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starqueensthings · 3 months

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A very Crosshair Character Analysis

I posted a poll the other day looking for some opinions, and the prompt was: does Crosshair ever truly miss a shot? Meaning, of all the shots we’ve seen him aim and fire, how many of the few that didn’t land, were intended not to land? Does Crosshair have the skill and ability to land every shot he takes, and what of the ones that go astray (because there are some!)? The overarching, collective opinion (77% of votes) is that the sniper only misses a shot when he intends to, but let me explain why I was asking— the "methods behind my madness," if you will… (Fasten your seatbelts, and keep all extremities— and pitchforks— inside the ride!)

If Crosshair “doesn’t miss”, then there are some things that demand consideration and possible explanation. Please accept this weird internet essay as a deep dive into Crosshair’s character based solely on how I perceived his actions throught season one and two, and opinions I formed while watching his character develop. And while this could not be a Tech-approved analysis without touching on both his perceived good qualities and “flaws”, please know this is not a hate-on-Crosshair post.

Before I get into specifics, I think it’s imperative that we establish a basic understanding of his personality before the chip’s activation. While there is, sadly, not much “footage” we can use to form a true characterization of him, there are some instances we can touch on. The Skako/Anaxes arc from TCW and the earliest few moments of “Aftermath”, Crosshair is shown to be quite sarcastic, uninterested in trivial conversation, measurably combative toward those with differing opinions to his (seemingly all regs, including but not limited to Kix and Jesse), moderately argumentative toward leadership outside of his own Sergeant (mainly Rex, as Crosshair seems to have no qualms following Anakin’s or Cody’s orders), comforting to those who need it (Echo), and an overall good tactical team player.

So, let’s start this analysis by dialling things way back to their mission on Kaller and the complications that arose once Order-66 had been dropped. More specifically, hunting Caleb down in the forest. One of the things I noticed upon first watching that scene and every re-watch since, is how often Crosshair toggles back and forth between blaster bolt and stun cartridge on his rifle, as if constantly battling the indecision of exactly how he wanted to detain the Jedi. Now, if you remember, Tech com’s in and basically says [paraphrased obviously]: “Shit is starting to his the fan, we better get our butts outta here,” to which Hunter responds: “Can’t. Haven’t found the kid yet.” Crosshair then chimes in with, what I have long-deemed to be his catch phrase: “Wrong,” and proceeds to shoot the branch that Caleb is perched on. Not Caleb, who, in Crosshair's mind, should be the rightful recipient of a kill shot… the branch. Hmmmm.

If every one of Crosshair’s shots is so masterfully aimed that its deemed an automatic hit, and thus every miss is intentional (a notion of which I also believe, less one particular shot which I’ll touch on a little later), then there would’ve had to have been a portion of Crosshair’s cognition overriding that Order-66 command to eradicate all Jedi, even if it was only enough to fleetingly switch his gun to stun.

Not long afterward, we see his beloved Firepuncher saber-whacked from his hands, and Crosshair opts to then continue his attack with his backup DC17. Missed shot, missed shot, missed shot, missed shot. Were these blown shots intentional as well? And if so, why does he continue to assail the Padawan? Is Crosshair only able to fight off the command to kill Caleb while his finger is on the trigger, possibly knowing that’s when the fight against his own mind becomes most crucial? Is he clinging to some autonomy in the moments where he’s not posing an imminent threat to those around him, like during the flight back to Kamino? Or can he only resist the chip’s influence when the urge to do something terrible is paramount?

Let’s skip ahead, shall we, to when the Batch is attempting to flee Kamino with Omega. Crosshair sashays onto the landing platform in his new gothboy armour, fresh out of an undescribed chip “augmentation” procedure (whatever that eludes to), and proceeds to have a small stand off with Hunter— both of whom have their weapons directed pointedly away from each other (interesting). During the succeeding fire fight, we see Crosshair line up several well aimed shots, many of which appear to be only inches away from landing on their “intended target”. He eventually succeeds in shooting Wrecker in the shoulder, and I’d like to point out that this shot lands almost exactly where Wrecker was hit by the training droid some hours/days previously. Was the placement of this shot intentional? Did Crosshair pick that particular target area knowing Wrecker would survive the damage?

The shot I find most intriguing is the one near-perfectly aimed at Hunter’s head (lol— brothers). You know, the one where Omega saves the day by unexpectedly blasting Crosshair’s rifle out of his hands. If the chip's activation was the reason he was now hunting them and claiming their treason, why had that moment seen him hesitate? Perhaps he needed a second to line up his shot, you might argue to which I would say argue: we’ve seen him use the active recoil from that same rifle to line up his next shot many times in quick succession with a zero margin of error (see the Skako/Anaxes arc in TCW and the first few minutes of Kaller), including when each shot was aimed at targets both more dynamic in action and further away than Hunter was.

Crosshair then takes several shots at the ramp of the Marauder as they take off, all of which are well aimed… and simultaneously redundant; the passengers are taking cover in the ship already, the Marauder has begun its take off, the ramp is closing, Crosshair running whilst knowing he can’t reach them. I personally attribute those last few shots as tokens of both anger and resentment for being left behind, not ones made with the intention of killing. I think that he expected his brothers to know him better than to believe these actions were of sound mind— he thought they’d be able to deduce that he was fighting a losing battle inside his own head, yet they were quick to believe he would actually entertain such sudden and aggressive hostilities toward them.

At this point, you might be itching to argue that maybe Crosshair's accuracy is largely diminished when he opts for a pistol instead of his rifle, and while I can't dispell this theory, I can provide some statistics. We see Crosshair use a pistol only four times in the entirety of the show so far: 1. against Caleb on Kaller (objective miss), 2. against the Batch Batch as their leaving Kamino (objective miss), 3. against a soldier while he and his new elite soldier squad infiltrate Saw's camp (direct hit), and 4. against Leiutenant Nolan when that asshole he gets on Crosshair's last nerve at the Outpost (direct hit). I will leave it up to you to decide if the theory of whether his skill level changes based on the weapon he's firing holds any merit, or is worth further discussion.

Moving on— the 99-clan is reunited on Bracca. Let’s turn our attention to the shot Crosshair takes at Tech whilst the latter was emerging from the ion engine, and I’m going to include pics this time to support my assertion.

Crosshair has an undeniably clear shot— his line of sight is not impeded, there are no environmental or atmospheric disturbances to disrupt his composure, he was ready and waiting for them to appear. The shot that he fires lands a good distance in front of Tech. Though the unexpectedness of it was enough to startle the genius into nearly falling out of the engine, I believe it was intentionally aimed this way (see below). A warning shot if you will. A “Hello, I outsmarted you and am waiting at your point of attempted escape. Stop trying, and get down here because I don’t want my new imperial cohorts to take aim for me and kill you” shot.

The next arc (Ryloth) quickly demonstrates that any neurological augmentations he’s been subject to (at this point, I believe we've been shown two, but have been led to believe there were several), have had no effect on Crosshair’s infamous sniper skills. First, he fires a perfectly aimed tracking beacon onto the moving target of Gobi’s ship. Then, upon the ship’s return, uses a single shot to disable one of the engines; a shot taken from, what appears to be, several kilometres away and having the immediate desired affect of disabling the ship. Finally, he makes the astoungingly precise shot (and I’m using astoundingly very heavily here) of blasting Senator Taa in the head. This shot, more than the previously mentioned two, are a sign of his impeccable marksmanship. Let me remind you, he was an undisclosed albeit very far distance away, on the opposite ridge of an enshadowed canyon, and is still able to shoot the senator in a place in which HE WOULD SURVIVE the attack. And not just survive, “make a full recovery” as Rampart claims afterward. This is unrivalled accuracy, and while I do not support the assassination attempt in itself, I can not deny how much skill was required to have achieved it.

My next point is something I have always personally found quite compelling, and it occurs in an off-the-cuff, likely forgotten about piece of dialogue.

Brief context: Crosshair has scooped Hunter off of Daro, they’ve landed on Kamino, and the duo (and a third soldier) are on their way to the Command Center to await the rest of the squads arrival. One of Crosshair’s elite troopers waits until he departs the platform before approaching Rampart and saying: “I question the clone’s motives with his old squad. I don’t trust any of them.” I’m intrigued to know where such a potent mistrust began. Is it simply because he’s a clone? A person born and raised unnaturally in comparison to someone with a traditional gestation and upbringing? Or has this soldier previously identified possible cracks in Crosshair’s imperial facade? Has Crosshair failed to hide his distress in quiet moments where he possibly longs for the life he had with his brothers? What is it that triggers this soldier to suspect Crosshair has an ulterior motive in capturing his old squad, and one that they’re apparently worried would not coincide with Rampart’s ideals?

Ramparts reply, in my opinion, gives us a well disguised clue: “If his plan fails, none of them will be a problem any longer.” If his plan fails. Crosshair’s plan. Crosshair has a plan for mobilizing his old family into one place, and what is it? Is he concealing the hidden objective of a reunion with his brothers under the guise of squad assassination? Was it always his plan to eliminate his new elite squad members, hence the perfectly placed mirror pucks we see him utilize in the training room, to make room for his old squad?

Remember, Hunter asks him some time later: “So this was your grand plan? Bring us here and kill us?” Crosshair answers: “If I wanted you dead, you would be.” And this is a statement which I believe to be incontrovertibly true. He has never wanted his family dead, despite having both the resources and skill to ensure they would be if that’s what he desired, but no. He’s angry that he’d inherently felt more loyalty to them than they had shown to him; frustrated that their choices post-Kaller did not align with his expectations of their choices, disheartened that they hadn't initially recognized to his choices to be ones made outside his character, and Crosshair now eagerly rebuffs their every excuse. Reference the spoken: “They don’t leave their own behind… most of the time.” . . . “You tried to kill us, we didn’t have a choice.” . . . “And I did?”

And follows the: “We’re loyal to each other, not some empire.” . . . “You weren’t loyal to me. I was one of you. You may have forgotten, but I haven’t. And it’s why I’m going to give you what you never gave me: a chance…” conversation. (Just stab me in the heart and twist the knife around, Jennifer!!!! Ouch!!! I'm still not over this!)

