#fodder grinder

[immaculatasknight]

Battered wife syndrome

[halfphoenix]

the thing is we NEED characters like oisin and ruben. They were kids at some point- maybe not normal kids, but kids nonetheless. if we didn't have oisin being gay wizard fodder charming and apologetic and ruben being vulnerable we'd be losing out on the tragedy of the rat grinders' story, because they were children, and now they're some of the most cold, calculated, cutthroat (sorry) antagonists of the series.

them being complicit in truly heinous acts doesn't taint their story, it makes it so so much more compelling

[bloodyshadow1]

I genuinely love that this last episode proves the bad kids would have stomped the rat grinders in a party v party battle. The rat grinders are very powerful, but don't know what they were doing, they needed a legendary barbarian and sorcerer to keep the fight even.

Not to mention that this was after the bad kids fought a huge pack of dragons in the sky, including an ancient blue dragon. low on spells and class features for some of them and they still turned the rat grinders into fodder for the last combat of the season.

The rat grinders have hated them for 3 years, they've plotted their demise this whole year and to the Bad Kids they're just in the way of the real villains. It's so fitting

[cloudmancy]

I have no desire to get you in trouble but I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the new episode and the preview because I also have.. thoughts and I'm interested in what other people clocked as not great or kinda.. idk. other people's concerns, because I have had a lot of them and I never see people really talk about those things

they're doing a new format this season where they film a bunch of rp episodes in a row then take a break when there's a battle so the crew can get the battleset ready, so I understand the dissonance. but the tone of this episode from the tone of last episode was SO jarring. I was ready to chew drywall at the end of episode 17 but we head into the episode 18 fight and at the end all I can say is... damn! that sure is a battle that happened. the entire fight felt really low-stakes even though objectively a few of the bad kids were in mortal danger, but the mood at the table was so relaxed and chill and there was almost no roleplay at all... which drove me so crazy

>no rp except for fun silly party stuff (no callbacks to the adaine elven oracle in a storm thing? after all the fun setup last time??)

>fought 8 different antagonists and none of them said a word

>nobody questioned why or what oisin's grandma or all those dragon were doing there they just started taking them out one by one like raid battles in world of warcraft

>cassandra/nightmare king showed up only to not make any impact or get a single word in

>dos2 lady vengeance fight did the floating boat/ballistas/dragon fight better SMH

and then after all of that we're headed straight into ANOTHER battle episode judging by the preview... and it's against the rat grinders and porter/jace! let me out I want PLOT & DIALOGUE fhjy cannot end like this (5 hours straight of battle where they just kill everyone that moves). there's 2 eps left so I really hope they do the last ep as a 4 hour long roleplay only epilogue episode because as we've all seen ending campaigns on a battle leads to frankly really rushed character and world decisions. it's ultra disappointing too because I loved this entire season so much so far. the setup and buildup and plot points and mystery of fhjy is the best they've ever done it in dimension 20 period

ep 18 fhjy battle was a letdown to me... not giving the party an rp episode after 3 hours of loredump + going straight into a final battle without being able to interact with the world after gaining info is bad. they should've had a chance to process everything they learned about house sunstone, porter's plan, the rat grinders being used as ascension fodder, whatever the whole deal behind ambrosia and lucy frostkettle and why they needed a helios cleric in buddy IN ROLEPLAY. I don't want all this stuff explained to me after the battle by brennan or in some throwaway lines in the adventuring party - I want the bad kids to talk to people! I want them to investigate! I want fig to pull some BS with porter knowing the full extent of all his plans. it really sucks for us as an audience too to be hit with all this lore and get approximately 0 time for it to sink into the implications of how the worldbuilding was shaped by it or realizations of "ohhh that's why that happened at the beginning of the season" before we go straight into killing everyone.

with the way this is going I don't have any confidence they're gonna be able to actually empathize at all with the rat grinders too before they start lopping heads off because in battle episodes everyone kind of just. becomes numbers and an objective to take out except for pet favourite npcs of the cast. and they've mostly been interacting with the rat grinders as nuisances all season 😭 I'm PRAYING to be proven wrong and the last 2 episodes of this are fantastic but it's not looking good folks

[mr-kench]

Theirs something brought to my attention about Helldivers that I don’t think many thought of but the Warhammer Fans pulled through again with the comparisons. For a bit of back story let me explain to you the most valuable Cannon Fodder that exists within Warhammer 40k. Everyone thinks of Space Marines when they think of Warhammer but they’re actually rare on a battlefield with most wars being preformed by their normal army, typically known as The Imperial Guard. Within the Guard is a Corp (or as they call themselves the Korps) Called the Death Korps of Krieg, or Kriegsman for Short. Long backstory made short they’re a group of Loyalistic Fanatics that were in Civil war for so long the planet turned into a nuclear wasteland and resorted to nothing but Trench Warfare. The winners surprised the Imperium by not only returning to the Imperium but already having a large contingent of Soldiers ready to enlist in the Imperial Army. Keep in mind that the Empire wrote them off as dead centuries ago and just abandoned the planet.

The Kriegsman are notable for the fact they do not fear death and instead embrace Death. They’ve been raised since birth to treat their own lives as expendable just to win a Centuries Long Civil War and that every death was worth it for just a few inches of land. Whenever a War Front gets too perilous and turns into a Meat Grinder the Empire says “Send in the Kriegsman” they’re thrown into hellish fights almost exclusively because they’re borderline suicidal and will do anything to complete a mission even if it means climbing on the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Helldivers are Kriegsman. They consist of the most Fanatic Among enlisted soldiers. Helldivers aren’t thrown in to win wars. In fact you’re not expected to survive your mission. Your thrown deep into enemy lines with no other support but your Fellow Helldivers, you Sabotage, Distract, Destroy Points of Interest and evacuate priority targets. Even if you die it’ll be considered a successful mission if you complete your goals. You’re Cannon Fodder given the illusion of being the best Super Earth has. You’re just there to jam the gears while the real fight takes down the enemy forces. You surviving is just a happy accident and you get to be more experienced Cannon Fodder for the next fight.

[heliza24]

Not gonna lie to you all, I do not feel good that we spent the first half of this finale in combat trying to kill a bunch of high schoolers who were manipulated and corrupted by evil teachers who were supposed to be taking care of them. The Rat Grinders deserved so much better than this. They were not inherently evil, they were kids, and they should have had the chance to become uncorrupted. I hope maybe there will be room for some role play resolution in the last ep, but don’t know. The whole thing does not make me feel good!!!

This is a weakness of DnD as a medium; there is no mechanism for diplomatic or even just nonlethal resolution to conflict. But it’s also the result of a stupid structural limit that Dimension 20 has placed on itself. There’s no reason that this season NEEDED to end with a battle ep, except for the fact that this is the way the IH seasons always end. (The battle at Seacaster Manor was so close to the end too, this battle feels especially redundant.) This season has been so strong in terms of mystery, role play, and character development. They could have come up with a really emotional and fun conclusion that was based on role play instead of combat.

I would argue that a lot of times D20 is good not because of DnD, but in spite of it. Or rather, D20 works because it recognizes DnD’s inherent flaws (generic fantasy world building, a lack of story mechanics, a self seriousness that can be irritating) and leverages the talent of its cast and crew to counter act those issues (creative genre usage and world building, Brennan’s strong sense of story structure and character arc, the players’ incredible comedic chops). Which means the uncreative decision to reduce this season’s most interesting and developed antagonists to canon fodder feels especially out of place. We just ceded all this great story work to DnD’s insistence on thoughtless violence, and quite frankly, it sucked!

Not to mention that this whole thing seems to go totally against the established themes of the season. So much of this season was about maintaining relationships in the face of anger and stress. It was about redeeming gods who were corrupted by rage. It was about the thin line between vengeance and justice and mystery and fear. What does it say if we drop all of that, and tell the rat grinders that they deserve to die because they were manipulated into rage?

My condolences to everyone who invested fannish energy in the Rat Grinders. They deserved the fan art and fic and meta you made about them. And they deserved better than that battle.

