#nala se sucks

[direwolfrules]

3 Mandos and a Baby AU: The OCs Part 1

I have a bunch of Mando OCs that I’m just throwing into this AU willynilly because I firmly believe New Mando society wasn’t just a bunch of identical tall blondes and like 1 red head. I’m not letting Clone Wars budget constraints also constrain my imagination. Plus I need competent people to replace all the corrupt folks that get taken down and more characters to flesh out the world. A little disclaimer: only the human/near human OCs on this list have portraits because I can’t draw so I’m using Artbreeder.

Harik Vhen:

I’ve finally given everyone’s favorite theater mando a name (okay, my favorite theater mando). Harik’s family were Haat Mando’ade from the planet Vanquo, which despite technically belonging to the Republic controlled Meerian sector, has a long history of being conquered by Mandalore. After the massacre at Galidraan his family integrated into New Mandalorian society so they could survive. What was left of his clan found work in the smuggling business.

Harik’s parents taught him the True Mandalorian way of life. They had to do it in secret, but they were adamant their people’s legacy, and the legacy of Mandalore the Reformer, would not die with them.

Though they weren’t important in the least, Harik’s folks managed to get him into the Royal Academy of Government on one of Duchess Satine’s culture scholarships. His obsession with musical theatre actually had a use, who knew?

Because the Academy’s administration is elitist as hell, all the kids from lesser clans seem to get grouped together. They get the crappiest dorm rooms, the worst class schedules, and depending on the professor, the harshest grading. Harik’s been passed over for staring roles since he was eight, and has to endure the mocking of his more “noble” peers. It’ll all be okay though once he graduates and gets a job in the Ministry of Culture. Then he’ll be able to afford a place in the Sundari mid-levels for his clan, and they won’t have to risk prision just to ensure the ad’ike won’t starve.

He’s a little betrayed when his friend and roommate Alrich Taldyn (Alrich needed a maiden name okay? It was bugging me not having a canon one) starts seeing the heiress to Clan Wren of Krownest, but what’s he gonna do? All his doubts about her vanish the moment the weirdly prescient heir to Kalevala introduces them properly and Harik gets drawn into the most mandokar plot ever.

Vel Batin:

After Korkie and company purge the corrupt from Mandalore’s government, their sector needs a new Senator. Enter Vel Batin, veteran of the Great Clan Wars, former Captain of the Ordo system Protectors, and three-term Mayor of the city of Keldabe.

She’s a certified badass with an axe to grind against the Republic. She lost family on Galidraan, two siblings and six cousins gone within a day, all because the illustrious Republic Judiciary Forces couldn’t do more than two minutes of research. When Mand’alor Kryze announces they’re going to be running the elections for Senator a bit early this year, Batin applies immediately. She makes it clear when meeting with the young Mand’alor that should she get the job she will take every opportunity to throw mud at the Senate. Korkie is ecstatic to hear this and endorses her for the position.

The Clone Wars break out right when Senator Batin is elected, and she gets the pleasure of spending time with Korkie and his friends on the journey to Coruscant. His plan for a clone freedom trail is particularly interesting to her, and they spend much of the flight hashing out the details. Whatever reservations she may have had about swearing allegiance to a 16 year old are quickly washed away by how competent he seems.

The get to Coruscant, Senator Batin is sworn in, and then she turns the pod over to Korkie. Vel has plenty she wants to say, but she figures she’ll get plenty of chances to tear into the Senate. Let the Mand’alor have this one.

She becomes an active participant in the Mando-clone freedom trail, and before the first year of war is over she’s already adopted like seven clone sons. Three of them are fully grown clone troopers, while the other four range from physically 15-ish to freshly decanted tubies. All of them have a “defect” of some kind.

Her three adult clone sons are Rex’s original batch brothers. They were split up when they were four (equivalent to eight standard) due to all of them having minor defects (for fucks sake Nala Se blue eyes isn’t a defect). Despite the longnecks looking for any excuse to kill them, most of their batch makes it off Kamino. Except for Farr, whose only crime was having hair that was a bit too curly for the cloners. While the Coronet Kryze-Kenobi holodrama is going on her and Rex are swapping stories and commlinks so he can talk to his brothers.

Solus Bralor:

The older of the two Bralor twins, Solus’s parents made the immensely creative decision to name her one, and her sister two. The twins have Barolian heritage, hence their offensively blue hair (well, hence Solus’s offensively blue hair. T’ad dyes hers).

She’s an angry edgelord of a kid. She’s totally bought into the propaganda that Duchess Satine is committing genocide against Mandalorian culture. She’s never even so much as spoken to a New Mando, but her buire used to say so, before they died in the 2nd battle of Concord Dawn. Now it’s just her, her twin, their older brother, and their little sibling.

Solus’s loyal to her family, Pre Vizsla, and the Nite Owls, in that order. In the last timeline, she was one of those who sided with Maul’s Shadow Collective. In this timeline, Bo-Katan manages to turn her against Pre with the help of foreknowledge.

In Bo’s last timeline the youngest Bralor, Tio, died because Pre ordered the younger cadets through a live fire exercise. Tio was only seven, and died because they were only seven. In this timeline Bo just happens to be drilling her Nite Owls near the range where Pre’s just straight up shooting children. A couple of daring jetpack maneuvers later and Tio’s being handed off to their shocked siblings while Bo-Katan throws every insult she knows at Pre.

Later, when Bo’s proudly wearing the shiner Pre gave her in response to her tearing him a new asshole (the Nite Owls know that’s not the only bruise she got, they all share a barracks), all four Bralor siblings basically consider her their new god.

T’ad Bralor:

T’ad has spent her whole life following her sister. One and two, Solus and T’ad. It’s just who they are. T’ad even died her hair to better match her sister. When her sister set her mind to joining Lady Bo-Katan’s Nite Owls, T’ad joined her in the training yard. When Solus volunteered for a mission, T’ad would be next to raise her hand. And when Solus sided with Maul’s Shadow Collective over Lady Bo-Katan, T’ad followed her. Followed her right into the grave.

T’ad is smart. Capable. But she lacks any ambition outside of following her sister. Their brother Tracyn worries about that, but she always insists she’s fine. Honestly, she does have a hobby that’s seperate from Solus. Tracyn doesn’t think that setting up a bi-weekly karaoke night for her unit counts as a hobby, but he drops it for now.

When Korkie takes over Mandalore he needs a PR department and Harik recruits T’ad to his staff. She tries to turn it down, she really doesn’t like to do something without her sister, but Harik tells her no. She’s his only other department member and he needs someone to sort through the eighty billion videos of Korkie being an adorable dork. This position is an honor for her, her clan, and anyone else would be chomping at the bit to get this job, so just take it dammit! (She takes the job)

[moisesmyles]

I see no difference

[moobrvoobl-moobmoob-oobmpoobroom]

I wanna know more about this doctor Hemlock guy. he and Nala Se seem to have history and I want it unpacked 🧐

also, if we go into a cheap ‘Nala Se actually really cares about Omega as a human person and a child’ I will personally run to Dave Filoni’s house and hit him with a broom before tying him to a chair so he can rewatch the Fives chip arc

[traveller-of-word-and-screen]

Emerie looks like a kicked puppy here and I blame Hemlock and Nala Se for everything. She has spent who knows how many years with Hemlock. So really she’s breaking down because she really thought she was doing a good thing until Omega came along. And I also blame Nala Se for giving her to Hemlock in the first place. God they both suck. But Emerie is such a great character. I know she has a million death flags, but I actually hope they don’t kill her. Think of all the potential future stories.

[crow-hoards-things]

The Bad Batch Series Finale

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a vent post. I’m angry and hurt. After I get this out of my system I’ll be more open to discussing the positives of the episode.

Warnings: Ranting, Spoilers

Hooo boy. Okay. I am… less than satisfied?

