#Forgive me I’m bad at tech

[lucy-stoolz]

[zeb-z]

but can we talk about plan 99. the audio. how quiet the music is, and how loud Tech is over it. his quiet resolution as he does what he does best, making hard decisions for the safety of his siblings. the way you can hear the gun move, cock, and your stomach drops before he even fires. it’s quiet, somehow both still in time and dragging out, everyone frozen, until the car and him drops and the music swells, and Wrecker and Omega start to scream, far too late to save him. the sky car snapping back up onto the track and moving fast, too fast, the music loud and scene chaotic and confusing.

can we talk about how emphasized his shot is, loud and final? and can we talk about how Tech fell and took the clarity with him?

[spacedilflvr]

watching star wars with someone who has never seen it in chronological order is honestly so good for the soul. watching them react in the same way you did.

[rotthepoet]

In love with your writing, specially bsf!theo. I’m in such an angst mood. Everyone knows we’re in love with Theo and he’s in love with us besides the two of us. Longing with fwb to lovers? Maybe some more smut if you’re feeling spicy?

IN LOVE WITH YOU, POOKIE!!! If theres one thing I know how to do its YEARN and LONG so lets hope that translates into writing 🙏 it’s been a hot minute since I wrote an actual fic, and i took a few liberties with your rq, so please let me know how you feel about it!

Notes: i typically write for a gn!reader, but I really hope everyone can forgive me for writing in a FEM perspective today. It just makes writing smut a tad bit easier on me(an afab person)

Content warnings: As always, Hogwarts University AU, Characters are all 18+, Draco Malfoy calls Nott a fat ass(degrading eating habits, commenting on working out), Theo’s mom is dead, mutual pining but being too stupid to figure it out, crying during sex but not in a hot way(no safe word used/tech needed), angstyish to comfort, use of drugs(weed), SMUT, oral(fem receiving), kinda proofread? Please let me know if I miss anything major.

Things only got more intense as the… situation went on. Hooking up had become significantly more common, almost a daily occurrence. You found your mind drifting to Theodore more often than not, thinking about how disheveled his hair looked in the morning, or how the first words he mumbled when he saw you today were “Hello, beautiful”.

Your thoughts never strayed too far from Theodore, and to be honest, it felt like he never strayed too far from you.

In the most recent months, it felt like you two had become inseparable. That’s not to say it was a bad thing at all, oh no in fact, it made you quite happy to know he was around. He was your friend after all. The sex-thing, as you opted to call it, was just a benefit you both indulged in time to time.

Of course, neither of you dared to openly admit your scandalous behavior together. It wasn’t anyone’s business, even as Theodore had started seeing less women and spending less nights out partying. It wasn’t anyone’s business when Theo wrapped an arm around your shoulder while walking around Hogsmeade, or when he smiled at you when you weren’t looking. It wasn’t anyone’s business whenever Theo stopped sleeping around completely, and it certainly wasn’t their business when he beat the shit out of one of the Weasley twins for accidentally catching you in the crossfire of a loose prank.

It wasn’t anyone’s business besides the two of yours, and for the most part people had began to ignore it, except for a select group of close friends.

A day didn’t go by where you weren’t pestered by one of Theodore’s friends. They collectively figured that you were more likely to break under pressure than Theo was. It was ruthless.

Draco Malfoy stands at the front of your desk, glaring down at you. “You know you’re just another one of his phases. He does this. Falls helplessly in love with a girl, dedicates his entire time to her, only to remember he isn’t built for that life. It’s about time you save yourself the trouble. I’m only trying to help.”

Not everyone was as terrible as Draco, thankfully.

Mattheo Riddle would approach you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist, putting on his most convincing Theodore impression. “Ciao, Bella,” even his most convincing impression wasn’t very good, “My room or yours?”

Sometimes you play along, running your hands over Mattheo’s in a way that makes his skin prick with goosebumps. “I was thinking we could do it on Matt’s bed again.”

That usually get’s you a hard shove away if Theodore hadn’t already spotted the situation.

Lorenzo Berkshire isn’t as insistent, just staring at the two of you, raising a brow whenever he finds you hand in hand. He draws a huge smirk on his face every time he sees you alone.

“Where’s your boyfriend?”

“You mean your boyfriend? I see the way you look at him, don’t play dumb Enzo.”

He doesn’t like that game as much. Usually scoffs and ignores you.

Then there was Blaise Zabini.

Blaise Zabini.

He knows more than he should. Far more than he should. He watches. He listens. He knows. He perceives.

The first time Blaise found you asleep in Theo’s arms, it was early in the morning. Their little clique never missed breakfast together unless something drastic had happened. So, whenever Theodore didn’t show up for breakfast, Blaise volunteered to check on him. Only Draco questioned it when Blaise grabbed a plate and two muffins(“Those are practically cakes, Nott’s fat ass doesn’t need one to begin with, let alone two! Doesn’t even show up to quidditch practice anymore.”). Draco was ignored.

“You’re going to lose her if you keep acting like this, you know that right?”

Theodore tries to ignore Blaise as best he can, he really does. He traces his fingers over your hair softly, watching you dream.

“Just tell her, Theo. What are you so scared of?”

“Drop it, Blaise.”

“No. You obviously love her, you’re obviously in love with her!”

“Lower your voice-“

“Why are you so scared? Is it your father, Theo? Is it your-”

“I mean it Zabini, drop it.”

The room goes eerily quiet as you shift slightly in Theodores arms. It lasts for only a moment before your breathing returns to the deep, rhythmic patterns.

“Get out.”

Blaise didn’t brother bringing it up after that. He knew what was going to happen, and he was going to let it play out. It wasn’t his business, after all.

Your friends weren’t much different. You stopped hanging out with them as much, not on purpose at all, but it didn’t go unnoticed. Maybe one or two of your friends resented Nott for it, “He’s a playboy, everyone knows that. I don’t like how close he’s getting to you.” Or “You aren’t… sleeping with him right? Please tell me you aren’t.”

Both you and Theodore laughed endlessly about every comment. It was silly. I mean yeah, you two fuck, but you’re just friends. You’re just friends, and friends can totally cuddle each other to sleep, and friends can totally kiss without sex. Its not a big deal! Its not a big deal as Theo almost pukes every time he says, “You’re my friend, I’d tell you if anything changed.” And it’s not a big deal when your chest aches as you say “Same here. It’s not that weird when you think about it.”

It wasn’t a big deal the first time you cried during sex. It wasn’t a big deal when he pulled out immediately and held your face, asking what he can do for you to make it better. It wasn’t a big deal when you sobbed in his arms for hours, chest hurting because you loved him so much and you knew you could never say anything. It wasn’t a big deal when Theodore kissed your mouth shut when you tried to apologize. It was a big deal though. It was a really big deal.

It was a big deal when you wrote your name next to Nott like a child. It was a big deal when you kicked your feet in bed thinking about how he called you pretty. It was a big deal when he kissed your cheek so absentmindedly that it felt natural. It felt right.

It was a big deal, and it hurt so bad.

But you could manage. Look at how strong you are. Look at how composed you are. You knew that one day all of this would come to an end, and you were okay with that! It was something you knew you could one day stomach, so for now, you didn't let yourself worry about it.

What you worried about instead, was how fine the object of your affection looked tonight.

Theodore was dressed to the nines. Black slacks, a loose button-up shirt, and those eyes that undressed you no matter where you were. He was gorgeous, and he knew it. You looked wonderful too, showing just enough skin to keep Theo on his toes.

Slytherin winning the house cup was a moment to be celebrated, the common room decorated and loud music playing from every corner of the room. You and Theodore spent every moment together, laughing whenever someone dared approach either of you for a dance.

Smoke curled out of Theodore's lips as he snuffed out the filter of a joint you had shared. He grinned at you, and you smiled at him, and everything else faded away.

Time slowed down, and Theodore's smile fell.

"I want to be with you, this summer."

And you laughed and smiled, nudging his arm slightly. "Well, all you need to do is invite me to your summer home in Italy, and I promise I'll spend every day with you."

"No. I want to be with you."

And for a moment, it felt like everything was still. Theodore looked so scared, and you looked so scared, and your mind was fighting the high to fully understand and process his words.

"With me?"

"With you."

You bit the inside of your cheek, almost not realizing whenever Theodore groaned and stood up.

"Theo."

"Fuck. I knew this was a bad idea."

"Theodore."

"I'm sorry. I knew we shouldn't have."

"Theodore Nott, look at me right now."

And he did. He looked at you so sadly. It made your heart ache.

"I want to be with you, too."

It felt like a brick that sat on your heart had finally been lifted. You laughed at the smile that spread across his face. You laughed as he pressed sloppy kisses against your lips. You laughed as he picked you up, kissing you stupid as he carried you to your room.

The weed still made your mind and body buzz with a high, and fuck, every touch felt better than ever before.

Your back hit the mattress, and Theo climbed over you. He looked so handsome, and you felt so pretty the way he looked at you. His hands worked at your dress, pulling you into a deep kiss as he found the zipper in the back.

Your hands gracelessly unbuttoned his shirt, whining into the kiss as you struggled. Finally, with a small chuckle, Theo offered to help you. His hands worked smoothly, pulling his shirt off his shoulders.

"You're stunning."

"Take a look at yourself, cara mia."

Theodore pushed you back down, gripping your hips as he dragged you to the edge of the bed. You laugh, resting your hands over his, feeling just how wet you are between your thighs. You lean your head back, sighing softly as Theo drops to his knees.

Nothing else mattered when Theodore's tongue found your clothed pussy. His strong and veiny hands pushed your thighs further apart, and pathetic mewls spilled from your lips as he licked you.

Theodore continued to tease you, a grin plastered to his face at every moan and whine you let slip out. He licks over the lace of your panties, daring to suck on your clit through the soaked fabric. Pleas spill from your lips, and Theo can't bite back his groan as you tug on his curls.

Dead eyes look up at you from between your legs, and Theo pulled away just enough to remove the lace hiding your heat from him. He blows on your wet folds, pulling your thighs to his shoulders.

"I think I could stay like this forever, right here."

You roll your eyes and sit up, pulling Theo up just enough to admire his wet face. "I think I'd miss your face too much," you laugh, leaning in and kissing his lips, shivering as you taste yourself on him.

"I have a few other positions that I wouldn't mind staying in."

You push away his smirking face with a laugh, gasping for air suddenly as his mouth finds your clit. Gasps turn into soft whines as his tongue moves across your pearl, your hips jerking and shifting at each motion. You can feel his smirk as he licks a long stripe from your hole to your clit, collecting your arousal on his tongue.

"Theo," You whine out, but he silences you with a long finger prodding at your entrance. He shushes you, planting wet kisses along your thigh. "I know, bella, just take a deep breath. 'Gotta stretch you out all the way."

A needy moan slipped from your lips as a finger slipped inside of you. You could hear how wet you were, and Theo pulled back just enough to watch the digit disappear inside of you. He pressed a second finger in, carefully spreading them inside of you.

"So soft. So pliant."

His whispers made your legs shake as he stretched you out thoroughly. The knot in your stomach grew tighter, and it became almost unbearable as his lips found your clit again. He was slow, savoring the feeling of your legs shaking beside his head, and the feeling of your walls clenching around him.

Ecstasy flooded your mind before you had a moment to think about it. Theo groaned into your cunt, committing the taste to memory. He continued working his fingers in and out of your cunt until you were shaking in overstimulation, only then finally freeing himself from between your legs.

"You have one more in you, right? Can't get enough of you, cara mia. Will never have enough of you."

[heyclickadee]

So, here’s the thing. The finale is weird. Yes, I’m hurt by the fact that Tech didn’t come back and that a character that’s very near and dear to my heart was badly handled, and that will never sit right with me. But even apart from that, the finale fundamentally does not function as a piece of storytelling or as the end to this story. I’m glad that people are enjoying it, and I will never tell anyone not to. But I don’t think it works. (I get very negative about the TBB finale under the cut.)

It’s not just the Tech stuff or the CX-2 stuff (which may very well have been the same stuff) that got dropped. It’s *everything*. Every theme, Every narrative thread besides retrieving Omega, every character arc except marginally Omega’s, Echo’s (also marginal), and Emerie’s, which was the shortest and gets wrapped up by her deciding to help Echo rescue the kids. It all stops. It makes everything that came before seem cheap and pointless if you take it into account. And this is so, so frustrating for me, because the entire show was driving towards this incredibly rich payoff, it could have been immaculate, and then it whiffed the ball so bad in the last episode that it didn’t just miss, it managed to knock over the bleachers and set the entire court on fire.

Some examples:

1. This season had a really interesting exploration of Crosshair’s PTSD via his hand tremor and how it was something he can learn to manage, but not something that would ever fully go away. Aaaaand then his hand gets chopped off. One, that was stupid. I’ve seen some excellent posts (here’s one by @the-bi-space-ace) detailing why that was a terrible way to handle Crosshair’s lingering trauma, and others talking about how the idea there was that Crosshair needed to move on and it was severing his last ties with the empire. The former, I agree with; the latter, I don’t, because not only—not only!—does this episode stop dealing with Crosshair’s trauma, it doesn’t even deal with having cut off his hand! It just sort of occurs. No one reacts to it, no one says anything about it, there’s no follow up or commentary, nothing happens as a result—it’s an event which occurs with no results coming after it. It may as well be an animation error. You can say it was about Crosshair needing to let go and move on, but that’s something you have to project on to the text, not something that’s actually offered by it. It’s empty.

