#it's my favorite bad batch fic plot

[tending-the-hearth]

if you can, could you write a short about echo talking to the batch about the rest of domino? could be pre-show or post-show, maybe when crosshair's joined back up with the batch

they are very important to me, thank you anon 😌

*insert the obligatory "echo finds hevy's medal on the marauder" fic*

Kashyyyk had been a welcome respite after the recovery of Cody and Crosshair from the Empire.

Gungi had been more than excited to welcome his friends back, greeting Omega with a joyful hug that had the blonde giggling brightly as she returned the embrace. The rest of the Batch watched the interaction warmly, glad to see their youngest member being so happy upon reuniting with the young Jedi.

Rex had joined the Batch after Cody and Crosshair’s rescue, unable to part himself from his brother’s side.

After a day of quiet recovery on the forest planet, Echo set himself to organizing the crates that had been languishing in the Marauder’s storage hold, completely untouched over the past months of racing around the galaxy.

Distantly, he could hear Omega begging Crosshair to help her with her bow. He chuckled to himself, knowing that his little sister had been waiting for the day when she could get tutelage from their marksman brother. Digging through one of the messy crates, Echo flinched as his hand was poked by something cool, and he frowned. Grasping the object, he pulled it out into the light, and immediately froze as he recognized it.

“Oh…”

The gold sunburst glinted in the afternoon light that streamed through the Marauder’s open hatch, the green and blue ribbon faded, but still holding together.

Echo knew 99 still had the medal, but he hadn’t known what happened to it after his older brother’s death. Thinking it back over, it made sense for 99 to have given it to his own batch.

“Echo! Find anything interesting?”

The ARC was startled out of his musings by the sound of Wrecker’s shout, and he stood, holding the medal tightly in his hands as he exited the Havoc Marauder.

Rex looked up from where he was speaking with Cody, immediately noting a difference in Echo’s mannerisms.

“Vod’ika?”

Echo simply held up the medal, a small, sad smile on his face. “I haven’t seen one of these in a long time.”

Hunter’s face was bittersweet. “It was 99’s.” He approached Echo, reaching out to brush his fingers across the medal. “He gave it to us when we went off on our first mission.”

“That looks like your medal, Ey’ika.” Rex prodded gently, making Echo huff out a laugh. Of course his older brother knew something else was going on. “From when you passed the test.”

“You’ve got a medal?” Omega asked excitedly, moving around Hunter to get a peek at the object.

Echo nodded, walking to where Crosshair and Tech were seated, quietly enjoying each other’s company. He sat himself beside his grey-haired brother, taking comfort from how Crosshair didn’t tense up like he did when Hunter or Wrecker sat beside him. Rex sat on Echo’s other side, a quiet pillar of comfort.

“99 and I got our medals at the same time.” Echo began to explain, voice quiet. “His was given to him by a clone named Hevy.”

Tech cocked his head. “99 did mention it was a gift from a friend.”

“You knew the guy who gave this to 99?” Wrecker asked.

It was only Rex’s presence and Cody’s silent support from where he was sitting opposite them that kept Echo from falling apart then and there, the pain of thinking about his Domino squad often too much to bear.

“Hevy was my brother.” He said after letting out a breath. “He was the oldest of our batch, and a kriffing asshole half the time, and an overprotective mother tooka the other half of the time. He was selfless, and stupid, and everything 99 wanted him to be.” Rex shifted, wrapping an arm around Echo’s shoulders as he spoke. “Then there was Cutup. He was almost as bad as Hevy when it came to smothering us after training. He was always worried we weren’t eating enough, and when he wasn’t smothering us, he was trying to prank anyone who looked at our squad wrong.”

“Sounds like we’d get along with them.” Hunter said with a small grin.

Cody’s eyes suddenly widened with horror. “Can you imagine.”

Echo let out a loud laugh. “Oh, Hev and Cut would have loved you guys.” His face grew a touch sadder, and he leaned more into Rex, who tightened the arm he had around his shoulders. “Then there was Fives and I. Fives was older by literal seconds, but he still held it over me every chance he got.” He couldn’t bring himself to talk more about his twin, and instead pushed on, fighting to keep himself from crying. “Finally… there was Droidbait. He was the baby of the squad, and never did anything wrong in his life.”

“Didn’t you and Fives tell the story of how Droidbait started a food fight during your last day on Kamino?” Rex asked, suspicion in his voice.

Echo raised an eyebrow at his former captain. “Again, ‘Bait never did anything wrong in his life. Ever.”

Beside him, as he had been speaking, Crosshair’s posture had grown more and more relaxed until he was leaning into Echo, arms pressed together as he listened.

“I remember that.” The marksman said, voice quiet and hesitant. Echo immediately glanced at Hunter, who was obviously holding back a small grin at the sound of their brother’s voice.

“I believe Wrecker was enthusiastically involved in widening the range of that chaos.” Tech supplied helpfully.

Echo snorted. “I wouldn’t be surprised. ‘Bait was especially excited at how extreme it went so quickly.” The rest of the clones laughed, and Wrecker’s face was gleeful as he remembered that specific day, tucked at a corner table with his own batch, watching as a group of newly graduated clones cackled and teased one another.

Echo was surprised to find how easily the stories of his brothers fell from his mouth. Instead of the pang of heartbreak over his lost, there was nothing but warmth that filled him, as though Domino was sitting around him, laughing along with the stories.

Omega scooted closer, eyes bright as she asked for more stories, and Echo was only happy to oblige, grinning as Crosshair’s snarky comments interrupted him ever now and again.

It wasn’t the same, but Echo was content in knowing that he could pass on his brothers’ stories and memories.

[crosshairscrustysock]

Let’s get some fun recommendations goin around here! What’s a piece of clone content (art, fic, etc) that has stuck with you as being notably excellent? Tag it in your answer so we can all find some new fun to read! If you want, of course; feel free to ignore! 💕

I would love to introduce to you these excellent fics

[im very happy to spread some fun recommendations]

So for a short smutty read :

For a short fluff read :

As for longer reads:

- I am currently  reading these amazing fics <3

And soon to start this one :

And thanks for coming to my Ted talk, folks ,that's all tumblr seems to allow me to put :))

Lol I hope this list is what you were hoping for lol  :) I'm always happy to recommend fics <33333

(you should definitely check out these author's master lists of works- they're quite incredible )

[andromeda4004]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @carry-the-sky, thank you!

How many works do you have on ao3?

7 (8 by the weekend!)

What's your total ao3 word count?

276,499

What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively Good Omens at this point, not that I don't enjoy others. But the more I give myself permission to write for fandoms, the less likely I am to ever get around to finishing off my own OCs' story.

Top five fics by kudos:

Morningstar Abbey (Regency AU, T rated, 116K)

Mission: Ineffable (spy action AU, M rated, 25K)

Vaster than Empires (non-angsty S3, E rated, 5K)

The Serpent of the Loch (historical crack, T rated, 8K)

Antoinette (1920s wives AU, T rated, 118K)

Do you respond to comments?

As much as possible, although it does sometimes take me a while. I prefer to do them at my laptop than on my phone (typing is quicker) so sometimes I catch them up in a batch.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That would be The Truth I cannot Speak, a post-1827 Edinburgh diary entry from Aziraphale where he reflects on all the things he cannot tell Crowley, and might not ever get the chance to now. That one has poetry!

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I do tend towards the happy ending for preference, but I guess Morningstar Abbey would be happiest, since it ends drinking wine in the garden the day after the wedding 💕

Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet, I haven't.

Do you write smut?

I do now! Vaster than Empires was the first E rated fic I've shared, and I have a new one coming out this weekend for the High Pollen Count sex pollen event.

Craziest crossover:

Mission: Impossible, probably! Although that's not a crossover, it's a human AU. I haven't written a classic crossover yet, and I don't know that I will, it's not quite my style.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of, and I've only been doing this just over a year, so seems unlikely.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet, but one lives in hope!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I would love to! I do like beta reading and providing some collaborative suggestions when people are looking for them, so I suspect I'd enjoy formally co-writing something with an author I clicked with.

All time favorite ship?

It's got to be the Ineffable Husbands/Wives/Partners. The ship that keeps on giving!

