#pretty gunship..

[xenomorphicdna]

Re-watching the expanse with buddies

aUUGh big space ship oh hi girl you are soooo pretty, massive warship,,,

Gosh accurate space physics my beloved <3

Everyone should watch the expanse btw

Go science nerds go enjoy the science in that show

[yunatheintrovert]

Playing the MW II (Reboot) campaign makes me want to create a Shadow Company OC ngl.

Plus, I am still puzzled by certain things and I want it to make a little more sense.

[chivalrouswooly]

Fox News host: 5 shark attacks in 2 weeks off the coast of Long Island! It’s wild! It’s like Jaws out there!

Shark Expert: Actually, that’s about as far from the truth as can be. We’re pretty on par with normal past statistics.

Fox Host: They’re so incredibly dangerous and these attacks are only increasing! This is the new normal, people are terrified!

Shark Expert: No, actually, You’re more likely to win the lottery than to get bit by a shark let alone come into contact with one. Listen to lifeguards, stay vigilant, don’t provoke them - and you can easily enjoy the beach.

[badbirdbrain]

Darkness for Dreams by GUNSHIP

[dindjarindiaries]

Dincember 2023 - December 1: Snow

character: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

prompt: Snow

main masterlist • dincember masterlist

⋆꙳•̩��͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆ ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙

The poncho was a valiant shield against the unprecedented chill of the planet. Flakes of snow fell all around, nearly making the horizon a blur in its beautiful haze. It was pretty to look at, but damn, was it cold.

You held one half-gloved hand out in a vain effort to catch some of the snowflakes, and it wasn't the first time you'd done it. This time, however, it earned your companion's attention. "You're acting like you've never seen snow before." Din's voice was full of amusement rather than judgement.

You smiled and closed your fist, looking to see if anything was left in it. There were only a few droplets of water. "I haven't."

Din's helmet snapped towards you. He huffed and shook his head. "That's funny."

You raised your brow and turned to look at him. "I'm being serious."

Din tilted his helmet. His visor gave you a disbelieving once-over. "How?"

You let out a laugh out that. "What do you mean, 'how?'" You gestured back with your head and nudged his arm with your own. "Not everyone has an antique gunship that can take them wherever they want."

Din chuckled, his visor watching his boots leave tracks in the snow. "Sorry. I just..." He lifted the palm of his gloved hand to gesture to you, but then he stopped, as if lost. "I figured a great mechanic would have gotten around the galaxy more."

You smiled again at that and drew yourself closer to his side. "Mechanics become great by fixing ships," you gestured to your belt, "not flying them."

Din gave his helmet another quick tilt. "Fair point." His visor looked to the way ahead again while you focused on the flurries of snow. Still, even as you continued to try to catch the snow, you could somehow sense his gaze on you. "Do you like it?"

You gave him a quick glance. "The snow?" When Din nodded, you shrugged. "I think. It's really cold."

"It is." Din's visor gave you a once-over again, but that time, it was more concerned than before. "Are you warm enough?"

You nodded, beaming. "This poncho's thicker than it looks."

Din raised a gloved hand, politely asking for yours. You set yours into his, though he just held it between his thumb and fingertips as he turned it over. "We need to get you a pair of full gloves."

"I probably could've brought my working gloves instead, but..." you shrugged again, "I guess I didn't really think about it until now."

Din shook his helmet and set his hand on your upper back. "That's all right. I'm sure they'll have some at the marketplace."

The warmth his words and his actions brought your chest was more sufficient than any type of clothing or accessory could ever be. You looked at him and saw a snowflake stuck to his visor, causing you to lift your fingers to gently wipe it away. "Thank you."

Din brushed his thumb over your back. "Thank you." He lowered his hand and stopped in his tracks for a moment. You paused alongside him, raising your brow in confusion. Din bent down and collected some of the fallen snow in his gloved hands, pushing it together until he held something out to you. "Here."

You took it, amazed at how compact it was. "A snowball?"

Din stepped back and lifted his arms. "Go ahead."

"And do what?"

"Throw it."

You let out a terse laugh of disbelief. "At you?"

Din sighed and set his hands on his hips. "You're missing your opportunity, cyar'ika."

Just as he finished getting the words out, you made the throw, causing the snow to hit Din's cuirass and explode in every direction. You laughed as he looked down the best he could with his helmet and assessed the damage. You stepped up to help him brush away the remnants of the snow.

"Was it fun?" Din's tone was both hopeful and amused.

You smiled at him and nodded. "But next time," you held his helmet between your hands, "you won't be ready for it."

Din huffed, amused, and gave your wrists a squeeze before he lowered your hands. "Well, we have to get you some warmer gloves to make those snowballs, first."

You let him keep you close to his side and tried to hide your smile. "Sure."

[ghostofskywalker]

Bacta, Burns, and Bedside Manner

Kix/Fem!Reader

Fictober Day 7 of 31

Words: 1,656

Summary: Kix has a lot of talents, but his brothers wouldn't usually cite bedside manner as one of them. That is, until you showed up in the medbay with injuries that needed to be looked at.

Clone Troopers Masterlist

“Kriff!” you swore loudly and unapologetically as the wire you were working on sparked, startling you and burning two of your fingertips. You were currently wedged in the engine of a gunship, attempting to repair the combustion, but so far all you were doing was causing yourself more pain. There was already a nasty looking scratch on your arm from where you had accidentally caught it on a jagged edge, and your head was throbbing from where you had hit it against the top of the space you were occupying. To say the least, you were not having a good day.

“Are you alright in there?” a trooper’s voice sounded from outside the gunship.

“Yeah!” you called before pulling your body out from the engine and looking at who had stepped into your workshop (Fives). “Just crossed my wires and caught a little spark, that’s all.”

The “little spark” in question actually hurt a lot more than you were letting on, as red-hot pain seized through your fingertips and made you feel like you were holding a hot pan, but he didn’t need to know that.

But even though you were attempting to keep your injuries to yourself, Fives still wasn’t convinced. He just stared at the scrape on your arm (that had started to bleed more profusely at this point) for a few moments before looking up to meet your gaze. “Are you sure? You’re bleeding there.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just throw a patch over it.”

