#echo is doing his best

[waywardsou2]

Summer of Bad Batch

Bonus prompt: Can you braid my hair

I cannot do background, however I have been on a roll recently and I am very happy with how these turned out.

I showed my dad the art and he laughed saying that he found it funny that they Bad Batch boys were braiding their hair...clearly, he did not see the chivalry and caring nature of these boys.

I love these boys

[nerfpuncher]

Echo: My toxic trait is telling people to take care of themselves while I'm running on three hours of sleep, enough caffeine to kill a bantha, and a single Oreo.

[stardustandash]

Through Darkness Unknown - The Bad Batch

Tags: Post s2, hurt/comfort, whump, medical procedures

Chapter 4 - Recovery

“I feel bad too, y’know. So does Echo. It was my fault Tech fell. I couldn’t hold onto the rail car. It’s my job to be the strong one, and I couldn’t hold on. Echo brought us the intel that spurred us into the mission. You can blame us, but don’t blame yourself. You’re the one who wanted to stay on Pabu.”

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The Marauder had never been so quiet in the years that Hunter had lived on it. Between his brothers, Gonky, and for the last year, Omega, it had always been full of life and the sounds of his family. Now it was silent. He stood in the cockpit as he had many times before yet never had he felt like this. One hand gripped the back of the pilors’s chair, Tech’s chair. He may be the Sargent of his squad, the leader, but Tech was their pilot, their brains, and the Marauder would not be the same without him. It was part of the reason they were saying goodbye. The other, more practical reason, was that it was definitely flagged when they escaped Ord Mantell. To Hunter it felt like a betrayal to leave the Marauder behind.

Wrecker had come through earlier and removed their few personal possessions to Echo’s ship. They had all pretended he wasn’t crying when it came time to take down Omega’s things, and no one had stopped him when he moved Tech’s stuff over as well. They had emptied the Marauder of everything but the memories, and now it was time to leave it behind. At least Phee had offered to hide it on Pabu for them, if they ever wanted to come back for it. She’d almost managed a smile as she joked that it was just another relic she could return to the proper people in time.

The loss of Tech and Omega had caused a rift between the remaining members of the bad batch and the friends they had made on Pabu. Or maybe it was that the three of them had pulled away. Both parties knew the batch would not stay now, not with Omega in the hands of the Empire, and it was easier to break a thinner bond.

With a sigh Hunter let go of the chair and made his way off the Marauder for what might have been the last time. Echo and Wrecker were waiting by the hatch of Echo’s ship in silence. None of them had been overly chatty in the few days since losing Tech and Omega. The landing pad was otherwise deserted. They’d said their goodbyes already and no one wanted to draw them out, least of all Hunter. Every second here was a second they weren’t hunting down the Advanced Science Division’s location, where he had no doubt Omega, and Crosshair, were being held.

The three of them made their way onto the ship, Echo going to the pilot’s seat, Wrecker to the back where the cramped bunks and living quarters lay. AZ and Gonky were nowhere in sight, both droids probably laying low themselves in the aftermath though Hunter could hear the whirring of their components echoing faintly off the hull of the ship. Without knowing what to do with himself Hunter eventually found a seat in the cockpit at the comms station. He set his jaw in a hard line when the quiet sounds of Wrecker crying reached his sensitive ears.

“Rex said he had intel on another prison transfer,” said Echo once they were in hyperspace.

Hunter perked up, looking over at Echo. He was staring out the viewport with a look on his face that Hunter only associated with serious missions. The sort of expression that said he was ready to take on anything to get the job done.

“That where we’re going then?” asked Hunter. “To intercept?”

“Not quite. Gotta stop on Coruscant first, pick up more of a team,” said Echo. “We’re in no shape to do a mission right now.”

Hunter bristled. “What are you implying?”

Echo gave him one of his patented exasperated glances.

“I’m just saying, are any of us okay right now? I don’t have to have enhanced hearing to know Wrecker is crying back there, just like I know you’re about thirty seconds away from either yelling at me or breaking down yourself. Our heads aren’t in it, and they have to be if we’re going to get them back,” said Echo sadly.

“You’re right,” said Hunter after a long moment. “Kriff, you should just take over. You’d do a better job at leading what’s left of us.”

“Don’t say that,” said Echo sharply. “Everything that’s happened has been out of our control. There’s nothing to say the Empire wouldn’t have found you on Pabu and destroyed it just to get to Omega.”

“You know, you could really work on the pep talks, Echo.”

“Shut it, Hunter, you know I’m right.”

Hunter just looked down at the comms panel. “How much longer until we get to Coruscant?”

“A good few hours. Enough time for some rest. We all need it.”

Hunter nodded and left the cockpit. He could take a hint when Echo smacked him across the face with it. He paused outside the door that led to the few bunks and took a deep breath.

Wrecker was sitting on one of the three bottom bunks, Lula cradled delicately in his giant hands. The neck brace had come off the day before and now he could curl in on himself even more than he had in days before.