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I try to focus as much as possible when writing, to avoid having too many half-done works at once, so I don't have any WIPs which are languishing at the moment. Except for my original work, but that will get finished, just quite slowly!

What are your writing strengths?

Plots and dialogue. I like to tell a story, a whole thing, with lots of developed characters and psychology and subplots, which leads me to the weakness...

What are your writing weaknesses?

Stopping! All my fics end up longer than I was hoping because I can't stop writing them! And on the smaller scale, simple things like working out where to stop a scene, I just can't do it! Rather, I can because I've worked at it, but it has been effort to get better at this.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Love it. I'm fluently bilingual, and have basic functional language skills in two or three more (or I do with a bit of warm-up!), but verbal is not the same as written, so I do try to get a native speaker to beta anything more than a word or two.

First fandom you wrote in?

In the beginning... the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

Yep, first fandom I remember writing things for was H2G2, back in the 90s when everything was on paper. Although I have been in fanclubs since Discworld as a teenager and further back I think Redwall as a kid?

Favorite fic you've written?

No, don't make me pick! They're all lovely! Although probably Mission: Ineffable, because I'm currently enjoying revisiting that AU to work on a sequel.

tagging! (no pressure!): @afrenchwriter @sabotage-on-mercury @suavissimapenna @hotcrosspigeon @homemadeapplecider @voluptatiscausa and anyone else who sees this and wants to play :)

[hawthornsword]

Bad Batch Finale spoilers and ... Critique? I dunno it's probably just me bitching a lot.

Well...

It's not Star Wars if somebody doesn't lose a hand.

I would just like to point out that I wrote a fic that included releasing the zillo beast as a distraction, Nala Se's death, rescuing the brothers imprisoned on Tantiss, Hemlock with a blaster to Omega's head with Hunter and Crosshair as the one's to save her, specifically with Crosshair taking the shot, over a year ago.

People often come up with ideas of what they think will happen (what they want to happen) that are so wildly outlandishly off base that I wonder if we're even watching the same show. So predicting that many things correctly makes me feel pretty smug, not gonna lie.

Anyway!

I love that Echo got to shine this episode and that he always knows exactly what Omega is going to do, because he trained her. That is Echo's kid, and he's so damn proud of her. You can of course see all of the Batch's influence on her - I think that's really well done actually. But I love Echo and Omega's dynamic so much; they're my favorite.

It hurt me so much when Crosshair said Clone Force 99 died with Tech. 😭😭😭 We think of Hunter as the leader, but was he really? By their own direct and indirect admissions at various points, Tech was the glue that held them together.

I'm glad Nala Se was against the empire in the end, but honestly her whole storyline did not go as I expected, and I'm not impressed with it. She's not a good person. She's not reformed. She was the lead scientist in charge on a project that treated human beings as expendable slave labor, erased individuality with reconditioning and murdered anyone who didn't obey or perform high enough with decommissioning. That's canon, you can look it up. Omega being her favorite and her being against the empire doesn't change that. This is an enemy of my enemy situation, not a reformed and on our side now situation. Honestly I think I'm mostly disappointed because they could have given her a complex and interesting story arc, whether it was a villain arc or a redemption arc either way, where we dig into her motivations and her change over time. I actually expected we'd get that from episode one, but what we got of her was sort of glossed over and only present enough to move the plot as necessary.

Same with Emerie to a lesser degree. There was that one line she had a few episodes ago. Something about being "discarded". I'm assuming that means she was a sort of test run for Omega. That's why she's older. That's why she's a scientist. I want the whole story there.

I also expected Rex to show up with backup, but narratively it makes sense. This show is about the Bad Batch, not Rex. It started with just them, it needs to end with just them.

But now of course we need the Echo and Rex show, in which we find out what happens to them and Wolffe between now and Rebels.

I also really truly believed (and I know a lot of us did) one of those X troopers would be Tech and there would be a big standoff where the power of love and brotherhood would overcome his conditioning. While on the one hand, Tech's death was a good one, on the other hand Tech was my favorite and I feel like they purposely baited us all season as a misdirection. Well played, but also fuck them for that. I don't know, maybe we all exaggerated the likelihood of it being Tech because we wanted it so bad.

But if that shot of the one X trooper's helmet with goggles was meant to imply that one of them was Tech, and Wrecker and Echo killed him? Well fuck them even more. I hate my brain for even having that thought. Let's pretend I didn't.

Also fuck them for wasting Scorch like that! How fucking dare they! Why did they bother making that commando Scorch if they weren't gonna do anything interesting with him, and once again misdirect us by making us think he mattered somehow?

The misdirection with Tech I totally understand, but did we really need two? At this point I feel like including Scorch and also Cody was name dropping purely to bait Legends fans and Cody fans to watch the show when maybe we otherwise wouldn't have. Am I biased because Cody being in the season 2 trailer is 100% of why I bothered to watch this show in the first place? Maybe.

Anyway, all in all, it was a good episode, a good season, and a good show. I had a good time watching it and there's a lot to love about it. I'm not going to say I'm definitively disappointed despite my complaints here, because I do fully expect them to announce a new show almost immediately now that BB is over. It's Disney. Star Wars makes them assloads of money. They aren't going to stop.

I just hope they give us more Jedi and clones, because I have zero interest in Tales of the Empire or Acolyte and I won't be watching them. Fuck the Sith, man. Sure I was curious what happened to Barriss but not curious enough to watch a show specifically about the bad guys. And I like the Ahsoka show, but I don't care that much about Elsbeth's backstory. Nightsisters? Yes. Elsbeth? Meh. I found Baylan and Shin more compelling.

But back to Bad Batch. I do think the ending with Omega grown up was absolutely wonderful. I was smiling the whole time. Omega is so great, I love her so much, and I'm really proud of her.

Also Hunter looks much hotter with the salt n pepper beard. 10/10.

Maybe we can get a Tales of the Rebellion as well as Tales of the Clones like we want. I want to know if Omega meets Luke and Leia. I would like her and Luke and Han and Hera sitting around talking about ships and piloting. I want her to meet Chewbacca and ask after Gungi. I want her to be talking to Han and find out about his beef with Boba and apologize and be embarrassed that one of her brothers is willingly a bad guy.

I'm gonna be writing SO MUCH Rebellion/Original Trilogy era Omega fanfiction.

[edai-crplpnk]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. spread the self-love ❤

I did it once so the first batch is here! But I can surely do five more.

1. Spit: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38992998

A post-Chuunin Exam fic of the Sand Siblings trying to live together in a tad bit more harmony and less murder than before. Once again, I love fics that explore the dysfunctions in the Sand Siblings and how they can be genuinely bad to each other, especially early on, even when they are trying to be good. Also loved exploring how autistic Gaara would use his sand as a sensory tool/protection.

2. Anything Is Better: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39333273

My first (and for now only) Baki/Yuura fic. Also it's smut. Sad smut. I love them. Much closeted men, much internalised homophobia. I've been wanting to write a fic centred more around Baki and his relationship to queerness and all for a long long time and I haven't gotten to it yet. But it will happen! For the record, this belongs to my Worldbuilding canonverse (with all the KankuShino, and with Silhouettes!)

3. The Best Thing: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44161606

Happier smut! This is my KankuOmoi fic in the KankuShika modern AU. It's a little spin-off of Kankurou's first time and coincidental discovery of his queerness. (Men are hot, who knew!) It's been very soft writing about young adults sharing this moment of tender awkwardness and I'm very happy with the result.

4. My Cigarette Burn my Finger 'Cause I Forgot I Lit It: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39983637/

This is from the same modern AU as The Best Thing and Before a Doll. KankuShika "meeting the parents" fic, except they're not dating yet. Mortifying position to be in, but very funny for us. This is also what triggered the current writing of Haemorrhage since it starts tackling Kankurou's history of addiction and the evolution of his relationship with his siblings.

5. From the Day I Decided to Carry You: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36113848

I will admit the porn-to-plot ratio of that one is a bit weird but it just- it happened like that haha. It's a KakaGai fic about Gai cutting and caring for Kakashi's hair. An exploration of vulnerability and self-care with some dysphoria sprinkled on top. It happens post-Land of Wave arc, and there is also a discussion of Kakashi's feelings regarding having his team, having killed Haku, etc... I found it frustrating that we've gotten so little of Kakashi's reaction to these events because I can't imagine how fucking traumatic and triggering Haku doing the exact thing Rin did must have been. (Not to mention, you know, the fact that he murdered a kid in front of kids?) So I wrote about it. But they also fuck in the middle. That's the fic.