2. Crosshair again: We also have the lingering issue of Crosshair’s guilt and the fact that he never seems to get to a point where it’s resolved. There’s set up for a resolution. We have that, “Sure you have,” like about Crosshair from Rampart. We also have Crosshair saying he deserves whatever happens to him in Tantiss. And then…no pushback. No resolution. No moment of Crosshair realizing that he doesn’t need to carry that burden. Nothing that says he didn’t deserve what happened to him. He had all this character development this season, but he needed - last little push to forgive himself—and we never get any indication that he does. It, like his trauma, gets dropped like a rock.

3. Hey! More Crosshair! A good chunk of Crosshair’s arc this season was about learning that anyone can change, first, and that no one is beyond saving. Eeexcept that goes no where.

4. Which brings me to my next point: There is set up for the CXs to be saved. Even if we’re laboring under the conclusion that CX-2 was never intended to be Tech at any point in the writing process (I have. Doubts. Yes, I’m calling the creative team liars, here, but with the understanding that they have contracts that may require them to lie), we do have the set up where we learn the electrocyanide zappers can be removed, and with Rex offering forgiveness to CX-1. “Whatever they did to you, whatever you’ve done, you’re still one of us.” CX-Tech or no, Crosshair’s arc was tied up with the CX plot, and because he’s the one the CXs tend to react to—or, at least, understands what was done to them—the set up was there for him to help save and maybe rehab the CXs. At the least, there was an indication that they could be saved. Eeexcept nope! That gets dropped like a rock, too, and they’re not going to deal with it. Time for maximum carnage.

5. Hunter’s arc actually takes a step backwards. Sure, he gets a technically happy ending, but because the squad is basically in the same place they were in “Pabu” back in season two (down a member but successfully hiding from the Empire in a safe place), it negates Hunter’s development towards actually taking action—and actually hurts Echo’s arc, too.

There’s been this tension all through the show between just sitting things out on the one hand (Hunter’s way) and taking direct action despite the futility on the other (Echo’s way), but instead of finding some kind of middle ground or third road, it sort of comes back around to saying that, actually, Hunter was right, they should have just gone to Idaflor back in episode three and never left even though the Pabu invasion said that no, you can’t just hide, and even Hunter’s development was moving in the opposite direction. And this also means that Echo never reaches a point where he feels like he can walk away and that he doesn’t have to get himself killed doing this. Despite development otherwise they both end up back at that conversation in “Tipping Point” without any move in either direction or resolution of that tension.

6. Omega. Okay, Omega probably comes out the best after the finale, and, conceptually, I actually love the idea of Omega becoming a pilot even if the epilogue falls a little flat for me. But stuff with Omega still got dropped, including:

- The force stuff. We have two episodes dealing with m-count (after learning in episode three what Omega was created to do). We also have Ventress telling Omega that she doesn’t have a high m-count as far as she can see, Crosshair immediately calling Ventress out for lying, and then Ventress basically saying, “Yeah, no shit, but if she has force potential she’d have to leave you behind, and it doesn’t matter what your opinion on that is, so I’m not dealing with that.” Aaaand then,m. That. Goes nowhere. Despite a bit of set up for Omega connecting to the force as early as episode one, and some more set up in Tribe, and that whole subplot of her learning how to meditate, and so on.

Now, I don’t think that it was ever going to turn out that Omega did actually have a high m-count or that she had a particularly powerful natural connection to the force. I think she’s probably got a low or baseline m-count. What I do think, however, is that we were going to see Omega connect anyway as a refutation of Palpatine’s and Hemlock’s entire scheme. Their goal (based off of the ST) was to create extremely force sensitive clones as a way for Palpatine to jump bodies without having to waste time re-learning how to connect to the force. You know—dark side, quick and easy path, focus on eugenics and raw power, etc. Had Omega connected anyway because of her big heart and desire to protect, it would have not only paid off that set up, it would have also refuted Palpatine’s and Hemlock’s entire goal. It would have worked so well thematically and the set up was THERE.

- branching off of that, I think the Omega force stuff was probably tied to the Zillo beast. We also had a through-line of Omega being good with animals and taking the time to calm them instead of responding with violence. The first time we see this is in “Replacements,” where she realizes that the ordo moon dragon (also an electrophage—I don’t know what to call these things—like the zillo beast) is just scared and hungry. This is all conjectural, but it still fits with what was set up.

- Moving on from the force stuff, we also had a through-line that started way back in episode two of the series, but which was really emphasized this season, about Omega feeling like she’s the cause of the bad things that happen to the people she loves. This is why she gives herself up during the Pabu invasion in the first place. This is never resolved! We get Omega’s confidence boost when she realizes she has the force kids to take care of, but we never get a moment where Omega realizes that she has no reason to feel guilty. She’s the glue that holds the family together! But nope! Also dropped!

- But wait! There’s more! The first two season finales have Omega watching someone she loves fall away while she’s helpless to do anything to save them. That’s perfect set up to put Omega in the same situation, but be able to save them, because she’s finally come into her own. Instead we just end up with her needing to be rescued again.

- Omega has this big speech in Shadows of Tantiss about spending her life stuck in one place or another against her will, and how she refuses to be confined like that. I don’t think Omega would have been happy just staying on Pabu for the entire rest of her childhood and young adult life, even if I think she’d want to use it on a home base. But! Dropped!

7. I still can’t get over the fact that the zillo beast is on screen for about two minutes and then just. Walks away. It’s a large beastie that’s been locked in confinement for a while and is probably hungry. And somehow it didn’t go straight to the reactors for some delicious energy smoothies. Like. It. Did. The. Last. Time. Someone. Let. It. Out. But no, that would have required it sticking around for something that was probably dropped sooooo ZILLO BEAST EXIT STAGE RIGHT I GUESS. (Edit: I have been reminded that Hemlock does say to turn off the generators once the zillo beast is out, so that at least makes sense. I still think the zillo beast should have stuck around to do something.)

8. You notice how there are a ton of commandos around Tantiss, even up through “Flash Strike?” And how they kind of largely cease to exist? And how Echo says that there are far more clones imprisoned in Tantiss than anyone thought? And then how they rescue, like, a dozen guys? Because we never find our way back to those cells Crosshair was held in during season two? And how Tarkin does mention not wanting to allow clone dissidence to turn into an uprising back in “The Summit?” Because I did. This show was never going to be about a clone rebellion, that wasn’t the point, buuut I do think the set up was there for an uprising at Tantiss itself. Begin the series with clones losing their agency en masse, end the series with some of the most subdued clones taking it back. Except nope, dropped, soooo we gotta pretend the commandos don’t exist and murder the hell out of poor Scorch.

9. SPEAKING OF. The batch does kill clones sometimes, that does happen, but they do at least usually make some kind of effort to be non-lethal even when they’re not using stun, and times when they do resort to lethal tactics are usually born out of extreme circumstances. Not here, though!! NO HESITATION MAXIMUM CARNAGE. For. Reasons I guess.

10. There’s one point IN THE FINALE where Echo mentions signaling for Rex. This never comes up again. Rex does not show up. In fact, despite being called, “The Cavalry Has Arrived,” the cavalry does not in fact arrive. There is no cavalry. Yes, I know it’s a reference to Wrecker’s first line. But I’m sorry if you call an episode that YOU HAD BETTER HAVE A CAVALRY SHOW UP. Especially when you have a one about calling them in! But that also!! Got dropped like a rock!!

11. One positive: the moment Crosshair and Hunter leaning on each other to make that shot was nice.

12. Sorry, but Hemlock’s death was deeply unsatisfying. Let’s do something more than just shoot him multiple times, okay?

13. Rampart’s death, on the other hand, was incredibly satisfying. That said, the conversation about project necromancer? I’m dying. It’s actually hilarious, because it basically goes like:

“Tell me about project necromancer.”

“Wow! How interesting!”

I’m.

Are you serious?

I’m going to become the Joker.

Yes, I know we know what project necromancer is because of a different show. That’s not the point, the POINT. Is that any pay off for project necromancer in this show got dropped. And that’s deeply frustrating from a narrative perspective.

14. Speaking of, we never find out anything more regarding that partially successful m-count transfer from episode three.

15. We also never do anything with those medical records!

16. And Omega has a whole crossbow she never actually shoots despite the fact that her role on the team was as a sharpshooter after Crosshair left, and despite her getting advice from Crosshair on how to be a sniper. The literal chekov’s gun never goes off. I’m going to go eat gravel.

17. AZI, likewise, got toted around for three seasons for no reason. Probably could have helped with the medical records. Given that he was a Kaminoan medical droid. Oh, and that Omega was Nala Se’s medical assistant. So. Hmm.

18. You can cut everything in the season past episode five and skip straight to the epilogue and end up in the same place. This is not because the other episodes are filler. Far from it! The other episodes are great and deliver some amazing set up. But, because the finale does nothing with that set up, it doesn’t go anywhere.

19. And you know what else? From a narrative perspective, there’s no reason for Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair to be in these episodes at all. They don’t accomplish anything and make everyone else’s job harder. Omega was doing fine, she would have gotten out with the kids with just Echo and Emerie, and Tarkin was coming to cut off Hemlock’s funding and shut everything down once Hemlock lost control of the facility anyway. I can only suppose that the whole reason they were in this episode ended up getting dropped, too.

20. CX-2. Listen, the answer we get about CX-2 isn’t that he’s not Tech. It’s, “Maybe, maybe not—you don’t get to know.” Because. He’s the only CX whose mask never comes off. After a season and a half worth of buildup of unmasking CXs and people pressing them to learn their names. It’s not a no, it’s a non-answer, which is far less satisfying.

And finally:

21: CX-Tech. I’ve seen some people speculating that there was a planned CX-Tech reveal that got scrapped at the last minute—dropped, along with the other points I’ve already laid out. And, honestly? I have to agree. Despite what the creative team says, because even their denials kind of come out weird (like the Kiners saying that the large brass chord in “Battle of the Snipers” was just a nice sounding brass chord and not a reference to “Plan 99.” They also basically say that the sacrifice theme from “Plan 99” is Tech’s leitmotif. Which. Is all over “Battle of the Snipers.” That theme. Not Crosshair’s. In a scene. Where he’s supposed to be fighting a shadow of himself who Totally Isn’t Tech but we put Tech’s leitmotif here and layered it in Techno music but nooo that was never supposed to be him. Nope. I mean, come on. I’m not stupid).This post is already long enough, so here are some posts by @apocalyp-tech-a pointing out the reasons why I think this was the case, and one by @eriexplosion pointing out why CX-2 as Crosshair’s shadow and only that doesn’t quite work. I don’t need to go over the trail that was laid out again. Up to the finale this was a character that had more screen time—and far more solo screen time—than Echo. Some people will not stop yelling that there was no evidence, and. No. I’m sorry, there was. I can’t agree.

And some people might say, well, okay, the show misdirected you guys and pulled off a twist by having CX-2 be no one, and well, I can’t agree with that either. Twists only function if the twist is more satisfying than the conclusion to which the story seems to be leading. And I’m sorry, you can’t tell me that a season and a half of CX building and three seasons (because I can find set up all the way back in episode one of the show) for Tech survival culminating in what amounts to a boss fight is more satisfying than getting to see Omega have her big brother back. You can’t.

The reason I bring this up last is because, yes, I think CX-Tech was a plot dropped at the last minute, but because I also think that it’s the dropped plot that ripped everything else apart. CX-Tech was an incredibly efficient way to tie up most of the lingering plot threads and dropped character development.

-Crosshair’s guilt? Okay, he faces down the end result of his decision to stay with the empire and possibly something he knew about (Tech would be in this situation because of Crosshair, and were given hints that Crosshair knew) and is finally able to forgive himself because they’re able to save him.

- Hunter’s decision to finally take action and be proactive rather than reactive is validated, because it’s the thing that finally gets him his entire family back.

- Echo saves someone the same way he was saved, and maybe he realizes that it is enough and that he doesn’t have to be a soldier forever.

- Wrecker’s efforts to keep the family together and keep Hunter sane finally pay off.

- Omega is able to protect the people she charges about and finally, finally has all of her brothers.

- Thematically, it rounds off each member of the batch (Omega included) traumatically losing and then taking back their agency in a way that correlates directly to who and how they are as people.

- It also rounds out the OG batchers each being haunted by a failure that has to do with the thing that makes them special.

- You get pushback against “Clone Force 99 died with Tech! We’re not that squad anymore!” because no, it didn’t, and they’re more than a squad, they’re a family.

- It comes around and closes the wound opened in Aftermath and ripped back open by Return to Kamino: they go in for Omega and lose someone, but here, they go in for Omega and get someone back.

- Would allow Tech to close off his lingering threads and finish his character development BECAUSE THOSE REMAINED UNFINISHED.

- Completely subverts the “bury your disabled” trope by making sure we know the character whose disability was explored the most’s life is more important than his death. Seems like an important thing to do in a show that is kind of about disability. Just saying.

- Makes the lack of closure and little mentions of Tech make sense from a storytelling POV because the necessarily catharsis would come from his return.

- And it would actually add some triumph to the ending. Yes, this little family survived. They outlived the war. They’re together, despite every effort to rip them apart. They made it, despite the dark times, despite the Empire, despite what they were made to do and be. They defied all of that. That would have been so, so satisfying.

As is, without Tech, without that CX-Tech reveal, we sort of end up in this weird place where all the themes are half-baked. They are more than soldiers…except Tech, who had to fall out of the story as a soldier (despite us getting the clearest glimpse of what his life outside of soldiering could have been). They get to live how they want…except Tech. They don’t leave their own behind, except Tech that one time. They should value their own lives a little…except Tech. They’re more than a squad, they’re a family…except Tech, the only one besides Omega to say that’s what they are, doesn’t get to see it, and they don’t get to have him around. We begin the series with a broken family and end it with a family broken differently. That’s not dynamic.