“Echo says Rex has a lead on a prison transport,” said Hunter. He’d never really been good at the emotional stuff with his brothers. Omega had drawn that out of him, but it felt awkward with them.

Wrecker hiccupped and scrubbed at his eyes. He looked up at Hunter with a faint attempt at his usual reckless grin.

“We gonna kick some Imperial ass?” he asked, voice rougher than usual. “I gotta say, I’ve some grenades I need to hand to a particular mad scientist.”

Hunter chuckled. Or attempted it anyway. “Not yet, but soon. We’re meeting Rex first, gathering more firepower, then we’ll take on the Empire.”

“Good. I can’t sit here all day crying,” said Wrecker before he sniffled again.

Hunter clapped him on the shoulder before dropping onto the bunk opposite Wrecker. He may as well try and get some sleep before they land. Or at least give Echo his space and Wrecker some company.

The hours ticked by without note. Hunter didn’t sleep, but both Wrecker and Echo at least attempted to get some shut eye in. Good. He needed them both to be at their best if they were going to attack a transport. By the time they landed in Coruscant the dark circles beneath their eyes were looking a little smaller and lighter. The sight of the two of them looking more refreshed soothed some of the fraying edges of Hunter’s nerves.

The sub-level hangar bay wasn’t the safest option for a safe house, but Hunter had to admit the hiding in plain sight approach was likely the best way to survive on Coruscant. It was big enough to hold three mid-size ships and Echo’s fit perfectly into an awaiting space. Rex was waiting for them as they exited the ship. He gave Echo a quick supportive hand on the shoulder before turning to address the group.

“Hello boys,” said Rex, his tone sombre. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too, Captain. Wish it was under better circumstances,” said Hunter. He’d let Echo handle the comm to tell Rex what happened with Tech and Omega. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep himself strong for the call and had gladly relinquished that responsibility.

Rex looked them all over, a furrow forming between his brows. “You sure you’re up for some action? I can take some of my boys and give you all a chance to make a plan.”

“Respectfully, Sir, we’d need the information from the transport to make a plan,” said Hunter.

“Kriff that, we’re coming,” said Wrecker at the same time, his voice booming over Hunter’s.

Rex gave them a tight smile. “I had a feeling you’d say that. We will ship off tomorrow. Tonight is for going over the plan and resting up, you look like you need it.”

Hunter nodded in agreement even though the thought of waiting even another hour rankled him. They needed to get to Omega. Who knows what that doctor had planned for her. From what little information they had on the Advanced Science Division he knew it was nothing good.

Echo looked between them and Rex. Knowing what he wanted, Hunter put a hand on Wrecker and turned them both towards the main part of the hanger. Let Echo have a moment to talk with his friend and former captain, there were enough ghosts already haunting him and Hunter knew Rex was the best person to hear out Echo’s sorrows.

Hunter let Wrecker find them a spot to sit in the hanger and let his brother try and talk about what weapons he’d seen the other clones with and which ones he recognized in the crowd. Hunter couldn’t care less about either but it was nice to have something to focus on to drown out the sounds of the hangar. He took out his knife, spinning it through his fingers absently. With every twirl he imagined what it would be like to sink the blade into the doctor. Maybe it would be his chest. Maybe his back. Maybe his neck. It didn’t matter. The man would die for Omega, for Tech, even for Crosshair, and Hunter would be the one to end him.

“Uhh, Hunter? You hear anything I’ve been saying?” Wrecker’s voice cut through Hunter’s thoughts.

Hunter shot him a look and Wrecker’s shoulders slumped. The bigger man rested his elbows on his knees and stared at his hands.

“I feel bad too, y’know. So does Echo. It was my fault Tech fell. I couldn’t hold onto the rail car. It’s my job to be the strong one, and I couldn’t hold on. Echo brought us the intel that spurred us into the mission. You can blame us, but don’t blame yourself. You’re the one who wanted to stay on Pabu,” said Wrecker sadly. Hunter got the feeling he probably missed something important.

“Who said I blamed myself?” growled Hunter. He did, he absolutely did, but the fact that everything was his fault wasn’t going to change that it happened.

Wrecker threw up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just saying, its okay to not be okay.”

“No, I’m not okay,” said Hunter. “And I won’t be until we get her back.”

“Me either,” agreed Wrecker.

The rest of what passed for night in the lit up hangar bay was quiet. Wrecker was restless and left Hunter to his brooding partway through, no doubt to go engage Gregor in an arm wrestle or find Gonky to do some lifting. Clones came and went, only a few actually staying in the hangar bay. All of it registered in the periphery of Hunter’s senses but he didn’t care enough to tune into anything happening around him.

When morning finally came Rex called his team together for going over the plan. Echo stood next to him proudly. Hunter had no doubt he’d been part of the planning process. Guilt swam within him. He should have been helping plan their attack, but instead he’d been wallowing in self-pity. Hunter pulled his shoulders back and stood a little straighter. He if he couldn’t be part of the plan he’d be damned if he didn’t pull it off perfectly. Clone Force 99 had never failed a mission for the Republic, and this mission was far more important than any of those.