[annwayne]

TBB ask game 7, 8, 24 & 50

--from @nimata-beroya

Thank you @nimata-beroya for the ask <333

7. Favorite moment from Season 3?

Oh god. Oh man. What do I pick?? Sad wet Crosshair trying to push Omega away because he feels so guilty for what he's done??? Or Crosshair and Hunter coming to trust each other again? Or all the cute moments where Crosshair so easily acted like a loving guardian to Omega? (the whole got your bow ectect and Omega saying he was just as bad as Hunter only for Crosshair to say he's worse??? sjkdfgds) Throw a dart at any scene with Crosshair in it, and chances I loved it.

8. What song(s) do you associate with the Bad Batch? 

Oh that's interesting! I'm not really a music person but, I've been listening to this and this while writing TBB fanfic, so I guess this is the type of music I associate with them?

24. Do you have any hot or controversial takes?

Lol aside from the obvious ones related to season 3, I have this-I did not care about Omega until season 3. Before she was just an odd plot tool that chose to withhold information for no reason?? She was Miss Special without any reason to be. (There were better ways to hint that her blood was the key to transferring M-count between subjects other than saying "she's a perfect clone of Jango Fett"-that made NO sense.) I really wish they had put more effort in actually showing big character growth throughout the seasons instead of just. Nothing until s3. And a more lighthearted take that might not be so controversial but idk, feels like people view all clones as perfect boys-TCW versions of the batch are frat boys lol

50. What are you going to miss most about the show?

Awe man. I'm gonna miss our boys. The Bad Batch got me writing fanfic again after, man like five years of no fanfic? Hell, it just got me writing creatively again! The story I wrote/am writing has been a big part in my process healing after leaving a cult. And it came out when I was going through the most difficult part of my life to date. So yeah. I miss that we won't get the show, even though I'm happy it wasn't dragged on like some shows do (coulda had another season. Or longer seasons tho.) I'll rewatch the show, enjoy fanfic and fanart, and keep making my own fics and art. But it won't ever be like this again.

Bad Batch Asks!

[abelunwilling]

Fanwork creators self rec! When you get this, reply with your five favorite fics/art/podfics/etc. that you've made, then pass on to others. Let’s spread the self-love 🌼

From @anstarwar :}

Aw! Hey, thanks! I'll do my best to answer! \o/ <3

Long Ride Home (Star Wars, Echo/Crosshair) Though I struggled for a while and stopped writing around the time my dad passed away, I really think this will be some of my best work once it's finished. I've had the basic plot planned out in a loose sense for more than a year, and it really feels like I'm finally getting there! All my favourite ingredients are here: slow burn, healing from trauma, enemies to friends to lovers... just trust me, OK? When discussing this story with a friend recently, I said: "CrossEcho is less my ship and more my oceangate submarine that I keep insisting is fine guys, really, just try it, moments before it reduces me to paste". Maybe that will convince fence-sitters to read it out of morbid curiosity!

this small, but stubborn fire (Digimon Survive, Shuuji/Ryo) This story has been on the back burner for a while (sorry!) but once Long Ride Home is done, it's my first priority. After writing so much sci-fi it feels kind of nice to get back to a more grounded, human story... I say that, but it is Digimon, so take it with a grain of salt, haha. It's also nice to write something with younger characters for a change, and play with using social media within the story.

baby (Mass Effect: Andromeda, Avitus/Macen) I've always been super fascinated by the topics of AI and robotics, and the moment I got the idea for this story it just kinda possessed me. Obviously this story is about a romantic relationship, but it also carries a lot of my own feelings about caring for a loved one with a disability. Written for a gift exchange, so hopefully my giftee liked it as much as I liked making it for them!

not our first rodeo (Star Wars, gen - Bad Batch) So this one time, I paired up with this super amazing artist for a mini bang event... ;D But really! I love writing comedy shenanigans and unreliable narrator stuff, and this story let me visit so many fun genres that have influenced my overall tastes and style in some way. It was a blast and I had so much fun bouncing ideas off of you. <3

what's in a name? (Star Wars, gen - 99 & Bad Batch) I wrote this a while back for the Vode An zine and, honestly, I stand by it. I really enjoyed writing 99's POV and I'll definitely have to do it again someday! I tend to ramble, so one of the challenges of writing a zine piece was sticking to the word count... but I worked with an absolutely amazing beta reader who did an awesome job helping me condense things and be super judicious about what needed to be kept or cut. I would say the whole process really helped me grow as a writer!

[ren-shonen]

For the fanfic ask meme – I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)? (or just a theme/motif/etc. you enjoy, guiltiness aside)

I mean, I think I've discussed this before in your hearing, but I don't really think about things in terms of being "guilty pleasures" — guilt implies that I think I'm doing something wrong, or something I shouldn't be doing, and imo that doesn't really apply with fic. I have plenty of things I read that I wouldn't necessarily advertise, but that's more because it's nobody's business or because it just isn't something to bring up out of the blue except certain spaces. But my AO3 bookmarks are, I would say, not particularly shy.

As far as themes or motifs that crop up a lot, though, hmm.

On a broad level, hurt/comfort is probably the thing most likely to draw me in with a fic. There's something about "things are bad, but not entirely bleak, and we're not alone" that just resonates with me really hard. It balances and contrasts sharp and sweet in a way that is satisfying, too. I particularly like that it has the potential to explore things like the paradoxical pain that comes with relief: with the difficulty finally lifting, but when it all fully lands — when a character has space and safety enough to "lose it," and to grieve.

Some more specific motifs include: food as an expression of love; touch as a vitamin/nonsexual physical intimacy; and ambiguous relationships — especially relationships that are close but aren't easily encapsulated by an established category. I feel particularly strongly about that last one, actually. (And I doubt any of this comes as a surprise to you whatsoever! lol)

Specifically as a writer, I think all of the above definitely fits. My favorite fic of what I've written so far is also the one where multiple people said it made them cry! So I think there's probably some notion of enjoying evoking strong, resonant emotions in the reader. Intimacy, resonance, intensity — all apply.

Format-wise, I tend to write a lot of vignettes, little isolated moments in time, but that's more due to the fact that I have yet to develop my plot-writing chops than from any innate preference, maybe? (I think it mostly stems from the fact that, as a writer, I started out writing poetry! Long-form prose is honestly still very challenging for me.)

Perhaps in that sense, writing straight-up verse is a bit of an indulgence for me specifically, mainly because I have less confidence that others get as much out of it as I put in. (This bears out, so far: my two actual-poem fics get the least interaction out of the whole batch of works I wrote for heart sounds. The person I wrote them for loved them, though, and that's enough.)

[wild-karrde]

Hi! I saw your fandom rec post and wanted to submit a thing. This is a self rec, by the way! So it's on Ao3, under the pseud Star Princess, and it's a 7 part fanfic series for The Mandalorian. It does feature my own oc as a main character and inserts her into the main plot of the show (plus includes my own plotline in the seventh part). The link isn't working, so the series is called The Mandalorian and the Alkavarian (I'll DM the link to you).

I wrote this series into existence for over a year, and it made me really happy. It also inspired me to watch other Star Wars shows (Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch) and now I'm planning fics for those shows too! The Mandalorian and this fic series essentially made me into a big old Star Wars nerd, and I really want to share the story with other people. If it's easier, I have a masterpost pinned on my blog page!

It's not NSFW but does include mentions of more mature themes (a glance at the tags will probably give you an idea?)

Anyway, I think this is a really cool thing you're doing, and I'm excited to see the other recs you get.

Heck yeah! I love everything about this! We don't always get a lot of Mando fics on FF, so I am HYPED that you've sent your series in! Vasara's past seems so heartbreaking, but I love the thought of seeing how she fits in with Din and Grogu. And I'm so glad that you got inspired to watch other shows (I say this as someone that writes for a LOT of TCW/TBB characters). Thanks so much for sending this in!

