#pre-tcw

[sketchydesign78]

Could you draw Ellie?

I could! I also felt like adding a little bit of a story to the doodle, if that's alright ^^

[now-you-sound-like-a-jedi]

The reason The Lawless arc of The Clone Wars is so incredible is because narratively-speaking it forms a perfect self-contained tragedy no matter which character's perspective it's from:

For Satine, it's a political tragedy in the style of Richard II, focusing on a conflict between vying factions and the fall of a well-intentioned ruler, but also with echoes of Dido, Queen of Carthage in the sense that it's ultimately not the politics that screws her over as much as it is the doomed love story.

For Maul, it's a revenge tragedy like Hamlet, in which his desire for revenge on Obi-Wan ends up not only doing harm to innocents (like Satine) but also to himself and his own family (as with Savage's death).

For Obi-Wan, he's the object of the revenge tragedy while also being trapped in his own Orpheus-and-Eurydice "you can't save her no matter how hard you try" narrative.

For Bo-Katan, it's about how her pride and ambition prevents her from seeing right from wrong and from noticing the writing on the wall until it's too late to stop the events which have been set in motion and too late to save her sister. It's the idea of a royal house torn apart by betrayal, remorse, and the dashed hopes of reconciliation.

For Pre Vizsla, it's similar to Macbeth in that his desire for power and his designs on the throne end up being his downfall.

In these episodes, every character is the tragic hero of their own little disaster, and I think that is just so cool.

[stoat-party]

[cloned-eyes]

jenot

i'm hurting myself here

[sapphicsparkles]

"Bo-Katan isn't mean" Okay because I'm so tired of hearing this:

[/mēn/] adjective: unkind, spiteful, or unfair. vicious or aggressive in behaviour. Not mean? Okay definitely not vicious or aggressive in behavior Like her first appearance where she's part of Death Watch, a terrorist group and slaps Ahsoka's ass without consent to demean her?

Or when she shoves Ahsoka to the ground and *laughs* in a tent where Death Watch (including Bo-Katan) has stolen women from the local village on Carlac and put them into forced servitude?

OR when she helps slaughter the village and burn down said village for asking Death Watch to leave them alone? (that's her on top of the roof)?

Or after when she tried to kill Ahsoka and Lux for trying to help the villagers and leave?

Or when she aided in a plot to cause intentional destruction and fear to manipulate the people of Mandalore into deposing her own sister and overturn Satine's very successful government that ended the clan wars (the Traditionalists then were given the lush moon of Concordia and their own political agency and government in which Pre Vizsla was the governor)? Then forcefully deposed Satine at gunpoint after she had abdicated because of the will of the people who no longer accepted her rule due to the manipulation of public perception by Death Watch.

While Bo-Katan was likely traumatized by the Mandalorian Civil War/Clan Wars at a young age and there's no solid canon evidence but It's widely believed by fans that Bo-Katan was groomed and/or radicalized by Pre into DW from a young age--even if you believe this, IT DOES NOT EXCUSE HER HORRIFIC ACTIONS. None of it justifies her wrongdoing. She still had agency.

Okay so what about unkind or unfair?

Surely that can't apply to her sarcastic comment to Ahsoka when approaching her after she had watched her struggle on Kessel and made no move to assister her, only watching her to use her to fight back against Maul and reclaim Mandalore. While she does respect and befriend Ahsoka by the end of the Siege, she still initially saw her as someone to be used for her agenda.

Or when she uses Obi-Wan's guilt over his relationship with Satine to convince him to aid her forces in retaking Mandalore, which Republic intervention would disintegrate treaties over a hundred years old and start another war on top of the ongoing Clone Wars. Which to her was a legitimate, even desperate method to reclaim her planet from Maul who was only serving his own agenda, but it wasn't a very nice way to do it. In some ways Bo-Katan is justified in how she is mean, but it doesn't make her not mean.