Quick rundown since I haven’t posted much of anything Bad Batch related: Tech is my favorite Batch member, immediately followed by Crosshair. I’m also a HUGE Republic Commando Nerd (read all the books, played the game, despised Bad Batch as a whole initially because I felt the commandos were being unfairly ignored, can sing + translate Vode An, etc.) and Scorch was my favorite Delta. The Bad Batch grew on me shortly after Season 1 finished up, and I immediately latched onto Tech when I began watching. He’s the reason I watched the first two seasons. (Crosshair + delusions about Tech were the combined force behind watching the final season)

NOW, onto my actual thoughts on the episode, in no semblance of order because my brain is still trying to process, Ft. Cry count:

• Wish Tech was here. He would’ve loved the Zillo being freed.

• “‘Cause I’d do the same thing” no you wouldn’t. Fives would’ve. The you I fell in love with would’ve yelled at Fives about it being a terrible idea and then promptly gone along with it anyway. That said it was a really cute moment and I loved his nonchalant little “come on” afterwards.

• C: “Echo or Omega?” W&H: “Omega” THEY KNOW THEIR GIRL SO WELL

• When Hemlock went to get the operatives I got excited thinking maybe, just maybe we’d get Tech back.

• CROSSHAIR LOST HIS FREAKING HAND!?!? WHAT THE HECK!?! I will never stop being salty about this. He’s been through enough. [Near Tears]

• Rampart sucks

• Nala Se got to blow stuff up and I appreciate that even if I don’t really like her

• I’m glad Wrecker’s okay. He had me scared for a bit. Hunter, conversely, never really did? He’s Omega’s Dad, he had to survive.

• Did anybody else see that one operative whose helmet seemingly had goggles built into it? We had a lingering shot on his helmet for a few seconds and they looked like a red version of Tech’s goggles.

• SCORCH IS DEAD AND YOU’D BETTER BELIEVE I’M MAD ABOUT IT! [First shedding of tears]

• HECK YEAH, HEMLOCK IS DEAD!!! [Tears of relief combined with grief over Scorch]

• I’m so glad Omega hugged Crosshair first. I fully expected her to just run to Hunter, and Crosshair needed that hug.

• Echo’s goodbye was disrespectful. 0/10. He’s family and they don’t even care that he’s leaving???

• SOMEONE IS MISSING FROM OUR NICE LITTLE GROUP SHOT!

• I never really got super invested in the dynamic between Omega and Hunter, but the ending between them was cute I guess.

• We were robbed. We could’ve gotten Crosshair and Wrecker as old men and we were robbed.

• Tech is dead. Like, seriously, really and truly, dead. As a delusional “Tech’s alive guys, trust me” fan, it feels like he just died all over again. I’ll talk more about this later because I’m not over it. [Que sob-fest]

alright, circling back around to my main gripes, in order of appearance:

#1. Scorch.

I hate how they handled him. At first when he showed up I got super excited. That was my boy! In the Bad Batch show!! He’s making an appearance!!! Maybe they’ll do something with the Delta boys!!

Even as the episodes went on and I started to suspect where his path was leading, I consistently would go “Scorch!!! <3” every episode, because that is my boy and I love him dearly.

The levels of offended I am on Scorch’s behalf are not within my ability to express with words. The complete and utter disrespect he was shown over his time on the show is appalling. Why bring him in if you’re going to drain him of all his personality, make him have zero plot relevance, and then murder him?! They could easily have made a new clone for that, as seen by the number of operatives who exist and got 0.5 minutes of screen time.

But no. They brought in a beloved character with 10 seconds of canonical screen time prior, stripped him of everything that made him lovable, didn’t even have him DO ANYTHING, and then murdered him. It feels like a spit in the face and a kick to the gut all at once.

I will mourn. I’ve already cried and I’ll probably cry again. But right now I’m angry and I think Scorch deserves to have people be angry about how he was treated.

#2. Tech

Yes. I admit to having been a “trust me guys, Tech’s alive” person. I will also admit that at the end of episode 13 I wanted him to stay dead because I had zero faith they could satisfactorily bring him back.

My gripe is not with him staying dead. Yes, it feels like losing him all over again. Yes, I will mourn him again. Yes. That sucks. It’s not what’s making me mad.

What makes me mad is how his death was handled.

• It served ZERO purpose narratively other than to up the stakes and make us worry about whether anyone else would die (Spoiler alert: They didn’t. Tech was the only one who died) • Nobody mourned him. No one seemed affected by his death at all. No one cared. I don’t care what anyone says, that will NEVER be okay. • The first actual mention of Tech *dying* was in the finale. Sure, we’ve had name drops and goggle appearances, but actually talking about what happened? One line. One. Freaking. Line.

I feel like I’ve been slapped in the face, you know? He deserved better and so did we. He was a part of that family and they couldn’t even be bothered to address the responses to his death. He was beloved by many of us and they couldn’t even respect him or his fans enough to treat his death like something to be mourned.

That’s wrong, no matter how you look at it.

[jedipoodoo]

This might be a weird request, you don't have to write this okay! But... How about Imperal bad batch ( seperated) and pregnant reader? Hunter turns into the darks side while his wife is pregnant (almost like Anakin and Padme

THIS REQUEST GOT ME LIKE

Ma'am, I will answer any and all requests for a pregnant reader and you know that. I'm sorry for taking so long, but I really wanted to do this one justice 😁

Haunted (Imperial! Hunter x Pregnant!Fem!Reader)

Okay, so most of my Dad Batch shorts mention keeping the baby from the kaminoans and the like, so....what if they couldn't keep the baby from them???

Warnings: labor and delivery, pregnancy (obvi), kidnapping, The Empire sucks, Nala Se is a pain in the shebs, Nobody likes Wilhuff Tarkin. This one is a lot darker than my usual stuff. Dark may be too strong of a word for it, but idk how else to put it.

Notes: what it says on the label. Pregnant reader, female reader. Hunter is manipulated. Protective Hunter, Angst without a happy ending...yet. Dividers by @saradika

"Hold on just a minute more, cyare, we're almost there," Hunter urged. Echo peeked around the corner, signaling for Hunter to freeze. Hunter, holding one of your hands to lead you and wrapping the other around your waist to hold you upright, pulled you against the wall to keep from being seen around the corner. He could hear the slow, meandering gait of a Kaminoan as they walked past the hall, unsuspecting, taking all the time in the world while you struggled not to whimper at the pain in Hunter's arms.

Hunter gently patted your belly, as if that would make everything better.

"You're doing great," He whispered.

"I'm gonna kill you," You growled.

Echo hissed a warning, waving you both forward. The Kaminoan was gone.

Your comm beeped softly, and Hunter snatched it up, trying to get you to move faster when all you could do was waddle.

"Come in, Tech."

"The medical wing has been cleared. Wrecker and Crosshair will stand guard."

"Good. We're two minutes out."

"AHH!" Your knees gave out as a contraction tore through your body, and you almost slipped out of Hunter's arms.

Hunter gently lowered you to the floor to let you catch your breath, "Breathe, sweetheart, just keep breathing," He urged. It was in some stupid holo-article that he had read online, and despite the amount of research he'd put into labor and delivery, that tactic in particular was starting to get super annoying. Breathing was one of the last things on your mind when you had

"Is that one worse than the last few?" Echo asked. He was trying to be gentle, force bless him he was, but his grip on your arm was struggling not to pull you to your feet and drag you to safety.

You looked up at Hunter, and froze. Despite the fact that every single thing he was trying to do at the moment was annoying you to no end, you could see the fear quavering in his eyes.

You all knew that if the Kaminoans found you, as arrogant and self-serving as they were, they would unquestionably seize your child as Kaminoan property, enfolding him (or her) into the sea of identical brothers bred for slaughter. Neither Hunter or his brothers were going to let that happen.

"Osik," Hunter muttered none too softly. You followed his gaze to the floor, where a sticky puddle was forming from your water breaking. Osik was right.

Hunter slipped his arms under your legs and your back and hefted you in the air. He didn't even wait for the all-clear from Echo, he just ran to the med-wing.

"Hunter, I can walk-" but the next contraction stole your breath and proved you wrong. Hunter ran faster, and you could hear Echo struggling to catch up with you. You wrapped your arms around Hunter's neck and prayed.

Wrecker and Crosshair waved you past, sealing the door shut behind you. Only Tech and a single med-droid were in the tiny medical wing they had managed to clear.

