#in many ways (you should watch their vod from today its very good’

[wrensog]

i drew the guys (jumpscare)

[deewithani]

A clone’s first day at Coruscant prison

Clone Trooper Toast Series Volume 1

Pairing: Clone Trooper Toast x GN!Reader

Word count: 2,336

T/W: Hazing

Rating: G

A/N: I couldn’t help but go serious with this. It was started out as a drabble, but quickly gained its own life and I couldn’t stop. Toast clone is love. Toast clone is life. Toast clone deserves happiness too. I might write another couple of fics to give him some. This is my first fic ever, no beta. If we die, we die.

Tags: @royalhandmaidens as requested.

If you sat Toast down and asked him what his favorite food in the galaxy was, he would tell you it was toast. It was true, and his love for toast begat the name that he was given. He didn’t know exactly what it was about toast that made it his favorite food. It tasted good, sure, much better than the rations that were more commonly served to clones no longer in training (or so he had heard, he was fresh out of training himself), and definitely better than what they served to cadets to ensure their nutritional needs were met, but not exceeded, at the bare minimum of cost. You could put different toppings and spreads on it, giving you a new breakfast every day if you wanted. And it was cheap, so the Republic had no issue serving it to Clones as an “option”, sitting in the breakfast lineup on a tray, next to a small basket filled with small packets of butter and jogan fruit jam. He came to the mess at the same time every day, just so he could have some toast, because breakfast was his favorite part of every day. No, he wasn’t sure what it was about toast itself that made him like it best, but he knew it was his favorite food the first time he had breakfast at the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center.

You thought back to the first time you ever met Toast, the very first day he came to the prison, and the first time you ever saw “First Breakfast”. He arrived early that morning directly from Kamino with many of his other brothers, fresh faced and ready to make a difference in the war. To do a good job. To be a good soldier. To be a good brother. He had high hopes for this posting, and high expectations for himself, and he was prepared to do his duty to serve the Republic and its people. You thought back to that day with happiness. It was the day you met the most wonderful person in the galaxy.

On that very first day on duty he was cornered by a small group of more experienced troopers who were tasked with showing him around and getting him acquainted with his job and the brothers he would be working with. One of the most well known first day rituals the the boys participated in was known as the “First Breakfast”. It was a time where the more experienced clones would welcome their new brothers, in their own special way. The First Breakfast was a tradition, and every clone that worked at the prison had participated in it. Toast’s participation in the First Breakfast was required before he set foot on the floor, whether he knew it or not.

“C’mon vod” the leader of the group, Ether, had said. “Let’s head to the mess to grab some grub before shift change.” Toast spent the short walk answering questions, “How are the cadets on Kamino doing?”, “What do you think of Coruscant?”, “Do you know any girls?”, “Did you chose a name yet?”. He didn’t really know how to answer those questions, he never really thought about his own feelings about his life, but he answered them as best he could. The cadets were doing as well as any other clone had done on Kamino. Coruscant was different than Kamino, but he had never been any other place to make a fair comparison. Of course he didn’t know any girls, there were none aside from the Kaminoans and the Jedi Shaak Ti at the training center. And no, he didn’t have a name, he just didn’t stand out from his brothers enough to warrant a name, either from his vod or from his own heart.

When they finally reached the mess, Ether put an arm around Toast and gave him a rough side hug. “Alright vod. This is the staff mess. There’s mostly clones here, but there is some natborn staff, so don’t be surprised if you see a face that doesn’t look like your own in the mess every now and then. Now, the menu changes, and you know as well as the rest of us that some food just isn’t edible, so let me guide you through what’s good, and what’s not.” As he walked down the line he pointed out exotic dishes, to Toast’s palette anyway.

You sat alone in the corner of the mess, reading the day’s news on your holopad, unaware of the shiny new trooper that Ether’s crew just brought through the door. Ether lifted his voice, pulling your attention to the group, where he had his arm around the shoulders of the timid looking clone. You had heard that Ether liked to put new troopers under his wing, at least long enough to play a mean spirited prank on them, but the clones had always been tight lipped, and you had never seen or heard any solid proof it. Until today. Today, it looked like you might get a glimpse inside the world of a new clone at the Coruscant prison.

You watched as Ether pointed out various foods to the new trooper, shaking his head yes and no at various times, presumably to indicate which choices were better than others. It should seem obvious which were best; some dishes were barely touched, while others were attacked as if they were set out for a pack of loth-wolves. It didn’t take a scientist to know that clones had a liking for the spicy pepper hash that was a staple in the mess, and tended to stay away from the blue hued yogurt. You suspected that Ether was telling him the same.

First Breakfast always –always – included the spicy pepper hash. Every new trooper had to try it, even though all the others knew it was spicier than the lava of Mustafar. Ether knew First Breakfast was a mean prank. New clone trooper, fresh from Kamino? He’s never had anything spicier than some salt and pepper added to the “grey fluff” they called food on Kamino. The long necks probably didn’t even know what a pepper was, if he was being honest with himself. But he had seen more than one new shiny come through those prison doors and fall in love with the spicy pepper hash. They just needed to jump in feet first. Try it, burn up your taste buds, have a good laugh with your brothers, and tada, you’re part of the group! Every single clone here went through it, and it was obvious that almost all of them had a taste for the peppers. Besides, even if he didn’t like it, it was a bonding experience, and there were other things he could eat after today. He wouldn’t be the only clone that would pass on the hash after the First Breakfast, and no one held it against any of the others.

You watched as Ether filled the young clone’s plate with spicy pepper hash, telling him it was the most popular dish at the prison. He didn’t lie, exactly. It was. Loved by both clone troopers and prisoners, the hash was easily mass produced, cheap, and came frozen, allowing it to be safely stored for long periods. It was perfect for the prison, and the workers and inhabitants it contained.  He just left out the ‘it’s so spicy it will make you cry’ part. The new trooper didn’t even know what spicy was, let alone that it caused physical pain, but Ether and the other clones did, and you did too. Unfortunately for the young shiny, you didn’t know that he never eaten anything spicy before. The clone troopers seemed to love it, so why would you think the new guy would be any different.

Ether and his buddies led Toast to a table, in his hands his full plate and a small glass of water. The others had also chosen the spicy pepper hash, but had chosen to drink blue milk instead. “Kriff”, you thought to yourself, “that hash is really spicy. The other troopers are drinking blue milk, but he’s only got a glass of water. He doesn’t know what he’s in for”. You made the decision right then, if this is what Ether has in mind for his “prank”, you’ll have a glass of blue milk ready for what you felt was inevitable. If you were wrong, well, you would just have a glass of blue milk to drink for yourself. No harm, no foul, you could play it off as being thirsty and not bother the clones as they went about their business, but you wanted to be ready in any case. You didn’t like a bully, in any case, and if you had to take the new trooper the milk you could just play it off as just getting to know your new coworker, even if you didn’t work in the same area as he did.

You watched as the troopers started chowing down on their breakfasts, some eating slowly and savoring their meal, others shoveling it in as fast as they could. The new trooper dug in as well, but you noticed his face started turning red almost as soon as the hash hit is tongue. Most of the others with him had already started sipping on their milk, but the new clone was guzzling down his water before he ha d finished his first bite, coughing and trying to catch his breath as the strange food burned his mouth. You decided then that the prank had gone too far, and you got up to take the milk to the beleaguered clone.

“Here”, you told him. “Drink this. It will help take the spiciness away.” Toast, brow covered in sweat, eagerly took the milk from your hand and downed it in record time. “I’ll get you some more if you’d like.”, you said, and he vigorously nodded affirmingly. While you headed back to refill his milk, his brothers all gathered around him, patting him on the back jovially and welcoming him to the crew. On your way back to the table you noticed the small smile on his face, presumably for sufficiently passing the “test” and becoming one of the group. You still didn’t like Ether’s prank, but it did warm your heart to see the new trooper take it in stride, and his brothers gathering around to celebrate his official first day guarding the worst of the worst the galaxy had to offer.

While you were getting him a refill of milk you had an idea. Just because he had a bad experience with the spicy pepper hash didn’t mean that he couldn’t still have some breakfast. The problem was knowing what he liked. You had absolutely no idea. So you decided on the safe bet: toast. You grabbed a plate, a butter knife, and a fork, a couple of pieces of toast, and one pack each of butter and jogan fruit jam. Returning to the table you sat down at the seat opposite of Toast, placing the glass of milk and the plate in front of him, silently smacking yourself in the head when you noticed you added an unnecessary fork to the mix. Thoughts of how he would think you were an absolute idiot ran through your mind, but he looked up at you and smiled, graciously accepting the milk and toast.

He looked at the plate quizzically, before asking “What is this?” You were sure that he wouldn’t trust anything anyone else brought him after the fiery start to his first day, but he listened intently as you explained the different items you had placed on the plate. You told him the toast was an easy to eat food, not spicy and well tolerated by most people, and the butter and jam were used as spreads for the top. You thought he may like it more than the hash, so you brought it to him to try.

He seemed to accept your explanation, and after showing him how to add the butter and jam to toast you watched him take a bite. He chewed for a moment before his eyes went wide and a big smile split his face. Swallowing, he took a sip of milk, then looked back to you and exclaimed that it was the best thing that he had ever eaten in his life. At least, it was the best thing he had eaten up to that point.

“Well then, toast-boy, I’m glad there’s food here that you can enjoy. It’s my favorite food in the mess, I don’t really trust anything else, honestly.” You sat together at the table for a few minutes, asking each other questions and learning about your new friend. As the clock moved closer to the official start of your own day, you moved to wrap up your conversation, and you steered in the direction of your names. After you had officially introduced yourself, he looked at you sadly. He had never had a problem with not having a name before, but now he had to give you his designation, which felt inadequate, but he gave you what he had and explained that he hadn’t chosen a name for himself, and no one had given him a name either.

He didn’t have a name? How odd. Although you rarely worked with the clones directly every one you met had a name of some sort. Was it normal not to have a name? You didn’t know, but kind eyed clone gave you as much as he had. He was nice, and was good conversation, so you hoped that you would see him again.

“Listen, next time I see you, how about I call you Toast instead of those numbers? It would be easier for me to remember”.

“Yeah, I’d like that. ‘Toast’. Thanks for the name!”

You saw him in the mess every morning for breakfast from that day on.

[ruby-whistler]

Srry but i noticed in one of ur dream posts u Referred to tommy's cat as hope. I must correct u, that cat was born pussbou and died pussboi. /lh Also tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile btw just wanna say Also for ur posts about dreams trauma or wilbur manipulating him can u provide links to vods or other proof? Srry if i seem rude i mean that in a "genuinely curious way"

Aaa sorry if my ask came off as rude im just genuinely curious :(((

hi! dw, you don't seem rude at all, and i'm extremely happy someone with a different perspective has found my blog! i really appreciate that sort of attitude and am happy to answer :]

/dsmp /rp

the cat was called pussboy by tommy, but dream only called it "the cat" and then said that "it was hope", which is why it sort of became a symbol (his hope is dead, basically) - that's why i kind of made its name capitalized, because it was more of a metaphor than anything.

most c!dream fans call the cat hope because it's just really nice and really symbolic, and also really sad when you think about it. that's why the name was used in the essay, just to clear up the confusion!

tommy killing that cat was nothing compared to dream killing mushroom henry in exile

i don't really think so? mooshroom henry was entertainment more than anything, and even if it was bad, when watching the stream i don't remember seeing him mourn that much - on the other hand, dream was very quickly and very obviously attached to the cat, with it being his only companion in months of isolation, along with the hope that even when tommy left it would keep him company.

keep in mind c!dream has been deprived of stimuli and human contact for so long it's officially classified as psychological torture at that point.

i don't mean to compare trauma or even compare deaths - because honestly, what c!dream and c!tommy have gone through individually is incomparable and i think neither should be diminished in favor of the other since they're both terrible situations.

that's why i disagree that it "was nothing compared to" - it had an obvious effect on c!dream, and was still c!tommy killing an animal specifically to hurt him, no matter what reasons he had.

when i'm talking about effects people's actions have had on c!dream, i'm not talking about those people. i'm talking about him. :) /lh

as for the trauma, a lot of people agree that a lot of the things he says or does are trauma responses, and hence it's very possible that he's had trauma before he went into prison!

this includes being repeatedly called a tyrant via propaganda by about half of your friends who decided to betray you, trying to keep peace and being pushed deeper into villainy instead, repeatedly being put in between a rock and a hard place in order to make sure the people you care about don't start killing each other, then being betrayed by your closest friends after merely trying to keep peace (sapnap & george) and just in general having no control over your life or image and grasping at straws to gain it back.

i know a lot of people with trauma who heavily relate to certain trauma responses, which aren't always just shaky breaths and flashbacks, but trauma often also manifests itself in extremely ugly and destructive ways, both inwardly and outwardly.

trying to control the people around you is also very often a response to going through trauma, as well as emotional repression which is... rather evident on c!dream during season two. it only seems to get worse with repeated abandonment.

in the end, during the vault scene, the way he acts really just isn't at all the way a healthy person would act, and a lot of his really bad mindsets come from the way he was taught by the world around him.

the character is very reserved however, and since we don't have his pov we can't really say for certain - a lot of people claim it in good faith because they have a lot of evidence for it, and i think they're certainly valid in that.

that is just before the prison, however. from what happened during the prison arc? there is no denying he's traumatized at this point.

he's been emotionally and physically abused by c!sam since the very beginning of being imprisoned, and being in solitary confinement for over two weeks is generally considered psychological (and maybe also physical?) torture. that alone shows up in a lot of symptoms of his mental deterioration while in pandora's during people's visits, and quackity's "sessions" just absolutely drove the point home.

what he's gone through during this arc is absolutely incomparable to anything others charactes have faced before, and it's just plain suffering being endured by someone who is, despite everything, still a human being.

as for the wilbur manipulation thing!! it's talking about the whole vassal scene (though even beforehand a lot of their interactions are pretty iffy), and here's a post about that :]

I also have a small question about the analysis u last reblogged cus it says "why dream needed lmanburg gone rightfully" and like. The house analogy is poor because for one cus the land is infinite. And 2 cus punz's yard was literally larger then lmanburg. And also stuff about dream being a mediator? Can u provide examples?

i wouldn't say it was poor. dream's said a lot of times that he didn't care in the slightest about the land - a lot of his problems with l'manberg arose with the fact that wilbur basically built it on lies and tried to disallow half of the server to come there. c!dream was mad about the division and the fact that wilbur wanted "freedom" to have authority in his lands - over others, as can be seen in this post also.

the table analogy was fitting not because dream was some overlord, but because these were literally friends he invited to hang out and live in a place he wanted to call home. claiming a part of it for yourself and saying people of a certain nationality can't come in is directly opposing those goals.

in the early days of the smp, dream's always been a mediator between his friends - sapnap and george, who would often get into fights and go around killing each other! he would always do his best to stop the conflict, which continued after tommy joined when he took him to court and then later tried to mediate conflicts he was a part of, which resulted in tommy killing him unprovoked, stealing his gear, and starting the disc wars when dream was trying to get his stuff back. later, during pogtopia, he is also most concerned with peace over everything, and this seems to continue indefinitely after.

Today i was thinking about how messed up the final control room was. Like. Dream arranged the betrayal and punz and sapnap killed tommy and tubbo who like. Were literal children and their pals (because the author, wilbur soot, is dead/j but srsly if u take the streamers words tommy said he was 9 during the revolution sooo)

Sorry im gonna ramble about how dumb canon ages are for a second cus like. Streamers can say the characters are one way or another (wilbur saying he is mentally 30-something, etc.) But in the end the characters act like they(or at least their streaming personas) do.

i... honestly don't find it that bad? they were in a war, and the final control room was basically just supposed to end it quicker. the l'manbergians made it clear they were going to fight to the death, so they really left c!dream no other choice. and it's not like he didn't give them chances to give up.

also yeah the 9 year old thing was retconned, because in that case c!dream would've been 14 and i don't think that's true.

c!tommy and c!dream were both young and once again, in a war. the final control room was an attempt to assure victory, which both sides would've taken if possible, but only c!dream saw he had the option.

i do agree the whole child soldier thing was bad but... complain about that to c!wilbur, methinks. he talked naive kids into fighting for his personal power. however, the age argument isn't really valid either way. they had enough agency to sign up for it, and whether or not c!wilbur pushing the intense nationalism onto them had something to do with that is another debate entirely.

Bacl to final control room cus like??? Also fun fact punz took 2 of wilbur's canon lives. And like that probably is what started wilbur's paranoia which later lead to his spiral and i. Many thoughts full of lmanburg today.

i'm pretty sure cc!wilbur said what lead to c!wilbur's spiral was a "dark, twister view of possessions" and "disregard for his fellow citizen whom he claimed to love so much", but i really wouldn't say it was the control room; if anything the sudden loss of power after the elections seems to me like the trigger for his spiral.

I watched the exile arc live and. I feel dirty almost for feeling little to no sympathy for c!dream (srry ive been forgetting to add that aa) because of his actions toward c!tommy and like. The whole probation was so humiliating and unfair and c!dream was planning to frame him for the crimes he and puffy did under the the guise of "pranks" and c!quackity was planning to seize the vice president role.

i mean... to be fair, if you didn't watch the prison arc much yet or only watch tommy's perspective i understand not feeling that sympathetic - however, i encourage you to maybe watch a few prison visits, since they could help you see the whole picture better!

i also watched it live, and i also thought it was terrible, but i share very much the same sentiment for the prison arc because. absolutely no one should have to go through either of those things, you know?

i don't think probation was that humiliating? he was just. being asked to not start conflict with the other factions for two weeks. of course, what happened as a result is in no way justified, but i don't think probation itself would've been bad at all. either way yeah the framing and c!quackity's behaviour was. very yikes, i agree.

Also c!tommy antis are dumb because they say "he deserved exile angry emoji" i dont see u saying that about ranboo. Just say you hate cc!tommy and go. Also people say c!tommy was just as toxic to c!dream and i??? No. One is the victim and one is the abuser and like. :/// man. This part is rambly srry

i wouldn't say they hate cc!tommy? cc!tommy has a persona who people think is annoying at first ( but then they subscribe because he is super entertaining big man! ) but a lot of c!tommy's actions are straight up toxic to certain characters, such as c!funndy and c!jack. he has a very dismissive attitude towards others and their trauma and it does affect the people around them very negatively.

examples; his repeated bullying and behavior towards fundy:

Tommy: “Fundy, I’m just here to kinda let you know that I – if you weren’t Wilbur’s son, you would be out of L’manburg, alright? Just remember – you need to keep that relationship with your father. I saw how asshole-y and bratty you were acting in the courtroom the other night. You need to pull your shit together young man.”

......

Fundy: “I’m wearing glasses…are you making fun of my eyesight?!”

Tommy: “Yes.”

Sapnap: “Your father would be very disappointed.”

Fundy: “Wh – disappointed for wearing glasses?!”

Tommy: “You got glasses, like what are you wearing…”

Fundy: “What do you mean?”

Tommy: “Sapnap, Sapnap, over here. Fundy, Fundy, Fundy, I’m really sorry to say this – I’m just here to publicly denounce you.”

Fundy: “…What?”

( credit for transcript: @/findingjoynweirdstuff )

he's also responsible for a big chunk of c!jack's trauma, both with actions and words, and that's why i think certain people might dislike the character, and i don't think that's wrong of them. anyone can dislike any character they want if they don't attack people for liking them, in my opinion.

also c!tommy was most definitely toxic against c!dream in the cell. it's of course understandable but that doesn't change the fact he was constantly hitting and insulting him (without dream doing anything back for a long while until he snapped) which is toxic behaviour.

i wouldn't say he was "just as" though, so i agree with you on that. they're different and they behave differently.

i made a dream blob keychain today. Is it possible to send images if u wanna see? Idk cus i havent used tumblr before. I think that's all for now. Thx for letting me talk :D peepoShy -curious anon (but fr a connoreatspants c!dream redemption arc would be cool)

yooo that's cool! i don't really,,, know if it's possible to send images? try it out and if it isn't i'll try find a way to turn it on.

also, no problem! just please remember this is a c!dream sympathetic blog, and me as well as my followers are uhh,, oftentimes emotionally attached / personally relate to the character, so if you could avoid sending hate on the character (not that you have or that i expect you to, just a friendly reminder) in the asks that would be great! we already see a lot of it unwillingly so, i'd rather not see more, but as long as the discussion is civil i'm absolutely ok with you asking more and with me answering more questions if you'd want to! :)

if anyone else would like to reblog this and add some things i might've missed with my answers, feel free to, just go easy on her (she uses she/her pronouns!) and keep it factual.

i hope u had a good or at least ok time at school today :D

thanks! i gtg now because exam tomorrow but i'm going to try write the redemption essay tomorrow as well because ohhh boy i have a lot of ideas about what all i could write around the concept.

also sorry this was long, i can't keep my tongue on the leash :[

[detroitbydark]

Title: Tell Me That Your Soul Lies Now

Relationship: Sev/OC/Scorch

Warnings: Mention of blood and needles used in medical care

Summary: A Stowaway complicated what should be an easy night.

A/N: Based on a HC that Sev and Scorch both end up at Kyrimorut and adopted to Walon Vau. Love, Family, and the ties that bind come into play. I hope you enjoy!  

The Midnight Duke was an unassuming Corellian life class transport, a pre Clone Wars relic retrofitted to meet clan Vau's very particular, discerning tastes. 

Quick, fast, and armed to the teeth it got the job done ferrying Walon Vau’s adopted sons from one bounty to the next. The sons themselves were more than competent to take it from there with efficiency and expertise bred from a jar on Kamino and a lifetime of training by one of the most ruthless Mandalorians to ever exist. 

Dust settles in a thick layer over the Duke’s matte black hull. Its exit from the outer rim asteroid belt had been… dicey and it would need a new coat of paint in the coming days.

It had a lot of things, typically a dead body in storage wasn’t one of them.

“Fek!”

“Wha-“ Scorch barely misses his brother’s arm as he snaps back a step, exposing the open cargo hatch for inspection with a put-upon indignation only he was capable of. There’s a duffle of ordinance, kit and-

“What is this?” Sev’s growl reverberates through his buyce accusingly. Scorch eyes the curled up figure draped in a thick layer of clothes reminiscent of the mining colony they’d just left. 

“People-cicle.” What the hell did he expect him to say? He hadn’t stored a body away. He was in charge of the bounties. The heads of the two marks had been in the bounty bag which was now very empty and in need of laundering because A. Trandoshan blood stank to malachor and B. Human blood was just messy.

“Maker if I know.”

The sun over Kyrimorut was quickly beginning to sink down into the mountainous waste to their north and with it went the warmth of the late season day. They just needed to finish post mission once-over and they could take the speeders the five kliks from the airfield to the warmth of the karyai and a hot meal.

“Maker,” Sev growls again, “Buir is not going to be happy about this”

Buir. It still felt wrong to call the Sarge anything but Sarge. Scorch was sure he’d get used to it eventually. Sev had, oddly enough, but Scorch didn’t really question his vod’s rush to accept their former trainer as his father. The sullen commando had always sought Walon Vau’s approval. It was no worse than the vode of Skirata’s clan and their hero worship of their Kal’buir. 

“We’ll dump it off and be done with it,” Scorch offers, “Animals will take care of it and that’ll be- wait.” A quick blink through his HUD menu brings up an advanced heat scan.

Sev toes at the body with his boot. “What am I waiting on?”

“They're still alive. I got a vital readout. It’s not much but-“ The two clones stand shoulder to shoulder staring at the prone sentient.

“I slot ‘em and we pretend we never saw a thing?”

“The old man’s gonna know either way. Not sure what gets us in more trouble.”

At his side, Sev grunts. Wal’buir knew things.  It was uncanny and downright terrifying. As cadets they’d never been able to get one by the old Mando - not that Sev had ever tried - but Scorch had plenty and had more than a few scars to prove he’d been caught. 

“Kriff.” Sev lets out an uncharacteristic laugh. “Bring it back and Skirata will probably adopt it.”

Scorch can’t help the grin that spreads across his face, “or marry it off.”

“I’m not gonna carry it.” 

The argument that he’d saved both their shebs earlier is about to leave his mouth when a small feminine whine rises from the half frozen sentient. “Well that settles it”

“Marriage,” they both agree in unison.

It’s been a while since he’s been around a woman not already wed or destined to be wed to one of his extended family. Suddenly the idea of carrying the unfamiliar being doesn’t seem so off-putting. 

At least it wasn’t the bounty bag.

———

Buir was going to let them have it. Sev could handle the dressing down from Kal Skirata but he wasn’t sure he could handle it from Vau. 

His stomach twists in knots. The early signs of panic, the ones he was intimately familiar with - brought about by the only father figure he’d ever known - were beginning to make themselves known. He can feel his heart rate picking up. The thick nerf hide sticks to each finger as his palms begin to sweat in his gloves.

He wouldn’t have been able to get away with slotting the grubby stowaway and dumping the body, of that he is sure, there was no good way to keep it clean. Either the Duke or he were going to be covered in it and the water pumps at the strip had gone out a week before. They’d brought the replacement back but it would take one of Kal’s boys to plumb it up. 

“Ordo’s going to have kittens.” Scorch’s voice rings clear through his comms.

“Yeah, Bes is pregnant with what...” He rattles off the names of the clans ad in his head and begins assigning them to parents. “Number three?”

“Yeah, he’s always got a kad up his shebs when she’s carrying. This is going to royally piss him off.” 

Sev watches as Scorch readjusts the woman in front of him. She’d started shivering after they’d yoinked her from her spot in storage. Still hadn’t woken but It was a good sign. Her body seemed to actively be trying to warm up. They figured they’d help it along and wrapped her snugly in a thermal sheet from the emergency kit. Before Sev had at least been able to see her nose, a set of dark brows and fluttery lashes, nothing too unlike those some of his sister-in-laws had, now it was only the closed lids of her eyes visible. For all intents and purposes she looked like a bantha wrap he’d gotten from a food cart last time they’d been on Coruscant. 