Then there's her anger towards Sabine after she discovering what the Duchess does and that Sabine created it (after hearing how guilt ridden she is and how she already destroyed it.) Was her anger valid, oh yeah. Was it kind and and fair? No.

What about in The Mandalorian you ask? She's not a literal terrorist anymore in the Mandalorian. She's surely not still spiteful or unkind. Definitely not when she insulted Din's religious beliefs and way of life and called the COTW a cult.

Or when she took credit for killing that one guy's brother without any remorse.

Or when she changed the terms of her agreement with Din and forced him into helping her by withholding the agreed upon information after Din upheld his side of the deal. Which was her plan all along. And then on top of that, mocks him by using his own mantra.

And then there's the disdainful opinion she has of Din and her own superiority.

Only agreeing to help Din save his kid when he has something to offer her to serve her own agenda. Which again, valid but not something she does out of the kindness of her heart.

Oh and then she's so direct and straightforward to Boba, not mean at all.

Then in season 3 when Din shows up to help her reclaim Mandalore the first thing she does is take out her anger on him and once again insult his religion/COTW and invalidate his belief that the Mines will restore his place in his religion. All unnecessary.

TO BE EXTREMELY CLEAR: I'm not discrediting Bo-Katan's personal progress into a better person or when she does do good--a hero even by the end of Mando season 3--that's the whole point of a redemption arc, you have to be redeemed from something. And at her core is a commitment to Mandalore, but you can't ignore the cruelty and ego and dare I say it meanness that has gone with it, that's the beauty of her complexity is that she can be a character that grows and evolves and becomes honorable and also still be bitchy. Bo-Katan doesn't have to be morally squeaky clean or a victim to enjoy her character and her sometimes ruthless determination for Mandalore or appreciate her compassionate aspects and letting go of her ego. She's not an easily consumable or morally black and white character. This is in fact, what I love about her.

Thank you @armoralor for assistance with the screenshots from The Mandalorian!

[varpusvaras]

Fox and the Guard first learn about sugar once they start to do rounds in the Senate. They have these nifty little caf machines in the halls there, with these little cubes you're supposed to mix in to your liking. Thorn steals few of them once and puts one in Fox's morning caf. Sugar becomes the most trafficked substance in the Guard.

Some time later, after one really, really long day, that had included dredging in the lower levels, running up and down more stairs that was humanely possible, and being hosed down in cold water multiple times (why was all the water always cold on Coruscant?), Commander Fox goes to report to Senator Organa. He's one of the nice Senators (the nice Senator, if you ask Fox), and the man gives him one look and makes Fox sit down, and hands him a cup of something warm.

"I'm not really a chef", Senator Organa says, "and my office doesn't really have cooking equipment, so this is all I have at hand, but you really look like you need some warm food inside you, Commander."

It's against at least seven different protocols and regulations to accept anything from the Senators, let alone food, but Fox is tired and cold and the last time he has had something warm to eat that wasn't caf was...honestly he's not sure anymore.

The liquid in the cup looks to be some sort of soup, and Fox takes a sip from it. He stops and stares at it.

Senator Organa tilts his head.

"Is everything alright, Commander?" He asks.

"Yes, Sir", Fox answers quickly. "I just wasn't expecting the taste."

Senator Organa looks a bit puzzled, even if he is doing his best to to hide it.

"Well, it is rather easy to make, if you like it", he says then. "The ingredients are really basic, so I could bring some down to the Guard. It's just some roots and salt-"

"Salt?" Fox interrupts before his own thoughts have even finished. "Like, from the ocean?"

Senator Organa looks both really puzzled, and kind of like he wants to laugh. What Fox wants to do, is to die immediately.

"Well, some places do get their salt from the ocean", Senator Organa says, and then pauses. "...am I correct in my assumption that salt isn't widely in use on Kamino? Senator Burtoni complains every time her food has even touched it."

"It appears so", Fox says, trying not to sound like his next step is jumping out from the office's window.

"I see", Senator Organa nods. He then looks at the cup in Fox's hands and smiles. "Do you want some more, Commander?"