"The droid's memory will be wiped the moment we are finished," Tech promised before you could voice your worries. Hunter gently sat you on the table, bracing your feet in the stirrups.

"Her contractions are two minutes and thirty seconds apart," Hunter said. The droid quickly ran a few scans to confirm and Tech handed you a large sheet of paper that hardly counted as a robe.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

You gulped, bracing yourself against another contraction. Whether or not you were ready, your baby was coming.

There was pounding on the door, but you could barely hear their demands of "Open up in there!" over the squalls of your baby.

"It's a boy," Tech said, almost as an afterthought as the droid cut the umbilical cord.

Hunter pressed his lips to your forehead, despite how sweaty and gross you felt. "Good job, cyare," He whispered, "You did so good."

You nodded, unable to think straight. "The baby..." You reached for the child bundled in Tech's arms. Hunter sprung to his feet and took them from Tech as gently as he could, bringing the baby back over to you.

"Oh," You gasped softly, running a finger across their cheek. It was a little sticky, like something that had been dried haphazardly, and their hair was still slick with blood and fluids, but you brushed it out with your fingers, letting the dark curls spring into place as he wriggled with all his newborn strength.

"He looks just like you, Hunter," You whispered.

"The spitting image," Tech had already shut down the droid to wipe its memory circuits, and you took the baby from Hunter, pressing him against your chest.

"Mama's here, Mama's here," You said, kissing the baby over and over.

The pounding on the door had stopped, but there was lots of shouting. Hunter's gaze darted to the door as he heard Wrecker cry out.

"We've got to get you out of here," He said, pulling you to your feet. You stumbled like a newborn fathier colt, leaning against him.

"I-I can't," You gasped. You tried to give him the baby, "You have to take him,"

"I'm not leaving you," He insisted.

"Now is not the time for affectionate stubbornness, Hunter, she's right. You have to get him out of here before-"

There was blasterfire in the hall, and you saw sparks fly as several bolts hit the door. Your son wailed unhappily and you reached for him, only to pull your hand back at the last moment.

"Go!" You begged Hunter, but it was too late.

The door that Tech had painstakingly sealed shut slid open, and eight shock troopers pointed their blasters into the room, aiming for you, Hunter, and the baby.

"Place the infant on the table and step back," Their captain commanded.

"No," Ever the contrarian, Hunter shielded your son from their view.

You hadn't even named him yet.

Just beyond the wall of troopers, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Echo had all been forced to their knees with their hands behind their heads. The bodies of several other Shock Troopers and Kaminoan security troopers were strewn about the hall, dead or alive it was hard to tell, but the Batch wasn't going down without a fight.

Admiral Tarkin stepped into the doorway to take in the damage for himself, but what made your blood run cold was Nala Se standing behind him.

"You will not take my child!" You screamed. stumbling to your feet to stand between your son and the blasters.

"Your child is Kaminoan property," Nala Se said calmly, despite the bodies of her creation littered around her.

"Imperial Property," Tarkin corrected harshly, "Much like your supposed lover and his squad. Lieutenant, you are stripped of your title and imprisoned for your crimes. CT-9901, you are also henceforth removed from your post as Sergeant. You are all under arrest."

"She has just given birth!" Tech finally spoke up, "She will not be going anywhere until she heals! Unless you wish to have her death on your hands?"

You hadn't even named him yet.

Tarkin shrugged, "Dead or alive, it makes no difference." He waved to the troopers who approached with several sets of binder cuffs like the others wore.

"No!" You screamed and leaped at the troopers. You were unable to do more than crash into them, but it gave Hunter a shot at getting through, and that was all you could hope for.

With your son secured to his chest, Hunter dashed out of the room and past the astonished Nala Se and a flabbergasted Tarkin. You smirked to yourself as you slid down to the floor, breathing heavily.

Tech grabbed your arm to steady you, and both of you were grabbed by the troopers

Hunter knew the halls of Kamino like the back of his hand. Once he made it past the original wave, there was little to stop the (former) sergeant of Clone Force Ninety-Nine.

His baby whimpered in his arms, and he hurriedly hushed them.

He'd come back for you later, or maybe his brothers would help you escape, somewhere quiet and peaceful like you'd always talked about after the war. Somewhere you could raise your family in peace.

But for now, he was only worried about doing what you'd said, and that was getting your son to safety.

"It's alright, ad'ika, we're gonna get you out of here," He whispered, pressing his lips against the boy's forehead.

"I'll keep you safe."

Alarms blared to signal his escape, which made it harder to calm the baby, but also simultaneously hid their cries.

Hunter wished that his brothers were with him, but they had all agreed to this. They had all insisted that your child was priority, and they would defend it like one of their Vode, just as they had when you joined them.

Hunter ran faster, on deft feet, always knowing which hall to take in order to avoid a clumsy stampede.

The Marauder was docked in the bay closest to the medwing, Echo needed a checkup after their last mission, but it seemed serendipitous when your contractions started in the early morning. You knew the Kaminoans would see this as openly flaunting your blatant disregard for their authority in their own city. You'd wanted to have your baby anywhere but Tipoca City, but then you'd received orders to return to Kamino with the end of the war.

Hunter grit his teeth, avoiding patrols was keeping him from going as fast as he'd like,and his son's cries were getting more and more agitated. It was a pitiful replacement, but he stuck his finger in the child's mouth to let him suck on it. As soon as he took off, he could give him the formula aboard the Marauder and look him over.

"Most childcare experts agree that there is a distinct possibility that hyperspace travel at such a delicate stage can be detrimental to child's development," Tech's voice echoed in Hunter's mind. But that couldn't be helped right now.

He turned the corner towards the bay, but it was blocked by another squad of Shock Troopers. Before he could think, he drew his blaster.

"Hunter!" You screamed in terror. Hunter's blood ran ice-cold as he spotted you.

You were on your knees, held upright by two troopers, and an Admiral (or someone else who wore one of those gray suits) had a blaster pointed at your head. Tarkin met Hunter's gaze with a smug smile.

"You made a valiant effort in your escape, Sergeant. I can only imagine how much that child means to you."

Hunter shifted the baby, holding him closer. The boy was starting to grow frantic again, now that he didn't have anything to suck on.

"However," Tarkin continued, "Much like yourself, the child is now property of the Galactic Empire. Attempting to steal him is treason."

"If I'm already committing treason, I might as well shoot you here and seal the deal." Hunter focused his aim on Tarkin.

"You could, couldn't you?" Tarkin barked a cold, humorless laugh,

"However, the moment you open fire, Vice Admiral Rampart has orders to shoot at point-blank range."

You shook your head desperately. "Hunter, don't!"

"Hand over the infant, now!" Tarkin said. His lackey in an identical suit pressed the blaster to the base of your throat, cutting off your protest.

"What will it be: the child? Or it's mother?" Tarkin sneered.

It was over. Hunter knew that. Even if he did as you asked, he still wouldn't be able to get past the Shock Troopers. His sons cries were like ringing in his ears as he tossed his blaster to the side.

They took his son from his arms, and all he could say was "Support his head!" as they turned away so that Hunter couldn't even see him anymore, but he listened to his cries as they were dragged in opposite directions.

You and Hunter were brought to what sufficed as the brig in Tipoca City. Tech, Echo, Crosshair, and Wrecker were already there, and they hurried to make room for you to sit on the only bench available. Your legs were shaking terribly, and you were sore all over. The pain medication Tech had given you was starting to wear off. Tech gave you a once-over as best he could without his datapad or any medical gear.

"Most of this recovery takes several months anyway, even without the added stress you've been through," He said, it what must have been an objectively positive observation, but only served to remind you of everything you had just lost.

"Where's the kid?" Crosshair demanded. Hunter couldn't even look him in the eye from the insane guilt he felt at giving up his son. All you could do was cry.

Crosshair cursed and slammed his fist against the wall, though he didn't know what he was expecting from an operation like this. Clone Force 99 had never known failure like this before, it was a foreign feeling to them.

Hunter refused to let himself cry. He had to be strong for his brothers, for you and your son. He had to get you out of there, somehow.

He didn't even know how you could bare to look at him for such a catastrophic failure, but you turned to him and wrapped your arms around his chest, pulling him close to you.

