#that one line in attack of the clones

[psychomusic]

so. I've been reading some posts on the jedi order tag AND i won't talk about my opinion on "are jedi good or bad discourse" BUT i wanna point out some lore to everyone who's complaining about the jedi taking kids into their order: (in the EU) it wasn't always like this.

if you take swtor era (more than 3000 years before the prequels) there were many jedi who joined at an older age. like, for example there was a guy who broke his engagement to become one. most jedi remember their families because they were old enough when they decided to go.

THEN in darth bane's book trilogy (circa 1000 yesrs before the prequels) there is a passage where two sith lords are talking about taking bane, already an adult, to study at korriban. one doubted him because he was too old, ans the other told him he sounded like a jedi, and that ONE DAY jedi will have to accept only kids into their ranks if they really want to find "pure" people that can learn their lessons quicker.

one day!! so it wasn't always like that!! the ongoing wars with the sith, who corrupted and killed many of them, had pressured them into taking always younger people into their ranks.

also, consider a thing that this video explains super well: training to become a jedi is not like exercising, because there is a transformative lesson at the end of the training that changes everything. you can't just do as much as you can, but not finish.

the transformative lesson, as the video explains, is that through the force, everything is the same - from rocks and ships to life and death. at the end of the training you have to understand this fundamental truth.

yoda says "you have to unlearn what you have learned". during times where they were constantly killed off or corrupted by the dark side (and if you haven't learned this lesson you are more susceptible to this corrupting), younger people were taken in to actually finish their training (a training that was ultimately about being a good person AND that you could leave at any point if you weren't sold on that, too)

(remember that for the sith failure = death. like. that was the alternative for force sensitive kids. it's not like sith had any moral problem with taking kids away without consent. sith don't have moral problems: they believe that them being stronger in the force means they can do whatever they want as long as their strong enough to go and do it. there are MANY passages in many different star wars stories, even in different mediums, that say this out loud)

AND (this is more of a critical thought than just stating the lore) the fact that they started doing it out of necessity doesn't mean it's 100% good BUT you know. the whole set up of the prequels is that we're starting off the story in a period of crisis and decadence all around. most of the systems of the times were about to fall. OF COURSE they had problems. if they didn't, we wouldn't have the story to begin with.

that doesn't automatically mean jedi = bad and sith are better, tho. you wouldn't take the last, chaotic and decadent period to jugde something, would you? it's like deciding that the athenian democracy sucked because people at the times of Demosthenes failed at recognizing the new schemes in which the world was evolving into, and still believed that their city would be important as it had been in the previous century. They just didn't fucking expect the Macedons would conquer half the world known and more, and have the subsequent political power. Still, their experiences in the 5th century with democracy were very good, even better than ours on many fronts, if you contextualize a little. the jedi had flaws, and most importantly, they didn't fucking know the future and everything that ever happened, ever, so they made mistakes. that doesn't automatically make the system ill, or bad, or not-working. systems can have setbacks when the world changes. (just like athenian democracy had one when they lost the empire that was funding the democracy. they even had a tyranny for a while and then fixed the problems. that doesn't diminish retrospectively their democracy)

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

I have to laugh every time i hear this idiot utter the words

“The chancellor doesn’t seem to be corrupt”

[toestalucia]

pacing back and forth thinking about dad asking logia if it truly was fine to leave seox

[sysig]

But would you tho (Patreon)

[rosemaryhoney27]

Tiny Blades and Big Chaos”

aka: Danny vs. Damian: Politeness vs. Precision, Featuring Ghost Tricks and Sibling Rivalry

It was Alfred’s idea, of course.

“Master Daniel seems rather adept at handling himself,” he said, very reasonably. “A joint sparring session with Master Damian might help them… bond.”

Vlad had sputtered. “Bond? Bond over what? Hidden knives and bloodlust?!”

“Yes,” said Alfred, calm as ever. “Precisely.”

Wayne Manor Training Room, 9:00 AM

The Batkids lined the edges of the mat like kids waiting for recess drama. Jason brought popcorn. Tim had his tablet recording. Steph was live-texting Cass with updates. Dick had his camera ready and a big brother grin on his face like this is gonna be great.

Damian stood at the center of the mat, wooden sword in hand, the sharpness in his eyes making up for the lack of steel. “You are not a trained assassin,” he said flatly, glaring at Danny. “This will not be gentle.”

Danny smiled, still in his hoodie and sweats, holding a practice staff Alfred handed him. “That’s okay. I’m kinda hard to kill.”

Damian narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see.”

Bruce, from the sidelines, muttered to Vlad, “This’ll go fine.”

Vlad whispered back, “This is a war crime waiting to happen.”

Round One: Damian Attacks First

Damian moved like lightning—precise, deadly, fast. His wooden sword swung for Danny’s side, a feint to the legs, followed by a spinning strike meant to knock him off balance.

Danny vanished.

Literally. Vanished. A shimmer of light and he phased right through the blade like a friendly ghost playing tag.

“What—?!” Damian turned, just in time to catch Danny gently tapping his shoulder with the staff. “Tag.”

Steph: “OH MY GOD HE GHOSTED THROUGH IT—”

Jason: “Ten bucks says he phases through the floor next.”

Vlad: weeping in the corner “He does this all the time. You’re all just ENCOURAGING HIM.”

Round Two: Damian Gets Serious

“You are not using proper rules of engagement,” Damian growled.

“I’m literally just floating,” Danny said, upside down mid-air. “Not my fault physics loves me.”

“Fight me like a warrior!”

“Okay,” Danny said—and then let the staff drop.

He raised his hands, and a soft, eerie glow covered them. His feet touched the ground. The temperature dipped just a little. Shadows crept a little too long.

“Wanna go full-power?” he asked, still smiling, but something in his voice had changed.

Everyone shut up.

Damian grinned like a tiny feral goblin. “Yes.”

What Followed Could Not Be Legally Described As Training

To summarize:

Danny dodged a flying kick by phasing through a wall and reappearing behind Damian like a horror movie jump scare.

Damian managed to tag Danny across the ribs, earning a respectful, “Nice hit!”

Danny retaliated by sliding through the floor, then popping up behind Damian to ruffle his hair, making him scream in rage.

Cass showed up halfway through, said nothing, and started rating their moves out of 10.

Alfred brought out lemon water and towels like this was completely normal.

Bruce was watching with an expression that said, I need to update our supernatural sparring protocols.

At one point, Danny caught Damian mid-air (after a parkour wall run), gently set him down, and said, “I’m only going easy because Vlad said if I break a Wayne he loses custody.”

“Fight me properly or I will THROW YOU,” Damian roared, red-faced.

Danny giggled.

He giggled.

Afterwards

They were both sweaty, bruised, and grinning like maniacs. Damian sat on the bench, panting, sipping water with a glare that could melt titanium.

“That was acceptable,” he muttered. “You are chaotic and dishonorable. I approve.”

Danny wiped his face with a towel. “Thanks! You fight like my sister’s evil clone. High praise.”

“Can you teach me to phase through walls?”

“Only if you promise not to sneak up on people during 2 AM snack runs.”

“…No promises.”

Jason tossed Danny a granola bar. “Welcome to the family, baby ghost.”

Danny blinked. “Wait, you mean I passed?”

“You suplexed a grown man and survived Damian. You’re in.”

“Officially a Wayne now,” Steph said, taking a picture. “Smile!”

Danny grinned just as Vlad walked in with a cup of tea and despair on his face.

“I leave you alone for one hour. One! What happened?!”

Damian pointed dramatically. “He cheats.”

“He used no blade.”