Fox also looks at the cup in his hands. It's empty. Fox doesn't remember finishing it.

Senator Organa already has more soup out, and Fox feels like it would be more impolite to say no.

"Yes, Sir", he says.

He finishes three more cups before he has to go, and Senator Organa looks vaguely like he has been robbed of a great joy in life as he cannot continue feeding Fox more soup. Fox also vaguely feels like he's been robbed.

(The rest of the Guard also seems to feel like that, judging from the looks on their faces when salt appears in their base's mess one morning, and their food starts to...have a taste.)

("Do you think it's too soon, if I introduce spices to them?" Bail asks the hologram of his wife on his desk.

"Start slow", Breha answers. "And no chilis without warnings.")

[sharky66]

theelin girl based on a bull headed shrike

[psychomusic]

oc time again! + her town & culture (heavily inspired by pre-roman italic populations)

she is suri sauthon (later suri laran, after her marriage). her story is linked to my swtor imperial agent, but most of her life for like. the one year away where she meets him, is spent in a town in the mountains of mirial.

despite mirial being cold and desert, and many cities developing underground, her town flourishes thanks to a force nexus, venerated in the form of an ancient, sacred, alive crystal. the ecosystem of that mountain depended on what "the horned crystal" was capable of giving them, but mirialans couldn't live off of that alone, so they developed trade and some rudimental technology, even if oftentimes it was bought thanks to the highly profitable trade of a plant used to make medicines that slowed down aging and had overall healing properties.

note: everything that's generated by this nexus has these healing properties BUT they have to be processed, except for those who bathed in the waters of the cavity under the crystal - the "real" nexus, but not the worshipped one. the waters were sacred but they were not thought to be miraculous, unlike the crystal, who instead was thought of as the keystone of the ecosystem: without it, everything would fall apart (and that is partially true: the cavity was the "real" nexus but thanks to the crystal, also strong in the force, the properties were spread all over the mountains). those who bathed in the cavity's waters - so, all of the town, who had a sort of baptism there - could eat the plant, make whatever food with it, and not only that plant, but everything generated by the nexus, that, again, had similar properties. this allowed people to live up to normal life-spans without advanced medicines or, much, really. to those who didn't live there, though, after the processing, had incredible effects, slowing down aging - for those who took it regularly - and making people able to live up to half a century more than the average]

originally, there were four tribes of nomads that lived thanks to horned farm animals that decided to settle down into one bigger town and other smaller settlements, to live off of transhumance. this division of the tribes stayed into the political and social organization: every person belonged to one tribe specifically, and had slightly different rituals and culture. for examples, each tribe had their own priests and healers, with different techniques and traditions. the town, tho, was guided by a group of people in the high priesthood, a position you could reach only by having earned the trust of all tribes. those high priests had many roles: they guided the people into sacred processions common to all the tribes, they managed the trading with outsiders, they did the maintenance of the temple of the summit (the one that functioned as casket to the crystal) and created a special liquid to offer the crystal that helps it grow.

this particular temple was important because 1. it was very visible, from every angle of the town, and it became an important identity symbol; 2. it stored the venerated horned crystal; 3. it had the altar where sacrifices were made for the crystals. that altar had a hole connected to the cavity, that allowed the liquids to reach the underground; 4. it had various symbols: statues representing each tribe + the high priesthood, and typical mirialan tattoos carved into the wood of the trees that served as columns for the temple, symbolizing 8 values that who dared to enter HAD to have; 5. it was on the way to an important lake (called "mother lake" because the lake the town was built around to depended on the waters of that other lake) where they traveled to in important processions; 6. it was said that a the wizard who unified the tribes made it with its magic, making the plant grow to hold the temple's roof. this wizard was, actually, a force user, obv.