"We...we didn't even get to name him," You whimpered in Hunter's arms.

Hunter's jaw stiffened atop the crown of your head.

"Well, let's name him now."

It felt slightly pathetic, sobbing in a jail cell over a child that had been ripped from your arms, but the idea of naming him felt like a rousing battle cry deep in your soul. The Kaminoans hated the names that the clones gave each other, and despite all the nicknames that they claimed and gave to each other, at the end of the day only their numbers were written on reports and official documentation.

But your son wasn't a clone. He was your son. And he would have a name from birth.

"Asher." You said. Where you came from, the name symbolized hope, of something beautiful and precious being created from the ashes of destruction. Something like your life as a family.

Hunter nodded, gently rubbing circles into your shoulders. "Asher it is."

"CT-9901, you need to come with us."

Ice encased your heart as the shock troopers approached the makeshift cell, deactivating the shield.

"Don't," You begged, looking up at him as your hands dug into his shirt, holding on for dear life.

"I have to," He whispered, working your fingers loose so he could stand.

"She's right," Echo said loudly, standing up.

"Yes, we stay together." Tech stepped between Hunter and the shock trooper.

The trooper did not take kindly to this show of defiance, and drove the butt of his blaster into Tech's stomach. Tech fell to his knees as he gasped in pain, and the others all stood ready to fight, but knowing it was fruitless.

"Enough," Hunter stood, motioning to his brothers to stand down.

"I'll go."

He wasn't cuffed, but there was a blaster muzzle in his back every step of the way. The troopers led him back to the med bay, where several medical droids were still cleaning the room that you had commandeered earlier. The troopers marched him past the room and past a large window where several cadets were going through their checkups. And right in the corner was Asher.

Hunter disregarded the warnings from the Troopers and place his hand against the window, wishing he could catch his son's attention. He was in an incubation box, sound asleep, with monitors strapped to his chest. Hunter was just relieved he wasn't in a growth tube.

"Asher," He murmured as a shock trooper gripped his shoulder, "Your name is Asher."

The troopers all but dragged him to another closed-off room, where Tarkin waited with Nala Se and a datapad. Hunter kept his focus on Tarkin, wondering if the so-called "Admiral" had spent as much time with a hot blaster in his hand than in a comfortable office on Coruscaunt.

"We meet again, Sergeant."

Hunter chuckled, "I thought I wasn't a Sergeant anymore, Admiral."

"I suppose you'd prefer to be called CT-9901, then?"

So the Admiral did know about their chosen names, he just chose not to use them.

"What do you want?" He asked, trying to not let his breathing get the best of him.

"What I need is your cooperation,"

Hunter shrugged, "Sounds simple enough. Just let them go."

He knew it was a fool's dream to think that Tarkin would actually acquiesce to his demands, but he had to try.

"Let my wife, son, and brothers go and I'll do whatever you want."

Tarkin squared his shoulders to challenge Hunter, "Certainly not. That would be a grave mistake on our part. Think of all that we could learn. The Empire has other plans for a force-sensitive child."

Hunter's blood ran cold.

"Oh, you didn't know," Tarkin smiled slyly, and Hunter's hands clenched in an effort to keep from slapping the smirk off his face.

Nala Se handed Tarkin her datapad, "Nala Se's team has performed all the necessary tests and administered the correct vaccinations for your child. A quick blood test showed a count of approximately fifteen-thousand midi-chlorians."

Hunter's throat ran dry, and his ears rang with the sound of his son- Asher's- cries.

"You have a simple choice, Sergeant. Join the Empire freely, stay with your brothers, your partner and your child, or be forced to watch them suffer for your treason."

It wasn't much of a choice, and Hunter knew it. They were offering him the short end of the stick to pull him from the same raging rapids they had tossed him into, but it was either that or drown.

And he would sacrifice everything he was for the chance to protect you and your child.

Post-Script: I know I've used Asher as a name for Crosshair's kid but it fit too well for this AU.

[nonhumanhottie]

The bad batch season 3 premier reactions

Ep 1 - confined

I fully forgot about this premier until I was eating lunch and it hit me oh I'm so intrigued

Palps being front and centre in the D+ poster delights me

Not them starting with tech's death lol

Why is it so fucking dark it's animation you have the ability to make it visible so easily

Omega baby I'm so sorry yeah it sucks to be a star wars main character huh

That's some sweeney todd coloured blood lmao

While palpatine cloning nonsense in ep ix is... a Choice, and this justification in other shows doesn't fix it, I just love palpatine shenanigans

Oh Omega has a pony tail... she's been there a while

'I wouldn't think twice about leaving you behind' he lied

The way this season starts with a child prisoner just going through it is brutal

Episode 2 - paths unknown

Isa is spreading her legs so wild on that throne what a power move

The boys!! Oh they look like fucking shit these poor bastards lol

Child clones out in the wild nooo poor babies

I love their little kiwi accents omg and they sound like actual teen boys this VA is great

Again with the bad lighting

Okay but why are space ships apparently so easy to steal in this galaxy?

Oh hey the writers remembered Hunter's abilities

Okay this plotline was a little predictable but the boys are charming at least

Episode 3 - shadow of tantiss

I hope this episode has something real juicy in it

I'm not really a fan of Crosshair's character so I kinda love seeing him miserable lmaoooo

Feels like Emerie doesn't have the best hygienic practices. A blood sample without cleaning the the skin???

Omg Nala Se telling Omega to leave oooohhh

PALPATINE!! SLAY!! What's this cheeky bastard up to?

Project necromancer???

I do love Crosshair's mean little voice

I live for how unphased Omega is about the Emperor

Oh Palpatine... God love him even his backup plans have backup plans

I do miss his slay outfits from when he was chancellor

Not Crosshair shading Tech like that

Omega murdered those troopers lmao

Does Omega have a high M-Count???

Oh bitch Omega is force sensitive

Overall a... fine premier lol

My favourite part was Palpatine but story beats were kinda predictable

[third-generation-female-warrior]

(Click for better quality!)

Family dinners suck...

So, I did as much of a comic I could (it's finals week) base on @nateofgreat's post!

I originally planned to have Nala Se here, but seeing her face fills me with ungodly rage, so I didn't add her

Also, when I was drawing Crosshair, I went, "Oh, he looks like when I draw Rex. I hope this isn't same face syndro- oh, yeah..."

[mylifeisactuallyamess]

Sanctuary part 2

Chapter 6: Ghosts of Kamino

A/N: I posted this on AO3 and forgot to post it here 🤣 whoops!

Warnings: Description of panic attack, disassociating, canon violence, Hemlock being an intimidating bastard, Stitch is having a rough time, mentions of reconditioning.

Word Count: 3.6k+

Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7

Masterlist

A soft noise brought you to awareness, your entire body stiffening as you tried to figure out who was in the room.

The infinite smoothness of Nala Se flooded your mind and it forced your eyes open. The Kaminoan was sat down, her long limbed body almost folded in half to sit in a human chair. Large, dark eyes blinked at movement from the bed and she seemed to suck a quiet breath in. A touch of relief reached you as the first groan left your lips. Your entire body was on fire, muscles screaming from the rough workout they had been put through recently.

“Why are you so relived to see I’m alive, Nala Se?” Your throat was dry, sticking and causing you to cough. Slowly you sat up, gently taking the offered glass from the pale hand that held it out.

She didn’t answer right away, her eyes travelling over the floor and back up to you while she tried to form a reply. “All the specimens are important,” she finally said and you paused mid motion.

“All? You mean the clones?”

“No. There are others.” You wanted to say you were surprised, but the depths that Hemlock would go when it came to prisoners did not surprise you.

“I felt them,” you murmured. Remembering walking past the large double door and feeling the faint shimmer of another presence, one that resonated with yours. “They are kept here, others like me.”

Nala Se bent her long neck slightly, gesturing slowly with an open hand. “There are others. But not like you.” Her voice was light and firm, breezing through the small room. “You are different.”

Taking a long sip of water you quickly assessed the creature before you. She didn’t seem hurried or anxious today. In fact, she was down right chatty. “How am I different from any other human you have taken blood from?”