Fives raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think that’s something a single bacta patch can fix,” he said. “Let me take you to the medbay.”

You were all set to say no, that you knew basic first aid and could handle everything yourself, but the pain in your fingertips was only continuing to increase, and you had to fight to keep the tears from welling in your eyes. So instead, you just nodded and stepped forward, allowing Fives to usher you out of your workshop.

When you finally stepped through the doors of the medbay, the brightness and bustle of the room immediately made your head throb even more. You just closed your eyes and stood there with Fives, trying to ignore the pain on your arm, in your fingertips, and on your head. “What’s happened here?” you heard a medic ask.

You opened your eyes to see Kix looking at you with a concerned expression, but you couldn’t find the words to speak just yet. Thankfully, Fives was there to answer his brother’s question. “I walked in to hear her swear and she said that a few crossed wires sparked. That’s not even counting the bleeding scrape on her arm, which she said she would just throw a patch on and be done with.”

After Fives spoke, Kix turned to you. “Is that all true?”

You nodded. “And my head,” you managed to croak out. Kix just nodded and motioned for you to follow him to one of the beds, quietly telling Fives that he could get back to whatever he was doing.

“Alright,” he said once you had sat down on the bed. “Tell me everything that’s wrong.”

You took a deep breath before responding. “The wires burned my fingertips and I hit my head on the gunship before. Oh, and there’s the scrape on my arm, but you can see that pretty clearly.”

“How long ago was the burn sustained?” He asked, and the look on your face told him all he needed to know. He stepped away, returning a few moments with a wet cloth. “Which hand was it?”

You help up the thumb and pointer finger on your dominant hand, and he wrapped the cloth around them, the relief instant as the cool material made contact with your burning skin. “We’ll keep this on for at least a half hour. If it gets too warm, I’ll give you a fresh one.”

You just nodded in response, still overcome by the feeling of the pain finally abated. After that, he cleaned up your scratch and wrapped it in gauze. The feelings of his fingertips gently holding your arm made you feel like you were burning up for a slightly different reason. There was always something about the 501st’s head medic that intrigued you, and you would be lying if you said that you didn’t think he was attractive. All the clones were nice looking in their own ways, but Kix had something special about him.

“You said something about your head too,” he murmured as he secured the gauze on your arm.

“I hit it against the top of the gunship by accident,” you responded.

You pointed out the area to him and he carefully checked you over. “I don’t think you have a concussion, but I’m going to get you some ice for where it hurts,” he said. “Then you can lie down for a little while, okay?”

“No, I thought-”

But the look on his face had you trailing off before you had finished your sentence. “You’re not going anywhere,” he said. “Especially not with those burns on your fingers.”

“But-”

“No buts, you need to rest in order to heal properly, and it won’t do you any good to go back to work before you feel better,” he said gently.

You didn’t want to be a burden to him for longer than you had to be, but you did understand where he was coming from. “Alright,” you said. “I suppose I can stay around a little longer.”

After Kix got you a fresh compress for your burns and an ice pack for your head, you ended up falling asleep, hoping that when you woke up you wouldn’t be in pain anymore.

***

When you opened your eyes, you could hear voices, but the curtain around your bed obscured whoever it was from your view.

“How is she?” That sounded like Fives.

“Asleep now, but she’ll be fine,” Kix responded.

Another voice joined the conversation, and you guessed that it was Echo. “That’s good. Rex said that she should stay here as long as necessary and not to worry about the ship she was fixing, it’s not a big deal.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t scare her off,” yet another voice said, this one sounding like Jesse.

“What do you mean?” Kix asked. You couldn’t see his face, but you could guess that he looked a little bit offended.

You had to hold in a little giggle at Jesse’s words, because you knew what he meant. Bedside manner was not one of Kix’s strengths as a medic. He could patch up any blaster wound in seconds, knew exactly what to look for when there was the possibility of a concussion, and could usually tell just by looking at someone whether or not they had fractured or broken a rib, but he wasn’t exactly all sunshine and smiles while doing so. Especially when it came to his batch mates or fellow troopers of the 501st. The better Kix knew someone, the ruder he was when patching them up, especially if they had sustained the injury doing something dumb. You had escorted a few troopers to the medbay yourself (one time after a game of hide and seek got out of hand), and watched as Kix teased his brothers while he helped them with their injuries.

But he was never like that with you. The harshest he had been was when you tried to get up and go back to work, and you wondered why that was as Fives responded to Kix’s earlier question.

“Come on Kix,” he said. “We get injuries and you call us di’kuts all the time, but suddenly now your bedside manner gets a makeover?”

“It’s because he likes her,” Jesse cut in. Well, that certainly piqued your interest.

“Jesse!”

“What? It’s true, isn’t it?”

But before Kix could confirm or deny the accusations, you sneezed (at the worst kriffing time for it). Conversation stopped and the curtain was pulled away, revealing Kix, Fives, Echo, and Jesse, all staring at you. Jesse seemed to realize the situation first, wishing Kix good luck and bolting out of the medbay, and Fives and Echo were not far behind him.

Kix looked like he wanted to chase after his brothers and strange them as he turned to you. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you responded, not sure where to go from here. Do you apologize that you overheard? Do you ask him if what Jesse said was true?

But Kix spoke again before you could say anything else. “Listen, I’m sorry about them,” he said.

“It’s okay,” you said. “I know what brothers are like, I’m sorry for eavesdropping.”

A silence fell over the two of you, but eventually Kix spoke again. “I just wish they hadn’t been so obvious about it, I was going to get there eventually.”

“What?” Yeah, that definitely wasn’t your finest choice of words.

“Jesse was right, I do like you,” Kix said. “And I was going to ask you out to dinner the next time we were on Coruscant, but I suppose the tooka is out of the bag now.”

“And is that offer of dinner on Coruscant still on the table?” you asked tentatively. You really hoped that he said yes, because if this was really happening, you didn’t want to go back the way it was.

Kix smiled. “Maybe. Why, do you want to take it?”

“Maybe.”

The two of you shared a quiet laugh as Kix took your hand, leaning down to place a soft kiss on your cheek. “Yeah, it’s still on the table.”