Was this his plan? To lure his brothers back to their home, and indirectly beg them to join the empire? To offer them the chance to join the ranks of those who have relentlessly hunted them, in the hopes that there might be some semblance of safety in conformity? To reunite the elite squad that they were in the days of the Republic (the original elite squad of which Rampart is trying to replicate with tactically inferior recruited bodies), simply for the safety that joining the empire could potentially promise? Is this the first demonstration of Crosshair using hostility to shield those he cares about from the callous clutches of the empire that he’d become painfully familiar with?

Regardless of the still-unexplained motive, Crosshair’s plan fails. Hunter has either become, or has always been, as protective of his family as Crosshair is stubborn, and he would never willingly subject his brothers (and now sister) to a life of committing abhorrent war crimes in the name of an Emperor who rose, uninhibited, to extreme and unnatural levels of power whilst abolishing the Republic of which they'd previously served. That’s not what their squad was made to do, despite Crosshair trying to convince Hunter perhaps maybe it was.

Unsurprisingly, Crosshair’s pitch falls on deaf ears, even despite killing his elite squad as an offering of trust. Once the training droids have been taken care of and the fray had subsided, Crosshair stands to find Hunter now has a blaster pointed directly at him, as does Wrecker— (Echo and Tech, curiously, keep their weapons pointed away), and the tables have quickly turned. Hunter begins his own plea to his brother, and it leads to a very ambiguous admission. Hunter: “Crosshair, forget the empire. This isn’t you, it’s your inhibitor chip.” Crosshair: “Wrong. I had my chip removed a long time ago.”

What degree of this admission is true? All of it? Parts of it? None of it? Was Crosshair only told that his chip was removed during one of the apparently many augmentations he’d been subject to? Was it removed and replaced with an alternative? Or was it truly extracted, and his questionable actions have been entirely his own? If so, was it the fall of the Republic that spooked him enough to join the ranks of an unknown empire? Did the thought of disobeying orders bother him enough to sacrifice the family dynamic he’s always known, and replace it with a safe sense of conformity? And if this is the case, was missing all of the shots he’d aimed at his brothers, a veiled display of love?

Atop the water hours later, Tipoca City has fallen. Due to their imminent death, Crosshair and his squad have been forced to work together to survive. Tech makes a lingering comment about Crosshair’s unyielding personality being outside of his control, and it’s still ringing in our ears at this point because it implies that a lot of this misunderstanding may just be because of how strongly Crosshair forms opinions, and how only one of his brothers understands that about him. Omega is mid-drowning trying to save her droid friend, Hunter is .4 seconds away from leaping into Kamino’s frigid and turbulent waters to try and retrieve her… and we see Crosshair grab his rifle. This is a shot, of any, that I would expect him to miss— water both impedes and shifts the trajectory of a projectile and mathmatically accommodating for this would take some serious, well thought out calculation; the only usable light for aiming is from the burning remnants of their home, and the container in which Crosshair is perched heaves and tips with every wave.

But he doesn’t miss. He, again, demonstrates that he can make any and every shot he wants to. He lands his shot on AZI’s chest (not dissimilar to where he shot Wrecker, on an obviously smaller scale), and pulls Omega from the depths of the water. Upon turning to see his brothers poised and ready to shoot him if they deemed the need appropriate, I think Crosshair realizes how monumental the fracturing of their squad was. They have no trust left for him. His actions, powered by an inhibitor chip or not, quickly led them to believe he was not the person they knew him to be. As much as he desperately wanted to them understand how powerful the control of the chip was, they didn’t. And I think this moment robs Crosshair of some of his anger and resentment he harboured toward them, and reaffirms that his only option now is to follow the path he was first influenced to follow, regardless of if it’s what he wants now or not. He then chooses abandonment. He chooses to be left stranded on that platform, likely aware that the potential he’d perish there was high. His separation was now his choice.

Let’s move on to Season Two! Episode 3, appropriately named “the Solitary Clone”, indirectly shows us more about Crosshair than I believe any previous episode ever has. Crosshair’s marksmanship is, once again, on full display as he takes down an old separatist tank with one shot (I’m still reeling over it, ok? That shit made me horny). And I can’t move on from this episode without also mentioning how it ended— we know Crosshair has respect for Commander Cody, that was demonstrated by his willingness to follow Cody’s command while he rebuked others’ in the Skako/Anaxes arc. I think it’s also apparent by the return of his notorious sarcasm, that Crosshair is happy to see a familiar face, one of which he may have previously deemed a friend. Cody, in return, places tidbit of trust in Crosshair (I’m also going to link this post in case anyone is curious about my thoughts on Cody’s initial comments). Not only does the commander inch toward the precarious conversation about “going rogue” and the Order-66 debacle, but Cody lets Crosshair take the lead after their shuttle crashes on Desix. “Trust me,” Crosshair begs, and Cody accedes.

They gain access to the strong hold; Crosshair, Cody and Nova (RIP) struggle only mildly with the droid forces ("Droideka's."). Crosshair demonstrates more inhuman trigonometry abilities and immaculate skill by using those mirror pucks to shoot around corners. Cody saves Crosshair’s tushy when a Commando droid gets a little too close to the sniper. Crosshair lowers his weapon at Cody’s request while they negotiate with Tawny Ames, a motion he had otherwise refused earlier in the episode (the civillians they come across behind a closed door— Cody lowers his gun and reassures them, Crosshair does not.) And when the Empire shows its true colours by demanding that Cody renege on his promise of peace and assassinate the governor, Crosshair does not hesitate to answer the call.

Now superficially, this act would appear as nothing more than a repeat of his crimes on Onderon, or Crosshair simply “following orders” as he had previously developed into a sort of mantra. But I think it’s much more layered than that. I think Crosshair recognized that Cody would be subject punishment did he not comply, a notion reinforced by his extended time at Rampart’s elbow, where it was regularly displayed that clones were of little significane and use to this new military regime. What would happen to Cody as a result of his disobedience? Would he simply be demoted from Commander? Would he be court-martialed and questioned? Detained and imprisoned? Killed? Is this why Crosshair took action into his own hands, and “did what needed to be done”? To protect Cody from the repercussions of disobeying a direct order? Or, more harrowingly and something that I am more inclined to believe, was Crosshair protecting Cody from the poignant shame and self-hatred that he knew the Commander would feel if he DID comply? Was Crosshair unwilling to let the mind of another clone be tainted by the emotionless demands of the empire, so he took the action upon himself? Was his objectively unnecessary and cruel attack, an action of deep seated respect and appreciation? Is this why Cody's comment about living with the consequences of their decisions affects Crosshair so deeply as they separate at the end of the mission?

Let’s dial back to the debated intention of Crosshair’s shots— are his missed shots deliberately missed? Our next stop on this journey is The Outpost (my personal favourite, and not because of the dreamy, sardonic, bearded Commander Mayday), but because of the overt growth that we see Crosshair attain. (Here’s an analysis I posted a while back about some of the messages I think the writers were trying to convey via symbolism throughout Crosshair's episodes to this point). If you've read it and even partially subscribe to my theory, then we can agree Crosshair’s mentality has been shifting little by little since we saw him last, and his attachment to Mayday (and the adjacent benefit that Crosshair rediscovers in companionship and brotherhood) is proof of this. So here’s what happens— raiders make it inside the perimeter of the Outpost thanks to limited man-power and degrading equipment. Crosshair heads directly to where he knows he can play to his strengths: high ground. He’s taking quick and careful aim at the retreating insurgent when the nearby shuttle explodes, and something peculiar happens. Whether it be the blinding flash of the explosion magnified significantly by his riflescope that had caused him such immediate discomfort, or something more (chip alert? Maybe? Or residual effects of having it augmented so many times?), but Crosshair’s subsequent shot is not of his regular quality. He hits his target, so I am not deeming this as a shot missed, but Crosshair has a track record of “one-shots” or “kill shots” of which this is not.

I’m inclined to ramble on for centuries about this episode because there is simply so much development, growth, and symbolism that occurs in those 28 minutes— it’s truly a masterpiece in story telling, but I’ve deviated too far from the intention of this essay (novel) so let’s trek forward.

Let’s get to Tipping Point, and what I would deem to be his only failed shot (and the implications of what it might mean). Crosshair has been sedated, interrogated, injected, neglected, confused, and abused since arriving on Tantiss. (You guessed it, I also have an analysis of this episode, structured a little differently than my previous but still helps to break down what I deem to be the motives behind his actions). Hemlock first attempts to bribe Crosshair with his freedom in exchange for information on his brothers, and as such, divulges his true need for Omega. Crosshair, who has never really had the chance to bond with her like his brothers have, refuses to provide any information. And why? Having only a surface level relationship with Omega, and having rebuffed her advances for companionship several times, why would he protect her in the face of imminent chemical torture? Because it directly protects them, and they are no longer being hunted by a squad of recruited bodies lead by an angry brother... but by a twisted and cruel doctor who's methods were proven unorthodox and tortuous upon immediate introduction.

Upon awakening from another round of interrogation, Crosshair understands the time to act is diminishing quickly, as is his ability to refuse Hemlock the information he wants. Each interrogation leaves him physically and mentally weaker; the time is act is now. He shoots and kills the pair of troopers, as well as the interrogation droid, with no difficulty. He stuns Emerie the scientist (possibly recognizing her clone accent for what it is, thus opting not to kill her?), steals her access card, and stumbles from the room. His body is no where near recovered from whatever toxin that droid injected him with, and he staggers through the unknown halls. Quickly coming across a pair of troopers guarding a doorway, the next shot is the only one that I believe he truly missed, and understandably so. It lands on the wall between their heads, and Crosshair quickly realizing his failure, shoots them with the following two rounds.

While missing that shot is largely inconsequential to the overall story, I think it’s an important anecdote for his character growth. In that moment, Crosshair is both physically weakened and mentally desperate to get a message to his brothers, and it’s the combination of those that had his aim faulty. He’s found himself nothing more than a man broken… stripped of the celebrated titles he’d once possessed and mentally mined until simply raising and aiming a blaster, a motion he’d once found more innate as breathing, was a motion difficult for him. He's forsaken his family, lost his purpose, been rendered nothing but an experiment and a tool.