“He walked through a wall!”

“He told the shadows to ‘wait their turn.’”

Vlad blinked. “That last one actually is new.”

Danny smiled. “It’s a learning environment, Uncle Vlad.”

[boatswainscall]

SPOILERS FOR TECHROT ENCORE AHEAD, CONCERNING ON-LYNE

DE with On-Lyne could have very easily gone the stereotypical route of "beloved boyband that advertises brotherhood but secretly all hate each other's guts" but on brand with their overarching themes of love and family went in the complete opposite direction. Like the Coda are clones, but they parrot the boys' real thoughts and feelings. And despite the imperfection of that cloning their fierce bond of brotherhood endures.

For one, all of them are so so protective of Packet and it makes me want to cry. This bit from Harddrive especially just has me dreading how horrible the media was to all of them but him especially as he is the youngest.

Packet also has a line during his final confrontation talking about the panic attacks he suffers, which I can only assume is a result of constantly being scrutinized by media outlets and their label. (edit: ITS DJ-ROM THAT SAYS THIS NOT DRILLBIT) has a line during his final confrontation which I think is related to that where he's clearly in the context of an interview and is defensive about questions regarding their personal lives, and even volunteers to answer any of those questions in the others' place.

And while they are all especially protective of Packet, they look out for each other just as much. Packet himself has lines talking about how happy he is that Harddrive punched someone out for making fun of him and another expressing just how worried he is about Zeke and the amount of pressure he is under as the band's leader.

Drillbit similarly talks about how much respect he has not just for Zeke but for DJ-Rom and how much hard work he puts into keeping things running well with the band - how while Zeke is the charismatic public face of the band - Rom, while quiet, is the true brains behind them maneuvering their predatory label's demands.

And then DJ-Rom himself talks about his own bitterness about record labels and how exploitative they are of young talent. He also mentions his familiarity with the industry, and how he uses that knowledge to keep the boys safe from predatory behavior within their label.

Which in hindsight adds more terrible context to why their manager decided to turn to the Technocyte Coda (aka Generative AI) to fully clone the band so they could keep making music with their likeness but stop paying them. DJ-Rom was clearly such a persistent and stubborn thorn in their side in regards to blocking their attempts at shorting the boys what they were owed that their manager resorted to cutting the human element out entirely.

Rom also during my confrontation with him confesses to the fact that he knows how annoying and shallow people view pop music and them by extension, but how it's shallow in itself to see pop music as not "real music/art" and that what he and the boys do has just as much value for all the work they put into it. Which is frankly a message that a lot of us should take to heart, (myself included frankly).

As always DE has delivered on the lore and now that I've converted one of each of the boys I can't wait to resume my farming of them to hear more of it.

[sunarryn]

DP X Marvel #29

Jazz Fenton did not mean to become a Black Widow. It just kind of happened. One minute she was babysitting Danny’s mess because he decided to pick a fight with Kang the Conqueror (again), and the next she was knee-deep in S.H.I.E.L.D. files, covered in blood, and being hailed as “one of the most promising Red Room graduates they had ever seen.” Which was strange, considering Jazz had never been to the Red Room. Or Russia. Or… spy school at all. She was a licensed therapist. She had a degree. She paid taxes. She made salad. She was a normal woman, damn it!

“You killed fifteen HYDRA agents with a clipboard, Fenton,” Director Fury said, pinching the bridge of his nose as Maria Hill silently sipped her coffee and refused to make eye contact. “That’s not normal.”

Jazz folded her arms stubbornly. “In my defense, they attacked me first. And they insulted my handwriting.”

“You wrote ‘Your unresolved childhood trauma is not my problem’ on a sticky note and taped it to one of their foreheads.”

“And it wasn’t my problem.”

Across the room, Natasha Romanoff watched with the wide-eyed horror of someone seeing their own ghost. “She’s… she’s me,” Natasha whispered, pointing at Jazz. “But worse. Worse.”

Clint Barton leaned in. “I think I’m in love.”

“Shut up,” Natasha and Fury barked at the same time.

Things had spiraled out of control after that. Somewhere along the way, some Russian spy network got hold of a very blurry surveillance photo of Jazz decimating an entire mercenary squad with nothing but a heel, a pair of chopsticks, and a very aggressive therapy session. They promptly assumed Natasha had gone rogue (again), and put out a bounty. A very large bounty. The kind that made even the Winter Soldier raise an eyebrow and go, “Damn.”

Naturally, Danny found out.

Naturally, he panicked.

“JAZZ,” he screamed through the phone while flying upside down over Manhattan traffic, “WHY IS THERE A TWENTY MILLION DOLLAR BOUNTY ON YOUR HEAD?!”

“I don’t know!” Jazz screeched back. She was currently riding on the back of a stolen motorcycle with Deadpool (who thought she was Natasha and wouldn’t take no for an answer) while simultaneously answering frantic S.H.I.E.L.D. calls and rerouting an emergency therapy hotline. “ASK THE RUSSIANS!”

“WHICH RUSSIANS?!”

“YES!”

Meanwhile, Deadpool, wearing a T-shirt that said “I Heart Therapy,” shouted over the wind, “YOU’RE MY FAVORITE AVENGER NOW, NATASHA!”

“For the last time, I’m not Natasha—”

“I LOVE YOU TOO!”

Things escalated when Bucky Barnes appeared out of nowhere, tackled Jazz off the motorcycle midair, rolled into a perfect crouch, and then pinned her to the ground with a knife to her throat.

“I thought you were dead,” Bucky hissed, eyes wild.

Jazz blinked up at him. “Buddy, I don’t even know you.”

“That’s what you used to say before,” Bucky whispered, full of tragic anguish.

Deadpool sniffled loudly from behind them. “I love a good forbidden lovers-to-enemies-to-strangers-to-lovers again trope.”

Jazz kicked Bucky in the face and ran.

Within three hours, every major faction of Marvel’s expanded universe was hunting her down—S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, the Russians, Deadpool, Bucky, a very confused Peter Parker who thought he was supposed to save her, the X-Men (who thought she was a rogue mutant), and Kang the Conqueror (who thought she might be a time-displaced Natasha clone sent to assassinate him).

Thor, meanwhile, simply declared her “a most worthy warrior maiden” after she threw an entire food court table at Loki during a hostage situation.

“It’s about time Midgard produced more women of valor!” Thor bellowed, swinging Mjolnir with dangerous enthusiasm. “I SHALL TAKE HER TO ASGARD.”

“Get in line,” Deadpool snarled, adjusting his “I Heart Therapy” shirt.

Meanwhile, Natasha was trying to commit actual murder.

“I swear to GOD,” she growled, stalking down a S.H.I.E.L.D. hallway, “if one more person says I’m being so quirky today—”

“Natasha, babe,” Tony Stark said, popping out of a side door, “your emotional dysregulation is off the charts and honestly? It’s refreshing. You should get cloned more often.”

Natasha shot him a look so cold that even JARVIS’ firewalls froze.

Tony raised his hands. “Okay, okay, chill, Strawberry Shortcake. No need to murder me. Save that for—” he pointed dramatically— “your emotional support twin.”

“She is NOT my emotional support twin.”

“That’s not what the footage says.”

On a giant monitor, Jazz was currently choke-slamming Sabretooth into a dumpster while shouting, “YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION HEALTHILY!”

“Icon,” Clint whispered, wiping a tear.

Even Steve Rogers, paragon of old-fashioned dignity, was looking a little starry-eyed. “She’s very… efficient.”

“Efficient?” Natasha barked. “She’s deranged!”

“I like her,” Steve said firmly.