But before he could pull away, you took advantage of a fleeting moment of bravery and sat up, placing a kiss of your own on his lips. “Good,” you said as you broke apart, love struck looks on both your faces. “Because I’d really like to take you up on the offer.”  

- the end - 

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

[mikhailwrites]

MWIII Campaign thoughts&opinion

⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD (OBVIOUSLY)⚠️

Alright, here we go. Modern Warfare III. Disclaimer: I've been part-timing as videogame journalist (not in EN, obviously) for the past 10 years so this might read a bit like a review which this is not.

It's been a year since we watched the 141 sit in the bar in Chicago and look at the photo of one Vladimir Makarov. And the day of reckoning is finally here, at least for those of us with eaely access to the campaign.

The game opens, surprisingly, from the Konni perspective. As one of Konni soldiers, you infiltrate the prison to free your boss. First look at Makarov is menacing and leaves an impression.

Speaking of Makarov, however, I can't but feel like the writers had dropped the ball. It's obvious they were trying to go for the unhinged psychopath vibe but honestly, so many Makarov's lines borders on ridiculous, oftentimes crossing the line entirely. At times, I felt like I'm watching an old 007 villain and I don't mean it in the good way.

Most glaring example was in the Flashpoint mission. As Price and Soap capture Makarov after bombing the stadium in Verdansk, the terrorist then taunts and mocks them, revealing to know their names and threatening them with a revenge. The dialogue is, frankly, on a bad side and Makarov in that scene sounded to me more like a spoiled, rich teenager than much feared leader of a private army with ambition to start another World War.

It also contrasted wildly with the continuation of the scene where we see Soap almost lose it, tackling Makarov and pressing a gun to his head while Price tries to dissuade him from killing the criminal on the spot. That bit was well executed and I really liked it.

What I also liked was the Passenger mission and the very unique perspective we got as players, feeling the helplessness of the victim as it's forced to play role of a terrorist, solely based on their ethnicity. The "You're not a terrorist, but you look like one," line felt very powerful, especially in the context of current affairs.

The whole campaign felt very rushed and, in my opinion, the total commitment to the "race against the clock" hurt the narration a lot. There is not a moment of respite and every piece of the puzzle is delivered in a manner so hurried, I sometimes had trouble following it.

Especially in the Danger Close mission as we, similarly to MWII, operate Shadow Company gunship to provide air support, and out of nowhere, we get a shout that there's a helo nearby and Makarov's in it.

We then proceed to shoot the helicopter down and Makarov is seemingly KIA. Well, he's obviously not but the whole scene is delivered in such a luckluster manner that I was wondering if I perhaps missed some cutscene or debrief (I didn't) and was asking myself if the developers are even serious.

The overall pacing is off, especially compared to MWII and this leads to the lack of impact and emotional response.

Which brings us to the more sensitive part of this post. Being a Ghost/Soap shipper, I was happy to see the two interact and to pick up the rapport established in the previous game. Like many others, I, too, would appreciate more time with them, but I would appreciate more missions and longer campaign rather than cut other characters' screen time.

When they are on the screen, banter is usually quick to follow. Soap and Ghost interact easily with each other, hinting at a natural progress of their relationship. The Milena interrogation is especially great in this regard.

And then there's that ending. Honestly, I knew someone would die. I think it was pretty much given. Still, I had my bets on Ghost, thinking that Soap was way too fresh and had his whole career ahead of him to be sacrificed. Well, I was wrong.

In the confines of the story, it makes sense it's him. There is major foreshadowing happening in the Verdansk mission and when Soap ends up going with Price at the end, well, it was clear. Soap almost killed Makarov years prior, Price stopped him, and now Makarov comes and kills Soap right in front of Price. The choices and consequences. It makes sense.

But.

But it serves no purpose. It's literally the last mission, so what could've served as the major catalyst for the big finale - rest of 141 coming for Makarov for some good old revenge - just ends up rather sour. Especially since Johnny, during his last struggle, as he saves Price's life, doesn't even manage to kill Makarov, only injuring him, albeit badly.

It gets worse when you realise that during both games, Soap didn't get any justice at all. In MWII, he seemingly kills Graves, taking a revenge for the betrayal and the Alone mission. Only for Graves to casually reappear later, stating he wasn't in the tank that the game clearly stated he was in.

And now he loses his life without taking Makarov with him. It's... beyond sad for the character to get treated this badly by the narration.

The team's response to his death is a bit mild as well. It starts well, with Ghost scrambling to him as soon as he spots him, feeling for vitals even though it has to be clear to him that he's gone, that felt gutwrenching. But after that? It's... lacking some stronger emotional response. They say their farewells to Johnny, a single sentence each (and, my god, did they truly think the "he was the best of us" clichè would work on any level whatsoever?), scattering his ashes, and that, too, as great as the animation was, just... felt a bit hollow and artificial.

There are ways to kill a beloved character to make it feel truly heartbreaking and meaningful. The scriptwriters here should've taken notes from Destiny 2's Forsaken DLC for example. They could've used Soap's death in a myriad of ways, including making player to choose between, say, saving Soap and letting Makarov escape. Or between saving Soap and defusing the bomb. Or just about dozen other narrative choices that would make Soap's death more meaningful and would have much bigger impact on the player.

As it is, I cannot help but say my own farewell words: Johnny died, but what for?

[corrieguards]

Hiya! I loved your Toast fic, that was so cute! I love your writing and I was wondering if I could ask for a fic based on the fluff prompt #7 “You did all this… for me?” with Rex? Maybe reader does something nice for Rex because he deserves it 💙 I don’t want to be a bother, though!

A/N: Hey beautiful!! Thank you sm for this request, it's never a bother to write for my bby Rex💙

I am so sorry for the delay, this fic has consumed me and I've been nit-picking at it for weeks. I'm still not entirely happy with the result, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer!

P.S: Here's a link to Toast my echo x reader fic mentioned above, in case you wanna check it out <3

Cold Nights and Pretty Lights

Captain Rex x reader Summary: Finally back on Coruscant, Rex makes his way to your place, intent on spending the night there with you. Little does he know, you have other better plans for him. Word Count: 2k C/W: fluff, fluff and more fluff Prompt: "You did all this... for me?" prompt list my masterlist

The jolt of the LA-AT landing on solid ground almost brings tears of relief to Rex’s eyes.