So there’s no really punch to the ending. It’s sort of…well, okay, we tortured a family for three seasons I guess. Relieved that the survivors are doing okay, but that’s kind of it.

22. The finale in general is just sort of a bunch of events which happen, but which don’t lead into one other. It’s weird. It’s not that too much happens, it’s that almost nothing happens. Nothing of substance, in a way. The finale is, in a word, the only true filler episode in the entire show.

TL;DR: I think a lot of stuff got dropped from the finale. I don’t know why. I suspect that it might have to do with the strikes—basically, the script was done, most everything was recorded and boarded, and then when the finale was in production they got sudden drastic budget cuts (this was during a time when the studios were disappearing entire completed shows and movies as tax write-offs), had to gut what they had planned, and couldn’t bring the writers or even showrunners in to smooth over what was gutted or to even pick what got taken out. They wouldn’t have gotten to choose or compress things. They were on strike (because the studios wouldn’t negotiate), and whoever did choose ended up just ripping out the stuff that would actually take any time or budget to deal with (so, basically everything I laid out), killing it (literally), and using the remains of what they already had recorded. And who knows how they had to fill in gaps.

But I don’t know for sure. Maybe it was that. Maybe it was a last minute decision to take certain plot points and put them in a different show. Maybe it was executive mandate. Maybe the creative team just sucked the whole time (that’s one I have a hard time buying—we have four other shows and most of this one that tell me that they’re better at their jobs than this). Maybe everyone said screw it, who even cares anymore at the same time.

Maybe nothing happened. Who knows? I strongly suspect something bad did happen behind the scenes that was out of the creative team’s hands—I really do, because that’s the only way I can make sense of this—but until we can get someone talking without six layers of PR and NDAs, we won’t know for sure. All I know is that The Bad Batch is an amazing show with 46 episodes that range from “fine-but-clunky” to “IMMACULATE,” with more leaning towards immaculate than not, and some incredible set up, and one episode so nonsensically bad it makes me want to eat drywall.

It’s just that the one terrible episode comes right at the end.

I love The Bad Batch. I love every single episode and all the things that were set up, but…eh, I think I’ll be ignoring the finale until further notice.

[simply-ivanka]

Why Do the Young Vote Left?

Socialist teachers lead them to think of government as a free-money tree.

It’s the gifts. The progressive vibe is that big government will take care of you. It knows what’s best for you. It will redistribute money how it pleases. You need to put a smile on your face while it takes away your laurels, guns and money. “We believe in the collective,” Ms. Harris declared, much like Hillary Clinton’s “it takes a village.” Equity in Schenectady. Handouts for all.

You want proof? Ms. Harris’s Senate voting record is leftward of socialist Bernie Sanders. Vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz fawns over China, saying “everyone is the same and everyone shares.” Viva la revolución and Che Guevara T-shirts for all.

This is antifreedom. Too many of today’s youth fall in line with progressives because they’re undereducated and overindoctrinated with someone else’s agenda. I watched in horror as local high-school biology classes spent weeks on the science of recycling centers and only a short afternoon on mitochondria and mitosis. Profit is a bad word. It’s gimme, gimme, whether it’s student loan forgiveness, free healthcare or tax credits.

Who’s to blame? Misguided capitalism-hating social-studies teachers to start, with Tim Walzian thinking: “One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” Who is he, Mr. Rogers? Add like-minded college professors. Work ethic and ambition are evaporating.

Worse, Pew Research notes almost a third of currently childless 18- to 34-year-olds aren’t sure if they ever want children. Why? The Harris campaign’s “climate engagement director,” Camila Thorndike, is among the hesitant, telling the Washington Post, “I want to protect them from suffering.” Perpetually pessimistic progressive prognostications induce fear. No wonder U.S. fertility rates are at historic lows.

OK, I know I’m asking for trouble. Every time I write about youth, I get a chorus of comments and tweets telling me I’m an old man screaming, “Hey you kids, get off my lawn.” Yeah, yeah. Very clever. I’m not that old. But in the Kamala collective—as California attempted—private “ornamental” lawns are out, and drought-resistant vegetation is in. Progressives literally want you off your own lawn.

My conversations with young folks who do exhibit some actual drive show their confusion: “I want to do a startup.” Great! To do what? “A sustainable something or other. To save the planet.” OK, is it productive? “What’s that?” Does it scale? “Huh?” Will it do more with less? “Not really, it needs lots of money to keep going and save more of the world.” Sounds like a nonprofit. (That usually invokes a smile.) Actually, wealth comes from delivering ever-cheaper stuff to millions of people, not handouts. “I don’t care about money.”

OK, I say, but progress and societal wealth happen when you delight customers and postpone consumption to reinvest profits into better products. The looks on their faces are as if I’m describing Chinese arithmetic.

Our youth aren’t lazy but lost. Progressives have strong opinions about society but no viable solution beyond handing out other people’s money—taken from the few who actually are productive, drive progress and generate wealth by fulfilling customer needs. It’s a downward spiral: When progressives tax—screaming “fair share!”—they cripple the productive few who actually create the real non-burger-flipping, get-out-of-your-parent’s-basement jobs.

To aggressive progressives, government is simply a magic money tree. Vote left and dollars appear. The gross incompetence of government—think billions for eight electric vehicle chargers—destroyed healthcare (thank you, ObamaCare) and education (assisted by Randi Weingarten’s teachers union) and is close to destroying energy (net zero), even while the Biden-Harris administration works hard to destroy Big Tech—one of the few productive industries. And I’ll never forgive progressive Hollywood for turning “Star Wars” into unwatchable wokey Wookiee drivel.

What industries will be left standing? Who cares, because the dreamy types think generative artificial intelligence will kill all jobs and government will provide universal basic income so they can Zyn, TikTok and play College Football 25 videogames all day. A naive youthful triumphalism.

This is a false endgame. There is so much more to be invented: drugs, immunotherapy, fusion, self-folding clothes, humanoid robotics, flying cars. Hard brain work plus quality recharging leisure time is the goal, not a nation of welfare queens.

I feel sorry for the youth that do care, do work hard, are productive and help push the boulder of progress up that steep slope, while essentially carrying all the others on their backs. It’s you against the collective, the village, which is always about being supported, pampered, living off someone else’s hard work and then complaining that the handouts aren’t big enough. So, yeah, get off my lawn, while lawns are still allowed.

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 16, Unaccompanied - Pt. 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language.

Word Count: 977

Previously On...: You felt even worse when Bucky revealed that Carthage had someone weaseled her way onto the Quinjet to join him on the Russia mission.

A/N: It's short, so you'll get two parts today! Second one will post at 5pm, EST. NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when I update, please enable notifications from my Blog page!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

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“Hey, kiddo,” Tony greeted you as you entered his lab. He was surrounded by bits and pieces of various tech, obviously in the middle of some experimentation. “How are you feeling? Obviously good enough to be walking around. I’m glad you’re here, actually– I have something I want to talk to you about.”

“I thought Carthage was benched, Tony!” you interrupted, ignoring his greeting. Rhodey had been making a slow, but steady, recovery, but as far as you knew, Tony had not lifted his blanket ban on keeping Jade grounded from further missions. Tony frowned at you. “She is,” he said, giving you a puzzled look.

“Then why the fuck is she on the Quinjet with Bucky on the way to Moscow right this minute?” you asked, accusation clouding your words.

Tony put down the electronic components he’d been holding. “Well, I certainly didn’t approve it. I only just got you to forgive me. You think I want to willingly make you even more pissed?”

“Well, someone did,” you said. Your arms were crossed over your chest and you were pouting like a petulant child. 

“I’ll look into it,” he promised, “but don’t overlook the possibility that she took it upon herself to stow away. Not just to get some alone time with Barnes, but to get herself back on the mission roster, too.”

You hadn’t considered that, but now that you did, you wouldn’t have put it past her at all. “Thanks,” you huffed.

“Why do you even care, though?” he asked. “I thought you two broke up. Can’t believe you still won’t tell me why, by the way.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Because it’s not your business, Boss,” you told him. Truthfully, you wanted to confide in Tony, to tell him what Bucky had done, what he had said, so you could bask in the comfort you knew he would offer you, but you truly believed that, if he knew the full truth, there was a very good chance Tony would actually try to murder Bucky. You might not be prepared to fully forgive him, or be with him again, but you certainly didn’t want him dead. And honestly? The last time the two had gone up against one another, it hadn’t ended so well for Tony, either. You doubted Bucky would purposefully hurt him– he wouldn’t do that to you– but you’d never forgive yourself if Tony got himself injured because of you.

“Pfft,” Tony scoffed. “Not my business? What kind of pseudo-big brother would I be if I didn’t look out for my pseudo-little sister? Besides, you think I don’t already know it has to do with him and Carthage being a little too close?”

“Tony,” you warned. “Just find out how she got on that Quinjet, okay? Please?”

“Finnnnnne,” Tony conceded with a roll of his eyes. “You’re lucky I still feel guilty about that med bay incident.”

“Thank you,” you said. “I really appreciate it.”

“With that out of the way,” he said, sliding his rolling stool over to you, “I need a favor.”

You rolled your eyes. Leave it to Tony to ask for a favor in your moment of turmoil. “Go on,” you urged him.

“The annual shareholder gala is on Saturday,” he told you. You nodded, knowing that the event was upcoming. You’d been planning on being away on the mission, so you hadn’t given it much thought. “Big topic of conversation’s going to be your C-PAS. I want you to be there to talk it up, get the investors excited about it so they’ll open their wallets.”

“Ugh, Tony,” you groaned, “you know I fucking hate schmoozing. Can’t you do it? You’re so much better at bullshitting rich people than I am! Besides, I’m sick. What if I throw up on everyone important? Is that really a risk you’re willing to take? Think of the optics.”

Tony rolled his eyes at you. “We’ll load you up with anti nausea meds if we have to,” he reassured you, “so you’ll be fine for a couple of hours. Come on, Pocket. You’re my Chief Technical Officer. This program is your baby. No one is going to sell it as passionately as you. You know that. Don’t you want to show your hard work off?”

You considered it for a moment before dropping your arms and let out a groan. “Fiiiine,” you conceded. “But you’re really gonna owe me for this one, Stark.”

“I’ll buy you a pony,” he said with a smile.

“Oh my God, really?” you squealed. You knew he didn’t mean it, but you sure as shit were going to play into it.

“No,” Tony said, looking at you like you were a complete idiot. “Where the hell would we keep it?”

“I dunno.” Your expression turned into a sour pout. “You could buy a farm Upstate or something.”

“I suppose we could raise some sheep there,” he said thoughtfully.

“Oh my god,” you laughed. “That takes me back.”

Tony grinned at you. “So, all seriousness, what do you want in exchange for a few hours of your time on Saturday?”

“Buy me a new dress,” you said. “And shoes.”

“That’s it?” he asked, sounding somewhat disappointed, as though he’d expected you to ask for a yacht or some such thing. Maybe you did need to up your asking game.

“Okay, how’s this– new dress, shoes, handbag and jewelry, PLUS,” you added with a pointed look, “official write ups in Carthage’s file listing her as unfit to continue beyond her probationary period for recklessness and conduct unbecoming an Avenger. Enough to guarantee no amount of votes will allow her to stay.”

Tony put a hand on your shoulder. “My dear Pocket,” he said, smirk growing wider, “here I was hoping you were going to ask me for something difficult. It would be my pleasure.”

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[writing-positivelyexisting]

Sometimes. I forget. Just how symbolic some of these clones’ names are.

Dogma? We was dogmatic. He was aggressive and arrogant when it came to following Jedi Krell.

Omega? Several different meanings: gentle and to be a peacemaker or final part. Either meaning fits. Considering the information that the scientists on Mount Tantiss need Nala Se to cooperate and the only way to do that is to capture Omega.

Crosshair, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Fives (and some others) are easier to connect. But it make sense for them to be a little more obvious, especially (and personally) with Echo.

Echo not only repeated back orders like a parrot but he’s the last of the Domino squad. Their last voice of hope. When he joins Rex, he’s not just fighting for the whole of the clones but for Cutup, Droidbait, Hevy, (and Fives even if he doesn’t realize he’s dead).

Commander Mayday, is another one of the obvious names. Left to defend a withering outpost with zero help that he’d requested. A distress signal that was never answered.

Rex, too. It’s origin is Latin meaning “king”. And it fits perfectly for him. Obviously a leader for the 501st troopers but even after order 66, getting his chip removed with the help of Ahsoka, he becomes this sort of new leader, helping the galaxy as he once knew it to be free of tyranny.

Feel free to reblog and add on to this list. I’m sure this has been done before and this is all more apparent to some of you but forgive and humor me, yeah? These clones are special to us and each of them were special to each other. It’s really fascinating to think about. We give family members, friends, crushes, etc nicknames for reasons that are good, bad, funny, and random. It’s neat alright?

[raygirlramblings]

Did what they did with Jade and Pey'j in Captain Laserhawk bother you, too?

SPOILERS AND RAGE BELOW

I AM SO ANGRY YOU HAVE NO IDEA

Beyond Good and Evil fans got SHAFTED BAD. THEY GOT DONE SO BAD AND IM LIVID.

All these muppets going ‘lol the Rayman fandom must be so upset about Laserhawk’ and NO.

