#omega has grown so much over these seasons

[barissoffee]

Star Wars: The Bad Batch 3.11 | Point of No Return

[toska-writes]

“Where the stars can shine”

Summary: the fighting never stops, and it never will so it’s in everyone’s best interest to find the calm moments when you can.

Pairing: The Bad Batch x padawan!reader (OF COURSE THIS IS PLATONIC)

Warning: none just so much fluff!

Word count: 1261 (not proof read but what did you expect)

Notes: IM WATCHING THE NEW BAD BATCH SEASON AFTER THIS! So this is my way of manifesting everyone being alright to end the show 🥲

The war never ended, nor would it for anyone who has endured it and its intensity.

One fight always rolled into another and nothing could be done to stop it. The only way to get through it was to find the little cracks in all the bad. The place where the sun could shine and the flowers could grow.

Or in this case, the stars could twinkle.

"This is already too high for me." Wrecker stated loudly hauling himself up the side of the Marauder.

Crosshair, who was currently under Wreck scoffed to himself before clambering up the side like it was nothing. "You never seem to have that problem when we're in the air." He quipped.

"Well I'm inside then." He whined finally being assisted by Hunter who had the small hands of Omega making sure he didn't fall.

You could only laugh at the scene, leaning back on Echo you could feel him laugh too.

"Who do you think's falling off first?" You ask with a smile that was masked by the moonlight.

"The real question is," Echo leaned forward, surprised a little bit that the top of the marauders could fit 5 fully grown clones plus omega and the Jedi padawan. "Who's going to be pushed off first."

You looked back towards him and in an instant you spoke the same word together. "Tech."

Speaking of the devil, Tech's voice rang out as you looked over to where he had an arm pointing something out beyond the horizon.

"-and if you look there you'll be able to see Endor"

Omega's eyes lit up brighter than they have been in the past few days, nothing seemed to be going right for that bad batch no matter how much they tried.

"Have you guys been there?" Omegas eyes scanned the rest of her family that sat gazing with her. The sky on this backwater planet was surprisingly clear, clearer than you thought it would be.

"Eh once or twice." Hunter shrugged it off with a smile as all that Omega could do was gawk up at her big brother.

"Thats an understatement." Crosshair added quietly from beside you. With a nudge to your shoulder he added. "That meat-head over there blew up more than half the forest and got us kicked out. For life."

"Hey!" Wrecker let go of his strong grip of the Marauder with one hand to wave it at the sniper.

Omega giggled giving you a glance as you could help but laugh at the exchange. "Have you?"

You could only smile at the found memories the question brought you. Landing with your Master on a planet you've never even heard of at that time. The trees the towered over you and the abundant shades of green that you didn't even know existed. The faint sound of your master laughing as you stared up from the base of the tall trees fathomed by the hight.

"Yeah I went once I think during the Clone Wars. It was beautiful there." You spoke, the smiles spread from Omegas face to Hunters as he watched you retell the fond memories.

"Well I also did kinda crash into a tree there but other than that the rest was beautiful." Echo hide his laugh behind you as you told the more embarrassing part of the trip.

"I think I did hear about that one." The ex arc trooper spoke out. You shoved him back slightly as your gaze returned to the stars above.

"Now if you all turn your gazes eastward you can spot the Orion constellation which should also mean the Canis Major is pretty close." Tech pointed upward now, his own eyes locked tightly on the stars.

"That one has the brightest star in the whole galaxy right?" Omega filled in, whether Tech wanted to continue himself or not he could only beam down at the girl, who clearly heard this from him before.'

You smiled also recounting when Tech probably told the group for the first time.

The bounty hunters came from nowhere that day, Omega gripped on the back of Echo's armor plate  with tears streaking down her face clearly scared.

Tech stood above you the, a data pad scanned over you as Hunter tried to apply some pressure to a wound you sustained on your side. Wrecker and Cross stood around the group, the sniper's gaze fixed on the darken horizon beyond.

Panicked breath sounded out and flown into the barren night, as much as you didn't want to scare Omega more you really could help it. You were scared yourself.

"Do you see that over there." Tech took your free arm in his hand and pointed up to the looming sky with it. "That really bright star?"

You were pulled back from your thoughts with the slightest nudge from Crosshair who spared you a glance, nobody else seemed to notice his movements

"I want to go to all of those planets one day." The words were light from Omega, a smile still evident in her voice.

"You'll definitely need to learn to fly then." You added shooting a look at Tech who finally spared a glance at someone else and was immersed in taking pictures of the different planets and constellations.

"If you can find another ship." Tech said mater-o-factly with a finger in the air.

"Aweeee Tech." Omega did the only thing she could think of, huge tooka eyes found Tech and with the pout of her bottom lip you could almost see the moment Tech cracked.

"More contemplation will be needed for that"

Though Omega wasn't disappointed for long as Crosshair whispered to her. "That's practically a yes."

Hunter laughed now shoving Crosshair back into a lying down position. He noted that his brother looked quite different without his armor, but it was a sight he could get used to.

Opening his mouth Tech was about to defend himself before a snore racked through the air. 

"Put someone else to sleep too Techy." Crosshair jabbed a finger at wrecker who still seemed to gripped the ship tightly.

You couldn't blame him though, and is wasn't just because of Tech talking, but you did insist the stars and planets were best to see in the late night. A yawn stifled through you, Echo wasn't the warmest person but the arms that wrapped around you from the clone seemed to do it.

"It's not even that late." Omega protested but her heavy eyelids seemed to contradict her own words.

"No no, we all can't fall asleep up here or it's going to be a pain getting down." Omega curled up into Hunters chest as he spoke. He slowly started to get up.

"One of us should get Wreck." Your own eyelids battled against you as you fought to sit up.

"On it." Crosshair was the last person who you thought would offer but as his leg extended you watched Wrecker rolled over the side.

His startled yell was masked by the thud of him hitting the soft grass below. 

"See it wasn't even that far." The skipper shrugged pushing himself over the edge and landing gracefully with even using the side to get down.

You chuckled as you rolled your eyes at the brothers were up to their old antics.

The chill air was a good contrast to the heated days that came before, so much fighting it seemed that it would never end.

Moments like these would always be cherished, and surprisingly Tech wasn't the one to get pushed off the Marauder.

_____________________________________

Taglist:

@arctrooper69 @thereforepizza @padawancat97 @pb-jellybeans @floffytofu @verybadatwriting @solstraalaa @ray-rook @gregorsmissingarmor

[daichiduskdrop]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

CHAPTER 00 - PROLOGUE

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Angst, Strangers to lovers, (might do smut in the future)

Warnings: loneliness, anxiety, indicated sa (hardly mentioned at all)

AN.: Hello everyone! This is pretty much my first time writing a FF, and English isn't my first language, so please be patient with me :)

If you enjoy this story, please let me know and I'll continue it. Don't hesitate if you have anything to say, I'm always looking for good advice. Please take care of yourself :))

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It was a bitterly cold and snowy day. The frigid temperatures had been persistent for days, and there was no sign of relief in sight. December had just begun, but it already felt like an endless winter. While the snowflakes were beautiful as they fell to the ground, they brought a feeling of sadness and loneliness.

You loved the hot chocolates you would make for yourself in the small kitchen, you loved bundling up in a soft blanket on the sofa and watching anothe movie. You loved the seasonal Christmas themed ads that were blaring at this time of the year from every corner.

Yes, you loved Christmas, you stopped to remind yourself. Of course you did. Yet still, there was this deep nagging. A feeling of desire, that carried sadness.

'It's snowing like the world is about to end' you thought as you looked from the window that tightly sealed. There wasn't much to look at, even thought the afternoon was only just ending, through the strong snowstorm there was hardly anything visible.

You didn't watch the final race of the snowflakes for much longer. Standing up from your wooden floor you made your way to your apartment door - or more so tried to. Your pillows, blankets, old books and canvases were scattered all around so it proved to be bit of a challenge.

Your room was a mess, it has been like that for far too long. Old newspaper cutouts glued on the walls, posters, painting without frames hung up or just pushed in the corner of the room, where shadows hid them well. There wasn't enough space for them all. Books stacked up in tall chimneys, your phone somewhere burried in-between. You didn't bother to look for it too much.

Lacing up your boots, you took a last look in the mirror. As an omega it was always expected of you to look proper and taken cared of, even if it wasn't always the case. Your heavy jacket felt too heavy on your shoulders, but you knew that you would quite literally freeze to death otherwise. A white woolen scarf was tied around your neck, covering your face up to your nose. It felt comfortable against your cheeks and the scent was also pleasant, so even as it grew older, you still kept it and worn it every winter.

You grabbed your wallet, and pocketed your keys. The small bunny keychain dangled with the movement. It used to be white with few brown spots, but that wore of with the time too. Still, even if most of the colour was missing, you liked it.

With the lock clicking behind you, you started walking down the open hallway to the apartment building entrance. The rooms were only on one side, so it didn't take much time until the cold air swept you from the right. The layer of snow on the wooden railing has grown to over 10 centimetres, and that was only from this day, since it got swept pretty much every morning. The landlord was quite sweet, as allowing an omega a home when they were alone with no alpha or beta in sight wasn't too usual.

Hiding more into your jacket you quickened your pace, and after getting down the steps, you started the walk towards the pharmacy.

Snowflakes fell into your hair, as you made your way down the few streets and roads. Luckily, not many people were outside and so your smell wasn't noticed. It really wasn't too typical to see omegas walking on their own, basically anywhere. The society had strict standards that were followed since,- well, forever.

While some protested, it was just always for the better, anyone to see an omega that's completely alone, unmarked or at least scented was basically free to do anything they wished to.

It made you tremble just the slightest bit thinking about it, but you blamed it on the cold that surrounded you and shook it off. While you were on the outskirts of Seoul, it wasn't like you were constantly alone.

Yes, you reminded yourself once more. There were people around, like that nice looking lady down the street holding a hand of a little girl. She jumped and squeeled in the heavy snow, only to get lightly scolded by the beta for almost slipping in the forming ice. Pups were always the biggest priority, at least in every good pack.

As you walked further and further from your home, more stores appeared, lighting up the streets just enough for you to be more comfortable. The neon sings of restaurants, grocery shops, clothing boutiques and more were bright for your eyes, colourful and soon you started hearing bit more noise too. There were more cars passing by, people smoking cigarettes outside on the streets chatting together.

With the snow crunching underneath your feet you made your way to the mall closest to your apartment. You dusted of as much of the snow from yourself as possible, and walked inside. It felt a lot warmer immediately, but you didn't unzip your jacket too much. You knew your scent would carry too much and people would eventually notice, so you just continued on your way down the escalator, keeping to yourself with the crowd of people going downstairs with you.

Infront of you was another grocery store, that got you thinking about buying some food. The snowstorms often lasted a few days, and you doubted that it would be pleasant to walk here again tomorrow. You didn't have a lot home right now, as you avoided going until it was impossible. Plus the store here was a lot cheaper than the small shops closer to your apartment, that made a big profit from all the-

Your thoughts were interrupted by the loud sniffing behind you, something just lightly touching the back of your neck. Startled, you quickly turned, and nearly jumped from your skin. The man must have been in his forties, his eyes closed for a tiny second, before they opened and focused on your face. You averted your gaze, not wanting to seem like you wanted to start anything.

„What are you doing here alone like this?” his tone sounded concerned, but carried a weird undertone, that unsettled you even more. You felt chills run down your spine. You opened your mouth to answer, but your eyes could only widen more, as the last step lowered and you arrived at the floor. Stumbling, you regained your balance and nearly ran off in the way of the pharmacy.