Kriffing finally.

He was supposed to have been back on Coruscant weeks ago, but this particular mission had dragged on and on endlessly. When he found out they were finally coming home, the very first thing he did was send you a hurried comm to let you know. And now that he was planet-side, all he wanted to do was hold you in his arms and never let go again.

He stumbled out of the ship, his boot catching on the ledge in his haste to get out. A muffled chuckle behind him made him straighten up, sending a glare over his shoulder.

"In a hurry, Captain?" Jesse teased, stepping out of the gunship pointedly gracefully. Rex raised an eyebrow in warning, turning to face him fully and getting ready to defend himself, but Jesse beats him to it, holding a hand up to stop him.

"Just tell her I said hi, will you?"

Rex flushes, opening his mouth to reply but deciding it's not worth it, settling on just shaking his head fondly instead, a look of mock annoyance on his face to cover up the blush.

"Keep yourself out of trouble, trooper," he says over his shoulder as a cab pulls up on the curb, "and try not to get picked up by the Corries again"

Jesse puts on a shit-eating grin, sending him a salute and a cheeky wink. "No promises, Captain."

---

When the cab pulls up next to your house, Rex is surprised to see you already waiting outside, leaning against the wall with a soft smile.

The sight of you automatically brings a smile to his own face. He tosses a couple credits to the driver, eyes still glued on you as he scrambles out the cab.

Your smile widens as he jogs over, pushing off the wall as soon as he’s close enough and laughter bubbling as he wraps his arms around you.

You return the hug, squealing in surprise when he picks you up, twirling you around a couple times before finally setting your feet back down on the floor.

"Maker, you have no idea how much I missed you," he whispers, his hands falling to rest on your hips.

You giggle in response, balancing on the tips of your toes and reaching up to peck his lips, pulling back far too quickly for his liking.

“Missed you more, Captain."

You give him a cheeky smile before wriggling out of his hold. He frowns, going to reach for you again, but you're already walking over towards your speeder.

"Are you… going somewhere?"

"Yep," you chirp happily, clambering into the seat. "And so are you."

He raises his eyebrows at you, smiling slowly. "Oh really?"

You turn the speeder on, and a low hum fills the air. "Yeah, really," you wink, jerkin' your head back to the seat behind you. "Hop on trooper."

He chuckles, shaking his head at you but climbs on behind you anyway.

His arms loop around your waist when you pull away from the curb, gripping tightly as you weave in and out of the Coruscant lanes with practised ease. You feel his breath on your neck as he rests his chin on your shoulder, smiling when you feel him press a kiss to your cheek.

---

The traffic is a distant hum in the background when you pull up next to the roof of one of the construction buildings on the outskirts of the bustling city.

Here, the neon lights are dimmer but still bright enough to be able to see each other clearly, the light of the moon mixing with the bright colours to bathe you both in soft light.

You clamber off onto the roof, offering a hand to Rex with a cheeky smile. He lifts a brow at you.

"Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?"

You merely shrug, moving your hand closer and he chuckles in response, grasping your hand anyway and stepping down beside you. He makes a quick glance around the building, taking it in.

It’s not entirely finished, with scaffolding still standing in a couple of places and railing missing from the edges of the roof.

"Is this legal?"

"Probably not," you shrug, tilting your head and smiling teasingly. "Why? You're going to back out on me, Captain?"

"And miss out on being here with you?" He grins, pulling you in by the waist and nuzzling his nose to yours. "Not a chance, meshla."

Giggling, you let him hold you a few seconds more before pulling back again, leaning over to grab your bag for the speeder. You go to sling it over your shoulder, but he stops you, grabbing the strap and swinging it over his shoulder instead.

You send him a grateful smile, followed by a peck on the cheek, before grabbing his hand and leading him around the corner.

He stumbles behind you, trying to keep from stepping on your heels as you drag him behind you excitedly. He collides softly with your back when you stop abruptly, his free hand moving to your shoulder to steady himself.

You move to the side, still holding his hand and eagerly watching his face as he takes in the view in front of him. His mouth parts in surprise, his hand loosening its hold on yours.

You’ve chosen a small corner of the roof with a ledge that overlooks the city, far enough away from everything that it’s private and secluded. There’s a small blanket set up on the floor, a couple cushions sitting on it with a big fluffy blanket folded up beside them.

He watches as you walk over to the scaffolding behind, hands disappearing as you reach around it, a quiet click echoing before a handful of tiny lights you’ve strung on the frame come to life, bathing the little corner in a soft warm glow.

"So, what’d you think?"

You turn to look at him expectantly, and it’s in that moment - your eyes shinning and skin bathed in the soft twinkle of the fairy lights - that he’s struck with the sudden realisation of just how stunningly beautiful you are.

He stares at you, faintly aware of you waiting for him to answer but not quite managing to formulate a response, his thoughts too busy with just how utterly smitten he is for you.

His lack of reaction makes you doubt yourself, with your feet shifting nervously.

"We can just go back home if you prefer. That’s fine too.

He blinks a couple times, quickly coming to his senses and shaking his head "No, of course not. I- It just surprised me, that’s all."

"Oh. Are you sure? I mean I know it's not much but-"

He chuckles, his hands coming up to cup your cheeks, stopping your nervous ramblings.

"It’s perfect meshla. I love it."

You smile shyly, avoiding his gaze as a blush spreads on your cheeks. "I just... well, I know you’ve been working really hard lately, and the last mission was a real kicker, and l- I just thought you would like this..."

You trail off, glancing up at him through your eyelashes. He’s looking down at you like you’re the most amazing thing in the whole kriffing galaxy.

"You did all this... for me?"

"Of course," you reply immediately, like it was an obvious fact. "Why wouldn’t I?"

He’s still staring at you with the same look on his face, his head shaking slightly in disbelief and a smile slowly spreading on his face. You’re about to ask him what's wrong when he loops his fingers in your belt, yanking you closer and leaning down until your foreheads bonk together gently.

"I love you so damn much, y’know that?" He whispers against your lips, his hands galling to your waist and squeezing. You giggle, arms coming up to loop around his neck before muttering a smug reply.

"Yeah, I know."

