#Original Clone Character: Bolt

[mamuzzy-creates-stuff]

CORRIE OC MASTERLIST

Collection of my corrie OCs and art. Finally had the time to make a masterlist for them and decided to put all of them in one place ^^ If you have questions about my OCs, don't hesitate to ask!

I don't do rp on this blog, but if you interact with one of my characters with yours through askbox, I may respond with an art work!

ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ

JULY 2023

「CMO Headshot」 [ART]

13/07/2023 |OC: Headshot, Commander Fox | Sketchbook| My first sketch about Headshot and his ridiculously stylish everything | Not to be confused with Deadshot! | 

AUGUST 2023

「Corries」 [ART]

30/08/2023 | OC: Vorn, OC: Blaze, OC: Bolt | Incorrect Quote | Sketchbook| Little lore about my corrie OCs |

SEPTEMBER 2023

「Comfort a character: Fox」 [ART] 29/09/2023 | Commander Fox, OC: Headshot | Comfort a character prompt| We have a shared custody on Headshot with ithillia <3 |

DECEMBER 2023

「Culture shock(ed)trooper」 [Snippet]

10/12/2023 |OC: Lily, OC: Blaze, Corrie!Fives | Conversation about Lily’s photography, social media and drug habits | Warning: mentions of drugs | 

「Lily doing Lily-things」 [ART]

30/12/2023 |OC: Lily, OC: Vorn, OC: Blaze | OC lore | Corey you’ve made me the happiest person with this request TT__TT |

JANUARY 2024

「Lily in the club」 [ART]

28/01/2024 | OC: Lily | Prettiest flower of the 79’s |

「Selfie with Blaze」 [ART] 

28/01/2024 | OC: Lily, OC: Blaze | Companion art for Lily in the Club |

「Glasses make you classy」 [ART]

31/01/2024 | Commander Fox, OC: Headshot | Sketchbook | Headshot wears glasses to look more mature, Fox wears Headshot’s glasses to annoy him | 

FEBRUARY 2024

「City boy gets intimidated by war veteran’s huge equipment」 [ART]

Not a cloneship, but I’m a very mature person so the dialogue is purposefully written as cockmeasuring 18/02/2024 | Clone Trooper Kix, OC: Headshot | Kix tries to befriend the corrie medic |

「Life after O66」 [ART]

18/02/2024 | OC: Lily, OC: Blaze, OC: Vorn, OC: Headshot, OC: Pons, OC: Angel, Commander Fox, Commander Thorn, Commander Thire | ARTs and rambling about OC’s and how they life will be after Order 66 | WARNING: Mentions of canon character's deaths, mentions of suicide, actual suicide and visual depiction of it, nudity but genitals are not visible. Coruscant Guard has cultish vibes. 

「Corrie Medical Team」 [ART]

18/02/2024 | OC: Headshot, OC: Pons, OC: Angel | That art about the medical team from Life after O66 post. | It’s just three of them being not alright. | 

「Imperial!Lily」 [ART]

21/02/2024| OC: Lily | Basically that art about Lily from the Life after O66 post | He is not alright | 

「Reggest reg ever regged from the reg manual」 [ART]

29/02/2024 | Corrie!Fives, OC: Blaze, ithillia’s OC: Snake | Fives has a rough time adapting to his new environment | 

MARCH 2024

「Gems of the Republic」 [FIC]

03/03/2024 | OC: Blaze, OC: Vorn | Ficlet about a little bit of nothing, corrie guard Blaze and Vorn having a lighthearted conversation during patrol, and oh, there is unhealthy amount of mention of piss. Wordcount around 700.

「Corrie Medical Officer Pons」 [ART] 

03/03/2024 | OC: Pons, OC: Angel, OC: Jason, OC: Headshot | Art and lore of Pons |

[mamuzzy]

These corrie boys arrested me for the serious crime of not drawing them before and they'd promise to let me leave if I give them a body. They LIED. I'm still in my mind-prison. They won't let me leave. They also won't leave. They now live in my head rent-free 0-24. I love drawing armors. I love drawing clones in armors. But not the helmet. And I just realised that the phase I corrie armor is not that decorative or intimidating compared to phase II. Keep reeding if you are interested in these dork OC's mine!

CT-3319 is rather young and his infinite fiery nature radiates to anyone near him, either making them smile at his cadet-energy... or getting slapped into orbit just to fall back and burn in the athmosphere. Thus he gets the name: Blaze. He also set a corrie-speeder on fire once. Blaze: IT. WAS. AN. ACCIDENT. Vorn: You are an accident. Blaze came from a batch that was released before they reached the end of their training on Kamino. Hearing the rumors of the Coruscant Guard before, how the work of their red brothers are undignified and considered shameful comparing the heroic deeds GAR soldiers achieve on daily basis, he was terrified to be assigned to Coruscant, away from his batchers and the promise of glory. It was Vorn (CT-5231), a dutiful soldier of Commander Fox's Department of Planetary Defense, who reluctantly took him under his wings making him Ori'vod to Blaze in the process of integrating the shiny into the daily life of the Guard. But Vorn isn't the easiest to get along with, one of the veterans of Geonosis had an attitude of tiger he got his name of. Fiery, passionate, and claws always ready to slash for his brothers. Nowadays Blaze and Vorn relationships isn't as close as it used to be, given that Blaze has found his place in the Guard due to his friendly and social nature and Blaze would die of embarrassment to call him Ori'Vod again out of affection and adoration. But Vorn won't let him forget where did he come from and teases his "oh-so-grown-up-little-brother" to death every chance he gets. As for the third trooper hanging from the beams... every department of the Guard has its own weirdos (aside from the commanders themselves) and Commander Thorn's Diplomatic Service is not an exception. A sniper, previously served on the frontlines, clearly loves high places. And freaking out his brothers while at it. But Bolt's story is for another day. (The Coruscant Guard doesn't have enough named troopers so I try to help to change this tendecy. Blaze, Vorn, Bolt are all OC's of mine, if you wish to use them please don't forget to credit and @ me so I can see what are these menaces up to! Thank you!)

[dragonpyre]

Watched Fallen Order and I think Cal should have had a bad batch clone to be his big brother post Purge, so like. Here he is.

Commission info / ko-fi

[thecoffeelorian]

Hold My Hand (Crosshair x Reader)

Premise: This is the third installment of...what should have been a one-shot, but here we all are a long while later, so it's probably best to just keep on going down this road to see where it leads. Anyway, Part One was Understanding and Part Two was Red Flags, so if you haven't checked those out yet, feel free to do so now.

Story Notes: One small thing about the tagging system, if I didn't say it already: I hope to make a few more updates for this series, so just in case I am, in fact, keeping the folks who want to read and reblog in the loop, please don't hesitate to do so when you are able. If I'm not...you're welcome to ignore this from here on in, and I'll eventually stop tagging you altogether. Thank you, goodnight, and good luck.

Special Notes: As ever, the header was made by @stars-n-spice. Also, little shout-out to @talesfrommedinastation for inspiring me to use a form of sign language between two characters, one that was originally invented for speaking in deep space when the commlinks didn't work, and also mostly inspired by something similar in "The Expanse".

No-Pressure Tags:

@momojedi @moonstrider9904 @calicos-clones @bigboypantstime @youreababboon

@tink1221 @ms-grassi @galaxyglittering @ah-prick24 @littlefeatherr

@donntmindmejustwandering @housepartyfortwo @beatthisbi @urmomsmattress @mysticalgalaxysalad

@groguandthebadbatch @pendustt @weirdest-lights @flyiingsly @courtney0-0

@emmaflame1336 @briefexpertdeer @shadow-rebel-223 @littlemammoth69 @theosb0rnway

@shazkenobi @reader6898 @maxims-multifandom-corner @monster20045 @darkangel4121

@nevadastarrsworld @thatacefr @crosshair-lover @bennieandthejets-5 @jamine-boi-124

@lani03sstuff @ttzamara @beezez-blog @myeternalsin @sublimeclodkidcolor

@nish-xiii @ash04w3 @clonereeses @lllllmm @melymigo and anybody else looking for a tale that doesn't end in disaster.

🩶 It's my fault.

🩶 This one simple sentence, this confession, jolts through both you and Omega like a blaster bolt. It's more than enough to make the tears start forming in her eyes, and the questions to build up in yours.

🩶 He doesn't seem to be done talking yet, though, because what spills out of him next speaks volumes.

🩶 "I thought they would--protect us, but they lied. They've been lying this whole time."

🩶 By this point, his hand is shaking so much that you don't think about it, that you don't dare to ask any more questions for fear of making an already painful thing several times worse.

🩶 Rather, you're just moving in to take a gentle hold upon it, if only to offer him whatever comfort that you can.

🩶 To your own comfort, though, he doesn't flinch, pull away, or start telling you off in front of Omega even though you would understand perfectly if he did.

🩶 Instead, whatever's causing all of his ills today eases just a little at the moment of contact with you, because the next thing you both know, his panicked breathing is slowing down and his tense posture starts to loosen up.

🩶 This moment can't last very long, though, because as Omega quietly reminds you, she still has to call home and she thought she heard voices calling in the distance. There is literally no time to lose.

🩶 In turn, you don't mind bringing both of your guests to the old spaceport that used to be your family's business during the war, but since then has had to be converted to a ship repair shop like several more wartime industries have done on your planet. However, there are still a few things you can use here, because you haven't exactly let everything go to rust.

🩶 One of these things is the communication console, a somewhat rusted thing, but still able to access encrypted links like the one on board the Marauder. It's here that Omega hears the voices of her surviving brothers for the first time in what feels like forever, and like any other missing child would do, she's able to let a few relieved sobs out of her system.

🩶 She's also composed herself enough to plan her next few steps, for her next move is to go straight to one of Ryloth's moons for a pick-up...or so she tells the two men on the other end of this line.

🩶 You can only hope that this means she wants to surprise them, guaranteeing two returns of lost family members for the price of one flight, as the old sale slogan goes.

🩶 At this same time, though, Crosshair's got a surprise of his own, for as Omega's busy talking, he's busy signaling to you without saying a word. It's the old spacewalk sign language, the one developed by the first workers within the asteroid belt for when their comms stopped working...and right now, he's telling you that he won't be following Omega down the ramp when the time comes.

🩶 How come, you sign back, a look of confusion upon your face. Don't you want to go with her?

🩶 They'll be looking for two clones traveling together, not separately...and besides, I already know I won't be welcome there.

🩶 Oh...? And where do you plan to go, if not with her?

🩶 I'll improvise. Now...act natural.

🩶 Both of you fall awkwardly silent as Omega finishes her comm; then skips back to you with the most heartbreaking of hopeful grins.

🩶 "They're coming to pick us up," she announces, twirling around in place like a happy little service droid. "We get to go home, home, home!"

🩶  "That's--that's great, Omega," Crosshair manages, forcing out the words as though trying not to choke on them. "Just--don't forget not to leave anything behind, all right?"

🩶  That's your cue to signal to them to go back to the house with you--you definitely have to hide the extra used dishes and utensils until further notice, what decent person wouldn't--but before you do, you're careful to make sure that the shop sign stays upon the word "Closed". The last thing anybody needs right now is some pushy customer demanding service.

🩶  Once you take all of the necessary precautions, though...you have to take just one more look around this little home of yours, if only to reassure yourself that you'll return to it soon, if not eventually.

🩶  After all, just like your mother used to say, the galaxy can be a huge, scary place.

[batshieroglyphics]

[FIC] Nothing But Bones ~ Star Wars Prequels ~ Alpha-17/Obi-Wan Kenobi ~ Mature

Title: Nothing But Bones Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Era Author: Batsutousai Rating: Mature Pairing: Alpha-17/Obi-Wan Kenobi, background cloneshipping Warnings: Alternate Universe, Order 66, post-Order 66, PTSD, non-binary clone troopers, survivor's grief, OC death, bad coping methods, original slave characters, miscommunication Summary: Alpha-17 finds Obi-Wan, after the galaxy's gone to hell.