Jazz, blissfully unaware of the chaos she was causing, had holed up in a New York City bookstore, eating chocolate muffins and trying to finish her psychology notes while surrounded by six unconscious mercenaries she had “politely discouraged” from kidnapping her.

Danny phased through the ceiling with a pop and immediately tripped over one of the bodies.

“OH MY GOD, JAZZ!”

“Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, Danny,” Jazz said absently, underlining a particularly important point about cognitive-behavioral therapy.

“YOU’RE IN A BOOKSTORE FULL OF CORPSES.”

“They’re not corpses, they’re just resting. Violence-induced naps.”

“WHAT—”

“Keep your voice down, you’re disturbing the literature.”

Meanwhile, Nick Fury was in a meeting with the Avengers yelling so loud birds outside fell out of the sky.

“I WANT HER ON PAYROLL,” Fury shouted, slamming his fist on the table. “GET ME FENTON.”

“Already tried,” Maria Hill said wearily. “She hung up and said we needed therapy more than she needed a paycheck.”

“She’s not wrong,” Bruce Banner muttered.

Tony smirked. “I mean, I am kind of curious. What happens if we just… hire her?”

“World peace,” Clint said instantly.

“Or total annihilation,” Natasha said darkly.

“Either way, it’ll be entertaining,” Deadpool chimed in, somehow already sitting in one of the chairs with popcorn.

“WHO LET HIM IN HERE,” Fury bellowed.

In the bookstore, Jazz finally looked up from her notebook to find Deadpool holding out a bouquet of slightly singed daisies.

“For you, my queen,” he said solemnly.

“I will mace you,” Jazz promised.

“Just like Nat used to,” Deadpool said, sniffling again.

Peter Parker dropped down from the ceiling. “Hey, uh, hi, Miss Fenton? I don’t really know what’s happening but I think you’re amazing and could you maybe not kill me?”

“I don’t kill people,” Jazz said, affronted. “I help them confront their inner demons and process their suppressed trauma through intensive violence-based therapy.”

“That’s… oddly comforting,” Peter said.

It all came to a head when Kang, exasperated beyond mortal comprehension, opened a portal above the bookstore and tried to yoink Jazz into the timestream.

He succeeded.

Sort of.

Danny grabbed her ankle mid-yoink. Deadpool grabbed Danny’s ankle. Peter grabbed Deadpool’s ankle. Clint Barton, swinging from a grappling hook, grabbed Peter. Then Thor decided he wanted in and hurled Mjolnir into the pile for good measure. The portal overloaded with a sound like an air fryer exploding in a church.

When the dust cleared, Jazz was standing on top of Kang, holding his own dislocated arm in one hand and a muffin in the other.

“HOW?” Kang wheezed.

“You tried to abduct a woman during her muffin break,” Jazz said sweetly. “Actions have consequences.”

Thor roared with laughter. “TRULY A MAIDEN OF WORTH!”

Fury appeared, looking absolutely done with existence. “You’re hired.”

“I don’t want a job.”

“Too bad. You’re in.”

“Can I negotiate for dental?”

“You already have dental.”

“…Sold.”

And that’s how Jazz Fenton, licensed therapist, ghost expert, and once-proud civilian, accidentally became a Black Widow. She wasn’t trained. She wasn’t programmed. She wasn’t brainwashed.

She was just tired.

And honestly? That was worse.

By the time she got back to Amity Park, her parents had no idea why Nick Fury was sending them fruit baskets or why Deadpool kept showing up at their front door with mixtapes titled “For My Future Therapist Wife.”

Danny refused to speak to anyone for a week.

Tucker made it worse by posting “Jazz Fenton, New Black Widow” memes online. Sam bought Jazz a leather catsuit “for the aesthetic” and refused to take it back.

And Jazz… Jazz just made another cup of tea, put on a sheet mask, and scheduled herself a very long therapy session.

Because someone in the family had to be sane.

It just wasn’t going to be today.

[cakypa120]

The time of adults has passed. The time of young heroes.

Dick notices everything. Bruce has been twitchy and darker than usual lately. The man's gaze has become heavier and more piercing. He also began to disappear into the Batcave. Dick goes into the files and freezes. It was a clear plan to save Captain Marvel. This is unexpected. Dick calls a family meeting and they all hack into the security cameras in the Watchtower. They see and hear things they did not expect.

Dick: Now I know why he thanked me when I first met him. Shit. Shit. Shit!

Tim: Why did we attack him? How did we kill him? Did we get data on his weakness?

Jason: I want that notebook.

Damian: I don't believe John and I are capable of cruelty.

Stephanie: You're right. You're the only one who's cruel, John's one of the few who can keep you in line.

Cass: Is he...mad at us?

That question makes everyone think. Was this overly cheerful man mad at them? How could he even smile in their faces when he remembered everything they'd done? How?

Tim sends this video to all the young heroes. Their reactions are different, some don't believe it, some quietly panic, some scream that they won't do it, some deny it. But everyone calms down and makes a decision.

Be nice to Marvel!

They don't want him to associate them with their versions. So that he doesn't look at them and remember everything that killed him. But they also want him to forgive them. To some extent. They knew that those versions weren't them, but the guilt was still there and they couldn't stop thinking about it.

Unfortunately, Marvel notices everything.

Marvel: You found out about my notebook?

Dick: It's that obvious?

Marvel: Yeah. Let me guess, hacked the cameras?

Dick: Yeah.

Marvel: I'm not surprised.

Dick: Are you mad at us?

Marvel: No. I was never mad at you. I was mad at myself. For not being able to stop it, for you having to do it. The Titans and Young Justice were the only ones who hesitated to kill me. I wanted to help you somehow. I'm not mad and I don't blame you. Dick, you're great people and the best heroes I've ever known. Trust me, I've seen a lot of heroes.

Dick: Why did I kill you in the past reality?

Marvel: The League and Batman's rift led us to this situation. You and your brothers were caught in the crossfire. B still found a way to take me out. I'll say it again. Your version did a great job. There's no pain at all. *Marvel puts his hand on the Dick's shoulder* You're not your version. You'll never be them.

They calm down a little, but curiosity is a terrible thing, and if you mix it with guilt, you get a very strange cocktail.

Conner felt like shit. Maybe he had killed Marvel once. The one who had replaced his father, the one who had not turned away from him, the one who had become his family. The clone wanted to know why he had killed him, why he had killed his unofficial father.

Conner: Marvel, I want to talk to you.

Marvel: Sure, what do you want to talk about?

Conner: How...I...

Marvel: Killed me?

Conner: *Nods*

Marvel: Sivana teamed up with Luther. You and your friends were captured, I volunteered to help you, but Sivana incapacitated me. Then Luthor gave you a choice, either me or your team.

Conner: So I...

Marvel: You shot me yourself.

Conner: I couldn't! I would never do that! You... You... *tears welling up in his eyes*

Marvel: *hugs Connor* I know, man, I know. You didn't want to kill me, you believed that we would win, that we would find a way out of this. But I know Sivana, I know Luthor. There was no way we could all get out of this together. Someone would have stayed in that lab forever. I'm not mad. I have never been angry.

Conner starts to cry. Billy's heart breaks from the sound of crying. Then he couldn't hug Conner, that he pointed a gun at him. The guy asked for forgiveness so many times, for Marvel not to be angry. Billy wanted to hug him so much then, but the chains held tightly, slowly sucking the strength out of him. Billy hugs this Conner tighter, as if protecting him from all the bad thoughts.