Opening the door, a light bell sound chimed throughout the store, making few of the people in the queue turn to check the newcomer. Looking at your shoes, you shuffled to stand behind the last girl, her natural smell covered in a strong but very sweet perfume scent blockers. Growing up, in high schools, those were always popular for beta or even alphas to wear, to make themselves appear more approachable if their scent wasn't intriguing enough for their liking.

Such perfumes didn't work on omega scents, those were always naturally alluring and hard to cover. Scent blockers were then often used, but since you didn't go out a lot back in highschool, you hardly ever had to use them. You would, now being in college you were constantly around unknown people, so it would come with a nice benefit - sometimes all of the attention that came with being an omega wasn't nice at all. But those were expensive, and the even cheapest ones were bit too pricey for you. Plus the ones you ever tried always made you uncomfortable, and unsettled with how chemically they smelled.

The wet shoeprints with slight mud covered the tiled floors, as you patiently waited for your turn to receive your prescription. And so as the girl before you took the small bottle of medicine, thanked and made her way out again, you took the small paper from your wallet.

„Hi, what can I do for you?” asked the older man behind the counter. His hair was gray and his eyes seemed tired. With the winter season, there must be many people coming with bad colds.

„Hello,” you mumbled looking behind him at the shelves filled with medicaments, „I have a prescription of a medication from my doctor;” he leaned in closer to hear you better. Your voice was naturally just a bit too quiet. Placing the paper onto the sleek counter, you looked away as he nodded and opened it. Taking just a few seconds to read over its contents he bristled to the shelves, pulling out a brown bottle with a white cap.

„...Right here miss. I will just need you to sign a document, that states that your pack alpha is aware of this and agreed to your doctor decision.” smiling, his cheeks lifted as he took a paper from underneath the desk.

You blinked in a surprise, and felt your fingers start to slightly tremble. 'Since when was this a thing? You got your medicine just fine month or two ago, what --?'

„My pack alpha- I-”

He looked back at me after retrieving a pen with calm eyes.

„Yes miss, here... You just fill in your pack alpha's name, and your pack serial number, or if you can't remember the whole thing, you can just write your pack alpha's phone number, we can get in touch later and I will complete the form process with them. You don't have to worry about it at all.” Once again, the worker smiled brightly, seemingly trying to calm you down.

„I know the number is hard to remember, my daughters always forget it too.” lightly chuckling, you could smell just the lightest hint of calming pheromones in the air. Scrunching up the nose at the smell, your anxiety only risen.

If you won't get the medicine you will get in a lot of trouble, and miss even more college lessons, no, you can't miss anymore, and-

„umm- can.. can I just call them first? I'm not so sure-” your voice trembled just the slightest bit as you squeezed your fingers around the prescription. The man once again laughed and nodded his head.

„Of course you can! It's no issue. Just come back again with the prescription and we can go over this again miss.” Nodding slightly, stunned still, just turned on your heel and walked off, the ground slippery with the melted snow, making you almost slip a few times. You eyes clouded with tears and you sniffled loudly as you opened the pharmacy door. Defeated, you clutched your other hand in a tight grip, unsettled and confused. You could bet that your anxious scent was wafting off all over the place.

Your vision blurry, you started heading back towards the escalators, walking next to a shoe boutique and a barber shop, you reminded yourself of the way outside. Your plans were definitely different from this, and getting lost in a mall was also not included on the list so you tried your best way to walk where you remembered the right side entrance to be. With most of the people left by now, the 21nth hour was quickly approaching, and a many of trail scents left behind confused you even more.

More tears sprung up to your eyes, and your vision got even blurrier. Not having any scents to stick to, as the ones that were around when you walked to the pharmacy were exchanged for different ones, you were left in a sensory overload, not even noticing when a man bristly walked towards you.

„Hey.., hey, what's going on? What's wrong?” He bended to your eye level so you stood face to face. A white facemask was covering his face, so only his eye peeked through under his dark, long hair. A plain black newsboy cap matched with the long, thick coat that went bellow his bended knees. You looked away, just when your overwhelmed nose smelled that he was an alpha. A mixture of rain and a hint of levander that seemed to become more prominent every passing second. He was trying to calm you with his scent.

A small whimper broke out from your throat unwillingly. Your brain was just taking in bit too much for you to be able to process everything. Your scarf dampen with more tears falling onto it. The man hand quickly held your right arm, his other hand prying your fingers open, so you couldn't clutch your hands and accidently scratched yourself. He cooed at you and rubbed your arm while still holding your hand, squeezing just the smallest bit.

„...Hm? What is it?”

Looking up, you accidentally made eye contact, only to get yourself more stressed out. You were always taught to beware of any unknown people, especially alphas, and making an eye contact could be interpreted as a 'sure, let's get it on'.

His concerned eyes shocked you enough to stay like that for a bit longer. They were a lot cat like, and his eyebrows were furrowed, but not in a threatening way, no, it was worry.

„I was- was at the phar-macy..” you mumbled only to sob loudly, and your shoulders to start to shake. You looked at his facemask, trying to focus anywhere but at the alpha's eyes. Noticing you doing so, in a quick motion he pulled the mask bellow his chin, only to reveal a soft looking nose and full lips, left open just the slightest bit in focus.

His tongue darted out to lick them fastly, and he shuffled a bit closer, so the levander scent was even more prominent. „At the pharmacy? Did someone tell you something bad there? Do you not have enough money for your medicine?” His voice felt calming, but held a feeling of urgency in it. He stood back up, only to look behind you towards the store you came from just about two minutes ago.

„N-No.. that's not - it... My prescrb- prescrt-” stumbling over the word you whined softly, angry with yourself. This was really not what you needed to happen right now.

„Prescription kitty. What's with it? Had it already expired?” once again he lowered himself back down, but didn't let go of your hand and arm even once. Softly rubbing his thumb over your hand, he once again cooed at you.

„Need pack al-pha...” you cried out softly and looked at the floors. Frowning even deeper, he let go of your arm and pulled out his phone from his pocket. His other hand just pulled you a little closer, so his scent was even clearer.

The man fumbled with it for a few seconds, pressed it to his ear and waited, as the faint sound of ringing could be heard. A soft beep sound and another strangers voice went through, not loud enough for you to decipher.

„hey, where are you?”

„No, listen, I need you to come to the lowest floor, um- there is a,” whipping his head around he looked at the stores around us, „hairdresser shop here and uhh.. a pharmacy too, look just can you hurry please?”

„Ill tell you here, it's an omega .... Jimin-ah are you a fucking idiot?! Who said anything about heat? Aish..! Just hurry up, could you?”

For a second his scent got covered with a burning grass, a smell of agitation. Just as quickly as it came it was gone thought. Pocketing his phone once again, he looked back at you.

„My packmate is going to come here in a bit okay?” his voice once again soft.

„P-Packmate?” your eyes blew wide, only for more tears to come. What did that mean? Was they about to do something? Your worried thoughts circled your mind.

„Yea, but don't worry, okay? He's very-”

„Yah, hyung, what is it? What's going on?” you heard another man, only to be hit with another alpha scent, reminding you of soft vanilla blooms. „Gosh her scent is sweet..” he said lowly, so you hardly understood what he was saying. Looking up, you were met with eyes of another man. This time, circled rimmed glasses and a black face mask pretty much covered his whole face, only a small bit of his black hair peeking through underneath his dark grey beanie. A long, dark green trenchcoat with a crossbody purse like bag adored his body, making his shoulders stand out.

„I don't know...”

„Whats your name 'mega?” the newcomer asked, bending slightly to match your height too.

„..Y/N” you said as you looked away again. All of the scents were confusing you, and you shuffled at your feet. You could sense your flight or fight instincts start to come in, with how long you have been unsettled.

„..okay. Okay.” he sighed out. „My name is Yoongi, and that's Jimin. Kitty, where is your pack? Why are you here alone like this?”

You took a longer pause, too overwhelmed to answer quickly. It must have been bit too long for them thought.

„Hyung-”

„I don't ha-ve a p-pack..” sniffling, you avoided their gaze, hiding more into the scarf.

„..Well shit.” Jimin muttered, exchanging anxious looks with Yoongi.

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Next:

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on the Batch's Ending

Ooookay. This is going to be a long one. (Little note from Steph who just finished writing this: it’s nearly 3000 words…)

Tagging @saturn-sends-hugs @inkstainedhandswithrings and @eriexplosion because I value their thoughts (but I'm also not demanding that you read 3000 words of waffle)

I’ve had a lot of thoughts about the finale of The Bad Batch and honestly, my mind is a bit of a mess right now. One of the things I just want to try and tackle is how I feel about the ending of each Batch member individually, because while I can look at it and say “The Batch got a happy ending!”, I feel like that doesn’t really give me much of an idea of whether or not each character got an ending that I feel is fitting for their story arc.

So, this post is basically just going to be me unpicking the ending for each of the Batchers and working out how I feel about it (aka me trying to unscramble the mass load of thoughts going on in my head right now). 

Omega

Overall, I’m very happy with where Omega ended up. When you look back on how she was when we first met her, you realise just how much she has grown over the last few seasons. She didn’t just learn to be a part of the squad, she also learned how to look after herself. It isn’t just a development of her skillset, it’s also a growth in maturity, which allows her to have a clearer head and more rational decisions in the field. While Omega trusted her brothers to come and rescue her, she didn’t just sit around and wait for them, she hatched her own plan to not only get her and the other children out, but also help the Batch when they arrive at Tantiss.

Like Echo, she strongly believes in helping people and I love that that has carried through into her ending. While it would have been nice for her to live a quiet life, free of any more troubles, it makes complete sense for her to want to join the Rebellion. And I think it was at a good time as well. Omega got to spend the rest of her childhood being raised in a more peaceful, safe environment, before making the decision a few years down the line to go her own way. This is her leaving the nest and I think it was tackled incredibly well. You can see how she has taken on attributes from all of her brothers, and judging by her style choice, Phee as well. We see Omega using the support of her brothers to carve her own path and I love that.

Personally, I can’t really see a more fitting development in her story than this. And I’m reluctant to actually call it an ending because for her, this feels more like the beginning of a new chapter. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we saw her again later down the road.

Hunter

Now those who follow me may be aware that Hunter was never my favourite member of the Batch. I didn’t dislike him, but I never really connected with him in the same way that I connected with all of the other characters. Saying that, it doesn’t mean I haven’t given a lot of thought to him and his character.

Hunter always had a lot on his shoulders. He was the leader of the Batch and that meant keeping a rag-tag group of defective clones in line, but it also left him with the belief that if anything were to happen to his squad, it would be his responsibility. So, with Crosshair and Omega stuck with the Empire, and Tech dead, Hunter had a lot to carry. At the beginning of Season 3 we saw that he had become more reckless and irrational, not really thinking about plans and wanting to jump straight into things. It was Wrecker who had to step in and make sure Hunter didn’t do anything stupid. Hunter felt like he lost control and that took a lot out of him, especially since this is something I think he could feel creeping up on him throughout Season 2, even if he tried to fight it. The Batch had started to make decisions without him, and Omega was forming close attachments to other people, which was digging a knife into Hunter’s fear of losing his squad. So S3 saw him trying everything he could to reunite the Batch, because he couldn’t bear to lose anyone else.

And he achieved that. But what I also deeply appreciate is that we see Hunter accepting that Omega wants to go her own way. This was something he didn’t want happening for a long time, but once he accepted that she was capable of looking after herself, and once he accepted that he could never keep her tied in place forever, he supported Omega in her decision to join the Rebellion. Yes, he will always worry about her. He even tells her that she will always be their kid. But he knows that it’s time for her to carve her own path, and that means for him, finally letting go and accepting that Clone Force 99 will never be what it once was. 