So to summarize this egregiously long essay of Crosshair’s character, I’d like to reiterate that he is human. As we all do, he has faults. A lot of his reasoning is arguably flawed. He makes poor decisions, often in haste without considering the ripple effect it may have. He is extremely stubborn, and he does not communicate well. And there are things he’s done and decisions he’s made that I can not personally elucidate and would love to openly discuss with other Crosshair enthusiasts (example, trying to incinerate his brothers in an ion engine— did he assume Hunter would double back again, and this is Crosshair’s attempt at forcing them into the open? Or is this one of the moments when he cannot fight off the chips control?). You don’t have to like him. You don’t have to agree with him or anything he says. You don’t have to like me or agree with anything I say, but as we head into the third and final Act of this remarkable story, it is worth determining which of his actions are superficially misunderstood, and which have a deeper meaning that a casual viewer might simply overlook.

Thank you for attending the Ted Talk that no one asked for.

Holly ♥️

**forewent the taglist as this is not my typical content

#Crosshair character analysis #character analysis #long post #starqueensrandomthoughts #the bad batch #tbb #bad batch #tbb crosshair #Crosshair tbb #batch batch Crosshair #Crosshair bad batch #please don’t attack me lol

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bonefall · 23 days

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heyyyy bonefallll!!! So uhm. Wind released. And if you read it, what do you think of it?

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I started ASC off with a lot of excitement. I had known to not get my hopes up, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like they actually had something meaningful to say about the problems in Clan society. For once, it felt fresh.

A conflict based on a murder mystery and a power struggle, political radicalization within another Clan with anti-Clanswapper bigotry turning violent, and the reluctant heir of a legacy sprawling several generations. Like a dark echo of TPB, implying the root issues had never been truly addressed by Darkest Hour. The Clans still have a terrible ruling system. The culture is still bigoted. Firestar failed to destroy the obsession with legacy-- he just founded a new bloodline.

And even if it wasn't THAT deep, it was at least a grounded plot that was based in the characters more than faith in StarClan. If Nightheart's arc about legacy fell apart, I'd still enjoy watching him struggle, lose people, grow, and find his purpose. Or seeing Splashtail juggle the power he'd managed to snatch and was just not smart enough to hold onto. Or the cool fights that would surely result from an invasion of RiverClan.

Wind tossed it. It was already having a downturn in the previous book, but this is a book that seems so afraid of having interesting conflict that it spends 75% of its time debating if something interesting should happen, and 25% of its time barking, "EVIL HEATHENS WHO HATE GOD WILL DESTROY OUR SOCIETY!!"

I can't get over how awful Splashtail's "descent" is. He's having a dumbass atheist stoner debate with Podlight when they go to the Moonpool, musing that maybe you have to eat 9 mice to get 9 lives, and then 2 appearances later he's foaming at the mouth with a dictator speech and kills harelight no miss.

They even seem to have tried to replicate Stonefur's execution but badly. It's jarring. Splashtail had a big dictator speech, killed the beloved deputy suddenly, and the whole camp looks Super Scared and Upset so that you know it's the Evil Leader and not a systemic problem.

His "TALENT FOR MANIPULATION" is saying he heard Curlfeather murmur evil plans in her sleep and (apropos of nothing) accusing her teenage daughter of "getting the wrong idea" about his adult romantic interest in her. I keep coming back to this because the ENTIRE book's plot is based on this successfully smearing Frostpaw's reputation.

you may be tired of hearing it, but I'm definitely more tired than you because I had to read and analyze an ENTIRE BOOK founded on it.

The plot is endlessly arguing over if they can trust Frostpaw or not, gathering "evidence" to this end, while Sunbeam and Nightheart's POVs uselessly languish in ThunderClan doing mentoring stuff.

Im SO sick of being forced to sit in thunderclan while more interesting things happen offscreen. stop adding MORE cats to ThunderClan, you already have Stormcloud and you do NOTHING with him why are they also getting WAFFLEPAW

Everyone's praising the fact that the book can remember previous entries, but actually, I'm going to drop a hot take; It's actually bad if they CAN obviously reference old material, and then it doesn't influence the actions the characters take. They namedrop Nightstar several times and then come up with excuses for why they still need to sit around and do nothing!!

THAT'S WORSE, ACTUALLY.

SCALDING TAKE, I'd RATHER see the cats have the memories of goldfish if the alternative is "We remember Nightstar! We're simply going to purposefully disregard Nightstar, because the plot needs to happen"

They also muse that maybe Splashtail's evilness is making all the RiverClan cats act evil, and they'll go back to normal once he's removed. This has been implied before, but never so blatantly stated.

But most of all, I can't stop going back to "Godless Heathen Bloodlust." What a fucking joke. For a shining minute it looked like we were going to have interesting villains, but no, they really are just coming out and saying that lacking faith is an indicator of a moral failing. What makes Splashtail so uniquely bad and scary is that he "disrespects the ancestors" (hey podlight. what if eating 9 magic mice gives you 9 lives? woah dude look at this. the bugle chips look like claws. lol haha) and hates love and peace and won't even let Jesus guide him.

The scenes with Frostpaw and her allies are the only parts of this book worth reading. Shadowsight, tigerHeartstar. Clinging to Whistlepaw like she's a life preserver. save me windclan

#asc spoilers #warrior cats analysis #So uh.#my thought is that it is Bad.#I did not Enjoy it #I can FIX IT #I WILL FIX IT #I CAN MAKE THIS WORK BUT JESUS CATS.

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mock-arts · 1 year

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Coming soon, for the @cloneshippingbigbang, from Squad 15, Trillium Orchid and @mock-arts

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

Rating: explicit

Word count: 15,900

Tags: Major Character Death, Tup, Dogma, Fives, Echo, Fox, Cody, Thorn, Thire, Stone, Major Character Death, Fox Kills Palpatine, Coruscant Sucks for Corries, Clone Troopers Deserve Better, Tup Lives, Dogma Lives, Fives Lives,

Summary

Force Osik can make things difficult and decidedly strange. Sith versions of Cody, Fox, Thorn, Thire, and Stone get switched with the bodies of their alternate selves that are from a near cannon timeline… They decide to Help Things- and manage to kill the Chancellor. Meanwhile the vod’e that they switch with are trying to get back home and hop a few universes before getting switched back… after the Sith versions kill the Chancellor.

Snippet

"Oh yes- and then have the might of the Alpha's sweeping through the Guard- and having the rest of the GAR of this galaxy find out as well and deal with the fall out- if not us, then when we switch back with our alternate selves, they will." Fox says with a snort.

Fox with a wince, his ribs are tender, he should not have laughed like that continued to speak after a breath or two, "If they were badly treated before and no one outside the Guard knew, perhaps they had reasons for it, as misguided and flawed as they likely were. We do not want to kark up their lives too badly when they come back.... If they can come back."

Thorn and Stone can see his point, but also, their plan to Kill the Demagolka was almost ready- all the information, all his dirty dealings, mistreatment of vod'e- and nat-borns, with the latter being the type of sentient that the wider galaxy will likely care more about, rather than the replaceable meat-droids, that they are called.

Covering all of one’s bases before toppling a powerful Sith is important before you take them out. The power vacuum that will happen, which will cause waves, and they are still trying to find the other plans that The Sith Demagolka has in place, finding them and trying to subtly defend and destroy them.

They have gotten half of the Coruscant guard's chips out, to prove that the so-called behavioral modification chips are unnecessary. Kote had gotten his out, once he had learned of them, not wanting to have such a thing in his head for a moment longer.

Thire and Thorn had managed to accidentally (on purpose) run into their c'yare Dogma and Tup while at 79's. When the higher-ranking pair are out of their armor and in their greys and had managed to speak with them for a while. Make the start of a connection. Kote had the easiest time speaking with his, the lucky shabuir, what with ARC Captain Rex working with him regularly.

Then something odd happens, things get strange, and Tup with a Medic named Kix are sent to Coruscant- because of Tup's irrational behavior and him shooting at a Jedi - and his seeming lack of understanding what is going on and only rare moments of lucidity.

Fox has one of the Corrie Medics check on Tup- and once he is sedated remove his chip- which looks severely karked up and the source and because of his wildly out of character behavior. Thire is holding one of Tup's hands he is nearly vibrating, with rage (for Tup) and worry for his beloved.

They can have one of the countless dead vod'ika that happen due to working on a place as Dangerous as Coruscant and swap them for Tup. It works- except that Bright, angry, caring Fives is sniffing out a conspiracy.

Fox has to chase after his beloved and while his is proud of him, he's also rather annoyed at him too, all of their hard work to unravel Palpatine's plots without the other noticing, slowing gathering of evidence to present to the nat-borns and the nearly ready time to kill him and Fives nearly ruins it all by trying to kill The Chancellor and now Fox and a squad of Corries have to hunt him down.

#csbb22 #cloneshipping #star wars clone wars #commander fox #sith commander fox #big bang

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junichan · 11 months

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The Return of Flower Fruit Mountain

Part 4

Content warning: None, TW: None

Based on The Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en and the Monkey King graphic novels by Chaiko

The Monkey King’s cloud was a familiar sight arcing across the sky over the mountain. Sometimes the vapor trail left in the cloud’s slipstream caught the sunlight just right and lit up with a rainbow iridescence, like a glittering banner trailing in his wake. And sometimes Wukong made it happen on purpose just to show off. His subjects were always amazed and delighted by the display of their Great King’s prowess.

This time when the denizens of Flower Fruit Mountain looked up to watch their King fly by astride his mystical nimbus they noticed something new. Mere moments after he passed over their heads, the dormant trees and plants around them burst into bloom. Naked branches that had shed their leaves for autumn were now lush with bright new foliage. All around them the air was warm and sweet with new growth, as if spring had miraculously supplanted the grip of fall.

Thrilled by his wonderous new power the monkeys all over the mountain began to race back to Water Curtain Cave, eager to exalt their beloved Handsome Monkey King.

Wukong couldn’t help grinning, able to clearly see their figures moving through the trees and clambering over rocks even from miles above. He made sure to circle the mountain several more times, wanting every one of his subjects to take notice. By the time he was satisfied most of the forest had been made green and flourishing by the young goddess’ power.