Then the nightmares appeared. In all of them, they saw how they personally killed Marvel. It bothered them, they could not sleep normally, it exhausted them and then they often made mistakes on missions. Bart almost got stuck in the wall, Tim almost blew himself up when he was defusing a bomb, Wally could not concentrate on explaining the mission.

Then there comes a day when Bart almost dies because he's too tired. And that day, Captain Marvel is watching over them. So Bart is called in for a one-on-one talk.

Marvel: Impulse! What's wrong?

Bart: Sorry, I just haven't slept enough.

Marvel: You look like you haven't slept in days.

Bart: *Nervous laugh* What makes you think that? I sleep well. Really well, in fact!

Marvel: Bart. Please be honest with me. What's going on.

Bart: I didn't...I didn't...

Marvel: Bart...

Bart: I killed you! We've killed you! So many times! Why aren't you mad? Why do you keep smiling at us? Why are you so cute? We're... I'm...

Marvel: Are these the questions that keep you awake?

Bart: No, the nightmares. I see myself killing you. It always...it always hurts so much.

Marvel: *sighs* I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm not mad at you. I never have been. You're good heroes and great people. And I'm guessing the rest of you have nightmares, too, huh?

Bart: *nods*

Marvel: Then call me. I'll be there. Wherever you are. Okay? Will you tell the others?

Bart: *nods quickly*

Bart runs away, and Marvel watches him go. From then on, the young heroes began calling Marvel after another nightmare. Marvel stayed by their side and answered their questions, repeating over and over that he was not angry with them. Sometimes they had sleepovers, where Marvel was used as a big pillow. Billy even convinced Sandman to give these poor kids good dreams more often, where everyone is happy.

Billy just hopes that they can overcome this.

The sword of Damocles hung over Billy. And the only question was.

Who will cut the rope?

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Our second DCXDP au has Danny hiding in Gotham with the cores of Dani, Dan and two other clones who survived. They need DNA to be able to reform but it's in a ‘it doesn't have to be now’ kind of way. Not just Danny’s DNA but another to to balance out their genes.

They'll become babies and be raised up. Dani was melting but forced Danny to promise he wouldn't find someone right away he'd take his time to fall in love first. Dan did the same and the twin clones did to.

Danny decides it's a good idea but keeps the cores safe. He ran to Gotham in the DC universe because the GIW were to close to killing him. His parents, Jazz, Sam, Grandma Ida and the Foleys all followed. Grandma Ida is running some gang down in crime alley having a blast with Sam, constantly trying to hook Sam up with Jason who Ida is in a turf war with. Tucker is happily running a tech company that will soon outstrip it's competitors., his parents helping Jazz is terrifying in Arkham as she tears our corruption.

Maddie abd Jack found out about the Leauge of Assassins and went: study time. Danny, knowing its corrupted ecto and also not wanting to deal with assassins lets then have fun. So Ra’s is dealing with liminal mad scientists who keep stealing the Pits and also have uncovered two Damian clones they kidnapped. Their kids now.

But we’re focusing on Danny who is in college and living a peaceful life which is what he wants most of all. The cores of his kids are always on him just in case and he's casually dating. It's great. He can just be Danny the guy who is super into space and plans on being a mechanic for the watch tower.

Then one day Two-Face attacks the cafe he's at (because of a sale it was having where it was two for one on some sort of new treat). Danny has to run for his life. He gets hit and the bag he has the cores in is harmed. One falls out and he freaks, diving for it. He grabs it just as Black Bat swoops in to save him. She flies him up to a roof.

They land and then she moves to grab one of the cores that fell out. Danny gets antsy but it requires skin contact so it should be okay, she's wearing gloves after all. It'll be fine!

On her part, Cass is wondering why her hand feels tingly but there isn't anything malicious in the mans face so she thinks it might just be the orb she caught being weird. She swings off, noting that she has a hole in her glove.

Danny goes home and doesn't think about it until he realizes that the core the hero touched is growing. And it's getting sick without the touch of its other parent.

Cass on the other hand feels strange. Like she's pulled somewhere. She instantly thinks of the guy and alerts the others to him. They hunt him down to find him on a rooftop. He's surprised to see them, holding an Orb that’s glowing.

“I thought it would take longer…” the man says. He shakes his head. “Umm… rip the band-aids off- I'm nottotslly human.”

The Batfam kinda pauses cause he's giving this info up for free. Cass is eyeing him closely. It's just her, Batman and Robin in front of the man. Everyone else is listening in or in the shadows.

“I ran away from my home dimension cause they were hunting me down to kill me because they believed I was non-sentient. You know sad trench- I mean, John Constantine? I think he put in the word we’re friendly,” the man babbles. The orb shines. “Okay, okay. I need to… Black Bat did your glove have a hole in it when you touched this?”

Cass hums but nods. Barbara has Constantine on the line (and no one wants to know the blckmail she has to make him answer) and he's confirming it's a friendly.

“Okay, okay… this is a Core and it's the heart, soul, brain, everything of an ecto-entity like me. And it… it’s my child. But it needed a second set of DNA. It's fine dormant, it doesn't hurt the baby. But it…” the man swallows. “Skin touch.”

Cass knows in a second what he's leading up to. She touched the orb. It needed DNA.

That's her baby in his hands.

Que the chaos.

[anaargent]

I heard u take requests I am here to make one ✨ Can u make one where reader find the diner of Five's and they all haven't seen her in forever so there just all around her and doing all this stuff. There practically fighting each other and Brisket Five wins! Ty!!❤️

I just loved this idea, I hope you like it.

RU MINE?

BRISKET FIVE x READER

You didn't know how you ended up here. One moment you were inside the mysterious subway, watching the stations pass by through the window with vacant and lost eyes. Now you were in a restaurant surrounded by countless Fives.

You lost count of how many disgusting pick-up lines you received from some drunk Fives - honey, you're not the end of the world, but you're on my mind all the time - Or the subtle flirtations of the grumpy Five - maybe you want to have a coffee? With me? At the same table? Like, a date? - It was cute, like an old man trying to woo someone in a Jane Austen book. A few cheesy pick-up lines from a Five waiter, who was very insistent - you know, I could be a much better escort than this loser, when you want a real man, just call me dove - he says, leaning dangerously close to you with the tray in his hand, leaving after someone insistently rang the doorbell to call him, an anonymous savior.

There was even a serenade from a Five who was too drunk for his own good - Shouldn't he be taken away from there? - you point to the man staggering on stage - no, he's fine, it's his Meryl Streep moment - someone spoke seconds before the singer Five threw up.

You were flattered by so many looks in your direction, you really were, but it didn't feel right. You always had something with your Five, you knew he felt something too, it was a lifelong companionship. But maybe you underestimated the time you spent together, always postponing, "maybe next week we can have coffee?" "Maybe we should take a week off and go out together?"

- maybe a drink for a pretty lady? - you were awakened from your thoughts by the sweet voice of another Five, ready to gently dismiss him when you saw him place a cup of hot coffee in front of you - I-

- you don't like black coffee? I brought you an espresso with plenty of sugar - he smiles, turning to pour a few more clones of himself. You smile, the brisket five, you should have seen it coming. He was the only one who didn't try his luck and court you, but here he was, and he had nailed your favorite drink. One point for him

- so what? Some pick-up line or are you the mysterious type? - you scoff as you sip your espresso, your feet dangling as you stare at him. - lucky you, none - he smiles, finally finishing his task and leaning against the counter in front of you - you deserve a break after so many love attacks.

You sigh in defeat, letting your confident facade fall - I don't understand, what is everyone looking for? - you ask, looking around. So many Five's looking defeated, some already unconscious, from alcohol or fatigue. - isn't it obvious? - the brisket five leans closer - the Apocalypse? - you ask confused.