He desperately tried to ignore the part of his mind that whispered that they hadn’t truly succeeded a mission since the Republic fell. Since they lost Crosshair to the Empire. Since meeting Omega.

“We’re going to use the electric pulses to shut down the transport. We’ll only have a window of about five minutes before the back up power completely restores the systems to board and get in position. Hunter, Echo, you two will head to the bridge. Echo, you’ll slice into the computer and get the ship logs and any data you can off of them,” said Rex. He was in his element, shoulders straight and helmet held under his arm.

“Yes Sir,” said Echo.

“Wrecker, you, Fireball, and myself will rescue the prisoners. This may be a mission for information, but we are not going to leave any brother behind.”

“You got it,” said Wrecker, nudging the clone next to him and nearly knocking him out of his seat.

“Gregor, you’ll be at the helm once we’re all inside. Nemec and Tailspin will be here on standby in case either team needs backup,” finished Rex.

Gregor gave Rex a little salute before they all made their way into the ship. The mood inside as they got underway was tense. The pre-mission jitters never truly went away and to Hunter the air inside the ship practically vibrated with it. There was a focus to his brothers that Hunter hadn’t seen since the war. Gear was taken apart, cleaned, then cleaned again. Comms were monitored for any sign of Imperials that might ruin the plan. Space was tidied up and room was made in anticipation of new brothers joining them. Wrecker had moved their personals away from the rest, except for Tech’s goggles. Those he moved to the cockpit of the ship and placed them delicately on a shelf, above and out of reach of the regs. Hunter thought it was a good reminder, to see what they’d lost.

“Dropping out of Hyperspace in a twenty count, everybody get ready,” said Gregor into the ship comms with a little giggle.

Hunter slid his helmet on and joined Echo in the leech ship. He was beyond ready.

The jolt of the ship leaving hyperspace was a familiar tug behind Hunter’s stomach. Through the leech ship’s small viewport he could see the Imperial transport in the distance. They hadn’t learned from any of the previous raids Rex and his brothers had undertaken; no fighters accompanied the ship.

Gregor took them in with speed and control, no fancy flying from the commando. The electric pulses shot before the transport even had time to lock the guns onto them.

“Get ready boys, impact in five, four, three, two, one,” said Rex over the comms.

The transport rocked and went dark as the blue bolts hit. At the same time Echo disengaged the leech ship and the two of them sped towards the transport. Gregor was close behind, making for the aft airlock, closest to the prisoner cells onboard.

Echo got them to the fore airlock without incident and immediately sliced into the transport ship’s security to open the door. Hunter stood behind him, blaster at the ready. The second the door was open Hunter scrambled through it, blaster up and shooting. Of course there were the so-called Stormtroopers on board, and just Hunter’s luck they had decided to defend the path to the bridge. Beneath his helmet Hunter wore a feral grin. They might have night vision in their helmets to help them see in the dim red of the emergency light, but Hunter was Hunter, nothing could compare to him.

He charged into the fight, blasting one trooper and swinging the body into another. He slid neatly around another to shoot one that peered out behind cover before swinging back with the butt of his blaster to crack the first one across the helmet. The trooper dropped in a clatter of duraplast armour.

There was no time to breathe as several more troopers rounded the corner and started shooting. Without even thinking of getting into cover Hunter drew his vibroblade knife and launched himself into the closest trooper, digging his knife into the soft skin of the trooper’s neck and using him as a springboard to flip over another and get a headshot.

“Hunter, what are you doing,” said Echo from the doorway he was using as cover. “Get down.”

“We have to get to the cockpit before the system reboots. Come on, Echo, get moving,” shot back Hunter as he fired his blaster.

The Stormtroopers were quickly dispatched, with Hunter doing most of the dispatching. Moving, fighting, it felt good. On the battlefield, cramped as it was inside a prison transport’s corridors, he could take steps and move forward.

When they reached the cockpit Echo scomped in without Hunter needing to ask, though the look he sent Hunter even beneath the helmet was scalding.

The doors opened with a whoosh to reveal a nat-born officer in a crisp uniform who looked like he was about to piss himself, and two Stormtroopers with blasters at the ready. Hunter hadn’t bothered to take cover and shot one and then the other, but not before taking a lucky shot from the second to his shoulder.

“Hunter!”

“I’m fine, focus on the mission.”

He was fine. Though the bolt at close range had knocked him back, it hadn’t taken him off his feet. No, he had an Imperial to question first.

“Where is this transport headed?” Hunter growled lowly, bringing his blaster up with his good arm.

“I-I’m just a nobody, I promise I don’t have the information you want,” said the Imperial. He was young, still a childish roundness clinging to his face.

“Where. Is. This. Transport. Headed,” said Hunter, emphasizing every word with the barrel of his blaster. “Surely your superiors gave you coordinates.”

“I won’t tell you anything, I can’t,” said the officer.