Seventeen looked across at him. Kenobi had lowered the blaster, but he hadn't put it away. He looked tired, worn down and suspicious, and Seventeen found themself wanting to reach out to him, to pull him close and hug him, like Baar had done during bad nights on Kamino. (Somehow, they'd gone soft, in the years between Rattatak and now. They weren't certain how to feel about that.) "I thought you were dead," Seventeen admitted, knew from the way that Rokaia stiffened that she understood. They'd thought Kenobi would, too—they'd never been able to hide much from him, not with his Force—but he just sighed and asked, in a tired voice, "Why are you here, Seventeen?" Seventeen took a moment to debate all the possible answers to that, before saying, "I came here to die." Rokaia let out a sound like she'd been stabbed, while Kenobi just closed his eyes, looking tired and worn as thin as Seventeen felt. "Where's Cody?" Seventeen had to ask, because they couldn't imagine the little shit would allow their general out on his own, not when his mere existence was a crime. "Cody," Kenobi said, agony in his voice, "ordered me shot." Seventeen felt the words like a bolt in the gut, couldn't stop from staggering to the side, Rokaia dragged along with, shouting their name, until they could lean against the nearest wall, trying to catch their breath, to breathe through the horror of Cody, just another faceless body in armour, wanting the Jedi they'd sworn to Seventeen to guard with their life—on pain of a punishment spar or suicide runs or whatever punishment Seventeen thought would hurt enough—dead. Kriff, they did not need that nightmare fuel. They felt Rokaia pulling away from them, opened their eyes to look, see why, only to find Kenobi had approached, within easy reach, and Seventeen couldn't stop themself from reaching out, towards him, needing to touch, to know he was real. Kenobi flinched. Seventeen froze, hands outstretched, thought about pulling away. Stepping back. Leaving. (Their voice had ordered him shot; their face had stood for a mutiny, had stared blankly at the scene of a murder; they could not blame Kenobi if he wanted nothing to do with them.) Except, then, Kenobi reached out, catching one of Seventeen's hands with his own. Seventeen felt it like an electroshock, couldn't tell if they wanted to flinch back or lunge forward, and so was left trapped in stillness, watching Kenobi step forward, closer still, close enough that Seventeen could wrap their hands around his throat and squeeze. (They were a weapon, had always been, but they had never felt quite so dangerous around Kenobi before, not like this.) "Are you going to shoot me?" Kenobi asked, quiet. Something in Seventeen felt like it had cracked open, raw and bleeding, and they had to swallow down bile or a scream, they couldn't say which, before they could say, "No." Swallowed again, harder, and managed to add, "I'm gonna shoot Cody." Kenobi's smile was a bitter, brittle thing, and Seventeen couldn't resist, any more, the urge to pull him close, against their chest, and wrap their arms around him, ignoring his stiffness, the terror that they hadn't seen on Rattatak, not once, but fancied they could smell on him, now. Kenobi stayed stiff for a moment that dragged into hours and days, before he relaxed with a whispered, "Oh," and strong hands came up to clench at Seventeen's shoulders, tight enough to ache, to hopefully leave bruises deep, where they would throb for days, so Seventeen couldn't forget that this was real, that he was real. Here. Alive. "I thought you were dead," Seventeen said again, tried not to care when their voice cracked. "I'm not," Kenobi whispered, and squeezed Seventeen's shoulders, then pulled away.

You can read the whole fic on Archive of Our Own!

Please take pity on a poor starving author and reblog this post? (Doubly important for rare-pairs, y'all.)

[five-oh-thirst]

In Your Head

Pairing: Fox/Thorn

Summary: Fox has a hole in his memory that he can't seem to fix, and when he starts hallucinating about the clone he killed, it leads to dire consequences.

Tags & Warnings: 18+, character death, alcohol, drunkenness, hallucinations, paranoia, minor suicidal ideation, violence, whump

Word Count: 6.4k

Notes: So, this is a fic I wrote on my non-cloneshipping blog, and I repurposed it into a cloneship fic. All that I ask is that you please don't go looking for the original. I want to keep my two identities a secret. Thank you in advance 💙🫶💙

Read on AO3

Music Vibe:

Fox sat hunched over his desk and anxiously rapped his stylus against the side of his data-pad. He'd read the report five times now and each pass yielded the same results. His CC number was littered throughout the paragraphs, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember any of it.

He looked up at the chronometer again and shook his head. Time had moved, but he hadn't. He'd been sitting here at his desk doing flimsi-work since early morning, but the report stated otherwise.

It wasn't just the strange lost time that concerned Fox either, or the fact that his CC number was in a report. That was normal. What bothered him about this report was the fact that it clearly stated in paragraph four, line six, that he shot and killed a clone.

And no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't remember it. He hadn't moved from his desk, and yet, the timestamp put the incident at an hour ago. An hour ago he was at his desk. An hour ago he was doing flimsi-work.

Fox rapped his stylus faster and tapped his foot to match the rhythm, the nervous energy in his body escaping through the repetitive movements. He wouldn't shoot a clone without a reason, would he?

The Coruscant Guard had stunned countless rowdy reckless, and even dangerous clones, but a brother doesn't shoot another brother with the intent to kill. That's not part of their culture. Even 'bad' clones deserved to explain their actions, but those were few and far between.

It must've been a mistake–a typo. There had to be a logical explanation as to why his CC number was in the report even though he wasn't there. Still, he had this odd sinking feeling scratching at the back of his mind that it might not have been a mistake.

The clone he allegedly shot was from the 501st, from Torrent Company–one of Rex's men. Fox had sent a simple comm message to Rex offering his condolence, but Rex's silence worried him. It wasn't like Rex to leave a comm unanswered.

Fox dropped the data-pad onto his desk with a loud clack and his chair creaked when he leaned back. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and brushed the damp curls out of his eyes. It must have been a mistake. There was no other explanation.

He didn't have an explanation for the lost time, but there must've been a reason for that as well. Maybe he fell asleep. It's not impossible since he didn't get the best sleep. His caf was cold, so obviously time had passed since he last filled it.

The data-pad dinged and Fox leaned forward to see what the notification was for. He sighed and tapped on the icon to open it, and his brows furrowed as he read the new information. A surveillance holo-recording of the incident was now available and had been attached to the report.

Fox huffed. This should clear up everything. He tapped the icon to play the recording and watched intently. It was probably some trigger-happy shiny that he'd have a stern talking to later on… but it wasn't.

Fox's breath hitched and his eyes widened. That wasn't some random corrie. That was him. That was his armor. He had the fleeting thought that someone had stolen his armor and impersonated him, but he quickly realized he was still wearing it. He hadn't taken it off since he put it on that morning.

Panic rose in his gut and he continued to watch the recording. He flinched at the moment he pulled the trigger–a blaster bolt leaving the barrel instead of a stun bolt. He killed him. He killed a brother.

That explained why Rex never commed him back. Rex's emotional plea before the incident, Fox don't! stabbed him in the heart, turning his innocent condolence message into him just rubbing salt into an already egregious wound. The report noted the clone killed was ARC-5555–Fives–one of Rex's best men.

Fox only remembered the name because Rex sent him a holo-photo of his two new ARC troopers when they graduated. Rex was so proud. Then he lost one on Lola Sayu, and today, he lost the other–because of him.

Fox had seen and read enough. It was him, he knew that much, but he still didn't remember being there. He didn't remember aiming his blaster, or flicking the safety off, or giving a warning, or pulling the trigger. It was like he was sleepwalking, even though not a single clone out of millions had ever been noted to do so on record.

He found it even more odd that he was on-scene for the shooting and then left. It wasn't like him to leave a scene without getting statements or starting his report. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even write this report. If he didn't, then who did?

Fox yelled in frustration and kicked the leg of his desk. Why couldn't he remember? How could he have forgotten he shot and killed a brother? How could he have forgotten Rex's voice begging him not to? How could he have forgotten leaving his office or coming back?

Fox felt sick. Not only had he killed a brother, but he also killed one of Rex's–a beloved brother. With Rex's radio silence, he probably lost Rex too. Fox didn't blame him. Not after watching the footage. He would hate himself too, and he did.

Fox pulled a ring of keys from his belt pouch and inserted one into the lock on the bottom desk drawer. It clicked and he pulled it open, revealing a small stash of alcohol resting against the back. The glass bottles clinked together as he searched for a specific one.

Finding it, he pulled it out of the drawer and placed it on his desk. He leaned down to grab a glass, hesitated, then closed the drawer without taking it. He twisted the cap off the bottle, grabbed the neck, and tilted the opening to his lips. It was time to forget even more.

"Fox?" Thorn whispered as he peered into the dark office. "Are you in here?"

Fox groaned in response. His torso rested on top of his desk and the side of his face lay on the cool surface with one hand loosely wrapped around an almost empty glass bottle.

Thorn sighed and shook his head. "What are you doing, Fox?"

"Go away," Fox said, his words slurred and his body twitched.

Thorn ignored Fox's inebriated order and pulled up a chair to sit opposite the desk. "Talk to me."

"Nothin'... to talk about."

"You're drunk while on duty," Thorn said. He grabbed the bottle out of Fox's loose grip and set it out of reach. "Why don't we start with that?"

Fox slowly picked his head up to look at Thorn, and he struggled to keep it steady. "Usen'ye," he spat, then laid his head back down on the desk so the room would stop spinning.

Thorn tapped his fingers against the desk surface next to Fox's head to get his attention and Fox flinched at the magnified sound. "I read the report."

Fox groaned, but this time with more indignation.

Thorn crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. "I've got all night."

"You're so… annoying," Fox said as he slowly picked his head back up to look at his stupid boyfriend. "You know… that?"

Thorn smirked. "Part of my charm."

"Kark… ing… banthas… have more charm." Fox's head swayed as he tried to keep it upright. "You're ugly… too."

Thorn rolled his eyes. "You're getting off topic."

"Why… are you… even here?" Fox asked. He reached for the bottle and Thorn leaned over to move it again.

"You killed a vod," Thorn said flatly.

Fox huffed. "What... do you… know about it?"

"Nothing," Thorn said with a shrug. "That's why I'm here. To talk to you about it, because clearly it's affecting you."

Fox reached for the bottle again and Thorn moved it again. "I'm… not effective."

Thorn raised an eyebrow, stifling a chuckle. "Yeah, I can see that. You can't even talk straight."

"Blow it out your… exhaust port," Fox said, then reached for the bottle once more.

"Really?" Thorn asked, clearly annoyed at the silent game they were playing. He lifted the bottle out of Fox's reach. "If I give you the bottle back, will you talk to me?"

Fox smirked through heavy-lidded eyes. "Sure."

Thorn placed the bottle back down onto the desk and pushed it towards Fox. Fox grabbed it, sat back in his chair, and shot the last burning drops down his throat, then slammed the empty bottle down onto the desk.

"Talk," Thorn said. "Why'd you kill a vod?"

Fox chuckled. "I don't know."

Thorn knitted his brow. "This isn't a game, Fox."

"Nah," Fox said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Games… are fun. This... This isn't..."

Thorn tilted his head to the side and studied Fox for a moment. Even when drunk, Fox usually made some sense, but this particular time he was making zero sense. It wasn't that hard of a question, but his avoidance of answering it was making Thorn worry.

There was something Fox wasn't telling him and he needed to know what it was to help him get out of this slump and back to normal. Having a drunk Marshall Commander leading the Coruscant Guard wasn't going to get anyone anywhere fast. 

"Fox," Thorn prodded.

"Don't Fox me," Fox said. "How'd you… like it… if I said your name? Thorn. Thorn. Thorn. Thorn–"

"Alright, I get it," Thorn said. "Just tell me what happened."

Fox shrugged. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't remember."

"You don't remember shooting a vod?"

"Nope."

Thorn pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "You have to remember something? You killed him. Don't you remember that? Were you drunk then, too?"

"No, I wasn't drunk," Fox said, his agitation grew at the continued questioning. "I just don't remember!" He pounded his fists onto the desk, causing Thorn to flinch.

"Easy, cyare," Thorn soothed. He reached out a hand to try and calm him down. "It's okay."

"No!" Fox yelled. His body jerked weakly as he batted Thorn's hand away. "Is snot. I shot… a vod. I killed… a vod, and I can't… kriffin' remember!"

Thorn realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with Fox this drunk and worked up, so he decided to cut his losses and try again later. "Get some rest," he said before getting up from his chair. He looked down at Fox's dilapidated state, shook his head, then turned to leave.

"Bring me… more booze," Fox said.

Thorn turned around and scoffed. "You don't need any more of that."