Wrecker

Wrecker is an interesting one for me because he’s one of the few characters where I can’t really see a big step for his character in the final episode. For many of the others there is some form of acceptance, or big step in their lives, but for Wrecker I don’t really see that. And unfortunately, I think that comes from Wrecker never really being the focus of any strong character development throughout the history of the show. That’s not to say there wasn’t any growth at all, but when we look at how far everyone else has come in their stories, Wrecker always feels like he never got the same treatment in this show. The biggest growth I saw was when he stepped in to help Hunter when he could see the sergeant was spiralling.

So, while I’m happy he lived and has gone on to enjoy a longer, more peaceful life than we ever expected for the Batch, it makes me sad that we never really saw anything big for Wrecker in this ending. No big acceptance, no huge sacrifice. We don’t even get to see him say goodbye to Omega when she leaves. I love that Wrecker got a happy ending, but I always wish that we had gotten the opportunity to see more of a character arc with him over the course of the entire show.

Crosshair

I accepted a while ago that if any of the Batch members were to survive, Crosshair would be one of them because I didn’t expect the writers to kill him off after everything that he had been through. And thankfully they didn’t! I love that after everything, Crosshair has managed to find peace. Maybe not completely, but enough that he has the chance to live a life that doesn’t involve him being a soldier. 

Throughout S2 and S3 we saw Crosshair come to terms with the fact that he was disposable to the Empire and that they didn’t care about him as much as he had made himself believe. And one of the things Crosshair fought with the most was his own identity as a soldier. For so long, he believed that that was all he was, all he could be, so that’s why it has been so amazing finally seeing Crosshair acknowledge that he doesn’t need to be a soldier to still live a life he deserves; his purpose is and always has been more than that.

Saying that, I want to address the hand thing because I am still unsure of where I sit with it. Following his escape from Tantiss, we see Crosshair has developed hand tremors as a result of his PTSD, and a decent chunk of the season has been dedicated to him learning how to live with them. The biggest reason for this affecting Crosshair so much was that it impacted his ability to be a sniper, which is what Crosshair believed to be his main purpose: he didn’t know what to do without the ability to use his hand. And we were given some incredibly sweet scenes between him and Omega as she helped him work out the best way to manage the tremors, for example, them meditating together.

But then that brings me onto my main issue, which is, why remove the hand? One of the reasons I keep seeing is that it removes Crosshair’s ability to be a sniper, but we had already seen that. That’s the issue that the tremors were causing. Crosshair had already been struggling with that ability as a result of what happened to him on Tantiss, so cutting his hand off as a way of preventing his sniping ability seems a bit unnecessary. Now admittedly, the soldier who cut his hand off didn’t know that he had hand tremors, so logistically it makes sense, but as a story tool it seems a bit bizarre to me. Personally, I think it would’ve been more interesting to pursue the idea of Crosshair learning to manage his tremors through meditation etc. and adapting to a life that has less of a focus on sniping. 

Another reason I have seen for the hand is that it symbolises Crosshair finally becoming free from the Empire and what they did to him on Tantiss. Him no longer having the tremors indicates that he is no longer burdened by the Empire and his time there. But that doesn’t really work for me either. For one, Crosshair will never truly be separated from what happened to him there; even if he lost the shaking, he would still have a number of psychological issues as a result of what he went though, so I can’t see it as a way of symbolising a true separation. Which is once again why I think that following the story beat of him managing the tremors would have been a more interesting path for them to go down with his character.

Saying that, I’m still happy with where Crosshair’s story went. He is arguably the most complex character in the Batch and I’m so glad we have been able to see him develop the way he has. Him living a long, quiet life is something that I’m happy he has gotten, and I truly don’t think that him dying would have brought nearly as satisfying a conclusion as Crosshair finally finding a new place in the world.

Tech

Oh boy… this is going to be an interesting chunk of this essay. So errm… it turns out Tech is actually dead, which is… kinda shit. 

Back when we saw him fall at the end of S2, I said that one of the reasons that I didn’t believe that Tech was really dead was because if he was, I would’ve found the writing kinda cheap. I said repeatedly throughout that season that I didn’t want all of his character development to simply be an emotional manipulation tactic to make us even more sad when he died… which is what it turned out to be. It doesn’t surprise me that Tech sacrificed himself, but it makes me mad that ultimately his death never really had any real impact on anything. I mean, they hardly even addressed it in the final season!

I get that animated Star Wars is known for rarely addressing characters after their deaths, but The Clone Wars focuses on so many characters that if we gave that much attention to every character that died, then we would never progress the plot. However, unlike TCW, The Bad Batch primarily focuses on a smaller group of clones and therefore not only has the space to explore the impacts that death would have on the squad, but really should find it a necessary part of the storytelling. The lack of attention given to Tech throughout this season has been beyond frustrating to me. He deserved better.

And I can’t write a section about Tech’s ending without addressing the CX-2 situation. Were we all delusional for believing that Tech was alive? No. Now before people come at me for saying that, I want to explain why that is the conclusion I have come to. You would have every right to label us delusional if there was absolutely no proof behind the claims that we made, but when the writers give us a character that both speaks and acts like Tech, what did they expect us to think? There were too many parallels between Tech and CX-2 for it to be coincidental and I still stand by the fact that we had reason to believe that they were the same person.

Now, looking at the other CX soldiers we see in the finale, they all seem to parallel the OG members of the Batch: there’s a larger one who primarily focuses on hand-to-hand combat, someone who favours blades, a sniper, and a more tech-savvy one. And I’m sure there is a reason for that, symbolically or practically, but if the fact that they all resemble the Batch is important, then why was so much focus put primarily on CX-2? There was no way we weren’t going to think that they would reveal him to be Tech.

Overall, I’m annoyed. Tech was such a brilliant character and I am so frustrated that not only did he get a death that I felt was kind of cheap, but he didn’t get nearly the respect he should have been given in the final season. Now, I’m not using this as a way to bash the writers, and I definitely don’t think that anyone should use it as an excuse to be bullies, but unfortunately, I can’t be satisfied with the way Tech’s story ended, and I’m not sure I ever will.

Echo

Last but certainly not least, Echo. To say that Echo means a lot to me is an understatement, and I was genuinely terrified that I might have to say goodbye to one of my comfort characters. But thankfully, our boy made it!

Following Season 1, we all wanted for Echo to get some more development. It never felt like he had truly been used to his full potential. And thankfully, Season 2 began to give us that. Yes, we ended up saying goodbye to Echo for half a season, but we saw some incredible growth in his character, and him choosing to join the rebellion made too much sense not to happen. Unfortunately, this also meant that we didn’t get to see Echo for the majority of the final season, but I am beyond grateful that what they gave us in these last few episodes has been some of the best Echo content that we have ever seen. Watching him grow and find where he belongs has been a pleasure to watch, He really is an ARC trooper through and through. Particularly in these last few episodes, seeing how much he has grown to be like Fives, and watching him carry on his brother’s legacy, has been so incredible, No matter what anyone says, I believe that he truly is one of the greatest, and most important characters that we’ve ever gotten out of animated Star Wars.

However, I do have one gripe with Echo’s ending, and it’s the fact that it doesn’t actually feel like a conclusion. If anything, I have more questions about Echo now than I did before the last episode. Echo going to the Rebellion is an absolute given; he still has stuff to help Rex with. But the fact that there is absolutely no mention of him in the epilogue has just made me wonder where he is. Omega mentions Crosshair and Wrecker, and we only see Hunter, so we know that Echo isn’t with them. But we also know that at that point in the story, Echo also isn’t with Rex (assuming we’re in Rebels era). So where is he? What is he doing? Is he actually dead at that point??? I really hope we see more of Echo in the future because if this really is the last time we see his character, it’s too open ended for me to really be satisfied with it.

But if I’m being honest, I really don’t think that this is the last time that we are going to see him. And especially with Omega joining the Rebellion, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw another clone-centric show following these characters in the future.

Concluding Thoughts

All in all, my thoughts are still a bit jumbled. I still don’t know how I truly feel about everything, but hopefully this post at least gives some insight into how I think each character’s endings were handled. Will I change my mind at some point? Probably. But for now, this is where I stand.

At its core, I think the ending we got makes sense for a lot of the characters, and I’m glad that they didn’t all just die at the end. Sure, there are choices that I’m not happy with, but seeing that some of the Batch go on to live long lives is something that I’m very happy to see. It doesn’t happen enough in animated SW, so I’m glad we got to experience it.

[gaily-daily-musings]

Regency + Bridgerton + ABO

When he was younger and more stupidly eager to fall in love, Obi-Wan eloped with a handsome older alpha. He thought they would marry. He had so many daydreams of their future. His favorite had been of the two of them lounging together in front of the fireplace while Obi-Wan held their pups in his arms.

His hopes were swiftly crushed when the reality of the situation bore itself. After about a week holed up in bed, the alpha abandoned him. Obi-Wan had called around and looked across the city. There was no trace of him.

He had been forced to come home; husbandless and mateless. He was ashamed at his own naivety. But at least he had been spared the awfulness of becoming pregnant. If nothing else, he did not have to bear the child of an alpha that did not want him.

He became a social pariah overnight; ostracized by friends and family. He was eventually sent to live with his uncle in the city. The rumors and whispers followed him but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been.

Now at 38 he has accepted he will never find love or a mate. He is content with his life. He had to be.

He has stopped dressing in the delicate fashions of an omega. He dresses like a beta, plain but respectable. He's also grown a beard. It is unusual for one such as him but he keeps it trim and neat. Plus it's good for business. He owns a tailor shop in town and he knows how lucky he is to have his own income and way of remaining independent. He's acquired a steady clientele and is quite happy with his work.

Obi-Wan has been invited to the spring opening ball. It helps that he is friends with Bail and Breha who are high society members. They were the first ones who gave his little shop a try thereby giving his business a jumpstart. Obi-Wan doesn't go out much these days. He stays inside and works on his suits and ties and, on occasion, omegan dresses. To be honest he'd rather stay home where it's comfortable but it would be nice to mingle and spread the word about his shop. He hopes to make waves in the community with his original designs. He's got a new line this season that he's quite proud of. So he accepts the invitation.

Enter Lord Skywalker. He is 22 and ready to enter society and find a wife. His father has recently died and left him with the estate. He is this season's most eligible bachelor. He's got a rakish sort of smile that's more fitted for a scoundrel. He's got his eye on the diamond of this season: Padme Amidala. She was lovely, well mannered, and not to mention well bred. She would make a fine wife.

Anakin roams the room, conversing and scoping out the omegas. He hears the local gossip about Obi-Wan Kenobi being here. Who? He turns and sees the man they were whispering about. Apparently he was involved in some sort of scandal and fled to the city when he was younger. Anakin blocks out the rest. He doesn't care for gossip. It served him no purpose, and besides, he was here for other things.

Across the room as Obi-Wan talks with Bail and Breha he notices the young Lord Skywalker. Goodness the alphas had gotten even more handsome since he'd last been to one of these balls. But that was long ago. He feels a pang of nostalgia for all the dances he used to do. No one had asked him for a dance in years. He'd probably fall over his own feet if he tried now.

Back on the floor, Anakin isn't the only one on the prowl. Lord Rush Clovis is also in pursuit of Padme Amidala. Both alphas keep trying to ask her to dance or to get her a drink or start a conversation about the latest books they've read. Anakin has about had it. He's never liked Clovis before and he certainly doesn't now.

The two alphas start posturing and sniping at each other. Trying to figure out how to one up the other.

Currently, Clovis has stolen Amidala away for a dance. Anakin stalks the room, watching them with frustration. He decides to mingle with others to cool his rising temper. He says hello to the hosts of the evening, Mr. And Mrs. Organa. He is formally introduced to their good friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, the local tailor. He kisses the back of Kenobi's hand, remembering his manners as the late Lady Shmi had taught him.

