laughhardrunfastbekindsblog

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This is the first time a story of mine has ever been mentioned as inspiration for fan art and I am, like, over the moon right now...

Especially since this art is GORGEOUS!!!!!! 😍😍😍

@summer-of-bad-batch Prompt: Bioluminescence

Inspired by this story by @laughhardrunfastbekindsblog

Banner by @totallywizard07

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Well, the past few months have been a struggle for multiple reasons, it has been SO hard to write, and frankly for the past few weeks I've been two seconds away from just straight up shelving this clone rebellion fic and relegating it to the "do not share" pile.

...And then I wrote the final scene today, and it made me, like, giddy happy, and now I can't wait to share it!

So I'm really hoping this writer's high feeling will last me through the editing stage 😂

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Randomly thinking about what Phee's reaction would have been upon finding out Tech not only entered a riot race, but won.

(Adding to my list of fic ideas that is growing alarmingly long...)

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How I interpret Kanan/Hera's relationship throughout Rebels:

✨ Kanan and Hera had said "I love you" to each other long before we meet them in season 1 (come on, Hera called him "love" multiple times!)

✨ Related to the above, Kanan and Hera were 100% a couple through the entire show. Their relationship shifted a little bit in late season 2/early season 3 because no one knew how long Kanan and Ezra would be gone (if they'd ever come back) and then Kanan had to deal with the fact that he was blind, but they were always a couple.

✨ The stuff in season 4 was them squabbling because Hera was prioritizing the Rebellion over everything else. Kanan wasn't in full agreement with that and wanted to know if she was even considering some kind of eventual future where they didn't have to be full-time resistance fighters. They were all busy and often separated and that put a strain on their relationship, but they still loved each other (obviously).

✨ Hera's "I have to tell you something" was her trying to tell Kanan she was pregnant.

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Poor Rex, Google over here aging him by about 40 years.

(For context: my google search was "how old is rex in season 3 bad batch," just to triple check my facts for a fic I'm writing)

Don't trust everything you read on the Internet, kids! 😂

(I mean, maybe google thought I was referring to the epilogue? Still, I didn't ask about the end of season 3, I asked IN season 3... 🤔)

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Oh hey so I'm not the only writer who is like this!

(But also I am so, so sorry to every other writer who is like this - I feel your pain 😩)

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I suppose I should have clarified from the start: I am approaching this conversation primarily from the perspective of "what choices would have repaired Mon and Leida's relationship?" That's where I don't think Mon had any good options. Leida was at a point where she was being stubborn, spiteful, and contrary no matter what Mon did, and that phase can last well into adulthood. And therein lies the tragedy for me: regardless of the parenting choices Mon made in that period of time, Leida likely would still have hated her for it.

Would I, as a parent, have let Leida get married? Nope. But I would also have gone into that decision knowing full well Leida would very likely hate me for years, because in my experience it usually takes not just time/age, but also a drastic event for anyone who is that disgusted with their parent to develop enough self-reflection to realize "hey, maybe Mom did that because she was trying to be a good parent."

And the thing is, we do have Mon's perspective on this. We know she loves Leida. YES, Leida's feelings DO matter - which is precisely why Mon has such a hard time with this decision, because Leida's feelings dictate that she should be allowed to follow tradition. We know Mon's trying to figure out whether being a "good parent" means letting Leida make her own decisions or put her foot down (and, remember, Mon is coming from a background/perspective where teenagers are practically considered adults - Mon was married and was a senator by the time she was 16, and she's only one short generation removed from her daughter. Perrin might not have been happy with tradition, either; but Leida had quite a few friends in her Chandrilan Tradition 101 class, and snippets of other conversations indicate that turning away from arranged marriage is still the exception rather than the norm. So while our modern sensibilities scream "they're just kids!" that's unfortunately not the mindset their world/culture is operating under. And it's not just Chandrila with such customs, remember Naboo had teenage queens). We know Mon hates parts of Chandrilan custom, but if it's what Leida wants to do and it's what everyone else has been doing for ages then does Mon really have the right to stop her (yes of course she does, but this is the question Mon is facing)? We know Mon made that decision to also benefit the Rebellion, but we also know Mon would have refused the deal outright if it didn't align with Leida's own indicated interests/feelings on the matter; and I think we can also very comfortably assume that if Leida had shown the slightest hint of hesitation anytime previous to the night before her wedding, Mon's last-minute conversation with her about postponing everything wouldn't have been so last-minute, Rebellion or not.