“Hunter,” said Echo in warning.

Hunter sighed. The lights in the cockpit flickered back to life. The ships systems were back online.

“Time’s up kid,” said Hunter.

The officer’s grey eyes darted from Hunter to Echo. Behind Hunter Echo started to move, not towards the scomp link but inexplicably towards the officer.

“Don’t do it kid,” said Echo quickly, to Hunter’s confusion.

“What?” said Hunter.

At the same time a look of determination came over the kid’s face as he bit down on something. Hunter watched with a detached sort of horror as the kid fried himself and dropped, smoking slightly, to the deck.

“What the kriffing hell was that?”

“Don’t know. Last transport we intercepted the officer did the same thing,” said Echo. “Keep watch, I’m going to plug in and see what I get.”

Hunter hefted his blaster and took position by the door. Beneath his helmet he grimaced as the pain from his shoulder started to filter through his adrenaline. No other Stormtroopers came towards the cockpit. No doubt they were distracted by whatever was going on in the rest of the ship.

“How’s it going back there?” asked Hunter into the comm channel.

“Imps got a few lucky shots in, but we’ve got everyone and are heading back to the ship,” replied Rex. There was something in the relief in his voice that niggled at Hunter. He’d found a brother he was close with was Hunter’s best guess.

“Copy that, Captain. We are copying the ship’s data now, should be back to the leech to rejoin soon.”

It only took a few more minutes for the data to copy over onto Echo’s data stick and soon the two of them were making their way back to the leech ship. Once in, Echo quickly set them on a course back to the main ship, already detached and waiting.

“Ok Captain, we’re off. Wrecker, do your thing,” said Hunter into the comm channel once they were clear.

Whatever response Rex may have had it was drowned out by Wrecker’s whoop and the sound of the transport exploding behind them.

Hunter chuckled, but stopped when Echo caught his eye. There was a look of cool disapproval on Echo’s face as his eyes flickered from Hunter’s down to the blaster burn in his armour.

He was so kriffed.

Next Chapter 

[bonefall]

Anyway. Bi and Mspec Lesbians aren't a hotly "debated" topic or even new to queer culture, it's just the newest thing that bullies who REALLY want to be homophobic and even racist use to justify harassing gay people they don't like.

It's the thinnest possible veneer of progressive language wrapped around TERF and reactionary rhetoric so that they can feel righteous for forming an angry mob against vulnerable targets. If you're gullible enough to fall for the newest wave of bigotry within the queer community, and turn on your allies because they're "confusing" or "invading your spaces," the SAME way they turned on bi/pan labels, trans people, xenogenders, neopronouns, and aroace people before this, then get lost.

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Transcript:

I'd like to congratulate you on getting your CPR certification.

Now remember, when you’re going in for compressions, it should sound like somebody is standing behind you with the worlds largest Dorito and cracking it open!

Go in firm and hard and snap as many ribs as you can on the way down, that means you’re doing it right.

You save that life. Good luck.

Or... Or... Or kill them, I don’t fucking care.

Audio source

[shorthaltsjester]

god i cannot express how impressed in general i am with the storytelling that cr is doing with candela obscura but what really strikes me is how evident it is that the storytelling they do is defined by the hearts of those who are putting it together rather than adhering to a specific idea or image of a given story that they want to uphold. there is such a stark difference between the tones of chapter one and chapter two (to the fault of neither, i’ve enjoyed them both immensely because they both happen to hit parts of the supernatural-horror genre that I am so deeply fond of and so happy to see in a real play medium).

there’s the obvious difference in gming styles, matt has fantasy running through his veins and that’s evident in the way that chapter one ends up having a tone akin to something like the scarier episodes of buffy the vampire slayer. spenser outright references mike flanagan in his pre-interview thing and good grief is that so so evident in his narration and the way he emphasizes the themes emerging in the story in the environment of the world they journey through and choices like the letter from sean’s mother that subvert the audiences ability to rely on a character’s perception.

but the energy the groups of players bring to the storytelling is obviously also so important, too. like, even just looking at the groups prior to watching each I probably could’ve guessed which might’ve had a more lighthearted tone. the combination of ashley, anjali, and robbie already would be one i’d guess a more warm/goofy vibe for (not to say they can’t be serious and dramatic, but the tone of the seriousness is still warm and the world that prompts them towards drama likewise feels warm) and laura, despite her propensity for goofs, does tend to be a chameleon with group make ups. likewise i think we all had a certain (affectionate) fear™ when it was revealed that marisha, brennan, luis, and travis would be reuniting in another short form story and that has certainly held up and been incredibly bolstered by zehra’s absolute commitment and immersion into the story (constantly fucking blown away that this is her first real play she’s incredible).

this is all just to say as someone deeply interested in digital storytelling, i am so so enamoured by cr’s commitment to following their own desires as humans telling stories to one another while adhering to the requirements they have as a company. and also if you haven’t you should watch candela obscura, especially now that spooky season is here.