Per the limited data from their HUDs she probably wasn’t in much better shape. She seemed stable, but it wasn’t guaranteed even with the vheh’yaims medical center and the clan’s skills she’d survive the long haul. They’d spent two days in hyperspace and she spent that time in a minimally heated interior storage compartment. The bloody marks along the hatch’s interior showed that she hadn’t had as comfortable a ride as they had. It was another thing they’d need to clean up but it could wait a day or two.

There were no ration wrappers, no canteens of water in the hold with her. They’d looked. 

Hypothermia was her biggest issue but dehydration wasn’t far behind, and the ease with which Scorch had lifted her left him to believe that malnutrition had been an ongoing issue. The bulk of her was the thick rough clothes the miners had worn. 

“We take her to Wal’buir before Skirata gets his turn. Let buir decide what to do.” The speeders rumble to life as they take off from the small airfield and head in the direction of home.

It takes less time then he remembered to cover the distance from the airstrip to the sprawling compound they called home.

“Look,” Scorch notes merrily, “they left the lights on for us.”

By the time they’re pulling up to the vheh’yaim Sev feels his breath coming rapidly. 

“Maybe the old man’s having some ti’haar with the neighbors?” Scorch sounds hopeful as he pulls his buyce off one handed and clips it to his belt. “We get her into medical and then have to explain our fek up. Mij should still be here.” He hopes aloud that the family doctor was still rotating through before heading back to Enceri. 

Mij Gilamar was a good a doctor as any clone commando, null, or trooper could ever hope for. If their guest made it through the next few days she’d do good to thank Gil.

Sev throws his leg over the speeder and grabs for his kit and the bounty bag while his brother jostles the woman into a better hold. The lights shine through the low windows peering into Skirata clan’s karyai and Sev can imagine his buir sitting by the warm fire drinking the potent Mandalorian liquor and busting Kal Skirata’s gett’se about something.

“Su cuygar Ad’ike.”

Or not.

Both men snap to. Instead of “Sir” an acknowledgement of “Buir” is barked. If Vau notices the near comical response he doesn’t let on. His golden eyes are narrowed firmly on the package in Scorch’s arms.

Sev isn’t sure he’s ever seen his brother lost for words and Scorch must decide today wasn't going to be the day.

“We brought a present. Heard Kal’buir is trying to settle Mereel down. Think this will work?”

Vau, emotionless stony Vau, stands for a moment before the hint of a sly smile flashes at the corner of his mouth. Sev’s heart jumps. The smile falls away with such quickness that had the man himself not trained him to be the best, Sev would have questioned if it had ever been present to begin with.

“Shall we get our guest set up? Maybe you boys can explain how you managed to bring home a stray while we do?”

Yeah they we’re in trouble. He can hear Scorch gulp through his comms as Vau turns away and heads towards the main entrance of their home.

Growing up with so many brothers, child soldiers who were destined to grow up too soon, Sev had never been privy to concepts like privacy. It shouldn’t irk him that eyes follow them as they enter the vheh’yaim, following their father through the one of the many different spokes off the main karyai toward medical. The low flicker of fire light catches on the rich golden plates of Mij Gilamar’s beskar’gam.

Without much more than a tired sigh, the silver haired Mando finishes his drink and rises from his spot near the fire to follow.

Sev finds himself thankful that even amongst the faces like his own, Ordo Skirata’s was not present. He wasn’t in the mood to hear what Kal Skirata’s golden child would have to say. He’d have to hear it eventually but he hoped he could at least grab a shower and hot meal before he had to deal with the Null.

Scorch elbows him in the side and Sev casts him a questioning glance. “In your head again, vod?”

“Just worrying about Ord’ika.”

“I would be less concerned about Ordo,” Vau remarks casually, “and more about me.”

To their left, Mij Gilamar huffs out a laugh as he motions for Scorch to lay the patient out. “Let’s worry about the aruetii first shall we? Where’d you pick this one up?” the doctor asks as Scorch begins to help him liberate her from the thermal blanket and then layer after layer of thick and dusty fabric. 

“New asteroid mining station in the outer rim, Kappa Black,” Sev offers, “and we didn’t know we even had her on ship.”

It takes gett’se to openly admit that in front of his training Sergeant but Vau says nothing.

Scorch picks up where Sev leaves off as the last layer of outer clothes is tossed aside. Sev had been right. There really wasn’t much to the woman underneath the bulk of gear.

“We picked off the bounties. Cake walk.” The demolitions expert chirps happily but Sev can hear the well hidden undertone of anxiety in his voice. “We got in. We got out. Didn’t stop to sight see.”

Vau looks down his nose, glancing slowly from one to the other and then to the girl being hooked up to tubes and monitors. “It appears you didn’t stop to check your ship over either.”

“We had to leave in a hurry. She’d tucked herself behind gear,” Sev explains, knowing it wouldn’t be good enough, “We-“

A cry rises up from the bed as the woman’s eyes shoot open. He knows panic when he sees it.

“Fierfek!” Mij curses as his recently placed central line is caught along the bed and yanked from her neck. Fluids flow freely, mixing with a steady stream of blood as the doctor grabs for gauze and fights to press it against the puncture. 

“Some kriffing help would be good,” he grunts as he manages to dodge a fist. 

Sev steps in. He manages to grab both wrists in a single movement, pressing them to the bed as her lower body twists and her legs kick out. He tries to judge his own strength, his hands swallow her wrists. 

“Restraints are in the drawer.” He hears Mij but his eyes are focused on the woman under him. “No! The other drawer.”

“Sorry Doc, gotta lot of drawers here.”

Sev ignores his brother as a leg swings wildly his way, its knee connecting with solid beskar along his back. She doesn’t even flinch. Sev positions his body over hers, swinging a leg over her hip and looping his feet over her thighs. She doesn’t stop fighting. 

“Stop!” He snarls down into her face, voice coming out gruff and modulated through his buyce. Stark blue eyes focus in on him as she suddenly goes deathly still. They stand out against the warm tan of her skin, only a shade lighter than his own. Her hair is a tangle of unkempt curls and knots. She looks feral and wild, bears her white teeth like an animal. Sev adjusts his grip as she begins her fight again, thrashing and bucking under him.

“I said stop!” He snarls again, and something changes in her eyes. Fear flashes. Her snarl turns into a frightened “o” of surprise before he feels her muscles begin to go slack underneath him. He glances to his side in time to see his buir remove the hypo from her arm.

Mij grunts. A bead of sweat glistens at his grey temple. “Always prepared, right Walon? I hope you took into account her body mass because I don’t feel like dealing with a heart that doesn’t want to beat.”

Vau smiles, holding up the still half full syringe and flicking it lightly with a well manicured nail. “This isn’t my first time. Now Sev’ika, please climb off our guest and let’s try this again,” the black armored Mando says calmly.

———

“I don’t like it. It’s too convenient.” 

Scorch rolls his eyes behind the mirrored visor of his buyce. Ordo Skirata has made himself known shortly after Mij had gotten their little stowaway stabilized. She’d be sleeping off the worst of  her hyperspace sickness. If she did decide to wake again they could all be secure in the fact that Scorch himself had tightened down her restraints.

The hot brand Doc found behind her left ear had answered more than a few questions she wouldn’t be able to answer for a while. A slavers mark denoting property of the Mining Guild. Between that and her poor condition, Scorch couldn’t blame her for hopping the first ship off the asteroid belt she could find.

 It did make them thieves technically, but he had strong feelings about people being property and it really hadn’t been the first time they’d creatively acquired something. He’d tried to ask Sev his opinion but he didn’t seem much for banter after they’d found the brand. Even Wal’buir had seemed a bit more disgusted than usual.

Then Kal Skirata showed up at the med bay door with his eldest in tow and a few of Omega’s commandos, Niner and Fi, trailing behind.

And now the adults were talking and it was his job to shut up .

“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not at this point,” Mij was saying firmly, “I’m not about to put a sick girl out.” His eyes flash challengingly to the Skirata clan head. “There’s nothing you can do to change my mind about it either, Kal.”

For his part, Kal Skirata has been fairly quiet, standing to Ordo’s side with his arms crossed loosely over his chest and a contemplative look on his face. Every now and then Scorch would catch old Kal’buir trying to sneak a peek at their acquisition. Scorch also noted both he and Sev had placed themselves between the other men and the bed. He could think of a star cruiser worth of smart things to say, but not one could account for the near-defensive position Sev was taking or Scorch’s own flanking of his brother.

“Besany’s pregnant-“

“Oh really?” Scorch can’t help himself. The words just come out because kriff, was Bes never not pregnant? “I wasn’t aware.” 

Sev snorts to his side as does Niner hovering behind the Null. Fi barely manages a suppressed smile as Ordo’s eyes narrow. Scorch rolls his shoulders, loosening the stiff joints up. It was always about Kal’s boys. It was always cowing down to Nulls. It got old fast. Next to him Sev’s neck pops as he rolls it.

“You got an issue, Scorch?”

“And if he does?” Sev’s voice cuts in. 

It had been awhile since there’d been a good family tussle. It might be time to take it outside and fix that.

“Scorch. Sev.” Walon Vau’s crisp, aristocratic voice cuts through the tension and posturing “Stand down. It’s late and I’m tired.”

Kal tips his head to his Null son. “You too Ord’ika. Everyone is concerned for the safety of the women and children, but if I know your wife she would no sooner have us dispose of an escaped slave as she would one of your deserter vode.”

“We’ve had squads do worse to get here,” Niner adds levelly.

“True, ad’ika,” Skirata agrees pleasantly, taking a step toward the bed. Sev’s sudden step forward seems to reignite the tension as he blocks Kal’s line of sight. The older man casts an appraising look at the Commando and Scorch feels every muscle in his body coil in anticipation. Kal Skirata could play the good natured ba’buir all he wanted, but below the surface he was anything but. He was as cold blooded as it came before you got his family involved, but once you crossed one of his boys Scorch wasn’t sure there was a star system you could hide in that the old Mando merc wouldn’t find you in.

Scorch wasn’t sure where he and Sev placed in the family tree but he wouldn’t be caught unawares if it was time to find out.

“She’ll be our charge,” Vau says cooly, stepping between the two Delta commandos.

“And if she’s brought trouble with her, what then?”

“We let Sev slot ‘er and Mird will have a nice treat,” Scorch offers as if they were speaking of troublesome roba. The mention of Mird is enough to get a shudder from both Niner and Ordo and a wet sound of agreement from the creature itself as it slinks in between Fi’s legs.

The strill circles around its master’s feet before giving Sev and Scorch a cursory sniff. 

“Walon,” Mij Gilamar’s voice is low with warning.

“Lord Mirdalan is an excellent judge of character.” The golden furred creature leaps to the bed with predatory grace. Scorch watches the strill stare expectantly at the sedated woman before turning twice and curling up on her legs. “See?”

Fi, who’d been quietly observing - for once - speaks up after a moment. “It may just be me, but I’m not sure Mird’s approval is necessarily a good thing.”

[adrieunor]

to both eat well (1/?)

Pairing: Din Djarin & Original Mandalorian, Din Djarin/Nice things. (F)Mandalorian Reader (but largely GN in this narrative.)

Rating: T+ (may change in the future) 

Word count: 2.4k 

A non-linear, paint by numbers friendship. Can friendship be slow burn? It can now. A gratuitous excuse to lore build Mandalorian culture, with a side of speculation on Din Djarin’s place within it from the perspective of another Mandalorian.  Narrator is an apprenticed armorer (fool) who ends up making all those whistling birds Din Djarin uses (in excess, she’d argue.) 

Completely disregards S2, and picks and chooses what it wants from canon lore. I strongly think Din Djarin needs a friend who will look at his crusty, bachelor life style and go, “bitch, you live like this??”

Does revolve around a faith (The Way), what would constitute cultural practices for a fictional group, and food-- so if food-talk is not your thing, I won’t mind if you skip this one. No beta, because fuck man, just take it. 

******************

The beroya has a name. You know it, that knowledge floats somewhere in the back of your mind, as light and as useful to you as dust and fine spiderwebs. His name holds little distinction, as memorable as the names of the rats the foundlings catch and train for pets; the same level of import to you, which is to say: very little. 

Vizsla speaks it, more than once. But you always remember Vizsla’s cadence more than his words. The barely hidden sneer in his voice. 

There are many who consider Vizsla too rough, his bulk as intimidating as his temper. 

Succinctly: an asshole. 

Which, to be fair, you don’t deny. But you also think he’s just got a lot of –ness to him, with no place for it to go down below in the tunnels. A heavy infantry like Vizsla is meant to win wars, but there are no wars to be won and the tunnels only stretch so far for his presence. 

You understand, at least in part; if you were displaced outside your forge, tossed above ground where the expanse is simply unending, you’d be an asshole too. 

A tunnel baby like you has no place above ground, leave it for the infantry like Paz Vizsla or the hunters, like—

Well. Anyway. 

So you like that about Paz Vizsla, for all his –ness it’s the right kind of stuff; his intentions are in the right place, most of the time, even if his words are as blunt as his fists. 

Which might be why you end up, out of all the mando in the tribe, to sit beside him at meal times. 

Which also means you end up, out of all the mando in the tribe, to listen to him gripe.

Paz does not suffer in silence, he’d sooner let someone else suffer the brunt of his frustrations. The tribe has learned to let it be you, as Paz would only dare to raise a hand at one of the few individuals who knows how to service his armor.

He speaks it again, spoken lowly in the gathering hall, his helm ducking in deference to the old matron who serves tonight. You know better than to hold the line up, serving Vizsla a generous helping, two and a half ladles, before passing the ladle to him.

“A quarter,” you say, and he hesitates—“I’ll get more after this.”

That’s enough that he obliges. The ladle’s handle is so small, dainty, in his hand as he scrapes its lip against the rim of your bowl to catch the drips before returning it to the pot. You eye it for a moment—it was good enough, but it could be better.

(A tribe the size of yours hardly needs two blacksmiths at once in the forge; you wouldn’t dare voice it to your teacher, but you’re growing bored.)

You finish your thanks first and, before he’s lifted his head from his own, you’ve already placed the small bowl of red flakes by his hand. Vizsla grunts, rapping his knuckles against the table—my thanks to your consideration.  

You tilt to your right, letting your helm brush against his arm—you’re welcome—before your hands move to lift it from your head. The soft release of a valve and Vizsla’s buy’ce settles besides yours on the table.

The beroya had come that day, dropping off another fistful of meager credits to Teacher. Paz, because he was Paz, had shouldered into him in the entryway to the forge. Words had been exchanged, blades had been brandied, and your Teacher had, once again, interrupted another fight between two grown men.

And now Paz was taking it out on his food, which, by its glaring color, had already seen a generous fistful of spice in the kitchens.

“You don’t like him.” It’s not meant to be more than a passing comment, your thoughts more tangled with the fragrant, savory grains before you, but you’ve gone and poked the bantha—sigh.

Who had cooked today? Vox? Roe? Either mando always took to heart heat when it was their turn. Too far, maybe, but you’d be teased mercilessly if you voiced this. It’s been years since you ate from the children’s pot.

(You spare a thought for the considerably lighter, fragrant stew that had bubbled next to the adult’s. It had looked good. You like a savory, sweet porridge, but you like preserving your pride more.)

Your fork scrapes against the wooden plate. Could you sneak another drink, or would it be too telling?

“He is arrogant,” your vod grouses. “He’s been on the surface too long and thinks himself above the rest of us.”

The bite of his words is lessened by his sniffles. You pass your cloth to him, and he blows into it messily. You won’t be asking for that one back.

“A mando who will not sit to sha’kajir does not consider us tribe.”

Speak of ill tidings and they will arrive. No, you amend, that’s not very fair, is it?

The beroya enters the room and, like hands clasping over little ears, the voices of the hall lessen to a murmur. If he cares, he doesn’t show it, not in the tilt of his buy’ce or the set of his shoulders.

He walks a straight path towards the simmering pots over the fire; no one gestures to him in greeting and he makes none. He serves himself, bypassing the Matron who had stood to regard him. A single ladle of hot grains, a comically small portion compared to your companion’s own serving.

He turns. No one moves to offer him seating, though there’s plenty.

The beroya strides out, his cape flutters before he disappears around the doorway. Not once had his unadorned helmet bothered to look left or right.

A beat passes before the hall returns to its rumbling conversations. You fold your hands into your lap, meal forgotten, as your eyes slide from the empty doorway back to your plate of yellow and orange.

“Is it arrogance? Or devotion?”

Vizsla breathes in sharply. You’re not sure in response to your question or to clear his sinuses.

You press on, fingertips to fingertips as you speak to your plate, “Is it not our Creed? Perhaps he holds what is sacred only to an audience of himself.”

Even from your own mouth, you find it a lonely notion.

You’ve heard outsiders think that never means never—but, then, how would you eat?

What stronger way for warriors to grow closer, outside of battle, than this? Your weapons forged in fire, the food that fills your belly warmed by the same flame.

How could one build and solder and mend bonds if not through the intimacy of eating well? Bare one’s proverbial neck and trust that your company would protect you at your vulnerable, commune with you to eat and be strong?

Sha’kajir is trust, is sacred no matter how plain the fare. To eat with your tribe is to be loved and protected, and to love and protect in turn.

Thank you for attending to my needs, thank you for letting me grow strong in your company.

You probe, cautiously, “What does it mean for a mando to eat in private—where the only time he can remove his helmet in the company of others, he abstains?" You break decorum, plain words sound best now, when you wish to speak plain truths: “Isn’t it… isn’t it lonely, don’t you think?”

(Who does he thank if alone? Who lets him grow strong, if only just him?)

“Then he thinks his own company better than his kin,” Paz decides, pushing his plate away.

You turn your head, and you don’t need a mirror or a visor to know your own expression is pitying; the love you hold for the Way is made from the same sinews and muscles that love your people—your eyes, no doubt large and dark the way Paz despises, go to his jaw, his ear. The intimacy of looking into his eyes—the thought of it alone!—you wouldn’t dare in such a communal space.

“You don’t believe that.”

“I do.”

You watch the ear twitch as the jaw clenches and your eyes slide away, downwards.

The beroya walks an adherence to the Creed stricter than even your own leader, adherence unheard of to the point of isolating—alienating, ostracizing. It scratches at your thoughts in a way your vod are unwilling to address (how strange for normally direct people!).

“What should make him sacred only makes him more profane in your eyes, then.” Your stomach turns, the food does not agree with you. And you’re not sure you agree with your own thoughts.

Your rumination is broken by a snort, Paz folding his own large hands in front of his empty plate. “You sound like your buir.”

You recognize it for what it is: conceding. Your friend will not push this with you, not when you’ve barely touched your food. Your hand comes to hover over your forgotten spoon, and you murmur the words that always come when nothing else is enough. “This is the Way.”

“Eat,” Paz says, nudging you, “Eat and be well, vod.”

******************

Paz Vizsla is gone now.

Away, somewhere. To the winds—if he lives.

If he’s gone—no, you squash the thought before it continues. You did not see his helmet among the piles, no sight of a dark blue cuirass fallen by the wayside of the tunnels.

He would not like you so unsure.

You need to be strong.

******************

Teacher grasps the back of your helmet, bringing your foreheads together in a bruising clunk. 

“Ad’ika,” she says, and she hardly gives time for you to suck in the shuddering, wet and wretched gasp that tears from your throat, “Go, go with him.” 

This isn’t your teacher, nor your armorer. This is buir—her voice as familiar as hammer to anvil, for all that it wrecks your heart into a mangled heap now. 

“No, no, no.” You shake your head, scraping temple to temple, beskar to beskar, but you do not break her grip. You cannot, for how tightly her leathered hands grasp your helm. “I will not leave you—I’m not finished—” 

“Ad’ika, you are mine—”

There’s a ringing in your ears and someone is crying, like a lost foundling. Like a child. It might be you. It can’t be. You haven’t been a child in so long now. Not since your first blade, your first kit-- you’re spiraling.  

You cannot hear all that she is saying over your own protests. 

“—made you in my image, and you will not end here.” Buir snarls, fisting the thick weave covering your shoulder, “You will listen to me, I command it.” 

“I don’t want to go-”

“I unname you.” 

Three words so cleanly severing you at the neck, you nearly buckle to the ground if not for her hold. 

Buir breathes, one great breath of calamity and resolution. 

“I release you. Your hammer your own. Your fire your own.”

She taps her helmet once more to yours, gentle despite her fierce grip, before her fingers loosen. 

“Leave me.” 

******************

You climb into the boat, limbs stiff and spirit shaken. Shock. You must be in shock. Nothing else can describe surely the ice that’s settled into your stomach. Your beskar has never felt cold before, not once, not ever. 

It freezes you now, despite the heat that surrounds you. 

Your mastery should have been spectacle, celebrated by your covert. 

Your severing – your exile – should have been private, the end of your bond held in silence. 

Instead, it was witnessed by outsiders, who awkwardly shuffle and part way for you. Ignorant to what they’ve witnessed, blind to the turmoil that nearly burns you inside your own armor. 

Din Djarin will not look at you. 

The only thing that stops you from jumping into the lava is the dishonor it’d bring to your beskar. 

******************

Later, later, later: 

He only asks, once. When it’s just you and him, awake. The foundling, asleep. Turning in his seat, he looks at you for the first time. 

You don’t think you’ve ever been held in his attention, not once, not ever. His fingers flex, like they’d rather hold a blade or a blaster than whatever conversation he’s ramping up to speak. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

“With you?” 

The unembellished helm tips forward. 

You turn your head. “No.” 

He doesn’t ask again. You stand from your seat and go down below. 

******************

You don’t remember what you do. 

It’s only with a jolt that you find yourself staring at an open panel, plainly marked boxes of rations stacked neatly side by side. Wherever your spirit had gone, its dumped itself back into your armor. 

The Razor Crest moves underneath your feet. It must be subtle, but for someone who has lived their entire life below in the tunnels, it’s jarring enough that you feel unsteady. You bite your cheek and brace yourself, this will not be what breaks you.

There’s no way to tell the passing of time on the ship, but your helmet’s display tells you hours have passed since your narrow escape. 

You should feel hunger, feel something, but you’re hollowed out and only routine keeps you climbing up the ladder to the beroya—Din Djarin.

The foundling coos at the sight of you, but his father shows no other sign than the tapping of his fingers against the ship’s controls.

“We need to eat.”

Seconds pass and you think he’s choosing to ignore you, before his voice breaks the silence. “There’s food below.”

“Yes,” you say, tilting you head, “I found it. Will you… Will you share food with me?”

The words sound awkward, stilted out of your mouth.

“Take what you need.” Djarin lifts a hand, a wave, and you press your lips tightly together—you’ve never…you’ve never had to ask before, like this.

“You misunderstand.” Your fingers curl into your palms, but you will not clench them, despite the roiling in your stomach. Hunger or nerves, you’re lightheaded. “Will you sit and eat well with me, vod?”

Djarin stills in his movements, as if he was not already so still before. You imagine it has been a very long time since anyone has called him so familiarly, not with the wide berth he is given below. He turns, slowly, and regards you.

You don’t know him well enough to read him; you can’t decipher what the tilt of his helm means, or the way his fingers flex before he looks somewhere to your left.

“I’ll… I’ll eat later.”

Oh.

Your stomach twists, painfully, but your mouth is dry as ashes. Okay.

Any longer in this shared space, in your humiliation, and you might fold—and you are not brittle, you are not made of weaker metals.

You turn, dismissed.

No murmuring conversation. No crackling flame. No gentle hiss of helmets being placed respectfully side by side. Just the one, just your own, set beside you.

Sitting on the floor with your legs crossed, in the hull of the ship—the belly of a beast that takes you farther and farther away from all you’ve ever known—you are, for the first time in your life, alone. 

Fingertips to your lips, you close your eyes. If your eyes prickle, sting, you can pretend it’s from the spices you’re imagining.

When you open your eyes, vision only a little blurry, the meal is still the same. The reconstituted food is plain, the portion meager and colorless. You think of the mandalorian in the upper deck, and you recognize, now, the hesitancy in his voice at the offer you’d extended.

Din Djarin who has, to your knowledge, never taken his helmet off—eating alone, being alone, surrounded by a community but still singular. Still solitary.

Still strong, in spite of it all.

Lonely, but devout. Profane, but still Mandalorian.

(Firm in his hold to protect a foundling, but unsure of whether he trusts you, when you call him kin.)

You can respect that spirit, even if you don’t fully understand.You must, if you want to live. 

Above in the cockpit, you know he can’t hear you--let alone your thoughts.

You thank him, anyway, and eat.

******************

Notes: Likeeee...I just don’ttt buy that a terribly tight, secretive community of people who consider being warriors and caring for your clan a core tenant wouldn’t eat together. I think there’s SO MUCH TO UNPACK FROM s1 Mandalorian culture glimpses we get that go totally unexplored in s2. I also fucking love the parallels between jedi and mandalorian, who TALK FUNNY (FORMALLY) and have their OWN mysticism whether they wanna admit it or not. The ARMORER? RIDICULOUSLY cool character that goes unexplored. My solution? Here’s a fanatical apprentice mandalorian who loves nothing but beskar, beskar, and the work. 

I don’t think a ship is gonna work out here. I genuinely think my little beskar goblin is too obsessed with her forge and, now, the wellbeing of the only other clan mate she has to even consider bumping uglies with anyone. She is...a workaholic and obsessed with her calling. Songbird will shake herself out of stupor soon enough to curse Djarin for his negligent maintenance of his most important weapon-- his body! 

So yeah, come talk to me about my own headcanons for why Din doesn’t remove his helmet among his own kin, when they likely do among themselves. If this has piqued your interests at all, let me knowww and I’ll add you to the tags. 

[jessiebanethedragon]

Scuttle, all chapters in one post

Thought it might be kinda nice to have the full story in one post... idk.  

The mission, simple. The planet, a shit show. But that's hardly unusual for Clone Force  99. The elite team of four clones were used to disasters, in fact, they thrive off of them. Arkanis was no different, a rainy planet located in the outer rim. Currently held under control via the separatists. The republic needed to change that, and so of course when their informant’s identity was leaked, they sent the most capable team they had to extract them. 

Enter - The Bad Batch. 

“Did you know this planet is made up of over 10,000 different species, all localized to it’s rainforest biosphere?” Tech was chattering as usual while the team geared up. Assembling their armour and double checking weapons before dropping out of hyped space. 