“I'm sure with hands as beautiful as yours you do fine craft work indeed, sir.”

Obi-Wan bursts out laughing. He immediately stops and apologizes. If he were young that line would have worked. But he sees it now for what It is: an alpha trying out new material to prop up his own ego with pithy flirtations.

“Forgive me my Lord. Yes, I take great pride in my work.”

Anakin is flabbergasted. Most omegas fell over themselves with his attentions! Even Padme had blushed and smiled sweetly, obviously flustered by his scent and good genes. One would think a weathered, old omega like Mr. Kenobi would be grateful for even a crumb of attention from such a virile alpha!

Anakin bows his head politely and swiftly ends the conversion. The dance had ended and he wanted to go find Amidala again. Perhaps he should say something funny and make her laugh.

Instead finds Lord Clovis. Clovis turns to Anakin with a sneer. “Listen pup, I've been friends with Padme for years! She's not going to choose you over me!”

“If she was going to choose you she'd have done it already!”

“Listen, we both wish to pursue her and obviously neither of us are willing to back down.”

Anakin snorts. He had that right.

“I propose a wager. We let each man have his chance every other week. No interruptions. No sabotaging. No backstabbing. You may call on her on your days, I call her on mine. Then we both propose at the end of the season. Whoever she chooses wins.”

Anakin shakes his hand. Deal.

The only problem? Anakin has never wooed anyone before. It's fine though. He'll just wing it. He's been reliably informed that he can be very charming, so he's pretty sure he's got this in the bag.

-

He doesn't have this in the bag. He's fucked! He's messed this entire thing up!

Their first date had been horrendous. Anakin kept putting his foot in his mouth. At any point he would start to spout weird nonsense. (“Look! A bird! Is that a cardinal?” “That's a robin, My Lord.”)

(“I love warm weather! I love being warm! It's so nice to be warm don't you agree?”)

Not to mention Clovis was so much more up on the latest trends. Not to say that Anakin wasn't stylish, but it was hard to keep up with fluctuating fashion.

This train of thought leads him to remember meeting the local tailor, Kenobi. He enters the shop looking for a new suit. Kenobi is perfectly polite and helpful.

Obi-Wan gets out his measuring tape and starts to measure Lord Skywalker. He makes conversation as one does and asks for what occasion was the suit for? The Lord starts rambling on about wooing the Lady Amidala and how he needed to look his absolute best for her. Obi-Wan assures him he will look fantastic (though the Lord needed little help in that department). As he works Skywalker then switches gears and starts to rant about how he was contending with Lord Clovis for her affections and didn't Obi-Wan also find him daft? How did anyone put up with the man? He was so horrid and rude and overbearing and Obi-Wan lost count of the many, many complaints of Clovis’ character and face.

Obi-Wan smirks to himself. Looks like the young bucks were about to start fighting. Poor Miss Amidala caught in the middle. Then again maybe she found it entertaining. After all, he had thought so once upon a time as well.

He touches over Skywalker’s arms and legs, measuring each carefully. Skywalker was built very well. When he glances up he can see red dusting the man's cheeks. Oh my. The alpha seemed to be getting flustered.

“Have you been to many tailoring shops my lord?”

“Of course I have!” Skywalker snaps. Then he remembers himself. “Though never one owned by an omega I admit. It is a bit unusual.”

Obi-Wan brushes his hands over Skywalker’s chest as he measures across it. The Lord sucks in a breath. Obi-Wan couldn't stop smiling if he tried. It was probably just the mild indecency of the entire situation that had Skywalker reacting the way that he was. But Obi-Wan can't help but be flattered at the thought that he could fluster anyone at this point in his age. Especially an alpha like Lord Skywalker.

He finishes and has Skywalker step down.

“If I may be so bold, what are your plans on your next attempt at courting Miss Amidala?”

Skywalker tells him. It's all very standard and cliche. Nevertheless, he was clearly very earnest. Obi-Wan decides to give him some pointers. He's an omega after all and he knows what one would appreciate.

-

Anakin returns frequently for more suits. He had to stay on top of Clovis and his game after all. Plus Amidala–or Padme now–seemed to like his outfits. She complimented all of them. Anakin should have to take her here some time and have Kenobi make her a new dress or a hat perhaps. He really did do superb work.

As the weeks pass Anakin continues to return and talk to Obi-Wan about how it was coming along. Sometimes he waxes poetry about Padme and how their future will be perfect, already thinking about the names of their children. Other times it'll be about Clovis and his stupid face and how he will die alone and penniless.

Obi-Wan indulges him. He keeps giving him advice as well on what to do and say to help win her heart.

One day, out of the blue, Skywalker rushes into his shop utterly distraught. The source of his distress? He reveals Amidala had touched his hand.

Obi-Wan is confused. This was a good thing right?

“I didn't know if I was supposed to kiss it or hold it or rub my fingers over her wrist?!”

Oh sweet merciful father. The realization staggers him. This alpha was a virgin.

Obi-Wan shakes off the initial shock. It was actually kind of sweet now that he thinks about it. Many alphas did not wait for marriage these days.

Taking pity, Obi-Wan takes his hand and shows him. “Here. Like this.”

He caresses his wrist like one would a mate, scenting it lightly.

Skywalker is blushing again. Goodness it made him so handsome!

“And…and sh-should I hold her for very long?” He stammers out.

Obi-Wan answers any and all questions he has. Skywalker was so earnest in learning. So eager to please the omega he had chosen.

Several minutes later Skywalker asks shyly, “Can you teach me more?”

Obi-Wan hesitates. It wasn’t done. But Skywalker clearly wanted to do this. Neither did he want to send the boy into the red light district. They'd ruin him there. And, buried deep, there was a secret kernel that delighted in the fact Skywalker thought to ask him first. Trusted him enough to guide him.

And so they set up special visits to Skywalker’s home. They were disguised to look like private tailor sessions but in reality Skywalker just wanted to learn more about how to touch another romantically. They start to talk and bond. They have lunch together and take strolls through the estate garden.

Then Skywalker asks for Obi-Wan to teach him how to kiss. Obi-Wan couldn't refuse if he wanted to.

They press against each other sweetly. Just a small nip.

“Open up a little.” He says. Skywalker obeys.

They kiss again.

Skywalker pulls back and scrunches his nose. “Your mouth is very wet.”

“Yes, that's generally what the state of mouths usually are,” Obi-Wan chuckles.

They kiss more. By the end of the session Skywalker gets frighteningly good at it. One would never be able to tell this was his first time. He starts to explore Obi-Wan's arms and chest, letting his hands wander.

They break away, both gasping for breath that doesn't seem to want to come.

“That's enough for today I think,” Obi-Wan breathes.

“Oh,” Skywalker says, clearly disappointed. “You're right. I need to prepare for tomorrow.”

That's right. He was calling upon Amidala tomorrow.

Obi-Wan's heart twists at the thought of Skywalker kissing someone else like that. But his lips were never meant for him. This was all just temporary. He'd known that when he first agreed to it. Still, the logic did nothing to soothe his aching heart.

“I wish you success Lord Skywalker.”

“Please, we've exchanged many kisses by now. I should think you can call me Anakin.”

Obi-Wan smiles. “Anakin.”

He thinks he may see Anakin shiver but it must be a trick of the light.

-

Obi-Wan finds himself having a pleasant walk with Miss Kyze in the park. She was visiting family for the summer. They used to be playmates when they were small and he's missed her very much so.

Normally he would dress in the plain clothes of a beta. But he has forgone the long overcoat and cravat. Instead he thought he'd match Satine and wear something a little more suited for an omega. He currently sported a short, velvet jacket that was cropped around his middle. The tail of it flowed out and around him. Lace and frill adorned his trousers in a beautiful representation of spring. And of course to complete it, a top hat with his own style of ribbons and flowers.

Anakin happens upon them. He is currently walking with Amidala on his arm. He appears flustered and red in the face as if he's been running.

“Good day, my lord.”

“Good day,” Anakin replies hoarsely.

There is an awkward pause as Anakin just stares. He then jolts into action as he introduces Padme Amidala and Obi-Wan subsequently introduces Satine Kryze. Everyone bows politely.

Then Anakin blurts out, “Do you not have an alpha escorting you this day?”

Everyone looks at him.

“No, my Lord. But I assure you Miss Kyze and I are perfectly fine.”

Anakin purses his lips. Looking unsure. Obi-Wan knows it is only societal duty that has Anakin hesitating. For surely the man would not care otherwise and swiftly return to providing Amidala his attention?

“We could all walk together,” Anakin offers, not noticing Amidala’s raised brow.

Obi-Wan smiles. “That is very kind of you to offer. But I'm quite adept at walking at this point in my age.”

“Yes I–well I suppose…” Anakin trails off.

Obi-Wan means to press on, thinking the conversation done. But Anakin lingers, looking out of place and lost.

“Yes?” Obi-Wan asks. “Was there something else?”

Anakin mumbles and excuses himself. He pulls Amidala to him and they continue down the path.

“Obi-Wan, what have you done to that poor boy?” Satine asks him as soon as the two are out of earshot.

Obi-Wan looks back. “I've no idea.”

-

The thing about Anakin was that he swiveled between bold and insecure in a single drop of a pin. One could never hope to keep up with him.

“Teach me how to fuck!” He demands.

Obi-Wan had not even sat down yet. He was barely ten steps into Skywalker's home. He assesses the other man, alpha pride radiating off of him, petulantly demanding attention. He frowns up at him. He doubted Anakin was trying to use his height on purpose but he still didn't like it.

Anakin crumbles, all confidence melting as Obi-Wan continues his silence.

“...please.”

Obi-Wan folds his arms. What had brought this on?

Kissing and scenting were one thing. But making love was another thing entirely. As much as he wanted to, Obi-Wan cannot say yes.

“You do realize you can hire services for this sort of thing?” Even though the very suggestion pains him, Obi-Wan pushes the words out anyway. “They can be very discreet.”

“No!” Anakin stops and clears his throat. Embarrassed at his outburst. “I mean, I want it to be you. I trust you, Obi-Wan. You're my friend.”

Obi-Wan sallows. “I shall have to think about it.”

-

Obi-Wan is panicking. This has escalated into something he's no control of. The problem isn't that Anakin wants to have sex, the problem is that Obi-Wan is already halfway in love with him. It wouldn't be fair to take advantage in this way. Using the little Lord like this for his own selfish desires.

Anakin keeps pestering him about it day by day, needling away at his resolve. He asks when he comes into his shop for a new pair of gloves or coat. He asks him at home when they're talking or kissing. It happens every time they see each other. He can't take much more of this. Lord have mercy he's only a man.

It finally happens in a way neither of them really anticipate. Obi-Wan is currently taking measurements for an alpha in his shop. The alpha was making snide comments about his “shoddy” work and insulting his business. Obi-Wan tries to ignore it. He is not new to unruly customers. This one was just like all the rest. And so long as he paid he could be as rude as he liked.

But then Anakin enters and everything takes a turn. Normally the man would wait quietly by the wayside for Obi-Wan to finish attending to his current customer. But as the alpha continued to make offhand comments, Anakin bristled from his corner. It doesn’t take long for him to step in and defend Obi-Wan's honor. He tells, more demands, that the other alpha leave. The other man snarls, offended. Anakin growls back at them to leave before they come to regret it.

The other alpha takes in Anakin's form. He was taller and bigger. They huff and concede. “Fine, I didn't want to buy anything from a subpar omega anyway.”

Anakin locks the door behind the alpha, making sure they did not try to come back.

“You didn't have to do that,” Obi-Wan says. “I'm used to it.”