Fox grabbed the empty bottle and threw it towards Thorn, but it hit the wall by the door instead and shattered into a million pieces. "Shabuir."

Thorn sighed. "We'll talk again when you're sober." He turned back towards the door and left Fox alone in his office.

Fox grumbled and laid his heavy head back down against the cool desk. He wasn't truly angry at Thorn, as annoying as he was. No. He was angry at himself. Angry that he couldn't remember what his own two hands did. Angry that he couldn't remember where his own two feet took him. Angry that his brain refused to put all of the pieces together or fill in the blanks. Where had his memory gone? Had it grown legs and walked away from him? Had it left him or did he leave it? Was that even possible?

Fox would stay lying against his desk all night if he could, but the ache in his back was beginning to overpower his drunken haze. Part of getting old, he guessed. He needed to try and make it to his couch where he could stretch out and fall asleep.

At least while asleep, he wouldn't have to think about it. That was the idea behind the alcohol in the first place; drink to forget, but it didn't have the effect he was hoping for. If anything, it only made it worse. Then his beloved Thorn butted in and ruined it further.

Fox tried to peel himself off his desk, but his body was heavy. He managed to sit up, but then slumped back into his chair, whacking his head against the back of it. He groaned at the pain and rubbed the aching spot.

When he opened his eyes, the room was spinning, and it made him feel sick. Well, sicker than he already felt before he was drunk. He chuckled to himself. The good stuff was really good. He hadn't been this drunk since he was a shiny new commander hot off Kamino.

Trying again, Fox planted his hands squarely on his desk and rocked to push himself out of the chair. He tried once and couldn't get it. He tried twice and still couldn't get it. He tried thrice and finally, he was on his feet, although he used a little too much force and fell forward onto his desk. Maybe it was better if he crawled to the couch instead of walking there. He let the weight of his lower body slide the rest of him off the desk until he was sitting on the ground and leaning against the desk.

He leaned past the desk and turned his head to see where the couch was, but he leaned a little too far and slumped over onto the ground. He groaned. This was a terrible idea. He wished he could get Thorn to come back and carry him to the couch, but that would bruise his ego into an irreparable state. No, he had to make it on his own.

With a little wiggle of his hips, Fox rolled himself onto his stomach and crawled towards the couch. Usually, it was closer, but right now it felt klicks away. Maker, he was tired. Why did he put the couch so far away from his desk? Or better yet, why couldn't it come to him?

Someone should've invented a moving couch by now, but no, the Galactic Republic was too busy making clones to do anything of real use in his lifetime. And yet, Fox continued to crawl towards his couch, cursing it every time he scooted closer. With one final push, he made it, but accidentally bumped his head against the leg. He cursed it again.

Now, it was just a matter of hoisting himself up onto the stupid thing so he could finally go to sleep. Once again, something that used to be so trivial was causing him grief. Why was it so high up? Why was the floor so far down? Why wouldn't the room stop spinning?

He wished he could steady himself long enough to get a grip, but his body was heavy from the alcohol. However, with a little more effort and a lot more cursing, Fox grabbed one of the cushions, pulled himself up, and flopped onto the couch.

Thank the Maker, he finally made it. Fox rolled off of his stomach and settled himself with his back against the back of the couch so he didn't suffocate himself within the couch cushions. Although, at this point, it didn't sound like such a bad idea.

He chuckled to himself about the thought. Thorn would kill him if he left him like that. Only his boyfriend would find a way into the afterlife and kill him all over again for being such an idiot. Although, to Fox, it was a comforting thought; Thorn coming after him like that.

Even if they tried to hide it from everyone, they were still a couple. Some days, when they fought, it didn't feel like it, but when push came to shove, there was no one he'd rather have his back in this war. Perks of growing up together and falling in love, he figured.

Fox released a wide yawn that made his stomach churn, but he was happy that his body wanted to rest. With a few slow breaths, he let himself drift off to sleep, wondering if he would wake up and finally remember or if his memory would still be adrift.

Fox groaned as he stirred from his sleep. He slowly opened one eye and saw that it was still dark out, which meant either he slept until the next evening or he barely slept at all. He didn't feel drunk anymore, so maybe he did sleep for a while; an absolute miracle.

Even more surprising was the fact that no one bothered him while he slept, which also meant Thorn kept everyone away and covered for him–the idiot. He'd need to apologize and thank Thorn the next time he saw him.

Fox carefully shifted to sit himself up, holding the side of his head as it pounded from the hangover. He hadn't had a hangover like this in a very long time. He'd have to look at the label on the bottle and get himself another one of whatever it was.

Blinking a few times to get rid of the glaze over his eyes, he looked around the room but frowned when he saw the broken glass by the door. Oh yeah. I broke it. He wouldn't buy another one of those anytime soon. Such a shame.

With a deep breath, Fox hoisted himself up off the couch and grabbed the arm to steady his shaky legs. He didn't feel woozy, but his body still felt heavy, like there were rocks in his head weighing him down.

He rolled his neck, then his shoulders, and then arched his back to stretch it out. One of his vertebrae made a popping sound and he groaned. Even though he tried to lie down in a good position, couch sleeping was still not as nice as a bunk. He needed some ibuprofen.

Fox hobbled his way to the refresher connected to his office and was–once again–thankful for the amenities he had access to as the Marshall Commander of the Coruscant Guard. It would've been embarrassing to walk down to the guard barrack's communal refresher to compose himself.

Thorn would've gotten a good laugh, though, the jerk. He would have said something stupid just to piss him off. But that was the game they chose to play because Fox had embarrassed Thorn on multiple occasions too.

Fox stepped into the refresher without flipping the light switch on and twisted the faucet knob to run the water cold. He cupped the rushing water in his hands and splashed it onto his face. The cool water felt good on his hot skin and soothed his throbbing headache.

He splashed the water on his face a few more times and then used one last good splash to smooth over his unruly curls. He patted his face dry with the towel and stared at himself in the mirror, except something about his reflection was… off.

Fox rubbed the towel across his face again, thinking he had some water stuck in his eyes that made his vision blurry, but the reflection still looked odd. He then used the towel to wipe down the mirror, leaving small streaks of water where he swiped, but that didn't clear it either.

Refusing to play with it any longer, Fox opened the mirror cabinet and grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen. He popped a few and swallowed them dry, wincing as he felt them go down his throat, and then closed the cabinet.

Hi Fox, a voice said.

Fox startled and stumbled back, crashing against the opposite wall with a loud thud. "Kriff, Thorn!" He turned his head towards the refresher door to rip Thorn a new one, but he wasn't there. "Thorn?" he called, but there was no answer.

He peeked his head out of the refresher to see if there was anyone in his office, but it was still dark and empty. It was just him; he was alone. He'd never had a hangover that made him hear things before. At least not that he remembered. Fox's heart raced with adrenaline.

Fox, the voice said.

Fox flinched at the sound of his name and whipped his head around to try and find who was calling his name, but there was still no one there. "Thorn," Fox said with a warning tone. "I swear to the Maker, I will kill you if–"

So, you like to kill, huh? the voice said.

Fox froze and his blood ran cold. He didn't just hear that, did he? The sound of another clone talking to him, yet he was still alone in the refresher. His instincts screamed at him to run and find Thorn, because clearly he was hallucinating, or sick, or dying, or all three at once. He shouldn't have been hearing voices, or at least he didn't think he should've been hearing voices.

Fox closed his eyes took a couple deep breaths to calm himself and hoped that whatever it was would go away.

It's rude to ignore people, you know, the voice said. Especially dead people.

Yup, he was crazy. He was one hundred percent certified crazy. Not only was he hearing voices, but he was hearing voices of the dead . What had he done while he was drunk and asleep? Conjured a demon? Summoned a spirit? Invited a deity to chat over some caf? The other option was that he was still plastered and hallucinating being sober. Honestly, both ideas sounded equally as insane, but did they make any less sense than him hearing voices?

"Whatever you are," Fox said. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'm going back to bed now."

Fox pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the refresher door to leave, but it slid shut before he could exit. He stared at the closed door and took another deep breath, then released it slowly.

He slid his hands over his holsters, but the blasters were missing. They must have fallen out while he was sleeping and he never noticed. He mentally kicked himself for being so absentminded as to leave them on the couch, but in his defense, there weren't many who would attack him in his own office.

Fox ran his tongue across his teeth and puffed his chest out before turning around to face whatever was messing with him, but when he did, there was no one else in the refresher besides himself. He bit his lip and nodded his head.

It must've been a dream. He was living in a dream and he couldn't wake up. That had to be the answer. There was no other explanation. Once he woke up, he was going to find Thorn and make him get rid of all of his liquor, because this nuttiness wasn't worth the trip.

I'm still waiting, the voice said impatiently. Are you gonna answer me or not?

Fox gritted his teeth and thought for a moment. If he answered the voice of the dead, was something bad going to happen to him? It wasn't like his life could get any worse. He was already a dog of the Republic, he'd shot and killed a brother, and he was probably the most hated commander in the GAR. There wasn't much else they could do to him.

Fox was startled at the sudden realization. The voice of the dead… a dead clone. Voice of the dead… a clone he killed. Fox's heartbeat pounded ferociously in his ears.

He took a few steps towards the sink and peered into the mirror, the same mirror where his reflection didn't look right. He was so groggy when he first came into the refresher that it didn't dawn on him to wonder what in the reflection was off, just that it didn't look right.

He stared at his reflection, and tilted his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows as he studied the image, and then his eyes grew wide when he realized that the reflection hadn't followed the tilt of his head. He moved in closer.

Boo, the reflection said with a smirk.

"Kriffin' osik!" Fox screamed and out of reflex, he punched the mirror, cracking it. He heaved in heavy breaths and pulled his fist out of the mirror, his glove protecting his skin from getting cut by the broken shards.

The reflection sighed and sidestepped into the part of the mirror that wasn't as broken. Really?

Fox was on the verge of hyperventilating. Fear and adrenaline took control of every muscle in his body. His reflection was talking to him. It was moving without him. But it wasn't even him. He could see that now.

Fox took a moment to study the image in the mirror. The armor was white, like a shiny's, their head was shaven, and they had a goatee, and an Aurebesh tattoo on their right temple not far from a small linear scar. Fox's jaw dropped. It was him . It was the clone he'd shot and killed.

Figure it out yet? the reflection asked, sounding bored.

"You're…" Fox tried to speak, but he still wasn't sure what he was actually seeing.

The name's Fives, the reflection said while tapping his Aurebesh tattoo. You should remember since you killed me.

Fox was speechless and wide-eyed. He felt sick to his stomach. He knew who Fives was, but he still didn't remember shooting him. He never even met him, and the only images he had of him were in his ARC armor, not whatever he was wearing now.

Fox thought back to the recording that was attached to the report and remembered seeing himself shoot the white-armored clone. He had found it strange at the time, and it made him wonder why, but not enough to hallucinate about him.

"This isn't real," Fox said as he backed away from the mirror. " You're not real! You're dead!"

The reflection snorted. What? No remorse? No, sorry I killed you?

"I don't remember killing you!" Fox yelled, half in shock and half in self-defense. His back touched the hard durasteel wall and he slid down it until he was sitting on the floor.

Don't remember? the reflection asked. You shot me! How could you forget that?

Fox pulled his knees to his chest, clasped his hands over his ears, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Just leave me alone!" he yelled again, trying to make the voice go away. "I said I don't remember!"

I'm not leaving, the voice said. Not until you remember what you did to me.

"Go away!" Fox screamed. "Leave me alone!" His breathing became labored and he felt like he was going to pass out. "This is… a nightmare."

Oh, Fox, the reflection chuckled, then pushed itself out of the mirror and folded its arms to lean on the edge of the sink and stare down at Fox. Your nightmare has just begun.

The next two rotations had Fox feeling insane. The voice inside the mirror wasn't just a voice anymore. It was a full-body apparition that followed him around wherever he went. He couldn't even take a piss without that thing watching him.

He still wondered if it was the actual Fives or if it was just a figment of his imagination; maybe the subconscious part of his brain conjured it up because of the guilt he felt for killing the clone. He wanted to tell Thorn about it, but even he had limits on disbelief, and besides that, he was at some senate event so he hadn't seen him since he threw the bottle at him.

Hour after hour, the apparition asked Fox if he remembered killing it yet, and hour after hour, Fox still had the same answer–no. Maker, he wished it would just take a hike and go haunt someone else, even if it was just for a couple of minutes. He needed peace.