NO WE ARE THRIVING WE ARE SO CRAZED AND STARVED AND WE ARE ON CLOUD NINE THAT OUR BOY GOT ALL THIS SCREENTIME

In the first trailer for Laserhawk Rayman was an EASTER EGG. We didn’t even know if he’d have a role with speaking lines until the second trailer. AND WE WERE OK WITH THAT! If baby bean was just a background element to expand the world we would have been happy for the crumbs. But no! Our boy got a full speaking role with a CHARACTER ARC IN A SIX EPISODE SHOW. He got BACKSTORY and RELEVANCE TO THE PLOT. And he DIDN’T GET KILLED OFF.

All that for a character we were expecting to get NOTHING from.

But JADE?!

PEY’J???

They were front and centre from the first trailer. They were established as being as central as Dolph and Bullfrog and WHAT DID IT GET THEM.

Jade gets taken out in ep 2 of 6, and Pey’j goes down the next episode.

At LEAST Pey’j went down being exactly what I expected him to be. A kind protector trying to make the world better. Trying to stop conflict. Trying not to take his pain and suffering from the loss of a girl he loved deeply out on an unfair world. He died a noble if pointless death and from Bullfrog’s expression alone we can see how much it hurt.

JADE GOT NOTHING. Jade died when we barely knew her. We needed more of her. We wanted to see her shine, see more of this wonderful awkward tomboy with a gentle heart. We needed to see how she interacted with others. She DESERVED BETTER. SHE DIDN'T EVEN GET ANY FINAL WORDS.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE ‘I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU’ SCENE OR I WILL SNAP AND PUNCH SOMETHING. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

In a show where I watched my favourite childhood character swearing, wielding guns and doing sushi and blow off a hookers back THIS JADE AND PEY’J SCENE IS WHAT MADE ME CRINGE.

I am willing to forgive so much from this show. So much of it was a wonderful, ridiculous, beautifully animated rollercoaster.

But implying any kind of romantic sentiment between these two characters only to kill one of them off in the same episode was so damn weird. It was wrong on so many levels. There was NOTHING WRONG with their older mentor/young ward relationship. It could have been great. I don’t understand why they did this. It didn’t add pressure or gravitas to the situation, we KNOW Pey’j would do anything for Jade, HE DOESN’T HAVE TO HAVE A CRUSH ON HER FOR THAT TO BE REAL.

And seeing Jade and Pey’j in Dolph’s VR dream sequence just felt so hollow. We needed at least an episode to establish any kind of team energy from these four, but we didn’t so seeing Jade give Dolph a pep talk about relaxing more came off as flakey and not good enough for a character who deserved better. They didn’t even establish what Jade and Pey’j were supposed to bring to the team. Pey’j is just ‘the tech guy’ in the same episode he dies. Jade has to play a femme fatale against her type but we don’t even get to see her being her best. To quote Rayman ‘IT’S NOT FAIR’.

Oh boy.

I feel a little better getting that anger out. I’m just sad. I’m sad we lost them. They deserved better.

[vodika-vibes]

Undersea/Merfolk AU with the Bad Batch please! Can be romantic or platonic.

Stand By You

Summary: You spent your whole life living in the Royal Orphanage of Atlantis. According to the Matron, you were found on the front steps when you were hours old, and no one ever showed any interest in adopting you. You’ve since aged out of the system, luckily, you made some pretty solid friends. Unluckily, you’ve also landed squarely in the crosshairs of a Sea Wizard.

Pairing: platonic TBB x F!Reader, hinted Crosshair x F!Reader

Word Count: 2792

Prompt: Merfolk AU

Warnings: reader is attacked

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So, I wasn't sure, at first, where I was going with this, and then I had an idea. And then I had to change the idea halfway through because it was edging into Little Mermaid territory. Anyway! I hope you like it~

“I’m telling you,” You say with a roll of your eyes as you flip so that you can look at Tech while swimming backward, “I am a very poor fit for the Atlantis military.”

“You have not even tried,” Tech points out as he adjusts his glasses, then swiftly grabs your wrist to keep you from swimming into a statue, “You can not continue living in a cave outside of the city.”

A petulant pout forms on your lips, “Watch me.”

He sighs as he carefully tugs you so you’re swimming next to him, “Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

You glare at him and flick your fingers towards your tail. Your very mammalian tail. Unlike the other merpeople of Atlantis, your tail looks more like a seal than a fish.

Tech glances at your tail, and then at you, “No one cares that your tail looks different.”

“Correction, you don’t care that my tail looks different. Everyone else cares a lot.” You fold your arms, “Just because they don’t say it around you, doesn’t mean they don’t say it.”

“Well, that is a good reason for you to get a military job,” Tech tries, “Make people see you differently.”

“It’s like you’re being deliberately obtuse, Tech. Why aren’t you listening to me?”

“I am listening to you!” Tech stops and grabs your shoulders, “You are not listening to me. It is not safe for you to live outside the city. Do you know what it would do to us if something happened because we were not there to protect you?”

You sigh and lightly wrap your hands around his wrists, “Tech. I know you’re only being like this because you care—”

“Because you are family,” Tech says.

“But you’re making me feel like you don’t actually care about what I’m saying.”

He closes his eyes, and drops his hands, “That…is not my intention. I am sorry, vod.”

“I forgive you.”

You fall into a comfortable silence, and then Tech bumps your shoulder with his, “I would feel more comfortable if you moved behind the walls.” He says, “But I understand why you might not want to do that.”

“It’s not like I want to live in a cave like a sea witch, Tech. No one will hire me. And, without any money, I’m kind of stuck.” He opens his mouth to say something, but you cut him off with a press of your finger against his lips, “And don’t even think of saying that I can move into your barracks. There’s barely enough room for the four of you.”

Tech sighs, “I do not like that you are right about that.”

You grin at him, “Relax. I’ve been living in that cave for years now, and nothing bad has happened.”

“Yet. Nothing bad has happened yet.” Tech corrects.

“Well, maybe I’ll be lucky.” You shrug, as if you’re unbothered, “Anyway, thanks for coming shopping with me.” You add as you lift your netted bag.

“You are welcome. Are you heading home?”

“That’s the plan. Tell the others that they can come and visit whenever,” You say as you back away from him, “And be careful at work, all of you.”

“You do not have to worry about us.”

“Truth, I’m going to do it anyway.” You quickly dart in and press your lips against his cheek, “I’ll see you later, Tech.”

“I will tell the others that you say hi,” Tech replies.

You toss him one more grin, and then turn to swim down the path that will take you out of Atlantis proper, splitting from Tech, who continues straight to the military barracks. 

Your home is near the kelp forest, several miles away from the solid walls that mark the city of Atlantis. The location tends to work in your favor, seeing as there’s a lot of food in the kelp forest that you can gather, or catch, without having to pay for it.

On the other hand, your neighbors aren’t the best.

One of your neighbors, a Cecaelia sea wizard, who goes by the name Verdant, has been trying to coax you into his employ for the better part of the last two years.

He’s nice enough, you suppose. He understands what it is to be seen as not normal in Atlantis and has always been your biggest supporter when it comes to helping you advocate for yourself.

Still, you have no intention of working for him. 

You have the feeling that working for him would put you in opposition with your closest friends, and you’d sooner cut off your arms than allow that to happen.

You slow as you approach your home, a single brow arching when you see Verdant, and his two most loyal retainers, in front of your cave. “Something you need, gentlemen?” You ask as you swim over to them. 

“Ah, my dear,” Verdant beams at you as he swims over to you, “I was wondering where you were.”

“In Atlantis,” You reply, “They get deliveries of surface fruit this time of year, and it’s something that I enjoy when I can.”

Verdant’s grin seems to widen, “How wonderful! Tell me, my dear,”

There’s something about the way that he’s grinning that makes your skin crawl, and you begin to regret not taking Tech up on his offer to crash with him and his brothers for the night. 

One of Verdant’s cronies moves so that he’s almost circling you, ushering you closer to Verdant, “Tell me, you’re friends with several members of the Atlantis Military.”

“We grew up in the Orphanage together,” You reply, it’s not an answer, not really, and judging by how his smile fades, he agrees.

Roughly, Verdant grabs your chin, “I want you to convince your friends to look the other way while we enter the city.”

“No.” The answer falls from you almost without your permission. 

“No?”

“No. I’m not going to help you. Let me go.” You try to jerk your head out of his grip, but he just tightens his hold on you, until it’s painful.

“I have been exceedingly patient with you, child. You have to help me.”

“I don’t have to do anything.” You counter, “Can’t we go back to just being neighbors who sometimes say hi to each other?”

“No.” Verdant releases you and you try to back away, only for the twins to latch onto you, holding you still. “If you won’t work with me, then I suppose you’ll just have to suffer.”

“What do you—?” You’re cut off when you feel a sharp pain in your lower abdomen.

“I am a variant of the Blue Ringed Octopus, little one. Your death is going to be very slow and very painful.” He lightly pats your cheek as your vision starts going grey at the edges, “Assuming you don’t bleed to death first, of course. Release her. We have places to be.”

The arms holding you still vanish, and you sink to the ground.

They swim away while you struggle to cling to consciousness. Whatever they did to you, you can’t seem to move your tail, wherever you try, it sends shockwaves of pain through your whole body.

The next thing you’re acutely aware of is a cry of your name. 

Omega leans over you, her hands pressing firmly against the wound on your abdomen, “—ld on, just hold on! Help is coming!”

What a shame.

The last thing you would have ever wanted was for Omega to find your body. The only thing worse would be dying in her arms.

Shame that it isn’t your choice anymore.

You sink into darkness with Omega’s increasingly panicked cries of your name ringing in your ears.

The waiting room in the Atlantis Military Hospital is silent save for the muffled sobs of Omega as she buries her face in Wrecker’s side.

And while Hunter would usually love the fact that it’s not loud, after six hours of waiting for some news, any news, the silence is beginning to be deafening. 

He drums his fingers against his side for a moment and then swims over to the window, just for something to do, while he tries to stop thinking about what she looked like when they found her.

He wants to forget the blood and how unnaturally still she was.

Hunter wants to be angry that Omega was the one who found her, he wants to rage at her, and tell her that if she just listened to them, this wouldn’t have happened.

But after 6 hours, his rage has been totally extinguished. Replaced with an icy terror.

What is he going to do if she dies?

How is he supposed to keep their family going if she dies?

Hunter flickers his gaze around the room. Omega isn’t crying anymore, though it looks like she’s cried herself to sleep while cuddled against Wrecker. She still has blood on her hands and shirt and streaked down her tail.

Hunter should have helped her get cleaned up, why didn’t he help her get cleaned up?

Wrecker is tense, his hands curling into fists, and then relaxing, before curling back into fists. This has to be torment for him, the sitting and the waiting. He seems pretty calm, all things considered though. Probably because Omega is right there.

Hunter wants to say something to him, to reassure him that she’ll be alright, that she’s stronger that people give her credit for. But, in truth, he doesn’t believe it himself.

So he keeps his mouth shut and flickers his gaze over to Tech.

Tech is sitting closest to the doors that lead to surgery. He’s flipping through a book, very quickly, and a glance at the titles makes Hunter shake his head. They’re books on medicine, surgery, and poisons. Of course, Tech is dealing with the situation in the only way he can. His hands are shaking, though.

Makes sense, Tech was the last person to see her before she was injured. He’s probably blaming himself. No one else here blames him, of course, but Tech has always been his own worst critic. Hunter will have to keep an eye on that, and maybe call Phee if he starts to spiral too badly.

Finally, Hunter turns his attention to Crosshair. Crosshair is folded into a chair, his head in his hands.

Right. Crosshair has always been closest to her. She’s always been very good at handling his mood swings, even when they were kids, and Hunter’s pretty sure that Crosshair’s feelings towards her have long since stopped being simply platonic. 

Not that he’d ever admit it, even to himself.

“You’re staring, Hunter.” Crosshair says quietly.

“Just making sure you’re alright.”

“I’m not the one that was nearly murdered. I’m fine.”

“She’s going to be fine.”

Crosshair releases a bitter laugh, “You don’t even believe that yourself.”

Hunter doesn’t say anything for a moment and then turns to face Crosshair fully. He opens his mouth to say something, only to pause when the door to the surgical suite opens, and the Doctor enters the room.

He looks exhausted, but pleased with himself. 

The Doctor’s gaze sweeps the room, and he nods once, “Her injuries are severe, but I’ve managed to repair the worst of the damage, and she has been given the first of three doses of anti-toxin. We won’t know the extent of the damage until she wakes up, but assuming nothing goes wrong over the next couple of days, she’s going to be just fine.”

The tight string of tension that had been running through all of the brothers snaps at the doctor's words as they slump in relief. “Is she allowed visitors?” Hunter asks.

“Not just yet. Give us some time to get her settled in the observation ward, and then you can visit her.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Tech says as he straightens, “This is very good news.”

The Doctor smiles at them and then turns and leaves the room.

No one moves for a moment, and then Omega lets out a delighted noise and she twirls, “She’s going to be okay!”

“So it seems,” Hunter agrees, a relieved smile on his face.

Slowly, you open your eyes, feeling like you’ve been asleep for far, far too long. You feel warm and comfortable, and it takes you a moment to completely push the sleep away to figure out where you are. 

There’s a quiet beeping noise coming from nearby, and you roll your head to see what is making that noise, momentarily confused when you see a heart monitor next to your bed.

You slowly sit up, the blanket tumbling from your chest to settle at your waist, and you absently tug on the sleeve of the shirt you’re wearing. It looks, and feels, like the soft material used in hospitals. 

And then you remember. Verdant. His Cronies. The stabbing.

You lift the hem of your shirt and peer down at your stomach. There’s a massive wound, running from just over your hip, across your stomach, and stopping just under the breast at the opposite side.

You touch the injury, and aside from some faint pain, it doesn’t hurt.

You must be on some good painkillers.