He rolls his eyes playfully, pinching your waist in retaliation and making you jump.

"Wow, I confess my undying love for you, and that’s all you’ve got? 'Yeah I know.'" He pitches his voice higher on the last couple words in an attempt to imitate your voice.

You scoff in mock offense, slapping his chest. "That is not what I sound like. Besides, you already know I love you, Rex."

He hums, smiling cheekily and winking.

"Yeah, but it's still nice to hear you say it."

You return the smile, rolling your eyes playfully before stepping up on your toes and bracing your hands on his chest to keep balance. Leaning up to kiss his cheek, you start to speak between kisses

"I" you move to the other cheek, pressing a kiss there too.

"am utterly" a kiss to his forehead.

"and completely" a gentle peck his nose, before you're moving to his lips, whispering the last words against them

"In love with you."

You close the gap, pressing your lips to his in a soft kiss. You feel him smiling against your lips as he kisses you back, his fingers threading through your hair and cradling the nape of your neck.

When he pulls back, you’re met with his eyes fixed on yours, crinkled at the edges and so full of undeniable love that it almost makes you blush.

"Now that was more like it."

You groan, rolling your eyes fondly, and push a hand to his chest. He chuckles, catching your wrist and pulling you in for a tight hug.

You soak up the closeness for a little longer, your face pressed up against his chest so tight that you can feel his heart beat on your cheek. He presses a kiss to the crown of your head, playfully tapping his fingers against your butt to get your attention.

"C'mon, let's sit down before it gets too cold."

Reluctantly, you pull away, keeping your hand in his as he drags you over to the blanket. He sits on the edge, feet dangling off and thighs spread wide. He looks up at you, patting the space between his legs and pulling you toward him.

Smiling fondly, you let him pull you down, settling between his thighs and resting your back on his chest. He loops his arms around your stomach, pulling you in closer and pressing a kiss to your temple.

You twist slightly, making grabby-hands for your bag that's been left discarded to the side. Rex chuckles, leaning over and stretching his hand far enough to curl them around the strap and pull it closer

As soon as it's within your reach, you stick your hand inside it, the sound of glass clinking echoing as you pull out a bottle of booze. You push it into his chest, smile bright enough to rival the neon lights.

“For you”

He holds it up so the lights you strung up behind shine on it, illuminating the writing as he squints his eyes, reading the label. A grin spreads on his face when he realises what it is.

“Correllian Whiskey?”

You nod enthusiastically, winking at him “Your favourite”

His chest rumbles against your hand, a hearty chuckle bubbling out of him. He places a tender kiss on your forehead whispering a thank you against your skin.

Cracking the bottle open, he takes a generous swig of the amber liquid before silently handing it to you. You accept it gratefully, sipping and cringing at the burn as it goes down your throat.

Setting the bottle down with a soft clang you snuggle back into his strong chest, sighing contentedly and tangling your fingers with his, squeezing tightly.

You shiver slighly and before you know it, he's unfolding the blanket, throwing it over his shoulders and bring it around to wrap around you too.

"Better?"

"Much better" you smile, pecking his lips "thank you"

Toothy grin spreading on his face, he tucks the blanket around you tighter, pressing a wet kiss to the side of your neck and making you giggle.

A comfortable silence fills the night air, just the hum of traffic and the sound of sound of your synchronized breathing.

You nod towards the view of the city, eyes following the colourful light of the endless stream of speeders zooming by. Even this time of night, the city was full of life, ever bustling with activity.

"It’s pretty, isn’t it?"

Rex hums distracted, pressing a kiss to your cheek and you smile, rolling your eyes.

"You’re not even looking, are you?”

You feel him shrug against your back, his thumb brushing softly over your knuckles and smile evident in his voice as he whispers into your neck

"Something far prettier s’got all my attention right now."

---

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[snippy-tano]

What about a rex x reader where the reader works for the GAR (with the 501st specifically) and is often like really close to battles so Anakin wants them to get some training in combat so he asks Rex to train them and they end up falling for each other 👀

i am on a roll my friends. and i plan on riding this and getting as many requests done as i possibly can, so send any ideas my way!

this was is an older request so i apologize it has taken me this long to get here, but i hope you like it enough that you forgive me for taking so long to complete it.

warning: this is full of tropes. totally full of them. but i couldn't help it!

let me know what you think! thank you to all of you for taking the time to read this and sharing it! your comments and reblogs truly mean the world to me. thank you thank you thank you for reading this! :)

masterlist is here!

taglist is here!

tagging:@pro-fangirls-unsocial-life; @marvel-starwars-nerd; @mackstrut; @dissapointingpancake; @ahsokatano-thetogruta; @welcometothepedroverse; @lightningwolffe; @fractiouskat; @mandaloriandin; @lussyyung; @lowkeyodinsong; @str-wrs-fics; @bantha-shit; @badbatch-simp24; @katelynnwrites; @s1st3r; @leotatombs; @torchbearerkyle; @rain-on-kamino; @the-navistar-carol; @bombshe77; @arctrooper69; @social-mockingbird; @luna-schaf; @oh-delphinia; @dominhoe-squad; @kaermorons; @lucyysthings; @quizznag; @dangraccoon

---------------------------------------------

Late Night Training

You’re not sure what you did to end up here, but you suppose you had only your horrible self-preservation skills and a serious lack of luck. 

By all accounts, you should not be anywhere near battle, ever. You were a mechanic and you practically lived in the hanger repairing ships and droids and practically anything else that breaks on the Resolute. You were the go-to if anything happened and you didn’t mind. You have always been good with your hands and you liked puzzles. It was a perfect match.

But somehow, you always seemed to find yourself in the heat of battle.

The first time was a total accident. You had forgotten something aboard a gunship and didn’t realize the ship had taken off until you were already enroute to the excursion. The second you did intentionally go down to the planet, but you did not intend to stumble across a lost battalion of droids. 

And the time after that. And the time after that. 

Basically, you were cursed.

Which is what prompted a few of the troopers to send a request up the proverbial flagpole asking that you get some training. Clearly their efforts to make sure you didn’t end up in battle were not working. 

General Skywalker approved the request and assigned “the best fighter in the GAR.”

Captain Rex.