[opttwoodrow]

The Ballad of Bighole

Prelude

The Myth of Magnaformus, known to locals as 'The Ballad of Bighole', is a retelling of the events of the Bighole gangwar of late M41. This gang war, while not more than a footnote in the annals of Necromundan history, became legend among the drudges of the House of Iron, eventually being turned into the eponymous ballad sung by road gangs across the planet as they traveled the ashroads. Here follows its inciting incident:

Vivian Merdena is missing, and gang warfare is kindling throughout Bighole. Nobody knows for sure where she has gone or what has happened to her, but everybody has heard a rumour or two and has an opinion to share

Some say she wasn't happy with a stationary life and has run off with a Roadboss to live life on the roads of Necromunda. Others say that a Delaque assassin put her down in one of the cavernous ore silos that dot the upper levels of Bighole. And furtive whispers are passed that she is making a move against her father, laying low to bait him into an ambush.

But no matter the cause of her disappearance, it has left a power vacuum that gangs of every house are scrambling to fill. From the lowest flooded sump level to the highest enforcer compound, all have something to gain from the coming anarchy. And all the while, a strange signal has been detected emanating from the toxic depths of the pit, could this have something to do with Vivian's disappearance, or could it signal something more esoteric is afoot? Is this the start of a new golden age or the first signs of rust tearing into the settlement of Bighole?

The Ballad of Bighole is a Necromunda 2017 Dominion campaign with narrative elements set in Magnaformus, a settlement carved into the side of an ancient pit mine north of the Primus Cluster, known by the locals as Bighole.

This campaign features 4 players and their gangs:

The Mavens of Magnaformus- Escher

Rad Watch - Van Saar

Corpse Wives - Corpse Grinder Cult

An as yet unnamed Delaque gang (how fitting)

This campaign is a long time in the making and really was a call to action for a different and much grander project i have used as daydream fodder for many years now. But with my regular play partner soon to be emigrating to Australia, it seemed like it was now or never for a narrarive campaign of some kind, and Necromunda was there to scratch the itch.

To show the kind of stuff i have been accumulating for the evenual dream campaign, here are some photos of my accumulated '40k adjacent roleplaying minis' featuring lots of different factions, civilians and hangers on, and a few wee beasties for good measure. There is a whole extra pile of shame dedicated to this project that will remain unphotographed.

So to prepare for the camapign, as its host and architect, i needed terrain. I already have plenty of 40k style terrain, but its a bit too 'ruined cathedral' for my needs. Plus to fill a necromunda board I would need much much more. Perhaps make my own out of cardboard and other crafty type mateials? Maybe, but i needed this quick as my emigree friend and I are known for our wandering eyes when it comes to big projects and i would have to learn from scratch if i was to do thia. So how was I to do this quickly, but without breaking the bank?

My plan was simple: cheap on the bulk, spend on the details. i.e TTCOMBAT MDF terrain for most of what I needed, and then a few GW kits thrown in to give it that truly 41st millenium feel. This would allow me to have a variety of terrain that could be used in different ways and would all be of a similar scale. So I got to work. I could go through all the details, but here is a photo montage of putting together and painting the core of the terrain.

With the gangs gathered and enough terrain to play a game, we gathered arms and had a day of gaming! I shall go into detail about the test game and the 2 propper battles we played in a different post as I have run out of photos allowed in the app, but the Ballad of Bighole has officially begun!

[saltminerising]

i’m not a regular exalter or anything, i sell fodder, but i think we should be nicer to the fodder grinders who buy LAH hatchlings and dragons. they are the “cleanup crews” of flight rising when it comes to server space and they are the bedrock of this economy everyone loves to laud so much.

i have pretty much only ever had good interactions with exalting lairs and some of them have been incredibly kind to me. i love to see a familiar exalting lair when i go to check on my fodder sales and i love when my offspring lists have “famous” copypaste exalting names in them and i love seeing all the different pillars my sold dragons end up on. be nice to exalting lairs or perish on my blade.

🌊

[tomorrowusa]

Some people in the West believe Putin's propaganda about Russia's overwhelming strength. Though if you do a simple reality check, you'll notice that Russia's "3-day special operation" in Ukraine is now in Day 870.

Yekaterina Shulman used to work as a consultant to the Russian government. She left Russia soon after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Here are some excerpts from an interview she gave to RFE/RL.

I’ve called Russia a “bureaucratic autocracy.” It’s a personalist autocracy in strict political science classification. We don't have a ruling party like party autocracies. Russia is not run by a military junta like military autocracies. We don't have an established succession mechanism that monarchies have. So we’re a personalist autocracy: Power is concentrated in the hands of the leader and his immediate surrounding. However, we’re a big country that can't be run by a president and his five friends [alone]. [ ... ] The Russian state has never paid that much money to its people for anything -- for their work, for their life, for their death, for whatever. The idea that Russia is a country of limitless resources is a propaganda picture. But the strange thing, and it is so strange that we can't realize it, is this: It has always been the case in Russia's history that people are abundant but money is scarce. Hard currency, gold, or foreign currency have value; people have no value whatsoever. “We have as much [human capital] as we need.” Now it's the other way around. I can't adequately explain to you, I can’t even explain to myself what a gamechanger it is. They don't understand it themselves, because they've never seen anything like this. [ ... ] [W]e don't have enough Russians. We have more money than we know what to do with, but we don't have the people -- either on the front lines or back home. We have a huge labor deficit, and very slowly there comes a realization that you can't pay 1.25 million rubles to a person who in two weeks’ time will be killed in a senseless “meat grinder,” as the expression goes. The army management doesn't understand this yet. The political leadership doesn't understand it yet but is slowly beginning to realize it. I don't know what the implications will be; I can only tell you as a social scientist that it's a huge change. [ ... ] Whatever factor we take -- be it the labor crisis that I mentioned, the demographic situation, the economic imbalances, the aging of personalist rule, the infighting of the clans, where now everyone has a little private army of their own -- each and every one of these factors and all of them in combination are factors of long-term decline. As a Russian citizen, as a Russian educator, I get no pleasure at all in saying this. The question that I get is whether this or that event or occurrence or tendency will, in stark terms, upset Putin or defeat Russia; and the answer is no, not immediately. But none of them will go away. It will be a country with an aging society, with a disbalanced economy, with an incompetent leadership, and these are the factors of inevitable decline. It’s very bad. It's bad for the country; it's bad for the continent.

Russian rulers dating back to the tsars have regarded their large populations of poor people as cannon fodder to be used in wars when needed. This has sometimes compensated for corrupt and incompetent military leadership. But Russia is running out of troops to send on "meat wave" attacks in Ukraine. And hundreds of thousands of tech savvy young people have already left the country since the war began. Russia is experiencing a self-inflicted demographic wound.

Putin has to rely on technology from China and arms manufacturers in North Korea to keep his war going. Out of frustration he's bombing children's hospitals and apartment buildings in Ukraine. Terrorism is his only response to a deteriorating situation.

Russia may look real big on maps but in economic terms, it has a GDP similar to that of Italy.

Narcissism is a common trait among dictators. This war is driven by Putin's nostalgic desire to bring back the USSR of his youth in all but name. He wishes to be the Peter the Great of the 21st century. This is essentially the War of Putin's Ego. But all the bluster of Putin, his propaganda machine, and his Western lickspittles can't indefinitely mask the precarious nature of contemporary Russia.

[supremechancellorrex]

I hear a lot of anti-Jedi and pro-Jedi going back and forth on this platform, but I wonder if we're only dealing in absolutes. That's it, everyone on tumblr is a Sith. Confirmed.

But, seriously (I was serious), are the Jedi good? Are they evil? Are they somewhere inbetween? And what is the system they support? Are they being their 'best selves' by the twilight years of the Republic? Am I a jerk? Are they jerks? Are you a jerk? Well... let's look at both sides and canon as it is, and see where it goes.

Should we ignore the problems and implications?