[ili-ote]

Intensely feeling the need for Rex to have his own show. And for it to be announced on May 4 this year post TBB finale.

There are as many hints in TBB S3 that it could happen as there are ones that it won’t. And that scares me. Scares me.

I have these feels on a regular basis and have done for some while (years by now) They are daily at this rate as we progress through S3. It’s a little exhausting 🙄

[sunmoontruth-stiles]

I need a completely rewritten teen wolf series with Derek Hale as the main character. I think it would heal me.

[dootznbootz]

Odypen definitely and equivalently adore each other BUT I weirdly can't see them as the type to actually say "I Love you".

They still definitely vocalize their love for each other but it's more so in "My Joy", and "Extraordinary Woman", "Strange Woman/Man", etc. And very cheesy lines (both say some cheesy shit in the Odyssey, and he definitely does in the Iliad as well. "Joy like a drowning sailor seeing land" bit???)

I could see "I adore you" but even then, that's probably during very specific moments but the actual "I love you"??? I just typed it just now for fic shit and... It weirdly just didn't feel right and I don't know why. 😅

Idk maybe it's kind of because I see them as over the top in ways, they love wordplay and riddles and I think they'd almost think "...That's not good enough >:( " about it??? I don't know???😂

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

HIIII!!!!!!!!

I LOVE your human au and would be delighted If you could expound on Wally's relationship with the cast and how he views/ is viewed by others <3

I hope you have a good day/ night whenever you are and I wish your pillow always be cold 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

ofc! i've been thinking about it a lot!

i would like to begin by saying that, as with canon, everyone likes Wally. as they should! i think that's an Important tidbit that should always carry across, at least in some way

Wally is... i think it's also important that he's a kind person. he loves deeply, is very forgiving and accepting, and he's just. he's a bizarre little man, and he's wonderful! there is not a malicious bone in his body! he finds delight & beauty in everything he can. he looks at his friends and is filled with deep contentment and joy and love. he's not blind to their flaws (and certainly not his own), but he never minds. those flaws are part of his friends, and he loves every bit of them!

and ok. Wally is not nearly as naive in this au as he is in canon. bc he's had a different life! he's had a rough go of it! unfortunately there's next to no way for normal people to grow up completely innocent & naive & pure, yk? life is harsh. Wally is not spared. he's incredibly kind despite it all. he's still in love with life and humanity. he smiles at strangers in the street & stops to watch bees pollinate flowers & sees parts of his friends in everything. he has many intense feelings even if he doesn't really show it or know how to convey them! he believes in the inherent goodness of people & beauty of being human!

there is a... very wide range of how people (outside of the Neighbors) view Wally. a lot of people find him slightly unsettling and really fucking weird, and well. he is! he's strange, and it's a wonderful part of him! but many don't see it that way. so he was ostracized by his peers in school (all the way through college), his coworkers (the few times he held a job before becoming a full-time artist), and most people in his local community. they just don't get him. they don't See him. Wally doesn't mind all that much! all of the important people in his life accept and love him for who he is, and he wouldn't even think of changing to fit the mold others want to shove him into.

then of course there are the people who treat him like a child, bc ableism is a thing and Wally's very noticeably autistic (even if people only notice subconsciously). this i think would be one of the very few things that outright annoys Wally, even if he doesn't really show it. but then there's the people who, while they might not get him (especially not to the extent his friends do), they accept him. like much of the art community he's involved in - even if a lot of them completely misinterpret his personality / mannerisms. they're all like "ohhhh he's so mysterious and ruminant" that's the 'tism, babes

BUT! YOU ASKED ABOUT SPECIFICALLY HIM AND THE NEIGHBORS! we'll save Barnaby for last since that's. uh. i have a lot to say about it. it's Very Complex in my mind

collectively, all of them love Wally a lot. which i've said! We Know! they also (mostly subconsciously) look for his approval - he's got a certain level of charisma that makes them all want him to like them. which, he does. obviously. unconditionally. and they're all protective of him & very patient with him. i think that's both a result of his natural rizz, how kind & patient he is with them, how well they understand him, and how he's a pacifist. he's their guy and woe befall anyone who dares cross him. (essentially, all of them collectively: the only constant is suffering - omg Wally!!! 💖💖💖)

we'll start with Frank! before he got to know Wally, he thought that Wally was an aloof asshole who thought he was better than everyone. then they started to directly interact and Frank realized "oh you're literally the nicest person i've ever met & also surprisingly relatable. you're just like me fr'. did he have a lil crush on Wally? yes. im saying it now literally everyone in the friend group (except local lesbians poppy & sally) has had at least a teensy crush on Wally at some point. but Frank deeply appreciates Wally's company & his complete lack of judgement. and how he gladly will let Frank talk for hours on end, chiming in with questions to prompt him to talk more! he also appreciates Wally's calm demeanor and vibes. he's one of those people that even when overwhelmed, Frank can handle having Wally around. he's like a human capybara! if Frank needs/wants a buddy with him for Situations, his go-to (after Julie ofc, though depending on the situation he'd pick Wally first) is Wally, since Wally Gets It. also Wally is unafraid to be like "wow, this kinda sucks! we're leaving", thus giving Frank an easy out. they just get along very well! ofc Frank can get frustrated with Wally, but then again he gets frustrated w/ everyone. but since Wally is patient with him, Frank tries to return the favor. also he's gotten into several fistfights over Wally's honor