And just to be clear: I don't hate Leida at all. She's a teenager and is acting out like some teenagers do (I refuse to say she's acting like "a typical teenager" because there are plenty of teenagers I've met who are more levelheaded and mature than some adults I know), which can be annoying but certainly doesn't deserve vitriol. And I sympathize with the fact that Leida thought everything Mon was trying to do for her was only for Mon's image. But I also have to appreciate that Mon was literally in an impossible situation, and if she hadn't let Leida get married it's very likely their relationship still wouldn't have improved, and Leida (and others in their culture) likely would have considered Mon a "terrible mother" for it anyway.

Because we see just enough of Leida to assume that her reaction to learning about Mon's involvement with the Rebellion would be her feeling outraged and betrayed, rather than assuming she'd take a step back and realize "I was the one telling my parents for years that I wanted this."

And yes, that is a tragedy.

(Oh but yeah, I don't share sympathy with Syril at all. Or Dedra, for that matter. Leida doesn't even fall into the same category as them.)

Thank you again for letting us have this discussion, by the way! ☺️

Leida Mothma is just as tragic as her mother. Imagine resenting your mother so much that you agree to a marriage at 14. Only to find out years later that your mother orchestrated the whole thing to fund a rebellion against the Empire.

Said mother is also complicit in the murder of her own childhood friend during YOUR WEDDING.

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I've heard this before and it never ceases to make me giggle.

Though I will say, knowing what Cassian's and K2's relationship is like (especially after Andor season 2), I almost feel like Cassian trying not to laugh here is very much in character for him!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dir. Gareth Edwards | 2016

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Working in a hospital gives me lots of opportunities to ponder what kind of patient I'd be in certain situations.

For example, if I develop dementia when I'm older, how will I behave?

I really like to think I'll be a pleasantly confused old lady who can't remember anything but is super sweet and great to be around, you know?

But on days like today I realize - no, given my current penchant for repression for the sake of being non-confrontational, I'm definitely going to end up being one of those angry combative ladies with no filter.

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Hope it's okay for me to continue the discussion! I like hearing other viewpoints, and while I may not agree I do understand this perspective!

I think we both agree that kids/teenagers can be stupid, and Leida falls into this category.

I just don't see any hint that Leida is actually starved for love and attention - after all, she actively pushes away all Mon's attempts at giving her attention. Given this, what I see is a teenager who, likely due to hormones and a still-developing prefrontal cortex, has decided whatever her mother does is wrong/embarrassing, so she's going to do the opposite. Having a father who is present in the way she likes by apparently letting her do whatever she wants doesn't exactly help the situation.

I'm sure Leida does think Mon doesn't love her because Mon doesn't agree with her in some things; but that doesn't mean her perception is accurate. Parents are, indeed, meant to guide; but guidance can only go so far when a child refuses to be guided. Case in point: if Mon DID decide to put her foot down and go against normal Chandrilan culture and not let Leida get married until she's older, how would Leida react? Do we really think she'd eventually come to realize "Oh, my mom's doing this because she loves me and wants to be a good parent"? Or would Leida be thinking "Look at my AWFUL MOTHER who doesn't think I'm mature enough to get married even though ALL my other friends are getting married right now! She doesn't love me. She doesn't trust me." And if she thought the latter, how would she lash out? Would she elope? Would Perrin override Mon? What other consequences would occur?

And, at the end of the day, Leida's and Mon's relationship would still be fractured. As I said before, it's a lose-lose situation.

Is their story tragic? YES. But Leida bears at least some level of responsibility for their relationship being the way it was. And I don't think we can justifiably call Mon a "terrible mother" when the only snippet of her/Leida's relationship we see is when Leida is acting out the way she is.

Leida Mothma is just as tragic as her mother. Imagine resenting your mother so much that you agree to a marriage at 14. Only to find out years later that your mother orchestrated the whole thing to fund a rebellion against the Empire.