Link

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[gggoldfinch]

talk to me about star wars! tell me all about it!! I know very little about it and am willing like to be educated by a professional such as yourself!!! tell me about anything that's giving you the brain worms! goldfinch rant time go go go

(i'm sat, notebook open and pen ready to take notes ✍️)

SCREAMIFN SHAKING CRYING THROWING UP EXPLODING INTO A CLOUD OF CONFETTI YIPPEEEEE YIPEE YIPPE YIPYIPEEEE I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

Okay so the basics are that the movies are split into three trilogies and tell the story of a bloodline (aka the Skywalker saga), and each movie is called an Episode (1-9). The first trilogy is caked the Prequels, and follows Anakin (Darth Vader) and Padmé, Luke and Leia’s parents. Second trilogy is called the Original Trilogy (which sequentially came out first and is the one pretty much everyone is at least somewhat familiar with), which follows Luke and Leia. The third trilogy and most divisive is the Sequels, which follows Leia and Han’s son and Palpatine’s granddaughter (yikes…). Then there’s the stand alone movies Solo, which is a prequel to Han Solo’s story in the Original Trilogy, and Rogue One, which is a prequel to the events of the Original Trilogy. I recommend watching them in canon timeline order, even if the film quality differences are jarring 🤣 (I personally prefer the visual dark fantasy effects of the Original Trilogy, but I digress)

MY personal favorites are the Prequel movies, specifically The Phantom Menace (Episode 1) and Attack of the Clones (Episode 2), and the standalone movies Solo, and Rogue One (which I believe is objectively one of, if not THE best Star Wars movie to date); however growing up I only ever saw the Original Trilogy, and not very often. I only really got into Star Wars when I was around 18-19 years old. Once when I was a little kid my local library (which was fancy and had a projection theater in the basement) was showing Return of the Jedi (Episode 6) and invited the kids to dress up; so while everyone was dressed up like little Leias and Anakins, my ass was an Ewok (my costume was spot on btw). I got sick halfway thru with like a 101F fever and had to leave 😭

THEN there’s the TV shows. The animated ones, The Clone Wars, and Rebels, are modern television classics and are beloved in-fandom (and although I have personal beef with Rebels i don’t deny it’s a good show lmao). More recently there’s been a surge of live-action TV shows, like The Mandalorian, beloved by all, and recently Ashoka. So far I’ve only watched The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett (which are both my favorites), and Kenobi, so I can’t necessarily speak to the quality of the others (being Ashoka, and Andor) but I’ve heard they’re great too. There are other animated shows too, like Visions (which I have seen) and Bad Batch (which I’ve partially seen), which are also good.

My favorite character, as is obvious by my shrine blog, is Darth Maul, the first apprentice of Emperor Palpatine introduced in The Phantom Menace. He himself is a menace🫡 After his first appearance he’d then go on to have major plot arcs in The Clone Wars and Rebels (the latter of which I don’t ever want to think about ❤️), and also a very hot cameo in Solo. He’s a very complex, deep, and a deeply troubled character (and is also physical disability rep), and he means so much to me. His story is beautifully fleshed out and I just. AAAAAA he’s in the top 5 bracket of my favorite blorbos of all time tbh 🥰

Other runners up for my favorites are: Din Djarin aka The Mandalorian, Boba Fett, Savage Opress (Maul’s beefstick brother played by the same actor as Mr. Krabs), Asajj Ventress, Kit Fisto, Cad Bane, and other miscellaneous idiots. There are so many amazing alien designs & fully armored people to adore and be horny over…

I’m currently writing a Star Wars fic that has been EATING MY BRAIN since 2022 and I’ve only now gotten my act together to actually write it. The main character oc is very self-inserty, as the all are. I put pieces of myself into all my main “I made this as an adult” ocs, and they help me learn things about myself (in a crazy psychoanalytical way), and cope with trauma, and vent, and feel LOVED! And it’s crazy. This fic is MY EVERYTHING and I’m so excited to be writing and sharing it finally after I thought I never would 🥰 It’s seriously just been like an alternate life I’ve lived inside my brain up until now 🚶🏻‍♀️

It’s late and I can’t think of anything more I can infodump about rn but if you want to ask specific questions or want me to talk about specific things I will! THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME ❤️❤️😭

[hawthornsword]

Today on Bad Batch! (2x11)

... Holy shit you guys went for straight up horror movie. Nice. I just hope it's not too cliche.

Oh wait, that's where we rescued Gregor from! Do we get more clone stuff today?! (No. We do not. Damn it.)

Huh. Nala Se is not cooperating. Good for her.

This Hemlock guy is creeeepy. Wait, where do I know his voice from? (Looks it up.) Oh. Lot's of things actually.

Wait, I thought they killed Lama Su??? They definitely implied it, right??? Was that just me who thought that?

Armored skin impervious to blasters? Waaait a second! That sounds like -

Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! Zillow Beast! YEAHHH!!!!!!

Finally!!! I think about the Zillow beast on like, a weekly basis. Not even joking. I had been annoyed like, "this seems important why would they just drop this plot point?!?!" But they didn't! We just had to wait (checks dates) 13 years!!!! (I didn't actually have to wait that long; I only started watching tcw last year. I feel for you, people who watched tcw as it aired.)

Very interesting that it's clones, not new empire soldiers, handling Zillow beast containment. But then again, since they are apparently rounding up civilian witnesses and disposing of them, that probably means the clones assigned to the zillow beast will eventually have the same fate so that there is no evidence of the project. Hopefully the boys figure that out and flee. They certainly looked uncomfortable with the situation.

Oooo we finally gonna get back to why Nala Se cares so much about Omega and helped her escape but also put a bounty to get her back and omg that must be one heck of a complicated relationship and I'm so eager to know if Nala Se thinks of Omega like a daughter or an experiment but either way she's her legacy and it's gonna be so painful! Yessss!

Awww, Omega looked so happy when Hunter said to send Echo and Rex the info! Baby is excited to hopefully see her other dad again!!!!

(Side note on Echo that should have gone after the episode he left, but I wasn't feeling wordy then. This is just my opinion of course, I'm not trying to argue with anyone, your headcanons are your own. But I've seen a bunch of posts saying Echo is the "mom" of the group and .... No. No, if I must make the comparison then Echo is definitely the dad. Tempted to get into a discussion about how weird it is that people feel the need to assign characters into the tiny boxes that are traditional binary heteronormative gender roles, and then get them wrong, especially when that's not even remotely the Batch's family structure nor the clones' culture as a whole, but. I'm also sure it was meant in good fun, and I'm lazy, so, not doing that.)

Anyway! Good episode, always happy to see a zillow beast, hope the baby gets to eat some villains and live its best life soon, will probably be writing some fic to that effect. Death by zillow is one of my favorite ways for Palpatine to die.

Thinking about that makes me so happy that I am almost distracted enough not to ask. Almost.

Where is Cody?! Is he safe?!

[myhusbandsasemni]

Hallo! IDK if you already have your fill of wips, but this is the first list that really fits my stories.

Fantasy - I like writing fantasy, but I LOVE inverting tropes and including creatures in a way you wouldn't usually see them.

Forest and Nature magic fits a couple of my wips nicly

Magic Powers - Well duh XD

Friendship and found family - always always always!

ATLA - I grew up watching that show and it is one of my favorite shows so you can bet that it snuck into the tone of my stories.

For my stories we have:

WT: The Day it fell apart - Technology and biological magic switches on and off from time to time, and we're making the switch from Tech to bio. The humans of this time are calling it the apocalypse. Andre, his grandpa (who is the chosen on), and his new best friend, Jay, who can apparently become a Unicorn have to protect the valley from an invading army of undead led by a power hungry woman named Tore.

Crypts of the Decayed - A young mage loses his leg in an accident, but gains a mentor in return, as well as the opportunity for immortality, which he might need if the Warlock out in the woods manages to complete the ritual for waking the monster sleeping under the lake.

Challenger 27 - Travis and Asphodel, a mind reader and a super soldier, find themselves on the run from the scientists that ruined their childhoods and end up joining the search for a mutigenerational journey ship that hadn't been seen since it launched five generations back despite the fact that all of space is colonized now.