Julie! she loves Wally so fucking much! he's her lil guy! even if he's kinda boring in a way! he's not very good at games or sports & would rather go on a relaxing walk than play Just Dance, but hey! he always makes Attempts, and she appreciates that! when they were younger and Julie & Sally & Poppy had girls nights (they continue to have girls' nights but everyone is involved. they still call it that tho), they'd often include Wally bc, yk! he's chill like that! Julie also massively respects his ability to say "no thank you" to anything without compromise. if he ever says it to her, she knows that he doesn't mean Any ill will by it! there's a sort of comfort in that! she knows she can be herself around him! also he's just... very good company. he's a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, a willing victim & confidante for elaborate schemes! he visits her at work Purely because he knows it delights her to see a friendly face in the middle of a grueling shift! he's always been a bit of a lighthouse to her!

and while Sally can be a little exasperated with how literal Wally is, she finds no small amount of solidarity with him As A Fellow Artist. when they first became friends, they caught on like a house on fire! she mentioned the artistic side of theater, and Wally was immediately on board. then and going forward Wally is always willing and more than happy to assist with painting sets, art advertisements for her performances, etc! they have little brainstorming sessions where she rambles about what she wants sets / costumes to look like, and Wally sketches them out! since Sally was a theater kid and goes on to work in that department (locally, usually), Wally often gets first read of her scripts. Sally highly values Wally's opinion and input. if he's free, sometimes he helps teach the actors' the show choreography. Sally runs through it with him, Wally soaks up the moves like a sponge & memorizes them, and hey! he loves to teach! Sally just. she loves him a lot. they're both artists of a sophisticated nature <3

Howdy thinks Wally is real neat! Wally is good company and is (often unintentionally) hilarious! he's also like... the one person Howdy refuses to scam in any way shape or form. tricking grandmas into buying more than they need? no sweat. tricking Wally into spending slightly more money than intended? Howdy feels like a fucking monster. but yeah, Howdy's just always delighted to see Wally! he likes Wally's unique view of the world and often takes it into consideration when making decisions. when he's stuck on something, he thinks WWWD (what would Wally do!). Howdy also is the one who most often accompanies Wally to his art shows & the like, bc he knows that Wally will accept the first price offer he hears - and Howdy is determined that his incredible works of art are paid for their worth! nobody is gotta cheat his pal outta a single cent! he just likes having Wally around, you know?

Wally & Poppy have an interesting relationship, i think! he tells the cashier "she asked for no pickles" for her! she makes sure he always has a soft place to land! he kinda confuses her, but she finds it endearing in a way? he displays a personality/behavioral quirk and she's like "oh. well alright!" and rolls with it very gracefully. they appreciate each other's mellow demeanor and proclivity for peace. Poppy knows she can always have a nice, quiet conversation with him over tea (even if he doesn't drink it!). and he's always willing to help with anything and everything she needs, no question. i think i've made this joke on this blog before but! in way! he's her emotional support animal lmao. a hand to squeeze to death on an airplane! also it's funny for me to picture a 6'8 woman hunched behind this 5'2 shrimp of a man as if he can hide her

it takes a little bit for Eddie to adjust to Wally's bizarre nature! like i've said, Eddie connects with the group when they're all in their late 20s. he hasn't had over a decade of being friends with Wally like the rest of them. he likes Wally plenty! definitely grows to love him! but it's an adjustment. Wally consistently startles him very easily (Wally is naturally quiet and has a habit of appearing out of nowhere), and Eddie has a hard time getting a read on him. most people do! and also Wally is very handsome/pretty, and that throws Eddie off a bit (it's hard to think when someone so attractive is staring directly into your eyes without blinking) but once he gets somewhat used to Wally & understands as much as he can, he very much appreciates Wally's company & friendship! they find (somewhat subconscious) solidarity in being the kindest and most helpful people in the clique! and Wally is a wonderful island of peace in a turbulent world. Eddie never minds sitting with him for a cup of coffee in the early morning during his route, even if it means his workday ends a few minutes later than usual.

other supporting cast like Wally as well. Ms. Beagle kinda views him as a second son! the Joyful siblings will always find him a little weird and unsettling, but they're nice enough to him. Howdy's family thinks he's neat. etc! but lets talk about Barnaby!