- you - he says simply as he smiles, a beautiful smile.

- me? - you laugh in disbelief - don't laugh at them, they're poor souls in search of the only company they've ever had.

You swallow hard, observing the environment once again, so many Five, only one of you - what happened?..with my clones?

- it depends - Five asks, sitting down next to you - some leave, some dismiss you when they realize the problem they were going to get themselves into, some paths diverge, some die.

The atmosphere gets heavy for a moment, you clear your throat and try to break the ice - and you? Five..?

- oh, please, call me whatever you want - he smiles flirtatiously - let's just say you dumped me - oh, I'm sorry, I hope I…she, she wasn't too rude.

- she was - he stares at you for a moment, a flash of longing in his eyes - but I deserved it - he spoke in a melancholic tone, as he pulled a coat over the counter, throwing it over your shoulders. You looked at him questioningly - you were shaking, I didn't want you to get cold - he justified himself with a shrug. You looked away, feeling your cheeks heat up a little at his detailed care, an uncomfortable feeling taking over your chest.

- Do you want to get some coffee? - Five asks after gathering the necessary courage within himself. You let out a laugh, the first real one of the night - We're literally in a coffee shop, and you work here - Except for you, I don't like anyone in this room. And the service is terrible - he whispers smilin like it was a dirty secret and extends his hand to you.

- Where would we go? - You ask as you look expectantly at Five in front of you

- I know some great places in Paris, I'd love to show you around - he says with that sideways smile. You don't answer, you simply stand up and grab his hand, pulling him into a soft kiss, the shocked reaction of the man in front of you amused you, his eyes slightly wide, his mouth half open, trying to process the bold movement

- Excuse me? - He says with a shaky voice.

- I don't - you smile - take me to drink this damn coffee, then we'll see what happens.

*meanwhile at the diner*

A sad grumpy Five takes his last sip of drink, the liquid burning his throat as he throws the glass away, his eyes clouded in anguish as he watches you once again walk away, out of his reach. Again.

[snivyartjpeg]

i keep thinking about a hundred line au. more headcanoning, rain code spoilers, and mild spoilers for 100line's first 100 days under the cut:

Fubuki has Takumi's "retry" ability, so she's the one time traveling to bring about a happy ending. I suppose you could say she's the protagonist here!

Speaking of protags, Yuma is an all around attacker who can buff his nearby allies with armor with one of his moves. However, his skills change to boosted attacking moves if an ally dies in the same turn, making him a vengeance-based killing machine.

You may be wondering why Yomi has a support role. Well that's because he actually goes out there bossing everyone around to do his bidding, lol. With his whip, he motivates his allies, curing their fatigue, creating high voltage, and giving them attack boosts at the cost of some friendly fire damage

Yakou's job is generally applying armor to himself and others, but also inflicting bleed on targets. If he happens to have a debuff, he gains an attack boost.

Makoto is still a clone of Yuma, created as a result of some hemoanima experiments. Despite being a clone created for war, Makoto is quite friendly with Yuma, and they'll often be hanging out in the same rooms during free time.

I think Kurumi would play a similar role to Nozomi in terms of mechanics and some aspects of the story.

Zilch has a muzzle and ears purely for aesthetic purposes. Despite all the animal motifs in his class armor, not a single one of his abilities reference it.

Pucci's mech is shaped like a big teddy bear. I feel like that's important to note.

Shinigami is their super puffy, super cute, morally dubious commanding officer! Her personality doesn't change much- she just happens to have a leadership position and way too much sway in running things lol

[the-bi-space-ace]

One of my favorite things about Echo is his heart

It’s his commitment to helping people. It’s the way he cares so deeply and always has. The loyalty he shows towards the other clones, his willingness to do anything to save them, is only one of many reasons why Echo is my favorite character of all time.

Echo may very well have survivors guilt from what happened to him and the things he did while being used as ‘The Algorithm’ but I don’t think that’s the main force that drives him to be so committed to saving other clones from the Empire.

He’s always had this big heart. This enormous need to help others. We see it during the attack on Kamino, how he’s willing to lay his life down and do what it takes. We see him holding 99 when he dies, clearly distraught over the loss of this man he cares for. He doesn’t shy away from the emotional bits, the parts that aren’t about how brave you are, he’s willing to feel it. And let others see him feel it, too.

We see this when he is lost at the citadel. We see him attempt to save everyone else by putting his own life on the line and paying a hefty price for it.

We see him feel compelled to lend his expertise and insider knowledge after he’s rescued. He’s ready to fight, he will do anything to help. He’s even injured on that mission because of the riskier move he pulled just to give the Republic a bigger advantage.

And when the clones needed him? When Rex needed him? He went where he was needed. He infiltrated Tantiss like it was nothing. He went into that facility determined: “Not just her. All of the clones.” Because that’s his thing!! It’s not just about one person or one thing! This is about all of them and for Echo it always has been. He’s lost so much. He’s mourned so many people. He isn’t losing anyone else. He went to that facility ready to break every single clone free and not rest until he did.

See, Echo has always been this way. This isn’t something that grew only after his rescue from Skako. From the very beginning his heart has been in it and that has never changed. It’s his dedication and his steadfastness. It’s the way he leads with his heart. It’s the kindness that drives him to do all that he can.

As long as Echo is around no clone is ever alone. No clone will ever have to cover their own six. Not a single clone in the whole galaxy ever has to worry if someone out there even cares about them. Because Echo does. Echo cares. Echo has always cared and he has never and will never stop. As long as Echo is around every single clone has someone in their corner.

And Echo is a damn good ally.

[savanir]

continuation of this thank you again @mynameisjag for the inspiration, this prompt currently has me by the throat

Death of the Father, Death of the Son

The evening is dreary, rain pouring from the skies like tears. Typical Gotham fare to be honest.

This evening was the stage of the latest gala in the crime filled city, another fundraiser for something, or at least pretending to be. 

Vlad brought his dear Madeline as well as Jasmine with him, he was planning to do some light networking but this was also his latest attempt to cheer his sweetheart up. The new experience might distract her a bit.

She had not taken the news well… when the search party found Daniel’s clone corpse in the woods.

It’s been months since the funeral, but her spark for life still has not yet reignited.

And in those past few months Jasmine has seemingly taken over Daniel’s job and has become a most persistent thorn in Vlad’s side, absolutely refusing to let him make any sort of progress with Maddie.

But this evening wasn’t about any of that. There would be no bickering between Vlad and Jazz about him aiding her in finding her lost brother. Not like she even needed his help, she and Daniel’s old friends were probably doing the best job possible in finding the boy.

And it’s not like he could tell her he knew her brother was probably being kept by one of the world's greatest mercenaries. 

Revealing that would open a whole new can of worms he didn’t want to explain.

Maddie was mostly distracted at the gala, staring morosely at Wayne and his brood.

The sight fills Vlad with an insidious sort of anger, the kind that lays heavy and molten on the bottom of your stomach. She better not get it in her head to try and replace one bumbling oaf for the next.

Also… getting rid of a Wayne is apparently a weirdly difficult thing to do… Vlad would rather not bother.

And even though he feels bitter, it is rather nice to see Madeline cheer up when she gets to introduce herself to the boys. Vlad again thinks about his plan of conceiving a new son of their own, not to replace Daniel of course, the boy is irreplaceable but… well, yeah to replace him.

After all, is it really worth it to find Daniel anymore at this point?

—✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*---*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—

The gala is uneventful right up until Vlad leaves the main area for a breath of fresh air, hopefully find the designated smoking area and have a cigarette (it’s not like those things can kill him anymore anyway) but on the way there he saw a shadow darting around the corner and he just couldn’t help himself.

If there was any illegal activity afoot, he rather be on top of it himself, that way he’ll know what he can pull and get away with.

It wasn't until he entered a room and promptly got ambushed that he thought that maybe he had walked into a trap of sorts, oh well, nothing Plasmius wouldn’t be able to fix.

Gotham is a city of freaks but none of them are on his power level after all.

Still, precious decisive reaction time got wasted because he’s thinking of an approach that would not result in him having to permanently silence his assailant. Murder is probably rough to cover up in the city that’s home to the world’s greatest detective and bribing the corrupt police force is such a hassle… a scuffle of a mugging/abduction or whatever gone wrong is much easier to explain.

Instead Vlad finds himself tazed, tazed of all things. Perhaps an ecto infused blast into the nearby wall isn’t such a bad idea after all.

But then he finds he can’t access his powers anymore, and a mild sense of dread takes root in his chest.

That taser… it couldn’t have been….

He isn't given much time to think about it as he’s expertly incapacitated and worked against the ground.

Vlad thinks he hears the faintest mutterings, something along the lines of “we do rely too much on our powers” perhaps it’s some veiled insult directed at his current situation. Uncalled for in his opinion…

Of course he struggles, he fights back. His attacker is way smaller than him, lighter and quick with their moves, whomever this is they certainly know what they are doing and Vlad hates to admit it, but without Plasmius he’s actually outmatched.

That leaves plain ol’ shouting for help.

An idea that quickly got snuffed out when a big army knife that crackles with sickly neon green energy gets pressed against his throat and a detonator gets shown off in his assailant’s hand.

“Quiet now, or I’ll blow this place sky high”

“That seems counterproductive” Vlad can’t help but snarl.

“aww, worried about me? there is no need I’ll be just fine, them on the other hand…”

the attacker puts a tablet down that shows a video feed of the main gala area with all the people milling about.

None of them matter to Vlad, but his Madeline and her daughter are there as well, he easily spots them too.

“What do you want, money? I’m sure there are better targets for that out there”

All of a sudden there is a strangely familiar staticy growl in his attacker’s voice, “I want two things from you, I want you to suffer and then I want you to die”

this is personal then… not good.

His attacker takes a moment to more firmly incapacitate Vlad against the floor before redirecting his attention to the video feed on the tablet screen. In the main gala area a big screen of it’s own has come down from the ceiling, usually meant for big fancy presentations (but those had already been carried out for the evening) and was now showing Vlad’s latest illegal activity for all the people to see.

Inside the room people are worriedly looking to and fro, wondering what rogue attack this will lead to, others are already gleefully taking to social media and broadcasting the events happening to the rest of the world.

Personnel are scrambling about to figure out what’s going on, and a couple Wayne’s have now subtly left the area.

“There we go, all out in the open. No more secrets”

Vlad’s eyes darted over the screen in horror.

“I like this right here,” his attacker zooms in on Maddie’s face as she’s realizing in real time that Vlad paid someone to kill her husband, “that’s a good face”

People are looking around and starting to notice Vlad is not among them anymore.

“You cannot possibly expect to get away with this, the Gotham bats are most likely already aware and hunting you down”

“I know-” His attacker shushes, “don’t spoil my fun, at least let me enjoy this show. Even if you somehow manage to get away from me now your life is completely ruined” 

Vlad makes another attempt to escape, growling, “who are you and why are you doing this, how do you even know about half of these things-”

He gets his hands ran through and pinned down fully on the ground with the knives in return.

Vlad figures he must have made some noise but the painful pressure that his assailant keeps on his back is also making it harder to breathe.

“C’mon now, you always boasted about how you’re better and more experienced in every way. Surely you can use that big brain of yours and figure this mystery out, here I’ll help-” the attacker painfully twists his head to the side, “have a look”

It’s dark and the figure is still very much in the shadows but the first thing that catches Vlad’s eyes is the mask over his assailant’s mouth that’s black on the right and orange on the left, a rather obvious hint towards ties with a certain mercenary.

The dark hair styled in that one familiar way brings someone else to mind.

“Daniel”

The boy doesn’t hesitate to twist one of the knives in his hand.

“Don’t call me that”

“Danny-” Vlad doesn’t hesitate to correct even though it does come out rather strangled because of the pain, this is a bad situation and he’s not stupid, “whatever he said-”

there is a faint crackle and it’s only through Vlad’s still slightly enhanced senses that he hears the gruff voice talking to Daniel.

“Wrap it up Memento”

Danny glances at the live feed on the tablet. Proper security is starting to swarm around.

Maddie is holding Jazz close and appears to be talking to someone in charge. One of the Wayne brood has decided to stick with her, the eldest son. How kind of him.

Vlad is still trying to get Danny to listen to him.

Danny sighs, “I kind of wish I could drag this out longer, but this is fine” he twists his knee against Vlad’s neck and now properly restrains Vlad’s legs before pulling out something new.

“This is something my dad was working on before you got him killed, I was planning on sabotaging it and getting rid of the blueprints but... things change”

Danny puts it in the middle of Vlad’s upper back, “I’m sure you’re dying to know what it does. Well, it’s the Fenton Ghost Core Crusher. A bit of a mouthful admittedly. I’m still workshopping a better name, but at the very least the purpose is obvious”

“Daniel-” Vlad is starting to sound like a parent who is realizing that their kid is about to do something dangerous and stupid. It's honestly too bad that he’s not a parent and Danny is not his kid, otherwise it might have actually had it’s intended effect.

“I would have loved to see you deal with the full aftermath and consequences of your horrible choices in life but I don’t really feel like dealing with you as a full ghost so I guess this is it, goodbye forever, it really sucked to have known you”

Vlad has a second to fully regret Deathstroke taking Daniel and not taking it as seriously as he should have and then he’s too busy feeling what must be a supernova and a blackhole manifesting in his chest at the same time somehow.

After that he hears, or perhaps he just feels… a sickening crack and everything fades away.

—✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*---*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—

There is a corpse at Danny’s feet. It’s Vlad, fully dead, the not coming back kind.

Danny figured he’d feel different, there is some vindication, and the slight satisfaction of a death avenged, but other than that he just feels rather empty, and kind of tired.

Danny doesn’t realize he’s getting a little lost in his head until Slade’s voice cuts through his mental spiral and snaps him out of it.

“Memento, time to move” 

“right”

A part of Danny wants to stay, be found. As he goes invisible and floats right through the ceiling he takes some time to fantasize about it. Would it be a bat? or perhaps one of the security guards checking the rooms, maybe it would even be one of the attendees, they would probably scream once they noticed Vlad on the ground. A security guard would be smarter about the situation, but not by much.

A bat would probably attack him once they realized Vlad was already dead.

Later on they would put a little addendum in their rogue list at Deathstroke’s name, a little side file that’s just for Danny, affiliated with Slade Wilson, name; ???, gender; male, age; somewhere between 14 and 18, threat level; capable of killing people, something like that.

A few buildings away Danny catches up with Slade on the roof.

“Did you have fun? did you get it all out of your system?” Slade folds his arms over his chest.

Danny just growls at him.

“In that case it’s time to move on” The man is already turning away.

Well, Danny can agree on that, so he follows Deathstroke away from the mess he caused at the gala and away from his mother and sister.

And here is my idea for a Deathstroke affiliated Danny

[tossawary]

Thinking about missed opportunities in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy again: it's weird with hindsight that Count Dooku doesn't appear in "The Phantom Menace".