“You shouldn't be!” Anakin nearly shouts. “You're amazing! You deserve more than this!”

Obi-Wan frowns. “This is my life's work and I'm quite proud of it.”

Anakin winces. He was always putting his foot in his mouth. “I meant more than what they give you! More than what they say about you.”

Anakin takes Obi-Wan's hand and kisses his wrist. Tender and sweet, just the way he'd shown him several months ago. “You're the most incredible person I've ever met.”

He didn't say an incredible omega. He said incredible person.

Obi-Wan has a hard time meeting Anakin's gaze. He wasn't used to people praising him. His work certainly. But personally? No.

“Well I seem to recall an alpha telling me such beautiful hands must produce beautiful work.”

Anakin smiles. He's so dashing it hurts. He turns Obi-Wan's hand over and kisses his palm too. He nuzzles Obi-Wan, scenting him unconsciously

“I'll teach you.” It spills out of him. He can't take it back now.

Anakin's eyes widen in surprise. He grins in delight.

“You will?” He falls into Obi-Wan, hugging him close and eager to get started. Obi-Wan pulls back, resting a soft hand on Anakin's chest. “Darling please, I'm not so young anymore. Be gentle.”

“You're not that old.”

“Thank you for thinking so.”

He tries to convince this impossible alpha that he needed to close up shop so they could go back to his home where it's more comfortable and safe. But Anakin wants to do it now. He is practically vibrating with need. Obi-Wan should say no. He should. But the word gets stuck under his tongue. Obi-Wan wanted him just as badly. He was already getting wet. Perhaps it was better to do it here. If he had to wait for a carriage the smell of his arousal would only get worse. The driver and staff would all smell him. He'd be mortified.

Obi-Wan leads Anakin to the back where it's filled with choice fabrics and cotton. He sets about making a makeshift nest. Then he takes off his clothing one by one. He turns to see Anakin is just standing there rooted to the spot and blinking furiously.

“Take off your clothes, Anakin. Or shall I help you?”

Anakin audibly swallows. He starts to unbutton his jacket and undoes his cravat. Obi-Wan lies down in his nest, watching Anakin undress. The sight is a lovely one. Each section of golden skin is like a present. He commits it to memory. This is all he will ever be allowed to have and he will cherish it.

Obi-Wan pats the space beside him, urging Anakin to sit down. Anakin comes. He always comes to him. Despite his earlier eagerness he seems jittery, nervous.

“I want to be good for you,” Anakin admits softly, his confession sweetening the air.

It is the alpha that is supposed to teach their omega about sex. They're supposed to be the experienced party on such matters. But Anakin has no idea what he's doing with Obi-Wan. He just wants to make him feel good.

Just like with his kisses, Obi-Wan found Anakin’s innocence sweet. At times the alpha would act arrogant and pompous like any high society member should act; like he was owed the world. But once Obi-Wan peeled back the layers, he'd discovered it was all bravado. A boy trying to be a man.

It was adorable.

“Come here, dearest.”

Obi-Wan pulls him closer. He takes Anakin's hand and slowly guides it down to his entrance. His sex is glistening, heavy with gushing arousal.

“I'll show you what to do.”

Anakin presses a finger against his throbbing hole. “I don't wanna hurt you.”

“You won't.”

Obi-Wan remembers those days spent in that hotel room with what he thought would be his future husband. It had been nice. He had found and experienced pleasure there. And even though it was tainted by what happened after, the sex had not been bad. He'd had nothing to compare it to after all.

Anakin pushes in and every single memory of his first time is pushed out. Anakin grips him like he'll die without him. He kisses like he's on fire and Obi-Wan is water. He fucks him like he's the only one he'll ever want the rest of his life. Anakin consumes him, down to his last cell. Nothing will ever be better than this, than Anakin. He didn't know sex could be like this.

He strokes himself and comes. Anakin growls, thrusting wildly at the sight of Obi-Wan undone. He pops his knot in and it's like something inside his soul clicks. Anakin rolls his hips in little thrusts, riding his high.

They breathe heavily, locked together and spent. Anakin kisses Obi-Wan's face, his nose and cheeks and chin. He feels himself start to grow hard again while still inside the other man. Obi-Wan whines. Just hearing it makes Obi-Wan blush. He can't believe that sound came out of his body. He doesn't remember ever being this needy. But he needed Anakin.

Anakin starts moving again, rolling his hips despite the fact they were still knotted. Obi-Wan can feel his cock inside him harden and grow. He pants, whining again. Higher this time. The knot is pulsing, throbbing against his inner walls. He moans Anakin's name over and over again.

Anakin dips down and captures his lips, tasting his name upon them. Overwhelmed, Obi-Wan bites him. It's not enough to draw blood but Obi-Wan apologizes nonetheless. It was unbecoming to try and bite someone that was not one's intended mate.

“It's alright,” Anakin murmurs against his throat. “I kind of liked it. You should do it again.”

Obi-Wan does not do it again. Anakin tries not to be disappointed. Still, it was ridiculous how hot it had made Anakin to know he could make such a poised and proper man so wild with lust it made him forget himself. He wants to make Obi-Wan make that sound again. He wants to make him moan and shake until he can't stand it. He wants to…

Anakin spills over again, nestled deep within in. He wanted Obi-Wan to be full of his cum. Full of love. Full of Anakin.

-

They are woken in the morning by loud knocking and curious voices. Obi-Wan jolts up from the floor where he and Anakin were sprawled. Oh no: customers. He rubs his face and groans. They'd spent the whole night there.

“Anakin? Darling, wake up.”

He brushes the hair away from Anakin's sleeping face. Anakin stirs. He yawns and sits up.

“What is it?”

“We fell asleep. You have to go now.”

The smell of sex was everywhere. Not to mention one of the finished jackets that had been hanging up had been damaged. God, that must be the client at the door ready to pick it up. He'd told them it'd be ready today.

He couldn't just ignore them until they went away. He had to open the door. And once he did there would be no masking the scent or evidence of what has transpired. It would take days to air the shop out. Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to deny it.

Obi-Wan hurries, stress beginning to set in. He puts his clothes back on then throws Anakin his clothes and tells him to get dressed.

“Obi-Wan?”

“You have to leave! You can't be here!”

His shop and sales would surely take a hit. He should have known better. When would he stop falling into bed with alphas? When would he learn?

Anakin argues. If he was so worried then just stay closed? But Obi-Wan cannot do that. It's not that simple. This was his livelihood.

“It's alright Anakin. Just go.”

Anakin hesitates.

“If anyone finds you here it won't be good for your reputation.”

Anakin frowns. “I don't care.”

Obi-Wan nearly rolls his eyes. “You don't mean that. You have your whole life ahead of you! You have no idea what it means to be a social outcast!”

They stare at one another. The knocking is getting insistent. The voice sounds angry and impatient.

“Go Anakin.”

“But I…”

“I highly doubt Amidala will consider your hand in marriage if she hears you slept with your tailor.”

Anakin’s jaw shuts. Obi-Wan tries not to be hurt. He'd known he was just practice after all. He ushers Anakin to the back door and shoves him through. He closes the door and turns to face the consequences of his choices.

-

Obi-Wan had worked hard to separate himself from his boyhood mistakes. He'd toiled and studied and took insults with grace. And although his reputation would never be what it once was, the community finally accepted Kenobi the tailor. He had done it. He'd carved out a life for himself. But now it seems his reputation was dashed once again.

Rumors fly about how Kenobi was a promiscuous omega that lured alphas into his place of business. A whore. He probably had alphas pay him in sex instead of money because he was so lonely and desperate.

He'd known better than this. He'd known it could never end any other way. But Obi-Wan had lived his whole life without someone to share it with. And even if it was only for a few short moments, he's glad it got to share something with Anakin. And who knows? Maybe they'll invite him to the wedding.

-

Several days later Anakin returns to the shop. It's been quiet recently. Not a lot of clients.

“I'm sorry it took me so long,” Anakin says. “But you were right, I had to think about my future and what I want.”

Obi-Wan's shoulders sag. This was it. They would end their friendship here and now.

However, to his horror and complete shock, Anakin tries to propose.

He starts spouting nonsense and whimsical poetry. “Your beauty has no compare! Your character of strength has gripped me beyond measure! I cannot think about anyone else but you! I love you, Obi-Wan. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand.”

Obi-Wan cannot bear it. He turns away. He was the boy's first sexual experience. Anakin is just confused.

“You're just confused.”

At first Anakin is taken back, asking Obi-Wan to elaborate, then the anger comes as he realizes he's being rejected. Obi-Wan remains steadfast in the face of Anakin’s vehement arguing.

“I'm not what you need, Anakin.”

He was still more of a boy than a man. Obi-Wan knew what it was like to fancy yourself in love. This was a simple infatuation that would pass.

“But I do love you!” Anakin says. “Why do you not believe me?”

Obi-Wan couldn't allow himself to be selfish. Amidala was beautiful and kind and would be a perfect match.

“Maybe you do, but even if that were true it doesn't change the fact I am but a humble tailor. I'm not a good match for you.”

“I don't care about that! I don't care about any of it!”

“What about children?”

Anakin stops. “What?”

“I'm past my prime, Anakin. I don't know if I can even have kids.”

Anakin has talked of pups before back when he waxed on about his future with Amidala. He wanted children. He would be an amazing father. He deserved that if nothing else.

“I don't care,” Anakin says again, though much more subdued. “I need you, Obi-Wan. My heart beats in your chest.”

Obi-Wan smiles sadly. Perhaps in this moment Anakin really didn't care about having children, but he would months or years down the road. And beyond his feelings on the matter he still needed an heir.

Obi-Wan had nothing to offer him. His social standing was in tatters, his business was dying, and he couldn't even provide the one thing all alphas needed from an omega. He was a terrible choice. He'd only bring Anakin down with him.

“No, my Lord.” He steps back, putting distance between them.

Anakin tries to move towards him, but Obi-Wan shakes his head. Anakin's arms hang loosely at his sides, limp and useless.

He was lovely when he cried, Obi-Wan thinks. Anakin's tears are fat and glistening. They roll down his cheeks. Anakin wipes them away angrily, pushing away his heartache.

He snaps at Obi-Wan, growing mean. He says hurtful things. Awful things.

“Perhaps if you weren't such a coward you wouldn't be so alone! No wonder no one ever wanted you!”

He storms off, slamming the door behind him. Obi-Wan swears if he looks down he'll see both their shattered hearts on the floor.

-

About a week later he learns of Amidala’s engagement. He tries to be happy for them, really puts in a valiant effort. But it was difficult.

The bell to his shop sounds. Obi-Wan looks up. He is surprised to find Miss Amidala. She smiles kindly at him. She is perfectly cordial and courteous.

She invites him to the wedding. Obi-Wan is nonplussed that she would do so personally.

“I would like you there please. Say you'll come?”

She did not say Anakin would like him there, in fact she does not mention him at all. Did Anakin send her? Did he even know she was here? Their friendship had been no secret. Perhaps she'd assumed they were in a tiff and decided to do them a favor.

Obi-Wan burns with the need to ask. But he stays his tongue. Regardless of her answer he knew he would go. Of course he would.

She buys a hat before leaving and gives him another undeserved smile. If she knew what had happened a mere fortnight prior she would not have asked. Perhaps she did not listen to local gossip. Or perhaps she put no stock in rumors. Either way, Obi-Wan would need to figure out what he was going to wear.

-

The wedding is held in a beautiful church. Obi-Wan stays near the back, trying to blend into the wall. He'd debated dressing in his absolute best. But it wasn't like he was trying to show off, he wasn't here to win Anakin back.