There was nothing worse than trying to work or sleep while it watched him from across the room with its cold, dark, dead eyes and smug expression. If this was the real Fives, then he didn't understand why Rex liked him so much. He was an annoying piece of work for sure.

However, the third rotation was strangely quiet. The apparition was nowhere to be seen, or heard, and Fox was taking the much-needed alone time to catch up on the reports he'd been neglecting since it first appeared. It must have been a figment of his imagination brought on by stress or something along those lines. There was always a logical explanation for everything, or so he thought.

Fox looked up from his data-pad when he heard a soft knock on his office door frame.

"I brought you some caf," Thorn said with a smile. "Can I come in?"

Fox nodded. He was glad Thorn was back from the event, even if he didn't say it out loud.

Thorn walked into the office, placed the cup down in front of Fox, and sat leisurely on the corner of his desk.

Fox grabbed the cup of hot, black caf and deeply inhaled its alluring aroma. "Is this a peace offering?"

Thorn snorted. "You should be bringing me a peace offering for all that name-calling."

Fox winced at the vague memory, then took a sip. "Sorry."

"Apology accepted," Thorn says. "You're still a di'kut, though."

"Your di'kut," Fox smirked.

Is he a friend of yours? the apparition asked as it appeared next to Fox.

Fox startled and accidentally dropped the cup of caf onto his lap. "Kriff!"

Thorn also startled and jumped off the corner of Fox's desk. "Are you alright?"

Fox sighed. "Yeah. Just grab me a towel, will ya?"

Thorn walked off towards the refresher to grab a towel.

He seems like a nice vod, the apparition said as it watched Thorn with interest. Is he your cyare?

Fox chose to ignore the question and the ghost.

You know, the apparition continued. It hopped up onto the desk to sit in front of Fox, legs dangling over the edge. I had a cyare once–actually two. They're both dead, now… Like me. Must be nice to have yours still alive, huh?

Fox glared at the apparition and snarled. "Don't you touch him!"

The apparition chuckled. I'm a ghost, remember? I can't even touch you. The apparition reached out to touch Fox, but its hand went straight through him. See? I'm not going to hurt your cyare.

Fox continued to glare, not fully trusting what the apparition said. Thorn was more than just his boyfriend, but this was his issue to deal with, and he wasn't going to drag Thorn down this insane hole of guilt and self-loathing with him. 

Even so, it would be great if Thorn could see the apparition too. Maybe then, he wouldn't feel so crazy about the whole situation. A little validation went a long way in his mind. He just needed Thorn to see it once, then he could feel safe again–feel normal again.

"Fox?" Thorn asked with concern while handing him the towel. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Fox grabbed the towel and patted himself and the chair dry. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Thorn didn't look convinced, but he also didn't argue.

I'm not fine, the apparition said. I'm dead.

Fox wanted to say something in rebuttal, but Thorn's lack of comment about the elephant in the room made him wonder. He turned his head to the apparition and then to Thorn, and then back again. "You don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" Thorn asked, a confused expression on his face.

"Nothing," Fox said and tossed the towel onto the desk before slumping back into his chair. "Never mind."

"Fox," Thorn said hesitantly. "I think you should see a medic. You've been acting strange lately and I'm worried."

Yeah, Fox, the apparition added. You should see a medic for that missing memory issue. Maybe they can tell you why you killed me.

"I don't need a medic!" Fox exclaimed as he slammed his fists onto the desk. Thorn flinched and Fox bit his tongue and sighed. "Sorry. I'm just tired is all."

Thorn still didn't look convinced, and he shook his head. "Alright, I trust your judgment."

I don't, the apparition said. You shot me.

"Thanks," Fox said. His eye twitched. It was hard enough to keep his thoughts straight, but it was even harder when he had two people talking to him at once and only one of them was actually there.

"I'm here if you need me," Thorn said. He placed a firm but gentle hand on Fox's shoulder and squeezed. "Even if you just want to talk."

You can talk to me too, the apparition said.

"I appreciate that," Fox said, trying to give him the best fake smile he could muster.

Thorn threw Fox another look of concern but turned and left his office all the same.

Fox immediately turned his attention to the apparition. "Can you just shut up?!"

No, the apparition said. That's the whole point of haunting. I'm supposed to be annoying.

Fox dropped his head onto his desk and yelled in frustration.

The apparition hopped off the desk and knelt so its face was on Fox's level. Just tell me why you killed me, Fox, it whispered. And I'll go away.

Fox clutched the side of his head with his hands. "I'm trying," he choked out. "But I can't remember."

It had been a week and Fox was on the verge of losing himself. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He couldn't do anything. The reports were piling up and questions were being asked. Thorn continued to pry, and he appreciated the thought, but he wished he'd just drop it.

Every time Thorn came into his office or snuggled into his arms in bed, the apparition stared at him like he was a piece of meat. Fox knew the apparition couldn't hurt Thorn, at least, that was what he'd been made to believe, but what if he was wrong? What if it could hurt Thorn?

He couldn't let it get Thorn. It could torment him all it wanted, it could even kill him if it wanted to, but he would not let anything happen to Thorn. Thorn was too good for this kind of torturous hell. Thorn hadn't killed any clones. He probably hadn't killed anyone.

There was no reason for Thorn to be brought into this. It was Fox the apparition wanted. The clone's blood was on his hands, not Thorn's. Thorn had nothing to do with any of this and Fox would do anything to protect him. He would die for Thorn in a heartbeat.

Hi Fox, the apparition said while leaning against the door frame of the office.

"What do you want?" Fox said with disdain from where he sat behind his desk.

The truth, the apparition said with a smug grin. You've been keeping it from me.

"Like I've said," Fox said. "I still don't remember."

Not good enough, the apparition said as it pushed itself off the door frame and approached Fox's desk.

Fox stood up, his chair violently scraping across the floor. "I won't let you hurt Thorn."

What are you talking about? the apparition asked.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Fox yelled. "I know you're going to hurt him to get back at me."

Are you alright, Fox? the apparition taunted. You seem a little off today.

"Get out of my head!" Fox clutched the sides of his head. "I know what you're doing!"

What's the matter? the apparition taunted further. I've never seen you so unhinged before.

"Leave me alone!"

C'mon, Fox. The apparition walked closer. Just tell me.

Fox drew one of his blasters and pointed it towards the ghostly figure. "Get away from me!"

Whoa, there, the apparition said, putting its hands up and taking a single step back. There's no need for that.

Fox breathed heavily. "I'm warning you!"

You won't shoot me, the apparition smirked. You have no reason to shoot me. Put the blaster down, Fox.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Fox yelled, then fired a single bolt through the same spot as before, on the apparition's chest, through its heart. He watched as the apparition fell to its knees and clutched at its chest. That'll stop it. That'll shut it up. That'll make it leave him alone. That'll keep it from hurting–Thorn?

Fox panted as his senses began to clear. The vision of the apparition slowly dissipated, leaving behind the image of Thorn grasping the bleeding hole in his chest. A look of pain, shock, horror, and confusion painted his face as he looked at Fox.

No. This couldn't be happening. He didn't. He couldn't. Did he just shoot his lover? But it was the ghost! The ghost was right there. It was talking to him. It was taunting him. It was going to hurt Thorn.

"Fox," Thorn gasped. "Why?"

At the sound of Thorn's voice, the gravity of what Fox had done hit him like a ton of bricks. His eyes widened, tears brimming at the surface, and his voice quivered. "Thorn?"

Thorn collapsed forward onto the floor and Fox rushed to his side.

"No, no, no, no," Fox rambled as he rolled Thorn over and applied pressure to the wound. "I need a medic!" he yelled. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I… I didn't know it was you. There was a ghost and it was in my head and I couldn't remember." Tears fell from Fox's eyes as he tried desperately to explain.

Thorn reached up a hand to touch Fox's cheek and Fox grabbed it with his own.

"I'm… sorry," Thorn said weakly. "I… wish… I… could've… helped… you…" Thorn's hand dropped as his body went limp and he breathed his last breath.

"Where's my medic!" Fox yelled, tears now streaming down his face unabated. "Hang on, cyare." He pulled Thorn's lifeless body close to his chest and rocked him back and forth. "Please, don't go. Don't leave me."

The apparition appeared once again, crouched down in front of Fox, and looked apathetically at Thorn's lifeless body. It shook its head. And to think all of this could've been avoided if you would've just told me what I wanted to know.

Fox looked at the apparition. He was still in shock.

Oh well, the apparition said with a smirk. A vod for a vod. At least you'll remember killing this one.

Tagging a few people who were interested: @brokenphoenix99

[daisychainsandbowties]

Is it just me or does shin hati lacks personality?

i think it’s pretty obvious i don’t think of Shin as lacking in personality. i love what i’ve seen of her so far - think Ivanna is absolutely killing it with her performance so far, playing this mixture of intensity and homegrown Jedi calm, of a girl who is very alone and also trying to hold herself away from caring about anyone she might have to kill. i mean, i don’t know why you think she has no personality (i’d be interested in hearing your reasons) but to me she’s a fantastic character. if you know me you know that it takes A LOT for me to write fic for a character or a ship. so if wolfwren has moved me, i can pretty much guarantee i don’t sell out for looks with no personality.

but let me actually explain why i like Shin

firstly, she’s had very little screen time, to the extent i’ve probably got gifs of every frame of her so far on my blog. meanwhile Sabine has all of Rebels, Ahsoka has The Clone Wars, and Huyang is, frankly, a very typical example of a speaking droid. reminds me of c3po (i think he’s great, just not original characterisation). and they’ve all had more screen time in these four eps than Shin, who nonetheless has, in my opinion, demonstrated tremendous presence in every single scene she’s appeared in.

how she shows up on Lothal, stands there and says in her maddeningly calm tone, “we’ve been looking for this.” it’s just… so tongue-in-cheek, and Shin could so easily have sic’d the droid on Sabine and made her escape, could have smacked her against a wall with the Force and strolled away. but she chooses to stay. and the way she dances around Sabine’s blows… grabs the hilt of her saber to manipulate her in the fight, putty in her hands. flips her over her shoulder and plays plays plays with her… the grace and the wildness and the strange fascination of their fight. god she’s just!! so intriguing.

i think people pay too little attention to how much characterisation there is in a fight scene. we have Sabine fighting with a style that’s very much a mesh of form 1 and form 3. it’s defensive, it has hints of Ahsoka in it, her own modified and slightly more useful variation of Soresu (form 3) and then we have Shin. i need to examine her moves more closely to tell what forms (i think definitely forms plural) she’s drawing from - not much makashi, which makes sense since Baylan is Jedi-trained. her movements remind me of Maul’s style in The Phantom Menace, but there’s an element to her style that feels more… joyful, freeform, free verse.

she spins and pirouettes and barely avoids the cut of Sabine’s lightsaber. there’s relish in those movements. she can clearly block blaster bolts magnificently, has the athletic and acrobatic ability for ataru (the form yoda favours, and anakin to an extent). she’s a muddle of contradictions. silent so often but when she fights, when she flies that fighter…she’s golden.

and wry, too. watch for those slight smiles. the “you almost got them” and her hop-skip in the forest on Seatos, the “hello there” energy reminding me so much of Obi-Wan. and then her obvious terror when the Inquisitor falls, spewing green smoke. at the time i thought she was afraid for herself, of Ahsoka, but she was really afraid for Baylan. he’s trying to be a Jedi Master to her - there’s distance in their relationship, and GOD you can see her longing for contact, for touch, for something she can push and feel pushing back.

i think it’s why she antagonizes Morgan, why she waits to duel Sabine. she wants to… touch something and not just in a physical sense but in terms of connection. the light is so much about embracing life and i think of Shin trapped in the middle of that, not good or evil, light or dark, but caught in a terrible silence. her care and her fire is contained but it burns. especially when she fights, when she loses her temper “you have no power”, choking Sabine at the end, and that’s just the fire that creeps out under the door! beware the smoke.

the moments of fear, of guarded concern, of delight and fascination, anger and joy. i mean!! she’s a girl of few words, but when she speaks she SPEAKS. and when she doesn’t you can see so much going on in her body language, her face, her eyes, her actions. i think both of her fight scenes are beautiful examples of character through conflict.

i always use duels and fights for character-building. a fight is boring with nothing behind it - and with Shin we see, at first, fascination. wanting to prove herself, to show she’s the better padawan, but she also… i think she could have killed Sabine very easily. i would have run from Ahsoka too, but she honestly could have murdered Sabine right there. i love how they’re creating this sense that Shin is both… disturbed and intrigued by Sabine in episode 4. angry and also… holding her by the wrist, standing between her and Morgan.

listen, i am going to ship wolfwren whether or not my cows come home, but i really don’t bother with characters who aren’t interesting. so, yeah, i think Shin has plenty of personality! i love what star wars has been doing with the girls who have red(ish) sabers lately. i adore Reva, i am regularly insane about Trilla Suduri, and i think Shin is very different from them but no less fascinating! i’m loving the tentative line she’s walking between dangerous and vulnerable.

and, yeah, i think they should kiss.

