#star wars mods

[patricksteel]

Jedi Survivor Mods free Darth Vader, cool Starkiller Face Paint

[mroddmod]

everyone be quiet i'm manifesting

[badlydrawnstarwars]

It’s a little surprising if took us so long to post the fucking banner we use for this shit-ass tumblr account.

[tatooineknights]

In the game Jedi Academy, when a character falls a distance, they have a short little gasp or yell. It's mostly the same for every avatar.. except if you play as Luke. Then you get this OMG-dramatic-unforgettable scream that is amazingly and laughably over the top.

[animatedjen]

(Let the boy rest)

[artistcalledbella]

Some studies

[coline7373]

« We should have grown old together… »

[tangents-within-tangents]

Thoughts on Echo as amputee/disability representation

First and foremost, I am not disabled or an amputee and I don’t claim to speak for those communities (and if I was I couldn't speak for everyone). What little I do know mostly comes from this youtube channel (@oakwyrm), this post, and other research I’ve done for my writing (and like one amputee I kinda knew in passing). By all means correct me and add to the conversation, I just have some thoughts I want to share because I haven’t really seen this discussed anywhere

Overview

So Echo is interesting. He is a triple amputee which is pretty rare in media. His disabilities come from extremely traumatic circumstances: injured in a near-death experience, imprisoned and dehumanized as an experiment with no autonomy over what happened to his body.

There are a few moments in the shows where Echo is treated… questionably. Like this bit where Rex uses him as an example of the Separatists' evils to convince the locals to fight back:

To be fair, yeah Echo’s treatment does prove that the Techno Union is not neutral like they claim. The modifications that everyone is gasping in horror at here obviously weren’t made with comfort and accessibility in mind, nor with Echo’s consent. But you still just want to be sure that “They took away his freedom, his humanity, they tried to turn him into a machine” is about using him as a living computer, not the fact that he is missing limbs. 

The Batch is also pretty insensitive toward him and his trauma imo, which is weird considering they've supposedly also faced discrimination for their mutations

Disabled people do have to deal with stuff like this in this day and age so I guess it can speak to those experiences. I think especially him being mistaken as a droid (and Hunter going along with it (bruh)) might resonate with some people. 

Aside from that stuff, Echo isn't really treated any differently as a character/person which is really good (as low of a bar as that is).

We get this moment in CW where Echo contemplates that yeah things are gonna be different now

While also (imo at least) showing that he is still the same person regardless, evidenced by the fact that he just echoed Rex :,) I also think it's significant that he joins the Bad Batch on his own terms and we're given a really emotional scene to specifically show that he's not just like 'lumped in with the other misfits' but that it is his choice to go where he feels his place is.

A lot of people, myself included, are disappointed that TBB didn't have more time to explore Echo's PTSD, but I think the one panic attack scene we did get is really good. Even thought it's minor it at least is an appropriate reaction from a guy who was medically tortured (which is more than I've come to expect from Star Wars shows lol)

And it's really sweet to see Omega showing Echo some empathy and consideration.

It would have been nice to see more of his adjustment period, and other side effects like chronic pain and maintenance, but there’s a lot of daily life stuff the show never had time for (i.e. we don’t know if he removed his prosthetics to sleep, but we also never saw him sleep anyway). His disabilities might take on a background role (much like the character himself sadly) but for the most part they aren’t invisible or erased, nor do they define his character and arc.

Physical Appearance

Okay this one is bit dicey, bc on the one hand, yes complaints that Echo’s paleness (most likely caused by burns from the explosion or chemical burns from the cryo-chamber) is whitewashing are totally valid. But I also think you can draw comparisons to real life conditions that affect pigmentation/complexion (like you know burns). So while I understand why a lot of fanart will depict him with his original skin tone and with hair, consider that there are real people who have to live with temporary or permanent changes to their appearance, and the idea of “fixing" him by making him look more like his old self can be problematic.

It's also interesting to note that Echo could act as a reversal of the 'disabled/disfigured = evil' trope. He's pale and bald and wears black and red, which is so often visually associated with villains, but we all know Echo is the bestest boy™

The Headpiece

Echo’s headpiece is interesting because within the show we don’t actually ever learn much about it (idk if there is more info in books or whatever bc i don’t have them so?). He didn’t have it in CW so we know it didn’t come from the Techno Union and therefore Echo probably had more choice with it. We don’t know its exact purpose but it’s most likely related to his scomping abilities. When he is hacking with his scomp in CW, before he has his headpiece, it’s clearly very mentally straining:

We don’t see him struggling like this in TBB once he does have it (though that could be bc he got more used to it over time). There doesn't seem to be much of an impact when he removes his headpiece in s3 ep14-15, except that he gets stuck in the ports every time he uses his scomp which is not something we’ve seen before: 

There might not be an exact real-world equivalent, but the headpiece is some kind of accessibility aid. It means that someone specifically designed a device to help him adapt to the changes the Techno Union made, as well as a helmet that integrates it. It’s removable and visually very present, much like a cochlear implant would be. (A lot of people actually headcanon it to act partially as a hearing aid, since it makes sense that Echo’s hearing would have been damaged in the explosion, but there isn't really any indication of this in canon.) The headpiece is never really acknowledged in the show, but I think that's a good thing. It's something he needs/wants and it just exists, completely normalized, and that's pretty cool 👍

Legs

Sigh... So from the very first episode of TBB I was really disappointed that the animation team or whoever completely visually erased Echo’s prosthetic legs (I think we all were, honestly, if fanart is anything to go by). It’s one thing when he’s in armor because he would probably want to protect his prosthetics, but we literally see him in his blacks and there is no indication whatsoever that he lost his legs even though it was not left up for debate at all in CW:

Like ??????!?