Wally is literally everything to Barnaby. that's his person. there is literally no one that comes before Wally in his eyes and heart. their relationship is and always has been very nontraditional To Me (in this au and somewhat how i view them overall! its complicated!). Wally never subscribed to or understood societal norms, and as a result, Barnaby wound up pretty much shunning them as well when it comes to his lil buddy. their relationship isn't romantic - Wally is very aro and Barnaby just does not feel that way about him, not really. but at the same time it's certainly not entirely platonic!

neither of them can imagine being separated. they met in 7th grade and have been glued together ever since. they've been through some tough shit together! they know each other better than anyone! you cannot have one without the other! they're more than a package deal - they're Inseparable! Barnaby has had many a nightmare of Wally leaving in one way or another, and it scares him more than anything. to him, he can weather any storm as long as Wally is by his side. they obviously don't spend every moment together, but at the end of the day they always come home to each other.

Barnaby just... he loves and respects and values Wally so much. he wants his approval, his attention, his company. sometimes he scares himself by considering the lengths he'd go to for Wally. there is no one he's more comfortable with or feels he understands / is understood by. if somebody has a problem with Wally, they have a problem with Barnaby. if Wally jumped off a cliff, Barnaby would not hesitate to leap after him! Wally says jump, Barnaby asks how high! he's not a violent person at all, but teen Barnaby once broke a bully's jaw for goin' a little too far w/ Wally

is their relationship a smidge unhealthy? a lil codependent? yes <3 yes it is <3 but we all know that Wally would never use this against Barnaby. on his side of the coin, Barnaby is his person as well! Wally has never imagined his life without Barnaby because it just does not occur to him that that's a possibility. there are many things that only Barnaby knows about Wally, sides only he's seen. there's complete & unconditional trust/love between them. they hotbox Home together <3

[plushie-lovey]

Alright, here's everyone who got necklaces today! Individual pics:

Also special shout-out to Cabbage, my small bulbasaur plush. His firm bulb was perfect to use for stretching out and shaping the string for each necklace to make them more elastic and more natural fitting

[asteriasfallingstarsandtears]

I do like that the Ascians basically taught Ysayle how to transform again technically, and made a Primal kinda like Zodiark and Hydaelyn but on a much tinier scale. She was a Warrior of Light, she was awakened to Hydaelyn's call, she used the Echo, and the Ascians were like you know what.

This girl, we can use her, nothing will go wrong ever.

(stay away Azem signs all over the place)

And she does, summoning Shiva and imbuing her own self into it and could go in and out of it so long as she had the aether to spare.

HQ guys, that didn't backfire at all.

(I use this little HC to have Ysayle teach my WoL how to do it and by Stormblood she can do it if the need is there, such as fighting a very angry Zenos filled dragon primal as Phoenix)

[magentagalaxies]

always found this little parallel between how scott speaks about buddy cole vs danny husk fascinating:

(top quote is from this 2017 vulture interview, bottom quote is from paul myers' 2018 book "one dumb guy")

'he's smarter than me. braver than me. he's better than me'' vs ''danny may not be the smartest or the bravest but he's a very decent man''

[thebirdandhersong]

well mark that down as situation 2938489 that I don't know how to handle

[vaugarde]

i never fully understood the iris hate because she really never does anything worse than anything the kanto season did

[summertimemusician]

Linktober Shadow Day 6

Shadow Beast

The Twilight Princess fan in me really came out on this one huh? I blame the sleep deprivation. We never quite addressed the effects of the Twili Magic on Twilight and how it's only sheer force of will and the fact he's so darn kind, Midna's influence and Time teaching him the Song of Healing first being the main factor in making sure he doesn't fall huh? Even more so than the One Cutscene. We also need to talk more about the fact we technically kill Midna's people and how by the end of it all Twi is so changed by the Twilight Realm who's it's own can of worms that, much like Time he can't quite go home as himself me thinks, as a treat to myself

Mostly Twilight x Reader, this goes out to all of the folks who never quite recovered from Twilight Princess and the fact we never got that sequel (I mean it gave us BOTW and TOTK and Wild, but at what cost?), but can be read as Link x Reader either on the platonic or romantic.

Don't think there's any warning this time but might edit later if needed.

Actually yeah there is one warning

TW:

References to body horror typical to Twilight Princess, though I recommend not reading it I'd you're squeamish period.

Even after so long, you and Twilight could still remember the beauty and solemnity of the Twilight Realm, with it’s zircon skies with clouds of trapped fire and rains of viper obsidian.

The silence of the infection upon the realm of light broken only by the echoes of the howling elegy of the Twili and Interlopers who came before creeping over the land like rot and wither over flowers, the lament of the lost spirits of the people and animals of Hyrule falling over your spirit like a shroud, a shared hymm from two worlds reality had been twisted, only both of it’s princess, one filled the luster of empyreal sorrow in her mind and one with the scorch abyssal fury in her heart knowing to see the reflective tragedy befallen to their people. With Link as the one who restored the memory of what once was in both worlds as divinity and calamity sang in his bones and you a witness to the restoration of harmony to the discordant symphony, the two different songs of light and shadow refusing to let go of either of you in an eternal duet.