[terramythos]

MY TOP 25 WORST POKEMON

i posted my top 25 favorite pokemon a couple days ago so now i get to be a certified hater.

25. Barraskewda

wow an 'angry fish' pokemon design! i have certainly not seen this exact fucking concept in every single pokemon gen to date. i'm so glad that the 8th generation of pokemon has blessed us with such an original premise. it's not like Barraskewda is a particularly bad design, would probably be 'pretty good' if we got it 20 years ago-- but it is emblematic of the cynical, formula-at-all-costs drive that plagues much of modern pokemon.

24. Galarian Mr. Mime

can someone please tell me what this regional variant does that the original Mr. Mime does not? oh wow, it's fucking blue now. it's a shame there's not a system in the game since gen 2 designed around alternate color schemes. who gives a shit. if this thing is so pointless it's making me defend GEN 1 MR MIME then it's DIRE.

23. Magneton

magneton has the unique distinction on this list of being a pokemon i have actually used in my in-game team before. the thing is, i don't hate magneton THAT much. similar to barraskewda, magneton sucks because of what it represents. a lot of criticism of modern (gen 5 and beyond) pokemon design is that so many are 'just objects' which automatically makes them bad. these EXACT critics then defend gen 1 as the pinnacle of pokemon design originality. are you fucking stupid? gen 1 originals: magnemite is a magnet with an eyeball. magneton is three of them fucking bolted together. WOW, such creativity, truly the pinnacle of design. jackasses.

22. Onix

kind of looks like a poo, which i suppose is appropriate considering how shit onix is in the actual game, too. to me onix is so close to being a cool pokemon if there was any imagination with the design. steelix is a little better i guess but so prohibitively difficult to obtain in casual play that you're probably stuck with this crap regardless.

21. Togdemaru

this is by far the worst pikachu clone in the series and it's not even close. it's trying to be both pikachu and... togepi for some reason and fails at both. there is NOTHING interesting about this thing. furthermore, two OTHER pikachu 'clones' were also introduced in Sun/Moon: Alolan Raichu and Mimikyu, BOTH of which have extremely creative and beloved designs. you could literally remove this thing from the game and no one would give a shit.

20. Huntail

gen 3 is infamous for having so many water routes in the game and thus, a TON of water-type pokemon. of all of these, huntail is by far the least memorable. it's the obscure SPLIT evolution of a pokemon that looks (1) nothing like it, and (2) you can't even get until late enough in the game that you already have a better water type. and on top of it he's fuck ugly. i guess i can appreciate the ringed octopus spots (? i HAVE to assume that's what those are) but this thing isn't even an octopus! i feel cheated.

19. Hypno

ignoring the infamous creepy (not in a good way) lore with this thing, hypno just looks awful. i don't want this thing anywhere near me. why is it here. who designed this and why do they hate happiness

18. Chesnaught

not only does chesnaught look like shit, not only is it the disappointing conclusion of a starter pokemon line... it was introduced in the generation that brought us DELPHOX and GRENINJA, two very popular final starter evos. this thing is so outclassed i kind of feel bad for it, but not enough to take it off this list.

17. Alolan Muk

what if we took muk, a literal pile of sludge, and gave it a regional variant that looks like an oil spill? but for some reason instead of making that cool and interesting we make it look like someone chewed and swallowed 30 sticks of multicolor bubblegum and then threw up. they don't even do anything with its shape or general appearance. it just looks like the original muk but worse. terrible.

16. Cosmoem

pokemon sun and moon were very story driven games. one of the main pokemon characters is a Cosmog named Nebby, who (spoilers) eventually evolves into the box legendary, either Solgaleo for Sun or Lunala for Moon. and here we have the utterly insignificant middle evolution that serves zero narrative purpose and looks a little like a puckered asshole. wet fart of a pokemon if i am being fully honest

15. Ambipom

what if we took aipom and made it offputting and disturbing and also gave it a bowl cut for some reason? say no more. oh god while looking at this and typing i just realized it looks like a teletubby. get this fucking creature away from me

14. Karrablast

i'll be honest i completely forgot this thing existed until i started making this list. have i ever really THOUGHT about karrablast? do i have any associations with it at all? honestly, fuck this thing on principle. BY THE WAY karrablast came out in gen 5 in the exact same game as a different bug-type evolutionary line with a yellow-blue color scheme. and joltik/galvantula are superior to whatever this thing is

13. Druddigon

this thing perplexes me. why is its head red. why does it look like leaves? something that has absolutely nothing to do with its concept? i think maybe this is supposed to be the dragon on the welsh flag (??????) but it's literally introduced in the game set in New York. i do not like this guy at all

12. Rhyperior

WERE rhydon stans clamoring for an evolution? did they want an evolution that ignores everything cool about rhydon's design? everything about this thing looks like dog shit trash. i'm actually a little offended on their behalf that this passed the initial design pitch.

11. Okidogi

i am so out of the loop on pokemon that i didn't even know this thing existed until a day ago. and boy do i hate it. absolutely fucking awful design that is derivative of.... Zygarde's dog form for some fucking reason? this is where children's cartoon villain ideas go to die. terrible

10. Diggersby

why does it look like that. an insult to bnuuy pokemon and i hope to never see it again. i think it's even worse that its prevo bunnelby is actually passably cute.

9. Barbaracle

let's take a really cool fucking concept (a pokemon based on barnacles) and make it as fucking ugly and awful as possible. there is so much wasted potential that it makes me almost as angry as this thing looks.

8. Tyrogue

one of the most boring pokemon designs possible. i get that tyrogue is supposed to be a 'blank slate' pokemon since it has 3 different evolutions. but you know what else is a blank slate pokemon? EEVEE, one of the most popular pokemon in fucking existence, because it's cute and people generally love its evolutions. tyrogue has nothing going for it. furthermore it was introduced after two of its three evolutions (hitmonlee and hitmonchan), so it's a pointless gimmick pokemon anyway. just remove this thing and make hitmontop a single-evo pokemon and nothing changes

7. Raging Bolt

ASDHJGASFGVjgsldfgkjsdf? hghsejkfhlsefkjghsefg????? sejklrfghlsdkhjfgSDKFSFUKGDHfgshjfg

6. Galarian Weezing

on paper i think this is a funny idea for a regional form but god does it miss the mark for me. WHY did they make the smog fucking oobleck green? why make it fake facial hair? why is weezing an old-timey british capitalist. i am not exaggerating that looking at this thing makes me a little sick to my stomach.

5. Grimmsnarl

I remember being so thrilled at the idea of an imp-based pokemon line. i actually quite liked the designs of both Impidimp and Morgrem. and... THIS is really what they went with for the final evolution? furry green goblin on steroids? i cannot find a single thing i like about this design, it is such a baffling pokemon to me on all levels.

4. Scovillain

truly how do you manage to fumble both the incredibly awesome Grass/Fire typing AND a design centered around HOT PEPPERS. jesus fucking christ this thing is awful, truly i believe it is one of the worst pokemon designs on both an objective and personal level in terms of execution and missed potential. i am honestly embarrassed for whoever designed this.

3. Grookey

i skipped pokemon sword/shield for many different reasons, but i am completely serious that this being the grass starter was one of them. i absolutely fucking hate this thing, it is my least favorite starter by a country mile and i wanted to avoid seeing it at all fucking costs.

2. Eiscue

sometimes it is a singular design decision that ruins a pokemon. and for me it's the fact there is a fucking HAIR coming out of the ice cube at the top. i'm all for hair but in the context of an ice cube i am potentially using in a drink??? gross, gross gross gross, ew ew ew ew ew i fucking hate this pokemon

Cryogonal

the patron saint itself and the reason i am even making this post. i absolutely despise cryogonal. the unimaginative and derivative design, NOTHING interesting to look at, its stupid 'mouth'. it makes no sense in the context of its game (again: WHAT gen 1 pokemon is this supposed to be an analogue for? you know the whole POINT behind the gen 5 pokedex???). my hatred of this thing is so profound. this thing could be wiped from history and nothing would change.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

I Don’t Get Lonely

Crosshair & Omega

Summary: After a successful rescue mission on Mount Tantiss, Crosshair and Omega share a solemn moment aboard the Marauder. (written in third person omniscient)

Pairings: None

Characters: Crosshair, Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech

Tags & Warnings: spoilers for season 2, angst, lots of angst, hurt, comfort

Word Count: 2.1k

Author’s Notes: A companion piece to my original post. I kept thinking about it, and I really wanted to expand on the moment. I do write fanfiction, but not for this fandom. So this will be my first piece for The Bad Batch fandom! Please enjoy 💚

Their final mission, the rescue on Mount Tantiss, was coming to a close. With the help of Captain Rex, Commander Cody, Captain Gregor, and Commander Wolffe, and what was left of the Bad Batch, Crosshair and Omega were liberated from Doctor Hemlock’s grasp. 

Hunter ran towards Omega, falling to his knees in relief, while wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame. She nestled her face into his neck and shed a small tear. “I was so scared you wouldn’t be able to find us,” she mumbled.

“I can always find you,” Hunter assured her as he loosened their embrace to look into her eyes. He moved her bangs away from her face and smiled fondly. “There’s nothing that can keep us separated for long.”

Omega leaned forward into Hunter’s chest as he lifted her off the ground and into his arms. His gaze then landed on the figure who was standing behind her, Crosshair. Their eyes met and for a moment there was a flash of tension, but it soon dispersed as Hunter nodded his head in thanks.

“Come on,” Hunter called as he motioned with his head in the direction they needed to go. “We need to get you both out of here.” Crosshair nodded in agreement, popped a toothpick in his mouth, and ran after Hunter towards the facility's entrance. No one needed to tell him twice.

As Hunter and Crosshair ran through the halls, they met back up with Wrecker who, along with Gregor and Wolffe, had set charges to destroy the cloning facility. “You found them!” Wrecker yelled with exuberance while running beside them. “Alright! Let’s get outta here and blow this place up!”

“We can’t get too cocky,” Hunter warned while still carrying Omega. “Reinforcements are coming up close behind us. Blasters at the ready.”

Crosshair stopped running, turned around, cracked his neck, then knelt down on the ground behind them with his rifle in hand. “I’ve got this.” He took aim through his scope at the mirrored pucks he had been leaving behind throughout the hallways in anticipation for this moment.

With a single exhale, he pulled the trigger. The blaster bolt angled off and bounced through the hallways like an expertly hit cue ball in a game of billiards. One by one, the facility storm troopers fell into their respective pockets. And with a final ping of the sunken eight-ball, he cleaned the table.

“Whoa!” Wrecker shouted in amazement, as if seeing it for the first time. “I’m glad you're back on our side.” He smiled and affectionately whacked Crosshair on the back, accidentally knocking him forward. “Ah, sorry,” he apologized while stretching out a hand to help his brother up.

“Of course you are,” Crosshair snarked. He stood back up on his own, knocking Wrecker’s hand away, then replacing the toothpick that was so graciously knocked out of his mouth. “Keep going.”

“The exit should be just ahead,” Hunter noted as he put his blaster back in its holster and ran forward. He was grateful for Crosshair’s intervention. Fighting while holding Omega would be quite a challenge. However, he wasn’t ready to put her down yet. Not until she was safe on the ship.

Waiting for them on the Marauder was Echo. Once Crosshair and Omega were retrieved, he had headed back to the ship in preparation for take-off to make sure all systems were a go and nothing would hamper their escape route. It was their last chance to escape.