Potential - In the modern day, Vampires can start living in covens again and don't need to fear hunters anymore. However, Evan finds himself being pushed out of his coven slowly but surely and turns to his shapeshifter friend, Dakota, for comfort. When they make friends with an angry siren by the name of Briee, they find out about a plot to kill the people on the coast that they have to act quickly against.

I also have a star wars fic called Ashen skies. It's over 20K words at this point and it's basically if star wars was The Odyssey with Anakin trying to get home to Padme. Featuring Bad batch (Crosshair now included), Fox adopting a couple of kids, Padme becoming a leader of the jedi for a short period, Obi-wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka becoming Mandolorian, and Plo finally adopting all of the clones he can get his hands on.

currently on the lookout for writeblrs with wips that vibe with my taste:

Fantasy, but not the whole medieval, elves, & fairies fantasy type stuff. It's cool but I can't get into it!

That being said, forest and nature magic is 100% different and I'll eat that up

Magic powers, almost a requirement

Friendship and found family focus

A balance of humor and seriousness like Avatar: The Last Airbender has, I love character shenanigans and sass and characters poking at each other's personalities and whatnot. Especially in a friend group

Tell me about your wips if you want??

[wild-karrde]

First time for this fandom Friday, so I hope I'm doing it right... First of all, I frickin love your username. ;) Good taste. ;) Secondly... I'm gonna unabashedly shout out my own little fanfic because it was soooo enjoyable to write, I think it's a blast to read, and it's just a fun little ride with the original 4 Batch boys plus a failed Jedi OC. There's a deliciously slow-burn of a romance with Tech, some action and adventure, some plot twists... and not really much of an ending, LOL. I don't know if Wattpad or Ao3 is better but here's the links to both:

The Bad Batch: Tech and Vel - CT-9902 - Wattpad

The Bad Batch: Tech and Vel - CT_9902 - Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon) [Archive of Our Own]

Or, if someone wants a shorter little six-part fic, slightly more rushed, about Tech and Crosshair fighting over an OC... here it is. ;)

Rivalry: Tech/Crosshair x Reader - CT-9902 - Wattpad

Rivalry: Tech, Crosshair, and You - CT_9902 - Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon) [Archive of Our Own]

Can't wait to see all the other goodies you find!

You did great and HELL YES we love to see self-recs around this part (especially ones that involve the Batch). And a failed Jedi OC? In a slow burn? MOST EXCELLENT! Thank you so much for the recs (and for the username compliment hehe)!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[azlrse]

Hi hi!!

I just read your licorice cookie fic and OMG ITS AMAZING YOURE AMAZING AHH-

I was wondering if you could do something similar but with Red velvet cookie? He’s just been living in my mind with chiffon recently ~v~

You're Finally Here! (Yandere Red Velvet Cookie x GN Human!Reader)

Synopsis: just a normal day playing with your favorite game, a sinister plan was plotted against you. Wouldn't it be nice if you became the lover of the creator of the cakes himself?

CW: yandere themes, kidnapping & manipulation.

A/N: tried my best on this one, despite speedrunning some of my schoolworks.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

You didn't know on how the pandemic fucked you up. You missed your friends, going outside and going to school in person. The more you spent your time on your desktop and your school work, the more you became miserable as days and months passes by.

Being the kind souls your friends were, they recommended you a unique and cute game that might light up the mood, something that won't make you feel lonely anymore. Before you downloaded the game, you first searched the characters of the game and eyes were caught by the section of the wikipedia page; "Villains".

So, you spent all your time reading their information and instantly became hooked on their stories. There's no doubt that you favor the cookies of darkness rather then the good cookies. Don't get me wrong, you love all of the characters, even the ones that were disliked by the community.

But ever since you hyperfixated on the popular game, you couldn't start your day without checking on your kingdom.

Collecting star jellies, building and placing new designs and shops and even collecting new cookies to be added on your small kingdom. Hell, you couldn't even stop talking about the game to your friends when you hangout out with them that time.

As time flies by, you became attached to several cookies after learning their background information (thanks to your research skills), there's no doubt that you became closer towards the bad batch of cookies. You didn't tell this to your friends but you believed Dark Enchantress' ambition and the truth on why cookies are created in the first place, not because for their happiness but...

To be eaten...

Well, you are a human so you couldn't blame that. Right?

However, one cookie stood out after you completed all the cutscenes in the Sweet Tower of Chaos, the cookie that only had one arm and a cute little cake dog that goes with the name Chiffon. You liked the cake's owner, handsome even if you're being honest.

Knowing on how much stats and how strong he was in your team, you became desperate the more you spent more of your gems on the game's gacha but alas, you only obtained several other cookies.

You prayed for your luck, hell you jokingly made an altar that is dedicated to the red themed cookie just to obtain some luck of achieve him. You collected most of villains themselves but you only needed him to complete the gang.

What you didn't know is that Red Velvet himself grew resentful towards the other cookies, pampering them with jellies and their own area. He couldn't wait for him to be drawn out from that place. He wants to feel the same treatment you gave towards his peers.

Just like you, he wants to be with you in your little kingdom you made, obtaining to be a playable character and a beneficial member of your main team. Finally, FINALLY after some luck, you screamed at the top of your lungs after you obtained Red Velvet.

You spoiled the heck out of him, giving him lots of attention, feeding him jellies and also giving him his own little area where he can hang out with his cakes. You loved this character and you even simped hard for Red Velvet.

Then it's starting to get weird from that point...

There where times that he would speak out your name with an endearment attached to it, catching him staring at you even if you didn't touched his sprite and hearing little voices that wasn't even part of the characters' dialogue. "Stay away from my dear darling, got that? We don't want your crumbs to be littered in this hard ground, do we?" Poor Custard and Latte are shaking from the sudden threat from the cookie himself.

You told your friends what happened, even sending some screen recorded videos to prove your point that you are not crazy but they just reassured you that it might be an error to the game. You were relieved from the answers they provided for you, telling yourself that you don't have to worry of such thing.

There's a reason why he became so possessive and gained feelings for you, he saw many fans that despised the cakes but you? He saw you crying when you first encountered these poor creatures. How come these cookies could hurt the sweet and cute pastries? You even liked the names he gave towards his beloved cakes, Chiffon being one of your favorite names.

His heart soften up when he knew that you named your dog that was inspired by his cakes; Snickerdoodle, your beloved dog. "Snickerdoodle... What a magnificent name for your beloved cake, my dear. I wonder if I brought both you and your beloved here, her and Chiffon would be great friends!"

His allies were suspicious by his actions; a smile was present his face whenever Dark Enchantress would mention about you, saying random endearments from you pampering him and even talks a lot about you during meetings. Amongst the conversation, he slipped an information that might gave the Mistress of Darkness some ideas. Red Velvet told her that you knew everything and everyone on Earthbread.

You might know the secret to their success, a plan where Dark Enchantress finally have the key to her victory and ruling Earthbread in darkness.

"Say Red Velvet Cookie, does this so called '(y/n)' knew everyone here? Even me and all of you?"

"Yes Dark Enchantress Cookie, they knew all about you. They might even hold the key to your success."

"Hmm very interesting of them. Another thing Red Velvet Cookie, I heard from the others that you gained....feelings for the player. Is this true?" He was caught off guard from the question his master gave but he needs to answer her. "Y-yes master, I have gained unrequited feelings for my dear (y/n). They're also not afraid of my cakes and believes that your ambitions are truely right despite being one of the witches' kind."

While thinking from her thoughts, Dark Enchantress stood up from her seat and stared into the small gem from the desk beside her throne. "I think I might have a way to bring them here. They might be useful to our cause."

The sound of chanting filled your ears while you played the game itself, ominous and strange. Starting to feel paranoid, you even asked your sibling if they heard something from the outside. "Uhhh I didn't hear it, dude. Maybe it's from the game? Check the settings." Your sibling spoke as you checked it's settings. Everything seems to be normal but the chanting became softer and softer.

You suddenly felt tired, your eyes began to close down from the tiredness and slight pain you felt from your body. Both your school works and your job really work up on you. You didn't even know you had a proper sleep ever since you played that game for so long.

"I need to get some rest, tell mom that I'll be catching up to dinner later. Wake me up if mom and dad arrived home safely." You walked up towards the stairs, hearing the faint okay from your sibling.