Dogma: "No! We have orders! We have to go through with this!"

First things first, let's start with negativity, because that's life possibly. There are a number of criticisms which are levelled against the Jedi in the canon. The Star Wars writers didn't always just put scenes and lines in for fun.

Slick: "It's the Jedi who keep my brothers enslaved. We serve at your whim. We do your bidding. I just wanted something more."

The Jedi are accused of slavery in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was created by George Lucas as Executive Producer, along with Dave Filoni and a whole host of writers working in collaboration. When Slick accuses the Jedi of being his and other clones' slave masters, it is never refuted by any of the characters, even Obi-Wan and Anakin who he is speaking to. It's never refused by the narrative at all.

Canonically, the Jedi as citizens and being military generals act as the clones superiors and also masters by proxy in the command chain. Slick's accusation is that the Jedi "keep [his] brothers" enslaved, not that they even necessarily enslaved them in the first place. He is indicating that the Jedi have power and agency, which they do as natborn citizens, but they don't direct it for justice and meaningful change in regards to clone rights.

Satine Kryze: "I remember a time when Jedi were not Generals, but peacekeepers."

Now, people have argued that the Jedi do help the clones and they are "in charge of [the clones] care", as Master Shaak Ti says during a continuing arguement where her and Nala Se debated on who Tup, Fives and clones in general belonged to as "property". The Jedi could think themselves better caretakers of the clones troopers than natborn officers like Tarkin, although this verges on character speculation. Canonically, we do see evidence of care, such as Shaak Ti advocating for Domino Squad and calling them "living beings" that didn't deserve to be "cast aside", Mace and Plo Koon and other Jedi do show concern for their men's lives.

But, arguably it doesn't account for much when the Jedi are still working in the framework and structures of slavery instead of protesting it. Being kind to clones doesn't mean much when you prop up the meat-grinder of a system that uses them as cannon fodder.

This is exemplified in the show itself.

Ahsoka: "It's every citizen's duty to challenge their leaders, to keep them honest, and hold them accountable if they're not.”

Unjust actors and systems are to be challenged. The Jedi being nice isn't an absolution for their participation in this system, just as a slave master or a deputy slave master being nice in any context doesn't change the fact that they are still in command of slaves getting thrown into the meat grinder every day. If you support an unjust system, you bear responsibility.

And, moreover, despite moments of compassion from Jedi, for people who value life, the Jedi as an organisation still show a concerning ease with clone death as the war progresses. The Citadel Arc is a great example of this. As Clone Trooper Charger falls to his death and collides with a shock mine, Obi-Wan sasses "Well, they know we're here now" as the other clones still are reaching out in horror. Every time a clone dies on that mission, they leave them behind, even Echo (who turns out to still be alive and is captured by the enemy and tortured). However, despite the urgency of the mission, when Jedi Master Even Piell dies, the Jedi pause the mission to give him a funeral and burial even though the enemy is closing in. If there was ever a message that the Jedi value their slave soldiers' lives less, this is it.

Further evidence includes the fact that Jedi Master Pong Krell's casualty numbers were well-known in the military, to point Torrent Company were openly debating them, and yet no other Jedi General had felt the need to propose a military investigation. Additionally, when the Jedi were fed the cover story the inhibitor chips in their men's brain were just designed to make them less aggressive and more docile, there is no evidence they protested this mental violation. Another neglect in a series of many. Taking this into regard, I think the unfortunate implications are clear.

Perhaps the Jedi should find better use for their mind tricks and lightsabers than cutting up droids and planetary militias all while propping up an unjust regime?

Master enablers

Jedi Master Dooku: "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents."

Canonically, the Jedi are deeply flawed as an organisation. They are politically centrist in a way that does not benefit either themselves or the Republic in end, shown to be enablers that uphold the system and law as it is, regardless of how unjust.

How can the Jedi have the high ground when they appease a Senate that supports slavery regardless of how the writers try to downplay it? How can they be morally righteous when they bow down, without much resistance if at all, to such system that uses slave soldiers? Clones die under Jedi command, they work in the Jedi Temple as both soldiers and technicians. The Jedi claim they just can't get involved in changing the system because it's beyond their mandate when what's on their doorstep, what's in their temple, is slavery, slavery that they even benefit from arguably to even maintain their transports and technical systems.

For any person or group in any system, there's a breaking point where things have gone too far, but how much one tolerates up until that point says a lot about their moral character. The Jedi were drafted by the Chancellor (Oh you) and perhaps they thought being 'kind' to the clones when they interacted with them was enough, but it wasn't. And while the Jedi continue to believe in the Republic far beyond acceptable, victims mount.

During the Wrong Jedi Arc, the Jedi Order also show themselves in bad light. It would have been one thing to believe Ahsoka was guilty and leave it at that, yet they practically threw Ahsoka under the bus for politics in reality. Mace kept talking about the politics, essentially showing Jedi PR was a more important factor than Ahsoka's life.

Mace Windu: "I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan. But, if the council does as you suggest. It could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate. I'm afraid we have little choice."

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan advocated for Ahsoka briefly, expressing doubts at her guilt, but at best casts a vote in her favour when he knows it won't be enough. Give it to Anakin in this instance, at least he did an actual private investigate to prevent a wrongful conviction instead of sitting back. Like Asajj Ventress said when confronted by Anakin, the Order abandoned Ahsoka and appease a Senate that supports authoritarian policies, kangaroo court trials and a slave army. What a state to die for.

Ahsoka: “This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had, too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly need us.”

How can the Jedi believe in the Republic to the point they were surprised when they got inevitably screwed over? Again, the narrative supports the idea the Jedi have lost their way and become enforcers for the Senate, however fascist and dangerous it has clearly become. You kind of have to have in order to become key leaders of a slave army when you were peacekeepers beforehand. The Republic is failing, but so are the Jedi. They fight the war with the tools they are given, from their lightsabers to their slave soldiers, with no solution or appropriate concern for the legislative catastrophe happening at the heart of the Republic until they realise Palpatine's been in a little long with his executive powers. They enforce laws, unjust systems and follow orders.

Fives: "I'm sorry. I cannot just follow orders when I know they're wrong. Especially when lives are at stake."

Captain Rex: "You will if you support the system we fight for."

Fives: "I do support it. I do! But I am not just another number! None of us are!"

TCW shows us that following rules and regulations when they're immoral is the wrong course of action, yet no matter the signs and warning, the Jedi continue to play into Palpatine's hands with their misguided patriotism as the Republic becomes increasing draconian and despotic. The most problematic factor about the Jedi is that they don't acknowledge the problems and the fact the clones' situation is unacceptable on every ground. They don't acknowledge the clones' situation, they don't acknowledge the Republic is bad or try to think of solutions to that even if they don't work. The situation is complicated, but the Jedi went along with bad options when they should have known what the Republic was by this point. How can the Jedi enforce justice when they enforce the corruption of it?

The Jedi continue to believe in the Republic and their part in he hierarchy when it seems more akin to a hostage situation with slaves in the balance. If they're blind, they're fools. If they knew, they're knowing enablers.

A tight spot

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic... before the dark times... before the empire."

Now, the flaws in the Jedi are clear, but it's all well and good to critique them. What could the Jedi have done effectively instead? If the Jedi were more keyed in on the Republic's unsalvageable system and decided to be proactive in regards to it, what could they do realistically? Aside from the emotional weight of getting people to abandon their home and a multi-generation relationship the stretches back centuries and centuries, the logistics of getting 10,000 people to desert and transporting them without the Republic and GAR noticing and stepping in feels unrealistic. Not only this, but they'd be ditching the clones to slavery yet again, as it's not like the Jedi can all desert and take the clones with them like they're plushie toys. Each clone is a different individual and deprogramming child soldiers is difficult.

People like Dogma, Neyo and Bacara wouldn't canonically desert without the right circumstances, Captain Rex wouldn't just desert with Anakin, nor could Obi-Wan sashay Commander Cody and his troops away like some of the fandom thinks. A lot of clones were indoctrinated to be loyal to the Republic from a young age. If the Jedi had just flat out tried desert, Order 66 would have likely happened earlier and Palpatine would have easily painted the Jedi as traitors.