“Hunter,” Echo called through the commlink. “The ship is ready for take-off.”

“Roger that,” Hunter replied. “We’re coming out to you now.”

The group reached the facility exit and continued to the landing platform. Once aboard the Marauder, Hunter strapped Omega into one of the safety seats, then took a seat next to Echo in the cockpit. Crosshair provided blaster support from the side to ensure no interruptions.

“Get us out of here,” Hunter commanded. 

With a few flipped switches and pull on the controls, Echo piloted the ship off the platform and into the air. The ground troops and Crosshair exchanged blaster fire, but not for long. Once confirmation came from Captain Rex that all clones were out of the facility, Wrecker gleefully pressed the detonator. 

One by one the charges blasted off throughout the mountain, sending the facility crumbling down on itself. Wrecker cheered from his position looking out of the Marauder. The mission was finally over. Hunter let out a heavy sigh as he leaned his head back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“Set a course for Pabu,” Hunter said without opening his eyes.

“Setting course for Pabu,” Echo repeated as he input the coordinates into the nav-computer. “Jumping to hyper-space in one minute.”

After jumping into hyper-space, Hunter got up and moved back to where he had left Omega. He pulled the safety cross bar up and brought her into another tight embrace. “Hunter,” she said with a muffled voice. She pulled away with a small laugh. “I can’t breathe when you squeeze me like that.”

Hunter lurched back in surprise with an embarrassed look on his face. It was all he could do to make sure no one would take her away again. As long as she was in his arms, no one could take her again. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I’m… I’m just glad you’re alright.”

“I’m fine,” Omega giggled at Hunter’s overprotective awkwardness. However, her happy countenance soon turned into concern as she looked down the galleyway of the ship. “It’s Crosshair I’m worried about.”

“Crosshair?” Hunter wondered what she meant. 

“He—” Omega stopped herself as she tried to find the words to say without getting emotional. “Tech,” she hesitated. “He didn’t take it very well when I told him what happened.”

Hunter sighed. With all the events that happened after Tech’s death, none of them had time to stop and process any of it or what it meant to them. Attempting to keep his composure, Hunter gripped Omega’s shoulder with his hand, lowered his head, and spoke softly, “He… he has to process it his way, just… just like the rest of us. He’ll be fine, in time, and so will we.”

Omega sniffled and nodded her head yes to Hunter’s words. She threw her arms around him for one more embrace, looking for reassurance that everything was going to be okay again. He obliged the hug and rubbed his hand up and down her back to comfort her.

They soon parted their embrace and Hunter scruffed Omega’s hair to lighten the mood before walking back to the cockpit to sit with Echo. She smiled softly and walked through the galley to her room in the gunner’s nest, passing Crosshair along the way. 

Omega stopped before pulling the blanket open and looked back sorrowfully at Crosshair. He was sitting alone on his rack, staring across the alley at Tech’s empty rack. The sight broke her heart. She missed Tech too, but it was different for him. He blamed himself for his brother’s death.

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and went into her make-shift room. Sitting down on her blanket and pillow, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. It seemed emptier somehow, or at the least, less cheerful.

Looking around her room at the familiar things, she noticed her clone trooper doll near the base of the gunner’s seat. She leaned over her knees to grab it and looked at the doll with sad eyes. She clutched the doll to her chest and began to cry. 

She wasn’t sure if they were tears of relief or tears of sorrow, but they were still a sweet release from what had been building inside her since they lost Tech on Eriadu. Even when she told Crosshair, while they were imprisoned on Mount Tantiss, she hadn’t cried.

It was at that moment Omega realized Crosshair was suffering from more pain than she was. His relationship with his brothers was already strained. She could go to Hunter, or Wrecker, or Echo for comfort. But Crosshair? Who could Crosshair go to for comfort? He was too proud to reach out.

She knew she had to help him in some way. He was her brother after all. She thought about ideas on how to overcome his pride and dignity as a soldier, while also giving him a way to cope and talk about his feelings. While fidgeting with her clone trooper doll, she got the idea.

Crosshair sat on his rack, staring across the galleyway at Tech’s empty rack. He mulled his toothpick over and over from one corner of his mouth to the other, lost in thoughts of pain, regret, and defeat. It was his fault Tech died. It didn’t need to happen, but it did, and he was the only person to blame.

The image of his brother haunted his mind as he tried to reconcile the loss of his brother with the gain of his squad minus one. He didn’t deserve to be part of the Batch any longer. He didn’t deserve to find solace. He didn’t deserve the love of his brothers, their respect, or their pity. 

His destructive thoughts were rudely interrupted when Omega sat down next to him on his rack. He could see her feet dangling off the side with his peripheral vision and he huffed in amusement. If it was one thing he didn’t need right now, it was her annoying voice.

“Go away,” Crosshair said gruffly without turning his head.

Omega scooched closer to the cold clone. She wasn’t about to back down. She knew Crosshair could be aloof and downright rude when he wanted to be, but he couldn’t scare her away. She learned to understand that part of him back on Tantiss since they spent quite a lot of time together.

“Here,” Omega prompted as she reached out her open hand with a present.

Crosshair shifted his eyes to the side to look at what was in her hand. He brought his eyes back to the front and rolled them, releasing an annoyed sigh.

“It’s a clone trooper doll,” she smiled cheerfully. “For when you get lonely.”

“I don’t get lonely,” he huffed in disgust.

“I know,” she relented with a sad smile. “I’ll leave it here in case you change your mind.”

Crosshair watched as Omega gingerly placed the clone trooper doll next to him on the rack. She then got up and went back to her room in the gunner’s nest, only stopping to turn around and give him a small smile.

He sat on his rack in silence. The sound of his toothpick rolling around his teeth was all that he could hear and all that he wanted to hear. He glanced to the side and looked down at the clone trooper doll. It was a distasteful little thing, poorly stitched together, and of course, a reg. 

However, something about it had a little charm. He would never admit it, but the thought she put into it moved his heart ever-so-slightly. He stared at the clone trooper doll and the doll seemed to stare back at him. He clenched his toothpick. How could something so dumb be so enthralling to him?

He looked to the left and then the right to make sure no one was watching him, then picked up the little clone trooper doll. The helmet wobbled back and he quickly put his finger behind it to keep it upright. It was such a little thing. So fragile. So innocent. So… comforting.

He lied back in his rack, still keeping himself upright, while he fidgeted with the clone trooper doll. He traced a finger around the outline of the helmet and sighed as he remembered a certain reg. “I made it back to my squad… Mayday,” he sighed again. “They came back for me. I think you would have liked them.”

He paused, glancing at his brother’s empty rack and then back at the doll. “Or should I call you Tech?” he said softly, a slight hitch in his throat. He let out a small chuckle and corrected himself. “Of course not. You’re not wearing those idiotic goggles. For someone so smart, you did something really dumb, you know that?” 

He chuckled again, and again, and again, until his chuckles turned into soft crying. He rolled onto his side, pulling his knees up, and clutched the clone trooper doll to his face in desperation. His heart was broken. Not once, but twice over. “I'm sorry,” he cried. “It wasn’t supposed to be you.”

Masterlist

A03

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[positivelybeastly]

Can't help but wonder if beast was really that happy on krakoa, or if he was even happy at all.

"What do I have to be unhappy about."

"Everything."

"Is."

"Fine."

So, this is kind of an interesting question, because there are two Beasts on Krakoa - and I don't mean original Beast and clone Beast. I mean that there are two versions of Hank that were being written, especially in 2019-2020 when House of X was still coming out, things were still developing, and X-Force had yet to take a giant shit on Hank McCoy.

Because there's this.

And this.

And this.

And weirdly this???

And then there was this.

And like . . . these two versions of the character don't really feel like they can co-exist? Like, this is mostly on Benjamin Percy for just. Completing failing to capture a satisfying or sensical ramp up for Beast's villainy and just hitting that genocide button like he's queuing up for a game of fucking Fortnite, but it's also on the editorial staff, for just not. CHECKING. With their writers, to make sure that characters are being written consistently across titles.

Beast in X-Force does not feel like the same guy who appeared in House of X #4 or 6, or Hellions #1, or even in X-Men #18. The first three, fine, whatever, maybe plans weren't locked in yet, but Percy had to know he was going to take Beast down the genocide path, given how early it happens in X-Force, so why is Beast still acting like his pre-Krakoan self? And why the fuck is Duggan writing Jean like she thinks Hank is just going through a rough spot right now, instead of this being POST-GENOCIDE AND POST-NAZI SPACE PRISON???

It's just. Baffling, frankly.

Anyway. There's no logical throughline, you're just kinda meant to accept that Beast was hiding his natural insanity and evil, if you believe a word that Ben Percy has to say (which you shouldn't), so any appearances where he's not acting like a raving maniac, he's just pretending.

Me, though . . . I kinda have to make sense of it, because I'm me.

Me personally? I don't think Beast was ever truly happy on Krakoa. How the fuck could he be? Beast is a staunch integrationist/assimilationist. He doesn't believe that mutants and humans should live apart. He never has. Hell, of maybe ANY mutant, he has the most proof that it can work!

This is what he was doing pre-Krakoa!

He doesn't even want to be on an X-Men team anymore, and you want me to believe he's gonna up sticks and move to a fully mutant nation? Fuck no! I don't believe you!

This is part of a wider narrative problem with the Krakoan era, which is, it's really nice, Jonathan Hickman, that you want to have all the mutant toys in the toy box so everyone can play with them, but these characters would not go in for this. This is why the 'Xavier is telepathically controlling everyone' theories ran so wild for such a long time. It just. Doesn't make sense.

And it especially doesn't make sense for Hank because by this point in his history, he has so much negative history with the X-Men! The time travel debacle, the intervention, being attacked with a lightning bolt and caged during the Inhuman conflict, being forced to parlay with evil Steve Rogers during Secret Empire, getting drawn into the Age of X-Man, like, NONE of this is something he asked for or enjoyed! Hell, if you want to go further back, Hank hasn't enjoyed being on an X-Men team since, like, the mid-2000s! Before Utopia!

So why in god's name would he not only go back to them, but decide, yeah, I want to live on the mutant island that's actively pissing off most of the human allies that I had personal relationships with?

In my mind, the only way it makes sense is if Charles came to Hank and said, look. I know I've asked a lot of you, but I have a plan, and this is a way you can make it up to us all. This is how you can get back in good with all your old friends, this is how all can be forgiven, which fits in with the whole Krakoan clean slate angle they were going with.

And thus, Hank's creation of the Krakoan wonder drugs that sustain Krakoa's economy (yes, reminder, that was Hank's creation, those did not magically come together out of nowhere, Hank was the genius responsible for those, you're fucking welcome).

So, Hank does this, it's all one happy family, everyone's working in unison, it's great.

Except. It doesn't last.

Because how could it? Textually speaking, Hank does not have positive history with 90% of the X-Men anymore, and they have no real reason to trust him or want him around, judging by the way they talk about him. As we see with Cyclops and Mister Sinister, even with the kayfabe that everyone's cool and fine now, they are still the same characters with the same history, so the clean slate is not actually a clean slate, they're just saying that.

So, in my mind, almost instantly, things just kinda get weird, and awkward, and when everyone's deciding on habitats to live in, Hank just ends up siloed off on his own, in his little house that nobody visits. And so he's just. Instantly miserable. Maybe there's a period where he tries, and maybe some other people try, too, but I think the weight of pre-Krakoan history, and the general weirdness of the Krakoan status quo, mean that Hank was pretty much never happy on Krakoa.

He sure as fuck wasn't happy during X-Force, unless you count grinning insanity and obvious derangement as happiness, which I don't. The only way his character arc makes sense is as his mind just simply snapping into pieces under psychological stress, maybe even before Krakoa, and it just taking a little while before it manifests.

So, no. Not a happy time at all for him. That's partly why I hope that clone-Beast gets his memories back, so he can look back on Krakoa, which he currently sees as this gleaming paradise that he didn't get to experience, and realise, oh, this was all paid for using blood money. This all existed through moral compromise and war crimes and awful deeds. This was all a dystopian nightmare, actually.

But, we'll see.

Oh, and while I've got you - I do have a fanfic that explores this grey area a little bit, set during House of X #6. It's called Fast Car, and explores what it means to be the unpopular, screw up X-Men, seen mostly through the eyes of Alex Summers, aka Havok.