BACK TO HER THOUGH: she's daughter of one of the high priests, who was in charge of managing the trades with outsiders, and lives in a house on the mountains with her mother and him. her parents are from different tribes (that's one of the things that earned him trust from the 4 tribes): when a child is born from two different tribes, they don't pick one to allign to, but they're usually linked automatically to the one with more relatives in it (in her case, the father's tribe: she had many uncles and aunts on his side while her mom only had one sister).

later, though, she got quite tied to her mother's tribe due to a mysterious illness that only her mother's tribe healer was able to cure. she spent 4 years (from 10 to 14 years old) living with the healer and learned her secrets. to better study, she wrote them down. when she returned home, she studied to become a priestess with her father. at 22 (the average age: you can't become priest before your 20s), she was supposed to take a test and become a priestess, but the healer of her mother's tribe died and the tribe asked her to take her place. she couldn't technically do that, but both tribes estimated both her and her parents and she was allowed to become both. she then decided to try to become a high priestess, and became one at 25 (a quite young age). being part of the council, she tried to convince the various tribe healers to unite their knowledges and write them down, and eventually made it. healers still remained tribe based but they now had an "upper, inter-tribe level" similar to high priesthood.

years later, the sacred horned crystal is stolen from the temple by some Hutt mercenaries looking for a profit. given the trust she has earned from all the tribes and the fact that her father is the high priest that deals with outsiders (and she's been hearing stories and advice about it since she was little), she is the one tasked with getting it back. without the growing crystal, the keystone to their ecosystem, the village would have lasted only a few years. in hrr quest, she meets imperial intelligence agent tar'x laran and, as they "solve the mystery" and fight to have it back, they get closer. they'll get married and have a daughter, Vegoia (who's the only one who actually will get to the plot of my story. this was all background)

[super-oddity]

[paperback-rascal]

Master and padawan meditating together is a great way to deepen a bond between them.

Unless one of them has a tail and during meditation they're doing the equivalent of... fidgeting with that hindmost appendage of their body.

---

See more posts about 347th regiment here -> [LINK] <-

My fanart masterlist -> [LINK] <-

===

STAR WARS: The Clone Wars © George Lucas/ Dave Filoni/ LucasFilm/ Disney

[redbean-nom]

between krell, tiplar, and the entire temple, the 501st definitely has the record for most jedi killed

[barissoffee]

Streets are saying there’s gonna be a bad batch comic series??!

[jewishcissiekj]

Currently thinking about Ahsoka only knowing war and fighting in her life mirroring Barriss being a healer and using the Force for life's sake because we could've had it all if they kept at least some elements of Barriss's Legends character but noooooo they had to go ahead and make her a stereotype and a villain with 'the right intentions but the wrong methods' to further Ahsoka's story in the worst way

[maulfucker]

Completely unprompted but. Knowing Zabraks have two hearts for stamina/endurance reasons Maul's fighting style makes a lot more sense. He can jump around and do all his fancy flips because he doesn't get tired as fast as a human

[vodika-vibes]

Gryffin Industries AU

Enter the King

Summary: You've been the Personal Assistant/Head receptionist of Gryffin Industries since the start of the war. And it's a good job, the best job you've ever had. So when Captain Rex shows up in the lobby on a day when your playing receptionist looking like his world just crumbled to dust, you know that you have to do something.

Pairing: Pre-Captain Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 1658

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: So this isn't the first time I've written something with my Gryffin Industries AU, but the other ones are all Fives x reader requests. Also, why do I have such a hard time with Rex?

You rest your chin on the palm of your hand as you watch the blue clad clone hesitate near the door. You recognize him on sight, most long term employees of Gryffin Industries would, and you can’t help the sigh that slips from your lips as you see him.

It’s half admiring and half frustrated.

Admiring because Captain Rex, like all of his brothers, is incredibly attractive. Frustrated because the only time Captain Rex comes here is to yell at someone. And then it becomes a thing.

But he doesn’t seem like he’s in a bad mood today.

Actually, unless you’re mistaken, he seems anxious and nervous about something.

You tap out a silent rhythm on your desk, and then you push your chair back and you walk around your desk to approach him. “Captain?” You greet him with a warm and welcoming smile, “Is everything alright? You seem…out of sorts.”