“I knew you were special, from the moment you were pulled out of the pod.” Everything you thought you knew zeroed down to this specific point as you repeated what she’d said, your lips moving around the words as if it helped you process them.

“A pod.”

“Yes. Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas came to us, talking about a brewing conflict within the galaxy. He wanted to help his fellow Jedi.” Your fingers gripped the cup, the only solid thing that was tying you to reality. “He offered his genes to create more Jedi. We tried, of course, but the failure was widespread. Most of the units did not survive infancy, much to our dismay. Their M-counts interfered with the healthy development, Master Sifo-Dyas declared the Force was not allowing them live. Apparently it tipped the balance,” she explained quietly.

“What does any of this have to do with me?” Your heart beat erratically, tension prickled down your scarred arms and you began to chew on your nails.

“You were the only one to survive.”

“That’s impossible,” you scoffed. “Tech found that Sifo-Dyas was—was my father, not my…donor.”

“CT-9902 would not have found anything linking you to Kamino, because I erased it,” she stated as calmly as someone commenting on the weather.

You winced, but still your teeth pulled anxiously at your skin. “This is insane,” you told her with a nervous half laugh. “Why are you telling me this? Does Hemlock know?”

“He does not.” Tugging on your lower lip you rocked slightly on the bed. “I fear what he will do to you if he does find out.” Your thoughts were swirling, each breath hitched a fraction in your throat as your eyes lost focus. The man you had been told was your biological father, wasn’t your father at all. He had shared his DNA with the Kaminoans to make Jedi clones. They didn’t survive, none except you.

“Why did I end up with Jango?”

“Master Sifo-Dyas was worried his actions would draw the attention of the Jedi Council or others who might use this information to their advantage. He looked at you like the daughter he could never have, and I let him take you. Hiding you within the Mandalorian community was both a good and bad idea.”

“Why did he leave me behind?” You whispered, not sure if Nala Se would have the answer.

“Jango Fett did what he thought was best for you. With whispers of the growing hostilities, he decided to hide you before he came to Kamino.”

“Ridiculous,” you mumbled, blinking back tears that burned your eyes.

Nala Se leaned forward, her large arms dipping between her folded legs. “You must be cautious. Dr Hemlock is showing more interest in you after the incident with IC-1309 and IC-1262.” Your mind scrambled around, linking the designations to the clones and the fight in the training room.

“What will he do to me?”

“What he does to everyone,” she responded with an air of regret.

“Which is?” You prompted, watching the way she gracefully rose in a single fluid motion.

“Take everything he can from you.”

“W-why did you tell me this? Won’t he know you’re in here talking to me?”

“Dr Hemlock has left the facility,” she explained. “I have told you so you know to hide this part of yourself from him.”

“It’s not something I can control, the visions…” you trailed off, wanting to tell her everything and yet, still not sure if you could trust her. For the millionth time you wished yourself parsecs away, with a bunch of defective clones that had looked after you since they found you.

“I have altered your blood results in an effort to keep what you are, hidden,” she added softly, as though she assumed it would reassure you.

“What is he looking for?”

The Kaminoan regarded you with unblinking, emotionless eyes. “He is working for the Emperor.” You knew this, you weren’t sure how but this information wasn’t new. “I will do whatever is within my power to keep you safe.” You waited a couple of beats before looking back up.

“Nala Se.” She paused facing the door. “Is there a way out of here?”

“No,” she whispered, confirming your worst fears. “Not for us.” You let her go. Frozen on the bed as you tried desperately to stave off the gathering emotion that clawed at your chest, threatening to spill out in waves that had no end. Staggering to the shower, you quickly shed your clothes, diving under the stream of warm water and letting your tears quietly mingle with the drops on your skin.

It was crushing. Realising that, once again, you had no idea about your own past or who you were. Your hands curled against your arms, squeezing you in a hug that you wished was coming from someone else. You tried not to think about them, the Batch. It was agonising not knowing if they were ok, where they were or what they were doing. More than once it had crossed your mind that the Empire might have them.

Your legs gave out, the close walls of your tiny shower barely managing to keep you upright as you slumped onto the floor. Your teeth were chattering, a reaction of shock and stress mixed together while your body tried to muddle its way through. A soft groan left your lips at the tightness in your chest, each breath felt like you were pulling glass into your lungs. This will pass…this will pass…

Logic never prevailed in these moments, sweeping you away on a flood of intrusive thoughts that had you sobbing. The heels of your hands dug into your eyes, trying to press the horrific images of dead clones and empty armour from your mind. You despised the fact you were here, surrounded by everything your friends were fighting to destroy and you couldn’t do anything. Nothing. You were useless. Trapped like a womp rat in a cage with nowhere to turn, the unknown pressing in from all sides.

Your breaths quickened, dark spots danced in your vision and the shower suddenly become suffocating. You didn’t even turn it off, spilling out from the cubicle to lay bare and wet on the floor as you shivered.

This hell was your life now. Who could say for how long.

You waited a few days. Staring at the greys walls in a blissful state of disassociation. You could barely bring yourself to eat, it all tasted like ash in your mouth anyway. Crying did nothing to alleviate the pressure in your mind, so you spent all the time trying to distance yourself from it.

Until the day Scorch came back.

His grey and sunshine yellow armour splashing across your eyes so harshly you had to squint for a moment. Something had changed. His presence felt darker, more threatening and you shrank away from him. “Up.” He demanded harshly through the vocoder. “Move.” The end of his blaster jabbed you in the shoulder and you felt that warm flare of anger spark in your gut. You held onto it, relishing in something that wasn’t lifeless and hollow within you. You quietly followed him down the corridor, eyes drawn to the double doors on your left. You could feel them, bright spots at the edge of your senses, as though they were just beyond your fingertips.

The red glow of the barriers made all the tiny hairs on your body stand on end, an uncomfortable feeling and one you wished would end as quickly as possible. Scorch led you out the other side, turning left this time and leading you to a turbo lift. The doors opened and the light sucking black armour of Niner was revealed, a shadow in the glaring whiteness of the lift. Scorch seemed to hesitate, a swift flare of frustration rose from him but he pushed you into the lift anyway.

Niner’s visor turned to look at you, the blue against the black was unsettling and you wrenched your gaze away to watch the lights on the lift display change. Scorch shifted beside you, seemingly adjusting his position as casually as possible, but then you sensed Niner tense up behind your shoulder. They were communicating within their helmets, much like the Batch could.

The lift glided to a stop and the door opened smoothly. “Move out,” Scorch practically snarled. You went first, stopping after a few paces when you realised you had no idea where to go.

A hand gripped your arm and you yanked yourself free. “Don’t touch me, di’kut.” Niner pulled back his hand, helmet tilting as he regarded you.

“Now where did you learn that word, verd’ika?” Your anger flared at the veiled insult in his tone but Scorch shoved you in the back.

“Enough. Don’t make me change my mind.” He wasn’t looking at you, his helmet facing Niner.

The shadow clad clone retreated a step, a sigh coming through his helmet. “Fine.”

You were still seething, making a note to take Scorch’s blaster and shove it where the sun didn’t shine, when a door a few meters away opened.

His blue eyes were like shards of ice. Now they narrowed, pining you to the spot and your steps ground to a halt. Doctor Hemlock’s presence rolled over your senses like oil slicks over water. Thick and cloying it muted everything, snuffing out your anger and replacing it with fear.

“So good of you to join us.” His voice was like a hydrosnake hissing in your ear. The unspoken threat of his menace, a shadow on every word and it had you wanting to flee in the other direction. “Escort her inside.” Hemlock turned and you had no choice but to follow, looking at the clasped hands behind his back. His black gloved hand flexed, clearly trying to ease some discomfort he suffered from.

The commandos flanked you, Niner on one side and Scorch on the other, giving you nowhere to run. As if you could anyway.

It took you a moment to realise where you were, but when you did, the dread raked forcefully down your spine. A chill permeated the air, filling you with something cold and lifeless that spread down your limbs. The room was larger than you thought, no mist shrouded your surroundings and the red glow was muted to the four large tanks on the edges of the platform. The machines you had seen in your nightmare were huge, not leaving much room to move around. Bulky and intimidating, the nearest one to you had dark stains near the straps and you swallowed down a nervous lump in your throat.