Dooku was a Jedi, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to be at either the Jedi Temple or the Republic Senate when we visit Coruscant in TPM. It would have been easy to move a few things around and include him even as a member of the Jedi Council when initially constructing the films, if you were planning ahead when writing.

As Qui-Gon's former master, Dooku is in the perfect position to ask questions onscreen about Qui-Gon's conviction that he's found the Chosen One and Qui-Gon's decision to put Obi-Wan up for knighthood, both publicly with the Council and privately from a more personal standpoint. Dooku could be used as a tool of interrogation to better lay clear for the audience some of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin's characters, their motivations and fears and their potential flaws. An intimate conversation with his master's master could definitely be used to give Obi-Wan some much-needed character focus and interiority before his climatic fight with Darth Maul.

As the future leader of the Separatists, this is also the ideal point in time to have Dooku act as a voice of criticism, someone who laments both the greed of the Trade Federation and the inaction of the Republic. Dooku could have easily been the representative of the Jedi in the Senate, watching everything, offering grandfatherly sympathy to Padmé Amidala, remarking on the effectiveness of unrestrained power, perhaps even making a warning observation of the dangers of that as Palpatine becomes the new Chancellor. We don't have to see Palpatine and Dooku interact directly, the film could even suggest that Dooku finds this ambitious politician slightly distasteful, but it sets up an explanation for how these two might know each other.

And if we have reason to know and like Master Dooku, then it would actually hurt more when he becomes Count Dooku and betrays both the Jedi Order and the Republic. Even briefly, we could have seen him show frustrated affection and concern for Qui-Gon, give warm advice and praise to Obi-Wan, stand up firmly against the unfairness of the Jedi Council saying Anakin is too old at nine years old. We could have seen Dooku support Padmé in her struggles to make the corrupt Republic take action. We could have seen him as dignified and wise, perhaps one of the only members of the Jedi Council to immediately take the return of the Sith 100% seriously after Maul appears on Tatooine. We could have been made to feel like this experienced, slightly embittered, but righteous older man was the only one "speaking the truth" here.

It really wouldn't have taken all that much shuffling and reassignment plotwise to add him in as a supporting character.

We would feel intrigued at the beginning of "Attack of Clones" when we learn that Count Dooku has left the Jedi Order after Qui-Gon's death. We could see Anakin and Obi-Wan briefly exchange lines about how they miss Master Dooku as well as Qui-Gon (there is already an exchange in the films where they state they miss Qui-Gon), and how they haven't seen or heard from him in some time now. Anakin could suggest that Dooku is hunting down the Sith Master; Obi-Wan could counter with how Master Dooku has simply returned to his life on Serenno, which he couldn't have as a Jedi Master, which Anakin casually calls unfair and he suggests that Dooku can do far greater good as a powerful count (a parallel to Anakin's marriage to Padmé and own Fall). Dooku being established earlier in the trilogy would better highlight how he and Obi-Wan went completely separate directions after Qui-Gon's death.

And again, the reveal that Dooku has Fallen would hurt so much more, if we had actually seen him be affectionate and righteous and wise. If we had any point of comparison for how Dooku's embittered desire for peace and justice has been warped into the pursuit of control and tyranny. It would hurt to see that formerly good man sentence Padmé to death as "just politics, my dear".

"This will start a war!" Padmé tells the man who helped her help her people once.

"I know," Dooku replies, with ominous satisfaction.

It would hurt to see Obi-Wan beg Dooku to stop this (a prelude to him begging Anakin in the next movie: "Anakin, please, I cannot lose you too!"), only for Dooku to attack and nearly kill him when Obi-Wan refuses to join him. It would hurt to see this grandfatherly figure cut off Anakin's hand, someone he knew and was kind to as a child. Seeing where Dooku fell from would also make everything about his fight with Yoda hurt more as well. We wouldn't have seen Dooku's struggles directly, offscreen in the time skip between TPM and AOTC, but this Fall would help prepare us for witnessing Anakin's Fall onscreen in "Revenge of the Sith", illustrate for us how power and grief corrupts, how the desire to take complete control and "start over" corrupts.

And all of this would also make Dooku's death in ROTS hurt more: to see Anakin execute an unarmed, injured man who had once been kind to him, who had once had good intentions a long, long time ago. We could have even had Dooku perhaps try to warn Anakin about Sidious, as the fear cuts through him as he realizes Sidious has betrayed him, only for Anakin to kill Dooku out of anger (Dooku is responsible for so much death, Palpatine reminds Anakin) just before the ruined man can finish speaking. Dooku's former goodness underlines Anakin's arrogance in thinking that his own fate will be any different.

The novelizations of the prequel films and other extended universe materials build up an image of Dooku's life as a Jedi and his Fall for us. We can assume and imagine a lot. We can retroactively apply knowledge gleaned from "The Clone Wars" with Dooku as a major villain. But ultimately, Dooku as a more sympathetic and emotionally relevant character is just not in the films.

When "Attack of the Clones" reveals to us: "Oh, no! Dooku has betrayed the Jedi Order and the Republic!" I think that most of the audience is like: "Gonna be real with you, chief, I have no idea who that is."

He's only been mentioned before once maybe? In Palpatine's office? Master Mundi assures Palpatine that Dooku is a good man (or something like that), but we have seen no evidence of this ourselves. This line mostly just becomes really funny on a rewatch, rather than poignant, because the prequel films audience only ever gets to see Count Dooku as a Sith Lord and rather underdeveloped villain. We don't ever get to see him be a "good guy" first. We're told but not shown.

The audience has no solid reason to care that Dooku specifically has betrayed the Order, as opposed to any random Jedi, because we haven't seen him before at all, much less interacting with any of our protagonists or establishing himself as an opinionated player within the story. Which is a shame! Because he has strong opinions that stand in interesting ideological conflict with so many other characters, generating fun and dramatic exchanges! He has direct connections to and parallels with other characters! He's potentially a really useful storytelling tool within these films, and his character just doesn't get used to that full tragic potential.

In conclusion...? I wish I'd actually been sad when Dooku betrayed everyone and died at Anakin's hand, instead of mostly just confused and then vaguely pitying. I want to see some of the love between characters beforehand, so that it hurts more effectively when that love turns to hate.

[emo-nova]

Jedi?

A tragedy that I will forever think about for a very long time.

If we completely disregard everything Palp says, and look at what Jedi do and say and even some of Anakin's line in AOTC about how they operate. You see that their unconditional love of life and balance is that of very mindful people.

Such as the idea of not acting in anger or ill will is something as someone of faith struggles with at times because emotions are messy and never going to be fully conculsive. But the Jedi are about doing what you can to deal with your actions, Jedi doubt but they still want to learn so they can make sure that they understand all sides. Take the scene of Phantom Menace where the Council are doubtful of Jinn's claim before meeting Anakin but still give him a chance as to explain and see for themselves as to make the correct judgement.

It may appear harsh to a child, but as an adult, you can see that they want to make sure that Anakin can have the best outcome given the circumstance that the Council is privy to. The Council ask Anakin how he feels, and Anakin takes this as an attack on his person because he was raised to keep everything appearing fine as to not be caught by his master. His anger at the question and his attempts to hide his emotions is what worries the Council. As a child, I viewed this scene as adults not being fair. But as an adult with more context, I can say they were seeing if Anakin would fair well with them.

