do/don't reconcile with everything else.

#lumi.txt #meta

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hearteyeshayley · 10 months

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Ao3 is down so I decided to post a cut scene from an early draft of my latest Timkon 50k friends with benefits fic! In this version of the story, Tim thinks they’re fuck buddies and Kon thinks they’re already dating lmaooo enjoy!

“Are you scared to tell your family?” Kon asked, lying on his stomach across the picnic blanket on the grass. He’d planned a late lunch for them on a secluded New York beach. It was a crappy beach, with a polluted ocean and grassy hills pressed right up against the sand which was mostly sharp pebbles. It had an endless blue sky and guaranteed privacy though, which was what Kon had been looking for.

Tim poured himself a glass of wine.

“I’m not scared. I’m preemptively annoyed, because none of them have any sense of boundaries.”

Kon gave him a look.

“I can be annoyed and a hypocrite. My private life is none of their business. And my sexuality shouldn’t change anything, so why do I need to shout it from the rooftops?”

Kon held out his empty glass and when Tim didn’t refill it, used his TTK to tilt the bottle.

“I would’ve made a move way sooner if I knew you were gay.”

Tim was too flattered to give him a proper eye roll.

“How much sooner?”

Kon swirled the wine in his glass and pretended to think about it.

“3, 4 years.”

This time, Tim rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m so serious,” he said, forcing a light-hearted tone that betrayed a touch of insecurity. That made Tim pause. Maybe he was serious.

“What about you?” Kon asked, sitting up, “I mean— when was it, for you?”

“Well, when you kissed me, I figured, what the hell?”

Kon crawled on top of him and Tim let him, setting his wine glass on the charcuterie board with a smirk.

“Yeah, right,” Kon parroted back to him, pinning him to the blanket. “I bet it was the Costa Rica mission. I looked really sexy in that wet suit.”

“I was pretty distracted by the robot sharks.”

“No, I know what it was,” his eyes lit up, “After we fought Luthor and the drones, back when I still wore my leather jacket. I got pissed off at everybody, stole a motorcycle, and just drove off like a badass.”

“I think I was probably upset. And worried about you.”

“But you were a little into it,” he gave him sly look, “Because you have a thing for bad boys. Obviously.”

“Oh, right. Because of my crush on Jaime.”

Kon scooped him up and rolled to flip their positions, but kept him wrapped in his arms. Tim smiled down on him.

“You’re full of shit. I’m the baddest boy you know.”

“Remember when you baked a second batch of cookies because you felt bad you didn’t save one for Bart.”

“Totally irrelevant.”

“Remember when you— what are you doing?”

Kon grinned. He floated three feet into the air, Tim lying on top of him.

“Remember that time we had sky sex?”

Tim raised his eyebrows, but he was smiling too.

“No way. You’ll lose concentration and drop.”

“You don’t think I can keep it up?”

Tim reached down and unzipped Kon’s pants. He didn’t ask if Kon had done this before, because if he had, they all would’ve heard about it for weeks. It was exciting, getting to do something together for the first time. Even if it was something stupid that was probably going to end with something sprained. He sat up, balancing with his knees on Kon’s legs until he felt his TTK wrap him up securely in position.

“I’ll do it as an exercise to improve your concentration.”

“Ooh, yeah, baby. Tell me my mission objective.”

Tim couldn’t tell him anything because he swallowed his dick into his mouth. To his credit, he managed to stay in the air until he came, and Tim didn’t sprain anything because Kon broke his fall. The wine glasses were collateral damage, but they still had half a bottle protected carefully in the picnic basket.

They laid on the blanket face to face, with the smell of salt in the air and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

“Happy one month,” Kon joked. “You’re— I’ve been… um. It’s been cool.”

Tim knew it’d been a month since this whole friends with benefits thing started, but he didn’t expect Kon to remember something like that. It was probably because they got together on the night of the Wendy premiere, a date he’d never forget. A part of Tim wondered if this spontaneous picnic was supposed to be a joke, or maybe just an excuse to hook up on the beach. Kon was really into beach sex.

“You didn’t get me flowers?” Tim pretended to be disappointed. Kon went from zero to hundred, looking so panic stricken that Tim had to give up the joke of a real anniversary and laugh.

Kon started laughing, too.

“Just you wait. I’m gonna give you the most obnoxious, cheesy flowers ever.”

Tim kept laughing, but suddenly the joke wasn’t funny.

The problem was Kon didn’t do serious relationships. He hadn’t since Cassie. And he’d defended his casual sex lifestyle a million times, outlining the ways it was more fun, more convenient, and more practical in their line of work.

He might’ve thought Tim was hot, but he thought a lot of people were hot.

Tim had to ask him to be his boyfriend at just the right moment. Once he made himself an integral part of Kon’s schedule. After he’d convinced him that monogamy could be convenient, too. Once he was confident that he was the best sex of his life, and proved to him that he could be whatever he needed. And of course he’d need to do more research, figure out if Kon was seeing other people, or if Kon saw him as more than a friend who would fuck him.

He couldn’t rush this. It was a mission that deserved his time and 100 percent effort, maybe the most important mission of his life. Maybe they could get married one day.

Tim felt sick. They’d been fucking around for a month and he was thinking about marriage. It was so easy to delude himself, like now, watching Kon pack up the picnic he’d prepared for them. His hair, blowing in the wind, his ass in the air as he put the food back in the basket. It was so ordinary that it wrapped back around to being a scene from his wildest dreams. A paper napkin got caught in the wind and Kon flew after it. It was a tiny piece of litter, but that’s the kind of person he was. Of course he’d plan a perfect lunch like this for a friend. It was like the cookies for Bart. He went above and beyond for the people he loved.

Tim clung to the scrap of hope that one day, Kon would love him in a different way.

#timkon #timkon fic #batman #ao3

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thestargayzingetherian · 1 year

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Okay so... over the last week or so I've had several people come to me saying that they think me posting my fics in batches right after I finish them is a bad thing, that I'm somehow hogging the tags or its rude or whatever. While I have given my reasons for this a bit, I feel like I wasn't being clear and communicative enough.

The way I used to write, I used to really push myself way too hard with my writing, forcing myself to get something out a week or whatever. It was stressful, it broke me mentally and it probably contributed to a lot of negative energy I was having. A few weeks ago, I decided to change that, to just write and post whenever I wanted, to eliminate any idea of a schedule from my mind because my brain does not work to a schedule like other folks do, wether that being writing things a day or posting things. It's a stress related thing and I don't want to be stressed writing a fanfic ever again.

To that end, I decided to simply post whatever big ammount of fics I'd held onto all at once, so it would be a nice backlog for my tumblr queue. No one should ever feel forced to read all the fics I post and I apologise if posting all my things at once gave that impression. i am okay with my fics getting buried in the tags after I post them if I do them in batches like this and whatnot. I am not trying to hog anyone else's space on AO3.

I am mainly doing my writing now as basically me having fun with my writing and writing only when I want to, allowing myself to take more breaks and rest myself. It's allowed me to feel more positive and creatively fulfilled about my writing. But, I never intended to upset or annoy any of the other writers in this fandom, many of whom I hold a great deal of respect towards and have no animosity. You are all very talented people.

I don't know exactly if I will be changing my posting method or not, I haven't decided. But in the end, I just want to do what works best for myself and my own mental health because thats what I am priroitising most of all.

Hope this clears up a few things.

#Personal #Fanfiction #She-Ra #Spop #Catradora

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user-needs-new-hyperfixation · 2 years

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Embarrassing Story/Confession Time

In which I share things that I cringe to remember, and then insert a moderately related moral to make the telling worthwhile.

So, once upon a time, in days of yore, when lemons were a thing and FF.net was THE place to be, I had an account. I have ZERO recollection of the login info and it is a disturbing possibility that the crap I wrote still exists somewhere (please, I beg of you, don’t look for it.)

I recently reblogged this post that reminded me of my teen years and how far I’ve come (not that the journey is over)...so I figured I might as well tell a story from my cringe problematic past for the lolsies (and the shoe-horned in moral).

ANyhoo, I didn’t know until I was...errrm, 17 or 18?... that bisexuality existed. I knew that there were people who were gay (that was bad evil bad bad) and straight (that was good within a veeery limiting set of restrictions). In the year or two where I was just starting to hear whispers of this rumoured third option and slowly awakening to the (at the time, horrifying) possibility that it might apply to me, BL and shipping and such were part of the process of exploring that.

(And yes, there’s plenty to be said about the fetishization of mlm relationships and the many other problematic aspects of a lot of BL, but I was essentially so sheltered as to be developmentally stunted, and those were some of my first exposures to queer romance framed in a positive light. And because they centered guys, and I was a girl, it allowed me to somehow explore my own queerness without ever admitting to myself that that was what I was doing.)

So, I was tiptoeing into queer stories, and queer ships in not-specifically-queer stories, and I wanted to write fanfic for one of my ships. But, problem! Gayness was bad evil bad bad! (I swear in retrospect that I was 17 but operating on 12-year-old software in some ways.)

So how did I get around this? Weeeelll, I wrote one of the two guys getting magically turned into a woman. But here’s the thing...he, or rather she, was delighted by the change. She’d always felt not-quite-right as a man. She was attracted to her partner but did not feel that her attraction was correctly defined as that of one man towards another. She felt more herself, once she was a woman.

So...in attempting to de-queer my story, I accidentally wrote a moderately recognizable trans character (at least coming from the mind of a kid who had only the slightest awareness of trans folks existing). And I just find that hilarious in hindsight.

Anyway, the moral I’m gonna tack ham-fistedly on here is this: my fellow adults, be kind to ignorant kids online. Whether they’re far right like I was raised to be, or from the new batch of “so far left they’ve circled back to purity culture” kids. And, if it’s safe for your own mental wellbeing, gently interact with them. So much of who I am now can be credited to a handful of patient and kind LGBTQ+ adults who were just chillin’ in spaces adjacent to my identity crisis, listening to me ask questions like, “doesn’t the way male and female bodies fit together prove it’s the only right option?” and just...not taking my head off for it. I’m not making excuses for grown adults acting like asses, but kids, and even young adults, are usually repeating back something that has been hammered into them. And nothing quite takes the wind out of those indoctrination sails like older folks just listening, and answering questions when they’re able, and not raging at them the way they’ve been told that their “enemies” will.