You had met the Captain a few times, but your meetings were always quick and work related. He was pleasant enough and you admired his work ethic and how he managed to keep the 501st on track. The troopers you interacted with all looked up to him highly and it was easy to understand why they cared so much. Rex just seemed incredibly kind. 

You weren’t sure about this whole “training” thing, but you figured if Captain Rex was willing to teach you, it might not be so bad. 

Actually nevermind. You totally regretted this. 

Captain Rex was wonderful. 

He was patient with you, excellent at explaining things, didn’t treat you like you didn’t know anything (even though you didn’t), and you could definitely see that this training was going to help you. 

But you were dying. 

You were by no means out of shape. You were on your feet all day and were pretty strong from lifting heavy machinery. By normal standards, you were pretty healthy and took care of yourself, for the most part.

But the training Rex was putting you through was definitely going to kill you before you even got the chance to put it to use. 

“Come on. On your feet cadet.” Rex said and you had never wanted to hit him more. Too bad your arm was numb. 

You weren’t even sure your arm was attached anymore. 

You let out a groan. “Captain. I think I see the light. I think this is it for me.”

Rex chuckled. “That’s not going to happen. Now come on, up you come.” 

Muttering some choice words under your breath, you shakily climbed to your feet with a helping hand from the Captain. When you were on your feet, you let out a louder groan, head thrown backwards.

“Captain, I truly don’t see how I am going to get better if I can’t even lift my arms anymore.” You whined.

“If you can’t feel your arms, you are doing it right.” He said, almost sounding far too amused. “Now come on, back to your base.”

You continued to whine, but your legs and arms did slowly move into the base fighting position Rex had taught you all those weeks ago when your training first started. The first few training exercises happened in the main training facility and occurred in the middle of the day. But it was clear it would be hard to get anything done with all the men watching, so you moved your training to the middle of the night. It wasn’t ideal, but you were a night person by nature and Rex just never seemed to sleep. The arrangement worked out.

And you were starting to enjoy your time with the Captain. 

Before, you never really had the chance to speak with him. But this training gave you the chance to speak with him more regularly and chat about nearly everything. You learned a lot about him in the weeks since your training began and you found yourself waiting for training (despite dying every time) because it was uninterrupted time with the Captain. 

Rex fell into a ready stance as well and you took a deep breath.

Come on body. Don’t fail me now.

He began to move and you started to move too, countering his attack with moves he taught you. Rex moved slower than you knew he could, probably so you could get used to recognizing attacks and beginning a counterattack. You went through a few sequences with him, able to keep up despite your aching body. 

Then he moved faster, catching your arm in a hold you hadn’t seen before. Your eyes snapped to his and you could see a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. 

Fine. Two could play at that game. 

Using the knowledge he gave you, you moved, shaking him off your arm and managing to knock him off balance, just for a second. Rex regained his balance and watched you drop into a stance with a smile on your face.

“What? Did you think you were my only teacher?” 

Rex laughed once before lunging forward. 

Your body moved on autopilot. He was attacking significantly faster than you had practiced and despite that, your body adjusted almost immediately, matching his tempo. Every muscle was screaming at you, but the adrenaline was keeping you moving. You dodged his fist, kicked out your leg, took a hit to the ribs (that would definitely bruise later), doled out a hit to his stomach. 

Blows were being traded and you were honestly surprised you were still standing. Normally he had taken you down by now. 

As it turns out, you spoke too soon. 

Rex managed to grab your arm again and with a jab to the side, you were off balance. Which was the opening he needed to wrap an arm around your waist and pull you into him, placing you in a headlock. He wasn’t actually cutting off your air supply, but you were not getting out of it.

“Do you yield?” He asked, just as out of breath as you were. Which was comforting. 

You tried to get out of it. Tried to step on his feet, he kept them out of reach. Tried to elbow him, he’d move and the blow would not carry the same weight. Tried to wiggle, no luck. 

“Come on, yield.” Rex said again and you almost caved. Almost.

But he was far too pleased with himself and that made you angry. 

So, you cheated. 

Well, technically you cheated by the standards of sparring, but in an actual fight, tricks were on the table. And you were shameless in your desire to win. 

You bit his arm. 

Not hard, just enough that he was startled and loosened his hold for a second. You yanked yourself out from his headlock, spun on your heels, and threw your shoulder and body against his center. Normally it wouldn’t be enough to knock him down, but he had been surprised and off-balance which is exactly what you needed. 

He crashed to the floor with you right behind him. Without thinking, you scrambled for purchase and pinned him to the worn mat with your hands and legs. You were grinning when you looked down at him. Rex blinked a few times before his eyes focused on you. He didn’t say anything at first, just assessed the situation. 

Then he chuckled. “I’ll admit, that was clever.” “Really?” You gasped, still grinning. “I thought for sure you’d be mad because it’s against the rules, but you also taught me that if I had an opening I should take it, no matter what.”

“I did teach you that didn’t I?” 

You nodded vigorously as he let out a sigh. 

“You didn’t technically win because you cheated, but you have improved beyond what I expected at this stage.” Rex said and you rolled your eyes, releasing his arms and sitting back. 

“Oh come on!” You whined. “I totally beat you.”

Rex sat up, fixing you with his gaze. “You cheated, so it doesn’t count.”

You groaned. “Fine. But next time, I will win fair and square.” 

He smiled and it was only then that you realized just how…compromising your position currently is. Rex seemed to realize this at the same time because he froze. Throughout your training, you had gotten closer to Rex, both emotionally and physically. But that was very much in the heat of the moment while sparring. This was something different. And you found that your stomach fluttered at the thought.

It happened a few times before, a situation similar to this, but both of you were always quick to step away, letting whatever was happening fizzle. You weren’t here for that. And besides, there was no way the Captain felt any sort of similar affection for you that was now constantly bubbling under your skin. So if he didn't notice the glance at his lips that you snuck, that was perfectly fine with you.

Rex seemed to stay frozen in place, but he didn’t move away, like you had expected him to. You felt your heart start to accelerate for an entirely different reason and felt yourself sway just a bit closer. It was then when your brain caught up with what was happening and you quickly scrambled off of him, not making eye contact while you waited for him to get to his feet. 