Of course, there are the inhibitor chips as also a factor, but we can only judge the moral character of the Jedi based on the knowledge they did have and what they chose to do with it.

Barriss Offee: "An army fighting for the dark side. Fallen from the light we hold so dear. This Republic is failing. It's only a matter of time."

However, this is no excuse for the Jedi Order choosing the worst option out of a bad bunch. The Jedi crossed the moral precipice. They crossed it ever since AOTC when they decided that indoctrinated, slave soldier of dubious origin were just what they needed to throw into the desert meatgrinder that is Geonosis as the war started. There reasons make sense in their way, there's millions of units of droid army marching their way and the Republic and Senate have only a ten-thousand strong Jedi and the Judicial Forces. At the same time, the reasons for that humanitarian crisis aren't justifications. 'Cool motive. Still slavery' applies here.

Ethically, Yoda and Mace shouldn't have just gone along with the draft without any counter-strategy, especially if they cared about the clones as human beings and a people. They could have pretended cooperation and done discreet resistance at least. Of course, the Jedi even if they resisted weren't probably gonna have a happy ending, as generations under Republic thumb had neutered them and taken their passion and power, but they would have taken the moral and right action.

Instead, the Jedi remain the face of the war effort, using a Trojan Horse slave army just given to them with no real protest. If the Star Wars had truly wanted the Jedi to be wholly good, they'd have had them be more begrudging, cynical and weary at being pressured and coerced by the state. There'd be growing Anti-Republic sentiment, which would have been a start. Rebellion, dissent and mutiny would have been even more valuable and expected. Instead, the Jedi Order are loyal to the regime until the very last moments of the war.

In Conclusion

In the twilight years of the Republic, Palpatine really used every weakness of the Jedi against them. As an organisation, the Jedi really can't save themselves. Individuals can, as shown by Ahsoka leaving, but the Republic destroyed the Jedi, it took their soul, it bureaucratised and militarised their culture, and the Jedi just slid down that slope. That's part of why the people felt abandoned by the Jedi, as the Jedi were too melded to the system both functionally and idealistically, trapped in the snake, them and what they stood for slowly digested as they safeguarded and enforced unjust status quos. Even when Dooku was young, as The Tales of the Jedi said, they were already damned. Ahsoka left, every Jedi should have at that point. The Republic definitely would fight an en masse desertion, but it'd have been the right thing to do.

Some Jedi realised and left, others were too committed the belief of a Jedi Order that had become a shadow of what it was. The Jedi are a warning of what happens when governments, hierarchies and religion connect and influence each other for centuries. At the same time, adult Jedi were responsible for their actions, and each could have done more for the clones than they did.

Fives: "We must be trusted to make the right decision, especially when the orders we are given are wrong!"

[suratan-zir]

This is a post of gratitude. Maybe tumblr isn't the most appropriate place for this, maybe it sounds silly and needlessly pretentious coming from a little nobody that I am. Regardless, I have long felt the need to write about it. News about the Leopard tanks from Poland might be a good enough occasion to finally say it.

Dzięki, ačiū, thank you, people of Poland, Lithuania, UK, US and every country that has consistently supported Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

Maybe we, Ukrainians, don't say it enough, but we know that we owe our lives not only to our defenders, but to all of you, citizens of countries that didn't abandoned us in these dark times.

Every day on the battlefield my country loses its best men. People who were teachers, doctors, architects and actors, parents, sons and daughters are sacrificing their lives in the name of our survival, our future. Hopefully, with the support of your countries, their sacrifices won't be in vain. Thank you for giving us a chance for the future. Thank you for not leaving us alone in this.

War puts everything into perspective like probably nothing else and it teaches you how to be truly grateful. Only earlier today I wanted to complain that due to the destruction of our infrastructure and emergency power outages, in my apartment it is so cold that I can't even hold the phone in my hands for long - my fingers are freezing. But then I quickly remembered that our fighters in Bakhmut and Soledar are losing their fingers due to the frostbite. I am alive and have a roof over my head thanks to these heroes.

What does this have to do with the topic of this post? Well, the same way I often want to complain about the injustice in this world, I want to write something angry about how russia is not punished enough for the crimes it commits. But then I stop myself, because had the world did not help us throughout these 10 months, had the world just let it slide like it did in 2014, I would likely be homeless, imprisoned or dead, along with millions other Ukrainians. Ukraine could no longer exist by now. Because this is a war of extinction, cultural as much as physical.

Which is why I want to say thank you. Not only for the weapons provided by your countries, but for giving us hope, especially in hard times like these, when the enemy on the eastern front is literally bombarding our troops with cannon fodder in unlimited quantities, turning cities into ruins and meat grinders.

Thank you for helping us to overcome this senseless evil. This post may be cringy and poorly written, but my gratitude is sincere.

[immaculatasknight]

Malevolent instigation

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddiemas challenge.

Permanent 99

Prompt Day 30: Smut Themed Sentence Starters | Word Count: 2811 | Rating: E | CW: Sexual Content, 18+ Only | Tags: Sports AU, Swimming AU, Modern Setting, Eddie & Gareth are BFFs, Olympic Swimmers, Heat Wave, Outdoor Fooling Around, Blowjob, Eddie POV

This follows my Sports AU drabble from @steddieholidaydrabbles where they were Olympic Swimmers, but can be read standalone.

This one is also available right here on AO3.

we're hot and sticky as we can get, don't need to go swimming to be soakin' wet, you lean in and you bite my lip, it's hard to be cool in heat like this, sweat drop at the end of your nose, makes you lose your mind and lose your clothes Christian Kane, Permanent 99

Eddie rests his forearm over his eyes, attempting to block out the way too bright sun and wipe the sweat away from his forehead at the same time. 

The strips of cheap vinyl from the PVC lounger are sticking to his bare back and he can't seem to shift in any way to get comfortable with the feeling. Steve is worth millions, but he's dragged out some old as shit, tri-fold lounge chairs from last century. They had to have been stashed in his parents' pool house, left over from the eighties, faded from sun and years of disuse. If Eddie's going to be subjected to the summer sun, he's definitely gonna need a newer chair, because this is really not working for him. 

He's sticking to it in ways that feel really gross.

That has a lot to do with the fact that it's so humid it's almost insufferable. The glare off of the water isn't helping matters. It's blinding him, even through his sunglasses. They've spent a lifetime looking at pool water, so Eddie's not entirely sure why they're still doing it now, on their own time.

“It’s hot as shit,” Eddie finally announces, moving his arm just enough to catch a glimpse of Steve next to him.

Steve smiles, seemingly unconcerned by the unrelenting heat. 

He's tanned, and glistening in the sun, looking every bit of a Greek god. That bastard.

Eddie's actually seen Steve in Athens, at the fucking Olympiad itself, and he damn well didn't look anything like he does right now. Steve was only nineteen then, still just a kid chasing a dream. And, now he's a man. A gorgeous man.

Eddie is pretty sure he looks like an overheated, wet cat in comparison. A pitiful thing that probably just needs put down.

But Eddie grins, because retirement looks good on Steve Harrington. Damn good. Retired before thirty. That's quite the thing to wrap his head around. 

But that's not going to stop Eddie's complaining.

“From now on, summer months will be spent strictly indoors. It's too hot, and I’m too pale for this,” Eddie declares, as if that is the final decision on the subject matter.

It isn't. Not if his perpetually sun-kissed boyfriend has a say in the matter.

Steve just rolls his eyes, and doesn’t look away from his magazine, "You made the worst dressed list, again," Steve offers, flashing the glossy pages in his direction. "They put you on the fug list."

Well, Eddie doesn't give a flying fug what that rag thinks. He's gonna wear what he's gonna wear. 