#rambling #exvangelical #lgbtq #fanfic #bisexual #discourse or something

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feltpool · 2 years

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More brain clearance thoughts

Same warning as the last post.

May contain Bad Batch spoilers, I might just be talking rubbish.

Either way, if you don’t usually like my ideas about the show it’s probably best to avoid reading this.

By the time The Clone Wars aired its final episode we were still left with a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions, things that many of us have given up on ever getting a canon answer for, but it seems like the writers of The Bad Batch have spent time looking into this and thinking about what they can reasonably tie up or borrow from fanfic before leaving the CW era behind entirely.

We’re already well on the way to getting answers about what happened to Rex between TCW and Rebels that led to him ending up living on Seelos with Gregor and Wolffe.

I already covered the possibility for what happened to Dogma post-Umbara

So what about Commander Fox?

. Fox shot Fives. And we’re left to assume that he was exonerated for it afterwards, everyone had been told that Fives had tried to assassinate the Chancellor after all. But we never got to see any follow up, we never saw Fox again in the show after that episode. We also never saw Fox without his helmet on - leading to HC’s about Fox getting his name because of his red or silver hair. But Fox could just as easily get his name because of his cunning, his resourcefulness and his tenacity, and not his hair colour.

Fox doesn’t get a lot of screen time to choose from so lets jump right in the deep end and look at the scene where Fives meets his untimely end...

Anakin and Rex have met Fives in the warehouse and he’s trapped them inside a ray shield.

If you listen when they’re talking you’ll notice that Fives is agitated and sometimes loud, not shouting but still being louder than a normal speaking volume, but the ray shield adds to the echo of Anakin and Rex’s voices so makes what they say louder and clearer than anything Fives is saying:

Fives: “How do I know you’re not tricking me? How do I know it won’t be a trap? The Chancellor will try to kill me! I promise you that!”

Anakin: “The Chancellor?”

Fox enters the warehouse building with his troopers in tow

Fives: “He’s in on it. I don’t know to what extent, but I know he orchestrated much of this. He told me in the medical bay!”

Anakin: “He told you? When you tried to assassinate him? You have gone too far, Fives! The Chancellor is incapable of what you claim”

Fives: “He is! I swear to you General. You have no idea...”

Fox gets within range and Fives ends up going down. The shield is deactivated and Rex rushes to Fives’ side.

And Fox is standing right there when Fives says:

“Rex. This... is bigger than any of us… than anything I could have imagined. I never meant to… I only wanted to do my duty. The mission… The nightmares… They’re finally over”

What interests me in this scene is how clearly Fox must have been able to hear what Anakin is saying as he approaches Fives’ position with his men.

Back in the S4 Ahsoka arc, when she leaves her jail cell and Fox thinks she’s killed the clones under his command he issues a ‘shoot to kill’ order. Which makes sense in the given context. The clones know how powerful the Jedi are, how much of a threat a rogue Jedi presents, and he saw her appear to kill Letta Turmond without so much as laying a finger on her from the viewscreens in the guard station not too long ago.

And since it also appears that she’s just killed some of his own men, his brothers, you can see why Fox is angry about that and responds with full force.

But not only does Anakin tell him not to do that, Rex backs him up and tells him that he knows Ahsoka, and that she wouldn’t do that. In the later pursuit of her it’s made clear that it’s all weapons set to stun, do not shoot to kill.

And in that warehouse he once more has Anakin’s word to go off. And why wouldn’t he listen to him, listen to the Jedi? Because that’s exactly what they’ve all been trained to do and it worked out well the last time he did that. The true killer of his men was discovered and apprehended.

But here, what Fox likely hears far more clearly than anything else is Anakin saying:

“When you tried to assassinate him? You have gone too far, Fives!”

and Fox acts upon what he hears. Just like he did previously.

And he shoots Fives right in the chest with a live round and kills him.

But what happens after that?

Anakin’s immediate response is to tell the troopers to get the ray shield off, and Rex rushes straight to Fives’ side and calls him brother. Calls for a medic.

Hardly the actions of people who are glad you just shot down the dangerous man who tried to assassinate the Chancellor.

Fives doesn’t waste his last breaths on damning the Chancellor, or anyone else in that room. He only talks about the conspiracy, and says he wanted to do his duty.

Fox is up and on his feet right through Fives’ speech to Rex as he’s dying, he was close enough to shoot him at close range, so he’s close enough to see the pain on Rex’s face as he holds Fives in his arms, close enough to hear the anguish in his voice. Close enough to see the pain on Anakin’s face as well.

We see him twice amongst the shock troopers standing around as the view cuts back and forth, but he doesn’t join the others as they gather around Fives and Rex just after Fives died, and as the camera pans out we don’t see him in shot at all.

So where has he gone?

He was standing with the guard when one took out the ray shield. That’s his shoulder guard there on the left.

He was standing with his men when Fives says: “This is bigger than any of us, than anything I could have imagined”

But 36 seconds later, once Fives has gone and that same trooper who shot out the shield generator removes his helmet.

No Fox.

Just how quickly did he realise just what he’d done here and have to get out of that place?

To feel sick for what’d just happened? For having acted rashly and murdered a fellow clone he’d only intended to knock down and had to leave or… what?

Vomit? Cry? Stumble from that room only to sit on the floor outside as his legs gave out in shock as the full realisation of what he’d just done hit him?

We see the look on the face of the ray shield shooting trooper, see his sadness as he looks down at Rex and Fives and they all realise what just happened. But we don’t see Fox.

Because Fox didn’t intend to kill Fives but was pushed to do it by a fast bit of mental programming to shut Fives up permanently. Not by the Chancellor with his Sith mind control abilities, but by Nala Se seeking to hide what was really going on there. A full on mental reconditioning of his brain might not be possible long distance, but sending a signal to his inhibitor chip that allowed his judgement to be affected, to put him off balance at just the right moment to affect his judgement and before he realises that something’s wrong it’s already far too late to do anything about it

And being careless with his blaster isn’t something that Fox would ordinarily be, he’d hardly be the most highly decorated clone in the GAR if he was reckless.

And he’d never choose to kill a brother in cold blood.

So what happened after that?

Most likely he went looking for an explanation that’d make sense out of this mess.

But he’d have to look into it independently. After all, Fives had claimed that the Chancellor “orchestrated much of this. He told me in the medical bay!” and since it was the same man who’d have overseen the committee that looked into the affair afterwards and failed to find anything wrong he could hardly turn to him or the senate for any help with it, and he doesn’t have a Jedi General to turn to.

And we know the matter went to an official investigation because when Ahsoka is following Rex’s lead to ‘find Fives’ just after Order 66 has been called she brings up two old reports on the matter:

Nala Se (in recording): An independent investigation confirmed that the Clone Trooper CT-5555 experienced a malfunction with his inhibitor chip.

Both the Senate committee and the Jedi Council have accepted these findings.

However, a grievance report was filed by CT-7567.

Cut to Rex’s report:

Rex (in recording): I already know this report is gonna fall on deaf ears, [sighs] but I owe it to Fives to record what I saw.

I'm not sure I believe it myself, but there's a possibility that the inhibitor chips the Kaminoans put inside of us have a purpose that we don't yet fully understand.

So what happened next?

Fox realises he’s been just as used and lied to by the people with power over him as Dogma was by Krell?

And then what?

Because something happened here that we haven’t seen yet, something that leads to the big question I’ve been working towards here:

Was Crosshair formerly Commander Fox?

The sniper. A gun programmed to point in the right place at the right time.

Fox didn’t expect Fives to die when he shot him. Only expected to put him on the ground, just like Crosshair later does with Wrecker. Because it’s not so much that he’d shot him that’s the issue here, so much as that the variable power output of his blaster was turned up so high that it burned a hole right through his armour and into his chest. We know that Rex was badly hurt when he got shot in the chest, but it was a survivable wound that he’d recovered from sufficiently to get back to work the next day. And Cross was careful with the settings when he shot Wrecker. You see him adjusting and checking his rifle beforehand. It was enough to hurt him, but not enough to do him any major harm. You see him doing the same thing before he shoots in Caleb's direction as well. Crosshair always checks the power output before he takes a shot.

I did a little research to make sure the power could be changed on blasters (quote from wikipedia):

Blaster weaponry can vary the intensity of their output, generating bolts of greater destructive power but with corresponding trade-offs. For example, the DC-15 blaster rifle used by clone troopers can blast a hole .5 m (1 ft 8 in) wide in a wall made of the fictional material ferroconcrete when set on maximum power, but doing so consumes more [tibanna] gas and reduces its ammunition capacity from 500 shots to 300. A more powerful blaster bolt also generates more recoil which can make it more difficult to use the weapon.

No one had to force his hand to make him shoot Fives, only to nudge him towards turning up the power output beforehand.

And after that?

Fox doesn’t have to be the smartest trooper out there to be determined to find out the how and why of what happened there that day, he just has to know that it was wrong, to be stubborn and thorough, and to refuse to let the matter go. Just like Fives wouldn’t. Unfortunately that didn’t work out so well for him either, but he’d heard what Fives said so when he got the opportunity he had himself scanned and got his chip removed. A looooooong time ago!

He wasn’t lying, This is who he is.

The writer’s have had great fun in interviews telling us that we should see a noticeable difference between Crosshair with his chip and Crosshair without it

And we do, we just haven’t been handed the context to realise exactly when it happened until we’re specifically looking for that moment. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work it out.

When he says ‘Good Soldiers Follow Orders’ he does that because he knows it’s what Tup said when he was sick because of the chip, and he knows that because it was in the reports he’s read. No other clone ever says it. Not Rex, not Jesse, not even Wrecker when his chip fully kicks in. But he knows Tech is recording him and wants to fake this as well as he possibly can for anyone who might have access to his recordings.

Because the only way he’s ever going to get to the bottom of all this is if he can gain access to the Kaminoans records, to do his best to find Fives in his own way and then to expose what’s been happening to the clones for all this time without anyone else knowing about it.

And not just to the standard clone troopers, but also to experimental Clone Force 99.

In the training room Tarkin offers him a chance to catch his eye, he wants to see them in the training room to see what they can do. And his trick shot with the knife? Well, that worked perfectly! Tech downplayed his own abilities without looking too obvious about it then flopped on the floor pathetically because catching Tarkin’s eye is the last thing he wants the rest of them to do, making Cross look like the perfect soldierly option.