You dragged yourself towards your soft bed and finally rested upon the soft clouds on your head. The pain from your body began to worsen the more you moved on your bed. Taking some painkillers you've kept from your bed side table, you began to feel the pain dull up as you began to drift off to sleep, closing your eyes as sleep began to welcome you in it's arms. Finally you're at peace and gonna wake up better then before.

Until a red aura of light began to surround your sleeping form...

-------

"They're here! They're finally here! I can't believe it! Thank you so much, Dark Enchantress!" You heard a voice cheering up as the strange figure began to hug your body.

Dark Enchantress...wha- "They're gonna be awake if you don't shut you mouth up!" A feminine voice followed up the conversation. "Let's just leave this room, they needed some rest after all." The figures then started to leave the room you stayed in, waiting for the time for you to be woken up.

The voices...those sound familiar... Are you dreaming? Are you high from the amount of painkillers you just took hours (or days) ago? You let out a groan while getting up from the softest bed sheets you lay your body on. It smelled even different from the fabric softener your mom used for her laundry.

The entire room smells like frosting and sugar, the lighting was dark with only a single window and a fire place as the sources of light. The place seems even familiar to you, you might not believe this but where even are you?

As you moved your body to inspect further the place you were in, you fell from the bed and pain erupted all over body. You let out a scream from the pain you felt from falling down. You were used to falling out from your bed many times and isn't even painful but this? It felt like you were hit by a moving train and your bones were shattered in bits of pieces.

The door swung open as soon as Red Velvet heard your cries. In a state of panic, both him and Pomegranate Cookie helped you placing you back from the bed. "You shouldn't be up yet, my dear." Glancing up from figure that saved you, you instantly recognized the figure.

"...R-Red Velvet Cookie?"

He stared at you in surprise and hugged you all of the sudden. "I'm glad you still remembered my name, dearest." Pomegranate was busy healing you from the pain you just endured earlier. She glances up from the both of you and spoke, "It may take up days for them to be used on her new body. They're not used to our body type so they might need some assistance for a while."

Wait new body?! You glanced from your arms and legs and your eyes went wide. Your fingers and toes no longer existed and your entire body was flat. Surely you wore the exact same outfit you wore when you go to bed but you felt scared from your new appearance.

You let out the loudest scream, even the creatures that are living on Crimson Badlands heard your horrified screams. "W-what happened?! Where am I?! Why am I a cookie?! How did I became a cookie like you guys?! Am I dreaming?! Am I still high-"

"You are not dreaming, (y/n)..."

You snapped towards the door and there she was, the villainess herself, walking in the room as you felt a sinister aura behind her. Despite having her as one of your favorite villains, you became a bit scared from her presence alone. You know on how powerful she was, from the introduction of the game when you first started playing it.

"D-Dark Enchantress Cookie..."

"That's my name, dear (y/n). I'm flattered that you still recognize me. Welcome to this castle I call home. From now on, you'll stay here with us."

"But I need some answers, why am I here in the first place."

She looks at you with a sinister smile. "I think that you might hold the key to my success, knowing each and every single cookie existed here in this miserable place. You might even be useful to our cause and it's for you to follow the darkness." She began to leave the room as Pomegranate even following behind her.

"I think Red Velvet Cookie might assist you as you recover from the pain you felt, hearing your wails just gave me a major headache." Dark Enchantress finally leaves the room, leaving Pomegranate to close the door of your room.

It's just you and Red Velvet, alone on the room you were held captive. You could tell that the cookie beside you couldn't handle his excitement towards you, wrapping his arms around you as a form of affection. Normally, Red Velvet only shows affection toward his cakes but now you're here in his arms, you could felt the same affection he showered upon his beloved cakes.

"Worry not love, I'll be here every step your way as a brand new cookie. You may not warm up to me yet but I can promise you that I will protect you against those pests." He spoke while cradling you, in tears of paranoia and fear.

"Also, Chiffon and the others are so excited to see you. I was wondering if I should tell Dark Enchantress Cookie about Snickerdoodle. Our cakes might get along very well, darling..."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Do not republish, edit, or repost to other websites.

Reblogs and likes are appreciated! 💕

[whirlybirbs]

FEVER-DREAM    ;    echo/reader 

summary: echo is fine-tuning his new prosthesis. you have experience, you help. unspoken feelings are acted on. adoration blooms. you learn what mesh’la means.

word count: 3k

pairing: echo / f!reader

tags: mutual pining, lots of tender looks, victorian-era hand-touching sluttiness, echo is a gentle soul, reader is head over heels, a touch of ptsd mention, set on ord mantell, mention of our boy fives, in this house we love assistive devices, enough sexual tension to power the death star

a/n: this is me round-house kicking the bad batch writers in the throat because they made echo cosplay a droid — but, also because this man deserves to be treated as more than a means to a mission’s end. majority of you know i am ~bitter~ (understatement of the century) of tbb’s plot/design/writing. but echo has been a favorite from the original days... so have some very soft fic.

i reference character redesigns by @nibeul​ in this piece — please go peep them here, and some updated character spreads here! they’re really beautiful and add a phenomenal layer of storytelling to the existing designs that’s lacking. nibuel’s art and writing is lovely. please give them a follow — i can’t rec their work enough. 

“How does it feel?”

The words are nearly whispered; it’s clear you didn’t want to startle him, and Echo can feel the pinch in his brow soften at your sudden appearence in the doorway. 

His bunk, at the back of the Havoc Marauder, is small — the space itself even more so. There’s a makeshift partition, hooked together with spare parts and meant to offer a bit of privacy on the cramped vessel. Its slate grey color has faded, and the edges have become tattered in the cycles of use. 

When Echo pulls his dark eyes up from his work, you’re leaning against the frame — your expression is earnest.

For a moment, the once-ARC Trooper is quiet. 

He wonders if he’ll ever get used to your attention. Each and every time, it sends him into a spiral; his heart catches as he inhales and tries to push down the warm stir in his gut. The sight of you is enough, nowadays, to melt Echo’s well-maintained irritability. His attention is stolen from his ever-present pain, if only for a bit.

There are plenty of days where he misses the old him — the wide-eyed, eager ARC Trooper who had his brothers by his side. His real brothers. Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait... Fives. 

Fuckin’ hell, Fives was probably staring down at him now laughing. 

No matter what changes, you’re still shit with the ladies, vod’ika. 

In a way he hasn’t fully admitted to himself, you make him feel like himself again. Like... Like some shiny cadet, on leave and distracted by the promises of pretty smiles passing-by. It’s good.

This makes him feel... good. 

He flexes, and his right hand — the new, gunmetal durasteel cyberized-prosthesis — closes into a tight fist. It’s taken him a bit, but the feeling isn’t so foreign now. It’s still... slow. Slower than he’s used to, but you’d mentioned it may take some time. The phantom feelings get better, too. All in all, it’s a good thing.

Your own hand, your left, glimmers back in the same gunmetal color.

(Echo had never pressed you about the missing limb — not until one day, in Cid’s, you’d joined him in a quiet corner. You’d spilled your drink and a complaint about getting the star-cherry syrup out of the joints had slipped out. Echo had laughed; a real laugh, the sort that was so rare coming from him, it had you staring at him as if he’d hung ever star in the sky. 

Can I ask how it happened? he’d said, breaking the heavy silence when your eyes never left his.

The Pykes, you’d said, and that was enough.)

“I haven’t, uh... Haven’t gotten the sensory calibration right yet.”

Then, his prosthesis cramps. His fingers go rigid, and Echo curses sharply as he reaches around his forearm to quickly reboot the appendage. It goes slack, then hums alive once more.

You wince.

You’re slow to move into the room — and you settle atop one of the crates Echo had stolen from the belly of the ship, an old Mantell Mix shipping container. You’re mindful to set his datapad aside, to not disturb his space too much. Before you reach for his hand, however, you lift your chin and open your hands in your lap.

“May I?” you ask, just as soft as before.

Echo feels small under your gaze.

Truth be told, you’re doing more than just... asking. You’re taking him in — appreciating him. It’s a habit that’s grown more and more apparent to not only himself, but the others.