It’s about that time when you realize that you can’t feel your tail. For a moment you think that Verdant cut your tail off to punish you, though as you move the blanket, you can see your tail is still there. 

White and dark grey with black spots.

The same tail you were born with. The same tail that had you treated as an outsider. 

You stare at your tail as you try to move it. To twitch your flipper, or anything.

But nothing happens.

The door to your room opens, and you turn to stare at the Doctor. He looks surprised to see you awake, but then he smiles, “How are you feelin—?”

“I can’t feel my tail.” You interrupt.

His smile vanishes.

The next couple of hours fly by. Tests and more tests, and long conversations with dozens of different doctors, and they all say the same thing.

The attack that nearly killed you permanently damaged your spinal cord. You’re likely never going to be able to move your tail ever again. And then they leave you on your own, with little more than an appointment with a therapist to help you learn to live with your new circumstances.

And so, you’re not in the best mood when your family arrives to visit you. 

Though, Omega flinging herself into your arms, wrapping her arms tightly around your neck, and burying her face in your hair is almost enough to make you smile again. 

“How are you feeling?” Crosshair asks, as he moves to the other side of the bed, his sharp gaze flickering across you as if searching for any injuries the doctor might have missed.

“I’m…okay, all things considered.”

“Just okay?” Tech asks.

You frown slightly, “I’m going to be in the hospital for a bit longer.” And then you hesitate.

“What’s wrong?” That’s Wrecker, from the doorway. The room isn’t really big enough for everyone.

“Um…well,” You pause, “The attack left some lingering damage.”

Hunter lightly takes your hand in his, “Tell us.”

“I’m paralyzed,” You clench your jaw, to keep yourself from crying. You’re still alive, there’s no reason to be upset. “I can’t swim anymore.” Hunter’s grip on your hand tightens, “The doctors are working on coming up with a way for me to still be independent, but—”

You start when Crosshair lays his cheek against the top of your head, “We’ll help.”

“As much as we can.” Wrecker agrees.

“If we pool our money,” Tech says, “We can afford a place outside the barracks for all of us to live. I will work up a budget.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t be silly,” Omega says stubbornly, “We’re family, this is what family does.”

Some of the anxiety fades away, and you flash the smallest smile towards all of them, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us,” Hunter says, “We’re not doing anything that you wouldn’t do for us.” He flashes a small smile, “We take care of each other.”

“You are going to have to talk to Marshal Commander Cody about the attack,” Crosshair says, “Everyone is very interested in knowing who attacked you so close to Atlantis.”

You nod at him, “I know. I’ll tell him everything he wants to know.”

Two weeks later, you’re released from the hospital with your new mobility harness strapped around you. You’re going to need help for a while, while you adapt to it, but you’re not too worried.

You have a pretty solid support system, after all.

And they’ll never let you get hurt.

[blazingstar400]

[Clavell trying to understand everyone better]

Clavell: Tell me about your friend group, Florian.

Florian: If I explain all that we’re gonna be here for a while… where do I even start?

Florian: Hm… well… I guess I can go ahead and start with Carmine. She’s tough, smart, hot-headed, hard to read, and scary as heck sometimes. But I think she’s secretly nice.

[Flashback]

Carmine: Tell me who has me for Secret Santa.

Juliana: What? Noooo! That takes all the fun out of it!

Carmine: *glares daggers at her*

Juliana: It’s me. I got you a scarf. It’s blue and ugly. I can return it if you wan—

Carmine, snatches the gift before she can finish: Well now it’s my blue and ugly scarf! Back off!!

[End of flashback]

Florian: Next I guess is Nemona. She’s hyperactive. Not the most brilliant, but she works harder than anyone else. She doesn’t have the best aim or grip on things though.

[Flashback, Nemona unwraps a muffin, then drops it on the ground.]

Nemona: Awww shoot! My muffin!

[As she picks it up, she smacks her head on the table.]

Nemona: Ow! My head! My muffin and my head!

[End of flashback]

Florian: Penny’s probably the most brilliant when it comes to tech and stuff. She was the Leader of Team Star. Gets underestimated because of her looks, so she’s always trying to prove she’s tough.

[Flashback, Penny puts hot sauce on her sandwich. She looks up to see Florian watching her.]

Penny: You think I can’t handle this much hot sauce? I can handle way more than this. *she empties the hot sauce on her sandwich and takes a bite*

Penny, in agony: In... your... face.

Florian: ...I never said anything…

[End of flashback]

Clavell: What about Arven?

Florian: Arven’s probably like the big brother of our group. And he cooks for all of us. If it weren’t for him we’d probably all eat unhealthy or starve…

[Flashback]

Kieran: *is eating a chocolate bar*

Arven: *quickly snatches it out of his grasp and crushes it*

Kieran, now slightly annoyed: Hey!! I was eating that!!

Arven: Not on my watch!! You have been eating nothing but chocolate and candy for the past few days! Don’t you know how unhealthy that is??

Arven, bringing out a well seasoned salad: Here! This would be a lot better for you to eat!

Kieran: *looks down at the salad with a disgusted/grumpy look*

[End of flashback]

Florian: Kieran is the shy and sweet one in our group but at the same time… he’s also really emo and edgy. Also, I think he’s secretly down bad for Juliana but he’s in complete denial. He’d probably kill me if he figures out I told you so just don’t tell him I said that…

Meanwhile, Kieran is in his room petting Furret but suddenly pauses: Why do I feel like Florian is out there somewhere… telling my deepest, darkest secret?

Clavell: And Juliana?

Florian: Juliana’s the strongest trainer in our group. Also, she’s the one with the purest heart. Loves music, helping others, saving the world, stopping then forgiving bad guys, and solving puzzles. The only puzzle she hasn’t seemed to solved though... is how to grow up.

[Flashback]

Florian: Stay here while I get more supplies for our up coming trip okay?

Juliana, beaming: Don’t worry, Florian! I’m not going anywhere!

Florian, closing his eyes and sighing: You better. This store is like a maze. So just stick close to me so you don’t get lost okay?

Florian: …

Florian: Okay?

Florian: …

Florian, opening his eyes: …Juliana?

[He sees Juliana rushing off in the distance after a butterfly]

Juliana: Heeeey!! Come back here!!

Florian, watching with an unamused look: I should have known…

[End of flashback]

Florian: And finally there’s me. I’m really just a typical average person. Not much to say about me.

Florian:

Florian: Honestly, I feel like I’m the only normal person in my friend group….

[random-blurbs]

I Need Your Help - Chapter 3

Masterlist

Hearing the plastic crinkle behind you - you couldn’t turn around before the treat was placed in front of you. “Almond?” You asked as your hand wrapped around the plastic bag bringing it closer to your body.

“I thought you would want to try that one.” He reasoned remembering the last time you got a plain one. But was able to see your eyes linger on the one right beside it. But considering you practically finished the case for them it’s reasonable to get the sweet treat you probably really wanted. “Thanks.”

Packing up your bag you sensed the same unmoving presence behind you. Feeling uncomfortable you turned around sending him a questionable look. “Is there something you need?” Looking over his body language he seemed so hesitant to tell you something. It doesn’t look like bad news, just general nervousness that he seems to carry everywhere he goes.

“If it’s ok with you…can we stay in contact? I just want to ask you some questions? And I just don’t know when we’ll see each other again.” He said it in a tone where it seemed like he didn’t even believe it himself. As you started to question his motives along with it.

Questions? What type of questions?

“Are you going to interrogate me or something?” You questioned trying to understand what he’s getting at. He seemed to get more flustered as the miscommunication continued. “N-No! I want to know you better!” He confessed his voice deflating as he realized how much he’s messing up this simple interaction.

Imagine if he were to ask you out on a date.

“Oh…” Flustered by his answer, you try recounting anyone who wanted to know you more after spending time with you. It’s depressing trying to think the last time it actually was. “Yeah sure…” You mumbled out not knowing what to do with your obvious expression now. He seemed to perk up as he looked up to your face, happy that his failing attempt actually succeeded.

“We can exchange emails!” You didn’t want to ruin his excitement as you realized the man in front of you just isn’t that tech-savvy like the rest of the team. Apparently exchanging numbers is out of the question. Giving him your personal email address he quickly wrote it down stuffing it in his pocket his face radiating with a smile. Is it because of you he’s smiling like that?

“O-Oh also!” Barely remembering he pointed at the room across from you guys where his team was packing up following suit. “Derek wants to apologize to you.” He said as your eyes moved away from his team to your fingers. You knew he wanted to apologize, as you avoided him every turn. But his words stung, and as you slept after the case officially being marked as solved, his words refused to leave your mind. “Just tell him it’s forgiven.” You said half-heartedly as you opened the croissant that Reid gave you moments ago.

“You don’t have to accept his apology Y/N, you’re allowed to be hurt by what he said. I-if it gives you reassurance I wouldn’t forgive him either.” He said positively with that cute tight-lipped smile you’ve seen him do.

Cute?

Coughing into your arm you motioned to Reid you were ok as you collected your thoughts in return. “Thank you, but I’m just not ready. There’s no bad blood, I just don’t want to talk to him.” You finalize trying to move on from this topic. “You ready?” Looking up you both saw Hotch in the doorway peeking half of his body through. Simultaneously had let out a yes, quickly looking at each other with slight surprise. You haven’t been together for too long you can’t already be saying stuff at the same time as one another. “I got your prescription that you asked for.” Thanking him you grabbed the prescription stuffing it in your bag.

“If you want you can ride with Reid and we’ll meet you at the plane.” Hotch offered as he stepped out of the room quickly probably to notify his team. You glanced at Spencer as he stood there with a confused furrow of his brow as his eyes followed Hotch. After a few long seconds you let out a cough finally bringing his attention back to you. “Is that ok with you?”

“You’re coming with us?” Confused by his confusion it seemed like you guys were going in circles. “I mean yeah? Did you think I live in LA?” You asked finally understanding why this back and forth was happening. He really thought he wasn’t going to see you again. Is that why he’s doing this awkward attempt of friendship? “If I’m being honest yeah. I really thought you did.”

“That hurts more than I thought.” You joked as he let out a small chuckle, glad that you brought the conversation back in a happier tone. “Do you want to join me? Derek lost a bet so now I can drive the car for a couple of months.” He said giddy with the reminder of how badly Derek lost a bet with him, even though he should know by now there’s no point in playing against him.

“Just us?”

“Just us.”

-

“This is your desk?” You ask even though the pile of books and the half-done chess board is enough indication that it’s his. “Yeah sorry it’s just a little…” Rushing over he carefully grabbed his books putting them in his drawers, tidying it up nicely. Trying to fix the general appearance of his desk that made him, him. “My apartment is probably a lot worse.” You comforted letting him continue doing what he needed to do apparently.

“Um here!” Motioning to his office chair he nudged it closer to you, as you gratefully accepted it letting yourself sit on it. “Do you want a coffee?”

“Do you want me to go get us some?” You offered which he immediately rejected, pointing at their little break area. “Don’t worry I can make it for us real quick.” Not waiting for you response he made his way to the coffee machine, waiting for him awkwardly at his desk. You came to drop off the necessary paperwork to finalize the case you worked on, hoping you can put this behind you. “Oh hi!” Looking up you see the woman who had your back somewhat when the whole fiasco went down. “Prentiss right?” You asked being horrible at names and faces. Never really sticking unless you care about them to a certain extent.

“Yes it is! And Y/N? Thank you for helping us on this one. I would’ve missed my paid vacation.” She said thankful that everyone was able to get back home safely and quickly. Nodding your head at her you didn’t know what else to say as she stood there as well. “And if you ever need anything - let us know. I know we’re not close, but if you ever need something-.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” You cut her off knowing the spill some people do. You were thankful for her offer, but an offer that isn’t something you’re willing to take. Giving you a slight nod she walked to her bag before quickly leaving. Just in time Spencer had walked up with two steaming cups in his hand. His head turning back to you as he was following Emily’s retreating figure. “Did she want something?” You shake your head as you gratefully grabbed the hot coffee placing it right beside you. Pulling up a chair beside you he scooted in making sure he gave you appropriate space. “Do you play a lot?” You ask looking over at the chess match that was happening. You understood the general rules and play. But it just wasn’t something you would invest your time into.

“Yeah I used to play with Gideon? I’ve heard you were close.” He felt like he had to be careful when bringing up that name. His name still bringing a sense of hurt in his chest as he remembered the times he would help Reid build up his skills.

“I feel like close isn’t the right word.” You correct remembering the time spent with Gideon. You memory refreshing whenever he mentioned the genius in his team when he would be at your apartment molding you.

“Then what do you call it?” He asked feeling more confident considering you haven’t turned him away just yet. Taking a careful sip from the cup you felt it burn your lips as you winced. This is why you settle with ice lattes most of the time. “He allowed me to see something nobody else wouldn’t.” He knew whenever interacting with you, confusion would come along with it.

“I don’t want to talk about it though.” You quickly add knowing that Reid would get more curious but you just weren’t ready. Not yet.

“Oh of course…” He understood not wanting to push you in any farther. “Do you want to play? I can show you a little bit?”

“Do you often play at work?” Somehow Reid made you feel comfortable in such a strict up-tight place. It’s the BAU for crying out loud being surrounded by other agents. One wrong move and you might as well be demoted. Even if you don’t actually hold a position here. “When I need a breather.” He replied fixing the board between you two. Fixing the pieces you looked over the board. He gave you the white pieces.

With a careful hand you moved your pawn giving Spencer a small smile, letting you feel as normal as you could.

-

It was weird ‘emailing’ someone instead of simply texting. To the point where you’ve been close to asking him for his number. But even though there were shared pictures attached to the emails showing one another each other’s lives, it felt too intimate. The time to ask for his number had already passed.