“You did good tonight and I think someday, you might just have a shot at beating me.” He said and you looked at him.

“Just a shot?”

“Just a shot.”

You crossed your arms and let out an annoyed huff. He was probably right, but it still hurt your pride just a tad. 

Rex looked at the time displayed on the wall before looking back at you. “We haven’t done this yet, but we have some time before the end of the session. What do you say to learning how to shoot a blaster?”

The slight wound to your ego was immediately forgotten at his words. You’d been begging him to teach you to shoot since your training started. You learned as a kid once, but it was so long ago that you didn’t trust yourself to have any semblance of aim. 

“Yes! Kriff Captain, teach me!” 

Rex chuckled at your enthusiasm and motioned for you to follow him. You practically floated the entire way across the training room to where there were targets lining the walls and training blasters. He approached a target and a blaster and you waited, hands clasped in front of you to keep you still. 

He held up the blaster and began pointing. “This is just a training blaster, but this is where you would change between the blaster and its stun setting. It’s important that you have a good grip on the handle and a steady hand.”

“I’m a mechanic, Captain. My hands are some of the steadiest.”

He let out a breath before carefully placing the blaster in your hands. You let him position your hand and you did your best to commit it all to memory. When he was sure you had the grip down, he stepped back and motioned to the target. “Take a shot. I want to see your form.” Rex stated, crossing his arms. 

You turned towards the target and raised your arm with the blaster. You cocked your head to the side and squeezed an eye shut, focusing on the target. Then you fired.

And it missed by an embarrassing amount. 

Your face crinkled as you stared at the slight seared mark on the wall. 

“Alright. Not bad for the first try. Let’s fix your stance.” He said, stepping a bit closer. He tapped the side of your head and you straightened it. “Don’t close your eye, you’re limiting your vision that way. And keep your head level.”

His foot tapped yours and you moved your back foot a little further so your feet were shoulder width apart. 

“Do you mind?” He asked and you turned to see him with his hands raised, hovering near you, but waiting for your permission. 

You felt your cheeks warm as you quickly looked away. “Go ahead.”

He stepped right behind you and you felt your breath hitch. His hands were gentle on your hips, pivoting you until you were in the correct posture. Then one hand lifted, pushing the shoulder of the arm that held the blaster down. Then his hand moved slowly down your arm, making the fluttering in your stomach return with a vengeance. His hand eventually reached yours and enclosed your own. 

“Take a deep breath.” His voice was in your ear and it was sending a shiver down your spine. 

Easier said than done. You thought. 

You had no idea if he was aware of the effect he was having on you, but this was quickly becoming the trickiest part of training yet. And it wasn’t because it was difficult. 

It was entirely because of Rex.

When you didn’t take a breath like he had instructed, his hand gave your hip a squeeze that caused you to gasp more audibly. You swallowed it quickly, forcing your lungs to take a deep breath. 

“Good. Now look at the target and focus on where you want the blast to hit.” You focused entirely on what he was telling you, it was the only way you were getting through this without completely embarrassing yourself. “When you’re ready, slowly pull the trigger.”

The blast sounded and you watched as the blast hit the target. It wasn’t dead center, but it was pretty kriffing close. 

“I did it!” You gasped, turning to look at Rex with a large grin on your face. “Captain, I did it!”

Without thinking, you turned in his arms and threw your arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. He hesitated for a moment and it was enough for you to realize just what you had done. 

“Oh. I’m sorry, I just got excited. Forget-” You stammered, your heels hitting the mat as you began to unwind your arms from his neck. 

But you stopped when his hands tightened on your waist. You looked at him, his face inches from yours. His eyes slowly opened and the gaze he fixed you with had you holding your breath. His eyes scanned your face and you just waited, wanting to see exactly what he was thinking. 

While you may have surprised Rex earlier by biting his arm, it was his turn to completely surprise you.

Rex tipped his head forward and just like that, he was kissing you. It was clumsy, your own surprise evident. But almost immediately, you were over the shock and absolutely melting against him. It was almost embarrassing how quickly you sagged against him, arms winding back around his neck to pull him closer. Rex’s hands fisted in your shirt and you still wanted him closer. He obliged and there was practically no way to tell where he ended and you began, but that’s exactly how you wanted it. 

You did have to pull away, when the need for air became too great. You didn’t stray far, your nose bumping against his as you tried to catch your breath. Rex’s forehead thumped lightly against yours.

“Is this your way of one-upping me Captain?” You asked and he let out a low chuckle. 

“Did it work?”

“Annoyingly, yes.”

His eyes opened to meet yours and you shared a smile. “Call me Rex.”

You lifted a hand to cup his cheek, your thumb brushing against his skin. “Alright, but you better do that again when I do.”

He nodded and you looked him in the eyes.

“Rex.” 

True to his word, Rex captured your lips once again and you followed willingly. This was your favorite training exercise so far and you hoped that it would continue for many rotations to come. 

Who knew that your uncanny ability to constantly find yourself in battle would lead to such an interesting outcome. But honestly, you’d do it all over again as long as you ended up here, in this exact moment with Rex by your side. 

[And the very next time you accidentally ended up in battle, you had been able to hold your own, taking down a few clankers along the way. Rex had never looked prouder.]

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

I mean, I DO think Obi-Wan is one of his anchors towards selflessness and compassion because Obi-Wan is, quite literally, Anakin's guide to LEARNING selflessness and compassion and how to apply it in his daily life. Obi-Wan was his guide to understanding mindfulness, he's the one who would've been helping him be more tolerant of other people and behaviors and cultures. That's the whole point of him being Anakin's master.

And if you eliminate Ahsoka and Rex and just look at the main narrative of the films, it's pretty clear that while Padme is the catalyst for Anakin's choices in the end, it's Obi-Wan and Palpatine who represent the different paths available to him. Obi-Wan is the path of selflessness, while Palpatine is the path of selfishness. This is a position Obi-Wan has had in the narrative since 1977. Obi-Wan was the "good father" to Vader's "bad father." Obviously, in this case, the person making the choices was Luke, but you get a very similar set-up in the prequels between Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Palpatine.