He settles for something in between, a nice Sunday suit. Obi-Wan sits on the back pew waiting for the ceremony to get started. He'd seen Amidala earlier to drop off her last minute veil. He apologized for the late delivery (he'd dragged his feet admittedly) and she assured him it was fine. She'd given him almost no notice for it after all. She'd looked quite radiant in it, a perfect bride.

Someone sits down beside him. Obi-Wan turns. He almost thinks his mind is playing tricks on him for he swears he's staring at Anakin Skywalker.

Obi-Wan looks sharply up at the altar. There is no groom. Only the maid of honor, Sabe Naberrie. The music starts to play signaling to everyone it had begun. Obi-Wan looks back at Anakin. He's still there.

“What are you doing?!” He hisses. “You need to get back! Your wedding is about to–”

The chapel doors open. Everyone turns to look. Padme Amidala walks through. She smiles at Sabe across the aisle. Obi-Wan stares. And he stares. He watches Miss Amidala walk up to the altar to join Miss Naberrie who–he now realizes–is dressed in fine alpha attire.

Oh.

He'd…he had assumed that…he glances over at Anakin. The other man's brow is raised in question. Obi-Wan turns back to the front. Turns out it was rather hard to keep up with local news and gossip when one's shop was suffering a lack of clientele.

“Padme told me you were coming,” Anakin whispers.

“So you did send her then,” Obi-Wan whispers back.

“No, she's just smarter than me.”

Anakin watches the two women.

“She also said you looked like you were about to cry the whole time.”

Obi-Wan sighs. “Did you enjoy watching me flounder about like a fool?”

“Actually yes.”

Obi-Wan snorts. He can't begrudge him for that he supposed. He did break his heart after all.

“I'm sorry for what I said when I left. I did not mean those things.”

“All is forgiven, Anakin.”

“But they were awful–”

“Yes, they were. But the past is past. It does not matter anymore, my friend.”

They fall silent again. Amidala and Naberrie exchange vows. It was quite lovely actually.

Anakin turns to look at him. “What will it take for you to marry me?”

“Anakin, this is hardly the time!”

“I can make you happy, Obi-Wan. Please let me try.”

At the front of the church the priest pronounces them Alpha and Omega, married until death. The two kiss.

“Anakin please,” he can't do this again. Not again. He's not strong enough to reject this man twice. And yet he must.

Anakin may not have married Amidala, but that didn't mean he should marry him. Obi-Wan was still a poor choice. Nothing had changed about that.

“I can't give you what you need.”

He couldn't stand it if Anakin grew to resent his choices later in life. And he would. Obi-Wan knows it.

“You're all I need. Nothing else.”

The wedding couple walks back down the aisle together. People stand and clap as they pass.

Obi-Wan flees. Anakin was right. He was a coward.

He can hear Anakin call out for him but he ignores it. Maybe he'll get tired of chasing after him and leave him alone.

He's made it out of the church and is headed for the back to hide somewhere when something snatches his wrist. Anakin spins him around, forcing Obi-Wan to face him. They're both breathing hard, twin expressions of desperation.

Anakin grips him hard, lest Obi-Wan wiggle out of his grasp and disappear. He kneels down on one knee. Obi-Wan's heart flies into his throat. No, no, no! Anyone could walk this way and see them!

“Obi-Wan, l'll respect your wishes if you refuse. But please allow me this last try.”

Obi-Wan begins to tremble. They were out in the open, hearts and desire bare for all the world should anyone look. But Anakin is only looking at him. It's as if he is not aware of his surroundings. Only Obi-Wan exists for him in this moment.

“Marry me, Obi-Wan.” Anakin kisses his knuckles reverently, pleadingly. “Choose me, because I will always choose you.”

Obi-Wan is used to having his heart torn and shattered. He's used to people being careless and cruel. But this ache does not feel like he's breaking, it feels like the stitch of a needle.

“I'll never deny you. I'll always be there when you need me. Marry me, Obi-Wan.”

This may yet end in regret and anger and hurt. But maybe it won't. Obi-Wan would never know until he tried. Didn't he deserve to try?

Obi-Wan feels his lips move, his heartbeat is thunder in his ears. But he holds Anakin's gaze and he feels the world slow.

“...yes.”

[photogirl894]

I know I've shared before a bit of what The Bad Batch has meant to me, but I just feel that I have so much more I want to say. Though, in all honesty, I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words exactly how much it means to me, but I'll certainly endeavor to do my best 😊

Having grown up with Clone Wars and just being a lifelong Star Wars fan in general, I was excited when the Bad Batch show was announced. Another Star Wars animated show?? Hell yeah!! I was so down for it. I remember going to my parents place to watch it with my family and my friends...and I fell in love SO fast! I remember thinking the Bad Batch were cool in their CW season 7 arc, but that was about it. Something about them in "Aftermath" changed my view of them and having Omega show up, too, made it even better. Then episode 2 came out later that week and I knew I was hooked right as the episode ended.

I had no idea just how much this show would consume my life 😅

I hadn't been so obsessed with a fandom since The Hobbit movies. That fandom was what introduced me to writing fanfiction and to Tumblr. Then Bad Batch was what made me go back to Tumblr and to fanfiction, as well. It made me start writing for the world of Star Wars, a world I didn't think I would ever be able to write for. I came back to Tumblr after a few years cuz once I found myself going so crazy for this show, I knew Tumblr was the right place to find other people just as crazy about it, just like I'd been able to do for the Hobbit.

And boy, was I right!!

I have found almost more people who loved Bad Batch as much as me than I did in my Hobbit days. Every single person I've talked to and interacted with have impacted my life in so many ways. I even had the special privilege of meeting a couple people in person, as well, which were wonderful experiences! I've spent many hours on discord calls either just one on one with certain people or in severs with big groups of people, playing games, chatting and just having a grand time. I've made some of the greatest friends I've ever had here and it's all thanks to the Bad Batch! I would name each person here, but I don't want to accidentally leave anyone out because there are just so many I'd want to mention, but you all know who you are! 💜💜 I mean it when I say I love all of you, every person I've ever interacted with! You all are truly amazing and I seriously hope I'll get to meet more of you in person in the future 💜

Being back on Tumblr also came with its fair share of drama over the past couple years, but if anything, all that made me stronger, more resilient and it also showed me who my true friends are. I'm grateful for those who stood beside me in those times.

Many of you have been there for me through other hard times in my life, when I had awful drama at work or financial troubles or just bad days in general. A lot of you let me vent so many times and offered me kindness, help and advice, which have meant the world to me. Some of you have even supported mine and my friends' Twitch and YouTube channels and have watched our Star Wars D&D streams or our charity streams, which also means so much to me and I can't thank those of you have supported us enough!

I've learned a lot from the Bad Batch over the years, as well.

Hunter taught me to never give up on your family and to fight for what you think is right.

Crosshair taught me to stick to your beliefs and that it's always possible to change.

Echo taught me to always be loyal to your friends and that you can grow beyond your trauma.

Tech taught me to always be who you are, no matter what everyone thinks, and to treasure your knowledge of things.

Wrecker taught me that it's okay to still have a playful side and to never be afraid of sharing what you love with people.

Omega taught me that compassion is not a weakness, but a strength and you're never too small or too young to make a difference.

So much of my life has changed in just 3 years because of this group of ragtag Clones and their exciting adventures in a galaxy far, far away. Even now, I don't think I've said everything I want to say...but I know I've said just enough.

Now, the show is coming to an end...and I'm feeling the same sadness I did when I knew the last Hobbit movie was coming out. Because that means the thing that has given me something to look forward to for so long is ending. I've become so emotionally invested in these characters and stories and I feel like I'm saying goodbye to loved ones. I legit don't know what I'm gonna do for a while.

One thing I do know I AM gonna do is I'm not going anywhere in the fandom. Space Mama will be around for a long time to come 😊💜 I've got fics to write and friendships to maintain!

All that's left to say is thank you. Thank you to every single person who have come into my life and will continue to be a part of it. Thank you to Dave Filoni (who I know, at least, started the show and brought the Bad Batch into Clone Wars) Jennifer Corbett, Brad Rau, the Kiner's, Joel Aron and, of course, Michelle Ang and Dee Bradley Baker for bringing this fantastic show to life.

In the words of Hunter: "Change takes getting used to. You'll see. Just give it time." Words we're all going to have to live by.

But also, in his words: "If this is where you want to be, then this is where you'll stay."

This is where I want to be...and this is where I'll stay 💜💜

May the Force be with us all...always 💜

[allwaswell16]

Hi Anitra! I was wondering if you had any favourite omega!louis fics?

Ohhhh I have so many...I'll try to narrow it down to five for you...

where the lights are beautiful by twoshipsdrifting / @polkadotlou

Harry wasn’t wrong about that, not in a general sense. Lots of omegas did seek out rich alphas and betas, hoping or planning to go into heat at the right time. Plenty of omegas saw this as their duty, especially if their families weren’t well off. Worse, Louis couldn’t honestly say he’d never thought about it. If that had been his life, his goal, Louis would feel pretty good about himself now. As it is…Louis feels like shit.

Or the accidental bonding a/b/o fic.

Moon Dances Over by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

Louis knows that his tail is, frankly, stunning. His iridescent blue scales shimmer in even the slightest sunlight, and his fins have grown since he presented, delicate and almost transparent in their webbing.

He also knows that that means he’ll be one of the first to pick tonight, as the most beautiful omegas are blessed to pick their mates first. It’s considered a huge honour, since the guppies they’ll eventually birth will certainly be beautiful as well, bringing favour on the whole clan.

Louis has a stubborn streak, though. He’s always been rather a fan of mating for love, and there’s someone he’s had his eye on for a long time now.

Saving Symphony Hall by @helloamhere

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

And That’s The Tea by @2tiedships2

I’d like an Earl Grey with milk and sugar, please.

Louis had the phrase memorized, even though it had disappeared off its place on his upper arm over thirteen years ago now.

At fourteen he didn’t understand. Soulmarks don’t just disappear. Not unless…

Unless one of them dies.

Or, the one where Louis loses his soulmate before even getting the chance to meet them, and he is in no way prepared for the kind of distraction his new friend Harry proves to be.

Cameras Flashing by @juliusschmidt

With his breakout single platinum three times over and his second album still selling out in stores around the world, Louis Tomlinson has made it to the top. However, his position as Pop Heartthrob of the Decade is threatened by the edgier, more artistic Zayn, who happens to be releasing an album a week after Louis’ upcoming third. Louis needs something groundbreaking- scandalous, even- to push past him in the charts. Much to Louis’ dismay, his PR team calls in The Sexpert.

Consulting with PR firm Shady, Lane and Associates pays the bills so that Harry Styles can spend his down time doing what he really loves: poring over data. On weekends and late into the evenings, he researches gender, presentation, and sexual orientation, analysing the longitudinal study that is his father’s life’s work. That is, until his newest client, the popstar with the fascinating secret, drags him off his couch and frighteningly close to the spotlight.

As the album’s release date approaches, will Tomlinson and Styles be able to pull off the most risky PR scheme of the millennium and beat Zayn in sales or will the heat of their feelings for each other compromise everything?

Bonus: My favorite omega Louis I wrote lol

If I Loved You Less by allwaswell16

Beautiful omega Louis Tomlinson is set to make his come out in London society and determined to find a mate in his first Season. With the help and protection of his oldest friend, Lord Niall Mendes, he takes Society by storm.

Being a wealthy and titled alpha means Lord Harry Styles has grown used to avoiding unmated omegas...until now. This Season he finds himself at every Society event just for a chance to speak with the omega with the flashing blue eyes.