“How many of those wanna kill us?” Wrecker asked beyond the metallic thunk of his durasteel clicking into place. 

“Does not say, but given Arkanis’s tropical climate i would estimate that most of the life forms are plants.” Tech said clicking about on his holopad. 

“Vod, in here now.” The Sergeant called from the brig of the Havoc Murdader, having already assembled his armour and stashing away his viroblades. “Here's the info we got from Cody.” Hunter said, pulling up a  map of the planet’s capital. 

“It’s a kriffing death trap.” Crosshair barked out looking at the maze of intervening trees, houses and streets, all covered with various mosses, vines and other plants. 

“We’ll have to go solo on this one.” Hunter added. “We need to cover ground quickly  and quietly, remember this is an active warzone so while blasts will blend in we want minimal casualties.” With a flick of his hand he moved the holo so it showed a different area. 

“This is their last known coordinates, we’ll drop ten clicks from here and fan out. Tech?” Hunter looked to his brother, waiting for him to take over and tell them how to go about searching for the informant. 

“There's no choice but to head in all  directions, checking each house, that's our best bet, without a speeder they wont have been able to leave the city.”

“And if they did have a speeder?” Crosshair piped in, attaching an intricate looking scope to his rifle. 

“Well, then, I hope you like rain because we’re stuck there until we find the snitch.” Hunter added. “Wrecker, Tech, let's get this show going.” Crosshair watched his brother’s jump to the front of the ship, rolling the toothpick in his mouth around.

“Sarge.” He said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Like usual it was chucking it down on Arkanis, the sky was dark by midday and everyone was wrapped in layers of weather proof fabric. There was no wind today, no sunlight, just buckets and buckets of cooling rain. She watched as the droids started ushering people around, being pushed aside by one herself to make way for the spider droids that were crawling the city. She cursed herself for not noticing it sooner, the anxiety of getting caught was dulling her senses. Focus and precision were not things she could go without right now. 

“Yona!” Your mother called, when you had picked yourself up again. Crossing the uneven street with practiced ease. 

“I’m fine mama.” You assured her. She clutched to your clothing like a madwoman. Peering at the droids through the rain. 

“Return to your homes.” the closest one said, before pointing it’s blaster at the both of you. Causing you to latch onto your mother's arm and take off as  fast as you could down the street. 

You pushed the door to your small home open with your knees, the latch had long broken and the door itself did not slide open properly anymore. The tips and edges of your hair were soaked, eyelashes heavy and hands slightly shaking. 

“Papa?” you called into the emptiness that was your house, cold wooden floors and windows left open  allowing the rain to make its way inside. The seprastist propaganda was playing through the Holopad on the main table. 

“Yona.” he said softly, sitting on the chair in the main room. None of the lights were on, the warm glow of homeliness wasn't there, and a feeling of dread settled in your stomach. “What have you done?” he asked gravely. 

“What are you talking about?” You faked innocence, there was no way he could know, you’d been so careful in hiding the transmissions. Flicking the light switch on the biggest lamp in the room you began to shed your outer clothing. 

“Yona…” he started again, and you turned at his voice, shrieking when you saw the figure standing at the end of the room. 

“I have to say…” General Krexx hissed out, the separatists trandoshan calmly turned towards you. “I’m almost impressed by how long you managed to remain undetected, little republican.” Without thinking you turned to the door and bolted out into the rain, weaving through the rocks and foliage as fast  as you could. 

“Go on, scuttle away little roach. Get a good head start.” Krexx laughed, before reaching to his communicator to hail his trandoshan guard. “You’ll need it.” 

Crosshair quickly decides he likes the rain. It’s got a way of blending in so nicely with the rest of the planet that he thinks it would be bland without it.

“Anything?” Hunter asked into the comms, and various grunts and groans of ‘negative’ filled his ear. They’d landed in what looked like an abandoned house, it was situated in the branches of a very tall, and very old tree. How anyone would have managed to climb it was a mystery. 

“How do we even know what we’re lookin’ for?” Wrecker grumbled as they rapelled down the enormous trunk. 

“All we’ve got is that they answer to the name Wren apparently its some animal on this planet.” Hunter grumbled, looking over a tech, expecting a lengthy explanation of what exactly a ‘Wren’ was. 

“Fairywren are small birds that  live in typical families of small groups, they come in brilliant colours of purple and blue. Very rare in the galaxy, but common to this planet.” Tech immediately replied, as their feet crunched into the ground. 

“Okay, Bad batch, let's make this quick.” The sergeant ordered before taking off into the undergrowth. 

It had been hours and they were no closer to coming across anyone or  anything that looked like a Fairywren. Keeping to the outskirts of a small town crosshair watches as a group of Trandoshian guards (from the look of their intense armour) patrolled the streets. 

“What are they doing?” he thought aloud to himself, toothpick ever present in his mouth. His concentration broke when he heard someone laughing at him. A group of teenagers were sitting under a broken piece of metal. 

“What does it look like, Laserbrain?” one of them sneered. “The trandoshans are only good for one thing. The hunt.” Crosshair doubled his pace. 

You were running faster than you ever had before, and for longer than you thought was physically possible. Your one and only advantage was the extent of your knowledge of the forest paths. The guards would be faster and run longer, they had keener senses than any human, and you knew if they put out a warrant, anyone and everyone would turn you in. But you were so close. So, so close. 

It was called the Night Lake by the locals, the canopy here was so dense no light illuminated the water below, giving the area a terrifying essence. But also ensured much needed privacy, and in this particular case, somewhere to hide. You threw yourself into the waters, letting the slightly chilly water envelop you. At least four of them had been on your tail and you knew more of them were waiting at the edge of the city, should you try and circle back. 

You swam as deep as you could manage, before stilling in the water, suspended in perfect anxiety as you watched its surface for any movement. Flares began to light up the dark sky and the water below as they tried to clear the area for your whereabouts. Closing your eyes you prayed to anything listening for them not to find you. 

Turns out. No one was listening. 

Crosshair was sprinting in the forest, creatures disturbed by his arrival scattered in every direction. The Trandoshians had taken off moments before answering a call that he couldn't interpret. But his experience and intuition told him to follow. 

It was then that he faltered and fell down the edge of a small but very muddy hill, being followed only by more water filled dirt that almost buried him. Cursing he pulled himself up, checking his whereabouts for signs of a trap. 

“So small for such trouble.” Something hissed to his right, clearly unaware of the clone that had just tumbled into their presence. His eyes snapped forward, four trandoshians sat at the edge of what was the largest and darkest lake Crosshair had ever seen. 

“Shall we let her drown or yank her out ourselves?” One asked with a snicker. 

“The general wants her alive, something about having fun while making an example.” The first one spoke again. “Right, enough is enough, Drisk get her out of there.” with a nod towards the water, Crosshair watched as the slimmest trandoshan (who was probably still twice the size of the sniper) dove into the black waters. The ripples dissipated for a moment before the reptile emerged carrying a struggling young girl. She was sopping wet, and struggling and turning so much they had no choice but to dump her in the mud. 

“Now, now little roach, don't run off.” The leader laughed as she started to claw her way through the mud, reaching down he grasped her ankle and yanked her into the arms of the other two reptilians. Crosshair lined up his rifle, he could take out the two grasping the girl and then worry about the leader after. He had the trandoshans in his sight when his comm crackled to life again. 

“Crosshair, you missed your check in time, you still out there?” it was Tech, curse him and his punctuality. Because now the other two huge beings were dragging him out of his hiding place. 

“Well, would you take a look at this. A clone!” Crosshair was forced to his knees in front of the leader as it spat at him.   

“Crosshair! Come in!” Tech shouted into the helmet, thus resulting in it’s not-so gentle removal from Crosshairs head. He watched as Tech’s voice faded away as the bucket rolled into the lake. 

“Now that the rude interruption is gone, you wanna tell us whatcha up to in these parts?” he said kneeling down and meeting his newest captive eye to eye.

“Bird watching.” Crosshair deadpanned. Really not feeling in a chatty mood at that present moment.  

“Really?” The reptile hummed in thought, pretending to actually believe his answer. “Have you seen any birds yet?” 

“No.” Crosshair told  him with a smile, “Saw some Bantha-shit - looking lizards though.” He didn't see the flying fist coming, but he sure as hell felt it. 

You clamp you both of your hands over your mouth. Hard. in the smallest attempt to muffle your screams. You can't tell the difference from lake water, rain water, and tears. But you know you’re wailing at an unforgiving volume. Your mother's blank eyes stare at you. A single blaster to the head. Your father, you got a blaster to the face is now unrecognizable. You don’t know which is worse. Krexx didn't even bother to keep you restrained, knowing that the horror of what he made you witness would be enough to paralyze you into compliance. The sound of conflict falls on deaf ears as you continue to shriek from your converter of what once was the family home. 

The Clone, whose name you either didn't know or couldn't remember, was cuffed to one of the ceiling's support beams by a pair of binders, only just coming to a hit to the head like that will do you in. you watch him lift  his head with a groan, the tattoo on his face covered by layers of mud. He starts pulling at the binders before his eyes meet the figure in the corner. 

You’re curled in a fetal position, still screaming bloody murder into your hands. And barely, Crosshair sees that the fingerless gloves you wear are embroidered with a bird. A bright blue bird. 

“Wren.” He grunted out, the pieces all coming together as his brain shakes the fuzz away. You don't move. “Wren!” he shouts over your tears. And you fall into more of a silent sob, looking over at him. “I need you to get these off of me.” he gestures to the binders with a shake of his hands. You recoil in the corner and shake your head, your cries are picking up volume again. 

“Wren, please” Crosshair all but begs. The sound of battle is getting closer and closer. “I need you to uncuff me.” his voice  barely registers in your brain. You know you have to move but you feel like you physically can't. There’s no fight or flight left in you, and it appears your entire system has short circuited as a result.   

“We are both going to die if you don’t get me out of  these kriffin’ binders!” Crosshair renewed his struggles as he shouts at you. But one look at you says that would be a preferable outcome for your current state. So, he switches tactics and tries to remember everything tech has ever told him about shock and trauma. 

“Wren,” he tries once again, softer this time. “I can help you, I can help you out of this. But i can't do that if you don't get these off of me.” Your eyes meet his. ‘Progress’ he thinks. You don't know how you do it, but you try to stand. 

“Just keep looking at me, okay?” The clone who you don't know speaks again, and your eyes meet his. You stare not into his eyes, more like past them. You're not focusing on anything you're just taking one step after another until you reach where he’s awkwardly strewn up. “There's a release button on the-” He starts to tell you, but you're already reaching up with shaky hands and fumbling around until they drop to the floor with a horrible clank. Immediately Crosshair jumps into action checking by each window and door and gathering all he can in terms of intel. 

“We need to move, before anyone-” he trails off again when he’s seen that you’ve slid down the wall that he was against. Curling back into a ball. Slowly, he approaches you. He knows the protocol for a clone with shock, but what you're going through looks completely different all together. And Crosshair, well, let's just say there was never any training for caring for a civilian girl whose entire life just got destroyed. 

“My name is Crosshair.” He whispers to you, crouching down to our height. You look at him with wide eyes. “Is it okay if I carry you to a safer spot?” You nod in response fumbling with your arms to lock them around his tall frame. His strength surprises you, as he lifts you with relative ease. And slowly the adrenaline wears off and you sink into his arms, vaguely you feel him pull your head into his shoulder the blasts sound deafening now as he runs through the uproar caused by the execution of an innocent family. Your family. Crosshair tells himself he pulls you closer so that you are not recognized. And that he does it so you don't have to see that carnage. But mostly he does it in hopes that you feel just a little more safe, and a little more calm in his arms.   

You don't remember passing out in the troopers arms, waking only when he sets you down, in front of the tree that's all too familiar to you. It’s raining  even more now and Crosshair feels particularly inadequate as he paces in front of you. What do you tell someone who’s just lost everything? 

“Crosshair…” Your voice is quite as you say his name, he whips around at the sound, terrified someone had followed him into the forest. He waits for your next words, and it takes a moment but a small ‘thank you’ leaves your mouth. He nods and goes back to pacing in front of you. 

The crashing sound breaks both of you out of your perspective trances. Something is moving towards you, and quickly. In response, you haul yourself up off of the rainforest floor. Looking to the man in front of you for direction. 

“It’s fine.” He tells you, monotone. “Jus’ Wrecker.” You’re not sure what a Wrecker is, but quickly you discover a Wrecker happens to be Crosshair's older and much bigger brother. 

“Crosshair!” He booms, when he clears the undergrowth, clapping a rather large hand on  his shoulder, and you watch as the trooper takes a step backwards. ‘Not one for touchy-feels’ you think to yourself. 

“Ran into some trouble, bucket got chucked in a lake.” He explains. “Couldn't com in.” this ears him a boisterous laugh from Wrecker. 

“Accident prone as always.” He chuckles, before turning away to, presumably tell his comrades he's found Crosshair. You on the other hand, had backed up into the tree bark whilst watching this interaction. Crosshair is watching you watch Wrecker, and he wishes he could pick you up again, just to feel your heartbeat go from crazy to calm as you relaxed in his arms. It would be so much easier than talking or trying to talk,  to just scoop you up and  hide you from the world.  

“Tech and Hunter are only a few clicks out.” Wrecker says to Crosshair, subtle nudging him as if to say, ‘stop staring bro, you’ll spook her.’  Before moving over to you, and bringing his hand out, watching as you recoil more into the branches. Wrecker takes the hint, and  takes his helmet off before trying to shake your hand again. This time you let him, offering a small ‘hello’ in return. 

“You must be Fairywren.” He says, and you confirm the guess with a nod. “Cool name, much cooler than Crosshair.” He smiles at you, and you immediately decide that his talent, even with all the muscle, is undying kindness and radiating happy energy. Crosshair scoffs at his brother. 

“I hate to disappoint but it's just a nickname.” You’re still smiling a little, your old self shining through for that brief moment. 

“Still” He assures you, “it’s way better than any of ours!” You decide to lose yourself in the moment of happiness. Firing back at him with a:

“Oh I don't know, Crosshair isn’t that bad.” Wrecker laughs again, and you see Crosshair pause as he lifts a toothpick to his mouth, a small smile in the shadow of his tall figure. 

“Wrecker” he draws out that voice, so different to any other clone. He gestures to the forest edge he’d been watching as the leaves and twigs break and moves as Tech and Hunter join the three of you. They exchange words, far enough away from you that you don't hear them. A few glances thrown your way. And Crosshair starts to look more and more unimpressed. Breaking from the group with a grumble, and heading over to you, opting to lean against the tree with you. 

“Tech’s the small one.” He whispers to you. “Sergeant Hunter has the ridiculous hair.” rolling the toothpick in his mouth, you look up at him. 

“Why are you telling me this?” you're not trying so rude, but you're genuinely curious.

“I’m telling you, because you’re going to be putting up with them for the foreseeable future.” He sounds a tad annoyed but you don’t push further.  

“You named after the tattoo?” You ask without thinking. Tracing it with your eyes, giving them something to do other than tear up in panic. 

“Got it after.” He responds, and from that you can gather he’s not very social, but what you need right now is a distracted mind, so you decide to test your luck. 

“Why Crosshair though? Like I get it's your name but like why?”  You want to curse at how stupid you sound, but, the adrenaline has totally warn off now and your brain feels like goo.  

“Sniper.” He says blankly, turning around so you see  the huge rifle strapped to his back. 

“Oh…” you say, finally connecting the dots. “Well i'm called Fairywren after-”

“The birds, I know.” Crosshair  interrupts, before moving away from you as the rest of the group breaks apart from what you're guessing was a debrief? Taking small steps towards them, taking in how different they all are. 

“Sergeant Hunter, at your service.” The one with longer hair says, shaking your hand. You take note of his face tattoo as well and wonder if he got his with Crosshair. 

“Wren, thanks for the save.” You introduce yourself, not pausing to think where you’d be without them.

“No problem,” Hunter says, his voice is deeper than Crosshairs but no less gruff. “Shall we get off this kriffing rock?” Turning around to his group, taking in their nods, before scaling the tree. 

The Havoc Marauder isn't exactly what you expected, but then again you don't know what you expected it to be like.  Maybe a bit more cluttered than it actually is but you like it nevertheless. 

“How many species are on this planet?” The clone named Tech asks you, he's the only one that hasn't introduced himself to you, but you're guessing it's only because his brain is working a million parsecs a second. 

“I'm not actually sure,” You say, feeling guilty as his face drops. “There's a number of overall species and all but the variations are so unique it's hard to classify them.” You quickly add, watching his eyes light up.

“So why the Fairywren then?” He asks after a lengthy (and largely one sided) conversation of evolution in rainforest species. You feel Crosshair's eyes on you, tuning back into the conversation off and on again as he took or lost interest. 

“My grandmother once told me that the Fairywrens kept guard on your heart.” You tell him, and you see Crosshair lean forward on his knees to hear better. “She said that every Fairywren watches over someone, they keep them safe. She said my Fairywren was the brightest one there ever was because of how much she loved me.” Tech stays silent taking in the story, and Crosshair seems to be frozen in place. You don't realize that he’s realizing how stunning you are and kicking himself for not seeing it sooner. Of course you're the Fairywren, bright blue and so beautiful it almost seems fake. 

“How do you know Krexx.” Hunter asks walking into the brig area where you had been sitting. And you freeze at the name, Crosshair glares at his sergeant for bringing him up, he hates the way your face falls at the mention of his name. 

“He took over when the separatists showed up, and he was put in charge of keeping everyone in line.” You snap.

“Hunter, maybe we should-” Crosshair starts but he gets interrupted. 

“How many Trandoshans were on your planet?” Hunter interrupts, and if you didn't think Crosshair could glare any harder than he was, you were very mistaken. 

“At least a hundred.” You tell him. “Less now.” 

“Why less now?” Tech jumps in, and his honest interest makes you smile a little. 

“I used to catalog plants when I was a kid, my dad kept journals, because he was a healer. So it was like a hobby of ours.” You explain, “Trandoshans don’t take too well to plant venom apparently.” 

“Genius” Tech breathes and you can't help but flush. 

“Any chance of a tail?” Hunter asks, and this time Crosshair interrupts. 

“No, checked the whole way back to the ship and then some.” His voice sounds taught, like he's about to snap. 

“Good, either way, I'll take the first watch, I don't want any missteps here. Get some rest.” He nods to you all, and even though it's nowhere near close to nighttime you don't argue. Wrecker passes by and ruffles your hair saying “g’night little bird.” Tech offers you a mock salute that makes you smile, before heading to where you assume the bunks are. 

“Extra bunk is down the hall. Door on the left.” Crosshair tells you standing up, and the air seems to shift, you feel lonely thinking about him leaving. So you follow him, hoping he’ll stay up just a little longer with you. He stops in front of what you guess is his door. And you thank every god  out there that it's across from the empty one. You see that there's no blankets in the empty bunk. 

“Need anything?” he asks, and he almost cringes by how rude it sounds. ‘Sure’ he thinks to himself. ‘Be rude to the sopping wet, traumatized girl in front of you, good one Cross.” You turn back to him. 

“No it's okay, i'll get blankets from Hunter or just snoop around until I find them.” You joke, Rubbing the back of your neck as the man in front of you sighs and rolls the toothpick in his mouth around. 

“Stay here.” He says, a little softer, disappearing into his room. In reality he wants nothing more to let you into his room, to drop that cold exterior he’s created. But he already knows he's no good for you. Crosshair slips out his door again with a blanket. 

“Wrecker will be passed out already, Hunter doesn't use blankets and Tech has what he calls the ‘mathematical epiphany of correct blanket weight, fluffiness and size’ to ensure a proper sleep. So the only extra one around is this.” He states, holding out a black fluffy blanket that looks so cozy you want to cry. You take it from him silently, subtly bury your face in it so you can tell if it feels the same way his shoulder does. It's softer but smells the same, and you can't wait to burrito yourself in it. Crosshair has turned away, going crazy as he sees you snuggle into something that's not him.    

“Crosshair,” you call as his door slides open again. “Thank you.” And before you can embarrass yourself you slide into the extra room. 

“You’re welcome.” He whispers even though he knows you won't hear it. 

You wake to the sound of a very angry sniper. And even though his default setting is angry, he seems more perturbed than usual. Muffled voices can be heard from outside the small bunk area that you’ve already made your personal space. Wet, destroyed clothes sit on the floor in the corner and you’re wrapped only in Crosshairs blanket, save for your undergarments. You swing your legs over and plant them on the cold metal floor.  As you reach the door, the  voices become clearer.

“Absolutely not.”  - That's Crosshair for sure, only he would be so blunt. 

“I wasn't asking for your permission Crosshair, only your opinion.” The other voice is more of a long sigh at this point. The exhaustion and caring sound to it tells you it’s Hunter. For clones they are all remarkably different you think to yourself. 

“Yeah and my opinion is ‘no’.” Crosshair snaps. 

“The seppies will come after her whether you like it or not.” He counters. 

“Which is why we can’t take her into bounty hunter territory!” You freeze as you realize they mean you. Panic settles in when you come to terms with the idea of being ditched on some degenerate planet with non resources whatsoever. You retreat back into the bunk, pulling the blanket closer to your frame. 

“Just get her up.” Hunter finishes and you hear him tread back down the halfway of the ship. Crosshair grumbles something about not being in charge of you before the door slides open. He’s shocked to see you sitting up and awake, and his eyes rest on the pile of clothes on the floor before meeting yours. His blanket looks far better on you than it has in all his years of owning it.

“Food’s up.” He says before turning to leave. Less time spent interacting with you the better. Means less time for him to stare at the one exposed shoulder that the blanket has fallen off of and less time to wonder if you’d ever spare someone like him a second glance. 

“Where are you dumping me?” He hears a small voice ask. And all the warmth leaves  his body. 

“We aren't…” He starts, not turning around. Because if he doesn’t turn around he can claim ignorance if you're crying or not. 

“I heard you and Hunter and i’m not stupid.” You interrupt him, voice void of any emotion. 

“Then you'd know i'm not going to let him do that.” He snaps, almost angry at you for thinking he’d leave you on your own. 

“I’m deadweight, aren't I?” It's a question you know the answer to but have to ask anyways. You want to scream at the republic, for using your intel and then throwing you away. Taking advantage of your selflessness and empathy, just like they take advantage of  the clones caring and giving nature at every opportunity. 

“You’re not deadweight.” Crosshair states, leaving no room for argument, “You just need  to be somewhere off the grid for a while.” He hears you stand, and slowly he turns his head, his blanket bunched awkwardly around your frame. His jaw clenches as his heart pulls at strings he swore weren't there. 

“Crosshair…” You start, but don’t continue, words escape you, the right ones don’t exist in that moment. Or at least you can't bring yourself to use the ones you want to. So instead, you opt to blankly stare at the metal floor. He will leave eventually, turn and head out the door. You’re not his problem, your brain explains this as the floor becomes more and more interesting.  Except he doesn't go. And the very tips of his fingers meet your chin, gently pulling your head to meet his glance.  

God his eyes are stunning, you think, before cursing your brain for being in the totally wrong place at the wrong time. But his eyes might be the prettiest you’ve ever seen. Light brown with hints of ashy tones. 

“I won't leave you on your own.” He tells you, but what you want to hear is that he will stay with you. You're already inexplicably attached to the sniper, it's unbearable. 

“Thank you.” You whisper to him breathless just from being this close to him. 

“Now come on, or Wrecker will have eaten everything before you even get out there.” Crosshair cocks his head towards the door, pulling away from you. 

The members of the hold greet you excitedly, Wrecker seems to have really taken to calling you little bird as well as patting your head affectionately. And you find yourself sat wedge in between him and Tech while they both talk your ear off. Hunter is smiling and eating in contentment of his little family and Crosshair is starring, you fit so nicely in this scene. Wrecker piling more and more food on your plate while you laugh at Techs retelling of one of their ridiculous missions. 

“Tell er’ about Nal Hutta!” Wrecker says with an evil smile.

“Don’t you dare.” Crosshair snaps at his vod, who's already laughing his blacks off. 

“It wasn't that bad Cross.” Hunter admits grabbing some empty dishes and patting his shoulder as he walks by. 

“Yes it was!” Wrecker says between wheezes. And you notice the faint flush in his cheeks. 

“Okay one of you needs to spill the details.” You demand looking from Tech to Wrecker. 

“Well, as you probably know Nal Hutta is run by the infamous Hut cartel…” Tech launches off, waving his hands about as he talks. (you've picked this up as one of his biggest habits.) 

“Tech…” Crosshair groans with his face in one of his hands before giving in and leaning back. Preparing for the worst. 

“I can't tell you all the details, classified and all, but the important part is that Cross was working recon and cover, like usual. So he's up this step mountain that's basically all dirt and sand. Looking for this Hut fellow right, and before we can warn him Wrecker throws this thermal detonator and the whole side of the mountain collapses.” Tech tells you excitedly. And your worried eyes look across the table. Crosshair had moved so he could lean back with his arms behind his head looking just a tad embarrassed. 

“He would've been fine, if he hadn't gone rolling right through the window of the house he was collecting intel on.” Wrecker was killing himself laughing by this point. 

“And then the… the” He tried to get out between gasps of air before waving it off and letting Tech continue. 

“And well, sorry Cross, there's no easy way to say this.” Tech laughed a little himself. “He rolled right in on a Hutt reproducing session.” Your eyes went as wide as they could, and a hand covered your gaping and giggling mouth. 

“Wait, so Crosshair burst in on two Hutts doing it?” You gasped, trying to stifle your growing laughter. 

“Gets worse.” The man in question grit out, looking at the mess of comrades before him. 

“How does that get worse?” you exclaimed, leaning into Wrecker with his contagious laughter. Tech turned to you, smiling wider than ever. 

“Hutts reproduce asexually.” He stated, “scientists don't know too much about it but from the condition we found this one in.” he pointed to a grumpy Crosshair. “It gets real messy.” You closed your mouth into a thin line, blinking as you tried not to laugh. 

“Oh…” giggle “no, Crosshair…” More giggles. “That must’ve been awful.” You tried to emphasize you really did, but the look on the snipers face had you laughing all over again. 