And it’s probable that Cross had that little cry in the armoury where only Wrecker could see him because he already knew that persuing this course of action was going to be difficult and that it’s going to come at the cost of leaving his brothers behind where he can’t help to protect them. That he’s going to miss them all and will have to make some very hard decisions with no kind of support network around him. No Lula, no Tech, no Echo, and no Wrecker.

But this is their best shot at exposing this whole thing, of not only clearing his name of murder, but of letting all clones know what Fives tried to do for them as well as letting them know the full extent to which they’d all been used and controlled.

And it reminds me of the Rako Hardeen episodes, where Kenobi had to fake his own death and spend time behind enemy lines knowing in advance that he’d be cut off and alone, and would have to deal with whatever situation arose. No matter how much he knew it was going to hurt Anakin to think that he was dead, or how hard it’d be to maintain his facade while pretending to be a callous bounty hunter.

On Onderon he’s careful to show nothing but loyalty to the Empire, even overdramatically groaning about it when Hunter tells him not to massacre the civilians, but also being a Good Soldier and Following Orders when Hunter gives them.

And a report is sent in which only confirms that. Because right there is a chance for the sender to really sell Crosshair as being an ideal soldier for them, as showing them true loyalty even though there was no Imperial presence on the mission with them. And sure, it can turned around and made to look like his own team sold him out to further their own ends, but it really only helps Cross to get where he wants to be.

But after Cross is taken away from other others in the brig Nala Se gets to reprogram his mind again. Oh sure, she tells Tarkin that she’s enhancing his chip. What else is she going to say to the new guy they know almost nothing about? That she’s reprogramming his brain so he’ll behave in the way she wants him to and not in the way he normally would? And after they’re so keen to establish that the Kaminoans feel that they have to tread carefully among these new Empire representatives because they don’t know what they’re like or what kind of treatment towards the clones they’ll be happy about? Not to mention that she has secrets to hide here, technologies she wants to keep safely hidden.

We see the procedure causing him pain as it zaps his brain from both sides, but in spite of the treatment he was still able to exert enough control to allow the team to depart from the hangar at the end of the episode. However, it’s strongly suggested that he gets at least one more more session of treatment after that when we see him in the med bay again before he’s sent off to Onderon with his new squad to deal with the refugees there.

And after that we see him behaving very differently indeed. Not only does the stupidly mouthy ES-01 have to die because he’s made himself a direct threat to Crosshair but he also cannot afford to show any weakness or leniency towards him in front of the rest of his team. And while the refugees also have to die in order to maintain this pretence – he lets his squad take care of them while he walks away and doesn’t have to watch it happen.

Later on, and with an unknown number of potential further conditioning treatments in place (it’s unclear if she’d be able to give him any more after he’s been handed over to Rampart as his new Commander), he sets the Batch up to die on Bracca. They have no obvious escape from the ion engine and the Imps are already walking away from the ship when the explosives go off and the reality of their imminent demise as the engine flares snaps Cross’s programming like a dry stick.

He can’t help himself from crying out NO! when he sees it, but since everyone standing with him probably died in the blast from the engine with only his increased physical density saving him from death, no one was able to report that part in. The med techs we see with him afterwards presumably came in from elsewhere on site. His immediate reaction on finding out his brothers are alive is wanting to follow them, to go to them, to see for himself whether or not they’re ok. But they vanish off into hyperspace and his chance is lost. He sits and looks angry and thoughtful.

So what are his options now? To try to leave and give up on everything he was trying to achieve in the first place, to have suffered all this for nothing, or to stay put and see what he can still accomplish. It isn’t like Kenobi could have acted any differently when he was playing at being Rako Hardeen. They both have to commit fully to the role they’re playing while also trying to do as little harm as they can.

Skip to the finale and we get this scene:

Crosshair: The Empire can't protect the galaxy without strength. This is what we were made for. Think of all we could do together. We were brothers once. We can be again.

Hunter: Why would we trust you?

And then Cross executes his team exactly as he’d previously set up. But not directly, he doesn’t shoot any of them himself, only bounces a shot off the reflectors. It still has the same end effect but he only ever kills ES-01 directly. Anyone else is only shot to wound. So far at least.

But why does he kill them? (aside from the whole scene being ripped off from referencing a different show - “Have you betrayed us? Have you betrayed me?”) It looks like a display of loyalty to the Batch, and it is, but that’s not entirely it.

He’s desperately lonely and he wants his brothers back by his side. He’s literally never once in his life had to spend so much time away from other clones and it’s killing him. Yes, there are problems within the team, but maybe things could be different under Empire control than when they were following the orders they were being given previously by the person Hunter refused to name back in TCW. They could find a way to work together to achieve the end goal he’s been working towards instead of being at odds with each other, hurting each other. To go back to the way things used to be.

And we see how much being alone is hurting him, the look on his face when he turns and sees Howzer standing in Rampart’s office with that oh so familiar face looking back at him.

And he wants that. Badly.

He wants them to come with him, but he can’t say that outright. Firstly because of his new team being present, and then because he doesn’t know where he stands. Not after they failed to respond to him after he called out to Hunter as the Batch were leaving Ryloth, and this happens before he realises that Hunter never told them he’d called him. That only happens in the following episode in the tunnels under Kamino.

But there and then if he brings the Batch in with him, maybe makes himself look a little sloppy. Not incompetent, but complacent enough for his squad to have been taken down by the Batch before he got through to them, but not bad enough for the Empire to dismiss him entirely.

But we don’t know what he had planned to happen next because Omega sets her own personal droid army off and everyone has to scramble for their lives.

She messed up all of his plans and no one but him even knows it.

And it makes ES-02 absolutely correct when she reports “Admiral, the Commander lost control of the situation.”, just not in quite the way she means it. However, she also helps him out here because it only aids in making him look sloppy, but not murderous.

But we’ve already seen him take steps towards looking less perfect than he could do. Like when he’s casually sitting on Rampart’s desk, in his office, directly facing the door, idly browsing through his datapad. Unlike the perfect soldier we’ve seen him act like at all other times.

Bloody impudent clone! Maybe he’ll behave better with his previous team leader around to keep him in his place.

And then that’s where Cody is likely to come in from the Empire side of things.

To find out if Crosshair is truly loyal, and whether he can remember to act like he’s a soldier of the Empire and not a desk polisher.

Bad Commander Crosshair!

I posted previously about

Crosshair showing the physical signs of someone who’s experienced a stroke or similar type of brain injury

and if he managed to get his own chip removed but it didn’t go as well as the other removal operations we’ve seen then it could have left him with noticeable damage in the aftermath.

And maybe he’d have been able to keep it hidden for a while, which should be pretty easy since he often appears to keep his helmet on.

But he has no scar! I hear you cry. Well no, not if he had access to medical equipment to heal it up afterwards. Any traces would be hidden by his hair like Tech’s would be, and now that his skin is burned it could be gone without a trace.

Rex has a scar because he didn’t have access to follow up treatments, not because surgery always causes heavy scarring.

There’s the possibility of it being a side effect of others messing with his head so often (”I've had my head adjusted by some of the best in the business. But it just won't stay adjusted.”), or of him fighting the reprogramming she’s inflicted on him. Re-laying new neural pathways to get around the blocks installed in his mind could have caused some noticeable side effects, and this is without going into the physical alterations that’ve made him taller, thinner, paler, etc.

Now, I’d suggest that the damage could have come from his investigation having been discovered by Palpatine. Palps could absolutely damage him in ways that no one would ever see externally, especially since he’s “severe and unyeilding” enough to resist any attempt to pursuade him to let this go.

‘Poor Commander Fox, probably the stress dont’cha know.’ Yadda yadda yadda and off to Kamino he goes, never to be seen again.

But surely he’d just kill him and be done with it. Who’s going to care enough about one lost clone anyway, right?

In TBB Ep 01 after Tech informs them that the clones have been ordered to execute the Jedi on the grounds on them having committed treason what does Crosshair say?

“That would explain things”

Not only explaining what’s happening there and then with the Jedi, but what had been happening all along. The missing piece of the puzzle he’s been trying to work out for so long now.

What secret purpose it was that their inhibitor chips had.

What they’d really been created for.

Many have complained about the loss of his sense of humour and playfulness we’d seen in TCW. Wrecker only got annoyance and was shoved away when he tried to pal up to him as usual, before Lula slapping him. But Wrecker looks surprised at his reaction to him. This wasn’t normal behaviour.

But Cross has a lot of his mind at this time and isn’t in the mood to deal with it just then.

Especially since what Tech has just been telling them all is how:

“It's been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question.”

which is something he already knows more than enough about, and is something they should all be a lot more concerned about being informed of. Because that goes far beyond the scope of the inhibitor chips.

And why has Tech been looking into that anyway?

But rather than letting us focus on that statement they move in with the Lula slapping to distract us from what was just said.

Anything else about Crosshair turning on the team at the start of TBB?

While Crosshair’s actions are being influenced here, on Kaller, and later on after his trip to the med bay on Kamino before he leaves with the Empire, it isn’t because of the inhibitor chip.

They’re just a red herring as far as most of this story goes.

The chips caused the clones to turn on the Jedi and their supporters, but once that’s done they’re just left with the knowledge that the Jedi were evil betrayers and that they have new masters and new orders to follow now. And after that point they have to make their own minds up about whether they want to follow those new orders and stick with the Empire or if they’d rather attempt to defect instead.

But once they convince us to focus on the chips being the root of all clone controlling evil we’re not looking for any other explanation. So they do still serve a point in the plot aside from setting these events in the timeline with the activation of Order 66, but it’s a lot more limited than they want us to think it is.

Why was the Ep 01 hangar scene set up the way it was if not to make a parallel between that moment and Fives’ death?

Why fill a spaceship hangar with a bunch of boxes of troopers personal belongings if not to have an excuse to have a backdrop of crates for the scene to unfold against? Because they could have gone pretty much anywhere on Kamino to retrieve their armour and weapons. There’s nothing special about that specific location other than that being the place the story contrives to put the things they’re going to need before they leave.

Why are there shock troopers on Kamino in the first place? Kamino doesn’t need them to be there, they have their own security forces with a grey and white paint job, and it shouldn’t be like the Empire are so short on troops that they need the CG to watch their backs.

The only real reason I can see for them to be there at all is so they can set up a scene where they can make the same man’s life take a sharp turn for the worst, for the second time, when he enters a darkened space filled with boxes, while flanked by shock troopers, before shooting a man who hasn’t done anything wrong.