The Jedi are aware of their emotions and frequently make sure to feel them, process them and then let them ease. Fear, anger and hate are not avoidable but they can be managed if you understand that acting within them does not help you. Anakin unable to vocal his problems with fear is shown in how he lashes out in anger to not be pressed on it. As a Jedi, as a teacher or mediator being heavily part of their culture, his inability to manage it or vocalise it is a concerning trait that they are unsure will be fixed with time with them.

The Jedi can help better those who want it rather than help someone who refuses they need it. This is something I see a lot in the prequels, and in the OG, they are always ready to help. Their help, in fact, instilled hope in the foundations of the Rebellion. The politicians, Bail, Mon Mothma, Riyo Chuchi to name a few, understood that the Jedi were figures and individuals that aided those.

You see it in the OG Star Wars Film, Episode 4, that the Rebel meeting ends with "May the Force be with you" a very Jedi farewell. It in fact made me cry when I rewatched the film, as you could see on my blog. But you can see it in the symbols of the Rebels being a reconfigured Jedi Symbol, the wings and the star moved up.

In the end, the action of taking in Anakin. Obi-wan's act of duty to master and child, something that could be easily disallowed by the Council but they allowed it. Backfired on them. They taught this child, then teenager then man, that they are encouraged to love, unconditionally to those that could labour ill will to them. They died by a betrayal that stung so deep. Not just because Anakin was the Chosen One. But because that was their friend, classmate, possible tutor and helped around.

The children saw him and saw safety. But he killed them. Those children in a similar position to him as a child, before an adult asking for direction and only be met with a gruesome end.

The tragedy of the Jedi is that their kindness and their way, of going down with their principles was their downfall. They tried to help the clones by not resisting the draft as to make sure the clones weren't subjected to unfair Admirals, they tried to make sure that they could help the planets they were stationed on as much as they could in their stay, they tried to keep eachother up when there was so much death. It was all difficult and a few slipped through the cracks because they couldn't be everywhere at once. And the amount of Jedi dying was happening at such a high number that the council wasn't the same number it was at the beginning of Phantom Menace. And that as before Order 66.

In the end, the Galaxy lost the Jedi Order and the Jedi Order died the way they lived. Hopeful and trusting. After it all, the rebellion had some Jedi around, such as Ahsoka, Kannan, and Erza, doing what the Jedi before them did. Helping those who needed it.

I haven't watched Andor but I've seen a few talk about the lack of Jedi showed how much the Galaxy needed the Jedi. So I will leave that comment at that.

But my god, I love the Jedi.

[mediumgayitalian]

When Cecil was little, peppermint meant coming in from the cold.

It meant warmth, it meant hot chocolate, it meant his mother was home early. He liked peppermint. He liked it especially in the candy canes he would lift around Christmas, slipped into his coatsleeves at a busy department store, devoured on the bus home as his mother snorted at him.

"I'm pretty sure they arrest thieving seven-year-olds here, you know. We don't have money for bail. You're staying there."

Peppermint was fine. He didn't think of it often.

On a Tuesday in July, when he was nine -- he remembers because Tuesday was when the camp store used to restock -- he hopped up the rickety steps of the brightest cabin in camp, picked up the three packages of candy that had fallen out of his bulging pockets, and knocked on the door.

"Will?" he called, peering through the darkened screen. "Are you here? You weren't at our spot."

Cecil does not actually remember how long it took for someone to come to the door. He remembers it took some time, because taking any time at all was unusually. He didn't usually have to knock. Even now, it is odd for the Apollo cabin door to be shut, especially in the daylight hours.

Eventually, there were footsteps. A tall, barefoot woman stepped out, swinging the creaky door closed gently behind her. A wave a peppermint followed her out, making Cecil's eyes water.

"Cecil," she said, smiling warmly. "Hey, kiddo."

Cecil rocked on his heels. "Hey, Cass." He glanced around her. "Where's Will."

"Oh. Um..." Cass turned back to face the door, biting her lip. In her silence, Cecil heard faint crying. "Come sit with me a second, okay?"

The oldest Apollo daughter sat delicately on the top porch step, tucking her long hair out from under her thighs. She patted the spot next to her, and after a moment -- staring at the door, straining to hear -- Cecil sat.

"Will," she said, after a moment, "is...sick."

Cecil frowned. "I thought you guys didn't get sick."

"We don't. Kind of."

Cecil waited. Cass didn't notice, looking out onto the common. He worried at her lower lip, fingers wrapping around her hair.

"He's not that kind of sick."

"What kind of sick?"

"You ever had a headache?"

"Yeah."

Cass traced a line in the woodgrain beneath them. "It's like that. A little."

"Well, can't you heal it? We're supposed to go in the woods today. Luke said he'll teach us how to trap a myrmeke."

"That's...no you're not. Tell him I said you two are absolutely not allowed to do that."

Cecil crossed his fingers. "Uh-huh. Can he come play soon?"

"...No, Cecil. He'll be sick for a while." She turned to face him, resting her chin on her hands. She smiled, slightly, but her dark eyes were round and wet. "Will gets something called migraines. It's like...um, imagine you're in the ampitheatre, doing sword practice. And then suddenly, boom! You're by yourself! And you're surrounded by monsters, but they're invisible. What are you going to do?"

Cecil pondered. That was a new one. Usually he imagined he's being attacked by Connor and Travis who have been cloned a million times and turned evil.

"Uh...start swinging?"

Cass smiled. "Right. Would make a pretty big mess of the ampitheatre, huh?"

"Probably."

"A little chaotic?"

"Duh."

"Hm." A cry came from the cabin again. That time, it was loud enough for both of them to hear it, even through the soundproofed walls. Cecil's stomach turned. "Sometimes, Will's brain thinks there's something wrong with it. But it doesn't know what. So it starts thrashing around, trying to get rid of whatever's hurting him, but it just kind of...makes things worse."

"So...his brain hurts?"

"Yes. It hurts so much that it makes his stomach hurt, and his skin, and even the lights hurt him a little."

The weird feeling in Cecil's stomach got worse. He turned toward the door, waiting, and after a few minutes, there was another cry, small and sad and hurt, like the one time he was walking home from school with his mom and they passed a puppy that had been left all by itself in an alley, barking for its mama. Cecil had cried the whole way home. He turned back to Cass, eyes burning.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Cass reached over and slid a hand over his shoulder, pulling him into her side. He stayed there, for a minute, hiding in her soft t-shirt. "It sucks, kiddo. I wish he could come play."

"When will he be better?"

Cecil pulled away, swiping quickly at his eyes. Cass let him, watching with soft eyes.

"Tomorrow morning, probably. Lee made him a salve with peppermint oil, and sometimes that helps. If he can sleep it off he might even be better by dinner." Cass glanced back at the screen. "I doubt it, though. This one is a bad one. You come by tomorrow morning though, okay? Bright and early. I'll tell Luke we need your help, he'll let you off your chores."

Cecil brightened. "Really? Can you tell him to give them to Connor instead?"

Cass snorted. "Don't push it, kid."

"Okay, okay." Cecil stood at her gentle push, climbing down the stairs and lingering on the crunchy grass. He fiddled under her raised eyebrows, reaching into his pockets. "Um, can you give him these? For when his stomach stops hurting."

He tossed up a pink package. Cass caught it, turning it over to read the label. She smiled.

"You steal these?"

"Yes."

"Nice." She tucked the Twizzlers in her pocket, grinning. "I won't tell, but Michael is still mad that you stole his comic books last week, si you better get lost before he sees 'cause he'll snitch. Bye, Cecil."

Cecil remembered the rage in Michael's eye and stepped quickly backwards.

"Bye, Cass."

She turned back up the stairs. The smell of peppermint was stronger.

It smelled a little less warm, this time.

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