He focuses his attention on you, and then he nods slowly, “I know I haven’t made myself very…welcome here.”

“Nonsense, Captain.” You counter with a warm smile, “You are always welcome here, just like every other one of your brothers. Here at Gryffin Industries we pride ourselves on supporting our troops.”

He smiles weakly, “It’s kind of you to say so.”

“It might be the company byline, Captain, but it’s also true.” You step closer to him, and you note that his hands are shaking, and concern crosses your face, “Are you alright?”

“No.” He rasps out, “No, I don’t think I’m ever going to be alright again.” His gaze locks with yours, “Please. I think I need help.”

Immediately your comm is in your hands and you shoot a series of messages to the head of the medical department, as well as the head of prosthetics, the head of development, and the head of security, and then you smile at him and offer him your hand, “Why don’t you come with me, Captain?”

“Yeah…okay.” He laughs weakly as you take his hand and tug him away from the door and towards one of the conference rooms.

You make sure that he takes a seat, and then you step away, “Would you like something to drink? Caf, tea, water?”

“No thank you,” Rex smiles weakly, though his hands are still shaking, “I think it’s best that I don’t drink anything.”

Hesitantly you set your hand on his shoulder, “Whatever the problem is, Captain, we can fix it. It’s what we do.”

He buries his face in his hands, “I don’t know if you can fix this. But, thank you for saying so.”

You glance up as one of the hidden doors slides open, and a pair of identical men walk in. You glare at Fives and he stumbles back into the hidden hallway, while Echo muffles a laugh. “The others will be along shortly,” He says as he shuts the door, though he leaves it open a crack, “Hey there, Captain.”

Rex looks up, and something like relief crosses his face, “Echo…you look good.”

You have to agree. You saw Echo when he first arrived, half dead and skeletal and so pale that you worried that he wasn’t going to survive the surgeries that he needed to get well. But here he is, almost a year later, happy and healthy looking, with his hair finally starting to grow back and his skin tone finally recovering back to the familiar rich tones of his brothers.

“Thanks,” Echo smiles at his older brother and crosses the room to sit next to him, “They’ve taken amazing care of me here. I don’t think I’ve ever been so healthy. You know they pay us here?”

Rex laughs weakly, “I heard.”

The door slides open again, and the four people you messaged walk in, followed by their respective bodyguards, including Fives, though at least he’s wearing his helmet now.

“So, ah, does everyone who works here get a bodyguard?” Rex asks.

“I don’t.” You say with an easy grin as you gently pull your hand away from Rex’s shoulder, “I’m not important enough.”

“She’s lying,” Doctor Midi Gryffin says dryly, “She’s the most important person in the building. Everyone in the building is her bodyguard.”

“You flatter me, Doctor.”

“Enough to make me some caf?” He asks.

You beam at him, “Nope.”

“Damn.”

“But I’ll leave you all to talk-”

“Actually, it might be best that you stay.” One of the guards offers thoughtfully, “You seem to have a soothing presence on Captain Rex. Plus, it saves us from having to tell you what happens after the fact.”

You slide into a seat next to Rex and pull out your writing tablet, twirling the pen between your fingers.

All eyes in the room turn to Rex, and the oldest person in the room offers him a patient smile, “Go ahead, Captain. Speak your mind.”

Rex rubs his hands over his face, and then over the top of his head. He takes a deep breath, and he starts talking.

He weaves a tale of betrayal, of brothers thrown to the side because Anakin thinks he’s genuinely that important. He talks about how Anakin threatened the vod’e in the guard when Ahsoka was on trial. And then he talks about Fives and the last thing that Fives ever said to him, and how his little brother is dead and he’s starting to think that it might be Anakin’s fault-

His hands are shaking badly enough at that point that you set your tablet down to take his hands in your own, while Echo brings him some water.

“There’s something not right,” Rex finishes, “Something’s not right and I need to disappear so I can figure out what it is. Fives and Tup deserve that much.”