He entered the cave to a chorus of cheers and whooping from the gathered tribe. His chest puffed with pride at the sight of so many simians gathered on the Iron Bridge and in the courtyard of the Stone Mansion, all shouting in admiration for their Great Sage. Oh, how Wukong had missed this feeling.

Once again looping an arm around Sying’s slender waist he jumped down from his cloud, landing in the space they had cleared for him in front of the mansion gate. Almost at once monkeys began chattering inquisitively about the strange female beside him. The feeling appeared to be mutual as Sying gazed around at the different simians gathered in the remarkable cave with wide, fascinated eyes.

Most of the tribe consisted of macaques and langurs, but she could see orangutans, baboons, and even tiny tarsiers among them. She even spotted the three children she’d met earlier in the forest, hopping up and down and waving wildly to get her attention. She smiled and gave them a little wave in return.

“My children!” Sun Wukong’s voice echoed through the cave and captured everyone’s attention. “Your King presents the Heavenly Princess of Eternal Spring, Sun Sying. The Princess has sworn herself to me and her service to my kingdom.”

The announcement inspired a fresh round of chatter. It wasn’t hard for the monkeys to figure out it was the Princess that had caused the astonishing change in seasons. Less obvious was why she shared their King’s surname. Did the Monkey King have a sister? Surely he wouldn’t have taken a wife without telling them, right??

“Tonight we welcome the Princess with a feast!”

That got their attention again. Most of the older primates began shrieking with joy, louder than before. Even the young ones were excited, even if they weren’t entirely sure why.

“Feast! Feast! Feast!” the crowd began chanting.

Wukong had to bang the butt of his staff on the stone at his feet to get them to calm down and even then, it was only just enough so he could be heard shouting over them, “Go, my children! Go out and gather all the food you can find! Bring meat and wine! Go! Go!!”

He sent them off with a whoop, lifting his golden staff above his head like a banner. His subjects rushed off, most of them heading out of the cave and back down the mountain to scour the newly revived forest for its bounty. Tonight they would eat, drink, and party till they passed out, just like they used to do before Wukong was imprisoned beneath the mountain.

Beside him the Princess unexpectedly sagged and fell to her knees. “Sying!” Wukong dropped down beside her, his anticipation instantly becoming apprehension. “Are you alright??”

The silver-furred female looked pale and sweat beaded her brow. “I am only a bit tired, my king,” she reassured him. Her breath came in labored pants, and Wukong realized she had been willing herself to stand until everyone left. “I have never used my power to that extent before…”

“Then why did you-??” Wukong paused, then a knowing smirk split his lips. “You were showing off, weren’t you?”

A bashful pink colored Sying’s soft cheeks and he knew he was right. Wukong let out a laugh and she blushed deeper.

“That’s alright,” he chuckled quietly. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the mansion so she could rest, “I do that sometimes too…”

Sying would soon learn the Monkey King showed off quite often.

#sun wukong #monkey king #journey to the west #jttw #jttw fanfic #Return of Flower Fruit Mountain #oc: sying

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sendmyresignation · 4 months

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Favorite Albums of 2023 ^_^

To celebrate the coming of a new year, I wanted to spend this first week looking back a bit at the things I enjoyed both old and new. So I put together a little list of albums I spent a lot of time with this year, for a bit of personal posterity, a little of getting into the groove with music writing on a very conversational but nonetheless sincere level, and also just because I enjoy, on a base level, the exchange of music. So hopefully one person will give a new album a try, or somebody will tell me their favorite thing they listened to in 2023. That's all you can ever hope for <3

Here's the albums I loved that came out in 2023 itself:

100 gecs 10,000 gecs: If I’m honest with myself- my album of the year, both in what I spent the most time with and the tracks I’d hold up the most fondly by the end of the year. the high-octane blast of creativity in these short, sweet, never dull, and always inventive bursts made listening a very joyful experience. Hollywood Baby and Dumbest Girl Alive bangers of the year though one million dollars just oooozes and chirps sounds in the most satisfying way.

Paramore This is Why: very much preaching to the choir with this one. undeniable groove through everything– the whole thing brims with contained energy- like trapping a storm cloud in a bottle and displaying it like it's no big deal and then, every once in a while, electricity arcs through the room. The only issue is it ends on a bit of a weak note, with back-to-back ballads I don’t revisit often. but it's a minor quibble, they’re both distinct enough to stand on their own and neither is insufferably long. forgivable transgression.

Kesha Gag Order: This is self-explanatory, to me. Kesha was the first artist I ever truly fell in love with and everything she makes is like watching a flower bloom over and over again as I grow and change and wither and regrow right alongside. But on top of that, the record itself is so. powerful. Not in the cheap, congratulatory “you’re so brave way” but in the energy it radiates, in the way it stands its ground over and over. the way it grasps its own story by the throat and still lets you peak into all the messy pieces sliding out over the knuckles. Happy is one of those truly great album closers, but the whole album is so solid.

Vastum Inward to Gethsemane: Absolutely crushing in just about every way, This is like, the platonic ideal of death metal for me. Dense and malevolent as fuck, but there’s still room for these nasty riffs buried deep in all the disgusting muck. That opening guitar on Priapic Chasm is the sickest 8 seconds of the year.

The Gauntlet Dark Steel and Fire: At first glance, this seems like a textbook Bathory clone. And even if it was just that it’d still be amazing, I love that sound. But there’s space! and dynamic growth! And a growling echoing personality that every other standard in this space just never attempts. Even the hints of black ‘n’ roll and thrash are expanding a series of very narrow spaces– there are these mid-tempo stadium rippers scattered throughout the album that give the whole project gravitas which loops around and gives the faster stuff more swagger and aggression. really cool record.

McKinley Dixon Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?: I checked this out because McKinley Dixon has a great featured verse on Soul Glo’s Spiritual Level of Gang Shit. To make matters worse (or better, in terms of Shit I Am Interested In), the record’s named after Toni Morrison novels. To make it even crazier Hanif Abdurraqib opens the record (he reads this really beautiful passage of Jazz that's sampled later). An album so supremely up my alley I was almost scared the pieces wouldn’t fall together– they did! It's incredible! it's short but each second is purposeful and lush in a way that speaks to measure and care. the jazz isn’t just beautiful, it's a full embracing of the album’s central conceits (not just the Morrison, but the typography of cities, the people in them and the lives they live) and Dixon just oozes poetic ingenuity. Repetition is one of the best devices in his toolkit and nowhere is that more apparent than Tyler Forever which. man.... really really good project.

Tresspasser Αποκάλυψισ: catchy-as-fuck. not what you’d expect from an album which is very explicitly about debt strikes and anarchy. usually RABM (red and anarchist black metal) leaves me a little cold, a lot of bands in this loose conglomerate aren’t musically inventive. rabm isn't just a stand-in for anti-fascist bands, the projects associated with the label are usually politically lyrically explicit (sometimes in ways that are overtly shocking or simply following a trend). which is nice! and necessary in black metal. but it doesn't automatically make it… good. trespasser have always stood out within that paradigm. clearly grounded in what actually works in black metal (the drumming across their albums is crazy kick ass in particular) and i find myself humming some of these tracks which is such a hard skill to pull off in melodic black metal without being dull or predictable.

MEURTRIERES Ronde de Nuit: very surprisingly, a lot of this list ended up including black metal, which is uncharacteristic of me. but thankfully, MEURTRIERES is much more aligned with my tastes– epic old-school heavy metal with that galloping Maiden-esque bass and fiery, straining vocals that sit so expertly in the groove and then just push and push and push against it. simple, enjoyable, energetic.

Home Is Where the whaler: At its most basic level this is like. what emo can pull off when it wants to sound incredible. The swirling layers, the inclusion of shit like horns, the abrasive but catchy screams, crashes in and out of earshot, the rhythms!!! this is a very 2023 album, thematically and that's important and immediately apparent, but it's going to last much longer just with how the sound works and works and works until you find yourself continuously coming back, listening to it out of the blue.

Thantifaxath Hive Mind Narcosis: quote-unquote dissonant metal is so hit or miss for me. dissonance is oft a cover for boring, or unoriginal material that hangs its lapels on being disorienting or impenetrable. but when the tone is just right it swallows you up. Thantifaxath got the tone right; I was listening to this a lot while reading or writing during the latter half of the year because it just becomes a part of your world in such a wonderful, subsuming way. I really love these vocals too, they’re vaguely inhuman in a way that pairs so exactly with the balance of spacey and gross earthy magic, outside the world and grounded in flesh simultaneously.

Crotaline The Hemipenes Demo: This is my friends’ band. They are cool and talented and I love first-wave black metal. They are also people whose projects I listen to in a fundamentally different way; when they pull something off it's a little bit life-changing because you know that person, you’ve seen them do human things! And then they are capable of great art. It's weird and disorienting and one of the best parts of being alive. But I do also think their demo is good without quantifiers, it's exactly what they wanted, it's got riffs that sound gnarly on tape, and it's dedicated to salamanders. like what else could you need in life?

Dawn’s Reflection Demo MMXXIII: This short little demo is a perfect burst of raw-ass lo-fi black metal. Which I usually cannot stand. but for some reason is just incredible here. I think it's the way the riffs and vocals interact– there’s these really solid, almost crust-punky guitar lines that shine perfectly in this kind of (basically non-existent) production. And then the vocals just completely rip over them in the loudest most batshit way possible, but there are always pauses that allow the instrumental to recalibrate. The synths are just a fun touch that drone in the back until they’re pulled to the fore which makes for these great, dense peaks instead of overwhelming the balance. It works! I am always hooked!

And here are some new-to-me albums I listened to for the first time in 2023:

Nuclear Death …For Our Dead: Nuclear Death is already a favorite of mine (I feel like I never stop talking about them) but I finally got around to their demos/EPs this year. this one takes the cake, easily. Topping out at under 10 minutes, this record achieves a kind of demented brutality other death metal bands would kill for in a fourth of the time. It's a miasmic stormcloud of a project that proves (as everything they recorded did) that nobody can out-sick Lori Bravo.