“He was covered head to toe in green Hutt goo!”  Wrecker boomed. 

“Well it’s nice to know yet another finds my torment hilarious.” Crosshair grumbled as he stood up to escape the laughing hyenas before him. 

“No!” you objected, “I promise I am not finding this the least bit funny.” You told him, trying to keep a straight face. Receiving a sarcastic ‘um hum’ reply. 

“I mean it, you could have been seriously injured.” You countered, thinking you had successfully hidden your smile beneath your hand. 

“I can see you smiling.” He said, raising an eyebrow at you.

“You could've drowned in Hutt goo…” You quietly said with another round of giggles. 

“Ahhh yes CT-7733 of Clone Force 99 killed in action on Nal hutta, death caused by drowning in Hutt goo.” Tech snickered from beside you. 

“He will be dearly missed, and as an apology the Hutt has named the child in his honour.”  You added taking note of Crosshairs millionth eye roll of that morning alone. 

“Okay that's enough of that now.” He said. “Wren, you want clothes or are you spending the rest of your life in my blanket?” He teases, watching you blush a tad. 

“I don't take life advice from a man covered in goo.” You shoot back with the biggest smirk on your face. 

“No clothes for you then.” he smiled as your protests began. 

“Okay, okay, calm down, don’t get your goo in a tuffle.” You say maneuvering yourself from with the blanket and over Wrecker who's still chuckling to himself.  

Down back in your makeshift room, Crosshair shows you where the extra clothes are kept, which means you’ll be swimming in extra sets of blacks all meant for clones that are bigger  than yourself. But you think your pants may survive given a good enough wash, so for now you roll the waistband and the legs until you look somewhat presentable. Greeting crosshair on the other side of the door.  

“See,”  He says, “told ya’ it would fit.” Before he turns from you and starts to walk back down the hall. 

“Wait Crosshair!” You call jogging over to him, a look of fau-concentration on your face as you reach up to where his short hair meets his right ear. Carefully running your fingers through it. He knows his heart has either stopped beating or hammering so fast he can’t feel it. 

“There, all good now.” you declare patting his cheek a few times. hoping he inquires as to why you just hand you hand in his hair. He opens and closes his mouth a few times before deciding on: 

“What was that for?” and if there was an inter-galactic clone flirting competition, Crosshair just lost. You grin up at him, pure evil  in your eyes. 

“Oh no reason,”You say walking past. “Just a little leftover Hutt goo.” 

Tech finds your fascination with hyperspace fascinating. You seem to spend hours sitting by whichever window you have chosen for that moment, watching the universe whizz by. Sometimes he sits with you, and you both talk about your theories for explaining the galaxy. He learns that your parents never left your home world once you were born and nicknamed you Yona after the rain that poured down so often. He mentions it offhand to Crosshair and catches him whispering it to himself later that day. Tech himself sticks to calling you Fairywren, while Wrecker has committed to little bird, Hunter goes with Fairywren like Tech but Crosshair has decided on not using your name or any of the many nicknames the bad batch have for you. 

In fact, he’s starting avoiding you all together. 

You flit around the ship like a plague according to him, Hunter and Tech can’t figure out why the sniper has such a disdain for everything you do but it’s getting out of hand.

“When do we drop out of hyperspace?” He asks one day while you’re perched in the cockpit staring out the window, away from the current conversation. 

“Soon.” Hunter states his focus on his holopad, receiving instructions from Cody about laying low. 

“How soon?” Crosshair presses, keeping an eye on the door that separates you from hearing him. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Hunter says, getting slightly annoyed with his brother, not to be dramatic but you’re literally a joy to have around. All the batchers love you to bits and Hunter is frustrated that Crosshair is being a spoilsport. 

“It matters to me.” 

“Yeah we get it. You can't stand Fairywren, because she’s the problem and you can't wait to get rid of her.” Hunter snaps, putting his holopad down.  “Just days ago you were all over  her, what happened to ‘we aren't leaving her’?” He’s staring at Crosshair, enhanced sense burning into his soul.   

“Just a little leftover Hutt goo.”  You’d said to him, not that he’d heard, his face was on fire, burned from where you had touched it. And he is surprised he didn't flinch away from your touch, had he become that accustomed to you already? Was Crosshair so entranced by you in  such a short amount of time that he was already missing your touch? No. He doesn't  know you. You don't know him. He’s memorized every part of your face, but you don’t matter to him. His heart seems to beat for every smile you give him. But you have no effect on the sniper. Every shot he takes is one to protect you from anymore trauma. But he doesn't give a damn about your feelings. Love at first sight doesn't exist, soulmates are fake. And even if they did Crosshair doesn't want it. 

Kamino broke him, being defected, trained and thrown away for your one purpose does that to person. He tells himself to hate you for putting him back together.

“Nothing changed.  But we aint a charity.” He tells his sergeant, who absolutely knows he is lying. But because he doesn't know why he’s lying, Hunter lets the conversation drop, but mostly because he can hear you get up from the co-pilot's seat and head towards the door. 

“Wrecker says we’re dropping out of hyperspace soon.” You report, popping your head out of the door. “Says it'll look cool.” You add with a blush. Hunter chuckles a tad and says something about going to let Tech know. Leaving you to stare at Crosshair. 

“Ram'ser” you say all of a sudden, slow and precise, testing out the word and being very careful of  your pronunciation. 

“What?” Crosshair spits, more surprised than malicious. Since when did you speak mando’a?

“Tech likes to talk to me in phrases of mando’a  and have me guess what they mean.” you explain slowly. “He uses that word when he talks about you.” 

“Yeah? Good for him.” Crosshair is glaring at his reflection in the table. He hates this, he wants to hate you. He can’t stand the way the words come out of his mouth, but his head reminds him that you will be safest far away from the war. And that means he can't catch feelings and any that have slipped through must be thrown away. He hears the door slip closed as you retreat to watch the stars again. Tech and Hunter follow moments later, Hunter looking down at his vod with a sigh. Stupid enhanced hearing. He heard every word. 

You land on a desert planet you already can't remember the name of, but apparently it’s a neutral system and a good place to lay low. The sand dunes make you frown because they go as far as the eye can see, and Tech makes you take a spare pair of goggles and a makeshift hooded cape that was fashioned out of a lightweight tarp from the hold. That combined with your clean (albeit mud stained) pants and an oversized shirt you fit right in with the mess of inhabitants on the planet. 

“You’ll get itchy.” Hunter tells you when he sees that you’ve sat yourself in the sand and are now in the process of burying your legs in the strange stuff. 

“Sorry, I’ve just never really seen this stuff.” you apologize but Hunter waves it off with a smile. 

“It’s okay, just a heads up. Stuff gets everywhere.” You reluctantly pull yourself out of the sand, joining everyone by the edge of the sand dune, looking over at the nearby city in the distance. 

“So what haven't you guys seen?” You ask as you struggle to walk down the intense slope. 

“We don’t see a lot of water usually.” Tech says, “but only because not many species can survive underwater.” 

“If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” The bad batch is used to your barrage of questions. It’s one of the things they like most about having you around, from favourite colours to wild would you rather questions, your brain is always humming with things to discover. 

“Somewhere small and quiet.” Hunter says quickly, the light, heat and everything else already giving him a headache. 

“Coruscant.” Tech answers, the complete opposite of his brother. “Libraries and the Jedi temple.” He explains further. 

“Kamino.” Wrecker says, surprising you. You had assumed they all hated it there. “Home is home.” He explains with a smile. Crosshair doesn't say anything, but he can feel the eyes on him. 

“What?” He says to the four faces looking at him. 

“Cross would go to Hoth, because it’s cold.” Wrecker sasses him with a slight push. 

“Shut up Wrecker.” he snaps, in a very bad mood today. 

“Or anywhere his cyare is.” Wrecker adds without thinking. Making Hunter, you and Tech very confused. That's a word you haven't heard from Tech before and both him and hunter are trying to figure out who Wrecker is talking about while Crosshair looks like he’s actually going to explode. 

“What did you just say?” He says each word is its own sentence. 

“Cross has a cyare?” Tech is now thinking out loud (another habit of his) “no way Cross has a cyare we would know if he did. I mean we are with him all the time so it’s not like we wouldn’t know them or have met them…” His rambling fades into the background when Wrecker speaks up again. 

“Wait Tech, Sarge? You two seriously didn't notice?” He asks, shocked that his clever brothers hadn't picked it up. 

“Wrecker, shut your trap.” Crosshair orders, and a very tense silence falls over the group, and you’re only a third of the way to the city. You decide to ask Tech what the word means later.  And the now very awkward walk continues, that is until a speeding starts  to approach you from the town. 

“Bad batch! Defensive positions!” Hunter calls to them, and within seconds they have their helmets on. except for Cross whose helmet is still in the bottom of that lake, but has a new one waiting for him at base. But either way they’re all ready for combat in record time, leaving you to stand awkwardly in the middle of them hand by where you keep the small knife that's always by your side. 

“Civi’s!” Tech calls, having analyzed the people within the speeder, it’s a Twi’lek woman with a young child. She does, however, raise a blaster before addressing  the group.

“Saw the ship land. Thought someone or something might need help.” She says, eying the group suspisously. “Clones eh?” She adds. “Can't be here. Neutral system.”  She lowers the blaster. 

“We just need a few days.” Hunter says, taking his helmet off. 

“Perhaps you didn't hear me.” She’s more aggressive now. “You can’t be here. One day or a hundred, we don't care. Get gone.” You step forward. 

“Hunter we should go.” You whisper, looking at the mother and her young one. 

“Kriff,” The twi’lek sighs when she sees you. “Huxx has already got a bounty on her.” She looks at you with pity. 

“Thought you said this was a neutral planet.” Crosshair snaps. 

“Bounty is a bounty, no matter who’s side it’s for.” She says shaking her head. She pauses thinking for a minute. “All i can offer you is the fact that any planets around here  will  have been given the same information.” 

“What if I had credits?” You ask, it’s dangerous. But you know if one person saw you and more must know by now.  

“You’d need a lot of credits and a really stupid person to let you camp out here. Especially with clones” she says, beginning to bargain. 

“What about credits, a nice person, and no clones?” You counter taking a pouch out of your pants pockets. 

“That might work. For a couple days that is.” She agrees. 

“Absolutely not.” Hunter interrupts. “We aren't leaving you.” ignoring someone with a sniper rifle mumbling ‘hypocrite’ under his breath. 

“The name’s Leeya” she tells you, ignoring Hunter. 

“Yona.” You reply, moving to hop in the speeder, but stopped by Hunter's hand. 

“This isn't happening.” He says firmly. 

“Get in the speeder and tell your very angry friends to find something to wear other than armour.” Leeya smiles softly at you.

“We’ll be back soon.” Tech speaks up, very nervous, just as the rest of his batch. 

“I know,” You tease, “who else is gunna listen to you if i’m not around?” He laughs a little, and you hug him goodbye, before wrapping your arms around Hunter and Wrecker in turn. Crosshair doesn't move. 

“See ya around.” He says, turning away, and there’s a crack forming in your heart. You know he’s been different recently, you know he’s just putting up with you. But you thought there was something there. The present evidence seems to prove you wrong. Wrecker’s looking between you and Crosshair in disbelief. He sees you swallow tears and he snaps. 

“Wrecker!” Crosshair all but screams as he’s lifted into the air by his brother. Of course he heard him stomp up behind him but he definitely wasn't expecting to be snatched from where he stood. 

“She’s your kriffing cyare!” He booms, before unceremoniously shoving Crosshair down into the sand in front of you. It would be funny if you weren't so shocked by Wreckers actions. Crosshair pulls himself up and whips around, arm cocked ready to throw a punch. The hardest glare you’ve ever seen on his face. But it falls when you gently take hold of his arm. 

He’s taken back to the night he kissed you, and you begged him to keep the nightmares at bay.  He blinks and he’s taken back to the morning he woke with you in his arms. All at once  he remembers and forgets why he was pushing you away.

“Crosshair…” You start, but he pulls you into a crushingly tight hug before you finish. Nose to your hair, and your hands around his neck. Like they were made to be there. 

“I-I” he starts what would be an apology that he knows won't be enough. 

“It’s okay,” you interrupt. “Just be back soon.” and in a haze he watches you pull away from him and get into the speeder. 

“But I promised…” He whispers to himself. “I promised not to leave you…” you’re becoming a speck on the horizon, and he should be happy, he doesn't have to torture himself by refusing to love you anymore. 

Except part of him knows, as he feels his heart get torn from his chest, the real torture has just begun. 

You see him in your dreams. His corpse, destroyed in front of you. And when you wake with a start, on the dusty planet, in another woman's home, he isn't there to comfort you. Leeya is usually up and so you find her in the kitchen pottering around. You spend those nights cradling her infant child, trying to stop his incessant crying. And you learn that the day she met you she was looking for her husband. Who apparently has been missing for quite some time.

They’ve been gone seven rotations and the nightmares and shakes are getting worse, wrecker isn't here to make you laugh, tech isn't here to drown your thoughts out with ones of his own. Hunter Isn't here to take notice of the smallest changes in your well being. And Crosshair, well, Crosshair isn't here either. But you miss the eternity of him. 

Mostly you miss his arms, strong enough to hold you tight but soft enough to cradle the tears away. Wrapping around you away from the universe. An addicting drug at its finest and you’ve only had one hit. 

It was late, late enough that you thought no one was awake. Having been travelling through hyperspace with the Batch for 12 regular rotations of 24 hours, you’ve taken to having panic attacks alone in your room, or pacing around the ship when everyone is asleep, pushing away the memories of a family you once had. 

“You should be asleep.” Comes the long drawl from the sniper, toothpick in  his mouth, wearing only his blacks. You jump back, scared of the sudden noise.  

“I’m sorry.” The apology is immediate. 

“Don’t be.” He states, looking at you, wrapped up in his blanket like usual, he wonders if it smells like you.

“You’re shaking.” He notes with concern, standing up from his  spot and crossing over to you. 

“I just do that sometimes.” You admit, trying your hardest not to bring attention  to the problem. 

“Before we met?” You know what he’s insinuating, did you have a habit of shaking before your parents died. 

“Yes.” A lie floods so easily from your lips. 

“Promise?” He doesn't believe you, he’s heard stories about the famous fairywren from regs on corosaunt. You were basically famous for heroics and intel, and he’s pretty sure someone like that doesn't shake. You don’t answer him, staring at a spot on the wall behind his shoulder in the hopes you can fake eye contact. You hear him sigh, before his arms encase you. 

Once they do, you begin to shake in earnest. From head to toe as if now your mind knows it’s safe, it's letting out all the pent up anxiety. Every breath is interrupted halfway by the next, and tears make trails down your face and into his clothing.

“I’m sorry.” You tell him again, and in response he just holds you tighter. His arms pull you as close as physically possible, and for a moment you let go of everything that's holding you up. Everything you’ve been trying to hide from those you travel with surface with one terrible sob.

“Someone as heavenly as you shouldn't cry.” Crosshair says, placing the gentlest of kisses to your hairline.  

“It's my fault they're dead.” You gasp between tears. 

“No, Yona, it’s not. You didn't start this war, you didn't ask for your home planet to be invaded. And you didn’t give the order.” 

“But I-” You start

“But nothing.” He barges in rather softly. “It’s not, and will never be your fault.” 

“He’s going to kill me.” you whisper into the darkness of the havoc marauder. “He would have the day if the neighbours had not heard the screaming. Before he left he promised me, no matter where I hid, he’d find me.” 

“I won't let him lay a finger on you.” Crosshair professes to you and himself.  His arms that had slacked pull you closer yet again. 

“You don’t owe me anything, missions done Cross. I’m just baggage.” You sniffle, lip beginning to tremble. 

“Not to me.” He says firmly. You pull back from him just enough to look into his eyes. And with a look both of you ask ‘why me’ and answer the other in one breath. Your quivering hands make their way to the edges of his face. And very, very slowly they start  pulling his lips to yours. You stop just before they meet. Waiting for him to pull away, or to ask you to stop, but nothing of the sort happens. His mouth connects to yours as softly as possible and just like that the two of you are kissing. 

It’s soft, slow, nurturing and full of feelings neither of you can describe. You never want to leave this embrace and from the way Crosshair is humming against you, he agrees with that statement. 

The air runs out eventually, and breathless, the two of you pull away. It doesn't stop him from chasing your lips and placing haphazard final pecks to your slightly agape mouth. 

“If i asked you to hold me for the rest of the night, would you?” It's A risky question but you ask it anyway. 

“You think i’d say no to someone as stunning as you?”

He wakes to you curled into his frame, arms locked around his stomach where the blacks have ridden up, and he can't tell where his legs start and where yours end because they’re so intertwined. Crosshair looks down at your face, and thinks that he wasn't made to fight in a war. He was made to love you. 

And the second that thought crosses his mind, he’s taken back to Kamino where the creepy longnecks tell a younger version over and over again, that he isn't a real person. That he will never have a real life. He begins and ends with this war, and he knows that this war has taken enough from you. And it cant take him from you if he doesn't give himself  away. 

So he presses one last kiss to your forehead, a tear falling into your hair. He lets himself think about your future, an older happier you, living a free life. It’s just that, in that image, Crosshair isn't there. 

“How did you know?” Tech asks Wrecker the second they make it back to the Havoc Marauder and crosshair is out of earshot. He’s been replaying the events back and it makes so much sense, but how was it that both him and Hunter had not clued in?

“Mostly the way he looked at her.” Wrecker says quietly, afraid of his brother overhearing this conversation. “He wasn’t very subtle.” He adds thoughtfully. Tech scrunches his eyebrows together and thinks about all the small smiles the sniper gave you, and yes this was normal behaviour for him around the other batchers, but thinking about it now, crosshair should've been much more cold to an outsider. Perhaps you just blended in so well into their little family he never stopped to notice.  

“There's a republic planet not too far from here, we restock there.” Hunter calls to the cockpit, usually maybe he’d poke his head in and check on Tech and Wrecker, but right now, he’s got someone else to check on. 

Crosshair is in his room, having collected his blanket from your bunk he sits with it by his bed while wondering how long it’ll smell like you. He’d be angry if he didn’t feel so empty. And because he feels so empty, there's not much he can do but tinker mindlessly with his rifle. 

“Cross?” it's phrased like a question but Hunter isn't exactly asking for permission into Crosshairs room. He strides  right through the door like he owns the place, (which he kind of does.) 

“Sarge!” Crosshair jumps to attention. It’s funny how when your brain does into overdrive it reverts to its base settings and you fall into old habits, and as a clone, habits are kamino training.

“At ease.” Hunter states with a raised eyebrow, when was the last time he asked his crew to stand to attention? He shakes it off. “Cross we gotta talk.” 

“We aren't together, you can’t court marshall me.” He snaps, Crosshair has already had this conversation in his head, and he knows that in clone force 99 is where he needs to be. So he’s got every rebuttal and reason stacked in his mind ready to go. 

“That wasn’t what I was asking…” Hunter states, and he knows he has to be careful, crosshair is a live wire at the best of times and this, well this is something else entirely. 

“What are you asking me then?” Crosshair stands up, coming toe to toe with Hunter, and you don’t need enhanced sense to know cross feels threatened. So Hunter takes a step back, a sign of non-agression. 

“I am asking why you would push something like that away.” Hunter says, choosing his words carefully. Not ‘why push her away’ because he knows the answer to that. It’s not allowed, I have to keep her safe, she doesn't feel the same, ect, ect. But in reality Hunter wants to know why he would push away the unspoken feelings they both have for the other. Why would Crosshair throw away something every clone dreamed about? Crosshair doesn't respond at first, but when he does, he explains everything to simply. 

“You can’t heal trauma on a battlefield.” and for the first time in  his life Hunter sees one of his men shed a tear. It’s gone the second it appears, lost to a face worn down by violence. Gone so quickly Hunter isn't even sure if it’s really there.

“But Crosshair.” He tells him gently “that isn’t your call. It’s hers.” he receives a small nod in return. And Hunter stands in front of him awkwardly, not sure what he is supposed to do next. 

“Well.” he clears his throat. “I’ll leave you to it then, because you best start working on your apology.” Crosshair smiles softly at that, and nods with more confidence this time. 

“You know sarge, if i didn't know better i’d say you’ve gone soft.”  The classic crosshair sarcasm is lacking a tad, but it’s progress. 

“Yeah, that Fairywren’s a bad influence.” He says over his shoulder as he leaves the snipers room. 

Time has no meaning while they're gone. You decide with an over dramatic sigh while you dig up and plant this strange dessert food. Except it’s not really food, it’s just kind of a thick stemmed thing that oozes out goo that the locals use for a variety of things, including a snack.  But you like plants, and you’re more than happy to be left on your own for a bit. Leeya is in the center of town with her son, selling and buying goods for the week. 

“Yona!” You hear her shouting from the house, frantic, and worried. “Yona!” she’s sprinting toward you fast as she can with the baby in her arms. You run to meet her halfway, tripping as you scramble to get up. 

“What, what is it?” You ask as she collides into you, careful not to squish the infant. 

“He’s coming, he’s coming here. Yona he’s coming here.” Leeya pants, terrified. Through the time of your stay you learn her life has also been altered by the trandoshan that hunts you, the kind twi’lek confessed to you one night when you asked why she agreed to help you. And being kind, you didn't press. Her life was her life, and neither of you seemed keen on talking about either of your lives.

“Leeya” You say trying to keep a level head. “Breathe I need you to breathe.”  she takes shallow breaths but nods to your suggestion. 

“They were talking about it at the market, said someone overheard a transmission.” You look up at the sky for a ship, praying to see one you recognize. But  it’s clear skies today and there's nothing in sight. So you can only wrap your arm around Leeya, coo to her son, head inside and pretend not to be scared. 

Krexx lands two rotations later, and your occasional shaking becomes constant. Sleep isn’t an option because you always have to be alert. You assume he doesnt know you’re here or he  would’ve found you already, but that doesn't ease your nerves. So it’s no surprise to anyone in the household, that when Leeya’s son starts to cry in the  middle of th night, you're by  his side in an instant. 

“Hey little slug, what's got your lekku in a twist?” You scoop him up into your arms and he manages to blow a tear induced spit bubble as a reply. 

“See and then you wonder why I call you slug, you slimy thing.” You smile down at him, bouncing slightly, moving your weight from leg to leg trying to stop the crying before his mum wakes. 

But don’t worry, it’s okay to be slimy.” You hope your voice will calm him, his wailing has stopped but you can tell from the sniffles one wrong move and you'll be back to square one. 

“I know someone who’s got a great story about slime, maybe one day he can tell you about it. Except maybe we’d have to get Tech to tell you, He’s so smart, and because Wrecker, well he’s a lot but you’ll love him either way, and Hunter’s kind rough around the edges but all squishy in the middle…” You trail off, and blink back tears that are a physical manifestation of stress. 

“And Crosshair, he’d take such good care of you, he’s kind of intimidating, got this whole pretended beskar exterior, but it’s all an act. He’d get you the softest blankets and he checks on everyone to make sure they eat and sleep and whatnot. I bet you’d really like him little slug.” you let some tears fall and giggle a little. 

“See now you’ve got us both crying now what am I supposed to do?” you say, except when you look down he’s fallen back asleep. So you place him back down, carefully wrapped in blankets. 

“You know, you don't have to help with him.” Leeya says from the door, with a smile that tells you she’s not being totally serious.

“Just earning my keep.” You joke and she sighs and follows you out of the baby’s room to make some kind of beverage. Pulling cups down and heating water to mix with a scoop of the extract from the plants you gathered today. 

“You haven't been sleeping.” She notes as she hands you a cup. You hum in response, not really knowing what to say. So the two of you sit in comfortable silence, until one of the buttons by her door starts to blink. It’s not the lock mechanism, because it's not red or green. 

“What's the blue light?” You ask, taking a sip of the drink that you decide maybe isn't too horrible. 

“Scanners picked something up, out across the dunes.” She mumbles standing and making her way over to the window to peer out of it. You follow her to squint in the darkness. 

“Leeya…” You whisper, “what’s out there?” 

“Something big if the scanners can get it from that far out.” she turns from the window, rushing to place the cup down and back to the babies room. 

“A ship?” You ask chasing after her, as she scoops up her son. 

“Could be, but if it is, that doesn't make us any safer.” She opens her cupboard and hands you her long range rifle. 

“I know you think it’s them, but I’m telling you, whatever it is, it probably isn't friendly.” she tells you, a sad look on her face.   

“I know.”  You tell her, “stay here with baby slug. I’ll check it out.” You tell her heading for the door. 

“How many times have I told you, his name is Galer.” She sighs, “be safe.” She adds as the durasteel door creaks and slides open. You look back with a smile before disappearing out the door. 

The night on this planet is as annoying as the day, the wind picks up so much that even if you could see through the pitch black, the sand in your eyes prevents you from making anything desirable out. But you know your way to the dunes where you landed, having trekked there almost everyday hoping the Batch had returned for you. 

In the distance there’s a hulking shadow, most certainly a large transport of some kid, but if it's a ship (and not some terrifying Jawa contraption) is it the Havoc Marauder? The sand is loose under your feet, and every step is a struggle to unburry the step you took before it. Your heart feels like it’s screaming for Crosshair, while your brain sush’s it with thoughts of untold peril. 

In the darkness you see movement appear over a sand dune, and on instinct you throw yourself into the grainy stuff for cover, shouldering the rifle and looking through the scope. There’s just the crickets and your breathing as you make out one figure, then another, and another until the fourth and final body comes into view. You adjust the scope with a flutter of frantic fingers. One smaller than the rest? Check? Hulking gentle giant? Yeppers. You make out a pack on the back of the one that seems to be leading the group and….

And then you see the shadow of a rifle. 

You scramble for purchase in the soft sand, like some kind of manic beetle running for cover. Your brain has tunnel vision brought from the gap in your heart. 

“Crosshair!” You scream into the darkness, as you start sprinting towards the group, it was a stupid idea, blowing your cover, even stupider to leave your rifle behind. But you don’t care. 

The entire group whips around at the noise, and you hear them calling out into the night.