You had just gotten a photo of his plant that Penelope had given him. It’s looking a little dry making you pity the poor plant. Naming it Spencer 2.0 showing his very loving parenting side. Sending him back of your cat, she was making biscuits on your lap.

It would be nice to see her

The thought made a small smile break out as you let your phone fall against your lips slowly. It’s a weird feeling he gives you. Imagining him interact with your man hating cat, allowed a chuckle escape from your lips. You know it would be a one-sided love but a love regardless. He seemed to enjoy your cat more and more with the pictures being sent his way.

You should come over with Spencer 2.0

His heart quickened as he read your words over and over again. Words etched into his mind enhancing his nervousness. Did you really want him to come over? Or was it just playful banter.

He truly wouldn’t mind going over.

For question purposes obviously.

-

Rubbing your eyes you left Hotch’s office in a terrible mood. The headache continued as you gripped onto the papers he gave you tighter.

“You emptied your clip. That brings up concern.”

His words confirmed the uncertainty of your own mind.

Reading the general report and the coroner’s report it confirmed his words rather than your own mind.

It was practically overkill. And you did that with your own hands.

Yelping as when you looked down at your hands the bloodied mess from a month ago appeared. “Y/N?” Looking up you see Reid’s team staring at you concerned as you realized the paper’s scattered the floor. “I’m sorry.” You mumbled quickly picking up the mess of papers not caring the order. Hearing some rustling in front of you, you see the person helping you.

“Are you ok?” Sighing you look him dead in the eyes, the most you have even given him since the case had ended. “Morgan I’m fine. You don’t need to help me.” Grabbing the papers from him you stuffed them in the file Hotch had given you. “I know just checking up on you. I know it’s not easy shooting-.”

“What are you talking about?” You cut him off as you looked between him and Reid who was now watching the interaction between you two. “I heard it was your first time shooting an Unsub. It’s hard for everyone.” He explained, leaving you disoriented. You can’t deal with this. You don’t want to deal with this.

“I can’t believe…” You couldn’t believe Reid was telling his team. You know you didn’t tell him it was supposed to be some secret. But you would think he would understand privacy. Obviously you were wrong. Scoffing you push past Morgan as you bee-lined to the elevators. Wanting what you can call home.

“Y/N!” Jogging up to you as your foot tapped impatiently for the elevator you continued staring ahead. The reflection of you two making sure you saw it either way. “What do you want?” You ask not wanting to talk to him. To anyone.

“It seemed like something happened between you two so I wanted to check up on you.”

“So you can tell him?”

“W-what? What are you talking about.” It was unfair. Blaming him it was so unfair. So as the elevator door dinged and opened infront of you, you quickly walked in. It was better to keep your mouth shut and not ruin what you have with Reid. And you wanted something so desperately. An understanding between you two.

Nothing you wanted more.

So the best you can do is leave him there with a distressed expression as your eyes linger on the dirty elevator floor.

-

It took you longer than you rather admit to reach out to Reid again.

And if you were to ask him he would know it’s been 2 months, three days, and 8 hours with 26 minutes since he last interacted with you.

He wanted to give you space.

But he wished he hadn’t.

He saw you from afar as you sat on the park bench. You looked exhausted, frazzled, on edge. How much happened?

Walking up to you, you seemed to be in your own world again. It’s like seeing a mirror of himself, a scarier version of himself in a way. “Y/N?” Catching your attention you finally acknowledged his presence, giving him a timid smile. Passing him the cup that was sitting next you, the warmth enveloped his hands. “Put a bunch of sugar.” You say quietly as you sip the replica of your drink.

“And I got us tickets.” You show him 2 physical tickets as he saw a glimpse of the title. “Slashers?” He asked skeptical about the movie topic they were going to watch.

“Horror movies don’t really scare me. I like watching it for the makeup and effects.” He wouldn’t mind if this was a normal thing between friends. But he doesn’t want to let it go. But he doesn’t want to ruin the normalcy you’re trying to have between you two. “Why did you reach out?” He finally asked. You weren’t surprised he wanted to know. It wasn’t fair to him.

“I want to get to know you more. But I’m scared.” You confess as the sleepless nights wouldn’t go away. The nights of tossing sleep evident in your eyebags. Terrified of everything. Terrified of your mind, and it not allowing you to relish in the friendship you wanted with Spencer.

“About?” He asked.

“You no longer wanting to be around me, when you find out how shitty my mind is.” You admit. “I want to tell you everything because I feel like you can understand. But I don’t want to drag you down with me.” You were screwed from the start, you accepted your fate. Gideon came around and gave you help but took it just as quickly.

But with Reid you swear. It’s something so complicated for a mind like yours you want to find out why that is. But you’re scared of what you’re going to see. And if Reid will see the same as you. “Y/N I mean this in the nicest way possible. But I’m a grown man, I can decide who I’m friends with and-.” Taking a deep breath he made sure you were looking at him as your eyes seemed teary with sleep and sadness.

“And I want to be friends with you. I want to know you. I want to do things with you. And if you can, let me do those things. I want you to confide in me, and I want to do the same. So I can tell you when it’s too much. Just have faith in me.” He professed.

His words did help, but that fear that was etched into you for years doesn’t just go away. But seeing Spencer being the only person willing to indulge in your wants made you smile. You don’t want to have hope.

It’s hard though.

Hope is an infectious thing.

TAGLIST

@maisyyyyyy

@britbratface

@khxna

@geepinky

[mutable-manifestation]

Summer Vacation Summoning Shenanigans Part 3

Part 1, Part 2

***

“D- shit!" Red cursed, leaping to catch him judging by the suddenly much-closer voice and the arms now cradling his head and shoulders to keep them off of the floor. "Steph!" 

"Names~!" Spoiler sing-songed.

"We were going to have him wear the sensory suppression helmet!"

"Well, this worked just fine didn't it?" Danny hears a sloshing noise - probably the recapped chloroform bottle getting twirled.

"No." Robin deadpanned. "The timeframe of his unconsciousness will not be sufficient to reach the batcave and we will need the helmet anyway."

"Pppshaw," Spoiler dismisses. "The last time any of you guys checked the time it was, what, when you were proving you weren't secretly cult maniacs by showing him those news articles? Between then and when he wakes up he won't have any way to tell how long he was out. As long as he can't see the entrance by the time he's up it'll be fiiiine."

"You will also have damaged what trust we had thus far been able to build with him, likely setting back our investigation and thus both our ability to interfere with the League of Assassins and to help Danny himself," came Robin's scathing reply.

"...ah."

"We're wasting time," Red sighed, moving to sling Danny over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, judged by the shoulder now jamming into his stomach. "Thank you, Spoiler, for volunteering to drag the captive. Robin, doors."

There was a lot of boredom after that, mostly just listening to the three shuffling around and hearing some kind of hissing noise that he assumed was a hi-tech door or something, given everything he'd seen so far.

Then they were moving, and Danny realized he had no idea how long he should pretend to still be out. 

Luckily, just as he was debating playing 'waking up' the group stopped, Robin commenting it would be best to be stationary when he awoke to increase the time he might suspect had passed.

After being carefully propped up against a wall, he counts to thirty before letting his breathing return to normal, slowly opening his eyes.

He looks to Spoiler - kidnapped assassin slung over her shoulder - first.

“I’m gonna be real,” he starts before anyone else tries to speak. “I think something might be wrong with your perfume.”

Spoiler snorts and Red’s lips twitch in a suppressed smile, but Robin remains stoic.

“That was not perfume,” he says carefully. “It was a mild sedative, so that we could further obscure the location of the batcave. Perfumes are generally incapable of causing unconsciousness.”

“If no perfume: why smell good?”

Spoiler bursts into cackles at that, Red making a strangled noise between a cough and a laugh and slapping a hand over his mouth.

“Please do not attempt to use or offer chloroform to others to use as a perfume, it is a highly unsafe chemical and can be fatal,” Robin says, brows pinched into a vaguely concerned expression.

“Aw,” Danny pouts dramatically.

Red clears his throat.

“Spoiler is very sorry for springing that on you,” he starts, with a pointed look her way. “We had intended to talk to you about the need for another layer of obfuscation around our security.”

“Yep!” Spoiler grins. “From the bottom of my heart, my bad.”

Danny lays a hand over his chest, using the other to wipe away an imaginary tear as he chokes out “Of course I forgive you!”

Then he snorts, dropping his hands to lounge in his pockets.

“So now that you’ve taken me to a secondary, and a tertiary, and a…um - quadrertiatry? - location, which way are we going?” He makes a point to look back the way they came.

They’re quick to correct him, leading the way through the tunnels at a more sedate pace - a fast walk instead of the running from before.

They claim to be half way there by the time he wakes up  - they definitely aren’t. It takes a solid 30 more minutes.

At least now that Danny is ‘awake’ they’re talking again - mainly about Spoiler’s questionable taste in ‘perfume’ and whether or not it would be safe for any of the aliens they know to use as perfume - a very sneaky way for Danny to acquire more knowledge of alien biology, if he does say so himself.

---------------------

Given their track record for getting along, everyone had been worried when Tim and Damian went missing at the same time. Sure, Damian had gotten a lot less murdery over the course of the last four years, but the worry was still there. 

When it turned out to be a self-imposed mission to Nanda Parbat they had worried even more. Unfortunately, no one else had been able to leave Gotham. By the time they could’ve caught up they would have been more likely to draw unwanted attention to their two strays than be of use.

Luckily, they’d managed to put the Riddler away that night, making it back to the cave just in time to receive Tim’s update - a success and a surprise guest.

A guest that, as far as they could tell, did not exist. 

No paper trail, no pictures, no appearances in any images or even audios as far as they could tell. Expanding beyond Illinois to the US in general didn’t turn up anything. A global search yielded yet another heaping helping of nothing.

There were some possible explanations, of course, but it was decidedly suspicious.

Any hope that the three had escaped unnoticed were dashed when they were over the pacific and the local branch of the League of Assassins began moving obviously enough for Oracle to detect them - branching throughout the city and posting up on various vantage points in some kind of search grid.

One group even made their way to Wayne Manor, posting up around the perimeter.

All in full view of cameras. 

One even waved. 

For a group like the League it was verging on something like polite. 

Or threatening. 

The utter lack of activity from any of them once they reached their apparent destinations put the latter option somewhat in doubt, however.

Even so, the situation was plenty alarming and Bruce had everyone arming themselves to the teeth while they waited and listened - not that Jason needed any encouragement even if he was still pouty about the lack of guns in the Bat-armory. 

Nightwing, being the loving older brother that he was, was quick to offer him a rubber band hornet to supplement his existing guns. He was immediately betrayed, narrowly dodging a projectile to the cheek.

Bruce had contacted the JLD about the situation not a second after the kid - Danny - said Ra’s was trying to summon the Lord of the Dead. 

Didn’t have to be deep into the occult to know that that was undoubtedly a very bad thing to allow to happen. 

With any luck, whatever ritual Ra’s was trying to use would be faulty and they would have more time to intervene and prevent him from finding something that would work.

Of course, to know that they needed to know what the circle actually looked like.

Good news: the kid saw the circle and seems to have a great memory.

Bad news: the kid set a condition for the knowledge and would not be swayed.

Good news: they personally know several aliens willing to help.

Bad news: literally every member of the JLD is ungodly hard to get ahold of at the best of times.

Good news: they managed to contact Constantine on the third try.

Bad news: he seemed very concerned by Bruce’s explanation of the situation.

Good news: he wanted to show up right away to help.

Bad (and worrying) news: he is currently too drunk to teleport. Or be awake, if the sudden snoring through the line is any indication.

So now Bruce is tracking his location and sending Supes to pick him up on the way so he can wait to sober up in the cave’s medbay.

Possibly for the best - given how talkative Danny was on the plane over Constantine might’ve lost it waiting for him to stop asking all the questions he’ll no doubt have.

Just another hour of playing suspiciously-polite-staredown with a murder cult and they might be able to get some answers.

---------------------

Damian watched Danny watch the door to the cave open in fascination, eyes alight with joy. Enthusiasm.

It was a large part of what made the plane-ride with him so much less distressing; normally being in a closed space with someone who’d taken a recent dip in a Lazarus Pit would be…exhausting. Manageable, perhaps, but requiring constant attention to avoid potential - likely - harm.

Any concern about erratic, violent behavior practically melted away in the face of Danny’s attitude.

His exuberant curiosity. 

The zest for life that colored each and every word he said or expression he made.

In combination with the skill he must have to have escaped imprisonment by the league? His sharp mind (even if he did occasionally lack information that should be common knowledge - Damian himself had been much the same when he first came to live with his father, he would not judge him for that)? The strong negotiation skills he had demonstrated in their talk? His unflinching will?

His beauty?

Damian was captivated.

He watched as he gasped like it was the last air he would ever breathe when he laid eyes on the T-rex, causing everyone else to tense up.

Then he moved - nearly too fast to track - before slowing back down when he was within a foot or two of the dinosaur - and many feet off of the ground. That certainly supported the sheltered meta theory.

“You guys have a dinosaur in here!?” he yelled, flitting around it in a manner not unlike a hummingbird. “That’s so cool! Is it real? Or like, not real because it obviously isn’t alive but is it, like, taxidermed - taxiderm-y-ed? Or is it a replica? Or-”

“Animatronic, actually,” Father cut in, drawing his attention. 

“It moves!?”

“It used to. We keep it shut down for safety reasons, however.”

“Aww, boo,” Danny pouted, snorting at some unknown joke as he descended back to the ground.