In recent rotations, Echo has let his hair grow out — not long, but the once close buzz he’d kept has begun to curl at the top. Not entirely dissimilair to how it was before the Citadel. The dermal implants, the ones the Techno Union installed in order to parse the nuerological data in his head, stand out against his warm-colored skin. 

His usual AJ^6-inspired headpiece is resting on his bunk.

That damn thing.

A neccesary tool. One that, given the amount of user data Tech had procured when working on modifying the implant, Echo found himself immediately distrusting. It wasn’t as if the AJ^6 cyborg construct had a beautiful track record, and frankly, Echo would like to keep his personality in tact, thank you very much. There were plenty of days he felt machine enough. 

It wasn’t often you saw him without the headset; you knew it made linking in via his scomp easier to handle, it made the visualization of data transfers as easy as breathing. For Echo, it was a part of his vast kit, an important tool. For you, seeing him without it bubbles up a bit of a smile.

Echo catches it.

His eyes narrow playfully.

He looks... well. You — hell, are there words for it? For the way the sight of him makes you feel? It’s like there’s a world full of potential there, a thousand words unsaid, and feelings that have steeped in the warmth of longing gazes and half-there touches.

You’re still looking up at him, knees bent on the crate.

You blink, realizing you’ve been caught staring — not for the first time and certainly not for the last. In the beginning, it had left a sour taste in Echo’s mouth. But, now... Well, it stokes a sort of pride in his chest that he hangs onto. 

It never gets easier to recover from — certainly not when Echo smirks. He moves to allow you to take his prosthesis into your lap. The gesture is gentle; your fingers cradle the firm yet pliable metal.

“What?” he asks. His voice, low and rough and warm, is tinted with amusement.

“Nothing,” you say vaguely with a shrug — as if that’s supposed to explain any part of your enamored stare. Your attention moves to the prosthesis.

“Nothing?” he asks, moving to thumb his left ear with his free hand with a dash of nervousness. A habit. Echo tilts his head as his fingers brush the cochlear implant there. The panel rests neatly against the side of his head, a small rounded-off square. The bite of self-consciousness has dwindled around you — but still, it creeps back up every now and again.

The Corporal’s brows knot playfully as you turn his new hand over in your lap; you’re admiring the upgraded feel, the more seamless panelling in comparison to your own. Echo watches your lashes flutter in silent thought.

Then:

“You’re a terrible liar, you know.”

You blink slowly at the hand, swallow down your sudden sheepishness and ignore his gaze. You bite back the smile digging into your cheeks. “Maybe.”

“Do I have something on my face?” he asks suddenly, and you look up.

A baited trick. He’s smiling. 

The warm sort — the sort reserved for you and for Omega. The two souls that hold a piece of his heart, with all its ticking valves and electric timed pulses. There are machinisms that keep him alive, and then there is you. Your wide-eyed expression melts, giving way to the sort of smile he’s tried to memorize over and over. It’s the same smile that has warded off that reoccuring nightmare of the night on the tarmac at the Citadel, the same smile that has pulled him through the grit of phantom pains.

“What—” a sudden laugh bursts from your chest, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You were staring, mesh’la,” he rumbles out as a reminder, enjoying the fact he’s suddenly become the center of your attention. Echo leans back, his boot toeing yours. You nudge it back. Your face feels hot. You ignore his pointedly teasing look with a roll of your eyes.

The nickname started a few weeks ago. You haven’t asked what it means — no, for now it’s meaning hangs in the balance. Untouched but there. The affection the word carries makes your heart feel heavier and unbelievably full.

“Bad habit,” you chirp back, looking up at him through your lashes.

His laugh is warm.

“Maybe not.”

“No,” you say quietly; your voice is soft as your eyes bounce across his face, tracing the lines of his face with your gaze, “I don’t think it is.”

There’s a silence that slips between you — a comfortable one. It’s heavier than before. That has begun to happen recently, especially with the petal-soft utterance of mesh’la becoming more and more frequent. You hold his gaze. Echo lets out a soft, contented sigh.

Then, you remember the task at hand.

You clear your throat.

“Uh... The access panel I’m looking for,” you say slowly as your raise your finger to point to your own arm, “It’s on your bicep.”

Echo blinks. He clears his own throat before looking down — he hadn’t even noticed that access panel. That could explain the jarring miscommunication stalling the limb. This model had more bells and whistles than he initally realized. 

Better than a fuckin’ scomp link, that’s for sure.

Wordlessly, Echo makes room on his bunk. You move to settle beside him, your bent leg resting aginst his hip as you half-straddle the bed; your other knee brushes his thigh — and Echo tries to sit still. You’re close, now. 

“Is it okay if...?” you trail off, fingers tugging on the short sleeve of his blacks; you pause until Echo offers a curt nod. You catch him swallow. You push onward, fingers nimbly rolling the fabric up over his broad bicep. 

Echo steals a glance your way as your fingers pass across a slip of his bare skin. 

In his lap, both his hands twitch.

He’s no small man. Lean and athletic, Echo is built like a soldier. Omega had said once that Echo was an ARC Trooper, one of the best of the best. You believed every bit of it, and you’d hung on her words when she’d rambled on about ARC training, about Kamino, and about who Echo was before you knew him. It was all in the past, though. That Echo is a part of this Echo but... They’re different men. He’s been changed by the things that have happened.

You don’t press him on the details. 

In time, they’re slipped into conversation here and there — between the here and now.  

In the beginning, when you’d found yourself amongst the crew of the Havoc Marauder — be it for a simple job on Cid’s behalf — Echo had hardly paid you a moment of attention, though you admit you’d been curious from the start. It had taken three jobs for you to finally see his face. Then began the slow and gradual bonding over catching joints, grating plates, and hardware updates. His legs, your arm. Two pieces of a pair.

Now, he has this. A beautiful new upgrade — something he’s wanted for a long time. A part of his old self is back, in a way.

You liked that it was more than just a tool. That, in having this piece of his body back, he felt like more than a tool. More than a scomp link. 

After all, he is a man — a... a very handsome man. One whose proximity is sort of distracting you, again, from the task at hand.

“The panel here,” you say as you slowly press on the seam that enables the settings panel to be revealed; you’re mindful to explain, “It controls sensory outputs, as well as synchonized synaptic commands. The panel on my forearm does the same to my hand, yours is just... well, you’ve got the new and improve version.”

Echo ducks his head as you work, watching you from the corner of his eye. “Feeling a bit jealous, mesh’la?”

“Maybe,” you breathe out with a smile. 

Then, you lift your eyes. You intended to see that he was still comfortable, but instead you come face to face with the Corporal. His nose nearly brushes yours when you lift you chin, completely dragged in by the closeness shared.

There’s a beat of tension. Echo’s mouth goes dry.

You fingers pause. You swallow hard. “How... uh, how does it feel?”

Echo tightens his grip, then releases. His breath tickles your cheeks. His eyes, a deep, warm brown, flit from your eyes to your mouth, and then back. His voice is a croak. 

“...Same as before.”

You tinker with a dial, eyes never leaving his; your voice is above a whisper. “And now?”

It’s immediate. Like a rush of cold air up his arm — and on instinct, Echo’s hand twitches. His fingers grip the fabric of his blacks, along his thigh, and... he feels it. The smooth, stretch of the material. It’s... it feels like a lot. His fingertips, metallic and cyberized, tingle. It’s distracting.

He can feel. 

His hand is slow. It moves across to bridge the space between you. His pointer finger settles on the curve of your knee; the feeling of your tactical pants beneath his fingertip is ignored, instead he chases the heat of your body.

Your breath catches at the touch. 

Echo’s face is turned to you, but... his attention has settled on his hand. His palm then sweeps across your thigh. He follows the curve, soaks in the feeling. You’re frozen in place, beating back the desperate sound of appreciation that threatens to be pulled from your throat. The touch is... more than welcomed. 

The closeness itself is making you dizzy.

Then, Echo turns — and the warm, durasteel-plated palm finds your cheek.

Your skin is hot. 

“Is this okay, mesh’la?” he whispers, words riding on a quiet exhale — the sort that make you feel... well, you don’t even have words for the way he makes you feel. Echo is... kind, honest, and loyal. Above all else, he’s gentle. Despite it all, despite every bit of horror he’d been put through, he’d never lost sight of the importance of a gentle hand. Especially now in a moment as intimate as this. It coaxes you closer.