Said mother is also complicit in the murder of her own childhood friend during YOUR WEDDING.

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In love with anything and everything TechLives, by default 😍

But also, those Hello Tooka pajamas have got me CACKLING so hard right now... 😂😂😂 (Also I want some where can I find some??)

This is the blog where Tech is alive, in case anyone hasn't noticed

@lonewolflupe @eclec-tech @eobe

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I find Leida to be tragic in a different way: tragic purely due to her own stupidity.

Remember, the only, and I mean the only, reason why Mon "orchestrated" the wedding was because Leida was insistent upon following Chandrilan tradition (Sculden and Mon agreed only to a meeting; the fact that a marriage came out of it indicates to me that Leida, at least, jumped at furthering the opportunity). Mon was quite literally in a lose-lose situation: either she puts her foot down and refuses to let Leida follow tradition so Leida hates her for it; or she gives in and lets Leida follow tradition knowing Leida will... very likely end up hating her for it.

The fact that Mon decided to use Leida's own bullheaded spite in a way that actually benefitted the galaxy - call me mean and awful and unsympathetic, because I probably am, but I am 100% in Mon's corner on how she handled the arranged marriage.

Leida Mothma is just as tragic as her mother. Imagine resenting your mother so much that you agree to a marriage at 14. Only to find out years later that your mother orchestrated the whole thing to fund a rebellion against the Empire.

Said mother is also complicit in the murder of her own childhood friend during YOUR WEDDING.

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Writing out a scene involving a villain being super demeaning to the clones makes me want to gather all my fine clone men together and give them a big hug, because they just don't deserve to be treated like that 😭

Which I realize is a really strange response for me to have, given that I am the one writing the scene of someone being super demeaning to them.

... Wait, am I the villain???

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... Feeling so called out right now...

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I kinda agree with this.

Like, personally I always just straight up hated Hemlock, even in season 2. His characterization seemed pretty consistent to me between seasons 2 and 3. I always read him as ruthless - his conversation with Omega regarding Batcher/Crosshair in the season 3 opener and his actions throughout season 3 indicate to me that never changed. I always read him as arrogant - him covering up Omega/Crosshair's escape and apparently covering up his efforts to retrieve them tracked with the bad blood between him and Tarkin. I also read him as wanna-be cunning in that he has some good ideas/theories but he often needs someone smarter than him to actually carry things out (hence why he apparently ended up destroying an entire lab with an out-of-control project before moving to Tantiss, then needed Nala Se, then needed a way to blackmail Nala Se, etc and so forth). Most of the inconsistencies seem to come down to dropped plot points rather than Hemlock himself being straight up stupid (like all the CX assassins somehow disappearing from the plot after CX2 is put into play).

But I DO very much agree that he could have been a lot more chilling and scarier - like, Palpatine-level scary - rather than the annoyingly sadistic dude I despise.

Personally I'm not bothered by the fact that he isn't characterized differently; but I certainly can't argue with those who are!

I’m doing le research and yet again do I absolutely hate how dirty the writers of tbb did Hemlock. And not in a ‘he deserved better’ sort of way, like with Tech, but in a ‘you should’ve made that man absolutely terrifying’ kind of way. He had the creep factor in s2 but s3 Hemlock felt so generic to me, like any other Imperial but with a softer voice. He should’ve been a force to be reckoned with, an utterly horrifying figure that scared even the audience. He should’ve been cunning, unpredictable, and ruthless. I feel like that’s what we were promised but never received and the potential was limitless

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Do any other writers find themselves going through the "oh this is great I love writing // oh my gosh this is awful no one let me near a keyboard ever again" cycle every two minutes on repeat for hours at a time when they're trying to write? Or is it just me?

Alternatively, does anyone else experience the "I love this so much I can't wait to share it // no one else will like this so I'm writing for my own enjoyment and that's enough right???" cycle on a daily basis?

In other words: am I normal? (Don't answer that.)

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If I were ever to find myself in a situation that might lead to meeting the Doctor...

◾How I like to think I'd be reacting:

^Martha Jones, concerned but still levelheaded and clever and curious and kind and brave

◾How I'd probably be reacting:

^Julia Swales, who to her credit does stop panicking eventually and is later shown helping the patients out as best she can