“It’s nice to meet you, Danny. Though I do wish it were under better circumstances,” Father gestured to the table near the batcomputer - where the rest of them had gathered to wait - before moving that way.

“It could be worse,” Danny shrugged, following after - still floating.

Halfway to the table, Danny gasped again, this time accompanied by a small blue mist.

His head snapped to Jason - fast enough Damian was vaguely concerned for his neck - and paused to stare owlishly at him.

A glance revealed him to be visibly bristling at the attention, every muscle tense.

“These are my associates,” Batman cut in before anything unfortunate could be said. “You’ve met Red Robin, Spoiler, and Robin. This is-”

“Red Hood,” Jason cut him off. “And we ‘associate’ barely.”

“I’m Nightwing!” Richard shouted, one arm waving in the air for emphasis. “And I can totally fly!”

“Grappling hooks don’t count,” Hood shot down.

“They do so!”

Hood just stared

“Orphan,” Cass interrupted, as brief as ever.

“I��m Signal,” Duke added, making the last introduction. “And I’d hate to see circumstances worse than being hunted by a globally active death cult made up of highly trained assassins.”

“Hunted?” Red Robin asked, straightening up at the new information. 

“Most likely,” Batman answered as Danny finally joined them around the table - still stealing glances at Hood. Damian frowned.

“Not long after you left Nanda Parbat, the local branch of the League began moving - their assassins have posted up throughout the city - and around our perimeter. They’re being subtle enough to avoid civilian attention, but they waved directly at our cameras. Normally we’d assume they were after the assassin we brought here, but Ra’s is normally more direct than this. He would’ve called, tried to negotiate, or just sent in men to retrieve him. That he hasn’t is unusual-”

“Which is why we suspect he’s still after you,” Spoiler added as she rejoined them, having gone to secure the prisoner.

“Spoiler!” Nightwing scolded.

“Whaaaat? It’s already obvious. No point in hiding it when the guy’s already been kidnapped once.”

---------------------

Danny hmmed.

“It comes to me that if your group is so well known, saying I’m ‘flying away with a pair of Robins’ is maybe, possibly, potentially not the incredibly vague and unhelpful clue I thought it was.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck, laughing sheepishly as all eyes whipped around to stare at him. 

“Ahaha… my bad?”

“Danny.” Batman asked after a pause. “Who, exactly, did you give this ‘clue’ to?”

“Uh…Ra’s?”

“Wh- How!? We’ve been with you the whole time since we met!” Red Robin asked.

“I just sent a duplicate,” He shrugged, splitting off a duplicate and popping it after a three-count.

“Sorry about that.”

“The fuck kid? Why the hell would you give hints about your location to a guy who wants to murder you,” Red Hood fumed, standing to slam his hands on the table.

“That will cost you two meetings with aliens,” he winked, putting a finger to his lips.

“That’s quite a high price considering you only asked for one meeting to learn the supposed summoning circle for the Lord of the Dead.”

Danny spun around at the unfamiliar voice, only to be met with Superman. He gaped.

“Sorry for the delay, I’m Superman, Kryptonian alien extraordinaire,” he topped off the introduction with a dramatic bow before landing gently on the ground. 

“I hear you have a lot of questions for me,” he smiles, holding up a hand when Danny opens his mouth to reply. “But first, I believe you promised my friends a summoning circle?”

Danny pouts.

“Yeah, I did,” he sighs, turning to Batman. “Got a pen and paper?”

___________________________________________________________

Tag: @bathildaburp @cannibalisticphantom @thegatorsgoose @skulld3mort-1fan @starmee-lodurrson @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @sometimesthingsfallapart @osnii @coruscateselene @jaytriesstuff @seraphinedemort @ver-444 @impulsiveasshole @meira-3919 @apointlessbox @gunebugfic @starsblader4rise @screamingtofillthevoid @may-rbi @tired-yet-awaken @readerzj @lazy-bouqet @the-church-grimm @astirdreaming @bun-fish @punderfulfandoms @ispyblu @phoenixdemonqueen @cutelittlebeanie @we-ezer @treepainting @jerithe @all-eyes-no-dragon @addie-lover-of-stories @overtherose @akavincent @nappinginhell @naluforever3 @icepopstar5105us @itsloveleo @spooky-fm @undead-essence @nutcase8691 @promptingwips @zelabee @vythika96 @escelia @heartsong18 @gin2212 @ballzfrog @farmercale @ introvert-even-on-the-internet @jaggedheart11 @coruscateselene @snekullent

[nahoney22]

Heyyyyy love, I absolutely love everything you write. I have an itty bitty request!

Would you be able to write a cute fluffy fic with a plus sized female reader with tech with just a touch of spice to it?

You could also make it fun and do one for all the batch members?

Please and thank you if you can!! 🥰🥰

*fun fact - I made that tech edit many moons ago so I’m happy to see it still be used! 🥰🥹*

Embracing the Curves***

All Bad Batch Boys X F!Reader

warnings: Mild NSFW, suggestive themes, plus sized female reader, confident reader (we’re all beautiful plus size or not!), mentions of a busty reader in some parts. Tech and Hunters parts are with an established relationship, others are not.

Authors note: decided to do small one shots for each of them in this post, write more for Tech and Echo because… it’s them ♥️ hope that’s okay with you @clonehoe- sorry for the wait !!!

Masterlist

Tech

Tech was watching you work with great interest, proud of the progress you had made in learning all the tips and tricks necessary for ship repairs. As he observed you beneath the control panel, clad in a snug tank top and form-fitting black pants that accentuated your every curve, he couldn't help but feel his heart rate skyrocket.

"Has the light come on yet?" you asked, your voice slightly muffled by the spanner between your teeth as you glanced up at him for assistance. The ship was scorching hot and it didn’t help that you were settled on a planet that had two suns to add to the heat. The heat system has always been faulty and despite you telling Tech you wanted to focus on fixing that, he was set in you fixing the hyperdrive first.

"Not yet. Try rotating the wiring counterclockwise. That should do the trick," he replied, his voice strained as he watched you work under his guidance. "There it is..." he murmured, his gaze darting to the lights above the control panel as you worked to fix the hyperdrive. "Good girl," he added, his endearment causing a flurry of excitement in your stomach.

Despite the nickname making you momentarily lose your concentration and hit your head against the side of the panel, you managed to remain focused on the task at hand. "Is it working now?" you asked, seeking confirmation with a smile as you wiped sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand.

"Yes, I have to say, I'm very impressed with your skills," he said, helping you out from under the control panel until you plopped down in a nearby seat to catch your breath.

"Yeah?" you asked, seeking reassurance.

"Absolutely," he replied, though his eyes were preoccupied with the alluring contours of your physique. "Perfect," he added, struggling to meet your gaze.

You couldn't help but smirk as you watched Tech struggle to keep his composure under your teasing gaze. Folding your arms over your chest, you subtly pushed your bust up to enhance your assets, causing Tech to wipe the steam that had suddenly formed on his goggles.

"Anything in particular that you're impressed with?" you asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"W-well, it's hard not to be entranced by you looking the way you do while working under my command," he stammered, sitting up straight and tucking away his data pad. "I've adored your appearance since the first day we met, and seeing you all - forgive me - sweaty and wearing tight clothes is quite a fever dream," he added, his words causing a blush to rise on his cheeks.

You stood up slowly and took a couple of steps towards Tech, tilting his chin up to meet your gaze. "That's very sweet of you to say, Tech," you replied, your voice dripping with false innocence and a hint of teasing. "I am feeling a little sweaty though. Perhaps a shower would cool me down," you hinted, hoping he would pick up on your not-so-subtle suggestion.

Tech stood up abruptly, his hands flying to your waist and his fingers digging into your fleshy skin. "Perhaps since you helped me repair my ship, I could help you get freshened up," he offered, his lips trailing down your neck and over your chest despite the sweat that covered your skin.

"Eager, are we?" you asked, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and suppressing a sweet sigh.

"Very much so," Tech groaned, holding you as close as possible. The two of you were rarely alone on the overcrowded ship, and with his brothers gone on a mission, Tech wasn't about to waste the opportunity to map out your whole body with his tongue.

Echo

"Trooper, what appears to be the issue?" Your entrance into the medbay had Echo stunned, his eyes locked onto your stunning, curvaceous figure and beautiful eyes.

He found himself gaping, struggling to find his words as he wished he had accepted help from the medical droid instead of being left in this state of awe.

"Trooper?"

Apologising for his silence, Echo managed to inform you of his injury to his femur that he sustained during a mission that had left him more grumpy than usual but your soft smile and calm presence helped to ease his nerves. Though, he was a little preoccupied on how your uniform was snug but not to the point it looked bad. It look really good.

He always took himself for a gentleman but as he gapes at you with hungry eyes, it was hard not to get enthralled by you.

You sat down next to him with a datapad, ready to take notes. "Can you tell me how this happened?" you asked with a soft smile.

Echo explained that he sustained the injury during a mission when heavy debris fell on him. You expressed sympathy and asked, "Are you in any pain, sweetie?" You were surprised by the endearment that slipped out of your mouth, although neither of you mentioned it. Then again, you did think he was much cuter than any other clone he had seen.

"Just a little, not as much as before," Echo replies steadily, hoping his blushing cheeks aren't too noticeable.

"I see. Have you been taking any medication for it?"

“No ma’am,”

You nod in understanding and stand to your feet again, placing your device to the side and slide on a pair of gloves. “Do I have permission to touch your leg to feel for any breaks?”

“Yes please.”

You both blink at one another and the quick realisation of what Echo just said sunk in fast but, you were blushing which was a good sign… wasn’t it?

“I mean, uh, do what you have to do ma’am.” He clears his throat, keeping his eyes diverted away from you but you could only smile at him in return and proceed to gently caress his thigh.

“Does it hurt here?” You ask, adding gentle pressure.

“No,” He says through gritted teeth, absolutely loving the touch of your hands on him - even if you were a stranger and even if it was simply your job.

“And here?” You ask again, applying pressure to a different area and as he winced in pain, your question was answered.

After a few more assessments, you highlighted that his femur isn’t fractured, only bruised and should heal naturally on its own. As you give the diagnosis, it went through one ear and out the other because again, his eyes being to wander and land on your hips as you turn away but caught him looking as you turn back to him.

You place your hands to your hips and smirk, “See something you like, Trooper?”

Echo’s eyes widened and he mumbled a thousand apologies at once, stumbling off the bed and thanking you for the help. You had a inkling that you may be seeing him again sometime. Well, you hoped so.

Hunter

Watching you work out was one of Hunter's favourite pastimes. The day was sweltering, and you naturally dressed in less clothing than usual for your workouts.

"Can I join you?" Hunter approaches you with a grin, sporting nothing but shorts that accentuated his tanned and toned body in the sunlight.

Finding yourself gaping in awe at his body too, you can only smirk back, slipping into a fighting stance and recalling every technique that Hunter had taught you. "How could I say no to you?" You ask and as you move, sweat drips from your body, enhancing your already alluring figure and heightening Hunter's senses.

"Good form," he compliments, stepping closer to you. His tone hints at his admiration for not only your workout performance but also your physique.

"Oh really?" You turn your head to glance at him, your eyes twinkling with amusement. "Why don't you demonstrate some other stances for me?"

Hunter relishes in the playful tone of your voice and steps up behind you, placing his hands tenderly on your hips, which he always yearns to touch. "Angle your body to the left and add a bounce to your knees," he instructs, guiding you through the movement. Though he knows you are capable of executing the exercise on your own, he can't resist the opportunity to have his hands on you.

You follow his directions but find yourself a little distracted by his touch. Even with his heightened senses, it feels as though Hunter is transferring his energy to you as his fingers caress the curves of your hips, trailing down to your thighs and back up to your arse, sending shivers down your spine. “Hunter…” you find yourself moaning his name, earning a low chuckle.

“Don’t get distracted by me,” he breathes down the nape of your neck but with his bare torso against your back and his hands roaming your body, it was so hard not to.

Wrecker

Wrecker had always admired your body, but it was your thighs that truly captivated him. At first, he was drawn in by your beauty, and it took some time for him to realize the full extent of his fascination. It wasn't until he saw you wearing shorts to bed one night that he truly understood the power of your curvy legs.

Now, as you lay on your cot reading a holobook, legs propped up in the air, Wrecker found himself once again unable to tear his gaze away from your thighs. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice you watching him until you decide to speak up.

"May I make you an offer, Wrecker?" You asked, and he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of your voice. He cleared his throat and tried to act casual as he responded.

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you promise to stop staring at my legs all the time, I'll let you come over and give them a massage," you smirk, lowering your holobook to look him in the eye. Wrecker felt his face flush with embarrassment. Had it been so obvious that he couldn't take his eyes off you?

He started to stammer out an apology, but you cut him off with a wave of her hand and a soft smile.

"I don't mind," you say, sitting up until you’re sitting on your legs and teasingly entice him over by beckoning him with your finger. “I like to think they’re my best assets,” you comment, patting your legs that made them subtly jiggle which almost made him drop his helmet he was cleaning.

“Well, they are pretty.” He stands and comes closer until he sits on the edge of your bed watching you shift from your current position to you sat with them laid out. “Did ya mean your offer?” He asks, fingers twitching to reach out and touch your skin.

“I did,” you smirk, “go ahead.”

His hands come down to your thighs, large and rough yet gentle as he caresses your skin. He watches you for your reaction and as you tilt your head back and sigh in satisfaction, he knew he made the right choice in accepting your offer.

Crosshair

Crosshair watched as you struggled to hit the bottles he had set up as targets. He shook his head in disapproval and clicked his tongue, his new found admiration for you mingling with his frustration at your poor performance. But, he couldn’t help but also admire the view of you.