“Wren!” it’s his voice, and you  know it’s him that's also running towards you. You’ve counted so many kriffing rotations since you last saw, spoke to or heard from him. 

Crosshair can't think straight, there’s so much he needs to apologize for, so much he needs to tell you and maker, if he can’t get you into his arms soon he might implode. 

But then, he doesn't have enhanced senses for nothing, he sees it out of the corner of his eye, his brain checking the area for snipers without him even being conscious it’s doing so until it actually finds one. 

And so he goes barrelling into you at full speed, hunching down and tackling the both of you into the ground, as the rest of the batch scrambles for cover and to return fire. You feel like you’re being dragged into the sand and you can’t breath, hearing, but not seeing blaster shots. 

“Crosshair,” You reach for him as he pushes you further into the ground trying to shield your body.   

“Stay down!” He shouts, already looking through the scope of his rifle. You try to get to him again, but he sees you move and he abandons the shot in favour of pushing you into the sand again. 

“Stay. Down.” he hisses into your ear. And he registers your mumbles, having forgotten, if anyone knew Krexx and his tactics. It was you. 

“They knew. They knew Crosshair! They were waiting for you to come back!” your hands finally find purchase on a part of him and the latch on like magnetic durasteel. “None of you have armour, they knew.” You press, searching his eyes praying he understands. One look up and he sees a group of trandoshans marching to where his brothers are currently defending. He moves for his rifle and starts making shots as you spot your gun, laying useless in the sand a few meters away. Crawling on your tummy over to it, your hand wraps around the butt of the gun as it’s grabbed by a single trandoshan, who must have been scouting on the other side of the city. 

The blaster rifle is ripped from you as your shoulder takes a powerful kick that winds you as your back hits the ground. He pulls a smaller hand held blaster on you, but you’re quick enough to send a fistful of sand into his face, followed by a flailing kick to his knee cap. As he drops, a gun fires  from behind you, and the creature drops dead. You grab your gun from his grasp and twist to see Crosshairs rifle still smoking, as another reptile runs at him, you pull the trigger on your rifle, sending him to the ground. Crosshair looks over his shoulder, then back to you.  

“Never told me you were that good a shot.” he comments as you scurry back over to him. 

“You didn’t ask.” you grit out, laying down more cover fire. 

“Hot.”  He smirks, and you gape at him, yes he looks fantastic in civilian clothes, in fact, given different situations you might take the time to stare at him.

“Really? That. now?” you shout over the desert battle. “You shut yourself off from me, ditch me for weeks on this hell hole, and now you want to flirt in the middle of this sweet hell!” you gesture wildly to the entire situation. 

“I have an apology ready, but I figured it should wait until we aren't getting shot at!” He rolls over onto your body as a human shield as the trandoshan sniper, rains all hell down on the two of you. Crosshair looks up just enough so that he can see your eyes, and he knows if he’s about to die he needs to kiss you one more time. 

So he does. It’s messy and uncoordinated, less soft than the first one you two had shared. It’s frantic, worried, desperately trying to compensate for kisses he now worries you’ll never get the chance to share. 

You respond in kind, pressing open mouth kisses into him as the only way to try and communicate that you know. You know he’s sorry, you know he missed you, you know he’s going to promise to never leave you again. You know him. Maybe better than he was originally okay with, but right now he just doesn't care. 

“The blasts.” You say thorough kisses, causing him to pause and check his surroundings. 

“They stopped…” he supplies, leaning up a tad more onto his forearms, still keeping you encased beneath him. 

“No help from the two of you.” Says Hunter as him, Tech and Wrecker approach the tiny hill you had both been hiding behind. Crosshair stands up brushing himself off before pulling you up and into his arms, glaring at his vod while he places a (slightly angry)  kiss to the top of your head. 

“Can I say hi to everyone else?” The question sounds squished as you mumble it out from your spot against his chest. 

“Fine.” Crosshair relents, letting you go allowing his brothers to crowd you and basically coo over how much they missed you. “So much for my cyare.” he grumbles to himself, only slightly pouting at the attention that isn't his anymore. 

And from within a twi’leks house, just off the edge of the sand dunes, one last trandoshan watches. And waits. 

Crosshair didn't let you get more than a few steps away from him the entire way back to Leeya’s house. It was almost as if the more you walked the more nervous he got that you would disappear in front of his eyes. His hand slipped it’s way into yours, gently dragging you so that Crosshair could feel the warmth of you. 

“Clingy.” You state, leaning into him as you walked through the sand. He hums in response, not bothering to try and deny it. His brothers marvel at how much he’s changed since you came into their lives. 

“It’s very impressive.” Tech admits, “the Fairywren seems to be able to trigger evolutionary change in humans. Who knew such a small creature could cause such a shift in personality?” Crosshair makes a gesture at Tech that you don’t see but assume it was rude either way. 

“Shove off Tech.” He says over his shoulder. You all but coo up at Crosshair, smiling towards him when he meets your gaze. 

“So you’re done pushing me away now?” You ask, teasing a little, but also hesitant, worried that he’ll grow cold again. 

“Yeah, someone talked some sense into me.” He tells you, briefly glancing over to Hunter, who only smiles and gives him a mock salute. 

“Hmm? And which of your vod do I have to thank for that?” You look at the rest of the batch behind you. 

“I guess you’ll never know.” Crosshair says, wrapping his arm around you again, stealing you away from the others. Maker, he really is clingy when he wants to be. 

Peaking your  head around the corner of one of the edge buildings you check for any other trandoshans. There's nothing. The wind whistles through the city as it sleeps, and you hope by the time morning comes, Drexx hasn't found the mess the five of you left his troop in. 

It’s the door to Leeya’s house that makes you stop, Cross feels you go rigid in his arms, and even he doesn't notice the cause at first. 

“The keypad.” You shakily whisper, it looks as if it's been removed and hastily replaced. Something only someone who’s been watching their back for as long as you have would notice. Without pausing to think you break away from Crosshair and dash inside. You hear him call your  name at the same time a blaster clicks beside your head. 

“It’s nice to see you again.”  Drexx hisses from beside you, Leeya is sitting on the floor in her living room, Galer crying in her arms. 

“He’s just a kid,” You immediately start begging. You’ve been here before, the same blaster, a much wetter planet and two adults shaking in front of you instead of one. Body trembling in its entirety. 

“Please.” you try again, “he’s just a baby.” Tears fall of their own accord. Like your body doesn't know what else to do other than tremble from head to toe and poor water from your eyes. 

“Should’ve kept away from them then.” Drexx tells you as he places himself on a chair in the room, twirling his blaster happily. Just as Clone Force 99 barges their way in. 

“Oh, looks like your friends have finally caught up.” He snarls. Pointing his gun at you again. “Seems to me they are short of some armour though. I wonder how resilient clones are when they’re not protected by fancy plastoid.” A choked sob leaves your body, what have you done? How could this be happening, again? 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, come here little Fairywren.” Krexx hushes you and you know you have no choice to listen to him. Crossing the room on shaking legs, hearing a struggle behind you as Hunter tries to hold Crosshair back.

“You.” Krexx says moving his blaster to point at Cross. “You, I recognize. Last we met,  you were passed out in binders. Decided to cuff yourself to some new deadweight I see.” He looks at you and then back to Crosshair. Having a superb time with the power he’s found himself in possession of. 

“Krexx…” you’ve got no option but to try and reason with him again, still focused on the family behind you. “Just let these two go. You know you don’t need them anymore. And you know you can’t kill civilians in a neutral system.” His features curl in anger as he turns to you. 

“Who would report me? You? The clones?” He’s just playing with his food at this point. Enjoying the terror he’s bringing, and thriving off of your trauma. He places his blaster down on the table and places his feet atop it. 

“How about we make a deal Fairywren?” He offers, relaxing into the chair. 

“What kind of deal?” You ask timidly. Brain working overtime to try and figure out how to get out of your situation.  

“Someone gets to walk away from this alive, I don’t care who. Could be them, could be mama and baby over there. Could be you.” Your eyes lock with Crosshair, you both know what's about to happen.

“Your call. Who gets to live? And more importantly who else gets to die because the famous fairywren couldn't keep her trap shut?” 

Everything seems to be put on pause for a second as your brain spirals out of control. Almost like your mind swims away from your physical body, and watches what happens next. 

“Me.” You say firmly. “It was my mistake, I am the snitch. I get to die.”Your voice is confident. So much so that you think Krexx might be impressed. 

“Then which of them gets to die?” He asks you, willing, wanting you to continue. 

“Neither, you get me, that’s it. That's the deal.” You do your best to remain as confident as possible but it’s slipping away quickly. 

“And why would I agree to that?” Krexx questions, wondering what plan you've concocted. 

“Because killing them wasn't a part of your orders. You kill an entire force of Troopers and the republic will demand your head on a pike. Kill civilians of a neutral planet and the republic gains yet another supporter. You have orders. So did I, I followed them, it got me here. You follow yours and this stops today.” You’re hoping the dramatic rhetoric is enough. It seems to be enough to make Krexx pause and think for a moment. 

“You say that like if i shoot you in here, your band of freaks won't tear my head off.” Krexx comments after a long period  of time. And you let out the breath you’d been holding. 

“Outside then.” You fire back. 

“Wren.” Crosshair says, and you can’t even meet his eyes. The crack in his voice is enough. 

“Outside then.” Krexx agrees. Motintiong for you to walk onwards the door as he picks up his blaser. “One more thing.” he adds, pausing as the two of you are almost to the door. 

You scream as the bolt hits Crosshair in the left leg. All plans forgotten as you turn towards him. He hits the ground on his good knee as Tech and Hunter crowd him desperate to save what's left of the burning flesh. Wrecker turns on Krexx who promptly grasps your bicep and points the gun to your head. 

“Just needed a little insurance that we wouldn't be followed. And he seemed to be a trouble maker.” He gives a nod to the scene in front of him, like an artist finally content with their work he pulls you from the house. 

Crosshair feels like his leg is being swallowed by Magma, it’s pain that burns bright all up his body. Tech does his best to get the ruined fabric away from the wound, but other than wrap it in non-ruined shirt material and put pressure on it there's not much that can be done. 

“Roof.” Crosshair gasps out, trying to move for his sniper rifle. 

“Crosshair, you put pressure on a wound like that and you might not be keeping that leg.” Tech tells him, trying to find anything resembling bacta. He feels a hand on his shoulder, the Twi’lek, Leeya he thinks her name is, presses a stim shot into his hand. 

“Stairs lead all the way up, on the right.” She deadpans, turning away from the group clutching onto her child. With a grunt, Crosshair stabs the stim shot into his leg, tying the material as tight as he can before the pain becomes overwhelming.  His hand goes for the gun again, and Hunter’s beats him to it. He opens his mouth to argue. 

“All due respect sarge,” Wrecker interrupts, taking the rifle from Hunter, and hoisting Crosshair to his feet. Wrecker goes to add something, but he doesn't, opting for a curt nod to his sergeant before dragging his half conscious brother towards the stairs. 

Krexx leads you to the open sand, the morning sun now on the rise, beginning to warm the land. 

“At least it’s a nice view.” You breathe as he pushes you to your knees, moving the blaster into position. Your mind goes blank, unsure of where to go from here. 

Your body however, knows exactly what to do. And with one last surge of adrenaline it twists in the sand and you use both hands to get a grasp on Krexx’s wrist, standing and using your momentum to pull him over you and into the sand. From there it’s a scurry as you search for the weapon. Only to be yanked by your hair as the trandoshan regains his footing.  A jab with your elbow, loosens his grip enough so that your second jab crashes into his teeth. You make the mistake of kicking him, with such force that you lose your balance in the sand. This gives him time to wrap hands around your windpipe and begin to crush it. You flail in the sand kicking it up in one last desperate fight. 

Crosshair stumbles onto the roof, his eyes are dropping and he’s fighting to even keep them open. Wrecker drags him over to the ledge and points at two figures in the distance. From his guess they are about 12 clicks away, a fully functioning Crosshair might not even be able to make this shot, let alone a half dead one. Wrecker can only stand next to him and squint into the sunrise as his brother desperately tries to line up the shot. A figure drops as he pulls the trigger, but it’s impossible to tell who it is. 

Krexx falls to the side as the blaster bolt comes into contact with his body. It’s enough to dislodge him but not enough to kill him. Rolling in the sand all you can think about is getting air back into your system, but a death grip on your lower leg reminds you the fight isn't over.  You kick the Trandoshan again to dislodge him and you turn to bring your hands together in a devastating hit to where his neck meets his chest. Something in the sand catches your eye as you search for the blaster and your hand goes out to it. 

It’s not the blaster, it’s a rock. But a rock will do. Positioning yourself above him, Krexx just laughs. 

“Go on then, beat me to a bloody death.” And you gulp, eyes flickering from the rock to him. And you wonder if you have it in you to literally bash a man's head in. He continues to laugh at you. Make you cant viciously kill a man with a jagged stone. But you can certainly knock him out with one. 

So you bring the rock down once and then twice for good measure, until he stops struggling with so much power and you can pull him into a choke hold. Eventually allowing him to become unconscious beneath you. Leeya’s speeder is coming towards you, Hunter and her at the helm. She embraces you as Hunter binds the general, he turns towards you, and he picks the blaster out of the sand a few feet away. Pressing it into your hands, you think about shooting Krexx. But you know what good the republic could do with the information he holds. 

Whether you shoot him is your decision. And yours alone. 

But for now, you have more important matters on your mind.

Crosshair wakes up in a medbay, vaguely remembering your face in the morning sun. someone begging for him to stay awake, and that a republic cruiser was in a nearby system. He remembers feeling your soft hands cradling his face, and thinking dying wouldn't be so bad if he had gotten to say goodbye. 

“Wakey wakey.” He hears you call to him, a clean GAR uniform on, but still his black blanket wrapped around you. He tries to shift up, but Cross is stopped by your hand on his chest. 

“M’ fine.” He grunts out, trying to sit up again. You sit yourself on the side of his bed and refuse to move your hand.  

“Humour me?” You softly ask, Crosshair sighs but lays back down anyways. “Medics say you’ll make a full recovery. Tech says that once Hunter gets a hold of you they’ll say otherwise. Something about disobeying orders?” Your hand moves from his chest and into the hair at the side and back of his neck. Nails running gently over the tense muscle. He hums at the feeling, and subconsciously his hands search for purchase by your waist. Rubbing circles over the material and down into your skin. 

“Technically it was Wrecker that disobeyed orders.” He argues, letting his hands drift to the small of your back. 

“You know I could give you the lecture of your life for being such an idiot. But maybe i'll just be mad at you later instead.” You say fondly, letting him shift enough to make room beside his good leg for you to squish in the cot next to him. 

“You just can’t stay angry at someone this handsome.” He gives you a signature Crosshair smirk and moves his blanket over the two of you. 

“I beg to differ. I certainly can stay angry at someone that handsome.” You tease, snuggling closer to him.  Feeling his chest move as he chuckles. Crosshair stairs down at you, and just like the first time you found yourself in his arms he’s thinking about a time when the war is over and you’re living a life without fear or bloodshed. Except this time that older version of you is joined by an older version of him, pulling him close and kissing his lips for the billionth time. 

“I love you.” He whispers into your hair, breathing away tears. 

“I love you too.” You whisper back, shifting just enough to let your eyes flutter closed and press your lips to his. 

Some months later…

The airstrip is packed, and yet the wind still manages to find its way into the smallest of spaces, sending shivers deep into the skin of anyone present. 

“Experimental unit Clone Force 99. They’re defective clones with, uh… Desirable mutations.” Commander Cody explains to a very hesitant Captain Rex

“99, eh? Nice touch.” He says as the ramp descends.

“They call themselves, The Bad Batch.” Cody states with pride as Wrecker appears in the doorway, slaughtering down shouting something about the cavalry arriving. You stifle a giggle at their dramatics. Pulling your custom helmet, courtesy of Tech, over your head. While the boys had their grey and red plastic armour, yours had been painted with a little extra blue, forming wings that cascaded down the plate covering your back. The helmet however, featured foot prints of the bird ini question, each with a very small crosshair encircling them.  

And yes, you had added a delicately placed fairywren painting to crosshairs inner plating beside his ribcage. 

“Sergeant. Good to see you again.” Cody greets you all, as you stand beside your Cyare, eyeing him carefully.  He doesn't work well with others, especially when others involve regular clones. You jab your elbow into Crosshairs side playfully, reminding him to look a little less like he wants to explode right then and there. 

“I see that Wren fits right in.” The commander adds, giving you a smile and a nod, you finally pull off your helmet, much to the shock of Rex, Jesse and Kix. 

“That's definitely not a clone.” Kix says to Jesse. 

“Long time no see commander.” You say returning his smile, you move for a hug but Cody extends his hand to you. 

“Last time I tried to hug you, your Ram’ser almost killed me.” He reminds you with a side glance to Crosshair who looks even more annoyed with every passing second. 

“He’s harmless.” You wave him off and hug him anyways. Crosshair tries not to visibly stiffen, he’s wildly protective and even more so possessive. But it’s understandable considering you’re the only thing he’s ever known to bring him happiness. 

“Sorry we’re late, Commander. We were putting down an insurrection on Yalbec Prime when your comm came in. Had a few unforeseen… complications.” Hunter cuts in, knowing that this whole debacle needs to get a move on. 

“You ever fought a male Yalbec?” Wrecker asks loudly, enjoying the show you’re all putting on for the regs. 

“Um, Can’t say i have…” Jesse responds carefully, still looking at your with confusion, of course he’d heard of the Fairywren, but meeting a hero in person hits a little different than the stories. 

“You’re lucky! Only way to kill ‘em is with one of these.” Wrecker adds pulling out the biggest vibroblade Jessie has ever seen. 

“That’s right. Wrecker here cut off the queen’s stinger while she was still alive.” Hunter adds, still a little pissed off at his vod for the incident in question. “That’s why all those Yalbec males tried to eat us.” You chuckle at the memory, Crosshair had been understandably angry after all you were able to do was sit and laugh your ass off as they frantically ran around surrounded by Yalbec males. 

 “Ah, technically they were trying to mate with us. And, for your information, the stinger of a Yalbec Queen is a delicacy on some planets.” Tech jumps in causing you to laugh even more, and causing Crosshair to softly tap the side of your hip as if to say ‘cut it out.’ (But with a loving tone of course) 

“They call him Tech.” Cody explains to the other three clones who look petrified at the disaster of a family in front of them. 

“Yeah, he can fill your head with useless info for hours. Crosshair, on the other hand, is not much of a conversationalist, but when you have to hit a precise target from ten klicks, Crosshair’s your man.” Hunter boasts, causing a ghost of a smile form on his lips. 

“Actually sarge,” You cut in. “I believe he’s my man, ten klicks away or otherwise.” Crosshair does smile at that, sending you a look filled with sassy adoration and winding an arm around your middle. Hunter rolls his eyes. Crosshair may be possessive but you’re on a whole other level. He’s all you’ve got, and you’re all he’s got, it’s a recipe for the clingy disaster that is your relationship. 

“Don’t get me started on those two.” He grumbles to Cody, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at the two of you. “So Commander, what kind of suicide mission do you have for us this time?” He asks, heading back to the ship with Cody in tow. 

“After you.” Crosshair slurs at the blonde captain who bristles at the statement, but follows Cody onto the Havoc Marauder with Jessie and Kix. 

“Play nice.” you scold looking up at him with heart eyes, not that you ever look at him without heart eyes. 

“Make me Cyare.” He smirks at you, before pulling you into a bruising kiss, not hesitating to make it far too passionate to be shared in public. That's another thing about Crosshair, he kisses you when he sees fit, no matter the setting or situation. After he finally officially had you in his arms he vowed never to miss a moment to kiss you.  

“Ugh, jus’ get on the ship already, let's go!” Wrecker booms from behind you, so you cup his face and pull away, letting his lip chase yours as they part all too soon. 

“Come on Ram’ser, we’ve got seppie ass to kick.” You tell him, all butt skipping back to the ship. The love of your life right behind you every step of the way. 

[parkkrys]

Hello! I'm new to your blog and I was going through your star wars tag and I came across the 30 au star wars request of yours?. I wonder if you ever heard of Mermaid au? it's okay if you don't BUT can I request Cody/Rex and(or) Jesse/Kix? I have to gather my self for a long time before typing this as fast as I can AFGSHDHDH HNGGGGG--

You are adorable!! I apologize for the late answer but here you are! I hope you enjoy!

Kix has always been fascinated by the surface even when he was a small baby Mer. His mother would always smile as she held him, listening to everything he would say about the topic and chime in a few words as she would do his hair. He would even listen to what his older siblings would say about the surface with wide eyes for hours.

“How old does humans live for buir?”

She chuckled as she kissed his forehead. “They have short lifespans compared to us Mers. They only live up to a hundred years while we live for thousands. It’s interesting isn’t it?” She whispered as she pulled the soft sea leaf around him.

“Be careful Kix, that mind of yours will get you into trouble one day.” She whispered as she tucked him into bed. “Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum ad’ika.”

It was only a few days after that he lost his mother to humans. He was struck by the thought of something so wonderous, something so breathtaking could be so evil. But as he grew older, he had the thought that if some Mer’s can be bad but some are good then it must apply to the humans as well. Some are bad and do horrible things, but most of them must be good in some way.

It was tradition in the Mer-folk culture that once a Mer turns a certain age they were allowed to go up to the surface, just to see how dangerous the ‘man’ can really be. Most Mer-people feared the man that wandered on the surface from the stories that the older Mer-folk would tell when they were young.

Kix has heard all the stories and it always worried the others with just how fascinated he was with them. He didn’t scream and cower like the other Mers, instead he would ask questions. But through it all Kix could always count on one person to be there beside him.

Rex has always been his best friend throughout the years and even Kix had to admit that he grew into a beautiful Mer with his buzzed blonde hair and his dark royal blue tail. He wasn’t surprised at all when Rex announced that he was being courted by the second in commands Ghost clan. He has met Cody with his stupid golden tail that took his breath away, but he knew that they would compliment each other very well.

“Rex?”

Rex hummed as he looked up from the collection that Kix has collected over the years. “What’s up?”

Kix hesitated as he laid on the sand, soaking up the warmth as he stared up at the never-ending blue of the ocean. “What did you do on your day to the surface?”

Rex snorted as he looked over towards him. “I observed, I analyzed and I saw what I saw. I told you this, I didn’t see what they told me. I saw people laughing, dancing, walking on two legs. I saw a whole new world that doesn’t make sense to me.”

Kix smiled as he listened to Rex ramble trying to picture it. “Look, Kix I know you are excited for your day on the surface but please do be careful. Your curiosity could get you into trouble.”

“I know.” Kix said as he rolled over, settling his chin on his crossed arms as he looked up at Rex. “I just can’t wait to see it.”

“Just be careful. I can’t lose you.”

Kix groaned as he pushed himself up, swimming over to settle down beside him. He always envied the easy way that Rex could admit things and to show emotions as well as he did. Well lately he hasn’t considering how many times Kix had to listen to him gush about Cody but he saw the way how emotionless Cody would brighten up when he saw Rex. It was sweet Kix has decided when he met Cody for the first time.

“I know vod, I wouldn’t leave you without a fight.” Kix muttered as he wrapped an arm around him. Rex hummed as he leaned his head on top of Kix’s, a move that always annoyed Kix to no end as he shoved a laughing Rex away from him. “I am leaving now.” He huffed out as he moved to swim towards the exit but was trapped as Rex threw his arms around him, giving him a squeeze before letting go.

“Just try to stay safe tomorrow yeah?”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t worry about its Rex or you will make yourself sick like you usually do.” He made sure to give him a stern look, smirking lightly at Rex’s sheepish look. He knew exactly what Kix was talking about considering how he made himself sick for hours when he thought Kix has gotten himself kidnapped by another clan. Which he clearly didn’t because he had everything in control thank you very much.

When the day finally came for Kix to make his first and only trip (we will see about that Kix snorted mentally) to the surface. He couldn’t keep his nerves calm as he listened to everything the elder was babbling on about. Stay safe, don’t go near humans, you only get to stay up there for one hour, all the basic rules that every Mer knows when it is their time to go up to the surface.

“Just be careful verd’ika.” The elder eventually signed, knowing that Kix was not listening to him. It wasn’t long until Kix was making his way to the surface, stopping briefly to wonder at the ship that was sailing up above. He has gone through the ships on the ocean floor but seeing one that was above on the surface was a new wonder as he swam forward.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly breached the surface of the water, breathing lightly to test the air as he watched the bright lights on the ship and the soft looking sails move with the breeze. He shivered lightly when the cool breeze brushed along his skin, making him feel chilled in a different way that he wasn’t used to.

The thought didn’t last long as he heard music playing and he couldn’t help but to silently and very carefully climb up onto the ropes to peak over the edge to see what was happening on the deck, gasping lightly at the sight of people dancing, laughing, smiling. It was a sight that he knew would never forget or stop thinking about as he continued watching.

He didn’t know how this man got his attention but he stopped as he noticed one of the humans silently watching the crowd, smiling at what the others were saying to him and his breath hitched. The human was different from the others with the black ink that marked along his skin, maybe a symbol for something important Kix would have guessed but it was his gentle eyes that had his attention.

The way that he watched his people, those soft golden eyes that were gentle but firm and, in some cases, mischievous as well.

He has never seen someone express so many emotions with their eyes before and he couldn’t help but to lean closer.

“Hey Jesse! Stop standing around and get your ass over here!”

He flailed slightly as he darted quickly to hide, his breaths hard as he listened to footsteps wondering overhead. It wasn’t like he was scared of them, more like he was worried he would actually get caught but as he once again looked over the edge he watched as Jesse moved, smiled, laughed and maybe he was in more trouble then he thought. There was no way he was only going to the surface today, he had to see him more, needed to know more about him. He just needed to figure out where exactly he lived.

“Hey boys! Keep an eye out! Looks like there is a storm coming!”

Kix breathed in sharply as he whipped around to see the dark clouds rolling in and he knew something bad was going to happen. Ships weren’t meant to outlast a storm that made the ocean turn against the sailors, Kix really has to wonder why the humans don’t just build them better but it wasn’t up to him. He at least gets the things inside them when they make it to the ocean floor.