Moral Decay To Build an End: This is a couple of kids in the 1990s writing a thrash record. Not notable in and of itself. However, it becomes clear immediately that these technically proficient metalheads are obsessed with emo. Like oldschool dc emocore. And it is thrown into their mix of sonic influences plainly and obviously. It is one of a kind. It shouldn’t work. It probably doesn’t, unless, of course, you are me and obsessed with it. The vocals on this are punky as hell and they work surprisingly well over these speedy, late-stage neoclassical thrash riffs. It's wild. I love it; the gem of the year!

Little Teeth Child Bearing Man: you will either love this or find it insufferable. Mathy emo-y touches, but this is freaky folk through and through. Flits in and out these crazy choral vocal moments and harmonies that fall in and out of comfort-level– lots of borderline screaming (or just gives up the ghost and becomes screaming). Everything devolves but the sense of melody is always lurking out of frame and comes back around to quiet and confessional. Manages artful and cathartic with a lack of grace and a hell of a conviction.

Helen Love Love and Glitter, Hot Days and Musik: the best punk understands punk is pop music. This is why I love this record. Helen Love loooovvess The Ramones, she does. And since she loves them so much she wrote dance music in their honor and got Joey Ramone to feature on the record. Incredible.

The BellRays Black Lightning: Soul-filled garage punky rock that’s just masterfully loud, catchy, and full of unlimited swagger. Lisa Kekaula’s vocals are clearly grounded in a long, long line of rockers and soul-stirrers but what stands out is her maturity and control which allows for the slow-burners to feel huge and impressive– she’s the center, the burning star of the whole enterprise.

Chinchilla 101 Italian Hits: this album is weird and, obviously, I love weird. Situated in the already weird San Diego post-hardcore scene, Chinchilla still stand out with their epic song lengths, murky 90s alt-rock depths, and the way Sioban Dixon’s vocals shift endlessly between a distorted fry, throaty shouts, and sweet elongated falsetto. So fun to get lost in these songs.

Heaven’s Gate Livin’ in Hysteria: German power metal is always good. Heaven’s Gate is so obviously following in Helloween’s footsteps but Helloween is one of the greatest metal bands on planet earth and they execute that Keepers era sound so well they make a little magic themselves. Add onto that an album cover with a dragon smoking a pipe… it's over, it was love at first sight.

A Few Honorable Mentions (if you've made it this far):

-Corinne Bailey Ray Black Rainbows (mostly here because I got to it wayy late in the year and haven’t sat with it long enough. but this was incredible all the way through)

-Smoulder Violent Creed of Vengence (was initially disappointed by this one and then I finally got a tape player for Christmas and it just… clicked in the new format)

-Be Your Own Pet Mommy (i love, love, loved be your own pet as a teen and seeing them return to music after so long with the same blast of energy is so cool. I just think the album overstays its welcome; the EP they released with just a handful of tracks just puts it into sharper relief too)

-Melissa II (incredible it was just such a good year for black metal it didn’t quite squeeze up there for me)

and that's it for me; Happy New Year may we all find new music to fall in love with in 2024 <3

#whew this isn't even like a quarter of the top stuff i loved this year- had a blast trying to listen to more new music #can only hope to keep it up next year!!#and this was a super necessary low stakes break from all Serious music writing I'm trying to figure out rn haha.#sometimes you Need desperately to talk about things you love :)#music recs #my posts

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stephen9260 · 1 year

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So star wars has always been a mess, and it rarely sticks to it's own canon, so please give me a hand here.

From what we've seen from the chip arc in the clone wars and the various portrayals of order 66, the inhibitor chips make clones devoid of any free will and more mindless than droids. We've seen Rex manage to resist a second or two when his time came, but normally even that is impossible.

Now we know basing on this that Cody still had his chip on in revenge of the sith, because he immediately shot down Kenobi, which means that he executed the order and then the Empire was born, leaving little plausible was for his chip to have been removed without the Empire knowing. Which would make us think that he would still have it.

So I now ask you, how did he resist the order to kill the governor? How did he have enough free will to refer to his siblings by their nome as opposed to their numbers?

And for that matter, that's the same thing that happened with Wilco last week, as he questioned his order.

So there are only a few options:

I'm stupid and the chip did full mind control only for order 66 related things, it was always intended that way, and I just didn't get it

Cody got his chip out, but at this point it is more plausible that he did that with the consent of the Empire, because still having the chip would mean that he had no reason to want to do it

Disney forgot the stuff they made canon just a couple of years ago and keep rewriting stuff to their liking

I am utterly lost.

I'm watching tbb solely to be sure that my beloveds Cody and Echo are safe I was not expecting my headache about this series to be about the chips

#the bad batch #tbb season 2 #tbb #the bad batch season 2 #the bad batch spoilers #commander cody #inhibitor chips #star wars

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hydrangea-moobloom · 9 months

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hy, beloved!!! i must say i love your fics so much, you have a wonderful way of weaving world-building into your fics that's so natural and seamless <3, and i *adored* your awesamdad fic with moobloom hybrid tommy. i think it would be so interesting to see your take on dsmp during eggpire and the hotel arc, when sam was growing closer to tommy. maybe even sam growing overprotective and worried over tommy, wanting to take care of him when it feels like everyone else hasn't. of coure, there's also phil, which could lead to an interesting problem if sam was looking to adopt (coughcough custody battle coughcough)

regardless, write what you would like and im sure it will be amazing!!

Echo my beloved 🥺 You are so, so sweet I'm crying Thank you for the fun prompt <333 I ended it very quickly because I realized I would end up writing 2k words if I don't stop myself LMAO

Sam watches Tommy through Nook's eyes as he works. His eyes flicker back and forth from his comm to the thick drawing paper; lines slowly merging and growing into the first, real draft of Big Innit Hotel.

Quite an undertaking it is. A living space for anyone who needs it. Transitioning from the ashes of another failed country in the server's barren landscape; a quick stop for rest while traveling; a home, maybe, for some.

His interest was captivated as Tommy explained the concept; nervous energy pouring off him in waves, knees bouncing under the table and fingers combing and recombing through his fringe of hair, catching slightly and tugging at his scalp.

He agreed instantly. Obviously.

Sam glances back at the screen, an amusement tugging at his lips. He made Nook so small, not even coming to Tommy's hip, every time the gangly teen is focused on he appears stretched tall like a giant. The pair's exaggerated height difference makes their friendship only more wholesome. The little tanuki robot happily chirps and waddles alongside Tommy whenever not directly needed by Sam. And he has more than once "caught" Tommy giving the animatronic pats on the head with a gentleness reminiscent of his old pet cow, Henry.

It's good to see him smiling again. With no slight amount of effort, Sam has to peel his eyes away from their current quest for the day: gathering the necessary blossoms to grind into dye powder. A bold and bright red would suit the hotel nicely, Sam decided very early.

His earpiece buzzes with Tommy's idle chatter, Nook's sensitive microphones transmitting easily across the several hundred-block distance. Between that and the gentle scratch of pencil and the ruffle of sheets as Sam references his notes, his workshop has an atmosphere of homeliness that he didn't know he craved until that moment.

Sam hums, relaxed in his chair, watching over the boy he'd irrationally come to care for so much. Nothing could ruin this.

Of course, that's when he hears the sound of talons. Eerie in the otherwise silence. A click-snap and jingling. A death toll since his arrival: sliding a sword between his son's ribs with love and reverence that earned him his moniker.

Sam stands from his desk, turning off the view screen on his comm and lowering the volume in his earpiece. Just enough that he can still keep track of Tommy's rambling.

"Philza," he greets blandly, a twitch between his eyebrows at how the avian snuck into his secure base.

A hollow laugh answers. Click-jingle. Click-jingle. Click. The Angel appears in the doorway, his smile crooked. "Ah. Warden. Just the man I wanted to see."

Sam detests the sly dealings that have become the norm on this server. The manipulations and games are tiring.

"What do you want?"

"Get straight to the point, don't you?" Philza says, entering the room and pacing alongside the wall.

Circling.

"I can do the same, I suppose," he muses. "I'll make this short and sweet: stay away from Tommy."

The avian's teeth snap on the name. Like he's consuming it, and Sam tenses.

"Why?" He recognizes a touch too late his mask has slipped. A note of protectiveness coloring his tone.

Tommy has nothing. No one. He doesn't need another thing ripped away from him.

Philza's eyes narrow. "He's an avian. A fledgling. He needs someone who can truly care for him."

Sam's hands ball into fists, gunpowder sparking in his chest and scorching his veins.

"Are you insinuating I can't?"

Philza's smile is cold and brutal, wings mantled threateningly and Sam reaches for his trident, knowing this is not an argument quickly resolved.

#hy answers #hy writes #ask game #its-an-echo #beloved mutuals

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questforgalas · 1 year

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My problem is that Echo already left, Tech just got some character development and now he is gonna stay on that island. Now it's only Wrecker and Hunter to go before Omega is completely alone. I do think Hunter will bite the dust at the end and it will be super sad. So will Crosshair. He is a tragic character and will go out with a heroic deed.

Instead of the badbatch coming back together it's falling apart! :(

I totally hear you! One of the tough parts about being a clone fan in general is that between their rapid aging and limited canonical appearances in later media, we know that their time is limited, and that's always sad to accept about a beloved character!

It's definitely been tough with the Batch recently. I tend to look through an optimistic lens and as a storyteller, I see the Batch (including Echo!) fully reunited at some point. I think they've given us a very cool storyline option for Echo, Crosshair I can see doing a little retrospective reflection arc, and the rest of the crew establishing a home base for them all. Would I love to see them all reunite sooner rather than later? 100000%. Would it be an impactful storyline to have that be a final act? Also yes. Either way, give me 15 seasons, I'll gobble it all up

No matter what, if we see one of them die and you need virtual blanket snuggles and comfort snacks, I'll be here!