"And let me guess, you're in the other column?" Eddie asks, but he already knows it. Ever since they went public with their relationship after retirement, they've been tabloid fodder. Everyone has been speculating on how long this has been going on (since Athens) and how long it will last (hopefully forever) and they've picked apart every last detail of their lives they can get their hands on. And their very different style choices have been a popular topic of conversation.

Steve retired, Eddie didn't. Until he did. And now, they're both out of the meat grinder, free at last to do whatever they want to with all this brand new free time. Eddie's had fun running swim clinics for kids, and Steve has been funneling his time and money into his charitable foundation.

The rest of the time, they spend lazing together, just like this. Finally getting to really build this relationship of theirs into something even deeper, and stronger, than ever before.

They can't leave swimming, not totally. It's in their blood. But it's nice to be away from the early practices and constant sacrifices you have to make to be an Olympian, not just once, but several Games in a row.

Their not-so-secret love went public at Eddie's last Games, when Steve showed up, but kept out of the announcer's booth, and refused to be interviewed. He wasn't there for his own promo. Everybody was pissy about it, wanting a piece of him, wanting the ratings boost his voice, his face, would bring in. But Steve was only there to see Eddie, Gareth and the rest of his friends on Team USA swim, that's it.

So, it didn't take long for rumors to reach a fever pitch, and instead of denying them. They just admitted they were together, and had been, for a very long time. And now, they were looking forward to retirement, together. 

And that was that. 

They've been holed up at Steve's house ever since, trying to keep away from prying eyes, to just be together. With no other commitments. No early practices. No strict diets.

They're just Eddie and Steve. No longer Harrington and Munson.

But, Eddie's getting a little stir crazy and a lot hot. He needs to be anywhere but beside a pool right now.

“I haven’t even set foot in the goddamn pool and I’m sweating through my trunks,” Eddie whines, just making sure his opinion on the subject has been heard by Steve, loud and clear.

“Shoulda rocked the banana hammock, bro,” Steve supplies with a shrug of his shoulders, laughing loudly, totally unbothered by Eddie’s constant bitching. 

Eddie smiles, "Don't call me bro, dude."

Steve giggles, and it's the best sound. So carefree. All that weight of expectation just…gone. It was amazing to see. Retired from professional swimming, Steve doesn’t sweat the small stuff, not anymore. And Eddie is one hundred percent down for that.

"Speedos aren’t exactly casual pool wear, regardless of what you might think, Harrington,” Eddie adds.

“Sure they are,” Steve answers, waving his hand over his lap.

Eddie looks over at Steve, and lowers his sunglasses down his nose. Steve's wearing a tiny, all-white Speedo that Eddie can't look away from. It was a purposeful choice, Eddie is well aware. 

Steve's baiting him. 

And the white makes it basically see through. It’s nearly obscene and Eddie knows damn good and well Steve wore it on purpose, knowing he’d either sweat through it, and make it see through, or end up in the pool…and make it see through. 

Eddie knows this game well and it sadly always, always works on him. He's an easy mark. Always has been when it comes to Steve Harrington.

Eddie pushes his glasses back up on his face.

“You're right, the Federation should have forgotten all about the tech suits and went back to those," Eddie says, licking his lips, wetting them. Two can play at this game.

There’s a sweat drop clinging to the end of Steve’s nose and Eddie reaches over to catch it with his thumb. Raking his eyes all over Steve.

"Is this seriously turning you on?" Steve asks, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm basically wearing an old work uniform."

Eddie just nods, looking at every inch of Steve's body. Still toned, but already going slightly softer in places. Not to mention all the body hair. Steve's hairy, when the fuck did that happen? After only knowing him as the shaved and waxed swimmer, this has been a fucking revelation of a magnitude Eddie can't even put into words. 

Steve's a man. No longer the kid he was when they met, a million years and a million miles away from here.

"You're staring," Steve says, teasing him, and Eddie just nods. He's definitely staring and he'll do it some more. 

Steve smiles and sets his magazine down and crawls over onto Eddie’s lounger, straddling Eddie’s thighs. It creaks and shifts under them, and Eddie holds his breath, and prepares for the little metal legs to collapse. It doesn't, miraculously, and Steve takes Eddie's stillness for an opportunity to lean in and bite at Eddie’s bottom lip before Eddie can, well, give him any more lip. Eddie groans a little at the feeling, hands settling on Steve’s hips. Steve deepens the kiss and runs his fingers through Eddie’s sweat-damp hair.

When they finally break apart, Steve is even slicker with sweat than he was before, but he just grins down at Eddie.

“Let’s go in,” Eddie urges, thumbs tracing lazy circles on Steve’s exposed hip bones. Running his thumb over Steve's Olympic rings tattoo that's just barely peeking over the top of the tiny Speedo. 

Steve took Eddie to get his own rings tattoo after his first Olympics, and Eddie took Gareth after his. It's a sacred tradition. 

Eddie presses his thumb into the slightly faded ink, then dips it lower, stroking until he feels coarse hair under his thumb. Then, he's sliding his other hand up and down Steve's hairy thigh. More hair. Hair for days.

In fact, Steve’s chest hair is damp and right in Eddie’s face. It’s driving him a little wild. Steve spent so many years shaved, that this has been a goddamn turn on. Eddie leans forward and buries his face in Steve's chest.

Steve just laughs, and pushes Eddie back down, nipping at Eddie’s neck playfully, “S’good out here.”

“Think of the air conditioning. And the big, big bed.”

“This is bed-like,” Steve insists, reaching over and hitting the lever sending the chaise flat. The unsteady metal legs wobble comically and Eddie laughs as Steve topples over on top of him ungracefully. It's a nice change of pace, since Eddie often feels like he's the ungraceful one nearly everywhere but in the water. Always one wrong move from a trip to the E.R., while Steve stands by, shaking his head. 

Eddie’s fairly certain this flimsy-ass chair can't hold their combined weight indefinitely, even without Steve trying to fuck him through it. But he still runs his fingers through Steve’s hair, pulling him closer, encouraging him. 

He'll ride this train into the ground, without question. 

Steve closes his eyes, and grinds down against him.

Eddie grips Steve’s hips, resting his fingers against Steve’s ass, cupping him through the Speedo. When he squeezes his fingers underneath the tight material, Steve opens his eyes to meet Eddie’s, and Eddie just raises an eyebrow, questioning.

“By all means,” Steve answers, lifting up enough for them to work together to get it shimmed off his ass.

It isn’t easy. Removing a wet Speedo never is, and Steve’s wallering him in the process. Eddie almost takes a knee to the nuts, but they finally get it peeled off Steve's hips and tossed onto the ground. 

Steve unties Eddie’s trunks and pulls the Velcro closure apart loudly. He snakes his hand inside and closes his fist around him, and Eddie can’t help but buck up into the tight grip. 

“Fuck, Steve,” Eddie pants, leaning back further, enjoying the feeling.

Steve smiles and leans forward, chasing him, licking a path of sweat off of Eddie’s chest. It makes Eddie shiver unexpectedly and he can’t stop himself from tangling his hand in Steve’s hair. Urging him lower. Steve takes the hint. He always does.

He pushes apart Eddie's trunks, getting himself better access, and Eddie lifts up, to let him tug them down a little further, but not all the way off. 

Eddie groans when Steve’s mouth makes contact with his dick.

He rests his hand on Steve's head, feeling every movement from above and below. Steve's a gold medal cocksucker, that's for goddamn sure. 

"That's good, sweetheart," Eddie says, and Steve hums in acknowledgement, head moving up and down, hand doing the rest of the work in tandem. 

Eddie slides his hand down to Steve's face, pressing his palm to his stubbly cheek, and Steve changes the angle, so the head of Eddie's dick now hits the inside of his cheek with every bob of his head, bumping against Eddie's palm.

Steve's teasing him, playing with him, but it's fucking hot. 

So hot, and it's all Eddie can take, honestly, and he arches his hips off the chair, coming. 

Steve pulls off, and makes eye contact as he swipes his tongue around his mouth, gathering up Eddie's come on his tongue, which he shows Eddie, before swallowing.