He let himself dive into the water, swimming quickly to watch how bad this one could be and he wasn’t surprised to see the storm already making its presence known when he popped back up to the surface.

He knew he should swim under, letting the sailors meet their fate but he remained frozen. He has heard the tales about how wind will whip about, the sky thundering and bright flashes of light will appear across the sky and it was beautiful. What wasn’t beautiful was how the ocean responded to said storm as he ducked back underwater, swimming quickly to avoid a wave crashing into him.

He may be a water creature but he has heard stories of how much it hurts to be caught by one of those waves and he wasn’t going to test it out to see if it actually does. But he does need to make sure Jesse is okay and reluctantly the other humans since they were probably Jesse’s friends.

By the time he made his way back to the ship it was on fire and he stopped and just stared. How the kriff did the thing catch on fire he shall never know. Snapping out of his bewilderment, he twisted around eyes darting to catch any sign of Jesse as he swam, desperate to know if he was alive or not.

It wasn’t long until he caught sight of him for only a moment as he slipped underwater. “Kriff.” Kix muttered as he dived back underwater, swimming as hard as he could to get to Jesse.

Grunting, Kix slipped his arms around him, flipping his tail towards the surface as he moved the humans head to his shoulder once they were up above the water.

“You’re heavier than you look.” He grunted and it was a slow-going process as he panted, dragging himself along the shore while trying his best to not jostle Jesse to much as he collapsed beside him on the rough sand in exhaustion.

Laying there beside him staring up the blue sky, watching the birds fly he yearned to be apart of this world. He wanted to dance, he wanted to walk, run jump anything that a person with two legs can do. He turned to look at the man beside him, watching as his chest moved with every breath he took, his eyelashes flutter. He was beautiful.

He also broke several laws with saving him but he couldn’t find it in him to care. He wanted to be a part of this man’s world even if he didn’t know him. Slowly he brought his hand closer, using his fingers to trace the silly tattoo he had printed on his face.

“You are so beautiful” He whispered to himself as he let his finger trace along the bridge of his nose, lifting his finger to trace his lips. What he would do to get to know this man. He knew at that moment he was going to give his elders even more headaches if he was ever caught going back up to the surface to see him. And maybe, just maybe he would gather the courage to call out to him and talk to him.

He froze when he watched Jesse’s body shift, groaning as he moved his head and Kix scrambled to get back to the water. He didn’t hesitate once he slipped back into the water, swimming farther away in an attempt to not be seen. He breathed heavily once he thought he was a safe distance away, slowly moving back to the surface to take a peek to see if his human was gone.

His fear disappeared as he watched Jesse sit up, staring out to the water before calls rang out and several people appeared to take him away hopefully to a safe place.

By the time that he finally got back to where he was supposed to be despite being several hours late, the first person he tries to find is Rex. He couldn’t wait to tell him everything. And maybe he can figure out how exactly he can walk on land, maybe the sea witch will know of a spell to let him walk on land. He would do it, no matter the cost and no matter how how it could hurt, he would go through any pain to be able to live a life with Jesse.

[luminousbeansarewe]

wandering stars

ch 4: the valley

pairings: none || rating: teen || characters: original characters, original clone trooper characters, B’arin Apma (an actual legends Mando trainer for commandos innit)

tags: bullying again

chapter list

*************************************************

Kamino, Tipoca City, Clone Military Education Complex, 22BBY

“Grip!” shouted CT-2222 from inside his helmet. “We need a cable!” 

The clones were bunched at the base of a tall cliff that had materialized out of the network of holoemitters that lined the training room. Above them in the observation deck, B’arin Apma was watching from under his Mandalorian helmet with his arms crossed. The Jedi Shaak Ti, a beautiful and serene Togruta, stood beside him; despite her lack of helmet, she was even more inscrutable than her companion. Sol had given up glancing at them an hour ago. She knew her team was fragile as a flower, barely completing each phase of the grueling terrain drill. But not for lack of skill.

Fumbling momentarily, Grip fished his cable gun out of its holster and shot it up towards the lip of the cliff. It landed, and he gave it a strong tug. 

“S’good,” he assured them, and without delay he started to scamper up the wall with the woven durasteel steel rope in his gloved hands. Swift was on his heels, then Twofer. Sol converged with CT-3031 where the gun dangled, jerking oddly with the movements above. She looked through her visor up at the man; he was taller than the others by half a foot, and broader too. 

“You should go first,” he said to her. They must’ve had the same doubts about the cable bearing his weight, she thought.

“But Stone, what if you fall?”

“If I do, you can’t catch me anyway, little’un.” It was almost a jab, but not quite. Because he was right. 

“Shouldn’t you have talked to your vode about that?” she asked, a little incensed that in their haste the others had left the most vulnerable of their group even moreso. They were distracted, and it showed. Stone only shrugged. “Fine,” she muttered, and seized the cable. One foot in front of the other, she thought as she went. One hand over the other. Three helmets watched her from the top, though she heard Swift saying something about the upcoming terrain. She tried not to glance back down at Stone; if the lifeline broke, it would likely give no warning. Watching would not help. 

“Finally,” came Twofer’s voice as Sol hauled herself over the cliff’s edge. Stone was not very far behind her, and when his hand appeared she felt relief. 

“There’s a valley next,” Swift informed them as Grip helped tow his brother up to standing and began gathering his cable. “They’ll be firing at us —”

The sound of a blaster turret firing cut him off, the air above their heads sizzling with the passage of a bolt of plasma. 

“Cover!” called Twofer, pointing to a cluster of boulders near the head of the valley. As they crouched to scuttle behind it, Swift cursed under his breath.

“We should split up, take out the machines from multiple directions,” Sol said, the image of the valley below in her mind. “There’s spotty cover until about halfway down—”

“First one’s too close,” Swift cut her off. “We should take it out  from here.”

“But there’s too many rocks in the way—”

“I can cover you,” Twofer said, and she felt his searing glance even from under the helmet. “If you want to draw its fire.” The young woman did not miss the implication that she was to be the bait. 

“Swift needs to cover whoever goes, he’s the best shot,” Grip interjected. “She’s right, the terrain makes it hard to spot from here.” 

“Fine,” Swift said. “Who’s going?” 

“I am.” Stone was already easing towards the side of the rocks, peeking out around it. “I can take a shot better than the rest of you. Once we’ve cleared it, we should split up and make our way to the next ones.” 

“Since when are you on her side?” Swift growled.

“We are all on the same side, vod,” Stone replied, and his low voice had a solemn edge in it. “Cover me.” And he ducked out into the open, turning his blasters towards his target. 

“Kriff,” Swift hissed under his breath, spinning around to point his rifle over the rock. Stone had dodged two shots already, moving with more speed than his size belied towards a boulder that was just barely too small to offer the larger clone the cover he really needed. But it was nearest, and the turret’s line of fire was catching up too quickly for him to make it anywhere else. 

“Haar’chak!” Swift swore. “I can’t get a clear shot!” Twofer growled at him.

“But you said—”

Before the confusion that had been the hallmark of the entire run could grate itself against her dwindling patience, Sol spun away from the cover they were under in the opposite direction of Stone, sending a volley of plasma towards the turret. It spun and took a shot at her, missing by a hair’s breadth. She hurdled towards another boulder as Swift’s shots continued to miss. She was right, of course. The landscape was not in his favor, no matter how good of a shot he was. 

“Hey! What are you doing?” he shouted after her, and suddenly it was a scramble. Grip seemed to realize that the point of splitting up was to draw the turret’s fire in multiple directions, and he ducked out from the boulders to dash towards Stone and take more shots. His larger vod had already begun the descent to another boulder, this one much larger. Twofer and Swift were calling from behind before they finally joined the fray, barely dodging shot after shot. 

It was Sol who took the turret down, and had already begun to move towards the second one when Swift started shouting at her. 

“GET BACK HERE, WE HAVE TO REGROUP AND STRIKE!” 

“WHY?” she hollered back, stopping mid-run. “The same strategy should work all the way down! We’re wasting time!” 

“It might work for this one, but the last two fire together!” 

“If we fan out we can still—”

“I’m not taking orders from you, aruetii!” His voice grated from behind its layer of comm static. “Now get the hell back here!” 

Sol stared at him for a moment, the word like an arrow in her heart. These men knew nothing about her except that she was here on the Jedi’s orders, and she was meant to lead them one day. But the word that meant outsider in her first tongue also meant traitor, and drew fury from her heart faster than any sardonic nickname ever could. A word that had haunted her father in spite of his adamant renunciation of his heritage. 

Instead of replying, she turned and took off for yet another outcropping of rock, following her own instinct whether they liked it or not. 

-----

The helmet that covered B’arin Apma’s face did nothing to ease the scald of his voice at the end of the drill. 

“Cronos Squad,” he began, his ire evident but still subdued. “You have failed spectacularly. You did not work as a team once during this exercise. What do you think bickering on the battlefield will cost you?” 

The silence from the cadets who stood at attention in front of him was heavy, anchored in shame. 

“CT-3031, do you know what it will cost?” the Mando asked again, leveling his visor at Stone.

“Lives, sir.” 

“That’s right. Lives. You will be dead, or your brothers will.” He paused as he turned towards the only one of them with no brothers in the room. “Sol Tannor. You led the disarray today. The valley portion of the drill is the most dangerous section, yet you did not coordinate with your squad. And these are to be your men one day. Because of your obstinance, your descent was sloppy. Ammunitions were wasted—”

“But we didn’t sustain one injury, sir!” she protested, the words leaping out of her throat before she could stop them. At last, her tolerance had worn too thin to keep its failing grip on her temper. That word— aruetii— kept pounding against her head. “And all of the targets were neutralized!” 

“I don’t give a damn if you prevented injury or neutralized the targets this time, cadet!” Apma barked. “If you can’t work cohesively as a team, it’s only a matter of time before you will fail at both. Your first loyalty is to your squad, to your team, to your men. I don’t care if you’re a clone or not. While you’re training under me, this is your responsibility. And if you are granted command,” he added in an acid tone, “then it will continue to be so long after me.”

“Yes, sir,” Sol said in a voice that barely contained the shuddering indignation inside her. Nevermind that these men hated her. The tear that slid down her cheek was mercifully hidden by her helmet— the first tear she’d shed in years. 

“The rest of you weren’t any better,” Apma said, rounding on the other cadets. “You at no point facilitated cooperation. You forgot your duty, and bickered amongst yourselves instead of working as a team. If you fail the test a second time, I’m recommending you be put on sanitation duty. Dismissed.” 

As they filed out of the training hall, Sol felt her cheeks burn beneath her helmet. She kept her breathing steady and deep, barely hiding the tremor in her hands. She thanked whatever gods were left to this place for the grace of a private shower. Before any member of her squad could level a scalding remark her way, she marched directly there to wither under the hot water. 

When she returned to her bunk, all the men were scowling at her. Even Stone, usually so nonplussed, looked darkly at her before glancing away. Swift’s glare was the sharpest of all, and the silence was worse than any jab. She retreated into the wall as quickly as possible, pushing away the fear that this army was yet another path that would perish beneath her feet; that she had no home anywhere, after all. 

[abitterlifethroughcinema]

         #ABitterLifeThroughCinema’s WOKE! Film Reviews

     The Top Ten (+1) Best Movies of 2018 and where to find them!

                                                          by

                                           Lucas Avram Cavazos

+1…11. Overlord  Having its premiere at this year’s Sitges Int’l Film Fest, Overlord not only happened to be one of the fave films screened there this past festival, but this cinematic fantasy is an all-too-real and stark portrayal of a horror that actually occurred, and it deserves a nod from the Barcelona film critic family, so here it goes. Duly noted, I’d say. It starts with an insane aerial combat mission on the night of D-Day, one which goes awry and sees only a handful of paratroopers surviving the drop when enemy fire rains hell. They land in provincial France and the plot sets out to detail some of the inner workings of the Third Reich in reference to the insane, gruesome experiments done on captured Europeans and Jews. Those stories you’ve heard about turning these poor people into guinea pigs for super soldier intent using potent, injected serums…yeah, those? They’re true, if you believe the words of JJ Abrams. Are they as utterly brutal and horror/zombie film-like as displayed here? I sure as hell hope not. (now available On Demand and DVD)

10. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs There once was a film called O Brother Where Art Thou? While this is not its sequel, there is a sharp-witted vein to this film that could only be crafted and gifted to us by the Coen Brothers. What a hoot it is, even if it is a rather darkly-tinted hue of that hoot and humour. It is also one of their finest in years. Revolving around the singing cowpoke Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) and five other tales brought to us with the commonly-threaded theme of death in often brutally funny ways, this film is a fine return to oddball form from two of the finest sibling directors of all time. Starring Liam Neeson, James Franco, Zoe Kazan, even Tyne Daly and so many in its vignettes, and that acting star power fuses this Western comedy into new territory for the brothers. Their previous works set in the west always seemed to be re-hashing works of years gone by but here, with their usage of almost comic-book-like details and witty banter make this much more enjoyable than their other historical works like O Bother and their remake of True Grit. Best western in absolute years! (available on Netflix or VOD)

9. Eighth Grade This poignant little film, which should have been wide-released everywhere the world over, is given fierce and bittersweet star power by Elsie Fisher, protagonist and student at the heart of this film. Comedian Bo Turnham has brought us the quintessential coming-of-tweenage story and along with Fisher, everyone in this film is so perfectly placed in their roles, especially Josh Hamilton as her dad, who deserves some nominations for this film but is unlikely to get any. Telling the story of 13-year old Kayla, we the audience get a sneak-peek into the minds and lives of today’s young adults. From her simple YouTube videos made to encourage other young kids to her obvious desire to fit in with older kids to her insecurity with boys, this film paints a stark reality that too many have lived through and this little indie film deserves aplomb from anywhere it can get it! (now available On Demand and DVD)

8. A Star is Born I skipped the critics’ screening of this film for the mere fact that I couldn’t bear to see if the acting and plot lines were another torrid take on a much-redone film. Even into the holiday season, I had not yet seen it and then when I did, I certainly took back any reservations. Bradley Cooper’s update of the film starring himself and Lady Gaga is just about as good as everyone said it was, and that was beyond refreshing to note post-viewing. In many ways, I feel that Cooper is likely revealing a few things about himself with the guise of “it’s a movie” being a nice cover; in some ways, he gives us what I believe are hints of his covert life, and it’s with Gaga’s turn as Ally that we really see him shine beyond the shtick of his character, country-rocker Jackson Maine. In a tad corny-tad, gripping way that takes hold the moment you see Gaga, let’s be frank and real, this film goes on to detail a Diet Coke version of the grim realities that often detail too many a tale of celebrity in Hollywood. Without revealing too many details of the film’s plot and denouement, we are looking at a necessary conversation about alcoholism, drug addiction and fame (plus a lack of ’NO’ men/women in many relationships) that needs to addressed for all ages. Well done, Mr. Cooper Goes to the Oscars. (At select screens, On Demand & DVD)

7. El Angel Incidentally, this may be the first time in a rather long time that I say something good about Argentinian men, so do take note. Telling the true story of fresh-faced boy killer Carlos Robledo Puch, played to Oscar-worthy perfection by newcomer Lorenzo Ferro, the masterful detail to which director Luis Ortega has crafted this arthouse meets dramedy-thriller is astounding and easily touches heights set by dePalma and even, dare I say it, Scorcese. We follow young Carlitos Puch, who is just nearing the edge of seventeen, as takes up with a rough and tough family of his devilishly attractive school chum Ramon, played by the spirited Chino Darin, son of Ricardo Darin. But as Carlitos comes to find out, his street crimes can easily be paved to real ones and his sadistic tendencies suddenly yet gradually paint a picture of someone who is in part desperate for attention and tacceptance and in part a fairly smart, well-to-do young adult. He parlays his sociopathy at pubescence into psychopathy with time, and this film will likely be, but should definitely not be, forgotten come awards and Best Of lists time.(available On Demand and DVD)

6. Black Panther As Oscar season comes to a head, it is worth talking about one of the most striking films that you’ll see for a while. Black Panther is that good, not only because of its genre but also because of its message: that seeking freedom through recreating systems of oppression will only extend the ill-treatment and broken nature we find ourselves in nowadays. Set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, protagonist King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) brings us the first real black superhero from the Marvel universe. With a cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Michael B Jordan, the acting is beyond impressive. What is even more amazing, however, is how the plot power-plays many elements of our world’s current political climate. (now available On Demand and DVD)

5. Chappaquiddick Another film which is nothing short of striking in its relevance to the current political situation in the USA. Senator Ted Kennedy was the only remaining Kennedy that I was familiar with throughout my adolescence and early adulthood. Jason Clarke as the Massachusetts senator is astounding, as is the cut of his jib and chin, although the accent was a tad weak, to be ever sincere. This is a complete revelation on the many details that were only gingerly touched upon during the course of the week following the death which this movie is detailing . As the facts are laid out in the film, it astounds me that the American people continued to vote and elect Kennedy for decades after. This is a study on arrogance, class and governmental ambiguity. And if that was the case with liberals in the Sixties, how much more so with conservatives in this digital age? My favourite film of last year’s BCN Film Festival. (now available On Demand and DVD)

4. Private Life Good Lawd this is such a heartwarming/breaking story with the finest elements of believable comedy and situational realism that define the art of the classic Gen X film from the 90s to now. May we never forget that it was Gen, and even those a few years before them, who gave us the digiverse-Netflix-instant oatmeal www.orld in which we live today and when I see a very NYC film like this one, it makes it a true reality check. Being the age that one should be married with kids, I watched Kathryn Hahn as Rachel absolutely slay the silver screen and am eager to see if she picks up any more accolades throughout the current awards season. Simple plot…she’s in her early 40s and her hubby Rich (played by Paul Giamatti) is entering his late 40s and they are fully entrenched within the confines of every single way to conceive a baby. Following the couple through their trials and tribulations really get pushed up an ante when sort-of relative Sadie (the lovely Kayli Carter) decides she will be the surrogate mum for them as things get a tad pear-shaped. This could easily be dubbed a dreamed, for in effect, it is; what needs to be known is that this is also a morality tale for a new age. The old-fashioned ethics of yesteryear just do not apply anymore, at least not in big cities, and the less is more factor easily makes this one of the finest films released within the last year. (available on Netflix)

3. BlacKKKlansman Without a doubt, this is the finest work in all too many years by Spike Lee, and he takes no prisoners in letting you know that the spilled essence of blaxploitation all over this celluloid is to egg you into knowing that this story is 100% true…and crazy. The mere fact that David Duke is literally cheerleading for the current President of the United States should scare us all and wake those who are not. Watching actor John David Washington portray Ron Stallworth, the real-life cop who slyly infiltrated the inner workings of the Klu Klux Klan 40 years ago. After signing up for the Colorado Spring PD, he realises the lack of trust in the 98% Anglo-Saxon workforce, as he’s thrown into monitoring the goings-on of any Black Panther student situations. Eventually, he takes up with a guy on the force that he can dig called Flip and played to skilled excellence by the oddest of lookers Adam Driver. Basically, the plot follows the twosome, as they tag team the aforementioned white supremacist movement, Ron being the voice and Flip being the wingman as they start an investigation on grand wizard bastard himself David Duke, played to troubling perfection by Topher Grace, evoking all of the calmness and utter sociopathic tendencies of a man reviled by most yet revered by still too many. And watching this taut film and how it rolls through such a daunting story with comedic aplomb and vicious realness gives you goosebumps. That said, as the film gets toward its ending, is when Lee gives you the goods when he flashes to scenes from the crazy Charlottesville, Virginia, riots, AntiFa protesting and subsequent death of Heather Heyer, may she rest in peace. God Save the World…and Amerikkka.

2. Fahrenheit 11/9  Premiering a few weeks ago here in Spain at very select cinema screens across the country, this is the first documentary in some time by Michael Moore that could play across an international landscape and should be required viewing on any critic’s or person’s list. The titular oddity refers to the day after we all woke up across the world in shock and awe that Donald J Trump had won the Presidency of the USA. Even if this is not Morre’s best film to date, it is undoubtedly the one that holds the viewers’ feet to the fire and calls for them to fight the nasty funk of this administration. But, it’s when he takes it back to his roots, to Flint, Michigan, and ends up involving all local and state politics, that we start to see the more sinister undertakings happening amongst conservative parties, ideals and societies. When you add in the fact of the Parkland High School shooting and the way Moore later fuses footage of Hitler and his minions and followers with a rally speech made by the current occupant of the White House, it becomes all too obvious that things are exactly as we think they are (A HOT MESS!) and we have very little recourse rather than claiming truth. (now available On Demand and DVD)

1. ROMA There are tender moments of realism that are permitted to happen with the rise of instant cinema on VOD and direct-to-home films, and it has been a pleasure to see that sites like Netflix and Amazon and Canal+ have truly added to the foray in which great celluloid can be brought to the masses. Case in point comes the finest piece of dramatic celluloid that graced the silver screen in the last year. Being a Mexican whose father is a naturalised citizen of the US and a mother who is Chicana from the US, like myself and my siblings, the sentimentality ran deep with this film. One of the differences I experienced was the fact that we were the only Mexican-American family in a stately US country club…and we had an entire childhood spent with loving housekeepers, which is what this film inherently is honouring and depicting, using the backdrop of Alfonso Cuarón’s take on growing up in 70s-upper middle class Mexico City in the neighbourhood of Roma. Depicting the life of the house assistant Cleo (first-time performer Yalitza Aparicio in a J.Hud moment, frankly) and the family of Sr. Antonio (Fernando Grediaga), a doctor in the Mexican capital, what Cuarón has called his most personal film to date, is also a B&W modern tale in the vein of Gone with the Wind, and the fact that he centres around a privileged Mexican family is poignant for several reasons: it not only takes a focus away from how Donald bloody Trump has painted Mexicans, in general, to the world, but it also highlights a very human element to how many classes of society function and live there in the frontier regions of North America and, more importantly, EVERYWHERE…easily put, this is a sweet, oft-times simple, oft-times brutal story on humanity. What binds so many critics together on this film’s merits is that fact that Alfonso Cuarón has crafted the past year’s most enigmatic movie, leaving us to make our own answers to what happens to Lady Cleo, her best mate Teresa, and this beautiful family. Absolutely and quietly stunning! (available on Netflix and selects screens across the country)

[blog-sportsupdatenews-blog]

The best way to enjoy the actual 2019 March Madness With no Cable television – Acquire Everything

The best way to Observe March Madness 2019 Live Stream On the internet – Acquire Every detail

March Madness can be shutting inside and also growing in excess of people, so it’s about time all of us find anxious about the particular spectacle the actual gamer are likely to deliver all of us because match kicks off. Consequently, in the event that you’re looking towards enjoying the actual 2019 March Madness on the internet, could simply just in which it is best to seem.

Your NCAA Department My spouse and i Men’s Baseball Event, which is also known as March Madness takes place each and every spring in America. The tradition extends back to help 1939 when only ten teams was in the levels of competition. From the time that next, the amount is growing to help 68 clubs that may enter this 2019 competition. The very first several is going to be played out between the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and also the several lowest-seeded at-large squads, with the those

Who win evolving towards major sketch on the competition.

Any time to view March Madness?

Based on the schedule produced so far, all this commences about March 19 all of which will stop in April eighth. Here’s this list of functions that are to take place prior to these kinds of dates.

Celebration Time frame Location

Initial 4 19 – 20 March Dayton, Oh

1st & 2nd Rounded 21 & 12 March Hartford, Connecticut

Des Moines, Iowa

Jacksonville, California

Salt Sea Metropolis, Utah

twenty-two & all day and March Columbia, South Carolina

Columbus, Oh

Tulsa, Okla.

San Jose, Florida

West Regional March 28 & 30 Anaheim, California

South Regional Louisville, Kentucky

Distance Regional March up to 29 & thirty-one Oregon, Deb. H.

Midwest Local Kansas Area, Missouri

Ultimate A number of Apr 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Title 04 8 A final will need place in the Ought . Azines. Standard bank Arena within Minneapolis, Minnesota, the actual fortieth location to be able to sponsor the wedding. As being a fun fact, on the site of the brand-new arena, at this time there were standing the particular Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome which usually did sponsor the final Some within 1992 and 2001. Record the state bracket intended for much more messages.

Where you should Enjoy March Madness?

Enjoying the game this particular returning March won’t be way too hard to accomplish due to the fact you'll find countless programs that you can check out in. In short, the CBS Sports along with Turner Activities would be the sites which have your broadcasting protection under the law, meaning CBS Sports, TBS, TNT, in addition to truTV. This video game titles are to be televised as such:

Initial 4 – upon truTV

Very first and also 2nd Models – on CBS, TBS, TNT, as well as truTV

Local Semifinals as well as Finals – CBS and TBS

Remaining 4 – upon CBS

Tournament – on CBS

How to View March Madness Devoid of Cable connection?

Individuals are generally numerous alternatives to watch the actual golf ball video games this time around as well as hopefully you’ll exploit all of them. Luckily, these include programs which have been easy to find online also.

For those who have any wire deal that also includes these several programs, you’ll be capable of check out the are living for with the aid of the cable qualifications. There’s in addition the option associated with making use of surging providers which characteristic live TV programs, which are aplenty. Plus, this can assist you to discounted vinyl flooring and also cut your cable, hence gaining tons of independence to view TV anywhere you will be – so long as you produce an Internet connection along with a works product.

Loading Products and services

Mentioned previously, you will discover quite a few internet products and services readily available these days, and also they’ll most offer many routes we’re sure you’ll like to check out. In addition, you will discover loads of various other added benefits involved, along with the flexibility that accompany seeing written content on-line.

FuboTV

Fubo TV Overview

Lots fubo ($34. 99/mo primary month, $44. 99/mo after), fubo More ($39. 99/mo 1st calendar month, $49. 99/mo after), fubo Latino ($17. 99/mo), fubo Portuguese ($19. 99/mo)

Creating to order Added funnel packages, Showtime

Unit assistance Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, iOS, Android, Chrome cast, web browser

DVR 35 time, unrestricted time storage space, expandable for you to 500 hrs by using more element

Trial offer Sure, one week

Visit fuboTV

Towards the top of the particular checklist, we have now fuboTV, any program that has been fashioned with sporting activities followers in mind, offered the actual many sports programs obtainable. It is possible to choose among a number of lots to start off – fubo ($44. 99/mo, $39. 99 with the initial month), fubo Added ($49. 99/mo, $44. 99 for that very first month), fubo Latino ($17. 99/mo), along with fubo Portuguese ($19. 99/mo). There's also an abundance of sales channel packages in addition to premium communities to boost the number of cpa networks readily available.