They do love their parallels in this show.

But this time he lets his men go in first, takes his time to assess the situation before him, and places his shot a lot more carefully.

And just look at the curved, swirled, striped lighting of the ray shield in front of Fox, and the light on the wall behind Crosshair as he stands in the doorway.

Coincidence? In animation? I highly doubt it!

Anyway, he checks the power output of his rifle, then hits Wrecker in the exact same place we already saw him take a hit and walk away from it earlier in the episode. Crosshair may not entirely be feeling like himself at this point, but he hasn’t become a meat-droid either.

And both Fox and Crosshair have showed that they care about their brothers.

I’ve said previously (somewhere) that it seemed like Crosshair might have been the new guy before Echo joined the team, with CT-9904 implying that he’s the 4th to join the group, not the youngest clone there. Umbara was Season 4, The Fives arc Season 6. But we don’t know how many attempts there have been to try to create ‘superior’ clones, only that there are four team members and Nala Se says ‘Five are all that remain’ What number does Tech have? He could be CT-9908 and that wouldn’t affect the amount of squad members, only the number of attempts at generating clones who manage to survive the ‘enhancement’ process.

And surely there's a reason the Empire immediately assigned him the rank of Commander despite everyone referring to him by a CT number and not a CC or RC number. As far as we know the only Batch member with any rank other than ‘trooper’ is Hunter. I've always thought it was an odd detail, especially since Rampart doesn’t think much of the clones, but we all saw how easily he took to his new command position right off the bat.

I was trying to work out exactly how Omega could claim to know what Crosshair would do next when they were in the brig, which led to me rewatching the scene where Cross is supposed to be getting his chip enhanced. And Nala Se says to Tarkin “the order does appear to be working.” With a very odd emphasis on ‘appear’. Because she really can’t be certain, but clearly can’t tell for sure if his reprogramming has been successful just by scanning his head. She knows who Cross used to be, she knows how he ended up back on Kamino And she may well assume she knows full well what it is that he wants to do given the opportunity to get out of there. He's severe and unyielding, and unwilling to give up on his end goal, and this is his chance to make a play for it.

. But back to Omega. She's said enough that's been wrong right to his face, and she's a part of Kamino, not a part of his family unit. So he’s doing his best not to say anything in front of her which might cause him problems later on, he has a quest to fulfil and no current intention of letting it go

Cut to the end of episode 1, after the Batch have escaped

Lama Su: Has the matter been rectified? Nala Se: The inhibitor chip augmentation was a success. However, the remaining clones of squad 99 have escaped, along with Omega. Lama Su: We must be cautious. Until the Empire's intentions are made clear, say nothing. Nala Se: Yes, Prime Minister.

This is another one those split conversations we don't initially notice.

Has the matter been rectified?

The inhibitor augmentation was a success

and

However, the remaining clones of squad 99 have escaped, along with Omega.

Are two absolutely different things.

And Lama Su's concerns? "We must be cautious. Until the Empire's intentions are made clear, say nothing."

They're about Crosshair, not Omega.

Nala Se wasn't buying that Cross was genuinely showing loyalty to the Empire but she also tells Lama Su that she was enhancing his inhibitor chip. Which strongly suggests that the Kaminoan Prime Minister knows very little about what she’s been getting up to in her own private lab, and Taun We likely knew nothing of it either.

All of this comes down to one scientist pushing what she has at hand to see just how far she can go with the technology she’s created and caring nothing for the suffering she inflicts upon those people in the process. Just because you can do a thing doesn’t mean that you should.

And Omega is Nala Se’s creation.

Nala Se doesn't let Omega go so much as she lets the team get away from Kamino before Crosshair can ground them and she risks her special secret project falling into Empire hands and them being able to do whatever they want with the things that she’s created.

But let's go back to this scene:

Omega: You're angry. Crosshair: How perceptive. Omega: I know what you're going to do, but please don't. Crosshair: What do you know? Omega: I know it's not your fault. You can't help it.

And Cross gives her that barely seen sly smile. But she also directly tells him that she knows far too much about what's happening here than any mere child should. And he shuts her down quickly at every opportunity after that. Because he isn't stupid and he knows she's a part of this, that she knows too much. He keeps her firmly at arms length and wants nothing to do with her, he doesn’t even call her by her name, only referring to her as ‘the kid’, and saves her from drowning more to stop Hunter from jumping in after her and risking his own life in the process than to actually benefit her.

Anyway, we all know Cross is angry, he’s put on a good show for everyone watching as he pointed out that Hunter is a poor leader and they never should have gone back to Kamino. That's hardly a stunning revelation. But what is it that she 'knows' he's going to do? She also says 'you can't help it' Why can't he help it? Why does she assume he'll have a loss of free will or self control? She wasn't in the room while he was getting his ‘chip enhancement’ done because she'd already been caught by the Shock Troopers, so if she knows about that then she'd need to have known in advance that his head was going to be messed with. And of course she does, why would such things not be freely discussed with, or in front of, Nala Se’s assistant just like when Tarkin is there and they discuss everything right in front of her. She's a part of all this, not some innocent bystander. Azi tells us "We are official Kaminoan medical personnel". Not I am, we are.

And how else would Foxhair tie in to the wider plotline and some of the characters still in play?

He’s connected to Ahsoka from his pursuit of her following her escape from jail even if people mostly seem to remember Wolffe from that arc because of the scene where he shoots her and the associated Plo Koon angst potential. Just because she didn’t show up in TBB yet doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the potential to do so later.

To Anakin and Rex from that arc, the Fives arc, and from the mission to Skako Minor.

To Wolffe, however loosely, from the time they both spent pursuing Ahsoka.

To Cody, who already knows the Batch and introduces us to them, as well as his forthcoming appearance in Season 2

To Palpatine and the Empire by his prior job with the Coruscant Guard as well as by whatever his current position will turn out to be after they’ve retrieved him from Kamino.

And he’s connected to Echo through having assisted in rescuing him from Skako Minor, being on the same team as him for a while, and also because he’s the man who killed his long time friend and brother.

Which then suggests that this is a part of the reason they chose to bring Echo back from the dead after all this time. So they can come back to those events and deal with the repercussions of that plotline from all those years ago. To give Rex, Echo *and* Fox some closure over the matter as well as showing exactly who was responsible for everything that happened to kick that arc off in the first place.

Which also makes sense of why we didn’t see them mention, let alone actually talk about, Fives when Rex and Echo met up in Cid’s bar. Can’t get them talking about him and exposing the underlying plot too soon, can they?

What else?

Look at this:

What’s that on the side of his helmet? Is that a microphone or a camera on his left hand side? The SW way for commanders to have a record of personal accountability?

If it is then he knows what it's like to constantly record everything around you as a part of your duty, which would go a long way to explaining why he knows to be SO very very careful with every word he says in front of Tech in the finale.

Because if the things Tech records are retrieved from wherever they get stored or backed up to then his own words could easily be used against him at some later point. And that’s without the risk of some Empire lackey overhearing him talking and reporting what he said.

. Fox appears to have had a forward facing aspect to his position with the CG. He’s there in the office when Ahsoka comes to the prison, and again when Anakin comes to talk to her. He’s likely had to deal with the public in a way that most clone troopers will never have had to do, or had the opportunity to do. This can only have helped him to deal with Rampart and the members of his former Elite Squad, as well as any other non-clone troopers he has to deal with in the future.

Having the skill of being able to read the mood of the room and pick out the extent of the underlying intent in ES-01's words and tone is a valuable skill that the Batch team could sorely use right now, and one which will also help keep him alive and one step ahead of Rampart, who isn't likely to expect that from a clone.

It also helps explain how he knew just what to say to get under Rex's skin on Skako, and how his words helped to keep Rex motivated instead of putting him off from his goal. .

What about Crosshair’s tattoo?

When did he get that badly drawn tattoo? And it is badly drawn, especially the line running down his cheek. It’s reasonably straight but it isn’t consistently applied. The horizontal line is higher on one side of his eye than on the other, and the line thicknesses of the whole thing vary wildly, not to mention the gaps in the lines.

Not only have we ever seen any other clone sporting a poorly applied tattoo, but would someone as precise as Crosshair really choose to have that mess scrawled on his face? Are we supposed to assume he did it himself so it’s ok if it looks shit? Or is this a part of the once mentioned bullying? That this was something drawn on him by someone else, someone with power over him, that he’s never dared to have removed for fear of what punishment would be inflicted if he tried it.

Is it an enforced reminder to him that this is who he is now? That he’s Crosshair and he’d better not forget it! Clones tattoos don’t generally relate directly to their names, Fives is the only exception I can think of there. Which is probably for the best otherwise Jesse might have been named Coghead.

And what of the picture from Hunter’s trunk?

Just how closely have you really looked at that picture?

Same picture

And the crossed arms. Ever notice that habit of his? It isn’t common amongst clones, they usually keep their arms by their sides or have a helmet under one arm. It’s noticeable because were see it so infrequently.

But they both do it, and it’s almost always the left arm over the right.

But why didn’t Crosshair leave with his brothers at the end of season 1?

Because he knew there was no point in doing so. “None of this changes anything.”

Kallus chose to return to the Empire before having a good think about things and becoming Fulcrum and that’s who we’re set up to most think of in that situation, but Kenobi had the chance to return to the Jedi during the Rako Hardeen arc, realised that the job wasn’t yet over and chose to remain for a while longer in order to complete his task.

Once he realised that Hunter never told the others he’d been in touch with him on Ryloth he knew that they’re all taking his actions at face value and that anything he says is his word against Hunter’s. That they all think he really has turned against them and sided with the Empire, taken the easy way out and chosen a bed, 3 meals a day and all the ammo he can fire over fighting for his brothers like some of them had been planning before he left the team - shows what they know, right?

This is only further backed up when Tech says “Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you.” and he does think he understands him. Understands why he’d choose to stay where he is of his own free will and not come back and suffer with the rest of them rather then helping them find a way out of their situation as well. But he’s wrong.

In order to achieve his aims Crosshair has chosen to stay where he is even though “loyalty means everything to the clones”

But that’s only a part of the story and one that’s likely to come out by the end of Season 2

Regardless of how hard he tried to convince his old team to come with him in the finale, that he set up in advance and then slaughtered his Imperial team in front of them, no matter how much he protected them all in the fight and through the collapse of Kamino, he still chose to stay and wait for someone else to pick him up.