This is just really strange to me! Idk what went on behind the scenes with this decision but I don’t really see why it would be that much harder to animate or anything since it’s 3D and they've done it before. We do see some pretty sophisticated cybernetic technology in Star Wars canon that mimics real limbs:

But Luke’s fancy hand is technically 20ish years from now, so Anakin and Maul are more of a representation of what level we could expect here

So yeah, for no apparent reason, his leg amputation is effectively, visually and narratively nonexistent. Which is not great 👎

Arm!

The scomp on the other hand (uh lol!) is the complete opposite and I kinda love it!

At first I, like many others, thought it was a bit odd that they didn’t give Echo a prosthetic arm. Losing hands is basically a Star Wars tradition at this point, so robotic arms/hands are well established within the worldbuilding: 

We aren’t necessarily given a canon reason for why Echo doesn't get a cybernetic arm (again unless it's in some lore book I haven’t read, sorry). General fanon explanations I’ve seen are that he either couldn’t because the Techno Union wired the scomp too far into his nervous system, and/or the resources to give him one were deemed too expensive for a clone (what about his legs tho?), or that he chose not to, usually because he thought the scomping was useful. 

Regardless, I actually really love this choice (and it's the whole reason I made this post), because here's the thing: There’s a lot of problematic tropes out there that either erase/cure disabilities or compensate them with perks (like how pretty much any blind character is actually not blind by some sort of magic power). With amputees that is done with robotic arms. The character is still an amputee or course, and there is still value in that representation, if this story from Mark Hamill that makes me tear up is anything to go by:

but for the most part these characters function like anyone else, just with a limb that looks a little different. It’s no more than a video game skin, an able-bodied actor with a green screen glove. It “cures” the disability, or it actually makes the character even stronger than usual: 

It usually makes sense within the world of the story, but the reason it’s not so great in my opinion is that in the real world we just do not have technology anywhere close to that yet. Prosthetics can more or less replace any mobility from lost legs, but not for all the complexities of a hand (and even if they could the average person wouldn’t be able to afford it).

So

I think it's actually really super cool that Echo’s scomp bypasses the canonically-established amputee erasure and functions much like a stump would irl. He integrates it into his movements and everyday life and it’s (as far as I know) a lot closer to an everyday amputee’s experience. 

It doesn’t define his character, it doesn’t hold him back, he lives a full life, the other’s don’t treat him any differently, and he’s still a total karking badass 

The only additional thing is that he sometimes uses it as a weapon (which given his story, I think it’s cool to see him taking back autonomy in a way, and we only see that like twice)

And also the scomping, which could be seen as the 'added/compensating superpower' trope. But narratively it's no different than if he was plugging in with a hacking gadget of some kind (he didn't necessarily "need" to lose his arm for it) and it’s not like Echo is completely defined by this skill. Personally, I think it's well worth the positives of him actually having a visible and realistically impactful amputation. 

I see a lot of posts or comments out there that say stuff like “how come Echo doesn’t get a hand?” or fanworks that do give him one and I just think it’s a bit of a shame. If he did get a robotic hand, it just would have disappeared the same way his legs and Anakin’s arm did (aside from that one time he got yoinked by a magnet). When Echo did “get a hand” in the last two episodes there were comments like “yay he finally got a hand! but it doesn’t even work” but I was actually so relieved that it didn’t! Bc for one thing that wouldn’t make any sense, he grabbed it off a droid, it wasn’t designed to implement with his scomp, that would be really complicated. But more importantly because it again refused to erase/cure his disability! It functioned like a real-world cosmetic prosthetic (useless beyond appearance) which is exactly what he needed it for, so that he could blend in better with his disguise.

And he continually took it off throughout the episode and ditched it at the end. He only used it for the necessity of a stealth mission, he doesn’t feel the need to visually “fit in” in his daily life. 

And, last but very much not least, he made a dad joke and from my intel that is very accurate representation!

TLDR: Echo’s scomp is actually really cool from an amputee representation perspective, especially within Star Wars, and I think that deserves some appreciation 

[flammabel]

❤️Cal Kestis - Jedi Survivor🖤

Few more dark Cal shots.

[clonehub]

Echo, newest member of the bad batch, resident grump (fresh out the coffin so he looks miserable)

[incorrect-dnd-classes]

Wizard: It's our job to instruct and inspire. Fighter: You just wanted to show off. Wizard: When I show off, it IS instructive and inspiring.