#tay answers asks #star wars #the bad batch #tbb #the bad batch spoilers #tbb spoilers

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hellhound5925 · 11 months

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Cyare Verd *Beloved Warrior*

Chapter Nineteen

As we start down the tunnel, that bad feeling I had before comes creeping back. I draw both of my blasters. "Everything alright Commander?" Asks Echo. This causes Rex to glance over at me, as I'm slightly behind him. "I'm not sure yet....I've got a bad feeling about this though" I say. "Let's keep moving and stay alert" Rex commands. "Yes sir" Echo says and we continue.

Thankfully I can see the end of the tunnel and there doesn't appear to be any disposal droids. "Pare (Wait one), does it seem weird to anyone that there wasn't a single disposal droid?" Asks Fives. "No you're right something seems off" I agree with him. "Maybe they took a day off" Hardcase jokes. "I doubt we are that lucky" says Dogma. Rex and I look around. I use my scanner to see if I can pick up any movement....nothing.

"Either way we still have to get rid of this base. Let's keep moving" I command and Rex nods in agreement. "Alright here's where we part ways. Keep your comms open....I don't like the look of things" Rex says. "Copy that", "Sir yes sir", "yes sir" the squad says.

I holster my blasters and my group steps off to the side to let Rex and his group go first. As Rex goes to move away and something in me causes me to involuntarily grab his arm. "K'oyacyi (stay alive/stay safe)" I say staring him down through my visor, hoping he gets how deeply I mean that. "You can't get rid of me that easily" he says before heading out. I let my arm fall back down to my side.

I turn to my group "Alright boys" I say pulling up the holomap again. "Between each of us we've got 8 thermal detonators that need to be placed. I really think we should try to stick together as much as possible. However, in the event we need to split up.....Hardcase you're with me. Echo and Kix you're together. Understood?" "Sir, yes sir" they say in unison. "Good, now let's get to the first plant site".

We head down the long hall ways and pass through a few sets of blast doors. I hear the clicking of B1 battle droids as they move through the hall a head. I swap hands with my blaster and hold up my hand to give the ‘hold up’ gesture. The three stop behind me “what is it?” Asks Kix. Echo crosses the hall and peeks around the corner “clankers. I’ve got 4 of ‘em” he says. “Lets take them out…quietly” I holster both my blaster and eject my vibro blade from my vambrace to make sure it’s working. “We can wait until they pass by us, then sneak up behind them” suggests Echo. “Sounds good, give us the signal” I say, letting him take charge. He is an ARC Trooper after all and one day could be a Captain. The doids pass and Echo gives us a nod. Together we sneak up on the droids. I grab mine by the shoulder pulling it back into my blade, cutting through its power core. I drag it off to the side while the others do the same. “There should be a storage room just up a head we can stash them in” Says Hardcase. “Good work” I praise him.

After stashing the droids we head make it to our first site. I nod at Hardcase who plants the first thermal det while the rest of us watch his back. “Done” he says after a minute. “Alright in about 30 meters is the next one, We’ve gotta get these right on target if we want this place to come down” I tell them. “Lets move”. After we plant the second thermal det I comm Rex. “Captain Rex, this is Commander Skirata, din’kartay (sitrep)”, “Commander Skirata this is Captain Rex. We are still searching. How are things on your end?”, “Good, first and second charges are set. Moving on to the next”, “Glad to hear. Keep me updated”, “Copy that. You as well”.

Planting the rest of the diets goes pretty well, other than the occasional droid that had to be taken out. Rex and his group had found the command center but were having a difficult time shutting it down. We decided to meet up with them. “Rex it’s me, we are on our way to you”, “Uh good thing because it looks like we’ve got company”, “Osik (shit), How’d they know we were here?!” I practically yell into my comm. “Not sure but we’ve gotta hurry”. We race through the halls and when we turn the corner to where the command center is we are met with a squad of commando droids. “Haar’chak! (Damn it!)” Hardcase says under his breath. “We need to lead them away from the command center” I say coming up with a plan. “What do you have in mind?” Asks Echo. Before anyone can say anything else I jump out from the hall we took cover in. “Hey you! Stupid chakaar come get me!!” I yell causing them to turn and give chase. “What is she doing!?” Must be Rex can see what’s happening through the window. I race through the halls with blaster fire wizzing just past me. “I’m fine! Beskar will hold up. Just finish the job and lets go” I say between breaths. I drawn my blasters and turn to shoot at the droids. “Osik…this isn’t even slowing them down” I say to myself. “Echo, can yo track my movement through the base and find a way to cut them off? It’s going to take a few shots to get through their armor”. I can hear them growing closer - these chakaar are fast! “Copy that, stand by” I hear Echo.

Before I know it, something has grabbed me by the leg and I’m falling face first to the ground. I kick at the droid with my free leg and it lets go long enough for me to roll over and activate my flame thrower. The droid didn’t even seem to be phased at first but it must have melted something important because suddenly it stopped moving and fell to the floor. Another droid was on top of me in a moment. “Guys….I could really use some help here!” I yell into my comms. I’m able to free an arm and grab the droid by the neck which perfectly lines up my vibro blade. I eject it and the head comes off, causing the droid to shut down. One of the droids grabs me by both arms, halls me up from the floor. While the other has a blaster in my face. “Pare, Pare! (Wait, wait) Can’t we talk about this?” I ask jokingly. The droids look at one another. The one with the blaster looks back down at me and cocks it’s head. “What is there to talk about?” The mechanical voice says. I see shadows moving behind the droid “Get down if you can” I hear a whisper in my comms. “We could talk about your surrender” I say before kicking the blaster out of the hands of the droid, throwing the one holding me off balance. I take the droid to the ground with me and there’s familiar blue blaster bolts fling over head. Both droids are now on top of me but disabled. “Commander come in….Commander!” I hear yelling in my comms. I manage to get one hand between the droids and give them a thumbs up “Yeah I’m good”. I slide out from under both droids and stand up. Kix runs over and gives me a once over. “Vor’e (thanks) you saved my sheb (ass)” I laugh.

Anakin’s voice comes through my comm “Raven, Rex, come in…We’ve got a problem” he sounds worried. “Raven here what’s going on?” I ask. “The droids are heading back your way. Whatever you are going to do you might want to do it now”, “We are still trying to shut down the droids! Echo get in here and help us.” Rex commands. “Yes, sir. On our way” Echo replies. We rush down the hall and Rex lets us in the command center. “General Skywalker, How much time do you think we’ve got?” Rex asks. “Uhh not long. 5 minutes?” Comes his reply.

Echo is trying to get past their security but I can tell by his breathing he’s getting frustrated. “Alright forget this, we need to get out of here…. If the droids get close enough, they should go up with the rest of the base” I tell Rex. “That’s playing it a little close” he says and I shrug “I’m not seeing many other options here. I won’t wait for us all to die”. “General Skywalker, new plan. We are going to let the droids in and blow the place” Rex explains. “Do whatever you have to just get everyone out” he says back. “Copy that sir” Rex then turns to the squad “Alright you hear me, we pack up and move out. We will have to hope the explosion takes them out”. “Sir, yes sir” we all say in unison. “Raven you take the squad and head for the tunnels, I’ll make sure everyone gets out” Rex says to me. I nod and motion for the men to follow.

Just as we get to the end of the tunnel there’s a battalion of dorids waiting for us “hands up, drop your blasters”. “Uh, Rex. We’ve got trouble out here”, “Right behind you, hang on” he says. There’s too many to take on ourselves. The last few members of our squad including Rex come out of the tunnel. “Echo blow it” Rex commands. “Sir?”, “You hear me. Blow it”, “but we are too close”. I see where Rex is going with this “Echo blow it now! We can’t take all them out ourselves”. “Copy that-“, he is barely able to finish his sentence before there’s a series of explosions. The blast from the tunnel, throws us. That last thing I remember is the ringing in my ears before everything went

Masterlist

#clone captain rex #star wars clone wars #star wars the clone wars #the clones #may the 4th be with you #may the force be with you #rex star wars #rex x reader #captain rex x you #rex x you

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dbphantom · 2 years

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I've been rereading some of my Bl3 h2o au and actually I missed it sm lol bbbbbbbbbbb info dump incoming

It's wild bc some parts come across as awkward to me now after about 2-3 years... To me this fic is very recent so to think I've improved enough to recognize flaws in such a short amount of time... Wha!!

Also Junpai-7 arc my beloved. That's all. I love this arc. Twin sun planet that hates the moon and has sun festivals with Digby Vermouth to celebrate longer days. Custom made RGB Guardian OC that designed mermaids and furthers 'Eridian experimentation' lore and she eventually teams up with the Crimson Raiders after talking to Tannis. The fact that I accidentally called Guardian possession as a lore mechanic because I wanted a way to fit being moonstruck into my silly au. There are pirates and vampires and double-crossing mermen and an Eridian Compass that points the owner to an underwater Vault that becomes a huge whirlpool with a giant sea monster inside. This arc is SO self-indulgent and I love it so much.

Also when ur reading the Pandora 'main story' stuff u can see where I decided the Crimson Raiders' new base on Pandora was going to be Roland's Rest while they build Sanc-III during the main story because it abruptly cuts back to it in the middle of an arc LOL (and also where I decided there was a Pandoran moon pool in the Salt Flats instead of a lineage factor to this one... Because moon pools... I wanted to fit one into the main story to have a basis for the 'revisiting junpai-7 with the Crimson Raiders' arc OK shhh)

And I forgot I killed off Emma and Nino and actually my heart broke when they died bc I was like 'Awww I missed the Black Ops Squad' AND THEN THEY WERE DEAD hhggghhh but This arc also has all the Obsidian Block lore with all the characters being named after H2O villains (Greg, Sophie, Dr. Denman, Will...) and ALSO explains some Eridian lore and I think is also the first time I refer to moonstone from tps as its 'scientific' name which is Cythium-3 :) AND this is where Barnabas betrays Zane after joining the Black Ops Squad and starts their whole thing. Very back-and-forth with the vibes overall... Also lowkey can't wait to see what the actual lore explanation is for the triangle jackets because I will be permanently ignoring that in favor of my Black Ops Squad designs thank you (the jackets were bc they were all part of the Dahl Black Ops outfit on Pandora (referencing that ECHO Captain has about Zane) before they were abandoned, but they were nice af jackets so they kept them and replaced the Dahl logo with the triangle design)

Also also there are SO MANY references to stuff that isn't just H2O... In the junpai-7 arc the Rogues (Clay and the gang) are in the process of smuggling the Eridian Compass to a place called Mariejois when Zane shows up to steal it for the pirate queen Cutlord Karuu bc I love One Piece and it's Pirates okay. Also Zane drinks and enjoys Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, in which he compares the headache after getting moon-driver-struck to getting his brain smashed in with a brick without the lemon.