It's a little shippy, but mostly I wanted just to explore what it's like for X-Men who aren't perfect soldiers, who snap under the stress, who have disappointed the people around them and can't quite seem to make it up to people with impossibly high standards. That's a theme I find pretty interesting, and there's some significant crossover between Beast and Havok in that theme, hence why they're the viewpoint figures for it.

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: "A Different Approach"

With Omega and Crosshair now free of Mount Tantiss, The Bad Batch takes a moment to shine a light on one of its most under explored character dynamics.

With their escape ship damaged and the Empire hot on their tail, Omega, Crosshair, and their newly adopted lurca hound, Batcher, have to rely on their wits and skills to survive and reunite with their former squad. However, Crosshair and Omega approach their predicament with profoundly different skillsets and philosophies and must learn to trust one another if they are to evade Doctor Hemlock's grip.

One of the most intriguing narrative promises that The Bad Batch's season two finale set up was the potential for an Omega/Crosshair team-up. Despite their shared history and family, neither clone has spent much time together free of their imprisonment on Mount Tantiss. In fact, pretty much their entire prior relationship was defined by Crosshair attempting to capture Omega and her brothers for the Empire. Even if Crosshair has now fully forsaken his former masters and is willing to look at Omega as less of a threat and more of a sometimes irritating little sister, the two have never really learned to work alongside one another in any real capacity.

This set up is ultimately what makes Ezra Nachman's script so entertaining and even fulfilling. This is a story that The Bad Batch needed to tell. Even if comparatively little happens in terms of the series' larger narrative arc, viewers deserve to see what kind of dynamic these two very different siblings have when they are forced to work together. And look, I'll always have a soft spot for villains/antagonists that slowly learn to open up and trust other people. Few things bring me more joy than seeing these kinds of character scenarios play out. So yes, "A Different Approach" may not be the most explosive, consequential, or thrilling episode The Bad Batch has produced, but I had a damn good time watching it all the same.

I love seeing Crosshair's frustrations with Omega's tendency for improvised schemes, especially since he'd much rather solve most of his problems with a few strategically placed blaster bolts. I loved even more getting to see Crosshair learn to appreciate his younger sisters very different approach to conflict, but also that there may still be a time and place for his particular set of skills. For a series that struggled so much with establishing character dynamics in its first season, "A Different Approach" showcases a much more narratively and emotionally confident approach to its storytelling.

That all being said, I do think that Omega's (and Crosshair's) reunion with the Hunter and Wrecker maybe comes too soon. Yes, I was undeniably moved and a little teary eyed at Omega and Wrecker's big happy, hug filled meeting at the episode's end, but it does feel like there was potential for more interesting storylines in the dynamics set up here. For all its risk taking, The Bad Batch seems to have a terminal need to return to something resembling its original status quo. Sure, this may be the most shaken up the squad has ever been in the series, but I'd love to see Jennifer Corbett and Brad Rau try and let different character dynamics exist for a bit longer than a few episodes at a time.

Score: B+

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

DC Comics Original Character Superhero: Hoplite

Above image was Drawn by the ever excellent and talented @spider-jaysart

co-created by both @confusedhummingbird and Yours Truly

Civilian Name: Penelope Haney Troy

Former Name: Subject 66

Clone-Daughter of Donna Hinckley Long Troy

Half Sister of Robert Hinckley Long-Troy

Age: (Physically) 10 1/2 Years

Height: 5’ 7

Weight: 128 lbs

Superpowers: Superhuman Strength, Enhanced Agility, Flight with speeds at a maximum of Mach 4, Superhuman Speed, Enhanced Reflexes, Godly Stamina, Superhuman Durability, and Ability to Channel and Manipulate Incoming Lighting Bolts

Gadgets and Accessories: An Enchanted Lasso, Bracelets of Submission, An Amazonian Javelin and Amazonian Shield

Personality: Adventurous, Energetic, Eccentric, Intelligent with Battle Techniques and the Arts of Combat, Kind hearted, Loving, Selfless, Knows Cuss Words But Often Restraints Herself from their Use Unless Absolutely Frustrated, Able to Accept Most Criticism, Self Punishing If Something Involving Her Doesn’t Go Right, Sometimes Clueless With Social Cues, Not Quick to Anger But Can Be Hard to Calm Down, Respectful to Those She Feels Earns it but Otherwise is Quite Mischievous to Those Who Don’t, Tries Being Snarky but Often Doesn’t Do Well, Talkative, and Keeps Herself Busy with Very Little to Keep herself Standing Still

(Read More Below the Cut)

Bio:

As part of Project CADMUS’ endless attempts for contingency plans and strategies against metahuman heroes and crime fighting vigilantes should they go rouge, The higher brass commission a restart to their highly effective cloning process with some modifications to their original design. In this case, create a clone at a younger age so they can be more easily swayed therefore controllable under their orders when the time arises. Futhermore, with hiring some mystics and magic based metas on their side, CADMUS was able to acquire DNA from Human turned Amazonian Warrior and Veteran Titans Member, Donna Hinckley Troy aka Troia.

After initial gestation which lasts about 5-6 months, the clone had by then developed into a young woman which bears a lot of resemblance to Donna albeit with some alterations due to the incorporation of other Amazonian DNA within her samples. Once she reaches an age resembling that of a 10 year old, by then thanks to the transference of all sorts of knowledge, from the basics about social skills including table manners, the learning of that English and Ancient Greek Languages, all the way up to the most advanced and complex of Amazonian combats techniques on the battlefield, the clone dubbed Subject 66 was finally released from her pod, to officially begin her training under CADMUS’ wing.

However, what the scientists at those hadn’t entirely counted on was Subject 66 exhibiting personality traits which actively questions and speaks against their goals for her, all of which conflict with her extraordinary emotions of free will and self empowerment. While they had managed some of the training they had in mind with positive results, CADMUS was overall unable to exactly control Subject 66, only reason she even cooperated with their training and what passed for their care was because at that time, she had nowhere else to go.

Enter Donna and her ‘sister’ Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Sandsmark aka Wonder Girl. During an extensive battle against routine Titan nemeses The HIVE/Fearsome Five, the secret laboratory CADMUS was operating in that contains Subject 66 was discovered by an errant Donna being tossed right into its walls, crashing though the complex and down to the vault which led to the Subject’s living quarters. She hadn’t found enough to notice her clone though as Donna immediately rushed back into the battle right out of the building. Subject 66 however noticed her ‘bedroom’ vault was wide open, allowing her to fly out of there to delicate her freedom since that the CADMUS personnel had left in a massive hurry. Once finally outside the building complex after so long, Subject 66 saw the battle between the two Wonder Girls and the HIVE/Fearsome Five, so far the battle not going so well for the Wonders. Just Donna was pinned to the street floor and about to receive a nasty looking face punch from Mammoth, suddenly the fist is caught midway through. Donna peaks an eye opening, revealing a lone girl with jet black hair with golden streaks, clad in a grey and black bodysuit with both her hands on Mammoth’s fist, holding it there with immense super strength but delivering an uppercut to the villain, sending him flying to the complete outskirts of the city, shocking much of the HIVE and allowing Cassie and Donna to gain the edge; ultimately winning the battle and saving the day.

Shortly after the HIVE are apprehended by the Bludhaven PD, Subject 66 is immediately taken to Titans Tower, making formal introductions about what she knows about herself to the Titans and their adjacent Young Just Us team. It’s here thanks to DNA testing from Victor Stone aka Cyborg the Subject learns of her genetic progenitor being none other than Donna herself, a decision that no doubt would be a major shock but Donna, being the compassionate and rational woman she is, would take sympathy with this clone of hers, valuing her as her person and understanding her feelings for freedom. This especially gets prominent once Amanda Waller, Head of CADMUS and flanked by her Task Force X, arrives later on that day with the demands to get Subject 66 back under their custody.

Donna and Subject 66 however are insistent and persuasive with Waller; a back and forth that goes for about 1 hour and with the ultimatum that should the Subject being taken by CADMUS, the Titans won’t be afraid to reveal their many dirty secrets of all sorts of misbehavior to the public, Waller eventually backs down and allows Subject 66 to stay with the Titans and Donna in particular. Once the helicopter leaves the roof, Subject 66 gives a major hug to Donna in thankfulness for allowing her to stay with them, a hug Donna gives right back.

Over the course of the next few months, with weekly visits to Themyscira for enhancing and perfecting her training with the Amazons alongside Cassie in particular, forming a sort of mentor and mentee bond between them, forging her own custom made outfit heavily patterned after both Donna and Cassie’s while making it her own and meeting and befriending with the son of Donna’s close friend Nightwing, Jakand’r/Jake Grayson aka Skybird along his best friend Christopher Grayson Kent aka Nightwing Phantom, The clone also develops close bonds and connections with Donna and her birth son Robbie Long aka Darkstar, eventually also gaining a new civilian name once her adoption papers are fully completed: Penelope Haney Troy, ‘Penny’ for a nickname.

With that, she then declares her newfound crime fighting superhero identity of Hoplite, named after the elite warrior classes of many Ancient Greek city states, in particular Sparta. Also a proud de facto apprentice of Wonder Girl who Penelope looks up to as a de facto Aunt.

Occupation: 6th Grade Student of Bludhaven Academy, Amazonian Warrior in Training

Superhero Outfit: A Black and Gold Version of the NTT era Wonder Girl outfit Donna had worn with a skirt in place of pants, and the stars on it being pink and white. Complimenting the outfit is a pair of goggles once belonging to Cassie, given as a gift as a sign of their small yet strong bond growing overtime. When Penny offers said googles back, Cassie tells her not to worry as she’s got plenty of spares

Physical Appearance: Long and Combed Jet Black Hair with Golden Streaks

Bright Ocean Blue Eyes

Medium Frame with a Healthy Muscle Build Around the Arms

No Scars Present

Trivia

- A big fan of the Bratz Dolls, Penny has amassed a sizable and impressive collection with her allowance money and spare change. Despite good efforts to preserve them, she still allows others to play with them. Its one of the many things that she can share in common with Mar’i Grayson aka Nightstar

- Regarding her half brother Robbie, despite being younger than him age wise, she staunchly comes to his defense if any girls start flirting with him or pursue crushes on him. Already into her first year attending school, she’s scared off about three girls who she can sense can break his heart.

- Besides his Bis Sis Mar’i, Chris Kent and Jasper Logan, Penny Troy is the one person Jake can trust above all others and most definitely one of the ones he can both relate and confide to for nearly everything. The bond between Penny and Jake has been routinely compared to the strong platonic bond between their respective parents Donna and Dick Grayson aka Nightwing. It’s a comparison frankly none of them can deny

- Speaking of Jake and Chris, while she hasn’t joined their group Team StarKnights just yet, she’s still considered a proud honorary member. She even has her own bedroom set up at the StarKnights’ base whenever it’s needed.

- Like so many in this generation of heroes, Penny can clearly see the small crushes Jake and one girl from school Meredith Robinson have for each other despite their consistent denial of it. She often is among the many ones who try planning secret dates from those two. Seeing Jake blush every time he gets too to Meredith always being a playful grin to her face.

- A Fan of 70s to 80s Rock n Roll, in particular the band called Fleetwood Mac. Takes inspiration from said band to learn playing piano, harp and most importantly for her, a cowbell. As such is often present for when Chris and Jake reform their own band, The Sidekicks, along with Mar’i and Chris’ brother Jon Kent

[transingthoseformers]

So, the G1 men who are women in at least one other continuity;

Override (Cybertron, Bayverse, Aligned, Animated maybe there are two Overrides — one male and one female)

Joyride (Cybertron)

Tread( )bolt (Energon)

Cliffjumper (Armada)

Ironhide (Armada)

G2 Windrazor? (Ask Vector Prime, Legends, 2007 toy)

Red Alert (Universe toy in Japan, Animated)

Bombshell (Cybertron)

Nightbeat (Animated)

Sunstreaker (Animated)

Wingthing (Animated)

Drag Strip (Animated)

Thunderclap? (Aligned)

Whirl (Aligned, sort of — there's the male empurata Whirl in the Wreckers but also a female Whirl in Rescue Bots, the man barely exists in the continuity)

G2 Skyjack / Skyfall (Aligned)

Skimmer (Kreo)

Swoop (Cyberverse)

Nova Storm (Cyberverse, Earthspark)

Skywarp (Cyberverse, Earthspark)

Cosmos (Cyberverse)

Frenzy (Earthspark)

Devastator was apparently female in some random universe somebody hopped into for five seconds in some Funpub comic i think? But it was Funpub so...