"You're gonna kill me," Eddie says, as he moves to wrap his hand around Steve's hard dick, but Steve holds up one finger, wagging it at him. 

And then he slides fully on top of Eddie, and ruts into his hip. Using Eddie to get himself off.

Jesus H. Christ. 

Retired Steve is his favorite version, so far. Even more than top of the podium Steve. Or secret locker room blowjob Steve.

This version? His to keep? This is the one. 

Steve's breathing heavy into Eddie's ear, hot puffs of air and soft moans that make Eddie wish he could get hard again right now. Eddie digs his fingers into Steve's slick back, just along for the ride. Getting to enjoy the sights and sounds of Steve working hard. Breath catching with exertion. 

It's so familiar, and yet, brand new.

Steve lets out a groan in Eddie's ear, and then comes inside Eddie's shorts, and that's a new feat, for sure. 

Steve clearly doesn't give a fuck if he glues himself to Eddie's pubic hair, as he lays down on Eddie fully. Naked, sated and happy. This is the kind of hot Eddie isn't going to complain about. 

He almost says so, when he feels the whoosh of air blow past his arm before there’s a splash in the pool. He freezes. He doesn’t dare open his eyes, even if he’s certain it’s only Gareth. Maybe Robin, if he's really unlucky.

Steve's house has a revolving door. You never know who's gonna show up, unannounced.

And Eddie can't help it, he flushes even further, cheeks red and hot, totally embarrassed. 

When Eddie finally cracks an eye open, he laughs when he sees Gareth standing in the pool, right at the edge. Arms folded, head resting on them. Staring right at Eddie. Gareth has no shame and doesn’t get embarrassed easily, if ever. 

Just like Steve, honestly.

How he's surrounded himself with these two, he's not exactly sure.

"Whatcha guys been doin'?" Gareth drawls out, like he can't see Steve's bare ass in his face and know exactly what they were doing. 

Gareth's caught them fucking in several countries at this point. This is nothing. It's not even in the top ten most compromising positions he's seen them in. But still. Eddie could do without it, for sure.

Gareth's dog, Bonzo, is prancing around poolside, barking and jumping, just as hyper as his owner.

Steve just shakes his head, leaning over and picking up his discarded Speedo and walks back towards the house, like it’s no big deal to be walking around the backyard, totally naked. It's nothing Gareth hasn't seen before, to be certain. They've all spent far too many years together, in far too many locker rooms. 

Still, Eddie lifts his hips, and gets his trunks back up and securely fastened. He’s not about to get caught naked if he can help it. Unlike Steve, he does have some shame, and doesn’t exactly desire his junk getting featured on TMZ.

Some days, Eddie thinks Steve's just daring them to run dick pics of him. Probably because he knows what he's packing, and nobody in their right mind is gonna give his dick bad press. 

Definitely not Eddie. No way.

Eddie is about to get up, when Bonzo seizes the opportunity for the freed up premium seating, and jumps up onto Eddie’s lap.

Eddie hears the chair give way before he feels it. Soon enough they’re both falling to the ground. It’s a short fall, but Eddie still scrapes his elbow on the concrete and Bonzo shoots him daggers as if this whole mess was Eddie's fault, as the dog darts away from the scene of the crime, and towards the house, trying to catch up with Steve.

Steve clearly saw it happen, and he’s doubled over laughing near the sliding glass doors, still naked, and Eddie really doesn’t find it all that funny. 

“Fuck you, asshole, that hurt!” Eddie yells across the yard as he awkwardly untangles himself from the wreckage. Steve just laughs harder, and as much as Eddie wants to, it’s hard for him to stay mad at Steve.

Eddie gets up and surveys the collapsed heap of vinyl and aluminum. It looks like it's a total loss, and that does make Eddie smile, fully thankful that the chair from hell finally met its overdue end.

He jogs to catch up with Steve, hoping to slide in the shower with him, where Steve will kiss his wounded pride all better, and maybe go for round two. 

Notes: Song is Permanent 99 by Christian Kane. It's not on Spotify, or I'd just embed it. Gareth's dog is Bonzo, after John Bonham. Because I still like to think he's a drummer in this world, and that still plays with Eddie here, too. They just took their focus elsewhere.

This is the kind of chair I'm talking about, which they're still making apparently?! I had no idea.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiemas and follow along!

If you want to see more of my entries from this challenge, they are in my tag right here!

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

here are a couple for your pleasure, you can pick one.

Between them, there was everything, but nothing.

Miller didn't realize a simple statement would unravel Roland in such a profound way.

Roland never understood grief until he met Cortana.

Between them, there was everything, but nothing.

Spartans were Spartans. Except they weren't all created equal. Some were more like fodder while others were warrior-scholars. Sounded like a bunch of egghead bullshit, but it was nothing new. The meat grinder was a fact of life, marine to Helljumper to Spartan, her job was to keep as many of her people alive and kill as many bad guys as she could. Simple.

-

Miller didn't realize a simple statement would unravel Roland in such a profound way.

“Do you remember…Do you know who you were before?”

“I’ve always been me. Ever since I came online.”

“But are there things, memories – feelings, you can’t explain? Things you didn’t learn but just are. ”

The avatar tilted its head at him, but it didn't prevent him from noticing the glitch in its form, the slight stuttering that signaled some deeper fault.

-

Roland never understood grief until he met Cortana.

His losses were there, but distant - Names and numbers, IFF tags gone silent. When she appeared on the bridge, seemingly at the height of her power, all he could think of was how alone she was. Her data signature was a howling storm of loss and loneliness and unshed weight. Looking at her was like looking into a black hole. Halsey's monster born of sacrifice losing what meant the most to her - and the fury she wrought because of it.

[laurarolla]

And finally done with the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel playthrough of the main campaign and Claptastic Voyage. Boy, that was a long one. The remaining Claptastic Voyage video parts will be up a bit later on, they're all recorded though. And oh boy, I get to have possibly controversial opinions on a long-beloved franchise that just got a movie adaptation and definitely has another game on the way. Hooray!

So, Borderlands has a few things going for it, namely really great characters, a solid atmosphere, narratives that manage to actually drift between serious and silly in ways that don't feel jarring, and so many mix and match procedurally generated weapons that you rarely end up with the same drop twice, which can be good or bad based on your perspective on the game's loot and leveling system. Regarding the story, it's good. The only thing that kinda bugs me is that the story wants to be a story about how Jack became the monster he is in Borderlands 2, but it really doesn't show a change in character or personality, but just how he gains the power to be the absolute piece of garbage he always was deep down. I've seen some stuff from BL3 that actually does go into what pushed him into being an evil bastard, but like Moxxi points out, the darkness was always there and he just needed the power and the opportunity to embrace it. If you just ignore the read of it being the "fall of Jack" and instead go in 100% with the idea that this is the story of the "rise of Handsome Jack," I think you get a better overall feeling for the narrative experience.

In terms of gameplay and mechanics, I honestly kinda hate this game. It's not specifically because I think there are wrong decisions being made in most cases (although a mailbox system like in Destiny 2 or WoW would be great for situations like a legendary drop falling through the damn ground or getting something dropped on it). The issue is in the philosophy of the game, and the fact that what I came to the game for was not at all what it wants to deliver. I like the world, the characters, and their stories. I couldn't care less about being asked to sift through piles of loot, most of which is Grinder fodder or something to sell for semi-useful money, only to realize that the weapons I found that were cool and fun to use are practically useless about an hour or two later. I suppose the thing is that I didn't want another MMO, even if this one is vastly superior in terms of long-term survival due to being unshackled to a live service model.