Hemlock looked around, like a man surveying a kingdom, his attention running over the tanks and for the first time you noticed the screens. Each one had a read out for the occupants vitals and your stomach flipped in disgust.

A presence loomed behind you as Niner almost pressed his armoured chest into your back. Clearly an effort to keep you in place. You’d rather take your chances with the commandos than you would the Doctor. His presence was twisted into something dark and ugly, something that screamed at you to run away.

“You have been holding out on me.” Hemlock turned slowly on his heel, his eyes running over the equipment until it finally settled on you. He cradled his gloved hand in the other, a weirdly vulnerable gesture coming from a man who held nothing humane within him.

The ability to speak had fled, Nala Se’s recent revelation about your origins, kept your lips tightly sealed. Trepidation made your insides quiver as he took a threatening step in your direction. He looked almost disappointed when you didn’t respond. “No curiosity?” He asked in that liquid velvet tone. “Where is the fire you brought with you?” He stepped closer, causing your heart to skip a beat and your breath to hitch in fear. He terrified you.

Hemlock hummed quietly in contemplation, so close now, you could taste the rank tang his presence gave you. The lines on his forehead were thrown into sharp relief, tracking like permanent scars across his skin.

“I have spoken to the Emperor, about you.” He spoke softly but you were not in danger of missing a single word. Still you kept your lips pressed together, watching him step even closer to you. You sunk into Niner, hating how the clone was stopping you from leaning away as Hemlock tipped his head towards you, bringing his face uncomfortably close. “He knows what you are.”

You trained your gaze over his shoulder, trying desperately not to react to the whispered words as they ghosted across your throat. “He has been watching you for a while now,” Hemlock continued, turning his face so he could gauge your reaction. “I have been granted permission to bring you to your full potential. I was told how invaluable you would be to our efforts here.”

“I will never help you!” The words were like acid, spilling from you in a rush. You were breathless, struggling to fill your lungs with air that didn’t make you choke.

“There she is,” he murmured, drawing close enough to brush his nose along your cheek for a brief second. When he stepped back you were helpless against the power of his clear blue eyes, reluctantly magnetising your own to them. He gave the smallest smile but it did nothing to soften the severe features of his face. “I apologise, for giving you the assumption, that you had a choice.” His gaze drifted and firm hands closed around your arms before you felt their intention to grab you.

Instantly you reacted, heaving your body in the hope one of the clones would lessen their grip, but it felt like you were fighting statues. They were rigid, their hold on you like beskar cuffs. Hemlock watched with a sick satisfaction in his expression, allowing you the illusion you could fight, when in fact you were as helpless as a babe. You tried to find something on the smooth floor to dig your heels into when the commandos moved you to stand beside one of the massive machines. Your heart was pounding in your ears as you eyed it, hoping your intuition was wrong.

“Do you know what these do?” Hemlock asked you, his tone mild and conversational. Again, you refused to answer. Blowing an exhale through your nose and glaring at him with as much hatred as you could muster. “This machine has the potential to reshape an individual, to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.”

A dull memory surfaced, one of a clone in a box. He had no name, no designation…he had been wiped clean. You tried again to shake off Scorch and Niner, even though your exhaustion was growing. You refused to be erased. To have your memory wiped until you couldn’t remember anything except what Hemlock told you. To lose what little shreds you had of yourself; the brief months of happiness with the Batch, with Tech, was soul wrenching. Tears teased the corners of your eyes and a small whimper broke free as you squirmed.

“You know what that means.” He looked pleased at your reaction.

“You can’t do this!” The smile that toyed with his lips became crueler.

“But I can. No one can stop me.” He backed away, curling his hands behind him as the triumph gleamed in his eyes. He gave a nod to the clones before turning away and some tether of anger forced you to speak.

“You are just another monster, in a long line of monsters,” you shouted. “Whatever you do to me, will not break me.” Hemlock’s shoulders flexed slightly, his hands gripped each other and you thought he was going to continue walking away.

He turned, a deep lined frown marked his brow, his eyes were so intense they almost glowed as they burned into you. He stepped forward and you automatically tried to shrink away, but Scorch and Niner still had a firm grip on your arms.

Hemlock sighed, heavily. The heat of his gaze tracked over your features, making you more nervous the longer he scrutinised you.

“I admire your sentiment,” he spoke softly, reaching out to run his fingers along the tense edge of your jaw. You jerked away, revolted by the feel of skin on yours, but he snatched at your chin with a bruising grip. “But you have never faced a monster, quite like me.” The volume of his voice did not changed but his words became harder, losing the pillowed edge he usually softened them with. “And, I can assure you…” he sucked in a breath, revelling in how helpless you were against him. “You will break.” His fingers pressed painfully into your cheeks, forcing your jaw to open. He watched you try to fight his grip, gaze trained on your mouth, a faint curl lifted his lip when he succeeded in causing enough pressure so you had to comply. “See?” Hemlock’s velvet tone teased your ears. “No one goes against me…” his eyes locked with yours. “And wins.”

The Doctor finally released your face, the sting in your cheeks a hateful reminder of how helpless he made you feel. “Put her in.”

Your body reacted. You had no idea what you were saying, words spilled forcefully from your mouth. Your feet left the floor, kicking and hitting whatever you could reach, but it did no good. You were pleased to hear Scorch grunt with exertion while he fought your legs into the bindings. Niner had a harder time with your arms as you arched your back and tried to find purchase on his armour with your fingers.

“Hu’tunn!” You screamed, spitting at Niner. You were too worked up to notice he froze beside you, or the way Scorch looked at him from the bottom of the machine. “Ni’duraa!” The bindings rattled with every jerk you gave, ignoring the pain as they lashed tightly against your skin. The tangy smell of blood reached your nostrils but you didn’t care. You just wanted out of this machine.

“A fascinating display,” Hemlock murmured. His soft voice cutting through the screaming chaos in your mind. Your entire body was pounding with each frightened pulse in your chest. Being restrained like this — trapped with no way of getting out — made your panic a living, breathing creature. One you thought you had left behind.

“Please,” you whispered through dry lips, eyes searching for Niner’s visor. Hemlock followed your gaze, his glacial eyes narrowing for a moment.

“You will remain here until you give me what I want.”

Your arms were still moving, shifting and slicing your skin on the restraints. Tears slid out of your eyes, wetting the inside of your ears.

“What do you want from me?” You cried out to Hemlock, desperate to be free while hating how pathetic you sounded.

He smirked, bending at the waist to lean over you slightly. “I want complete control over you.” Hemlock reached in, pressing his thumb in the middle of your forehead. “You have something hidden inside you that I want, a gift you will not acknowledge.” You tried not to sob, grinding your teeth against the urge to wail, ignoring the pain he was creating in your head. “You have secrets,” he breathed, clearly enjoying the reaction he was getting from you. “And they will belong to me, eventually.” You hiccuped quietly, eyes fluttering as the pressure between them vanished and he straightened. “Proceed.”

The machine hummed to life, causing your muscles to tense as you readied yourself for what was to come.

But no amount of bracing could stop the searing agony that ripped through your body, and stole who you were.

[cowbaehawyee]

Random and borderline incoherent bad batch thoughts (finale edition)

SPOILERS

When they killed cx-2 I was like…. Oh. Now I have to actually grieve tech because I was in complete and utter denial about him dying. However, I think him staying dead does add weight to his sacrifice

Omegas a rebellion pilot?? The goggles on the dash??? She’s grown up and hunter is old?????😭😭 i fear that salt and pepper hunter is going to have a select few members of the fandom in an absolute chokehold

I wonder what old wrecker and crosshair looked like lol

Speaking of wrecker I was pissing myself at multiple points. Really thought they were gonna kill my boy. And then echo

Clone force 99 died with tech? i deserve this?? Cross be so real right now. Glad hunter and wrecker put a stop to that bs

Pain, terrible pain

Suffering, even

But we did in fact get a bittersweet ending. Honestly the best ending I could have imagined with tech staying dead. Exactly what I envisioned for them

Yeah Zillo beast! Go zillo!!! I am joining the war against the zillo beast on the side of the zillo beast!!!!! Go buddy!!