"You're doing it all wrong," he chided from the sidelines. To which, you let out a heavy sigh and nearly threw the rifle to the ground in frustration.

"I'm standing exactly where you told me to," you huffed, earning an eye roll from Crosshair. He approaches you, a small smirk on his lips as he positioned himself behind you.

"No, you're not," he teased, but he softened his tone as he sensed your frustration growing. "Stand here," he instructed, pointing to a spot next to him.

Reluctantly, you obeyed, standing close to him as he instructed you to raise the rifle and relax your shoulders. Crosshair watched you with his sharp eyes, feeling a sense of power as he towered over you.

"Okay, now what?" You asked, breath steady as you glanced back at him. You couldn't help but feel weak in the knees whenever he looked at you like that. He always had a hold over you, and him being so close to you now didn't help.

"Don't look at me, look at the target," he commanded. His voice, which usually dripped with venom, was surprisingly soft and alluring.

Turning away, you let out a small and surprised gasp as his hands come to your waist but to your surprise, he let out a small gasp himself.

“Wow princess,” he cooed, his fingers melting against the curve of your body, “I always knew you had a beautiful body but to touch it… stunning.” He breathes down your neck.

Your eyes widened at his words but you succumbed quickly to his touch, your back pressed against his chest as his hands begin to roam your body. “Y-you like my body?” You question with a hint of insecurity but your question is answered as he finally places his lips to your neck.

“I love,” he sighs, caressing your body from over your clothes, “every inch.”

You end up dropping his weapon eventually, it clanging to the floor with a thud and as you go to apologise, he spins you to face him, close and dominant. “Screw it,” he grunts, devouring your lips with his own.

That was enough teaching for one day…

Masterlist

My Kofi

Tags: @nunanuggets @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @megafrost4 @theroguesully @equalityforcats @mustluvecho @misogirl828 @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @chxpsi @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @seriowan @agenteliix @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @imalovernotahater @swiftiexstarwarssimp @the-good-shittt @whore4rex @imperialclaw801 @temple-elder @erellenora

[heyclickadee]

A couple things:

1. The thing is, I actually don’t really think we’re done with the bad batch, for a variety of reasons. There’s too much unresolved, for one thing, and “end of this chapter with these characters” is not how anyone says, “We’re never touching this again.” I really do think we’re getting an immediate follow up with more of a focus on Rex and Echo, but that the rest of the bad batch will still pop in from time to time, giving all of them a chance to round out the last little bit of their stories and character arcs—because they are all just a little bit undercooked. (For example: Crosshair doesn’t even get lines after Tantiss, and the last thing he says about himself takes him from implicitly to explicitly suicidal. The hug is beautiful and cements his place as part of the family, but we never get a moment where he forgives himself or no longer believes that he deserves to die. His redemption arc is magnificent, but it needs that last little push to feel fully resolved).

And, for another variety of reasons, I actually do still think we’ll be getting Tech back in one way or another. So much of what is left unresolved in TBB forms a chalk outline around a Tech-shaped void, for one. The writers aren’t committed enough to have come up with a decent reason for why he had to go in the first place—stakes does not cut it and is actively undermined by never treating it like a character death—for another. They were, at the very least, not committed enough to actually kill him. Tech is the only character in a show that loves making us watch who doesn’t die on screen, and the only one who’s “death” moves nothing forward and is never treated like an actual death. And we have no definitive proof he actually died, for another. (Even if he was CX-2—CX-2 got “killed” two other times on screen and popped up five minutes later each time like a daisy. If you do that you’re going to have to burn the body and scatter the ashes for me to think he’s dead, impalement or no. Besides, you can’t definitively kill a main character via subtext. You still have to be clear and direct.) And Tech has too many callback lines and potential survival foreshadowing for someone to never tug on them at some point, for another. You’d have to kill me to keep me from doing something with, “Better late than dead.” Basically, tl:dr, I think Tech will come back someday, whether they have plans or not.

Because I can’t really get on board with the idea that The Bad Batch was just always badly written. I can’t agree with that. It was never perfect, of course, but it was always remarkably well written and thematically consistent for 46 straight episodes and then tripped on the chalk of the finish line. Besides, I’ve never seen bad writing that was perfectly set up amazing writing if all they did was one simple thing—ie, follow through with what they set up. It’s not that the ending is bad, it’s that it’s bad in this particularly insane way. If it was just normal bad, I’d have dropped The Bad Batch like a rock by now and done my best to forget I’d ever watched it. But because it’s bad like this—basically, a non-ending that resolves nothing but Hunter’s Cut Lawquane arc, Rampart (which was good, actually), and the problem of Hemlock continuing to draw breath (which was just the last major obstacle in Hunter’s Cut Lawquane arc, so it’s not even a separate thing) and answers NO questions—I’m obsessed.

And I can’t get behind the idea that The Bad Batch ending is like this and that we got shorted a Tech return because they got shorted a season. I’ve seen many serialized animated shows that got shorted a season or more, and what every one of them did was cut out everything they could in the middle so that they could get to the resolution they wanted, squash the originally planned last season’s arcs into the actual last season—not leave those arcs undone and the resolution out. The only way them being shorter a season works as an explanation for all of this is if the creative team found out season three was the last at the same time we did. And even then, the solution there would have been to take out five minutes of fight scene and replace it with five minutes of resolving everything in the short and stupid but still THERE way.

For example: Give Wrecker and Crosshair one line each after Tantiss that tells us what they’re going to do. Unmask CX-2 as Tech after spearing him (or don’t spear him) and add one line where Hunter says he’s recovering and that it’ll be a long road, but they won’t give up on him. Or! If you don’t want to bring Tech back in the short and stupid but there way, add a line to the epilogue where Hunter tells Omega, “I see Tech when I look at you sometimes. I don’t want to lose you the way we lost him,” which seems like a no brainer, or, “Tech would have been so proud of you,” which is absolutely a no-brainer if you actually want to close things out for Tech. Tech would still be gone, but at least it’d be resolved, and that’s all short, simple stuff you could add to the very last episode to make it feel finished. If you’re shorted a season or even a few episodes, you cut everything that doesn’t matter, you do whatever you can to get your story resolved—unless you have somewhere else to put it. Which, given how open Star Wars canon is and how heavily it relies on recontextualization, is a very real possibility here.

What I think may have happened here is that The Bad Batch ended up being the first part of a longer story that had to be artificially cut in half. Whether it was always planned that way, whether it was something that unexpectedly happened partway through the production of season three, or a secret third option (the creative team set things up to to be resolved in three seasons but always wanted to do a longer version, but the longer version (in the form of another show) didn’t get greenlit until they’d already written most of season three, so all the payoff got schlorped over to that follow up show while the payoff stayed in this one, leaving us, the audience, with this incredibly unsatisfying mess of a finale in the meantime while whoever is in charge of announcing shit at Lucasfilm doesn’t see the problem). Put a pin in CX-2, slap something that looks like a happy ending on the rest, resolve nothing, do it all in the next thing.

(Slight sidebar: If it turns out that the reason we didn’t get Tech back is because something went horrifically wrong during the writer’s strike—basically, the finale got hit with extreme budget cuts and the script patched by AI—I think we’d still get Tech back. Tech in the first two seasons was something of a writer blorbo, and no one is leaving their blorbo dead over that. That’s a good way for them to bring back their blorbo and have that blorbo murder the hell out of a thinly disguised CEO insert.)

And if that’s what we’re looking at—well, okay. I can see wanting to give certain things (especially a Tech return) more time. If this is what’s happening I actually think it will be more satisfying in the long run, from a story perspective, anyway. I’ll be able to live with that.

That said….

2. If that’s the case—if what we’re looking at is a story artificially split in half one way or another and we are getting a Tech return and the rest of the resolution eventually in an immediate follow up, something that will ultimately work really well in the long run—that doesn’t mean I think it works now. Right now, it’s awful, from every angle. We don’t know for sure that anything else is coming, it makes for a deeply unsatisfying story right now because the “ending” we have is all we have to go on, and it’s unnecessarily stressful for most everyone but especially the autistic fans who relate to Tech.

And the thing is, if Tech were neurotypical? I don’t think we’d really be question the idea that he could still come back eventually. He’s a clear writer favorite to the point that they basically gave him the entirety of season two, except the two Crosshair episodes, great lines and moments in other character’s episodes, and they apparently liked using him so much that either CX-2 was Tech or they physically couldn’t stop themselves from writing and animating Tech in a season he wasn’t in. Killing off one of the writer faves and the fan favorite in order to bring them back later is something that happens. But it’s something that hits differently when that writer and fan favorite is also the only canonically autistic character in the franchise.

Which. Is I think where we run into a problem. You see, I never really got the impression that the creative team ever thought of Tech as The Autistic One. Does that mean I think the didn’t write him as autistic? Of course not—they absolutely did, and did so intentionally. What I mean is that that wasn’t the sum total or even the primary way in which they thought of him, otherwise I think we would have ended up with a terrible Sheldon-Cooper-esque. Instead, the Tech they wrote, and the Tech we got, is just a guy. A really amazing guy who’s noticeably different and autistic AF, but treated like any other character. And on the one hand, great! I know people have a lot of different ideas about this, but I personally want writers to deal with autistic characters that way—to just write us like we’re people. And if what they’re doing is bringing Tech back later and on a longer timeframe than what we expected—also great. It means that all the ambiguity, hinting, and complete and total lack of processing or closure makes sense, because that’s how you write a fakeout death. That’s textbook how you write a fakeout death. But—but—

The flip-side of just treating Tech like any other character and, perhaps, playing a long game with “killing” him off and bringing him back later like someone would do with a fan favorite, if that’s what they’re doing, is that you end up in the situation that we’re in right now. The interim situation where it feels like Tech’s sacrifice was never given the weight it needed to feel final or meaningful, where we’re given no closure and no opportunity to let go, where we DON’T know if anything is coming next even if we do get hints, where Tech got dropped, where nothing makes sense, and where the autistic fans in the audience who relate to Tech feel like Star Wars kicked them in the face and told them that they don’t belong here.

So.

I want this to be a long game, and I do think this could, one, be a situation where they team is having to work around some kind of corporate shenanigans to play that long game, and; two, could end up being a fantastic story that I love even more than the version I wanted.

But even if I’m right and that is the case, I also hate that this is where we’re at in the here and now, that it’s hurt people as badly as it has, and think that they should never do anything like this again, because the game stopped being fun a long time ago.

tl;dr: I don’t think we’re done yet, I think this is part of a longer story, I think we’ll get Tech back at some point whether it was planned or not, but I also hhhaaaaaatte the current situation and think it’s been mishandled.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Which of your dogs do you think is the best faceclaim for Cranberry? Lol

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮 (moar doggo)

So I based her entirely off Cassy, EXCEPT in my brain because she lives in California, Cranberry doesn't have snow nose. If you'll notice, Cassy's nose has lost colouring. This is a normal condition in Goldens where the blood vessels retreat due to the cold. Cranberry's nose would remain black.

63 for Cranberry!:

---

“I killed Cranberry!” He sobs into his hands. “She’s going to die and you’re going to hate me forever!”

Buck’s heart cracks right there inside his chest. He rests a hand on Christopher’s back and starts rubbing big, soothing circles. 

“That’s not going to happen,” he promises. “I don’t think Cranberry is going to die. But, e-even if she did, Christopher, I wouldn’t hate you. I could never hate you.”

“You’re mad at me!” 

Buck considers how to respond to this. He is obviously mad. There’s no point denying that, is there?

“Yeah. I am angry with you,” Buck admits. “I’m angry you’d give Cranberry medicine without asking me first, or open the medicine at all. That’s dangerous. But just because I’m mad, doesn’t mean I hate you.”

Chris looks up a little, not totally meeting Buck’s eyes, but not hiding, either. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I wanted to make her feel better.”

“I know you didn’t mean to hurt her,” Buck says. “But it can’t happen again, okay?”

“It won’t,” Chris promises. “I promise, Buck. I’m sorry.”

“I know you’re sorry,” Buck says. “I forgive you, Chris.”

“You do?”

“‘Course I do.” Buck tells him. “Listen, Chris… I know I’m not your dad. And we’ve had to adjust a lot living together these past months. But I love you, kiddo. No matter what, even if we make mistakes or get angry with each other.”

Chris twists and throws his arms around Buck. The action takes him by surprise. Buck returns the hug, squeezing Chris softly.

“It’s okay, bud,” Buck says, still rubbing his back. 

“I love you, too, Buck,” Chris mumbles. 

Not even half an hour later, the vet tech brings Cranberry back out. This time, Chris comes out of the car to hear the verdict. 

“She’s going to be just fine,” the vet tech says. “We induced vomiting, gave some IV fluids to flush her system, and we think we’ve avoided any major concerns.”

“Thank you so much,” Buck exhales. The relief is so palpable he feels his legs shaking. “Seriously, thank you!”

“No more Tylenol, okay boys?” The vet tech points a stern look in Chris’ direction. 

“I promise,” Chris mutters sheepishly. 

“Let’s get her home,” Buck says, lifting Cranberry. 

He is more than ready to put this whole thing behind them. 

🦮🦮🦮

He obviously has to tell Eddie. He doesn’t want to narc on Chris, but it’s not the sort of incident to let slide. 

“He already feels bad enough, though, and we already talked,” Buck tells Eddie over FaceTime later that night. “So I don’t think he needs a proper punishment or anything.”

“Jesus, Buck. I am so sorry.” Eddie rubs his temples. “How much did the vet trip cost? I’ll send you the money, okay?” 

“Eddie, no. Come on. I’m not going to make you do that.”