Luckily, fuboTV houses each of the programs you'll want to observe your March Madness on. You’ll discover CBS Sports, TNT, TBS, in addition to truTV within equally fubo as well as fubo Additional.

In order to ensure you don’t neglect the online games, you possibly can collection fubo TV to help history the item for you. Buyers get 35 several hours regarding cloud DVR storage space, with all the chance of expanding for you to 500 several hours by means of spending $9. 99 each month. With fuboTV, end users can watch articles with two units at once, but incorporating a third stream can even be accomplished when you’ll pay out a number of further cash. Be sure to understand Tech Nadu’s fuboTV evaluate to have everything.

Sling Television

Sling TV SET Summary

Packages Sling Lemon ($25/mo), Sling Violet ($25/mo), Sling Lemon + Azure ($40/mo)

Customization Channel lots (Kids, Athletics, Reports, Way of life, Artist, Heartland, Worldwide, Espanol, Comedy), top quality programs (HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, Epix, Curiosity Stream, Pantaya, IN PLACE Religion & Loved ones, Dove Sales channel, Stingray Karaoke, Outdoors TV)

Product assist Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chrome cast, Android TV, AirTV Participant, Xiaomi, LG Sensible Television sets, Samsung Smart Television sets, iOS, Android, Fireplace pills, Console 1, Opera web browser

DVR Nearly 50 several hours, unlimited safe-keeping time period. Expandable by means of another 50 time together with additional characteristic

Free trial version indeed, 7 days

Stop by Sling

Future upwards, there’s Sling TELLY, which in turn is one of the platforms many of us beloved given it presents numerous personalization alternatives. Anyone begin together with several lots you need to select between – Lime ($25/mo), Violet ($25/mo), and Lime + Glowing blue ($40/mo). You may then include quite a few quality sites or perhaps choose almost any interest-based station delivers you’d just like.

As you move the system doesn’t web host CBS, you can view all of those other programs. truTV is actually in Azure along with Lemon + Azure, whilst TNT and also TBS are usually in all several lots.

Sling TELLY gives absolutely no cloud DVR room having its subscribers, therefore you’re gonna have to fork out a supplementary $5 every month regarding 50 hours associated with recordings. You’ll also need to take care which bundle you choose mainly because the amount of simultaneous revenues you’re allowed to work is determined by it. Orange subscribers get a sole steady stream, although Violet buyers get a few, as well as Red + Glowing blue clients obtain some. Always give the Sling TV SET evaluation some sort of understand for getting all the facts you need.

Hulu

Hulu Overview

Packages 1 package deal -- Hulu having Live TV - $39. 99 a month

Personalization Premium programs - HBO, Showtime, Cinemax

System service IOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Console, Chrome cast, Samsung Smart Television sets, windows

DVR Endless space for storing, recordings rescued intended for 9 weeks

Risk free Sure, seven days

Visit Hulu

An additional platform that has the particular programs you'll want to watch your March Madness game titles will be Hulu. Greater acknowledged for your video-on-demand assistance it’s also been giving for a long time today, Hulu also offers a reside TELLY insurance policy for $39. 99 each month, which includes entry to many stations along with the total VOD stockpile. Also you can personalize the ongoing a little by adding advanced communities as well as additional sales channel delivers.

Within the major package deal associated with channels Hulu delivers, you’ll discover all programs you need to check out your basketball fits that March – CBS Sports, TNT, TBS, along with truTV.

Hulu even offers end users the chance to record any kind of information they need to this cloud, as well as 50 time involving foreign DVR living space together with every single registration. If you would like much more area, you are able to often pay out an additional $14. 99 monthly to pick up this cap to 190 a long time. Stay TELLY subscribers can watch articles upon a couple equipment at once, but if that’s too few, generally there the particular “Unlimited Screens” option. This costs $14. 99 per month and also will allow a good infinite quantity of simultaneous water ways though connected to the property multilevel, as well as with approximately 3 equipment even though absent. Tech Nadu’s Hulu examine will be hanging around if you wish guidance of what the platform offers some.

 YouTube TV

YouTube TV Overview

Bundles 1 bundle - $40 a month

Modification Top quality programs : AMC Elite, Curiosity Stream, Seibel Baseball In addition, Showtime, Starz, Shiver, Sundance Currently

System support Chrome cast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox 360 system 1, Samsung and LG Clever Tv set, iOS, Android

DVR Unrestricted space for storage, recordings saved for 9 many weeks

Free trial version Yes, few days

Go to YouTube TV

On its way right from your Pile Watch technology massive Alphabet Inc., YouTube TV is actually quick and simple to work with. There’s just one bunch associated with routes to do business with and it fees $40 a month. The cost contains many routes and several rather great incentives. In order to modify that at all, you are able to merely add top quality networks.

YouTube TV’s report on stations contains everything you need – CBS Sports, TNT, TBS, as well as truTV, therefore you’re perfectly protected to view almost all stages in the March Madness.

With YouTube TV, people obtain plenty of perks, you start with the truth that many people are able to appreciate endless impair DVR place. Plus, your recordings produce an cessation time frame collection being unfaithful weeks in the future, so you can observe these people for your own rate. On the subject of simultaneous streams, YouTube TV makes it possible for approximately three gadgets to watch at the same time, that's a significant treat, especially in comparison with other systems where they have to cover of which next supply. Read the YouTube TV examine if you would like more information.

DirecTV At this point

Overview

Packages Reside a little ($35/mo), Perfect ($50/mo), Get Major ($60/mo), Gotta Are ($70/mo), Todo ful Mas ($45/mo)

Personalization A few more sales channel bundles, advanced stations (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz)

System help Apple TV, Chrome cast, Flame TELLY, Roku, Samsung Wise Televisions, iOS, Android, internet browsers

DVR Around 20 several hours, calendar month restrict, absolutely no expansions

Free trial offer Sure, seven days

Go to DirecTV Right now

In place following, we now have DirecTV Currently, the industry good instrument for individuals who need good services along with methods to customize the monthly subscriptions. You will discover a few packages available right here – Dwell just a little ($40/mo), Ideal ($55/mo), Get Big ($65/mo), Got to Contain it ($75/mo), along with To-do y Mas ($45/mo). Once you've that choice made, you are able to make a decision if you wish to put one of the high quality cpa networks available here, or maybe any additional route packs. There are also a few global bundles readily available when you need many community channels far too.

In terms of just what lots to have therefore you have the programs for March Madness, you need to know that will TNT as well as TBS exist in most all 5 bundles. Subsequently, truTV is present in the first a number of bundles – Reside slightly, Just right, Move Major, and also Gotta Contain it, while CBS Sports helps make an overall look in just a couple ones – Proceed Massive and Gotta Have it.

On DirecTV Today, users simply get to take pleasure in 20 hrs. involving fog up DVR place, so that you don’t are able to file an excessive amount content. Even so, it is going to ideally sufficient due to the fact there’s absolutely no way to help develop that restriction. The service makes it possible for users running two simultaneous streams, however 1 / 3 anybody can end up being additional intended for $5 monthly. You should definitely examine Tech Nadu’s DirecTV Right now review.

PlayStation Vue

PlayStation 3 or Xbox Vue Introduction

Lots Accessibility ($44. 99/mo), Core ($49. 99/mo), Top notch ($59. 99/mo), Extremely ($79. 99/mo)

Creating to order Route bundles (sports, Spanish programs, movies), top quality programs (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, He Little league Plus)

Unit assist Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chrome cast, iOS, Android, Roku, PS3 SLIM, PS4, cell phone browser

DVR Up to 500 software programs, 31 days to weeks restrict

Free trial Indeed, 5 times

Stop by PlayStation Vue

Ps Vue will be an additional software used to watch March Madness. The program fascinated people enough it squeezed the best score while in opinions, regarding quite a few good reasons. 1st, you can find a number of packages to start off with – Entry ($44. 99/mo), Central ($49. 99/mo), High level ($59. 99/mo), and Extra ($79. 99/mo). Then, you can include a number of more sales channel delivers, along with top quality networks.

On Dsi Vue, you’ll see that truTV, TNT, and TBS come in all four bundles, while CBS Sports should be only within the last a few – Primary, High level, and also Ultra.

The particular podium makes it possible for end users in order to record as much as 500 applications towards the fog up, that is very impressive, nevertheless the recordings only hang around for the thirty days. The particular support offers a different good feature, permitting customers to observe content about around all 5 devices concurrently, for not any more cost. In addition, Dsi Vue features a Split Monitor feature that allows one to view 3 software programs immediately, for a passing fancy tv screen. Study TechNadu’s Ps3 Vue evaluate to find out more for the subject matter.

[amandaallen]

A Brief Guide On How to Build a Live Video Streaming App

In recent times, people are more engaged in online activities. Mobile devices are now used for professional broadcasting, making video content readily available to viewers across many devices.

According to a study, by the end of 2021, the live video streaming app market will reach $70 billion and beyond. Having a piece of this lucrative and upcoming industry is everyone’s dream.

And by 2023, it is predicted that 2.72 billion users would watch on-demand or live videos on mobile devices. The figure rose from the data of 2019 at 2.16 billion users with a CAGR of 6% growth rate. These statistics only make up for a minuscule portion of this massive trend.

However, developing a live video streaming app is not as easy as it sounds. Understanding how to make a live streaming app involves meticulous planning. Let’s dive in deeper and explore the concept of these apps and understand what it means to deliver these apps.

What is a Live Video Streaming App?

Live video streaming apps are simple applications, which allow users to capture videos and broadcast them simultaneously. These apps are growing in numbers because of high-speed internet connectivity and advanced camera technologies. Developing a live video streaming app can boost sports broadcasts, TV stations, news channels, and similar outlets with a massive collection of live events and content to share.

Such apps also drive influencer marketing, business marketing, entertainment, and people’s online interactions. These are some live video streaming apps that are very popular today:

Facebook

Periscope

Twitch

Kuaishou

Bilibili

Douyu etc.

People use Facebook Live regularly, whereas Twitch is another popular platform for broadcasting gaming sessions. It means there are different types of video streaming apps for various objectives.

Types of Live Video Streaming Apps

Before learning how to make a live streaming app, you should know the type of app to create. There are three common live video streaming apps:

#1: Live Broadcasting App

These are arguably the most sought-after live-streaming apps. These apps also let users broadcast live video and sound recordings to other users who access this stream. The apps are also the source of many online influencers. Popular live video broadcasting apps are YouTube Live, Twitch, Periscope, and Livestream.

#2: TV Live Streaming App

This type of live streaming app allows the user to watch TV online. This facilitates the users to enjoy content made specifically for TV without compromising on switching to different platforms. The seamless experience and service are the key benefits of this type of live streaming application.

#3: Video on Demand (VOD) Streaming

VOD apps enable users to plan and watch favorite shows online whenever they want to. Some common examples are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.

Why Is Mobile Streaming So Important?

However, before plunging into how to make a live streaming app, consider some mobile streaming statistics to get some idea about live streaming and its relevance.

Over 50% of all videos playing worldwide originate on mobile phones or smart devices, and the growth will continue in the coming years.

By 2023, the video will make up for three-quarters of mobile traffic.

Sports enthusiasts prefer to watch matches on mobile devices and smartphones. Over 30% of sports fans stream matches to their tablets and phones.

How to Make a Live Streaming App?

There are many approaches to build live video streaming apps. Developers can be creative, but technology rules. Before creating an app for live streaming with an online host, you must understand the essential technical aspects of the broadcasting game.

Step#1: Define Audience and Niche

Do not create an app-based only on assumptions. Instead, you must know the real needs of users, their opinions, and expectations. Plan accordingly, and hold discussions or interviews with users to detect early challenges.

Consider the potential fields like sports and news, video games and cartoons, personal content, academic content, live tours, meetings, conferences, etc.

Early feedback can set your vision right. Moreover, you can secure the first batch of loyal beta users.

Step#2: Determine Monetization Strategies

Ultimately, the purpose of having a live stream video app is to monetize it and make revenue. The three most popular ways of monetizing streaming apps are:

Paid apps that charge users when they download an app

Premium apps that offer a free app, but only with limited features. Other premium features can be accessed only upon payment

Advertisements that run ads on an app for the advertising fee

Step#3: Study the Requirements of Streaming App

There are specific characteristics of streaming performance that you would want to ensure.

Internet connectivity: Internet speed influences the ability of the platform to download content on-demand. Minimum requirements would be 2 Mbps for streaming standard-definition movies. Thus, consider internet speed greater than 2Mbps for YouTube streaming services.

Computing architecture and cloud hosting: Cloud services are the best to store video content as it provides ease of access to video content. Consequently, imagine a platform that scales right from the start. This would prevent complex data migrations in the final stages.

Network: Video streaming sites would scale up eventually, though they may not expand fast. Implement a network for content distribution into this service. A live-streaming app is also a scalable tool to manage a large volume of online traffic using the CDN.

Step#4: Choose a Trusted Platform

You must choose the right platform viable for live video streaming content, hosting, and storage. Always select a reliable provider.

Do not compromise with quality because of price. Sometimes, paying a little more can give you excellent performance, which also ensures traffic growth. Users cannot tolerate low-resolution videos and slow streams.

Step#5: Design UI/UX

Besides choosing a viable live video streaming, you have to create brilliant UI/UX for a live video streaming app.

Technology is a crucial part of this equation. In this exceedingly competitive industry, your app should have an outstanding design with an exceptional user experience. Hence, you should invest in attractive UI/UX design. Take a minimalist approach instead of a mixed-up interface.

Step#6: Develop & Test the MVP

Your mind may be bustling with dozens of development ideas for the app, but testing with the help of a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) proves to be more effective. MVP is a lightweight variant of the original app and contains the necessary features & functions. It is a simple tool that would help you to get easy feedback from users.

Live Video Streaming App & Tech Stack

Like other apps, you must decide on the programming languages, messaging queues, databases, and development elements. Pay attention to these three critical areas:

1) Streaming Protocol: Video streaming requires two protocols – RTMP and WebRTC. While RTMP protocol ensures HD streaming, WebRTC emphasizes real-time communication.

RTMP is best for broadcasting live concerts, conferences, and meetings. WebRTC is the technology behind video-calling platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, BeLive, etc.

The most significant advantage of RTMP is that you can transmit good-quality audio and video. However, it is expensive for long-term processing where there could be a lag of 10 to 20 seconds between the capture screen and the viewer’s screen. Contrarily, WebRTC offers superior speed and compromises on the quality of transmission in case of inadequate bandwidth.

2) Streaming Platform: It is imperative to choose the right streaming platform viable for video content streaming. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is a perfect solution. It delivers all the tools for online streaming, host application and provides the content to users.

3) Content Delivery Network: CDN is a critical choice, which ensures the performance and availability of live streaming for users. Amazon Web Services CloudFront is a great option that powers different streaming services like Netflix. Amazon Chime is another option for real-time WebRTC streaming and video rooms.

Live Video Streaming MVP Features

These features are necessary to build a dynamic MVP for live streaming:

User Registration: A simple format of user registration to open an account with valid credentials

Live Streaming: Enables the user to broadcast and records live streams to users who subscribed to the channel.

Search: The search box allows users to search content by popularity, topic, channel, trending, interests, or location.

User Profile: It shows the personal information of users with profile pictures.

User Gallery: Gallery organizes and stores recorded videos on the user’s profile.

Rating/Commenting: Live video streaming apps thrive on their social engagement. So, you must include a rating/commenting system to allow users to review and leave feedback.

Conclusion

Now that you have an idea to get started take the process ahead to build a live video streaming app. Since the path to developing these apps pose technical challenges, it is better to choose a top-rated mobile app development company with dedicated mobile app developers to realize your idea.

[mc-slowwalker]

I do not have dream merch (😔😔) but if I did and was in the discord I would literally never say anything and probably not even make it in time to the vcs before they got full. lmaoo more like dream is a milf. when dilf dream or whatever got trending a while ago because of connor, I replied to multiple people with “milf*” and I think I’d be happy if I ever got cancelled for that

yeah exactly!! I don’t want it to become a chore (which watching vods can be😭😭) I was watching ranboos mcc vod and I got so many ads I was ready to scream. also is it just me or are the ads always so fucking loud like it startles me so many times. idk about the sub thing tho but I’m like pretty sure you get an ad regardless

I haven’t bought a textbook for a single one of my subjects so I hope my lectures slides are good enough. last sem the exams were open book and online so I kind of just googled my way through the bio exam😬😬 also last semester I think I watched very few of my lectures and I’m already doing better than that this sem

apologist discourse is fully the lamest. it’s so boring too. and dumb. yeah!! discourse can be fun! I like having discussions and I love seeing different points of view but Apologist discourse?!?!?!! like seriously?? it’s so dumb especially with the assumptions made. which is why I always defend c!dream apologists. god you’re so right about the “in this day and age thing” but yeah teenagers will be teenagers

right?!?!! like I was like omg dream!! playing bedwars!! and I had a fun time watching it but like right after twt was back on their bullshit. good thing about living in australia though, half the stuff mcyttwt trends, doesn’t actually trend here lol. oh yeah that’s fair. I’ve watched hannah occasionally and she’s cool. absolutely cracked at bedwars. it’s so blatantly sexist!! and they’ll bend over backwards to justify how it isn’t it’s awful. lmao I felt the same when I left hannah’s stream once dream was gone😭😭 it sucks too cause they’ll whine about not getting dream content but the moment he goes and interacts with his FRIENDS they’ll start trending /neg or shitting on them for dumb stuff. like after dream played gartic phone with the ppsat crew and people started saying shit about gumi’s voice :/// plus another thing, kind of off topic but I was reminded, I see so many dream stans on twitter who hate techno so much (I don’t even know why and at this point I’m too afraid to ask like I know what he did but they’re so forceful in their hate) and just like??? dream is literally the biggest techno stan out there like how are you gonna have techno stans dni in your bio but still interact with dream🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

lolll. yeah my subjects really go from physics‼️bio🧫 chem🧪 to 😌being online: internet meets society😌

ranbob🥲🥲 I miss them dearly. the best dream apologist. YES DREAM WHERE IS THE LORE. it’s been MONTHS since the sneak peak. MONTHS. and sam slightly showing the courtyard in one of his streams and hinting at it’s importance??? like please give us the lore

but also!! new dream vid today :DDD

I’ve heard shipping rates to counties that aren’t american are killer and yeah I wouldn’t ever be awake enough to get into vcs….. here’s the thing though I’m not afraid to call dream a milf to his face but calling his mom a milf is a terrible first and only impression you know? My dumbass would walk in, reference the tapeworm post accidentally and be banned on site

They are loud but I’ve also found at that our favorite streamers are super quiet?? Like I was on dream’s stream for mcc and when I switch to quackity’s I got jump scared because he was so loud in comparison. Also if subs still get ads on vods I’ll fucking riot I’m jot subbed to anyone but no ads means no ads mother fuckers

From one college person to another :

Also all my classes were live so I wasn’t able to go back and rewatch them…. But honestly good on you googling your way through test I was too anxious to do that but I was also too anxious to do well on any of the exams so lose lose for me.

As someone who whines about no dream content I personally love seeing him on his friends stream! It seems like he’s on his bedwars arc rn so I’m really happy he has a bunch of friends willing to play with him! AYO IF ANYONE SAYS SHIT ABOUT ANY OF THE PPSAT CREW ITS ON SITE. How dare they what gumi is someone bothering you I’ll take care of it what the fuck!!! The hannah stuff bothered me but the gumi stuff is pissing me off!!! I like gumi’s voice she’s baller!!! I’m about to start gatekeeping (/j) the dream stan community are you even a dream stan if you’re not also a rivals duo enjoyer???? Shameful. I’ve had the same sub title/heading thing for my tumblr page forever and it just gets truer every day. Also extremely curious to see how many people clicked the links in it. If you haven’t you should, the first one is a joke but the second one isn’t

Actually I can’t call you a nerd I’m put here taking math, spanish, chem, and bio of my own free volition. Actually if you have any group discussions promise me you’ll tell people to touch grass yeah? I just think it would be funny

Ranbob my favorite he/they when will they return from the war…. Or arrive to the war actually. Better yet when will tales from the smp return as a whole karl I know you’re busy but please spare some serotonin please! I didn’t actually read the inbetween lore ever but I liked the idea of it!! I also miss all the banger characters that came from it,,, crops, ranbob, the twins, Cornelius, robin, unnamed cattboy,,,, all of the other characters that I got attached to right away,,,, I miss them always. I was watching tubbo’s stream today and he was talking about how he’s getting bored on the dream smp and oh boy did that hurt. Logically tubbo isn’t actively trying to do any lore and several dream smp members still log in everyday and do something, but it was for sure a kick to the gut. About the courtyard stuff, I wonder what they’re waiting for? Is there something in it that hasn’t happened yet or is there a different reason we haven’t gotten to see it yet? Guess we’ll have to wait

I accidentally watched the wrong dream video so I spoiled the whole thing for myself akhdkfjd funfact the video and the extra scenes look very similar

[aion-rsa]

Wonder Woman 1984 Review: Superhero Sequel is A Blast, From the Past

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

“Greatness is not what you think,” Robin Wright’s warrior leader Antiope tells the young Diana Prince (Lilly Aspell) at the start of Wonder Woman 1984 during a sequence depicting something akin to the Themysciran Olympic Games. “Pace yourself and watch.”

It’s an electric opening which sees a stadium full of women cheering the acrobatics of the island’s finest as they shoot, dive, leap, swing, and ride their way through a complex course to well-earned victory. The first superhero movie to be released during the pandemic, Wonder Woman 1984 has had to overcome obstacles of its own – primarily its release date and platform. Landing almost concurrently in cinemas and on VOD this Christmas is a different outcome to the one director Patty Jenkins and her cast and crew would have expected when they were filming back in 2018, yet it’s arrival in 2020 marks something of a shining light in a dismal year. 

Outside the glorious flashback set piece we find fully grown Diana (Gal Gadot) in the midst of the consumerist 1980s. Hair is big, clothes are bright, commodities are fetishized, women are objectified, and everyone is after a get-rich-quick scheme. Diana is fully integrated into society, working hard in her job at the Smithsonian, while as Woman Woman she’s routinely low-key saving the day, preventing a car crash here, stopping a robbery there.

Diana’s fine, but she’s not happy. Since the death of Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) she’s become something of a loner with few friends. So when dorky new co-worker Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) reaches out to her for companionship she responds in kind. 

It’s a moment of female friendship which is rare in comic book movies, which don’t tend to have an overabundance of women characters, and it’s just one of the many details that make Wonder Woman 1984 feel very different to what we are used to in the superhero landscape. It has more in common with Big than with Batman v Superman.

That’s not to say it’s frivolous. Wonder Woman 1984 is a cautionary tale, a modern morality story warning against greed, selfishness, and the excesses of capitalism. It might not quite be George Orwell but there’s a threatened dystopia here nonetheless and the alt-1984 it presents holds a mirror up to where we are today – or perhaps where we would have been if the pandemic hadn’t hit. It’s also incredibly good natured from start to finish.

While Diana is beautiful, confident, strong, and incredibly alpha, Barbara is nervous, awkward, and very badly wants to be seen. So when the seemingly slick, rich business tycoon Max Lord (The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal) suddenly starts to notice Barbara, her head is turned. Throw in an ancient artifact with magical powers, a society that isn’t accustomed to “pacing themselves and watching” and the reappearance of one Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and you have a fantasy fable with a retro vibe that captures the heart and spirit of Saturday morning cartoons with the dazzling visuals and soaring score (from Hans Zimmer) of the cinematic event it was intended to be. 

Wonder Woman 1984 packs in some fan favorite details for Diana and boasts some great action set pieces which take us around the world, though it also features a strong anti-violence message. It’s far kinder to its villains, including random henchmen, than we’re used to. If Diana was lauded as a great role model for young girls in the first film, that’s even more true here, in part because she herself is flawed and has to learn a lesson. She may be a demi-god, but no one’s perfect.

The dynamic between Diana and Steve from the first film is reversed here too – now he is the fish out of water, and amazed and confused by things like escalators, parachute pants and futons, and she is the one in control – he is her ally but he is not her equal, just as it should be. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

WW84 is not without its own blemishes. The internal logic is a bit screwy at times, the final act doesn’t entirely hold up, the CGI isn’t always spot on, and there’s never any real peril. But greatness isn’t the same as perfection. This is an incredibly distinct, bold film that isn’t afraid to carve out its own identity in a well established landscape.

And while Jenkins is at the top of the tree right now when it comes to female directors in Hollywood, blazing her own trail (it was recently announced she will be the first woman to direct a Star Wars film), Wonder Woman 1984 is only her third feature film. She has already solidified a clear visual style and set out her stall in terms of what message she wants to convey via Diana Prince. It’s a message of hope, truth, kindness and compassion in a bright, vibrant, energetic, and fun package.

Oh and it turns out it’s a Christmas movie too. And if that’s not greatness, we don’t know what is.

Wonder Woman 1984 opens in UK cinemas on December 16 and US cinemas and on HBO Max on December 25.

The post Wonder Woman 1984 Review: Superhero Sequel is A Blast, From the Past appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2KtCiNq

[jessiebanethedragon]

Scuttle (5/?)

takes place after the reader and crosshair have their first kiss because i thought it would be cool/different to write it like this (i have a plant dw) also i’ve left her trauma kind of ambiguous hinting rather than stating bc i don’t feel like it’s my place to say how a reader would react idk. 

also also reader sometimes goes by Yona instead of y/n just because it means rain and i thought it would be kinda cute

Tech finds your fascination with hyperspace fascinating but a little worrying. You seem to spend hours sitting by whichever window you have chosen for that moment, watching the universe whizz by. Sometimes he sits with you, and you both talk about your theories for explaining the galaxy. He learns that your parents never left your homeworld once you were born and nicknamed you Yona after the rain that poured down so often. He mentions it offhand to Crosshair and catches him whispering it to himself later that day. Tech himself sticks to calling you Fairywren, while Wrecker has committed to little bird, Hunter goes with Fairywren like Tech but Crosshair has decided on not using your name or any of the many nicknames the bad batch have for you. 