Because he’s finally managing to put all the pieces of a long term puzzle together, of being placed in a position to help all of his brothers and not just himself or his own team. He’s looking at the bigger picture and how it’ll negatively affect all of the clones. And that’s something he can’t simply turn his back on in order to go and play happy families with his brothers, no matter how much he really really wants to be able to do that.

Because despite what Hunter says in the S2 trailer, none of them will really be free until the Empire decides to let them go, and even then that’s debatable for this particular special team.

But that’s audience knowledge, not character knowledge.

#tbb #potential future spoiler warnings #crosshair

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eyrieofsynapses · 2 years

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I wasn't planning to split my "hey, so you're gonna see some Star Wars stuff around soon, but I'm not properly rejoining the fandom" into two posts, but here we are. Mostly so that I don't subject all of you to a long explanation.

So: like I said over here, a couple good friends of mine convinced me to watch The Mandalorian, and it's all going downhill into the trash heaps of Star Wars from there. Once I've gotten to a couple other things--which might take some time--I may reblog some GIFs and possibly metas.

Here's the thing: Yes, I might put stuff up. No, I am not getting into the fandom proper again. And I do mean again--as in, I was in it around four or five years ago, quite a while before this blog existed. (You can look at my Ao3 for proof, but... uh... maybe don't. You know how it is with old fic.)

For the sake of clarity, and also because I kind of want to talk about it, I'm going to explain why.

For reference: I've seen all of the movies. I've also seen The Clone Wars up until the newest season. I watched all of Star Wars: Rebels, and that remains my favorite. (No, I've not seen The Bad Batch, so I don't know everything about what they did with Caleb.) I'm also fond of Rogue One despite my dislike of tragic endings. Aside from that, my knowledge extends to a scattered few books, comics, and a few other things. I have, only as of the last few days, finished The Mandalorian's second season; the rest of my knowledge is largely older.

As usual, my attention veered away and I hit my overload point. That's normal, by the way. But there's some other reasons.

First: Star Wars deals a lot with tragedy. I've increasingly found I don't much like too many sad endings, especially when they feel unnecessary. I like my characters whole and safe and happy at the end of the day, okay? Beat them up in between all you like, but... look, I like happy endings. That’s a me thing, by the way, not a flaw in Star Wars itself (mostly). If you like tragedy, go for it! I’m just not a fan.

Second: The Rise of Skywalker poisoned a lot for me. Between that and the way Disney's been beating the shit out of the MCU, I figured the newer Star Wars shows were rotten cash grabs and nothing more. It wasn't until my friends lured me into watching The Mandalorian that I realized otherwise. Somehow, despite Disney's hell-bent obsession with killing everything it touches, there's some good stuff coming out of Lucasfilm yet. (For now.) I am duly impressed.

Third, and most importantly: Whatever TRoS and co. didn't poison, the fandom often did. I've met a lot of awesome Star Wars people. I've also seen a lot of toxicity, especially online.

I cannot tell you how much "oh, this sucked because of A, B, C, and D, and this part is irredeemable, and I can't believe anyone could stand this bit--what do you mean you liked that? Fuck you!" stuff I've seen around. Mind you, I like constructive story critique. But much of the time it was just complaining, with zero positivity or genuine love. (It isn't just Star Wars, by the way; I see a massive amount of this in the DC fandom too. There’s others. It’s common in many large fandoms, I think.)

I get it, it's fair to rant about stuff you don't like. I do that too. I’m not going to say I won’t keep doing it here and there, because I’d be lying. Hell, I have a lot of bones to pick with Star Wars. I can and have torn TRoS apart. But it's one thing to do that, and another entirely to claim that you enjoy the thing while only ever hating on it. In particular, I'm sick of seeing people coming into spaces where people are enjoying the content, and then spoiling it rotten by only ever complaining. That was what really got to me: being in places where people were meant to be enjoying it, only to see endless complaints about everything bad.

That was the thing I really disliked about the fandom while I was in it--there was this constant cycle of people saying they enjoyed some piece of Star Wars media, then turning around and smacking it over and over without ever providing any positive feedback. I'm not here for that. I'm here to smack-talk TRoS, sure, but then talk about a) what went right, b) what could be done better, c) the context of the mistakes and the reason for them, and d) where Star Wars has avoided the same mistakes, because it turns out they've done a lot better elsewhere.

Look, I don't want to hear about every single flaw and nothing else. Media is flawed! That's part of it! Plot holes exist! Problems exist! I get pissed off about them too! I rant with my real-life friends about them all the time! But suspension of disbelief is a thing, and historical context is a thing, and recognizing the fact that writers are human and flawed too is a very important thing. If you've got a problem and you want to say it, say it, tag it, then move the hell on and don't press it on the people who want to enjoy that media for what it is. (Unless those people are being blatantly discriminatory and offensive, in which case, sure, call them out. But don't be an ass about it.)

For the record: I am absolutely down for calling Disney out on its racist/sexist/queerphobic/etc. bullshit. We need to do that, and we need to do it loudly. TRoS fucked up a lot with that, and it deserves to be called out.

But if we're going to do that, we also need to talk about where they went right. We need to talk about how supportive many of the actors were. We need to talk about how Rebels and Rogue One brought in characters of color and treated them right. We need to discuss the importance of Finn and Poe, both for being POC and where their implied romance worked despite its ultimate knock-down. We need to talk about why women like Leia, Rose, Ahsoka, Hera, Sabine, and Jyn--among many others--are good representation. We need to talk about how The Mandalorian and Andor are both led by men of color. We need to talk about the many wonderful platonic relationships in Star Wars. We need to celebrate the good, too.

...er, anyway. I'm gonna hop off the soapbox now.

Basically: I got lucky when I landed in the Leverage fandom and found out how positive a fan space can be, and I don't want to go back to only ever seeing people ragging on my favorite media. Past experience has taught me that the Star Wars fandom does a lot of that. I'm once-bit and twice-shy, so I'm not getting deep in on this. I'm not trawling tags, I'm not getting into arguments, I'm not interacting much at all. If somebody wants to have a positive and constructive conversation, I’m here for it. If I post and someone decides to start an argument for the sake of arguing, I'm blocking and moving on, and that is that.

Anyway. Upward and onward, and all of that. May the Force be with you.

#star wars negativity #star wars #fandom #synapse rants #synapse talks #...yeah okay we'll do that for a new tag too #I know I may be inviting some not-great responses to this #but like I said: no questions no second thoughts. just block #I'm here to chat and be cool and have productive conversations #not to strike up ridiculous and pointless arguments #that waste my time #so! yeah

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dipstar1489 · 5 months

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Star Wars Clone Wars ending and pilot Rebels Thoughts

TW: SPOILERS to both series, and slight mentions to Ahsoka and the last movie sega. Also, I finished Clone Wars the series yesterday and watched only the first two episodes of Rebels, so please don’t let my post discourage you to watch either show. BTW, please contact me through the comments on this post if there are any trigger warnings I should ask, because the only ones I could think of is beheading.

Clone Wars How exactly does the 66 chip work? Like we know it’s meant to force the troopers to kill Jedi, yet Ahsoka left the Order at the end of season 5, so are troopers post 66 able to identify a Jedi by memory and the chip focuses on the memories involving the force, or is there a subconscious brain waves happening when the chip activates. Also slightly fucked up idea, does Boba Fett have the chip too? And five bucks says he is going to need ten years of full time therapy to get over the fact that hundreds of thousands of clones of he and his father destroyed planets and are universally hated by EVERYONE. And what about the Bad Batch?

Another question, in the last three Star Wars movies, we are introduced to Finn, a Black trooper, even though all the original troopers and Jango Fett have a tanish skin, so why the physical shift in appearance for the troopers? Is Finn in a similar case as the Bad Batch where his skin tone was genetically modified for some reason? Did Finn get kidnapped as a child, and if so, did he get a similar chip as Order 66? Did Kylo get a new clone donor? Is it because Finn’s actor was actually good at his job? I hate the first two ideas, but I need to figure out the origins of the troopers Kylo Ren has under his watch, especially since the troopers in Clone Wars are, you guess it, clones, where the only physical differences between them if out of their suits are tattoos and hair dye+hair styles.

Rex, you are forever best boy, like he could have pretended to still have the chip activated and kill Ahsoka to save his ass, yet he chose to fight his brothers and protect his allies, risking his life for his friend. Also didn’t realize why people loved Ahsoka and Rex’s dynamic until now. Top tier dynamic!

OH MY GOD! Maul, I get you’re a badass, but you didn’t need to BEHEAD the troopers, even if they’re under order 66’s control!

I’m the kind of bitch who watches shows out of order, but I can’t tell if my thoughts are better or worse than the original, for I remember seeing helmets attached to sticks in Boba Fett and I originally thought it was meant to intimate troopers similar to how prisoners during 1300s London were beheaded and had their heads on a stick, but it’s actually serves as a headstone with a body underneath.

Just the way the scenes were positioned, it’s just incredible! Like the glass shattering between Maul and Ahsoka, Rex’s hand shaking and dropping his helmet, and Darth Vader’s reflection in a trooper’s helmet which was painted with Ahsoka’s face, it’s simply genius!

Also, anyone else find it interesting that the troopers were securing Mandalor? Cause the troopers’s clone daddy (I have no idea how to refer him) Jango Fett is Mandalorian, so technically Mandalor is defeated by their own people.

Rebels

Ezra, what character arc did you go through, cause I could forgive you for stealing fruit, but why harass the people who saved your life?! Also, I’m assuming you’re a older teenager, but stop changing your mind seconds later! Oh, and we got a bingo on the traumatic backstory!

Zeb, so far my fav, but we got some issues. I get your pissed with Ezra trying to steal your shit and having a moral compass, but where did the shift in pure glee to get rid of Ezra go when you left him behind, cause that’s indicating something deeper. Also, THANK YOU for shutting down Ezra x Sabine!

Kanan, cool guy, but he feels like someone who needs a life saving cup of coffee with two shots in his cup desperately! Also, COMPLETE BADASS when he revealed he’s a Jedi!

Sabine, how the fuck did you create that explosive powder without a fuse?! Also, please don’t be Ezra’s love interest, since I’m the type of bitch who watches series out of order and know you two said they had a sibling relationship! Also, realized you were living at Ezra’s place in Ahsoka.