(Once touched by magic, it shall never leave the one if holds onto Twilight may have been the one with the Beast in his soul, with the howl of a wolf, the bite of shades in his veins and the lament of innocents taking precedence over anything purely because he learned how to silence the whispers of the one’s who made a grab for heaven’s throat and we’re pushed in the cracks of reality for their prideful vánitas even as he could taste it in the back of his tongue, twining around his ribs and overgrowing into his shattered mirror heart like vines, flowering with the divinity and eternal nature of the Hero’s Spirit, already having the hunt of the Fierce Deity in it’s veins and the remains of cursed divinity welcoming the new aspect merrily so he could bear it. The song of the innocent wrongly punished among the sinners rang into your mind, scratched at your skin and dug it’s claws around your throat, chocking you with sorrow and regret, more willing to leave gouges than to let go of someone’s who’s looked into the reverse side of the sacred realm and wept with grief for it’s people and the curse of it’s beauty.

It would never leave you, Link or Zelda, who learned who love the darkness the way Midna did, madness and unsightly delight and all.)

While the people of Hyrule merely became trapped as observers at best, if they were lucky, Midna’s raging grief and resentment quickly became obvious, once she revealed that rotten Zant had done to her and her people, twisted into a new form, distorted in body and trapped in mind like the animals and beasts of Hyrule, their pain driving them in becoming feral attack hounds for the usurper, their howling screams as much sorrow, wailing in an attempt to let their agonized, tortured souls to escape from it’s mouth, a futile attempt to flee from the strain of reality forgetting their true form in favor of Zant’s twisted design, of being used as sentient canvases for cruelty and ruthlessness, of their will being stepped over in favor of corrupting recreation.

Of how it only didn’t quaff down at Midna’s mind because of the nature of her ephemerality, fully beloved by the Realm of Darkness, of how she loathed him for it and wouldn’t wish her fate of that of her people’s on any living or dead soul, once she came to love the Realm of Light through Zelda’s sacrifice.

Which was why, when you saw three of the victims of the telltale twisting from darkness utilized with the intent to drive one insane, a familiar looking plate of stone engraved on the remains of ashes from their identity, the curling of distorted, solid darkness making crooked mishapen manes, bent out of shape from their too long torso and long, long arms adorned with twitching, deformed claws, you feel very justified in way your blood froze, holding onto Wild’s arms and yanking with all you had so his shot will miss, his yelp of surprise swallowed by the bone cracking, blood curdling screech from one of the beasts as a Skyward Strike grazed it’s petrified flesh.

You feel something warm drip down your ears, taste the promise of violence and the cry of lost souls on the back of your tongue and swallow it down as the memory of the Twilight Realm attempted to bite and crack your ribcage to quaff down your heart, to devour it bones and all, calling out in desperation, “Don’t! That’s a person!”

Sky freezes, as still as a statue, Legend curses the heavens crimson in a way you are so glad Wind isn’t around to hear as he retreats Twilight snarls, the wolf in him revolted and disgusted, you wonder if the Twilight is singing in his mind too as he restrains himself from reaching for the crystal as nails just a tad too sharp invite droplets of blood to one hand, grimm as a graveyard “We need to get them together anyway, felling just one won’t be enough.”

You grimace, releasing Wild, keeping your eye on the Shadow Beasts and another on your group, pointedly not mentioning the twitch in Four, amethyst clouding his gaze and the prism of his eyes turning gray with memories you and Twilight both knew all too well, of the grimace in Time’s otherwise stony countenance, you’d wished to avoid bloodshed of whoever was turned against their will, but you and Twilight both knew that might not be possible, death, unfortunately, might be the greatest mercy you can grant these poor souls.

(The Twilight is harmonizing in your ears, jeering, you feel the Interlopers insanity and the Twili’s lament on your teeth. As lovely as it could be cruel, the merry feeling upon meeting, the sorrow at a parting.

If you ever see the Shadow, you might just try indulging the echo by offering it’s blood as tribute. You'd make it hurt. The fact it learned the spell used to deform reality in such a way was cruel and vile.)

“Legend, how is your magic?” shoots Warriors, analyzing, calculating, it snaps the purple back into Four’s gaze, brings his mind back to focus as he reaches into his inventory for his Moon Pearl, Twilight is circling the beasts with single minded purpose, herding them together and prowling as he would as a wolf, Wild thankfully listened to your warning and had switched from the more destructive Flame and Lightning Arrows to ice ones. It doesn’t contain them for long but it gives a few precious seconds to strategize.

Legend catches on, switching to the Ice Rod on one hand and grasping his own Moon Pearl with the other, Sky has another Skyward Strike ready, but doesn’t release it, you switch from your sword to accepting a Magic Rod tossed at you from Wild, “Good enough.”

You breath in shakily, the symphony of the Twilight Realm has quieted, more lament than anthem as it’s Hero steps back, returning to your side, he nods grimly, “... Then, let’s end this quickly.”

You know your will boys will do their best to heal them, and failing that, you hope that they’ll hear the requiem of the Twili rather than the lament once they’re at peace, that they'll find some form of threnody.

It is a horrible thing, to be forced to die as a beast.