Also oh my god Zoomer is baby I'm so sorry I forgot about you 🥺 he's so small and beeps so much... He's just doing his best... Yeah he will shoot you but he's trying his best okay don't judge him... Blane (stands for Blue Zane) on the other hand is a total dick and messes with Zane at every opportunity and I think that's beautiful. He's only like that because tediore accidentally switched out the personality cores for the clone so he's the exact opposite of Zane

#I forgot I worked future opportunity into the story too... With all the hyperion workers trying to survive and maintain their structure #I just missed this au a lot #Basically fixes every complaint I have with the main game #(Troy becoming the main villain after Tyreen dies. The full story taking place solely on Pandora with other planets being dlc stuff.#Getting to explore future versions of BL1 and 2 areas. Working in the consequences of the bl2 story into 3 (the twins using old Dahl and #Hyperion outposts to house the cult and do eridium mining). Old Vault Hunters actually being with the Raiders and around and important.#There's tons more but tag typing is ehhh. Let's just say Bl3 h2o au my beloved)#H2O au #Cruddy rambles #I FORGOT TO MENTION #Maya not permanently dying for no reason #Ava getting the Leech powers #Bc like. Otherwise she has basically a nonexistent arc... She complains and then gets what she wants in the end... Boo!#And the Vault of the Architects actually existing and having monsters that Troy absorbs to get his boss fight powers

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denimbex1986 · 3 months

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'Adam, a lonely screenwriter living in an apartment building in London, comes across another inhabitant Harry who knocks at his door one night asking for company which Adam denies. Adam then revisits his old family home only to discover that his dead parents are still living there as if their accident never happened (some describe it as ‘supernatural’). With a glimmer of sun in his seemingly dull life, Adam reintroduces himself to Harry and they begin a relationship. All of Us Strangers addresses grief sincerely, without any disguises. Exchanges unmask entrenched heartache, unhealed wounds, unexpected sobbing, and moments of joy are tainted with underlying sorrow. This courageous directness is relatable on an almost unshakable level, the human need to combat grief.

The delivery of the riveting emotional distress is almost frank due to the simplicity of this ‘quartet’ of innate actors. That is to say, it is rather intentionally nuanced. As the relationships and character arcs are established, profound human emotions (loneliness, empathy, desperation, and grief) grip you. It’s a delicate exploration of emotional transparency and an ever-elusive search for belonging.

Andrew Scott delivers an astounding performance as Adam. Adam’s portrayal is glum and repressed with a guard built high, but it all crumbles in its own ‘right’ time. The character is skillfully layered yearning for companionship yet facing difficulty establishing meaningful connections. Paul Mescal’s Harry is contrastingly open and candid. The first encounter of the two rightfully sets the premise. Adam oscillates between being guarded with Harry to empathizing with him to recognizing himself in Harry. The tension between them is uncanny, in a way that feels organic, lingering with vulnerability. Their love-making is pragmatically produced- unpretentious and awkward.

All of Us Strangers masterfully weaves loneliness into its fabric. Adam’s emotional state is echoed throughout, his apartment building with mere two residents and the isolation of his family home. “And they seal the windows shut so we can’t jump to our deaths”. Even moments of connection carry a bittersweet reminder of the temporary nature of human bonds. This quest of Adam will indubitably reverberate with everyone who has grappled with feeling unseen or unheard. The film also touches base on the perennial alienation ‘queer’ people are subjected to. Adam admits his childhood seclusion to his dad. His mother is concerned, “they say it’s a very lonely kind of life.” Adam refutes to reassure her, however, he is in fact lonely.

The central theme, one might argue, is Adam’s confrontation with the anguish of losing his parents. As someone who’s struggled with the loss of a loved one, I can attest that the journey is hardly singular and comes with its own set of meandering and often loopy tracks. People often find solace in the notion that ‘time heals’, but does it? “It was a long time ago. I don’t think that matters.” The film compellingly captures the bare emotions surrounding death, loss, and grief. “I had always been lonely, even before. It was a new feeling, like terror, that I’ll always be lonely.” What most labeled as ‘supernatural’, manifests as a personal desire to reunite with my beloved dog, to tell her how I strive to live fearlessly and love unconditionally like her, and how I’ll continue to live vicariously for her.'

#Andrew Scott #Paul Mescal #All of Us Strangers

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o-mellowy · 3 years

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"I can't believe we're helping a separatist!"

"So you've said. Repeatedly."

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thimbil · 3 years

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Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

#star wars #the bad batch #unwhitewashtbb #wrecker #crosshair #tech #hunter #echo

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palaceofpassion · 3 years

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When the Cows Come Home.

Patreon Reward! I suppose I should start adding more non ask stuff cause ya know, everything died!

BRRRR-`

SLAM

Jaune’s hand hit the alarm clock before it even had the chance to really get going, his eyes snapping open and his body jumping straight off the bed. “Good morning!” He rose with a mighty shout, causing the empty home around him to tremble with his mighty yell. A smile slapped across his face as he scurried forward, his body and mind ready for the day to come. A quick dash to the shower, half an hour later, and he was ready to go and hit the day with all his might.

“Ah! Nothing quite like a hot shower in the morning to get ready.” And, as he headed downstairs, his mind ignoring the empty echo of his footsteps. “Time to get started.” Dressed head to toe in denim, boots tightly bound to his feet, and a large hat to block out the sun's rays he knew that today was going to be a good day.

And like every day, this was how Jaune Arc started his mornings, before the sun began to rise he was out and about. Now one may wonder, what was the young Arc doing up so early in the day? Well the answer was simple, he had a responsibility, and he would be darned if he didn’t follow through with it. Even if he was the last remaining Arc holding down the fort he would continue what his ancestors started.

With one quick turn back to his home he allowed himself a small frown, he’d be lying to say he didn’t MISS his family… oh wait no! It wasn't like they were dead or anything. They’d all just wanted something else in their lives, and well his parents wanted to retire and his sisters just moved on. But, as he made his way towards the barn… he realized he’d never be able to leave this place. After all, if he did leave, who would take care of the girls? THUD The doors swung open as he took a step into the lovely stable. “G’morning girls.” And he smiled, brightly as he was met with the pleasant and waiting smiles of three gorgeous heifers.

“Morning Jaune!”

May was just… he shuddered as he eyed the gorgeously tanned heifer, her massive watermelon sized breasts swayed back and forth as she excitedly beckoned him. She’d been so shy when he’d gotten her, and well look at her now! He couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Good Morning.”

Ciel was something else indeed, massive swells jiggled freely as she tried to hide her enthusiasm for the coming activities. Even if her breasts were smaller than May, she made up with the most… delectable ass in existence.

TAP TAP TAP

“Neo! Watch your language!”

The last of his girls, a short heifer, bound with a large chest, wide hips, and large ass. Neo had lost the ability to speak long before he’d picked her up and saved her from a life as breeding stock. While she’d softened, she HAD QUITE the mouth on her.

“Alright then…” He shook his head as the shorter girl waved him off, her eyes flashing dangerously as she gave a quick snap at her cow printed bikini. A smile showed that she was ready and waiting for them to get started, though from the very scent wafting off of the three, he could tell they were all ready. And… as he remembered what his sisters had told him long ago, a well bred cow is a well milked cow.

So- “Alright, Neo, you’re up first.”

TAP TAP!

He chuckled to himself as he unhooked her fenced zone letting the tiny troublemaker out. She quickly made her way over to the large pumping machine, something that had cost him a PRETTY penny. But it had made his life so much easier, after all just like his sisters had said again! Or at least what Saph had said, “Remember, breeding your heifers while they’re being milked is the best way to get the highest quality milk.”

If he was being honest, he didn’t believe her but… as Neo got herself ready, propping herself onto the specially cow shaped bed, letting her feet rest at the tail ends and splitting her legs apart. He just couldn’t resist, now could he? Especially not as his eyes followed the shimmering trail running down her inner thighs, leading to her moist core, the g string of her bikini wedged solidly between her plump vulvas.

“Well then…”

He hastily prepared the pumping machine, and watched as the suction began to work its magic. Her thick round nipples began to tense inside and her face contorted into slight pleasure. “Time to get started.” Thump. His pants hit the ground as he positioned himself between her thighs, and as his hands touched down upon her legs he could feel her practically vibrate in anticipation.

He of course was a gentleman, and knew not to keep a lady waiting. So without further adieu he pressed the meaty head of his cock against her already slippery slit and slid it straight through. Her body tensed for a moment as he pushed against her cervix, a bulge forming against her belly as he found himself grinding into her uterus pushing her organs up just a tad bit.

Her smaller body had always made it easy for him to see his handy work, and as he began to shift his hips, pulling back as the bulge inside of her started to slip away, he found himself simply enticed to do it again.

Hands firmly grasped onto her once more, his fingers digging into her boney hips as he suddenly slammed back. Her back arched and her toes curled as he let himself thud inside of her once more.

He could see her hands grasp at her hair as she tried to scream out in pleasure. A smirk crossed his face as he pulled back once more and then let loose another powerful smack. Fleshy bits meet, and their bodies collide. SMACK SMACK SMACK

His body began to move on its own as her lithe form tightened around him. Her moist cavity grasped upon his cock, each ridgey lump squeezed upon his veiny weighty cock. And everytime he tried to pull out she would only tighten more, her pussy tugging along with his member as she did so.

Their bodies continued to meet in pleasure until the pumping finally came to an end. And, as a reward for her good deeds he let loose a torrent of white inside of her. Her back arching once more and her nails grasping onto the side of the bed. Her eyes rolled back as she lost herself to a powerful orgasm, allowing her body to fall into a nice little rest as he did so.

For what it was worth, “You lasted longer than usual.” Jaune took note of the time, a clock installed onto the wall above, an hour had passed. “Okay, good thing I got stamina.”