Hera, you cool, but when did you get Ezra’s name? Also, maybe a little more info please???

The first two episodes are alright, though I feel like the show was finding its footing, for the dynamics between the characters lacks the build up.

#dipstar1489 #Star Wars #Clone Wars #star wars rebels #Rebels #Star Wars Clone Wars #swtcw #str #tw spoilers #Tw beheading #Tw death #Analysis #Why do I feel like I’m opening Pandora’s box when talking about Finn?

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kinetic-elaboration · 6 months

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October 31: Halloween

I had quite a good Halloween today, everything considered, though I am now absolutely exhausted and a little overwhelmed. And my feet hurt a lot.

I went into work in the morning: very cloudy, rainy/drizzly, cold, atmosphere. Extremely Halloween-like weather, I’ll be honest. I got my backlog of work done, and I stopped in at the registrar for warm apple cider and cookies. I mentioned this event to the library and got some, like, insulted responses, like, how dare they hone in on our event but I have to say… chill out. If they were also doing hot dogs, or even another lunch food, I’d say that’s insulting, but their event really didn’t compete. Also since the event email was nuked because it’s too expensive or whatever, no one knows anything about what’s happening, and I barely even heard this was a thing. They were not our competition. So. I don’t know, the cookie and cider were good and the office was made up in a very spooky manner and all I needed was to engage in some awkward conversation.

There were some nice costumes and make up, people in holiday sweaters or with cute earrings, one co-worker with Halloween makeup and one in a full Halloween get-up, with makeup, and a matching clown mask that she did not wear but kept at the desk to disturb people. She didn’t know where it was from, just found it in her closet, so… I presume it’s cursed. There were also some dressed up students, including, most notably, Sexy Pennywise with some red balloons. One of the housekeepers is afraid of clowns and I felt bad: dude was not having a good time.

Then there was Halloweenies itself. It was drizzly and cold, so we had to separate our grill from our actual food stations: grill outside, stations under the overhang. It actually was not too chilly in my little, dark corner lol. Much more lowkey than other years, not a lot of people just hanging out outside with their food, but we were still very popular and saw a lot of people come by. We ran out of ready beef hotdogs pretty fast, within my shift, and we kept having to tell people we didn’t have any, which kind of sucked. One kid, I felt bad for him, he said he’d be back in 15 minutes, and in that time we got another batch out and then every single one was taken, and then just as the last one was given away, he came back and we still had none. I hope he got one eventually. Anyway, it’s always an enjoyable event. We had a couple medium sized inflated ducks and a large cardboard duck that was positioned to be staring right at me, in honor of the whole duck thing that’s still limping along.

I had a 45 minute shift but stayed a little longer because I didn’t want to have to do any more work before I went home and also I wanted one of the hot dogs. I got one eventually, found a ring pop in the candy bowl. Talked a bit to A about the situation at Circ, still not resolving itself, possibly heading for disaster. Then I left at around quarter to 1.

My plan had been to get some lunch, sit outside, write a little in my notebook but it was too cold and everything was covered in water from the rain. So I took an impulse walk into the historic area instead. There weren’t many people, and it was overcast and rainy and leaf-strewn, so even though they’ve totally given up on Halloween decorations (a big L, in my opinion), the area itself was done up in a spooky way by nature itself. I felt like I kept seeing haunted places, in some way that’s hard to describe. I took a lot of photos.

I walked way longer and farther than I had I intended to, and then I was exhausted and cold. So I went to a coffee shop, which wasn’t crowded for once because it was the middle of the day, got a brown sugar pecan latte, and sat inside for a little bit, writing up notes. Not very useful notes, but that’s okay. Then I headed home.

I had a quick lunch, posted my ficlet, stuff like that, and then I roused myself to make an apple crisp, which I’ve been meaning to do for ages, and also change the sheets on my bed and do some other chores. I also watched Halloweentown because even though it was not part of my childhood, I thought it looked adorable and like something in-season that wasn’t yet more horror. It was good background noise. Then I got a quick dinner. At this point I’m very tired and my feet hurt terribly. Whenever I’m productive, I always end up becoming very anxious in the evening: thinking about what I didn’t do and what I need to do next and what I need to do in the coming days, weeks, months, aaaaah! And of course it’s not a good feeling, so then I feel later like it’s not even worth being productive, because all I get is anxiety. I’m trying, as I head into the end of the year hoping to build better habits, to manage this feeling, to learn, as I think I was once able to do, to shut off the anxiety and just rest in the accomplishment. I did a lot today. I did essentially everything I had set out to do. Now if I hope to do anything tomorrow—starting with a full work day—I need to rest and get some good sleep.

So, overall, I am ready to transition out of the Halloween era, but I do think the day was successful!

#the year 2023 #2023: rl

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 3 years

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(Bad Batch) He Protects You

(Author’s Note: SOOOO I’m on edge because I haven’t seen the first episode of the Bad Batch yet because of my schedule, and from what I’ve seen on tumblr, it looks so freaking good! For now, I’m celebrating Star Wars day by posting this!

I’ve got to wait until this weekend to cry over watch it with my friends...lol help.

Also enjoy!!!)

Hunter: Pushes you against the wall, effectively shielding you, until the droids pass.

"I am picking something up on my scanner. Droids approaching," Tech informed over the comm. You and Hunter exchanged glances in a silent question of what to do.

The metallic thud of droid footsteps sounded louder as the enemies approached. You grasped you blaster, ready to spring into action the second they rounded a corner. However, an arm around your waist broke your focused gaze. Hunter swiftly pulled you back into the shadows of the dimly-lit Separatist ship. You felt your front pressed against the cool metal wall while Hunter stayed pressed against your back, face so close to yours you could hear his steady breathing.

Both of you were tensed as the footsteps grew even louder and then faded down the hall. You released a breath and turned to look at the sergeant. Behind his hair, his eyes met yours for a few seconds before he finally pulled away, letting you separate yourself from the wall.

“Let’s keep moving,” he said, hand lingering on your arm. Your heart was pounding both from the danger of the almost-encounter and also the proximity of the sergeant, but you said nothing on the matter as the two of you continued on your way.

“Lead the way.”

Wrecker: Jumps in front of you to catch oncoming debris

"Better watch out, _________. Things are about to get...messy," Crosshair muttered into the comm.

"Copy that," you replied, ducking behind a piece of debris. "I'm in position. Take the shot."

You couldn't see the sniper taking aim, but you saw the blaster bolt hit the oncoming tank in its weak spots. The droids inside had been destroyed, so the vehicle tipped and took a flaming tumble down the path. You watched it explode in a fiery heap, nodding in approval. It really was a satisfying sight. What you hadn't expected was to see a speeders emerge from behind it. Crosshair took a few out, and you aimed your blaster at the nearest one, immediately firing before it could get any closer to your comrades’ position.

It came rolling toward you, droid and several parts flying off of it. It was like it was happening in slow motion, but also too fast to react. All you could do was fall to the ground and cover your head. In the second instant, a form jumped directly in front of you, catching the wrecking vehicle before it could reach you. He stood tall and strong, shielding you from any remaining debris that passed dangerously close by. With a grunt, he pushed the vehicle aside and turned his visor toward you.

"You okay?"

You nodded. "Yeah, thanks Wrecker."

He approached and helped you to your feet effortlessly with a small tug on your arm. His hand didn’t leave yours for a few moments as he took another look to make sure you really were alright.

Crosshair: Pulls you out of the line of fire before shooting down the enemy

“Are you in yet, Tech?” you called over your shoulder, keeping your blaster ready in case droids showed up.

“Almost.” He was knelt down in front of a panel, working quickly to rewire it so the door could be opened. Someone had gone through the trouble of tearing them out.

“I’m not sure how much longer we have,” Crosshair pointed out. You had taken your eyes off the hall in front of you to steal a glance at the sniper, and suddenly a blaster bolt flew past. Before you could react, he reached forward to take hold of your hand, pulling you out of the way toward Tech and stepping in front to fire at the oncoming squad of droids.

You took a step to the side in order to blast the remaining droids from behind your comrade, and pretty soon they were laying on the ground in smoking pieces.

Crosshair lowered his rifle and turned his gaze on you. “Don’t go getting distracted, ________. You’ve got to watch yourself.”

Your face grew warm at his warning, and yet part of you was irritated considering he was the one who distracted you. He seemed to know it, too, because for a brief moment the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk before he resumed his firm gaze.

Tech: Takes out two droids that have you trapped between them, and you fall into his arms

“_________?” Wrecker called in disbelief. His concern wasn’t unfounded as you found yourself in a less-than-ideal situation.

Still, you kept your cool. “No worries, guys” you assured him, gasping for breath as the droid’s hold tightened on your form. “I’ve got it all... under control.”

“Sure looks like it,” Tech quipped, lifting a blaster.

“Stay back!” The droid called in its nervous, nasally voice. “O-or we crush her!”

Tech and Wrecker exchanged looks. They were looks that you knew all too well. A chuckle escaped your lips as Tech quickly shot the two droids down without hesitation, and Wrecker cheered. The air rushed back into your lungs more comfortably, and your legs collapsed. Your teammate rushed forward to catch you as you fell, and you held onto him tightly as you took a moment to recover.

“Are you alright?” he asked. His eyes peered at you through his visor, and you could see his concern as his arms held you in place against his chestplate.

“Those...stupid droids.” You shook your head. “They caught me off guard and took my blaster. I’m okay now, thanks to you.”

“Uhh guys, we’ve got company,” Wrecker warned.

Tech steadied you on your feet, gaze still locked on you in search of any signs that you weren’t well. You flashed him a quick smile to let him know you were fine, and he finally let you go. You missed the contact, but this mission was far from over.

#bad batch x reader #tech x reader #hunter x reader #crosshair x reader #wrecker x reader #bad batch imagine #bad batch headcanons #bad batch hunter x reader #bad batch tech x reader #bad batch wrecker x reader #bad batch crosshair x reader #clone wars bad batch #hunter imagine #tech imagine #crosshair imagine #wrecker imagine

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shoulderpads-mcgee2 · 3 years

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Season One is Over and For What?

That’s a wrap on season one of The Bad Batch, and what are we left with? For a lot of people, disappointment.