Infact, he’s starting avoiding you all together. 

You flit around the ship like a plague according to him, Hunter and Tech can’t figure out why the sniper has such a disdain for everything you do but it’s getting out of hand.

“When do we drop out of hyperspace?” He asks one day while you’re perched in the cockpit staring out the window, away from the current conversation. 

“Soon.” Hunter states his focus on his holopad, receiving instructions from Cody about laying low. 

“How soon?” Crosshair presses, keeping an eye on the door that separates you from hearing him. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Hunter says, getting slightly annoyed with his brother, not to be dramatic but you’re literally a joy to have around. All the batchers love you to bits and Hunter is frustrated that Crosshair is being a spoilsport. 

“It matters to me.” 

“Yeah we get it. You can't stand Fairywren, because she’s the problem and you can't wait to get rid of her.” Hunter snaps, putting his holopad down.  “Just days ago you were all over her, what happened to ‘we aren't leaving her’?” He’s staring at Crosshair, enhanced senses burning into his soul.   

“Just a little leftover Hutt goo.”  You’d said to him, not that he’d heard, his face was on fire, burned from where you had touched it. And he is surprised he didn't flinch away from your touch, had he become that accustomed to you already? Was Crosshair so entranced by you in such a short amount of time that he was already missing your touch? No. He doesn't know you. You don't know him. He’s memorized every part of your face, but you don’t matter to him. His heart seems to beat for every smile you give him. But you have no effect on the sniper. Every shot he takes is one to protect you from anymore trauma. But he doesn't give a damn about your feelings. Love at first sight doesn't exist, soulmates are fake. And even if they did Crosshair doesn't want it. 

Kamino broke him, being defected, trained and thrown away for your one purpose does that to person. He tells himself to hate you for putting him back together.

“Nothing changed.  But we aint a charity.” He tells his sergeant, who absolutely knows he is lying. But because he doesn't know why he’s lying, Hunter lets the conversation drop, but mostly because he can hear you get up from the co-pilot's seat and head towards the door. 

“Wrecker says we’re dropping out of hyperspace soon.” You report, popping your head out of the door. “Says it'll look cool.” You add with a blush. Hunter chuckles a tad and says something about going to let Tech know. Leaving you to stare at Crosshair. 

“Ram'ser” you say all of a sudden, slow and precise, testing out the word and being very careful of  your pronunciation. 

“What?” Crosshair spits, more surprised than malicious. Since when did you speak mando’a? You visibly flinch at his words. 

“Tech likes to talk to me in phrases of mando’a  and have me guess what they mean.” you explain slowly. “He uses that word when he talks about you.” 

“Yeah? Good for him.” Crosshair is glaring at his reflection in the table. He hates this, he wants to hate you. He can’t stand the way the words come out of his mouth, but his head reminds him that you will be safest far away from the war. And that means he can't catch feelings and any that have slipped through must be thrown away. He hears the door slip closed as you retreat to watch the stars again. Tech and Hunter follow moments later, Hunter looking down at his vod with a sigh. Stupid enhanced hearing. He heard every word. 

You land on a desert planet you already can't remember the name of, but apparently it’s a neutral system and a good place to lay low. The sand dunes make you frown because they go as far as the eye can see, and Tech makes you take a spare pair of goggles and a makeshift hooded cape that was fashioned out of a lightweight tarp from the hold. That combined with your clean (albeit mud stained) pants and an oversized shirt you fit right in with the mess of inhabitants on the planet. 

“You’ll get itchy.” Hunter tells you when he sees that you’ve sat yourself in the sand and are now in the process of burying your legs in the strange stuff. 

“Sorry, I’ve just never really seen this stuff.” You apologize but Hunter waves it off with a smile. 

“It’s okay, just a heads up. Stuff gets everywhere.” You reluctantly pull yourself out of the sand, joining everyone by the edge of the sand dune, looking over at the nearby city in the distance. 

“So what haven't you guys seen?” You ask as you struggle to walk down the intense slope. 

“We don’t see a lot of water usually.” Tech says, “but only because not many species can survive underwater.” 

“If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” The bad batch is used to your barrage of questions. It’s one of the things they like most about having you around, from favourite colours to wild would you rather questions, your brain is always humming with things that take you away from where you are. it’s also beginning to worry Tech.

“Somewhere small and quiet.” Hunter says quickly, the light, heat and everything else already giving him a headache. 

“Coruscant.” Tech answers, the complete opposite of his brother. “Libraries and Jedi temple.” He explains further. 

“Kamino.” Wrecker says, surprising you. You had assumed they all hated it there. “Home is home.” He explains with a smile. Crosshair doesn't say anything, but he can feel the eyes on him. 

“What?” He says to the four faces looking at him. 

“Cross would go to Hoth, because it’s cold.” Wrecker sasses him with a slight push. 

“Shut up Wrecker.” he snaps, in a very bad mood today. 

“Or anywhere his cyare is.” Wrecker adds without thinking. Making Hunter, you and Tech very confused. That's a word you haven't heard from Tech before and both him and Hunter are trying to figure out who Wrecker is talking about while Crosshair looks like he’s actually going to explode. 

“What did you just say?” He says each word is its own sentence. 

“Cross has a cyare?” Tech is now thinking out loud (another habit of his) “no way Cross has a cyare we would know if he did. I mean we are with him all the time so it’s not like we wouldn’t  know them or have met them…” His rambling fades into the background when Wrecker speaks up again. 

“Wait Tech, Sarge? You two seriously didn't notice?” He asks, shocked that his clever brothers hadn't picked it up. 

“Wrecker, shut your trap.” Crosshair orders, and a very tense silence falls over the group, and you’re only a third of the way to the city. You decide to ask Tech what the word means later.  And the now very awkward walk continues, that is until a speeding starts  to approach you from the town. 

“Bad batch! Defensive positions!” Hunter calls to them, and within seconds they have their helmets on. except for Cross whose helmet is still in the bottom of that lake, but has a new one waiting for him at base. But either way they’re all ready for combat in record time, leaving you to shake awkwardly in the middle of them, closing your eyes. repeating the things Tech told you during a window sitting sessions  

“not my fault not my fault not my fault.” 

“Civi’s!” Tech calls, having analyzed the people within the speeder, it’s a Twi’lek woman with a young child. She does, however, raise a blaster before addressing  the group.

“Saw the ship land. Thought someone or something might need help.” She says, eying the group. “Clones eh?” She adds. “Can't be here. Neutral system.”  She lowers the blaster. 

“We just need a few days.” Hunter says, taking his helmet off. 

“Perhaps you didn't hear me.” She’s more aggressive now. “You can’t be here. One day or a hundred, we don't care. Get gone.” You step forward. 

“Hunter we should go.” You whisper, looking at the mother and her young one. 

“Kriff,” The twi’lek sighs when she sees you. “Huxx has already got a bounty on her.” She looks at you with pity. 

“Thought you said this was a neutral planet.” Crosshair snaps. 

“Bounty is a bounty, no matter who’s side it’s for.” She says shaking her head. She pauses thinking for a minute. “All i can offer you is the fact that any planets around here will have been given the same information.” 

“What if I had credits?” You ask, it’s dangerous. But you know if one person saw the ship more must know by now. 

“You’d need a lot of credits and a really stupid person to let you camp out here. Especially with clones” she says, beginning to bargain. 

“What about credits, a nice person, and no clones?” You counter taking a pouch out of your pants pockets. 

“That might work. For a couple days that is.” She agrees. 

“Absolutely not.” Hunter interrupts. “We aren't leaving you.” Ignoring someone with a sniper rifle mumbling ‘hypocrite’ under his breath. 

“The name’s Leeya” she tells you, ignoring Hunter. 

“Yona.” You reply, moving to hop in the speeder, but stopped by Hunter's hand. 

“This isn't happening.” He says firmly. 

“Get in the speeder and tell your very angry friends to find something to wear other than armour.” Leeya smiles softly at you.

“We’ll be back soon.” Tech speaks up, very nervous, just as the rest of his batch. 

“I know,” You tease, “who else is gunna listen to you if i’m not around?” He laughs a little, and you hug him goodbye, before wrapping your arms around Hunter and Wrecker in turn. Crosshair doesn't move. 

“See ya around.” He says, turning away, and there’s a crack forming in your heart. You know he’s been different recently, you know he’s just putting up with you. But you thought there was something there. The present evidence seems to prove you wrong. Wrecker’s looking between you and Crosshair in disbelief. He sees you begin to inwardly collapse, hands around your middle, head down, just like the time he dropped the Gonk droid and scared the living daylights out of you.

“Wrecker!” Crosshair all but screams as he’s lifted into the  air by his brother. Of course he heard him stomp up behind him but he definitely wasn't expecting to be snatched from where he stood. 

“She’s your kriffing cyare!” He booms, before unceremoniously shoving Crosshair down into the sand in front of you. It would be funny if you weren't so shocked by Wreckers actions. Crosshair pulls himself up and whips around, arm cocked ready to throw a punch. The hardest  glare you’ve ever seen on his face. But it falls when you gently take hold of his arm. 

He’s taken back to the night he kissed you, and you begged him to keep the nightmares at bay.  He blinks and he’s taken back to the morning he woke with you in his arms. All at once  he remembers and forgets why he was pushing you away.

“Crosshair…” You start, but he pulls you into a crushingly tight hug before you finish. Nose to your hair, and your hands around his neck. Like they were made to be there. 

“I-I” he starts what would be an apology that he knows won't be enough. 

“It’s okay,” you interrupt. “Just be back soon.” and in a haze he watches you pull away from him and get into the speeder. 

“But I promised…” He whispers to himself. “I promised not to leave you…” you’re becoming a speck on the horizon, and he should be happy, he doesn't have to torture himself by refusing to love you anymore. 

Except part of him knows, as he feels his heart get torn from his chest, the real torture has just begun.

tags: @mangoberry43 @imalovernotahater @professionaltrashcompactor @vesperstalksclones @haloangel391 

[startreklowerdecks1x3voirenligne]

[VOIR~] Serie Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3 VOD Streaming VF/HD

1x3 | Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Streaming (VF)

Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3 Streaming VOSTFR, Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3 Streaming VF, Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3, Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3, Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Telecharger

joue maintenant: Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 én ligné

🎬 Cliquez ici 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3kNRQcL

🎬 Cliquez ici 👉👉 https://bit.ly/3kNRQcL

Comédie, Science fiction, Animation

De Mike McMahan

Avec Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells

Nationalité U.S.A.

Chaîne d'origine CBS All Access

SYNOPSIS & INFO : Les aventures de l'équipage du vaisseau le plus insignifiant de la flotte Starfleet. En 2380, à bord de l'U.S.S. Cerritos, Mariner, Boimler, Rutherford ou encore Tendi s'efforcent d'accomplir leurs devoirs, tout en poursuivant leurs vies, même lorsqu'ils sont secoués par une multitude d'anomalies.

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 1fichier, Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 uptobox, telecharger la série Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 en streaming, telecharger la série Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 HD qualité

Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3 Streaming,

Star Trek: Lower Decks 1x3 Streaming vf,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Streaming Vostfr,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Streaming vf gratuit,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Streaming Youwatch,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Telecharger,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Uptobox,

Star Trek: Lower Decks Saison 1 Épisode 3 Streaming vf gratuit complet,

Film is a Work of art in the form of a series of live images that are rotated to produce an illusion of moving images that are presented as a form of entertainment. The illusion of a series of images produces continuous motion in the form of video. The film is often referred to as a movie or moving picture. Film is a modern and popular art form created for business and entertainment purposes. Film making has now become a popular industry throughout the world, where feature films are always awaited by cinemas. Films are made in two main ways. The first is through shooting and recording techniques through film cameras. This method is done by photographing images or objects. The second uses traditional animation techniques. This method is done through computer graphic animation or CGI techniques. Both can also be combined with other techniques and visual effects. Filming usually takes a relatively long time. It also requires a job desk each, starting from the director, producer, editor, wardrobe, visual effects and others.

Definition and Definition of Film / Movie

While the players who play a role in the film are referred to as actors (men) or actresses (women). There is also the term extras that are used as supporting characters with few roles in the film. This is different from the main actors who have bigger and more roles. Being an actor and an actress must be demanded to have good acting talent, which is in accordance with the theme of the film he is starring in. In certain scenes, the actor’s role can be replaced by a stuntman or a stuntman. The existence of a stuntman is important to replace the actors doing scenes that are difficult and extreme, which are usually found in action action films. Films can also be used to convey certain messages from the filmmaker. Some industries also use film to convey and represent their symbols and culture. Filmmaking is also a form of expression, thoughts, ideas, concepts, feelings and moods of a human being visualized in film. The film itself is mostly a fiction, although some are based on fact true stories or based on a true story.

There are also documentaries with original and real pictures, or biographical films that tell the story of a character. There are many other popular genre films, ranging from action films, horror films, comedy films, romantic films, fantasy films, thriller films, drama films, science fiction films, crime films, documentaries and others.

That’s a little information about the definition of film or movie. The information was quoted from various sources and references. Hope it can be useful.

❍❍❍ Formats and Genres ❍❍❍

See also: List of genres § Film and television formats and genres Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional MOVIE). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.[citation needed]

A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 1980s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little.[citation needed] If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.[citation needed] Since the 1980s, many MOVIE feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television MOVIE to have this kind of dramatic structure,[4][better source needed] while the later MOVIE Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run.[citation needed] In “DC1&”, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film.[5] Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In “DC1&”, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

❍❍❍ Thank’s For All And Happy Watching❍❍❍

Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama and Anime Movie. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings!

Thanks for watching The Video Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited.

Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors.

[ericvick]

Digital, Customer Service Products; FHA COVID News; 1st Quarter GDP Takes a Big Hit

Digital, Customer Service Products; FHA COVID News; 1st Quarter GDP Takes a Big Hit

While in captivity it is important to observe the impact of your words during meal times. (Warning: Rated R for language.) Measuring the financial impact of the government-instituted changes is now a focus. Credit-card payments are one of the first places where the effects will show up, and are often the first loans people stop paying when money is tight. They are usually unsecured, so lenders have little recourse if a borrower stops paying. Many large card issuers are letting borrowers pause their credit-card payments for a month or longer. Some are lowering or waiving late fees and interest charges, or even forgiving portions of customers’ balances. And lenders disappointed in purchase times and what aggregators are paying them (mostly due to low servicing values) who think retaining and servicing their own loans is a breeze, think again. Modeling out how much cash you will need to cover is critical. The focus has been on principal and interest, but what about taxes & insurance if your borrower isn’t paying? Compass Analytics’ “Retaining Servicing – Part III: Forecasting Cash Needs for High Forbearance Servicing” is available (the password is ServicingPart3). (If you would like to request access to the Servicing Advance Calculator that was demonstrated in the webinar, click here; questions can be addressed to Rob Kessel.)

Lender Services and Products

Free Webinar: Use Digital Closings to Keep Your Loans Moving. Register for a complimentary webinar on Wednesday, April 29 to learn how digital closings can keep your loans on track during the COVID-19 crisis. Hear from John Ralston, Black Knight’s Director of eLending Strategy, as he provides an update on digital closings in light of the GSEs’ guidance and the availability of remote online notarizations. John will also demo Expedite Close, Black Knight’s proven, easy-to-use digital closing solution that can be implemented in a few weeks. Register for this complimentary webinar today.

From Service 1st (SRV1st.com):  Old risks are rapidly emerging as growing threats for originators.  The current refinance market has enhanced early borrower payoff risk. Additionally, as industry has quickly transitioned to a near fully remote model, enhanced vulnerabilities now exist for one of the fastest growing cybercrimes in housing finance, wire fraud. Service 1st is a leader in cohesive risk strategies.  Our Mortgage Payoff Watch solution alerts originating lenders should your borrower shop for a new mortgage within the first year of closing– with no monthly minimums! Mitigate growing wire fraud concerns due to enhanced exposures. Wire fraud financial losses are surpassing a likely underreported $150mm in 2018.  S1’s fully integrated verification of participant certification and ID plus bank account verification dampens this business risk. Visit SRV1st.com for industry insights, newsletter registration and scheduling opportunities with members of S1.  Stay safe!

This spring has presented us with an unanticipated, new normal. With so many lenders now working remotely, it makes sense to use mobile apps to access necessary files. GetConnexions is a mobile app that lets you access Connexions functionality remotely to better manage real estate valuations, right from the palm of your hands. With an easy-to-navigate dashboard and integrated search tools, GetConnexions lets you obtain workflows, track orders, reference current and past requests, set-up push alerts, and find appraisal locations. It’s the perfect way to bridge the gap between lenders, appraisers and AMCs while honoring current social distancing requirements. Connexions’ premier Appraisal Management platform delivers best-in-class automation, reporting, data analytics and integration to real estate valuations. It works with over 150 AMCs and over 13,000 independent appraisers nationwide. Want to learn more? Set up a demo or download the app from the App Store or Google Play today!

How are mortgage originators supposed to bring borrowers and Realtors together when we can’t, well, come together? Just ask LendUS. As a brand that was born when two well-established mortgage companies joined forces, they know a thing or two about collaboration. Before any of us had even heard of coronavirus, 90% of LendUS loan officers were using SimpleNexus to connect borrowers, real estate agents and loan officers in one place. And not just for the initial application, but all the way through loan disclosures. Read firsthand why LendUs considers SimpleNexus such a “powerful tool for moving loans forward.”

COVID-19 Changes 

After years of low delinquency, stable servicing values, and a very liquid servicing market, mortgage servicers are facing a host of issues not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. It took courage and perseverance to survive the fallout from that time: How are servicers going to handle today’s virus-driven crisis? In the April issue of STRATMOR Group’s Insights Report, STRATMOR Senior Partners Michael Grad and Garth Graham, Senior Partner and CEO Lisa Springer and Principal Seth Sprague, CMB discuss the steps servicers need to take to proactively manage current issues and prevent a repeat of the past. “We can and will survive the time of COVID-19 by being smarter, more proactive and more disciplined with our response to the change in market conditions,” says Springer. “We owe it to our borrowers to apply the lessons of the past as we shape a better future for them.” Don’t miss “Walking the Tightrope: Servicing Through COVID-19” in the April Insights Report.  

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced the availability of a new Default Reason Code in the Single-Family Default Monitoring System (SFDMS) to ensure that loss mitigation actions that result from the COVID-19 National Emergency are accurately recorded. Mortgagees must follow the loss mitigation guidance in Mortgagee Letter 2020-06 (FHA’s Loss Mitigation Options for Single Family Borrowers Affected by the Presidentially-Declared COVID-19 National Emergency in Accordance with the CARES Act) and should also adjust their default reporting as described below. Mortgagees are asked to begin using the new Default Reason Code 055 – Related to National Emergency Declaration, as soon as possible. This new Default Reason code is available beginning May 1, 2020, for the April 2020 reporting cycle. Mortgagees unable to use Code 055 should, instead, report using Code 010 – Neighborhood Problem, for the April cycle. In addition, if the mortgage is newly defaulted (i.e., no open default episode), mortgagees are reminded to report Status Code 42 – Delinquent, and then Status Code 06 – Formal Forbearance. 

Don’t forget that Flagstar issued a bulletin outlining the temporary suspension of certain products.

Due to the continued closure of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices responsible for providing tax return transcripts, Wells Fargo Funding updated its temporary tax return transcript requirements that were previously published. For conventional Conforming Loans not receiving full income validation through Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter (DU) validation service or Freddie Mac Loan Prospector (LPA) asset and income modeler*: Delegated – if all income information used to decision the Loan is made up exclusively of wage-earner income reported on a W-2 and/or fixed income reported on a 1099 (e.g., Social Security or VA benefits), and the automated underwriting system (AUS) does not require income documentation other than a paystub, W-2, or 1099, IRS tax return transcripts are not required. For all other transactions, the Seller must provide a verification of deposit (VOD) verifying the assets used in underwriting. Prior Approval — Seller must provide one of the following: VOD verifying the assets used in underwriting, Verification of the borrower’s income directly from their employer or The Work Number database. Verbal verification of income is acceptable. Under its published policy, IRS tax return transcripts are not required for borrowers whose qualifying income was fully validated using DU validation service or LPA asset and income modeler.

Wells Fargo Funding has aligned its appraisal requirements for FHA and Guaranteed Rural Housing (GRH) Loans with the temporary, COVID-19-related, appraisal flexibilities announced by FHA and USDA Rural Development on March 27, 2020. Effective date for FHA Loans with appraisal inspections completed on or before May 17, 2020 and GRH Loans through May 26, 2020.

Freedom Mortgage posted credit policy updates which include clarification on Conventional loans with “Final Approval” status and new VA appraisal guidance.

Earlier this month Redwood Trust announced it is suspending the issuance of Purchase Price and Terms Letters (PPTLs) and the acquisition of residential mortgage loans delivered for purchase review.

Capital Markets

Around the world, economies are dealing with the record-breaking financial impacts caused by the coronavirus. In the Eurozone, Japan, and Australia, PMI indexes hit record lows in April. U.S. durable goods orders fell 14.4 percent and shipments fell 4.5 percent as shelter in place orders disrupt supply chains and demand for many goods evaporates. The housing market slowed in March, but it did not come to a complete halt, with existing home sales fell 8.5 percent and new home sales fell 15.4 percent. There is cautious optimism that the current slowness is creating some pent-up demand that will show up once people are comfortable to move again. It is no surprise that mortgage purchase applications are down 30.6 percent from one year ago and refinances are up 180 percent from a year ago given the current rates environment. The government continues to try on prop up the economy, passing the fourth major piece of legislation aimed at bringing financial relief to people and businesses. To date, the total fiscal response to the economic upheaval is $2.8 trillion.

What happened in the markets yesterday? Wall Street lost some momentum, oil had another turbulent day, and U.S. coronavirus cases topped 1 million, though NYC hospital admissions dropped. U.S. Treasuries rallied ahead of today’s FOMC decision, largely attributable to April Consumer Confidence posting its lowest reading since June 2014.  Consumers are positive about the economy reopening, but less optimistic about their financial prospects, which could be a headwind for spending activity during the recovery phase. The 10-year closed the day -5 bps to 0.61 percent.

Today’s main economic event will be the latest FOMC statement, at 2:00pm ET, followed by Chair Powell’s press conference at 2:30pm where there is potential for talk of inflation targeting as well as a tweak in the IOER rate. The calendar is underway, with MBA mortgage applications for the week ending April 24 posting a 3.3 percent decline from one week prior. We’ve also had Advance Q1 GDP (-4.8 percent). Later this morning brings March Pending Home Sales and Weekly crude oil inventories for the week ending April 24. The NY Fed will conduct two FedTrade purchase operations totaling up to $8.213 billion, like Monday. We begin the day with agency MBS prices better by a few ticks and the 10-year yielding .6 percent after the GDP news.

  Employment

A profitable, well-capitalized and fast-growing top-100 retail mortgage company headquartered in Northern California is looking for opportunities to acquire assets of companies with demonstrated record of success in retail production while maintaining excellent loan quality. “We are a FHLMC and FNMA, seller/servicer as well as, a Ginnie Mae servicer, with a very comprehensive set of loan programs. We are a storied, employee-owned company with a culture of honesty, collegiality and respect. Our management team has decades of experience and our operational and technological capabilities are second to none. We are recognized for our excellent service to our loan officers and their borrowers and we provide transparency and unlimited upside in compensation for our sales and operations teams. Third party advisors are welcome. All inquiries will be completely confidential.” If interested, please send resumes to Anjelica Nixt. 

“What’s your next career move? Online home refi and purchase loan applications are forecast to accelerate from where they are now, and working from home is the new normal, indefinitely. It’s time to re-envision and re-define your day and grow your business on your terms. Interfirst’s exclusive LO[+R] position – remote Mortgage Loan Originator – puts the call center resources on your kitchen table. We are expanding to support growing demand across the U.S. Make Interfirst your first move. We are providing our sales professionals with the resources and financial stability that they deserve. All of our LO[+R] are paid an aggressive salary with the opportunity for significant bonuses. Our low-rate no-lender fee combination makes us highly competitive with anything advertised online by any lender in any state. We provide inside purchase and refi leads to you. Goodbye cold calling. Our leadership team has over 100 years of mortgage, sales/marketing, and consumer-related experience, with a 2020 business objective to grow our Retail production, on top of the $35B we have originated. Apply today.”

Parkside Lending is grateful for our Partnership with Class Valuation AMC who has enthusiastically joined in helping our Community Heroes through the “COVID Community Heroes Loan Program” where Parkside will waive the fees paid to Parkside and provide 45-day locks for the price of a 30 day. And now, when you select Class as your AMC in Parkside’s easy to use broker portal, you will get a $100 credit towards the cost of the appraisal applied at closing. Parkside is continuing to grow market share in a measured manner. Are you an Underwriter or Client Service Representative (CSR) that wants to “Experience the Power of Caring”? Then we invite you to join our team. Parkside offers a competitive salary, benefits and a bonus plan, in addition to a great team and culture. Please apply at Parksidelending.com or send your resume to PeopleSuccess@ParksideLending.com.

What does commitment mean to you? Stearns has been committed to the Broker and Non-Delegated Correspondent community for over 30 years and is gearing up for the next 30. The fabric of Stearns has always been our people and our investment in them continues into 2020.  In order to support our team members, partners, and borrowers, there has been a large amount of initiatives centered around technology, resources, digital experience, and fulfillment infrastructure. Monthly technology releases allow for consistent and consumable enrichment to our team and our clients. In 2020 alone, Wholesale has expanded by 40 new team members and is just getting started. Join us in gearing up for growth this year, click HERE to be contacted by our recruiting team today.

Do you want to be the Deputy Director, Office of Single-Family Program Development, at FHA and make $140-170k a year? Here you go: 20-HUD-857-P.