Part of what made Destiny 2 so enjoyable to me as a persistant game was that I didn't have to spend absurd amounts of time farming, and if I got a good weapon, I got to keep using it because I could upgrade the power level without having to go get another one of the same gun at the higher level. But the issue isn't that Destiny 2's loot drop system is inherently better, because for many people, it isn't. For me, the issue is that, when combined with gunplay that isn't nearly as fun as I want it to be, talent trees that remind me of how much WoW improved over the years by dumping the incremental math for the sake of landmark upgrades at specific levels, and certain damage types and weapons feeling damn near necessary in a system where everything you get is absurdly unpredictable, it isn't fun to pick up a bunch of garbage to sell or trade when I found things that were fun to use. I didn't come here for Diablo with guns and a wacky robot buddy. I have the same opinion about Diablo and other loot piñata games. Being neurodivergent in some way definitely doesn't help me with this, either.

The point is, I love the world and story and characters of Borderlands, but I absolutely fucking hate playing Borderlands. However, after playing the game for many hours, I'm now actually pretty decent at Borderlands. Maybe BL2 will be a worthwhile experience when I eventually get around to it, but I'm not expecting much. I mean, it doesn't even have the Oz kits and boost jump system that I actually did like.

[madstronaut]

back on my captain rex clone wars bullshit

I happened to come across ONE captain rex fanart on my twt and for a short period of time I am once again salivating on the hour for rex o captain my captain

have you ever read something so good every so often something just reminds you of it from time to time and then WHAM you are back deep in your hyperfixation???? no??? only me???? kk

this fic is basically what got me into the sex pollen of it all but also I cannot explain how perfect it is as a 'love at first sight, but duty restrains me from pursuit' fic (also freaked out completely seeing she has alternate POV shortfics of this story too)

im neck deep in a different fandom rn but I kind of wanna say regardless (though the STW lore touches are just *CHEFS KISS*) this is so well-written i truly believe anyone who loves love stories would enjoy this??? idk give it a go <3

(also yes I know I use *chef's kiss* liberally but I am buying lipgloss in bulk to try and properly convey my love for fanfic *re-applying gloss as we speak to get back into the commentin trenches*) shoutout to rare beauty and milk makeup lip oils, my current faves

Reading: Hierarchy of Needs by @zinzinina

His answering laugh is a crackle of static through the helmet, and you nurse a tiny seed of triumph at the sound.

- getting ur crush to react/laugh at something is like more addictive and powerful than cocaine, scientific fact

Frustrated, he yanks his helmet off, peering inside. You can hear the roar of static even from your position several feet away. “That’s a negative, sir. Comms are jammed.”

- i am also weak for these battle-hardened clone troopers calling their jedi f!commanders “sir”

- i am so feral for both the unintentional close quarters contact and jedi reader being able to sense his thoughts but not really put the pieces together that he has the hots for her

“wot? he’s noticing my face and breath and my scent? hes nervous? oh he looked at my lips? hmmm? what he inadvertently felt up my waist and probably felt my under/sideboob? ugh i must be grossing him out” LMAO

(also dropping in the noticing lips from Rex’s POV drabble here because it is also just CHEFS KISS)

You don’t know enough about physical intimacy to know whether it was normal that you’d spent the next several days recalling the feeling of his hands on your body. That you’d stood alone in your tiny chamber back at the temple, pressing your own, much smaller hands to your waist, eyes shut.

- i have also done this before and the power of physical touch is just MMMMM

you watch as he runs a hand over his buzzed-short white hair, a gesture you’ve noticed he resorts to whenever he’s feeling stressed. 

It sounds almost gruesomely flippant, but you can tell it’s not meant to be said with irony. He means it, and you can’t tell through his proud, carefully dignified clip how that simple fact affects him. You speak before thinking. 

“Is that the way you feel as a soldier, or as a person?”

- once again i am mebbe seeing a pattern to the stories i am drawn to but i feel like picking up on someone’s nonverbal cues are the first signs of love/affection <3 and also once again… SOLDIERS ARE PEOPLE? WHAT A NOVEL IDEA? WITH WHOLE ASS LIVES, THOUGHTS, LOVES, HATES, DESIRES, WANTS, ETC. ETC. ETC.  NOT CANNON FODDER/MEAT FOR THE MEAT GRINDER, NO MATTER THE (BULLSHIT) JUSTIFICATIONS?? I feel clone wars really does explore the sheer brutality and horror of war as much as can for a kids’ show (hah) and considering it’s in a fantasy space opera sci-fi settin but anyway i did not expect to go on a little nonsexy rant here but current events have been way too prominent in my mind and heart lately and fic has been one of my to-go comforts/safe spaces to regroup lately - anyway I DIGRESS BACK TO SIMPING - if you are a captain rex fan you know the absolute bullshit this nothing less than loyal and faithful soldier has been through and once again jedi reader’s compassion and care for him is one of the things that really make this fic so special for me and has kept me coming back to read it over and over <3

You lean forward, bringing the palm of your bare hand up to cup the side of his face. You can feel the sharpness of his cheekbone under your touch, the hollow underneath the angle. He freezes, flushing a beautiful rose underneath his copper, all the way up to his forehead. Before he has time to question what you’re doing, your eyes slip shut. Concentrating hard, you channel as much gentle comfort as you can up through your hands. 

You imagine it as a pale glow, soothing and light. Like... hugging him, through the Force. You hold for him a couple of seconds before you let him go, suddenly self conscious. That was inappropriate, you think, wincing. 

- i know this is a sex pollen fic but…this is one of my favorite moments in the whole story. <3 I aspire to give and be given moments like this with those around me <3

You lean back in the jump seat, watching him work. You think you’ve figured it out. That indefinable something about his face that sets him so staunchly apart from his brothers. It’s the eyes. They’re the saddest, kindest ones you think you’ve ever seen.

- 🥹🥹🥹🥹

“Another addition to your list of things I’ve done to disappoint you: leaving that pretty face unprotected.” Oh, Stars. What possessed you to say that? With your back to him, you’re glad he can’t see you cringe.

He doesn’t follow you immediately, and you get the impression he’s sifting though several different things he wants to say before coming up with this: “If we did have anything to filter out the air here, you’d be the one wearin’ it, General.”

-😏😏😏😏i am very into this awkward flirting

You have no idea why you’re telling him this. You sound like an idiot. It must be the lack of blood in your head. You swallow, eyes darting helplessly back to the lines of his broad back and the way it narrows down to his waist, the contrast exaggerated by his armour.

- also jedi reader listen slutty little waists will distract everyone, okay, you are not immune

His responses until now have been amused, but there’s a definite edge of dignified loftiness in his tone as he sniffs. “ I’ve never witnessed anythin’ to indicate General Skywalker’s conduct is ever less than appropriate with the senator.”

-me, reading this: OMG S H U T UP REX  😂 😂 😂

Tentative, you open your mind to him fractionally. And you’re surprised to find he’s… concentrating on remembering military codes. Hard. It’s not the first time he’s exerted this much effort to conceal his thoughts from you, but this is a new level of extreme.

- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA also the implications of jedi being able to ‘sense’ other troopers (and other jedis? ppl in general??) jerking off is just…HMMM

- shoutout to melty acid sap tree for contributions to the rip ur clothes off immediately fund, pouring one out for you 

And it’s then, blinking the beads of water from your eyes, that you sense the ripple - both through the Force and across the top of the water. Distilled, razor sharp desire.

- <33333 also this made me think of those ocean snakes that ppl sometimes randomly find in the middle of the ocean

- when rex gave his pauldron to reader i suspected she projected too hard and maybe he saw what she was picturing here 😏

- my left brain was delighted the jedi refused to rescue reader&rex and strand them on Planet Horny; my right brain/sense of conscience was FUCKING INFURIATED at the jedi stranding the two there and in this essay about geopolitics and wartime triage and the inherent nihilism and existential crises experienced during war i will-

“Remember your training. There may yet be an unseen path forward in which you find a way to survive. May the Force be with you.”

- i would take this as a blank cheque to get dicked down due to extenuating circumstances tbh, go ahead jedireader, u can do it 👊👊👊

- ah yes MEDICAL ASSISTANCE/UNORTHODOX METHODS is what the clones are calling it these days eh

It makes your next words thoughtless, and unguarded. “This is my fault, s-somehow, a test, maybe… the Force… it’s punishment for the way I’ve… thought a-about you. For not heeding the Code.”