Louis has the aristocracy at his feet and all the suitors he could hope for, but his secrets may ruin his chance at a love match.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Crosshair and Omega's dynamic

Spoilers for episode 4

Out of all of Omega's relationships with the Batch, I have to say my favorite is the one with Crosshair (and it's not because I'm biased towards him). Even though they only had like two full episodes to work off each other, they do it so well. It's peak sibling relationship. But why I think it works so well is because of how they work off each other. In my eyes, Omega and Cross see each other as equals or at least on similar levels. This is evident with how they guide each other when fleeing from the Empire. There's no clear leader between them, the pair listen to each other depending on the situation.

Crosshair's skills are basically fighting and playing lookout. Both are very handy to have. Whenever a fight breaks out, Omega lets Crosshair take the lead and he works to protect her and himself. That's not to say Omega can't hold her own, but when the going gets tough, the tough get going (credit Lion King 2 for that cheesy line). Cross also takes a natural protective stance around her. While she does the technical stuff, he keeps watch. He might say it isn't part of his skill set, but believe me, it is.

Then, we have Omega. She's much better at hustling and seeking alternative ways to get things done. It's true that blaster fire will draw more attention to one's self. Thus, Crosshair lets her guide him in situations where they need to be more low-profile. Omega is also better with social situations imo. She's a smart kid who learned a lot from her other brothers and Cid. I love that the show gives both characters to exercise their unique skill set while not undermining the other.

The other reason why I love their relationship so much is because of how it's changed Crosshair. In the months that he and Omega have been imprisoned, he's truly grown to care for and respect her. First off, he uses her name. The only other people he does that with is Hunter and Wrecker. Secondly, he follows her lead with almost no question. He does complain and make comments. BUT, he still follows her. Crosshair in season 1 mocked Hunter for listening to Omega. Little did he know that he would follow her over 6 months later (yes, I did the math).

And then there's the emotional piece of it. Crosshair is so open with Omega in his body language, facial expressions, and words. She brings out the best side of him and I am here for it. Compare that to when we first meet him in Clone Wars. He's quiet, hangs back, and usually wears a stern look on his face. Now look at him with Omega. He's much more talkative. His face emits so much emotion from being fed up to genuine concern. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves Omega. He encourages her and openly voices his concerns. I myself struggle with opening up to others about certain except for a few people. Seeing Crosshair opening to someone who he feels comfortable with is truly beautiful and heartwarming. Between Mayday and Omega, you can see just how much Crosshair has changed.

Finally, the imperial officer casually calling Crosshair Omega's dad and her not saying anything proves that Crossdad is real. It's so on the nose, but it's so obvious that Crosshair cares for her and is good at keeping her safe.

[breannasfluff]

An Unlikely Den

For the raviolishipweek prompts. Rated T for sickfic.

Spring. New life. New beginnings. New dens. 

Ravio flutters his hands as he paces, then strangles his scarf for nothing better to do. Spring means denning season. Spring means danger, in Lorule. Sure, he’s staying with Mr. Hero, now, but denning is common in both realms. 

Ravio’s only heard fairytales, whispered late at night by those romantic enough to still believe, on what denning season should be. 

A time for a pack to settle and rest. While alphas have a challenge season in the fall, fighting for pack positions, omegas have denning season in spring. The urge to nest grows stronger. Find someplace safe and quiet and settle down to relax. It’s a time to dote on pups if a pack has any. Otherwise, it’s time to tell stories and bond, taking a break from daily life. 

At least, that’s what the fairytales say. 

Lorule is nothing like that. In a land that’s slowly dying, alphas are rewarded for being cruel. Betas are just as bad, jockeying to take an alpha’s position while suppressing the deltas below. Deltas snap at each other as much as those above and below them. Pack means little when everyone is clawing for the top. 

Omegas are at the bottom. Pups spent as little time as omegas as possible, fighting out their siblings to rise in ranks, or breaking off to find new pack gangs. Children are raised with harsh discipline and raised voices. Outside of children, omega status is reserved for those forced out of upper positions as punishment. 

Or cowards, if you are Ravio. The constant power struggle terrifies him. The way packs treat each other; it’s barely a step above stabbing each other in the back. 

Hilda is an alpha and, for a while, took care of Ravio. He’d been a delta, hoping to learn and grow into a beta. 

But then Yuga came along, poisoning Hilda against him. He was pushed out and down till he reached omega status. There he remains. 

Even with that adventure over and Lorule saved, he’s terrified of reaching above his station again. One apology from Hilda doesn’t outweigh the multitude of times he’s heard disparaging jabs about his lack of skills.

Ravio is still dithering when footsteps echo and the front door opens. 

“I’m heading out for a bit,” Link calls. “Need anything?”

“No thank you!” Is his voice strangled? Will Link catch the agitation in his scent?

The door closes and Link leaves, none the wiser. 

Ravio sags against a wall, untangling his hands from his scarf. He doesn’t have the easy neutrality of a delta that Link does, so he’s stuck with omega instincts. That means denning. 

If only Sheerow were here to keep him company, but the bird is gone carrying a message to Hilda. She’ll be back in a few days, by which point Ravio should be back to normal. 

Dens should be a safe place for a pack to rest together. Plenty of pillows and soft blankets, encouraging lounging or napping. Alphas help keep the omegas cool, promoting large cuddle piles and further group bonding. 

As an omega in Lorule, denning is a terrifying risk. Dens can never be in the same place twice, lest they are discovered. 

Lorulians take a vindictive pleasure in turning out adult omegas to suffer in the inhospitable land. As a society, the idea that you earned this burns strong. 

Ravio’s long grown to resent denning. As a child, it was enjoyable; a time to be taken care of and coddled—as much as any children in Lorule are coddled. 

As an adult, it’s another reminder of his place in society and how fleeting safety can be. Without a pack, he is forced to curl up in small nooks and crannies, sweating or clutching an ice rod for a chill. The threat of discovery always looms. 

Link’s era is wonderful, but there’s been no mention of denning season being any different. Ravio needs to prepare for the worst. 

Read the rest here!

[gabessquishytum]

Hello! I hope you're well. I've had another idea for the Omegaverse Office AU.

Imagine them ten years into the future. They're so very happy, the kids in school, and Dream is still working and still CEO. Sometimes he brings his quite grown up babies with him - Hob needs to do his own things sometimes - and they do homework in the big conference room and then terrorize the entire office, but nobody says anything, because, you know, they're the boss's kids.

And they're nothing compared to Dream and Hob themselves. Over the past decade, these two have elevated shenanigans in the office to a whole new level or five. They are masters of almost being caught because it gets Dream off like nothing else.

They also use it to further business. The company is now worth more than Dream cares to look up. Hob fucks him prior to important meetings with outsiders so they get to sit in the pheromone-drenched room. Some of them just get flustered, some of them downright bothered, but it's always enough for Dream to get out on top of any deal.

For the hardest cases they book the conference room two hours prior and Hob does him on top of the table, glass walls or not. Dream's other employees learn very quickly to not take that corridor before important meetings. The stains are enough to crack even the most seasoned businesspeople.

Then one day it stops working, and Dream can't quite figure out why. Instead of them being bothered, his meetings all end up with him being treated not like the hardened CEO he is, but rather like he's delicate and could break at any moment. Two of them even congratulate him upon leaving.

It's rather embarrassing, really, that it takes them three weeks and a positive pregnancy test to figure it out.

🦒 Anon

YES I love this!!!! Accidental pregnancy except they're middle aged and already have kids has so much scope to be so cute.

LOVE the idea of Dream weaponising his omeganess against shitty business rivals. And Hob trailing around him like a puppy in love decades after they first met. Fucking in the office is honestly their best option because of having so many kiddos running around at home, needing things and walking in on intimate moments. It's unfortunate because according to Dream, Hob is at his hottest when he's tending to their children. He loves watching Hob pin the kid's art to the fridge and gaze at it like it's the mona lisa. Literally nothing in the world makes Dream hornier than Hob being a dad.

But fucking over the conference table while Dream’s slick drips down onto the carpet? That's pretty fantastic too.

So is it really a shock that Dream gets pregnant? Hmm, not really. Hob may have been a little reckless with the condoms and hey, Dream has occasionally forgotten to take his birth control. So the happy accident is certainly accidental, but... extremely welcomed and not a major surprise.

Being pregnant again is both heaven and hell for Dream. He remembers why he loved it so much the first time around. But he's like 10 years older and Hob’s latest baby inside him is still MASSIVE, and he is. Uncomfortable.

Even so, he can't help but enjoy (even as he clings onto his pregnancy pillow and kicks Hob out of the bed) the renewed closeness between himself and his alpha. His whole family, tbh. There are cuddle piles and movie nights, even a babymoon (just for the weekend, while Death watches the kids).

Dream is very much looking forward to going back to work. But. He wouldn't give up his happy accident for the world. And no doubt he'll be bringing Hob right back to the conference room as soon as he can <3

[echos-gal]

I always wonder what Tech and Phee's time spent on Pabu together was like. After he's gone, what does he leave behind for her?

TechPhee blurb under the cut... I miss them 💔

After the sea surge on Pabu, Tech and Phee bond with each other by starting a garden together during the weeks of rebuilding. Tech enjoys the science behind growing different plants, and Phee likes the beauty and cultural significance of each cultivar. They gather and sow seeds that have come from all over the galaxy. The garden is a tiny hidden gem, a place where just the two of them can talk without an audience. It's where Tech opens up to Phee about Crosshair. It's where they start pushing the boundary between friendship and romance. It's where they meet after a tough day, just to sit together. They hold hands, dirt under their fingernails.

When Phee receives word of Tech's death, she immediately goes to their garden. She sees the freshly dug earth that his hands gently patted down just days ago. The sprouts he planted are starting to come up. His gardening gloves still lay beside his most recent seedlings. Tech's handwriting adorns various labels, each stuck in the ground identifying the botanical specimens. Phee sits in the garden, where no one can find her, and sobs.

Phee doesn't tell anyone about their garden for quite a while. She continues to care for the plants, watching them blossom and grow. It's a comfort. A way to ensure she never forgets him (although she knows she never could). His hands planted these, and they are living even after he's gone.

The garden survives the invasion of Pabu. After the events of season 3, Phee is ready to share it with Tech's family. She knows what they've been through to finally settle down here, and how much they wish Tech was still alive to join them. So much time has passed that most of the plants are fully grown. Omega is the first to notice Tech's messy handwriting on the labels. It's the garden that makes Crosshair realize that Tech and Phee were a little more than just friends.

Phee, Hunter, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Omega tend to the garden for years and years to come. The same plants Tech and Phee started all those years ago still blossom every growing season. And Phee knows that while she wasn't able to have a future with Tech, he never really left her.

[smolbean-17]

OKAY HEAR ME OUT

I really don’t think Omega will leave with Ventress in the end.

Asajj is being set up for a future in Star Wars. Her voice actress said that her role in The Bad Batch is “just an appetizer” for what’s to come. There’s a world of possibilities for her.

Then a recent interview with Michelle Ang comes to mind where she talks about how they explored different endings for Omega before settling on one:

“there were slightly different ways [of the show ending]. We weren’t set on exactly how it was going to end. There was… some exploration, but as an actor, an emotional moment was the ending we landed on. It was like the culmination of my journey as a performer and Omega’s journey as a character all consolidated into, two lines.”

“Omega was set up with the possibility of a very large future [in the Star Wars galaxy], and then it changed from there.” Ang described this “new ending” as “bittersweet.”

Omega was going to have a large future. That changed. I feel like that means she was going to originally leave with Ventress, but they decided to go a different route.

I’ve been thinking about the overarching theme of The Bad Batch. What is the message? What are Omega’s motives?