Doctor Gryffin, the medical doctor, leans back in his chair with a sigh, “It’ll be easy enough to help you disappear, Captain. But, honestly, I think we can answer some of those questions.”

“You can?” Rex asks, looking from you to the other people around the room.

Helmets start coming off, Rex starts when he sees Fives, with a guilty smile on his face, and then Dogma, who looks very sheepish. “Unfortunately, Tup can’t be with us. He’s got physical therapy right now.”

“You’re all…alive?” Rex asks, stunned.

You squeeze his hands, “Unless one of your brothers dies on another planet, everyone is sent to Gryffin Industries for processing.”

“Of course, what the Senate thinks happens and what actually happens are totally different things.” Doctor Gryffin, the head of development, says wryly. “In the case of Fives, he told us what was going on and we made arrangements before he allowed himself to get captured by the Guard.”

“No, I saw you die.” Rex says faintly, “You died in my arms-”

Fives winces, “You weren’t supposed to be there, vod.”

“His death,” You say gently, because you had been the one to give the plan to Commander Fox in the first place, “had to look real. Commander Fox was supplied with a blaster that looked identical to his normal blaster.”

“Commander Fox knew?” Rex asks.

“The Coruscant Guard belongs to Gryffin Industries,” The head of security says, “we…ah…acquired them near the beginning of the war and then loaned them to the Senate, out of the goodness of our hearts.”

Echo scoffs, “Because it’s super important that we have a small army of men loyal to us being our eyes and ears in the senate.”

“That too!” Security agrees gleefully, “And it’s worked in our favor so far. Though, honestly, we were kind of hoping that they would have been able to get Padawan Tano to us.”

“Not that it matters since we offered her a job as soon as we realized that she was leaving the Jedi-” The third Doctor Gryffin, the head of prosthetics, points out.

You clear your throat, loudly, “None of you are helping.” You say pointedly. All eyes turn back to Rex, who’s gone almost gray, and the room falls silent.

“You know, I think we’ve dropped a bit too much information on the good Captain here.” Doctor Midi says decisively, “Will you make sure that Rex is employed within Gryffin Industries, and he needs new armor and a room-”

“Captain Rex has been employed with Gryffin Industries for the last three months,” You say pleasantly, “He even has a bank account already with all of his previous pay deposited there. His room is just down the hall from Fives’ and Echo’s and he already has a full set of armor waiting for him.”

“...how did you-?”

Fives snickers, “It’s because she’s hot for the Captain, boss.”

You glare at Fives, “I’ll be sure to make a note for Housekeeping that you want your clothes washed in bleach-”

“No! Wait! I’m sorry!”

You ignore Fives, and instead focus your attention on Rex, “I’ll be more than happy to show you to your room, and explain how things work here. Also, I scheduled your surgery for the end of the week. Fives and Echo can explain what that’s about.”

“We can show him around and tell him how things work here,” Echo says kindly, “You have a lot of other work you need to do.”

You huff and fold your arms, “You’re not wrong. Some of the Corries have been missing their mandatory therapy sessions. But showing new employees around is partly my responsibility too.”

“You can flirt with a Captain later,” Echo counters with a roll of his eyes.

“Why do people assume you’re the good twin?” You demand.

“Because it’s what I want them to think. Go yell at some Corries, it’ll make you feel better.” Echo says as he pushes you out of the room.

Just before the door shuts, you see Rex collapsing against Fives, and you smile. Giving them some time to reconnect won’t hurt, so you suppose you won’t punish Echo or Fives too badly for being annoying little brothers.

[varpusvaras]

Still thinking about this morning's little thought...about the post order 66 au...and how Fox has to learn how to walk again. And how Leia is also learning how to walk. So they're doing it together. Taking little steps. And later when they both can stay on their feet Leia will hold onto Fox's hand and they will walk on their own speed. And she is so, so supportive of her Buir and always cheering on him and they bond over their little walks.