- something about the way the reader is so apologetic of her candidness just bursting forth (but it’s literally the best parts of her/what she says???? like her force healing comfort touch before???) makes her so endearing to me - and also the most perfect way to basically confess a coworker crush in his settting lmao

- once again, facts being stated here that the sluttiest/most forbidden thing you can do is *gags* want to HOLD HANDS *resumes gagging* <333

“Didn’t want you stuck out here with someone who couldn’t take care of you properly. Not the way I could.” 

- DOUBLE ENTENDRE ALERT DOUBLE ENTENDRE ALERT

- i know they have wild flora-assisted monkey sex later on but i really think the most intimate moment in this fic is when rex actively allows his thoughts to be read by jedireader and she senses not just how horny he is for her but the roots of his crush starting and the evolving past basic lust and attraction to devotion and that four-lettered L word and honestly to me this is one of the most powerful moments in the fic

 “I’m not asking you for anything. But I, ah, just needed you to know. It wouldn’t… bother me.” 

- OMg YOU SELF-SACRIFICING UNSELFISH NOBLE FREAK JUST LET LOOSE FOR ONCE AND LET HER KNOW YOU ARE DOWN BAD FOR HER YOU CAN EVEN BLAME THE GODDAMN PLANTS

He removes his gloves one by one, standing up to lean over you in the cramped space. He looks stern despite the state of distress you can feel rolling off his tortured body. “Like I said, then. Leggings off.”

- i am not into petplay but omg the things i would do/not do for this man if he said literally anything to me that sounded liek a command

 You know enough about sex to know that this is… procedure, preperatory,

- gurl u literally did it once for 3 min and you think- smh e d u c a t e yourself

- at this point i need to contain myself from literally just copypasting every single dialogue and description because im just spamming at this point but rex disappointed that he’s not being the usual going down king that he is due to debilitating medical circumstances is both the funniest and most in-world headcanon shit ive ever read

This seems to be unique; just something between him and you. You can feel every part of him. Not just his cock, splitting you open. But every thought, every feeling. 

- wholesome smut is my bread butter and my jam forever and ever amen

- i absolutely love all the classic rex quips in this whole fic - “lucky im no jedi” slayed me

- also chaste first-time kiss while being balls deep is how i’d like to imagine my ideal death, not taking any questions tyvm

- also how convenient would it be if you could just telepathically be like ok now lets switch positions or i wanna try this or etc etc (assuming you’d be coherent enough while getting dicked down though is another thing entirely)

- deeply (no pun intended) enjoyed the use of pinion here re: rex’s cock pinioning reader to floor while changing positions (also what is sexier than pausing in the middle of reading smut to look up a word? ty fanfic i learn something new all the time with you <3)

Perhaps he says them for his own benefit; to hear it spoken aloud as he ruins and reforms you again and again.

And, you think, addled with longing and sadness and joy all in one, fuck it. Here, removed from the context of the rest of the galaxy, you’re just people. Not clones, or soldiers, or Jedi. Just humans, naked and weak and needing.

- when the sex is so good you experience post-nut clarity during sex and not after *chef’s kiss*

- also rex being jealous of reader’s own hands on their boobs is something i would tack in my brain walls like a college diploma

- i enjoyed the happy ending here hoping rex & reader had so much sex they literally invented new positions, i would have died happy but also a CH2???? I remember screaming at like dogwhistle decibel pitch when i learned about a ch2 being written

- i like to think kix as a war medic has Seen Some Shit™️ and then some and a part of me wonders how much he suspects sometimes lol

He’d been so firm but gentle, his hands commanding and familiar with you yet reverent; searching for answers in your skin. But it wasn’t just the way he touched you. Even though you know nobody else will ever touch you the same way again; have been painfully reminded as much in every waking moment. You imagine it completely, holding the image of his face close as your muscles begin to seize. Those soft, deep eyes, creasing with concerned affection all the way to the tops of his cheekbones. His full, slightly dry lips parting against yours, remembering the way he’d breathed deeply through his nose as he kissed you, cupping the back of your head in his hand like he could take you into himself with every one of his senses.

It had been the way he looked at you. Like he could see clear down to every single hidden part; the shallowest, ugliest, unworthiest parts — and he had wanted you just the same.

- 🥹🥹🥹🥹 again, this is some of the most beautiful writing ive ever read <3 

It’s just… him. His warmth, and pride, and gruffness, and that endless, limitless compassion. The way he’d sought out the junior-most members of the squad deployed early in your mission and clapped their shoulders, committing their self-chosen names to memory. The way he seemed so much taller than his brothers despite standing at identical heights; something in the lift of his chin.

- this is so true! compassion and character is the hottest thing periodt and turns me on/gets me falling in love like nothing else - i wish it could be outwardly visible as readily as looks and facial features and clothing and sense of style are but ANYWAY I DIGRESS-

- beholding pissed off shirtless rex in grey sweatpants who just shaved his head is a religious experience, do not @ me

- i feel the reader on a spiritual level when she got fucking pissed at rex’s thumb bruise <3

- im both torn by rex’s slavish devotion to duty but also truly i feel the fic captures his character so well because HE TOTALLY WOULD BE saying shit like “but ur vows-“ it is so intensely tragic that it makes him so lovable to me (anyway its like 3am im rambling so probably gonna get more and moer unhinged)

- if rex called me “love” while bemoaning how masturbation while fantasising about you is just not the same as being with you i think i would proudly declare i have won at life

- also his “He doesn’t immediately understand, seeming to think hard as he tries to figure out exactly which thought you’d plucked from his head.” makes me think captain encyclopedic-knowledge-of-military-codes-&-procedure probably has an encyclopedia of fantasies involving reader lmao

That same chivalry that informed every single time he touched you was telling him now that he’d rather kneel for you. But as much as he’s a gentleman in every single sense of the word, he can’t deny this: he does want it.  

-💙💙💙💙💙💙

- also feral for rex being considerate enough to say “dont hurt yourself” while getting his soul sucked out via his dick

- is there something as beautiful as watching someone come apart to the point they start reverting to their native language? anyway all that mando’a i learned via stw fanfic is all rushing back to me now

- once again peak yearning when they cuddle naked 💙

And so you listen to it. The energy surrounding this moment, gathering between your bodies… it’s something you’ve recognised countless times during deep meditation; surrounded by unquestionable goodness. Light. Pure and undeniable and beautiful.

- i am obsessed with this whole scene and dynamic and build-up; personally speaking as someone who is navigating and has decided to settle down for now in the weird demilitarized zone of the venn diagram between where sacred and profane supposedly “never” intersect and find a desire to both explore sexuality and faith in my own unique path (shoutout to all my fellow readers navigating religious trauma and looking to thrive not just survive, there’s way too fucking many of us tbh) i feel very very seen in reader navigating her jedi commitments and values with finding love with prisonertoempireslaveclone trooper captain rex

Fresh desire drips hot into your stomach, but it’s nothing like before. It isn’t urgent, or shameful. There’s none of the pained fear, so uncontrollable as you’d fled from your own thoughts, run into increasingly tighter circles. No, this feels as simple as a tide drawn by a celestial body overhead. Gentle and inescapable, eternal and safe. 

- again peak writing here, thinking of an IRL time i walked out onto a beach in the middle of the night with a lover and i could see miles and miles of empty shore and stars in the sky and i felt the strongest feeling of freedom and safety i ever felt next to him - same vibes here  💙💙💙💙

- something i love about this story is you never hear rex and reader say i love you to each other, but they basically yell it at the top of their lungs with their bodies/actions and overhear it in each other’s thoughts which is just UNNFFFFFF

- the mood whiplash of fucking ANAKIN learning about them and getting to gloat about them sneaking off was a cherry on top perfect ending to this story UGH

i will be returning to my long-ass list of COD fanfics to comment on after this but it is now 3:14am and this took me by the throat (in both the sexy and unsexy way) and I was not allowed to rest until I finished writing this out so HAPPY VALENTINES YALL