Michelle talks about it some more in the interview, and I think it gives great perspective to where the story might lead:

“If you look at the broader perspective, at the end of the day, The Bad Batch is [about] a young person who has been fortunate enough to have the right kind of guidance to believe in herself and in what she can contribute to the world. That's such a universal story.” For Ang, it’s less about why Omega came into the galaxy and more about who she can become in it. “It's about growing up. It's the path that every young person goes through until they feel like they're ready to step out into the world.”

Step out into the world. Those are telling words. Growing up, moving on. Omega’s learned a lot over the course of these few seasons. There might come a time where there is no more for her to learn from her brothers. She might still very well leave her brothers in the end.

But not with Ventress. She will be given that choice and ultimately turn it down.

Then I think back to DBB’s interview about the finale:

“The emotions that are in play are real, human emotions, not just one of being a family member or a friend, but also of being a father, a father to a daughter… And so, not to get into it too much, there’s a lot of authenticity that’s in play with how the season finally, in its epilogue, plays out. And it’s very affecting and it’s very beautiful and um, I’ll defy you to avoid tears.”

Real human emotions. Things that parents, fathers, have to go through is letting their children go when they’re grown. Giving up that responsibility and trusting your kid to be okay.

Now, I don’t know how that “letting go” situation will play out. I still think there’s a really large possibility that at least one of the boys will die (you can read my theory about who I think it’ll be and why) and there will have to be letting go on both sides.

Then there’s that word epilogue. We could be getting an epilogue scene like we did in Rebels. Maybe Omega decides to stay with her brothers in the real time ending (she is still so young, she needs to be raised), and then in the epilogue a few years in the future, it shows her grown and leaving to be on her own. Or start her own Batch.

However it ends, we know it will be touching. Will it rival the Clone Wars ending? Maybe. I think so. But this ending won’t be so tragic. There will be hope. Which I think, in our world, we desperately need.

[immagods]

It's been like 9 hours since I watched the final and I still can't get over it.

For one, I cant believe that they actually let Tech die. I know so many of us really thought that he would come back this season, most likely as cx-2. So to have them kill off cx-2 and not even reveal his face hurt alot. The way that they killed Tech just seemed so open ended, we've seen people survive from super high drops before, and they didnt even show his body. It really feels like they teased his survival with his goggles and the mannerisms that they gave cx-2 just seemed so Tech like. While I'm not autistic and don't rate to him in that aspect, I know he was that one character that so many people could relate to. And I still loved him so much. It just feels like they kinda strung us along with this.

On another hand, I can tell you how happy and relieved I am that the rest of the batch survived this episode. I was so ready for one or more of them to die, but no they all lived!! And then that end scene really made me cry. Omegas all grown up now, like really grown up. And she grew up safe on Pabu too. And old Hunter! Like he's so pretty, island life really suits him good. And then Omega going to fight in the rebellion, and she has pieces of the batch with her. I sobbed when I saw Tech's glasses and that she's wearing Hunters bandana. I hope she runs into Hera at some point.

Over all I loved the final and think it was amazing, even if I wish they did somethings different.

I don't know what I'm going to do with myself now that it's over..

I hope they make a show with Rex and Echo leading the clone rebellion.

[sadiecoocoo]

I headcannon that Wrecker likes to cook. He’s not good at it, but he enjoys it. Every once in a while he’ll create some masterpiece by luck alone and everyone will just stare at him for a minute while they wonder if he’s been possessed by some cooking ghost, but he’d be so happy and present it to everyone and try to force them to try it. Omega’s the only one ever excited to try it, all the others are hesitant and Tech and Crosshair have to get Hunter’s dad look to get them to eat it. Wrecker just sits at the end of the table, not being able to sit still and basically vibrating from excitement as he watches his brother’s skepticism fade to them being impressed and happy to have a nice tasting meal. Any other times he burns it though, because he gets distracted by Batcher or Omega. Then Hunter has to tell him to be more careful and ban him from the kitchen for a few cycles. Once when the batch had been visiting Echo, Rex, and the rest of the rebellion, Wrecker went up to Nemec and Gregor and asked for tips on cooking. They spent the entire visit trying to help him fully learn how to cook while everyone else talked about the newest intel on the empire. After that Wrecker starts to make good food more often, and his brothers and sister start to actually get excited whenever he cooks. While on Pabu wrecker starts trying new seasonings since some are grown on the island, and whenever they visit a planet with a decent market he buys as much as he can. Eventually he got the chance to try making some desserts, which he and Omega both loved, Crosshair did too, he just didn’t want to admit it. After that he started making more sweets, some little things like cupcakes and such, and then some really over the top things. Whenever he makes a dessert he always lets Omega do the frosting on it (and lets her add as many chocolate chips as she wants)

So yeah, I headcannon wrecker as being able to cook, at first really badly, but then he gets the hang of it :) and I’m totally not gonna make a fic about this now… totally, definitely.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on TBB 3x13: Into the Breach

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

Oh you know how excited I got during this one

Tantiss in the sun??? That's unusual

MOUSE DROID!

The kids are all so sad. This is heartbreaking 😭

This moment seems like a prime time to contact Echo just saying

*gasp* SHIP! PLEASE TELL ME THAT'S WHO I THINK IT IS

AAAAAAAAAHHHHH HE'S BACK!!!

Hunter and Echo's little handshake always makes me soft 🥰

"That hydro snake" glad to have you and your snark back, Echo

THE QUIRKED EYEBROW 😭 I missed him so much 🫶

Hahahahahaha Wrecker and Crosshair's joint "YES"

"Well you've been demoted" Echo is not putting up with Rampart's bs and I love him for that

I really miss Hunter's scarf this season. I wish he kept it 🥲

Also petition for Echo to get a Kama again!

Oooooh she sneaky

Not sure what she's going to do with one small stick but I trust her

THEY STRIPPED THE ARMOUR WTF

I mean it kinda looks like how it used to tbf but I got used to the paint 🥺

Hahahahaha I love that they didn't change the clothing underneath. They stripped the colour off their armour to be stealthy and yet are still walking around with brightly-coloured underclothing

Ugh the fact that Crosshair looks the closest to an Imperial like this makes me upset 😭

"I've missed this" Of course you have you smug bastard

"I don't think so" Echo really does not give a shit about Rampart and I don't blame him

Real subtle Hunter

"Err Captaining" WRECKER I FUCKING LOVE YOU

Thinking back to how Echo used to be the rule follower and would try and stop his batchmates from stepping out of line and now he's pushing around an ex-Vice Admiral while breaking into an imperial base to go and break Omega out of a highly-secure imperial lab. He's grown so much 🥺🫶

Noooooo I don't like that. Echo having to sneak onto a heavily guarded ship by himself stresses me out

"Wonderful. We're all going to die" Look, I may hate this man, but some of his line deliveries crack me up

You'd think the wall tiles in a top secret imperial lab would be more secure than that but okay

I'm not sure how Echo managed that slide roll thing off the top of the container but damn it was smooth af 🤩

HE WENT UP THE FUCKING DROID CHUTE 😭 THIS MAN I SWEAR TO GOD

Like that would be such a Fives plan and Echo has just embraced that chaos

Wrecker casually strolling off the ship with an imperial slung over his shoulder (while wearing his hat) 🤣

THIS EPISODE IS NOT GOOD FOR MY HEART RATE

THAT LANDING WAS TOO CLOSE FOR MY LIKING

New episode and I fucking loved this one! Still feel like we have a lot to wrap up in the last two episodes but there was a good balance of humour, action and tension

ALSO ECHO FINALLY CAME BACK!!! I missed him so much 🥺

[celestial-specter]

So I finally got around to watching the first three episodes of the final season, and I’ve got to say, I’m very intrigued by the addition of the three clone cadets! Most of my interest comes from their names- and since I haven’t seen anyone else discuss them yet, I thought I’d throw my own thoughts out there.

As we have seen in many star wars projects over the years, character names seem to be overwhelming literal, either revealing elements of their background, or foreshadowing their future (think how in Rebels, Kanan means ‘little wolf’, while his true name, Caleb, means ‘dog’, foreshadowing his link to the Loth wolves.)

Of course, we know that the clones either name themselves or have the name bestowed on them by their brothers (think of Echo getting his name). The trio of clones that we meet in Paths Unknown are named Deke, Stak, and Mox. There hasn’t been much information released regarding at what age clones typically receive their names, however in the Clone Wars episode Clone Cadets, we see Cutup take his name from a trainer who criticizes him for his attitude. As that episode focuses on Domino squad’s final training simulation before graduation, and that they all appear to be fully grown adult clones, it can be assumed that they are all around ten years old, the same age of most clones sent to war. Given that we see Cutup choose his name during this episode, and that Echo is struggling with his nickname and remembering Fives’ name, it suggests that Domino squad had only recently begun thinking about what name they would choose for themselves.

While we haven’t been given a definitive age for Deke, Stak and Mox they are all still clearly children. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even have names by the time they were taken off Kamino, and had to create names for each other while trying to survive on the planet they were stranded on.

To begin with Mox, his is the name I could find the least amount of reference for. There seems to be three possible interpretations:

Mox is a type of fuel designed for use in nuclear reactors.

Mox is a shortened version of moxie, meaning ‘energy, courage, and determination.’

Mox is the Latin word for ‘soon.’

I’m not overly drawn to the first idea, but I can understand the second - as Mox is clearly the eldest and protective over his younger brothers, I can see him taking a name which shows that side of his personality. I also see Mox as a direct parallel of Hunter; both are the eldest brothers of their respective groups, and are both incredibly wary of outsiders due to their need to keep their brothers safe.

However, I much prefer the third choice. The idea that Mox’s name means ‘soon’ can have both good and bad implications. For starters, Mox is clearly the most emotionally conflicted throughout the episode, unsure of his place on the mission, and of his place once they leave the planet. Hunter assures him that he has time to consider being something other than a soldier, and Mox offers his hand to Hunter. This action could be foreshadowing that soon, Hunter himself will be able to retire from this lifestyle, by finding Omega and Crosshair. Alternatively, Mox’s name meaning soon could be a very bad omen for the batch, as it could foreshadow the clone cadets being used as leverage against them (I’m thinking this could come into play when the empire attacks Pabu if the cadets are there).

Moving on, the word Deke was originally coined by Hemingway as a shortened form of the word decoy. We do not see him act as a decoy in any way during this episode, so I believe it is solely to foreshadow future events. Considering the many parallels drawn between Deke and Tech during this episode (e.g. Stak dubbing Deke ‘the smart one’ and Deke almost falling to his death in the base) his name meaning decoy only makes me more convinced that Tech is still around in some capacity (even if that capacity is just his body being used for cloning experiments).

Finally, Stak is most commonly considered to be an old version of the word stick, which makes sense when you consider the basic stick-based weapons that the cadets carry, and Wrecker’s first words to Stak and Deke when he meets them: ‘Blaster beats stick, kid!’ Knowing that the Star Wars writers love foreshadowing, this comment has me thinking things might not end so well for Stak. Interestingly, another link I found while researching this is that Stak is a common phrase in the Rogue Trooper series, in which a war is fought between facist Norts and democratic Southers (you can already see the obvious parallels to Star Wars here). In the series, in an attempt to win the war, the Southers create genetically engineered soldiers, but only one, known as Rogue, survives. Even more links involve one of the main stories of this series being titled ‘The Marauders’, and each one of the genetically engineered soldiers having a bio-chip in their body. While not a direct link, these coincidences do make me think there is a direct link between the two medias, it is possible that there is a fan of the Rogue Trooper series within the team behind The Bad Batch.

Either way, I’m very happy to finally be getting some explanation into what happened to the young clones who never saw the battlefield during the clone wars - though I am a little concerned that their worth being tied to their unexplored identity as soldiers could lead to them taking risks in further episodes in the hopes of proving themselves.