[patricksteel]

[mroddmod]

one of the very few to show the batch kindness back on kamino

[badlydrawnstarwars]

All savvy politicians have someone to run their social media. Unfortunately for Fox, Palpatine has found that the most convenient person to run his is Fox.

[cookiescribble]

Sweet Dreams

A/N: happy star wars day everybody! every year the anakin girlie in me comes out when I marathon all the movies. I wrote this about 3 years ago when I was having chronic nightmares and I finally felt like sharing 🫶🏻 - mod angel

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker x Reader

Summary: Anakin knows all too well how bad it feels to wake up alone after a nightmare, so he’s perfectly happy to comfort the one he loves most in their vulnerable moment.

~~~

I woke with a start, my breathing heavy as I escaped the horrible dreamworld that I was quickly forgetting. Tears began to fill my eyes; I didn’t know why I felt so scared from a dream, but suddenly I felt very empty and sad. Anakin wasn’t in bed with me; I probably slept late again and he was up doing something somewhere in the apartment.

I hugged my blanket close to me as I finally got up from our bed. I walked out of the bedroom wearily, needing to find where he was.

I walked into the kitchen and saw him cooking something on the stove, his back to me.

“Ani?” I called meekly, still hugging the blanket to my chest.

He turned around to look at me, immediately growing concerned by the tears in my eyes and the blanket I was clinging to for comfort.

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” he asked, quickly striding toward me to hug me close to him. He picked me up off the ground and I wrapped my legs around his waist, the blanket dropping to the floor as I wrapped my arms behind his neck.

“Bad dreams again.” I said meekly, still teary-eyed and sniffly. I nuzzled my face into his neck, already starting to feel a bit calmer just being near him.

He pulled away a little to look at me. He wiped a stray tear coming from my eye. “I’m sorry, sweetie. it’s okay now. Nothing will hurt you; I would never let that happen.”

I nodded, pressing my forehead against his. “I know you wouldn’t,” I responded softly.

He gently ran his fingers through my hair, placing a kiss on my forehead. He hugged me close to him and spoke gently into my ear. “How about this: I’m gonna make you some breakfast, and if you’re still feeling sad after that we can go back to bed and rest for a little bit.” He looked me in the eyes and cradled my face. “Okay?”

I nodded and nuzzled my face into his hand, the feeling of his skin on mine comforting me.

“Okay,” he whispered again. “I have to put you down while I cook, though.” He walked to the counter and set me down gently, stroking my cheek before walking back to the stove. I started to feel sniffly again without being physically attached to him.

He must’ve sensed my mood shift because he bent down to collect the blanket off the floor and handed it to me. He kissed me gently on the lips and took my hands in his. “As soon as I’m done cooking, I promise I’ll keep you in my arms and won’t let you go all day. It’ll just be you and me today, angel”

I nodded, hugging the soft blanket close to me and lightly kicking my feet softly as I watched him cook. The food started to smell really nice, making my stomach growl. He chuckled softly as he started putting the food on a plate. “Not much longer, my love. I promise.”

He finished up and put the food down on the kitchen table. He walked over to me, and I reached my arms up to wrap them around his neck as he picked me up off the counter. He walked back over to the table, placing me on my feet on the floor before sitting in the chair and pulling me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me on the cheek. “I promise you don’t have to leave my arms for the rest of the day.”

I nuzzled into him and put my hands over his at my waist. I turned my head to him to give him a quick kiss before starting to eat the breakfast he made. It was delicious, and it helped me start to feel a little better; being hungry never helps a bad mood.

When we finished eating, I stood up so Anakin could put the plates in the sink. He walked back over to me and picked me up again. He kissed my forehead and asked, “So, what do you want to do now, angel? Do you want to lay in bed for a while?”

I took a second to think. I wasn’t tired enough to go back to sleep, and I’d feel guilty making him stay and do nothing while I slept. But laying in bed with him sounded nice. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

He hooked his arms under my legs that were wrapped around his waist and walked to our bedroom. He placed me gently on the bed before getting in himself, pulling the covers over the both of us.

“I’m not tired enough to go back to sleep,” I started, finding my place in his arms as I lay my head on his chest. “But I’d like to cuddle with you for a little while.”

He rested his head on mine. “That’s perfectly fine with me, princess.”

I blushed at his pet name. I loved when he called me that. I looked up at him and kissed him, slower this time. He ran his fingers through my hair as we kissed, softly and sweetly.

The slow, comforting movements of his hands in my hair started to soothe me, and I could feel just how tired I was after such restless sleep. I pulled away from the kiss, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

He laughed softly, kissing the top of my head. “How about you get some more sleep, hm? I’ll be right here the whole time; I’ll make sure you have sweet dreams this time.”

I just nodded, since I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. I needed to get some rest, and I knew I could now that I was in his arms.

His hands wrapped around my waist, my head moving to lay on his chest. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat soothed me like a lullaby.

As I was starting to drift off, I heard him whisper softly: “I love you.”

“Love you too… So much…” I mumbled, already half asleep. His sweet words were the last thing I heard before I drifted off, snug in his arms as I finally entered a peaceful sleep.

[animatedjen]

So @stealingpotatoes made this comic about Trilla in Survivor and I couldn't resist