This image comes from uwwtbb’s fandom response survey’s results so far, and it shows that this show survives on its cameos, not the actual merit of the show. The writing and main characters are the thing people like the least and for good reason.

The Bad Batch is a show with a lackluster plot and unlikable, underdeveloped characters, and with the season final out, it’s only clearer that this is true. None of the main cast has moved much beyond their tropes (leader, nerd, tough guy etc) which makes for a cast of cardboard cut outs-flimsy and devoid of substance. And the plot has gone in a big circle. Nothing has really changed over the entire course of the season. Crosshair is still being left behind by the group, his character amounted to nothing. He had no arc. He has decided to stay with a fascist regime for reasons we don’t understand because he hasn’t been given an ounce of character depth. The viewers can’t even agree if him saying his chip has been removed was a lie or not because there’s just nothing to work with. There’s no understanding as to why he acts the way he does or does the things he does. And there’s no reason to drag this out for another season. It’s gone on long enough to feel tired. People who decided to cling on to his character from the beginning are being strung along with the promise of depth and interest.

The only possible reason he might stay with the Empire is his assertion that he and his batch are “Superior,” and isn’t just a trip.

If you’ve been hanging out in tbb’s fandom space, you’ve no doubt heard of Unwhitewash The Bad Batch, a movement that aims to address the ways the clones, especially the bad batch, have been whitewashed both in their complexions and facial features from the Temuera Morrison base. Morrison is a Maori man and darker than The Bad Batch or The Mandalorian would have you believe. It’s also suspect to write these far paler “genetically enhanced” clones as being superior to their darker (though still made paler) skinned brothers. It sends a subtle message to the audience, especially when characters like Crosshair or their very smart and eloquent member, Tech are the palest while violence meathead, Wrecker is the darkest.

Over the course of the season, many fans have been vocal about these issues and tried to reach out to Disney and the crew working on the show like Filoni. For our efforts, we have received unconfirmed rumors of Disney allegedly adjusting the lighting of the show, but mostly it’s been absolute radio silence. When the concern of erasing characters of color and putting very pale versions of clones in a position of superiority, we have been met with silence. When bringing up ablism in the treatment of Echo, or antisemitic imagery in the case of Cid, a lizard lady with a New York Jewish accent and a love of money, we have been ignored. It’s extremely disheartening to have the voices of so many fans, including many disabled, Jewish, and POC fans, be completely snubbed by a company that claims to promote inclusion and diversity.

If you would like to help out in making these voices heard, I urge you to check out the reblog of this post that will include links to a carrd that explains these issues in greater depth, as well as check out the fandom response survey and the petition.

#unwhitewash the bad batch #unwhitewash the clones #unwhitewashtbb #uwwtbb #the bad batch #star wars #the bad batch spoilers #sw

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a-lil-perspective · 3 years

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The Bad Batch and Physical Traits/Insecurities People Have That They Love

Uhhh this is completely random but we are all about positive vibes here. This came to me suddenly and I just thought it’d be a really wholesome little post. I’ve seen lots that are about the Bad Batch and their favorite body parts of yours, but I thought I’d switch it up a bit and instead do traits that can be common insecurities. I hope this uplifts you in some way! Remember you are special and beautiful just the way you are.

Hunter: Birthmarks, Vitiligo, anything to do with skin pigmentation

Hunter loves skin. His facial tattoo shows he’s not afraid to be different, to stand out, and he’s not at all intimidated by this quality in others. In fact, he strongly encourages it. Birth traits are especially favored by him. They carry a uniqueness that no artificial bodily substance can. He tells you he wishes his tattoo was a birthmark, and he means it. He loves the color of your skin, all the different pigments and shades, all the discoloration. Hunter will always remind you how beautiful and unique you are. He loves kissing your birthmarks and pigmented areas, it doesn’t matter where. ;) Also, he wants all y’all’s babies to look like you. :)

Wrecker: Acne, scars, body hair

Wrecker also loves your skin, every aspect. He wants you to be proud of it. Texture is an amazing thing. Big guy’s got his own share of it and so called “imperfections”. Red, blotchy, discolored, calloused, or scarred skin is nothing to be ashamed of. Scars are a sign of living. Scars show that you’ve been fighting. Scars show that you survived. You’re a fighter and Wrecker adores you for that. And body hair? Dude! Your body is living and growing and protecting you. That’s awesome! Don’t sell yourself short. There may be periods of time where you feel incredibly awkward in your own skin, but remember that your body is changing and doing extraordinary things. Let it do its thing. You will grow into yourself, I promise. Just kick back and enjoy the ride. :)

Tech: Freckles/moles, dandruff, dermatological conditions

Do not hide your freckles from this man. He absolutely adores them; the location has no relevance. Same with moles. And dandruff! Tech will tell you that he suffered from dandruff for a time. It’s normal! These are all apart of your physiology, not something to be repulsed by. In fact to this nerd, the more attributes you have, the better. Tech is fascinated by all of it and wants to know every bit of you, even if he doesn’t convey that in the most sane way. You may have to remind him on more than one occasion that you aren’t something to be experimented on. Tech asks you to specify. ;)

Crosshair: Hip dips, stretch marks, body proportions

Crosshair is kind of an angular guy. Even though he’s not big and hulking like Wrecker he tends to feel just as awkward with his lean, sharp figure. That being said, he never wants you to put yourself down for your own features. He learns alongside you that differences are a good thing, that differences are a positive connotation, not a negative one. It’s a really wholesome principle for you to experience together. He loves all those angular, curvy, or disproportionate areas of your body. He loves your stretch marks because he, like all the other Clones, probably have their share of them, what with growth acceleration and all. He loves to kiss and trace over your marks with his fingers, whispering to himself how gorgeous you are.

Echo: Artificial devices/implants, oily hair, neurodivergence

For obvious reasons, Echo would be very loving and accepting of those with prosthesis or implants. The person may feel very disconnected from their body but Echo helps them learn to love themselves again. He will always celebrate the little victories, and educate himself on that person’s limitations/capacity. This also applies to people with special needs. Echo actually connects easier to individuals with neurodivergent traits than he does with neurotypical. He is super positive and will be your biggest cheerleader, he’s also a great listener and always makes himself available to confide in when you’re having a rough time coping or managing. Also, conditions like oily hair/skin does not phase Echo at all. It’s not gross or unruly—it’s just part of your makeup. Echo will always remind you of that; that you’re human and valid and special like everyone else.

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imagineyourworld · 3 years

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Paper Rings

Howzer x Genderneutral!Reader

Summary: Will you marry Howzer even though he can’t offer you the shiny things you’re used to? (Inspired by the Taylor Swift song of the same title)

Warnings: Like one mention of war and allusion of poverty, otherwise just tooth rotting fluff

Check out my other work here

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What was he thinking? Your parents were a Duchess and Duke on your home planet, they were friends with the Syndullas, you grew up in a mansion and here Howzer was, wanting to marry you. Not only did he not have much property, most people considered him property, He couldn’t offer you what you were used to, what you deserved. But no matter how often he told himself that he shouldn’t ask you to marry him, he just had to. He couldn’t take the thought of dying without ever having told you just how much you mean to him, how much he wants to spend the rest of his life, however long, with you. But today, he finally decided, was the day. The war was over, for the first time since Howzer could remember there was something resembling peace, and you’d be arriving later that day. Just a few days ago you had commed him, telling him that you had asked your parents to let you finish your university education on Ryloth and they agreed. So you will spend the next two years right there next to him, And afterwards you could look for a job on Ryloth, or maybe, now that the war was over, Howzer could find a way to escape the army and the two of you could settle on your home planet or any corner of the galaxy you wanted. Provided you said yes. Howzer was on duty most of the day, which is why he couldn’t greet you the second you set foot on Ryloth. But as soon as his shift ended he hurried to the Syndullas’ house, in the garden of which the two of you had been secretly meeting for the past two years. Or maybe not so secretly, he thought as he saw Hera waving at him from the window of her bedroom. “Great”, Howzer muttered. He liked Hera, loved her like a little sister even, but he really didn’t want anyone watching this proposal. No one should know, in case you said no, an answer for which Howzer had to be prepared for. That’s the reason he had decided against asking for Eleni’s help in choosing a ring. Instead he had gone with a small silver band, engraved with the initials for both your and his first names. It was classic and simple. And cheap, the nagging voice in his head insisted. Of course there had been many more beautiful rings, but the truth was that he couldn’t afford any of them, even the engraving had almost blown his budget. He finally reached the bush behind which he knew you were hiding. The second he stepped around it and into your eyesight you had your arms wrapped around Howzer. “I’m so glad to see you. I missed you”, you greeted him. Howzer hugged you back for a few seconds before letting go to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “I missed you more”, he whispered, his forehead leaning against yours. You shook your head, a smile on your lips. “That’s impossible.” With a matching smile, though maybe just the slightest bit more nervous, Howzer grabbed your hand and lead you over to a thick log on the ground. As soon as the two of you sat down you rested your head on his shoulder. It wasn’t the most comfortable, due to his armour, but being uncomfortable with Howzer was million times better than being comfortable alone. Howzer tried his best not to look you in the eyes, which was a lot easier with your current position, because he knew the second you really looked at him you’d be able to tell that he was nervous about something. And he wanted to stall for just a few more moments, just in case the question he was about to ask would ruin everything. “So”, he started. “How was your day?” He didn’t need to ask twice. You began telling him all about the beautiful room the Syndullas had set you up in until you could find an apartment of your own. The university campus you had seen for the first time today and the classes you would take this semester. “I can’t believe I’m finally going back to university after I had to leave when this stupid war started. Although, without this stupid war we never would have met, so I suppose that’s one positive thing about this whole kriffing mess.” It’s now or never, Howzer thought. “Speaking of us...”, he said. He nudged your head with his shoulder to make you lift it before taking both your your hands into his and looking you deep in the eyes. “I really don’t know how to say this. I’ve tried to practice, but everything sounded wrong, so I suppose I’ll just wing it.” A horrified expression made its way to your face and if Howzer’s hands hadn’t been sweating so much he would have noticed moisture gathering in your own palms. “Howzer, my darling, are you breaking up with me?”, you asked, voice shaking and tears threatening to spill. You couldn’t believe it. Just a few days ago he had seemed so happy to have you on Ryloth with him, he had told you he loved you, and now this? Before you could do or say anything else Howzer began shaking his head frantically. “No! Stars, no! Cyare, just listen to me.” You nodded, although still a bit shaky. “I’m so happy to have you here with me for the next two years, but that made me realize, or rather it’s one of the things that made me realize, that I want to have you right next to me for the rest of my life. I don’t know how long my life will be, even now that the war is over, I don’t know what the empire will do with us clones, but if you’ll let me, I will do everything in my power to never leave your side. I know I can’t offer you much, I don’t have a mansion like the one you grew up in, or even a house to call me own, I can’t give you jewelry or fine clothes or the best food, but everything I have, everything I am, I can give to you. I offer you my heart and my soul and I promise to do whatever I can to make you happy for as long as you want me to.” After his last words he let go of one of your hands and knelt down in front of you on the ground. In the same swift motion he pulled a simple black box out of his holster where his blaster should be. “(Y/N), cyar’ika, mesh’la, my beloved, my beautiful, my darling, my sun and stars, will you marry me?” The tears that had been in your eyes earlier were now floating. Never had anyone said something like that to you, offered you so much and asked a question you never knew you wanted to hear. But Howzer, in his worried state, misinterpreted your tears. He sat the box down on the ground and put a hand on your cheek, wiping away your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should have known you wouldn’t want to marry a man who cannot offer you the riches you’re used to.” Tears were now making their way down his cheeks as well. You shook your head, slowly at first, then violently. How could he think that that’s why you’re crying? “Howzer, I love you. I love you whether you’re the richest man in the galaxy or the poorest, it doesn’t matter. I may like shiny things, but I’d marry you no matter what, even if you proposed with a paper ring.” Within seconds his expression went from shock to relief to pure happiness and love. He lifted the box from the ground again and opened it, showing you the ring inside. “It may not be paper, but I doubt this is worth much more.” Laughter bubbled past your lips. Without thinking you leaned down and pressed a kiss to Howzer’s forehead, another to his cheeks, his eyelids and his nose, before your lips finally connected in a loving kiss. “I still need an answer, mesh’la”, Howzer mumbled against your lips after you had separated to catch your breath. You wouldn’t have thought it possible to smile even wider, but somehow you did. “Yes. My answer is yes, Howzer. I will marry you.” With a smile matching yours, and after another quick kiss, he gently slipped the ring on your finger. And even though it was probably the cheapest thing you owned, it was also the most valuable and you loved it almost as much as the man who had given it to you.