You lean into the cybernetic attachment, cheek resting in his palm. You nod, then, with eyes eager to take in every bit of this moment.

He chuckles at the enthusiasm. Echo’s thumb, deft and smooth, then traces the line of your lower lip.

The feeling is... the gnawing pain that he’s felt for nearly a year has melted. Finally, the itch has been scratched in his brain and the hollow ache of his bones is gone. It’s relief, and comfort, and excitement and all these beautiful things — and you. 

You’re stuck — you don’t want to move, you won’t move. He’s rooted you completely, and when his other hand — the calloused and warm one of flesh and blood — finds it’s spot along your thigh, you swallow a lovesick sigh that would only exaserbate your desperation. 

Your mouth is moving before you realize it. 

“What does it mean?”

Echo’s eyes narrow, only a bit, and he runs his thumb up your cheekbone.

“What does what mean?” 

“Mesh’la,” it sounds foreign on your tongue. It’s not Hutteese or Twi’leki, not like any language you know, “Will you tell me what it means, Echo?”

The corner of his lips quirk. Your eyes jump to it.

You feel like someone’s reached right into your chest and given your heart a squeeze — and it only worsens when he laughs. He laughs, deep and quiet and warm, like a thunderstorm on a summer night. It feels cruel, to string you along like this when you’re here, lips parted, hanging off his every touch and his every word.

“Beautiful,” he says quietly as his other hand touches your jaw — it’s so damn reverent, this little moment in time, that you almost don’t believe it’s real.

It feels like a dream — like someone has come in and stolen your thoughts from you; like the unrequited yearning has finally stoked a fire large enough to burn you up entirely, a fever you never knew you wanted.

His nose brushes yours.

Your fingers wind into the fabric of his chest. You’re clinging, lost to the moment — and you can’t help wonder if this is how it feels when he catches you adoring him. He’s admiring you so tenderly that you nearly break.

You want to kiss him.

He’s thought about nothing but kissing you for the last five days at least. Longer in his dreams. Nowadays, it’s a constant pull, a constant want.

And now, it’s here — a present and current moment where it can happen. Where he can stop being a shiny cadet and he can make a move...

Enter Omega.

“Echo, we’re back—!”

The telltale hammer of a girl’s boots on the floor signals that the party is back from their supply run — but you’re so far off, spinning in a different universe, you don’t even hear her until its too late... Until Echo is yanking himself away and clearing his throat and rolling his wrist to test the prosthesis in a different way, a less intimate way. 

You blink, then rattle yourself back to the present. Omega is in the doorway staring with a quizzical look. Clearly, your state does little to dissuade the assumptions she’s already making and you can see the gears turning in her head. The dark-haired girl then slowly grins.

“Hi.”

You swallow. “Hi, Omega.”

“...Whatcha guys doin’?”

Echo coughs. “Uh, just fine-tuning the new upgrade.”

“...Riiiiiight.” 

You rub your cheeks and laugh — clearly forced and incredibly pained — as you stand up and nearly ram your head right into the top of Echo’s bunk. It’s met with a hiss of warning from the trooper as he jumps up to try and protect you from the impact. 

“Well! Uh, thanks for letting me help, Echo,” you clap, rocking back and forth on your boots, “I, uh... Oh, Cid called. I should... I should get back—”

“Yea,” he says, straining a bit to find the words, “Yea, I’ll... I’ll comm you if it starts to, uh... If it starts to act up?”

Omega watches the exchange, big brown eyes moving from left to right. 

“Good, great — yea, that’s,” you inhale as you rub your thighs and move towards the door, “Perfect. Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Bye!” Omega calls, waving.

You wave back, smiling. “Bye, Omega.”

Then, once it’s only Echo and Omega in the bunk, the tween speaks.

“...What the kriff was that?”

[magicandmundane]

Omg hey! Thanks for the tag!

Is writing a hobby or way of life? Hobby, for sure. I have absolutely fantasized about turning the ocs in my head and their vague plot into a book series, but as of rn my way of life is engineering lol, so who knows where the writing will go.

A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript? The perfectionist in me is screaming completed manuscript, but I do love the idea of a writing journal and that aesthetic.

Who (or what) is your writing inspiration? Uhhhhh, well these characters live in my head rent free, so definitely them. But the person who actually got me to believe I could write was one of my high school English teachers, one of my favorite teachers ever. He was so encouraging and always kept telling me how much he loved my writing, and he was especially impressed with this final creative writing project that I wrote two hours before the due date and was basically just a Catcher in the Rye fanfic lol

Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing? Definitely having them read the first draft *shudders* I’m part of a little a cappella group, so singing in front of people doesn’t really phase me.

Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective? Uhhhhhhhhh, not sure 😅

Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN? Tumblr and AO3 for the win.

AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it? 0 words lol, I don’t have an account, which is fine by me. Writing fics isn’t really my thing (I prefer my original works and seriously appreciate what y’all do for the fandom ecosystem), not like I have the time for fic writing 😂

What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably? Ohhhhhhh my gosh, I’ve loved pretty much all things Star Wars since I was 11, and The Bad Batch has a chokehold on me in a way no other installment in the universe has ever had. After that I’d say The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini has had a huge impact on me. I love those books so so so much and have since I was 12 or 13, they got me through some really tough times. (The recurring theme here is the hero’s journey lol)

What's the highest compliment you could ever be given, and have you been given it? Soooooo idk if this counts, but I’m gonna say it anyway. After a really hard swim season (in which everything turned out almost perfectly in the end) when I was like 15, my coach pulled me in for a hug and said, “Never doubt yourself again.” And I bawled my eyes out lol. It truly was the highest compliment I have ever received because she said so many things in four little words, not the least of which being “you’re too good at this to beat yourself up over it like you do.”

What defines your writing style? Not sure, but I have been told my writing is very eloquent and I do enjoy first person POV.

No pressure tags: @konmaao3 @weirdponytail @jorolle @thatartiststudios999 @thewriterlydragonslayer and anyone who wants to hop on!

20 Questions for 20 Writers (where did the other 10 questions go?)

thank you for the tag @marvel-starwarsfangirl !

Is writing a hobby or way of life?

I would say both. It did start out as a small hobby when I first began writing, but as I started thinking about careers, my college path and choosing a major when applying (no one told me being undeclared was a thing until I found out later), writing is always something that I've enjoyed, and it makes me happy.

2. A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

I'd go with the journal. There's so many notes everywhere in notebooks and documents.

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

I'd say my writing inspiration is all the media I consume and the characters I get invested in. Especially since I started writing my own Star Wars fanfics, I enjoy attempting to step into a character's shoes and try to write as if I was writing a script for them.

4. Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

Someone I "idolize" reading my first draft. That would be so awkward more than listening to my low and sometimes cracked-voice singing.

5. Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

Maybe sometimes, I'm not entirely sure regarding this question. I can't really think of any instances right now either 😅

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

I go with both Tumblr and AO3. I mainly post a lot of my stuff here on Tumblr because I feel more connected with everyone, and I post some stuff on AO3.

7. AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

Total of 28,554 currently. Yeah I guess.

8. What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

Movies/shows: All Star Wars movies and shows, Ninjago, Marvel movies and shows

Books: If You Could See the Sun (Ann Liang), the Thrawn novels, the Rogue One novel (I love its expanded perspectives)

Fics: There's a lot lol, but I highly recommend It's Not Over Yet by Merefis18 on AO3. Basically a The Bad Batch S3 before the season aired and in the writer's perspective.

9. What's the highest compliment you could ever be given, and have you been given it?

When people say they feel happy by reading my writing and that they enjoy my work, and when they are intrigued by what I have written. It makes me feel happy and wanting to create more to make others feel happy.

10. What defines your writing style?

I'm not sure, maybe the way I like putting a lot of attention to detail (I get a lot of comments on this from people irl) and how I like to try stepping in a character's shoes (and act like them) when writing dialogue and scenes. It's fun.

no pressure tags: @orion-tyche @magicandmundane @bossboudicca @amalthiaph @iracundiias @ladywren7 @royallykt and anyone else who wants to do this!