Pulling his cock out of her with a POP, what followed was a flooding rush of thick white goo spreading onto the soil beneath them.

Not even wasting time, Ciel came up. Despite being the most ‘mature’ of the trio, she was always excited, internally, for a good ol fashion milking fuck.

“Excuse me, I do believe it is my turn.”

Jaune smiled, she pretended to be calm on the outside, but he could see the way her hips swayed, her big juicy ass wobbling back and forth as she did so. “Of course.”

He quickly pulled Neo off the machine, resting her to the side on a nice stack of hay.

“Well then… get on.”

Ciel shook her head, “I would rather…” She turned back to the machine and made her way over. Finding a medium height branch off the bedding she bent over. “This will suffice.”

Once more Jaune simply rolled his eyes, but as her big bare ass swayed back and forth, the sun's light glistening off the juicy posterior, he couldn’t resist. Wrapping around he set her up, this time a soft moan escaped her lips. “OooOh~”

Jaune smiled, the normally stern girl becoming soft as dough under his touch. “Good girl.” His hand was already in motion before his mind even formulated his next plan. SMACK The base of his palm met her massive mounds of soft flesh. Ciel shivered, her body bucking at the point of impact, her plump posterior rippling outwards.

“Ahng~” Her voice echoed as she felt the pressure of his cock squeeze against her soft sex. A terrible tremble tremored through her form as he pushed inside of her. Her teeth bit down upon her lip as she squeezed her eyes shut. His thick cock punching in and out of her tightly wound body always did THINGS to her.

The orderly woman began to melt, her form finally relaxing as she fell to the rhythmic thrusts of her beloved master. SMACK SMACk SMACK.

Their bodies pressed together, his hands tightly squeezing upon her soft and supple flesh. His hips smacked and rolled against her bottom, cock twitching and plucking at her precious core.

Ciel, for all her bluster, gave in rather quickly. Her body seizing as small shakes began to spread from her womb. Her body shivered and jolted, her muscles tightened and her mind ran blank as he began to fill her with his own precious milk. Her womb began to fill, thick globs of seed poured inside of her ballooning her belly with miraculous speed.

And just like with Neo, Jaune pulled out, allowing the girl to fall silently into the bedding.

“Phew~ That’s a good girl.” His fingers ran through her rump, squeezing and sinking into the soft fleshy folds. “Now then.”

Before he even had the chance to fully turn around he was suddenly tackled to the ground. Straddle upon him now sat the sex crazed May. Her gaze consumed with lust, her pupils having completely shifted into shaking hearts. “Well now.”

He wasn’t surprised of course, well not anymore at least. “Me! Me! Me!”

May couldn’t help herself, the Barn was practically radiating with thick sexual pheromones and she had waited SO VERY LONG!

“Milk me! FUCK ME!”

Jaune smiled, though that smile turned into a contorted screw of pleasure as she propped herself up and down on his cock, taking full control of the situation. The massively busty cowgirl couldn’t wait any longer, her body already on automatic as she began to bounce herself up and down his massive shaft.

And in it went, slicked with thick layers of cum and love juices he was able to slide right inside of her without a problem. His member pushed all the way down her depths punching right against her cervix and pushing her inner wall up and against the other side of her uterus.

So she screamed with all her might, “YES YES YES!” She wanted more, her body already acting on its own as she bounced herself up and down, the sound of her wide ass smacking against his hips, the pendulum swing of his big full balls bouncing up to smack her bottom echoing from around them.

She didn’t even care about being milked at this point, her massive tits swayed and flopped up and down as she unrelentingly pushed herself further down upon him. She loved the way he made her feel, his cock stretching her insides, rupturing against her inner membranes and slamming against her needy cavern.

The more she pushed off of him, the harder her breasts flung. Thick droplets of pure white began to seep from her nipples, with every thud against her chest she began to leak more and more of her precious white nectar.

Jaune wasn’t about to let it go to waste however, thinking quickly he reached out, spearing his hands upwards and folding them into her soft and squishy sacks of fat. His digits dug into her flesh, squeezing and massaging at the fatty milk jugs. Pulling his strength he lunged forward, knocking May onto her back as he started to thrust. “YEEESSSSH!” She squealed in joy as he bit down upon her plump nubs, his lips tugging and suckling upon the delicious teets.

He was going to lose a bit of profit today, but getting the chance to drink right from the source was ALWAYS a pleasure.

His body reacting to the new found flavors began to plunge further into his orgasm. Heifer milk had a ‘special’ effect to it, it heightened sexual appetite, increased sex drive, and of course. “YES CUM INSIDE ME!”

It helped stimulate sexual orgasms!

And so he did, his cock twitching, pulsing, and finally convulsing inside of her released an unrelenting torrent of semen. His thick cum began to flush forward, as her hungry ovaries did their best to consume the newly invading substance in hopes of making room for more.

And as he pinned her to the ground, her body unable to push back even if she wanted to, he found himself surrounded by his other precious girls. A smile crossed his face as he released May’s soaping tit, a rancher’s job was never done.

#may zedong #jaune arc #ciel soleil #neo rwby

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asterian · 4 years

Text

There for you (Captain Rex x reader)

Request: hi! may i request something with rex where you come find him and let him cry in your chest and hold him after fives death? just overall comfort him and console him so he doesn't have to be alone? ☺️

Words: 1,1 k

A/n: Hello there, thanks for reading my trash I hope you like it 😘❤️

When the General Skywalker asked for your helped you knew something was wrong. At first you thought it was something he couldn't repair or he just wanted a second opinion from a gunship expert. But as soon as you walked into the empty command room you realized something was definitely wrong.

Your mind began to consider the possibility that something might have happened to Rex when you didn't see him beside Skywalker.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" you said in formal way trying your best to stay calm, he didn't answer only stayed there thinking, searching for a way to tell you what happened but the Jedi who always had something eloquent to say now seemed to be out of words."General… what is it?" you asked nervous wishing your suspicions weren't right.

"(Y/n)" the way he said your name and avoided looking at you confirmed your fear "it's Rex"

For a brief moment you thought the worst.

"He's fine" assured the Jedi sensing your worry. You let out a relieved sigh. Skywalker knew, he knew about you and the Captain and agreed to keep it a secret from the order that's why he called you here. "He's just… we lost Fives, and I don't think he's taking too well, I thought you could talk to him"

"I'll go check on him, thank you general" you nodded and started to walk out.

As soon as you left the room you were rushing through the base, knowing Rex would be suffering and thinking about everything that happened and you didn't want him to face it alone.

The Captain was surprisingly calm sitting on the edge his bed, eyes focused on the datapad between his hands that showed and holopic of him, Cody, Echo and Fives with their new ARC trooper armor. He passed his fingers through the screen over Fives figure, another tally mark to his armor, another fallen brother.

He had lost many brothers in the war and yet always hurt whenever some of them died. But Fives was different, all before him had died in the name of the war they were breed for, but Fives sacrificed himself for something more important, family, he gave his life trying to save all of his brothers, a true hero who was judged and killed like a traitor.

A knock on the door distracted Rex from his thoughts.

"Go away trooper" he shout loud enough so whoever was behind the door could hear, Rex didn't want to see anyone right now, he wasn't ready to see his brothers, not yet. However the knock sounded again making the captain let out an irritated sigh as he got up walking to the door ready to give a piece of his mind to whoever was bothering him in a moment like this just to find you standing outside the door with a worried look in your eyes.

"(Y/n)" he said a bit surprised "wha- what are you doing here?" he questioned while you stepped inside the room.

"I heard what happened" you explained turning around to see him standing quietly in the middle of the room with his gaze focused on the floor "I'm sorry... do you want to talk about it?"

The Captain shook his head in response, you stepped closer to him just wanting to help and comfort him but when your hand reached his cheek he turned away from you and walked to the bed. He was going through a lot. You watched him sat on the bed head between his hands and with his elbows resting on his legs,more than sad he looked angry, you had never seen him like this and it hurted you seeing your beloved Captain this way.

"Hey, it's okay, you know you can tell me anything"

"I'm really not feeling like to do it right now, (y/n)"

"I just want to help,but I can't do it if you refuse to talk to me, Rex, please listen..."

"Listen? Like they listened to Fives? They didn't even give him a chance to explain, (y/n)! He was trying to protect us, all of us! And they shoot him like he was nothing but a clanker!" stormed Rex making you jump back, the clone closed his eyes for a second trying to calm himself of the sudden range, and then spoke again almost whispering "I couldn't do anything… I couldn't..."

You noticed a single tear rolling down his cheek. Carefully you walked towards the man, positioning yourself between his legs you took his head on your hands and tilted it a little until his golden eyes met yours. They were full of sorrow, regret and guilt.

"Nobody believed him" he murmured "not even the General, they just shoot him down" he stopped for a moment clearly struggling to get his painful memories in words. "I couldn't do anything to stop them from killing him than stand there and watch my brother die."

His eyes traveled to the floor trying to avoid you to notice the burning tears pooling in his eyes.

"It was not your fault, Rex " you said hoping it would ease the pain and the blame he was feeling. “It was not your fault” you placed a tender kiss on his head before you brought him closer to your chest.

Then and only then, in the safety of your arms, the Captain let go everything that he had been keeping on his heart. His features softened and a river of tears started to flow through his eyes, you felt his arms around your waist putting you closer to him until you were flushed against each other, holding you so tightly like he was afraid of losing you too.

His head resting on your chest while he cried so desperately, you ran your hands through his scalp, caressing it slowly and leaving light kisses here and there as if you were saying "it's okay, I'm here" And Rex knew it.

He kept crying for a time, suffering for his fallen brother, softly sobbing from time to time and you were holding him all the time. Tired after all the crying you found yourself cuddling with the Captain, watching him peacefully sleeping in your arms feeling safe. After everything he went through he felt glad to have you, to know there always be someone he could come back to, someone who loved him and be right there with him.

#captain rex #clone wars #asterian #star wars imagine #captain rex x reader #captain rex x y/n #captain rex x you #ct 7567 #arc trooper fives #the clone wars #star wars #angst #gender neutral reader

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