ECHO FINISHED FIVES’ MISSION ajskjskskzhjdksjasjj 😭😭😭😭😭

Absolutely saw ramparts snake ass betrayal coming a mile away. Not gonna say I called it but I really did. Shame he got blown up

Didn’t really think Nala se was gonna die but it is extremely in character for a Kaminoan to go scorched earth and suicide bomb themselves rather than let someone else take credit for their work

The bridge scene

… crosshairs tremor was SO bad coming up to the base and he went in anyway. But on the bridge? Complete steady.

Hemlocks bitch ass got what was coming to him. Completely appropriate that crosshair and hunter were the ones to ice him. If this has to be a substitute for crosshair going to therapy then so be it

Wait did scorch die? Rip to my boy

I can’t believe this show is actually fucking over 😭😭 like the mandalorian and clone wars got me into Star Wars but this show is what made me go fucking feral about it. I need to drink actual water because how many tears I have shed both over this and the episode in general

And finally, yay they all live!! I don’t have to quit Star Wars now! (I said I would if they all died). That actually really convenient because I have tickets to see phantom menace at the theater on Saturday and it would suck to cancel. I want that limited edition popcorn bucket

[momojedi]

CHAPTER 1 :: Kamino

Type: SAFE HAVEN; GN! Reader Character(s): Shaak Ti, Tipoca City Notes: So I decided to write it! This is the first chapter to my fanfic SAFE HAVEN! Hope you enjoy it <3

The shuttle descended through the heavy rain, heavily touching down on the water-based city’s platform, the clanking sound of metal erupting through the windy air.

You glanced down at the cold cylindrical hilt in your hands, the polished surface dimly mirroring your nervous expression. “This is it,” you mumbled quietly, sucking in a sharp breath. And you were right. This was it. This was the moment you'd not only meet the Jedi you were to call your tutor, your master, from now on, but also the moment new doors would open and new paths would be provided for you to choose. A new life full of new possibilities. You shuddered excitedly. Suddenly the hatch opened with a swooshing sound and after taking a deep breath, you clipped the hilt of your lightsaber back to your belt and stood from your seat, smoothening out the creases of your tunic for what felt like the hundredth time.

Water splashed around as you disembarked and were immediately greeted with a tall Kaminoan woman. Her clean, silvery skin almost seemed out of place among the darkness of Tipoca City and her big eyes gently observed you. "You seem impressed," she stated quietly, her voice was sweet and welcoming. You almost didn't notice how your jaw slightly dropped as you watched the towering cloning facilities and the endless expanse of water below before quickly closing it and clearing your throat. "Ah, yes," you uttered, straightening your back, "It's, er, it's some very remarkable architecture." The Kaminoan glanced at you, almost thoughtfully, before turning around and making her way into the facility in slow strides, leaving you standing cluelessly on the landing site. "Hey, wait!"

Taking it as an invitation to join her, you stumbled forward until you finally caught up with her. "My name [name]!" You gasped, hardly keeping up with her pace, "I was assigned by the Jedi Council to be General Shaak Ti's padawan! Do you possibly know where I could find her?" Only now did you start noticing the cadets and troopers walking past, curiously glancing at you. You gulped. This would definitely take time to get used to. "I was already informed of your arrival, General Ti sent to collect you," she murmured softly, "my name is Nala Se, I work as a doctor and scientist here. As you'll be working with the clones from now on, I'm certain we will both have the pleasure of meeting regularly."

You almost felt a little bad for only listening to her with half an ear as you examined the clean, white walls and the large, transparent domes that proudly appeared through the glass windows of the corridor. You could almost feel your mouth get drier at the sight. So this was supposed to be your home from now on? It felt so different, so unusual. Almost artificial in a way. Crossing your arms over your chest, you couldn't help but hug yourself a little as the overwhelming feelings raged on within you.

"Nala Se!" A young voice erupted through the hollow corridor, drawing some attention of the bypassing clones as well as you and the Kaminoan. A girl, clearly a few years younger than you, approached you hurriedly. She hair short blonde hair and wore a white tunic with multicoloured sleeves. A large, excited smile was plastered across her face as she fixated Nala Se, not even noticing your presence as she bounced up and down like a super ball. "Omega?" Nala Se looked at her questioningly. "The padawan's arrival has been reported, they're here!" The girl, Omega, announced.

Something you'd almost call a chuckle escaped Nala Se as she slowly pointed at you. "[Name], this is Omega, my apprentice. She's been very excited to meet you." You glanced from her to Omega, who was now staring at you with big eyes until it clicked. "Your General Ti's padawan!" She squealed before waving you along, “Come on, the General’s already waiting for you!” Before you marched off after her, you sent a quick glance at Nala Se who just nodded quietly, giving you the answer you needed before hearing Omega call out your name.

As you followed the small girl through the facility, you couldn’t help but gawk at the highly advanced world of Tipoca City. It was impressive, that was for sure. “Aside from the general, I’ve barely ever seen a Jedi,” Omega’s voice caught your attention, “Do you also have one of those laser sabers?” A chuckle escaped your mouth at the sight of her curious eyes. “Yes,” You unclipped the hilt on your belt, holding it up for her. “It’s called a lightsaber. I can show you some of my tricks with it some time?” “You’d do that for me?” Omega clapped her hands excitedly as you nodded.

Finally, after earning some more curious glances from the clones, she stopped in front of a door. Just as she raised her hand to unlock it, it swished open and a Togruta appeared behind it, slightly taken back by you two. “Ah,” she then smiled as she observed you, “you‘re [name], aren’t you? I‘m Shaak Ti.“

[writingforfun0714]

So I wanted to wait and let the new Bad Batch trailer sink in before posting about it.

Warnings: Spoilers, some thoughts/opinions will be critical

Alright so I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t care for the Bad Batch. Even ignoring the horrible, incredibly RACIST clone model, the writing is mid/passable at best and not even watchable for me. Most of S1 and 2 combined is the typical ‘mission of the week’ type of story where only a few Empire-focused episodes stand out. There are also instances of ableism concerning Echo in particular (CF99 are also super dismissive of him in general—going along with that whole fucking ‘superiority over regs’ thing—seriously wtf).

Most episodes were very bland and predictable. S1 had no stakes despite its finale. By Mando/ST it’s clear that something has happened to Kamino. Didn’t really need to see a 2pt ep of the city getting wiped. Plus AZI should’ve been sacrificed. Even Ahsoka learns the lesson that you can’t save everyone in S1 when she disobeys Anakin and Admiral Yularen. TBB S2 had no character development from anyone besides a little bit for Omega (and Tech—but that was always speculated by fans since S1 and he’s dead now so it doesn’t really matter). A lot of the dialogue felt…basic. I think the only thing that TBB does well is the music. It’s really amazing and beautiful along with the smooth, crisp animation/scenery. Shame they ruined it with racist clone models, racist tones with the ‘reg’ dispute in both seasons, and being ableist and dismissive towards Echo.

Which brings me to the trailer. Oh boy. First, right off the bat I noticed how similar the trailer opening is compared to the S2 trailer. I do like that Phee is back. She did take time to grow on me but I do like her character and am curious to see where they will go with her.

It’s interesting we are seeing Crosshair back with the group so soon. Personally I do believe that is Crosshair and not just someone else wearing his armor like some think. I like the idea of Omega and Crosshair escaping early on but Omega gets recaptured/separated and taken back to Tantiss.

I’m interested in Hemlock and his backstory (is his gloved hand robotic?). I wish they’d create more interesting and unique characters like Phee and Fennec Shand instead of relying on cameos of established characters/fan-favorites like Ventress. I loved Dark Disciple and I thought it was a great ending for her.

I know it’s officially said that Ventress’ story will follow Dark Disciple but I don’t see how unless they retcon her death or pull a ‘somehow she survived’. Either way that sucks. Reminder!! DAVE FELONY DIDN’T EVEN FOLLOW REBELS FOR AHSOKA. SABINE IS NOT FORCE SENSITIVE IN REBELS. DAVE RETCONS THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYTHING. I have no faith that they will remain loyal to DD. Anything that will be ‘canon’ will be mid at best because even Crosshair’s arc has been messy (which is due to the weird S1 ‘reset’ the characters go through. Like they totally should’ve appreciated ‘regs’ by the end of TBB arc in TCW S7–there was no need for that awkward food fight scene in S1).