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I know my usual day to post is Friday, but I was listening to Paper Rings and thinking of the latest Bad Batch episode and this fic just came to me and I couldn’t wait to write and share it.

#howzer x reader #howzer x you #captain howzer #howzer #captain howzer x reader #captain howzer x you #captain howzer imagine #howzer imagine #the bad batch #tbb #the bad batch imagine #tbb imagine

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rishi-eel · 3 years

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thinking (yet again!) about the differences between the bad batch story reels and the season seven arc and like... some changes just blow my mind because all it did, really, was make the bad batch less likable.

lets star with the whole “reg” thing. if i remember correctly, in the originals “regs” is said twice. the first instance is by crosshair when taunting jesse in the LAAT. the second is said by hunter: he tells tech (who’s hacking into the cyber center) that he and wrecker are going to “go get the regs” (i.e. rex and jesse). that is, hunter only used it among his squad when the others were not present (much like how cody informs that the bad batch are defective clones out of earshot. these words are descriptors, but there’s also an offense associated to being referred to by them). the idea that hunter has restraint referring to regular clones this way in their faces connects, i think, to how hunter was a tad more apologetic to jesse in the original script. “he means regular clones. don’t take it personal. it’s just that we don’t always follow protocol” carried an actual sense of hunter trying to convince jesse that it’s nothing to do with him.

it’s interesting, i think, that in a context where you have clones and defective clones, that the bad batch (as defective clones) would find a way to talk about other clones in reference to themselves in a way that normalizes their own existence. it also introduces the idea that the bad batch experience a level of disconnect, and even animosity, in regards to other clones. all that can be conveyed by only using the word twice. the season seven episodes added three more instances, and in all of them the bad batch members comfortably throw the word around the clones who “are regs.” the sense of separateness (which, again, was already established/achieved by using it just two times) is only made stronger (thus more needs to be done to portray a sense of reconciliation or coming together. the reels succeed this to an extent because that barrier wasn’t built up as high).

so yeah in the original... wrecker didn’t say “we always get shot down when we travel with regs,” he kept quiet as he helped people out of the wrecked gunship (in fact, wrecker lost a lot of subtlety going from the reels to the final eps, which i’ll get back to). hunter didn’t fake-compliment rex with a “not bad, for a reg”! and oh boy crosshair’s comment implying that echo is worthless and expendable because he’s a “reg”... yeah that was not in the reels either. in fact, not only does crosshair not call echo a reg, the meaning of his original dialogue was completely different.

in the original, after hunter voices his suspicions echo might be dead, crosshair suggests that if alive echo could be cooperating with the enemy, making him a traitor. rex takes this as an attack on echo’s character and crosshair explains that no, he’s not intending to insult echo, by saying: “oh i don’t blame him, if i were left for dead, i wouldn’t be so loyal.” and like!!!!! that’s such a radically different line of dialogue because crosshair seems to blame rex for having left echo behind, actually. if you betrayed the republic to survive, or even out of spite, i don’t blame you even if you now present a threat to myself and my family, is such an interesting, empathetic sentiment. and that contrasts with the lack of regard given to rex, making it read like he’s condemning rex for leaving someone behind. crosshair doesn’t seem to understand, as an experimental commando clone, the pressures rex as a legion captain is under, because he’s seen a less expandable (they’re a specially trained four man team, if one dies that’s 25% of the unit gone. is there a replacement for that member? you get the idea). so you’ve got a clash between different povs, but also crosshair being shown as having a set of morals, chief among them being that you do not leave anyone behind. so remember when rex says to move out and crosshair goes “commander cody is in no position to move” yeah i’d say that’s crosshair making sure cody isn’t being left behind. when crosshair saves anakin? that’s because he saw anakin go off on his own and followed him. because you don’t leave people behind. and like... the idea that yeah crosshair is an asshole. he’s unpleasant and that’s deliberate. he doesn’t care if people like him and he’s not trying to be liked. but that he values the lives of other people and looks out for them? that makes an interesting, flawed and multifaceted character. that got lost in the dialogue change because its no longer suggested that crosshair holds these values.

as for what i said earlier about wrecker: he lost subtle, nonverbal moments through the addition of lines that are either anticlimactic or only serve to make him seem loud or ditzy in an exaggerated fashion. he didn’t laugh when the LAAT came down. he was quiet as he helped people out of the downed gunship (no comment about regs!). he didn’t say “boom” when the ship exploded in the background after he flipped it over (the difference? a character moment that’s actually cool and impressive vs something that’s corny). when wrecker comes to crosshair’s aid by picking rex off of him, there was no quippy one liner. there was no need for anything to be said for it to be understood that wrecker is acting as a barrier and it trying to intimidate rex. when he’s afraid to get onto the elevator? that’s conveyed visually through camera angles and through hunter picking up on the fact that he’s scared. he doesn’t scream (if you can call a comical “aah what is that thing oh no its going to get me” a scream) when the organic decimator almost gets him. when they walk across the pipe? wrecker doesn’t whimper or talk to himself for comfort. he is scared of heights, that’s already been established, but he’s also a grown man and a soldier like he’s keeping that to himself? like we see wrecker hesitating to walk on the ledge but doing it anyway because he has to. in a piece of dialogue that was cut, tech said “does anyone want to know the odds of us making it across alive?” to which wrecker (who’s you know already having a bad time) interrupts with “don’t even think about it, tech” (if ur curious, this exchange was replaced with: wrecker: “keep walking tech!” tech: “that’s fine, but if you fall don’t take me with you” which???? uuh weird exchange). also, the fact that wrecker was mostly dealing with his fear silently means that when hunter tells wrecker to hold on because they’re almost there... that’s because hunter knows he’s scared and is checking up on him. basically... any kind of serious moment was cheapened by having wrecker talk in them. now i don’t want to say that DBB is a bad voice actor, but his expertise is making animal noises. he’s not able to do a realistic, deep voice, meaning that whenever wrecker talks he kind of sounds like a joke. it’s fine when wrecker is actual being lighthearted and jokey, but otherwise? the emotion just does not come across as genuine, which breaks the stakes or weakens credibility.

and god the whole plot point about the bad batch being suspicious of echo was nonexistent in the reels. the “don’t worry, echo says he’s got a plan”/”that makes me feel so much better” exchange between rex and tech is in the original, but tech’s sarcasm isn’t from doubting echo’s allegiance, it’s because they’re planning to land on admiral trench’s ship and echo having a plan (that he himself doesn’t know) doesn’t exactly soothe his anxieties. rex acts like tech’s being a big joker and playfully shoves him, telling him to get on board. which is an interesting interaction because these characters are kind of starting to bond?? as for tech and echo, they kinda become nerdy friends really quick. like when tech warns echo not to send the signal right away because he first needs to make it look like it’s coming from skako minor, echo’s like “oh yeah good thinking tech.” and when echo figures out a way to shut down all the droids at once tech is impressed and lightly shoves his shoulder. again there is none of that “oooh maybe echo’s a traitor maybe he’s with the techno union” shit. like i understand that the writers wanted to up the stakes but it falls flat because the idea of echo being a traitor isn’t credible. it does not seem like an actual risk or possibility. so all it did was make the bad batch seem like assholes, cutting away at some very nice character moments.

ok this is a long post and you might ask yourself “but tumblr user rishi-eel, why do you care so much about the story reels, this stuff isn’t canon now” and there are a couple reasons, first, i think it managed to tell a better story overall. so the question is: why is that? because you would expect that writers reworking the plot would add improvements and not downgrades. and to be fair, the s7 episodes had a bunch of upgrades, but not when it came to the characterization of the bad batch. another thing to consider is that changes were made in the context of setting the bad batch up as future protagonists of their own spinoff series (something the original arc was not intended to do because there were no plans for a bad batch series). were the characters made flatter and more archetypal to add to marketability? was the reg/defective clone rivalry (and dichotomy, even) amplified because this separateness serves a narrative in which the bad batch are heroes and the other clones villains?

#long post #clone force 99 #the bad batch #it's late and i haven't proof read so there might be typos and stuff but. here are my thoughts #rishi-outposts.txt

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