Unicron Trilogy Optimus Prime from some play was apparently established as a woman in Ask Vector Prime. I didn't write her or Devastator down originally because they're barely canon, so i'm going off of memory.

Unicron Trilogy Scourge was also female in the same thing, because clone of Optimus and all.

Dub gender changes;

G1 Starscream was female in the movie's french and turkish dubs, but only the movie. Male in the rest of the series.

G1 Shrapnel was also female in the movie's french and russian dubs, but movie only.

Cyberverse Thrust was female in the japanese dub (renamed Red Wing).

Miscallenous;

G1 Ratchet was originally imagined as female by Bob Budiansky until Hasbro banned him from putting women in their boy show (tfwiki says the Shout! Factory dvd extras have images of Budiansky's handwritten concepts, it doesn't say if anybody else might've been mentioned as a woman in those but it's possible. I can't access them so).

Cyberverse Jazz would apparently have been a woman if she'd appeared more, even though the toy or something referred to her as male.

There could be more, or some dub stuff etc. which i could be missing. Or something could be weird on the list, i went through tfwiki's female transformer list over twenty hours ago and only wrote down names and continuities and whether it's actual or a dub thing.

Also note that tfwiki considering characters "G1" means Generation One continuity family", and doesn't necessarily mean they were in the Sunbow cartoon or the Marvel comic or in the japanese sequel to the Sunbow cartoon. They could've debuted in IDW1 or even IDW2, or some random tie-in crap to something.

Wait no, there were also maybe at least two bots who were female in TransTech, but i didn't write their names down because TransTech was basically fanmade. TransTech also had a bot who switched between male and female in-universe, as in more than once, but idk if they were in any real continuity. I might have ignored more prseudocanon gender swaps. I don't remember.

Also not women, but Cyberverse Acid Storm is genderfluid (tfwiki used they/them), and some bot named Screwball not being on the binary was mentioned on Nightshade's page but idk Screwball's continuity.

Now that gives us quite the list!

[itsclydebitches]

Adding to the Semblance discussion. It was REALLY uncomfortable when they said what Semblances meant and I realized what Adam’s represented especially when Blake talked about her own Semblance.

it did not leave a good taste in my mouth at all when Blake just said ‘his Semblance is like yours’. Not even touching on the implication of Jaune’s own Semblance manifesting as his literal desire to be useful to the point he is sacrificing his soul(they specified he’s boosting their Aura, not just healing.).

like…I fully expected an intervention or something but no.

On a less…upsetting note. Do you think in Volume 5 when Ruby said she unlocked her Semblance training, it was that moment in Yang’s trailer? One where Ruby bolted and tripped. Which made me go ‘Oh, so this is the moment she talked about!’. Always found it weird how no one mentioned it in discussions.

I think it helps a smidgen that Ren's lecture (from what I recall, anyway) makes it clear that not everyone agrees with the theory that semblances = innate aspects of who you are... but the problem is the show then went to treat it as a given, rather than just a dubious, perhaps self-fulfilling idea. However, if RWBY is going to commit to that 1:1 connection, then yeah, the writing needs to consider what semblances reveal about a person that perhaps needs to be addressed. The closest they've gotten is with Blake and I think that's a staggering failure because 1. Her clones are not solely used for running away (they fight back, provide distractions, combine with dust, etc.) 2. Other characters with similar semblances (like Sun) apparently don't have this same flaw despite the metaphor suggesting as much and 3. Running away isn't inherently a bad thing. I keep thinking about how Blake's biased perspective of her own semblance might have led to a more nuanced version of Volume 8. What happens when you take a character who originally thought that running was a horrific, cowardly act, only for her to realize over time that it's just another kind of combat strategy, one that's often necessary in a long-term war (something she's in a unique position to understand given her generational fight for equality) and then you set her up in contrast to her overly optimistic "We can do it!" leader when they're both faced with a no-win scenario? As the cynical, hardened, activist, "You have to know how to fight to survive outside the kingdoms" team member, I'd have loved to see Blake help Ruby grow as they face more and more complicated situations... not clasp her hands and gush about how she's always looked up to her (not actually). Semblances could have been a key part of all that, especially when you take into account that speed is also a useful tool for getting out of a tough situation. How often has Ruby used her semblance to get away from a fighter she knows she can't take on alone? Roman, Mercury, and the like? But that Ruby belongs to a former version of the story that wasn't upholding certain messages to the point of narrative nonsense.

I'm drawing a blank on where Ruby "bolted and tripped." Was that another short? I never saw Yang's trailer as the moment she unlocked her semblance though, if only because Yang has no reaction to it. She laughs a little and says, "Nice one, sis" which is not the kind of excited response we'd expect from a younger Yang when Ruby hits such an important milestone. I've always assumed we've never seen the exact moment Ruby unlocked it on screen, just heard about it in passing.

Although, in re-watching that moment I spotted this:

Far from being a generalized character flaw, the context of this is Ruby running from hand-to-hand practice when we've already established that she doesn't want to do this. That's another flaw the show introduced without considering how it fits into the larger World Building. Why is Ruby the only one who has the "problem" of not being able to fight without her weapon? I would have bought this if the show had simply framed it as an issue all Huntsmen face, but Ruby is in a unique position to circumvent it given her family's personalities and fighting styles: Yang is a brawler, Tai might have been similar, and we see that Qrow has no problem shrugging and throwing a punch when his own weapon is lost (Tyrian fight). Instead, RWBY acts like Ruby is the only one with this issue (Ozpin calling her out), she's apparently overcome this with a single hit (Haven battle)... and then it never comes up again. Despite the fact that Volume 9 has her lose her weapon and then be too traumatized to pick it back up for all of 30 seconds the hand-to-hand never returns as a satisfying, "Ah, good thing Ruby had that development and came from this family, otherwise she might be in serious trouble here!"

Hmm. You know, now I'm just thinking about an AU where teeny-tiny Ruby with the speed semblance is originally trained in close combat because do you realize the advantage you have with Petal Burst and your small stature? Besides, playing dirty in the name of survival is a Rose-Xiao-Long tradition! It's not until late in Signal that Ruby is deciding on her weapon and it's a damn struggle for her to wield such a massive scythe, but she's stubborn and is determined to follow through on her choice. So one day she looses Crescent Rose in battle and Roman thinks that's it, this kid only had "one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed" going for her and those stuffy Huntsmen are notorious for putting all their eggs in one basket, learning their fancy moves with their fancy, dust-powered weaponry and then it alllll falls apart the second they're forced to get their own hands dirty. Piece of cake.

...only for Ruby to kick his ass with arms like steal from wielding a weapon that weighs as much as she does, the ability to slink her way under any guard, a speed semblance that can take her behind her opponent in an instant (trailing petals as a distraction to boot), and years of training under Tai, Yang, and Qrow—all of whom really like punching things.

Ruby: What? Did you think I needed Crescent Rose? That's stupid...

Yang: 👏👏 😎 👏👏

Blake, who also harbored those assumptions about Signal-trained Huntsmen because like many of their enemies she comes from a culture where you fight with whatever the hell you've got on hand: 😍

Weiss who DOES need her weapon to enact any kind of damage because she's been taught that any fighting that could so much as muss her hair is a big, cultural no-no and she's just beginning to realize that maybe that ignorance/aversion is a bit of a liability:

[cup-of-starlight-waters]

star wars is perennially fascinating to me because the doylist-watsonian divide is so wide. there are so many bizarre things that are easily explained by the original trilogy-prequels divide, or the fact that each movie in the original trilogy was individually plotted (luke and leis kiss anyone??) which worked pretty okay for the OT and pretty horrific for the sequel trilogy (lol disney). on the level of craft, star wars (and i love it. i do. but let’s be honest) is just…mediocrely plotted and riddled with inconsistencies.

but because it had (and has) an unbelievably large and dedicated fan base, the watsonian solutions that have been developed for all the doylist inconsistencies are nothing short of amazing. there’s just enough substance in the world building and the characters to let the fans play around—to recontextualize and reinterpret those inconsistencies into something way more amazing then whatever was going on in lucas’s (or…sigh… abrams-johnson’s) brain.

latest bugbear for me is Han Solo’s disbelief in the force. in the context of the OT, where the power and influence of the jedi order isn’t really defined—you know they were “guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy” but might easily be led to believe they were mysterious and reclusive samurai-type figures (especially given that samurai are the clear inspiration)—Han’s expressed disbelief in episode 4 about the force, not just as some universal cosmic power but even as a power which Luke can use to avoid blaster bolts is reasonable. it’s even shared by the empire goons. the force is repeatedly described by characters who have presumably traveled much of the galaxy as an “ancient” or “hokey” religion.

this is absolutely wild in the context of the prequel trilogy, where the jedi’s role in the last 1000 years is very clearly defined as the enforcers and negotiators of the republic, and their role in the clone wars is public and unmistakable. in phantom menace, anakin is a nine-year-old slave boy who has never left Tatooine and thinks padme might be an angel and yet clearly recognizes Qui Gon Jinn as a jedi because he catches a glimpse of his lightsaber. versus Luke who has no fucking clue what a lightsaber is. We don’t question this much as an audience because the prequels were screened so much later than the original series—of course anakin recognizes the lightsaber! after all, we do.

but if you take the OT and the PT together in good faith, the watsonian explanation is horrifying, because it shows the extent to which the jedi were erased not just as a people but in history. in the space of twenty years—that’s living memory. that’s the living memory of Han himself—the jedi went from one of the most universally recognized symbols of the republic to these mysterious, cryptic, perhaps even mythical legends of the past. the propaganda machine of the empire must be terrifyingly effective. Imagine the sheer generational divide between the people who saw with their own eyes the jedi using the force in insane ways during the clone wars, and people like Han, who grew up under the empire and say with a scoff. “i call it luck.”

…look, if I ever wrote an “alderaan survives” fix-it fic I’d absolutely have Bail Organa sit Han down and they would have. a Conversation.

[tredispade]

brief character sheet for Al (a spehiroth clone) (using miniroth as an ez fc)

'born' in 1995 εγλ in the lab hidden under shinra manor in nibelheim. later relocated to midgar.

he is an almost exact clone of sephiroth. using samples of sephiroth's own genetics in a artificial womb to recreate the super solider with some modifications. to be more docile and obedient to his handler: failure. to be more resistant to the call of reunion: successful.

what he was modified with: various bits of genetics from certain beasts to augment his strength and resistance to various status ailments. successful but most abilities remain untested.

what he has learned is that he has an affinity for animals and beasts alike. able to communicate with them better than people (he's in essence, a beast master jobclass)

he is very much aware of what he is and where he comes from. it was never a secret. he is a clone and he's meant to be the "better version" of the original. but he doesn't share any memories, at least not yet. he hates that he's a clone and hates any time someone mistakes him for sephiroth. not that it happens much. he doesn't want to be like him. he wants to be his own person.

as far as he considers it, hojo is his father. he was the one that created him. whether they are genetically related or not. hojo also treated him incredibly poorly, so he holds no love for him at all. or for anyone related to shinra.

around age 7, he escapes from shinra. the same time that sephiroth has burned down nibelheim. and as the call for reunion starts, it reaches him too. but he resists it. but cannot escape it entirely. he gets flashes of memories from sephiroth from when he 'dies', and when he starts regenerating. ( informing him a little on some people, enough to know to avoid them, but not in great detail as to who they really are. just how seph perceives them. )

from age 7 to 14, he lives in the wilderness. trying to spend as little time as possible with people. the only exception was early on, when he had no real knowledge of the outside world and almost died. an elderly woodcutter and his wife took him in and nursed him back to health. they are the closest thing he has to a family.

he is a pacifist. he won't kill unless he has to. even then, he aims to injure over killing if he can. his main weapons of choice is a crossbow and a bow and arrow. the bolts are imbued with a stunning effect to aid him in subduing enraged creatures.

he takes it upon himself to help wild animals and beasts alike that were displaced by the sudden expulsion of the lifestream to stop meteor.

he chose his own name. al, short of albert. which is even shorter for albertaceratops. he really loves dinosaurs.