I hate that this show has to rely on cameos to get the viewing numbers. Here is a list of every character cameo we’ve seen so far:

—Rex*

—Tarkin*

—Palpatine*

—The Lawquane Family

—The Syndullas/Chopper

—Nala Se/Lama Su*

—Cad Bane

—Bail Organa

—Riyo Chuchi

—Gungi

—Gregor

—Wolffe

—Cody

—Scorch

—Saw Gerrera

—Martez Sisters

—Kanan/Depa*

—Muchi/Rancor from RotJ

—Taun We/Halle Burtoni

—Ventress

*I consider these important/relevant cameos and am not bothered by them like the others*

What a list right? I might even be missing one. These were just off the top of my head. Some are big players, others smaller and almost not-relevant to the plot. Not counting the one’s I asterisked, it’s 15 characters. There are original characters but a lot of them, especially in S1 felt like one off, not important characters. And I hate Cid so much—glad to see she was absent in the S3 trailer. I’m really starting to love Phee and I’ve always loved Fennec Shand, and Hemlock is definitely an intriguing villain and Emerie feels like a total mystery (though the reveal was not shocking due to the similar design and accent to Omega). Like why can’t they create more characters like these? The rest just feel forgettable. And it’s clear that characters like Saw, Gungi, Scorch, Cad Bane and even the Syndulla and Lawquane families just felt like fan service. The rest kind of make sense that they’d show up but it also feels a bit like fan service.

Moving on..

I know a lot of people think that new weird dark trooper at the 1:40 mark is Tech. While I’m inclined to agree as I think the ‘Winter Soldier’ story is an obvious choice to pick, I also think that Tech is dead. I’ve changed my mind and kind of hope that Tech isn’t brought back.

I hope this is someone new. I also wouldn’t mind if it was a bounty hunter we’ve seen before. Due to the frame and stature, I could almost think of Boba due to him being older than Omega but it’s definitely more likely to be Tech than either of these choices.

It’s interesting a lot of cameo characters from S2 do not make an appearance in the trailer. Bail, Riyo, Gungi, Gregor and Cody are all absent from the trailer. Trailers usually show action shots to avoid story spoilers, but with Gungi, Gregor, and Cody all being capable fighters, I’m surprised they didn’t appear (usually stuff with politics is a story spoiler).

Overall I’m skeptical of the trailer. I don’t like Ventress being alive/in TBB being a Dark Disciple lover. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the story of S3 so I don’t feel like I can give an accurate take on that. I hate how Omega’s longer hair looks. Curly haired Omega is adorable!! The animation (everything but the clone model) is definitely getting better. However, based on how S2 was marketed as a ‘darker story compared to S1’ and was like 80% fetch quest I’m definitely skeptical.

Those of you that made it through this post, thank you for your time and I hope I gave you something to think about. If you wanna learn more about the racism and ableism portrayed in this show, check out @unwhitewashthebadbatch for more info.

[fictionkinfessions]

Gonna officially have my master's degree in a couple days and I just wanna say: suck it Nala Se, I am an intelligent lifeform after all

-ARC Trooper Fives

x

[traveller-of-word-and-screen]

Changing it up a bit and instead of talking about why I think one batch member will die I want to point out why I think it’s also equally possible none of them die.

Star Wars animation has never had a major character death in animation as a series final.

The only exception across the entire series for any season final is plan 99 and that’s if Tech is even dead.

This isn’t very happy, but it should also assure you that members of the bad batch won’t die. I think all death flags are really pointing to Emerie and Nala Se. So that still sucks especially on the account of Emerie, but it should also assure you no one else will die.

Again I can see this going both ways 50/50 on if someone from the bad batch dies in the final. However someone will die. Every final episode of TCW and Rebels has had someone of semi importance die on the “good” side. Gregor and Jessie.

But I also like that I don’t know. I know I complain about how anxious my comfort show makes me that anyone except Omega could die. But I also appreciate that Jennifer and the writers have built up the tension to where you think anyone could die. Even if I don’t think everyone will die. I think those stakes are important and in many ways have been missing from many shows presently.

Like I never thought Ahsoka or Sabine or Mando or Boba were going to die in their perspective shows. I appreciate the stress as it makes talking to you all the more fun and comforting.

I’ll probably make a post soon about why I do think any member of the bad batch could die next episode, but I wanted to start the day off with why I don’t think they will die. Let alone the fact that they have barely been together. And we have already lost Tech.

[mrboggins1103]

Bad Batch 03x15 Spoilers Below the Cut

Okay, a lot to unpack, but here goes!

Arc trooper Echo core

THE SQUAD DIDNT DIE WITH TECH NOOOO

Rampart you rat

A SPECIAL FORCE WITH SWORDS

"Cause it's something I would have done"

THE ZILLO BEAST

Tarkin, come clean this mess up

CROSSHAIR'S TRIGGER HAND NOOOO

HUNTER BEING ELECTRICUTED

THE CLONES

Nala Se, redeem yourself

Rampart, seriously

BOOM

SUCK IT HEMLOCK

CROSSHAIR DIDN'T MISS

THEY ALL LIVED

OMEGA WITH HER LONG HAIR AND THE BANDANA

OLDER HUNTER

(Dilf)

LULA AND THE GOGGLES

Overall, a solid ending, and they left it open enough so that if they ever wanted to bring Omega back for future pieces, they could. The last domino didn't fall, Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair get to live their lives out on Pabu, and noe Omega is going off to help the Rebellion. Overall, very happy, and they stuck the landing. Good job, Star Wars

[oh-three]

TBB S3E3:

THE ASSASSIN. THE ASSASSIN. SIR, ARE YOU TECH.

Shittt, Hemlock saw them taking Omega's DNA, they can't get rid of it now.

Ooh, the Palpatine episode.

Not Nala Se begging Omega to escape 😭

This is definitely the escape episde, right? Right?? That will be so embarrassing with Palpatine there lmfao.

"Forget your assignments and get some rest." Ayy, perfect.

Ian McDiarmid will never not be iconic as Palpatine. All these years, and he's still just as good as the first time he played him.

OMEGA, WHY WOULD YOU KICK THAT POOR LITTLE MOUSE DROID 😭

Crosshair: Out of all the bad habits she had to inherit, why was it improvisation?

Lmaoo, he locked up the guards.

Oof, right, extra stormtroopers out and about.

Noooo, his hands shaking are a result of the experiments 😭

Imagine stealing the Emperor's shuttle. Now that would be fucking hilarious. But the crashed one is definitely smarter.

Kinda scary that Palpatine was working on Project Necromancer this early on.

Rip hound droid 2.0

Emerie, go away.

Well, at least he only stunned her.

Facility is definitely not secure, Palps.

You know, somehow I thought he'd stay longer.

Those ray shields so close together like the ones in TPM. 👀

All things considered, Crosshair is taking this well.

What if. What if Batcher dies protecting Cross and Omega from the other lurcas?

Hemlock knows. He fucking knows.

Ayyy, klaxons my beloved. Except for when they're waking me up in the morning.

Well, that ain't a lurca. I think I know what killed the stormtroops in episode one. At least it'll distract the lurcas for a while.

How has Emerie not scanned Omega's DNA yet? It's been like, hours.

Something, something, Crosshair being the one with hope when Omega thinks all is lost.

They way they fondly talked about Tech making her memorize all the plans. Of course he'd have her memorize them. 😭 I miss him.

BATCHER! Ayyy, nice timing.

Oooh, the way that commando's visor went dark when his head hit the wall. Nice touch.

Those stormtroopers really just stopped and stood there right in front of the canons lmao. Clones would never.

Ayyy, they're taking Batcher with 'em.

Kinda knew Omega's DNA would be the one they needed. That sucks.

The sudden fear in Hemlock's voice when he realized they actually really shouldn't kill Omega 😂

I think I know where Fennec comes in play, now. Hemlock's gonna hire here, isn't he? And Bane. And who knows who else.