So within the narrative, Obi-Wan is absolutely his PRIMARY anchor to balance, selflessness, compassion, and the Jedi way. Right up until he makes the choice to betray all of that, of course. It isn't ENOUGH, and that's the whole tragedy of it. Obi-Wan IS the anchor to balance, but the pull of the Dark side was just stronger, Anakin was too susceptible to it. That doesn't make Obi-Wan NOT an anchor nor does it mean that he was a bad anchor. It just isn't enough until Anakin is willing to make the hard choice. That's the whole parallel in the prequels with the Jedi, too. The Jedi aren't doing a single thing wrong, they're just not ENOUGH without the Republic stepping up to do its part and make the hard choices.

But I maintain that the reason we see Anakin still having moments of kindness and selflessness in AOTC, ROTS, and TCW, the reason Anakin is sometimes capable of mindfulness, the reason he's capable of making the selfless choice in ROTJ AT ALL, is because of Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan BEING that anchor keeps Anakin from falling completely even earlier. Without Obi-Wan having the connection with Anakin that he does, without the strength of it, Anakin would likely have been a Sith by AOTC if not earlier. We literally see Anakin REFUSE to obey Palpatine's orders in order to save Obi-Wan on the Invisible Hand. He puts Palpatine's life in danger for Obi-Wan.

I also tend to maintain that Anakin is often at his best when it's Obi-Wan's life on the line. In Landing at Point Rain, Anakin is capable of recognizing that he can't run off to go save Obi-Wan when his ship crashes because that would mean abandoning his men and not only does he recognize that but he recognizes that Ahsoka is STRUGGLING WITH THE SAME THING and is able to help her understand why he's making this choice. In the Deception arc, the first time he's sent out to arrest "Rako Hardeen" he is clearly upset and he kind-of slams "Hardeen" up against a wall a little, but he also explicitly says that he's choosing NOT to kill Hardeen because he knows Obi-Wan wouldn't have wanted him to. It's Obi-Wan's memory keeping him from doing something dark. He falls apart more later, yes, but this initial moment where he still believes Obi-Wan is dead and is arresting Hardeen in an official capacity still shows that Obi-Wan's training is keeping him MORE stable. Even in the films, if we look at AOTC, he runs off to help Shmi and abandons his duty, he is prepared to jump off of a gunship for Padme, but when Obi-Wan is captured on Geonosis, he has to be CONVINCED into going to save him and is more inclined to obey his orders and stay where he is. While you could potentially view that as him loving Obi-Wan less, you could also view it as his love for Obi-Wan being less toxic, less of an attachment, and more healthy than his love for almost anyone else.

So I think there's pretty sufficient proof in both TCW and the films that his relationship with Obi-Wan ultimately makes Anakin a better person, and the fact that it isn't enough doesn't mean that it didn't have an impact on Anakin at all.

[radiosummons]

There is no doubt in my mind that I am most definitely not the first person to bring this up, but after doing a quick rewatch of Hunt for Ziro (TCW, S3 EP9) I can't help but feel ... just kinda disappointed.

Granted, when I first saw this episode I had no idea who Quinlan was or what his relationship to Obi-Wan was other than he was a fellow Jedi Master who Obi-Wan considered a "bit much" (which is extremely rich coming from Obi-Wan, cause HELLO!!!).

But now knowing what I do know about Quinlan, my god, I can't help but sorta feel like they did him just the tiniest bit dirty. The episode by no means takes away my enjoyment of the character or the show, but I wish they had given him more.

I will say that there are a LOT of things I do love about this episode. For starters, the little exchange between Obi-Wan and Cody at the start of the episode is absolute gold to me. Considering that only does Obi-Wan not waste the opportunity to complain about his childhood friend, but that even Cody is already aware of Quinlan's reputation is a great way to introduce the audience to what kind of person this new Jedi is.

(My little headcanon is that Cody knows about Quinlan due to Obi-Wan going on several mini rants from his General about his "troublesome" Jedi friend, but I'd also just accept the idea that Quinlan is just that fucking infamous in the GAR lol).

It's barely even been a full minute and we already know several things about Quinlan. 1) He has a reputation for being "extra," or at the very least according to Obi-Wan's standards (which, again, fucking WILD), 2) The fact that he's late for a mission and Obi-Wan isn't the least bit surprised tells us this is pretty much the norm for him, and 3) Even the clones are aware of who Quinlan is and what kind of Jedi he is.

The scene then continues with Quinlan finally showing up for his joint mission with Obi-Wan. But because Quinlan is Quinlan, instead of just waiting for the gunship to land, the motherfucker takes the opportunity to dramatically leap and land onto the platform.

Just ... absolute perfection with this character already.

Also, the fact that he follows up said dramatic entrance by taking the time to greet Cody just automatically wins him more points in my book. I love that the TCW writers made a point to show that Quinlan despite being an "odd Jedi," also sees the clones as people. His very friendly and nonchalant way of greeting Cody could also imply--although I'm not sure this is accurate or not--that he's either 1) Already met Cody or 2) Knows about Cody (possibly through Obi-Wan) and possibly already considers him a friend, if not someone he could become friends with.

I don't even mind The Big Lebowski reference inserted into Quinlan's introduction when he nonchalantly brushes off Obi-Wan's obvious annoyance at being made to wait.

Honestly, it's kind of iconic to see someone rebuff Obi-Wan's charm with a simple "Well ... that's just your opinion, man." And knowing what I do know now about them both growing up together, it is absolutely hilarious to see Obi-Wan just silently take that response. Because he knows Quinlan, and he knows his sense of humor. So instead of trying to come up with something witty back as he usually would do with anyone else, Obi-Wan just has to quietly glare at him and refuse to rise to the bait.

The transition from Quinlan's nonchalantless to business and then back again is also fun to watch. Even while Obi-Wan is trying to direct the conversation to solely focus on their mission's purpose, Quinlan is helpfully and not so helpfully sharing what extra bit of intel he has. It's very clear that he's comfortable with Obi-Wan, in that he can slip in a bit of playfulness into what is a very serious conversation but also still keep focus. It's also fun to see Obi-Wan sort of at ease with Quinlan's way of communicating, considering he's had years of living and working alongside Quinlan.

It doesn't stop him from being exasperated at his friend's antics, though. Which is charming in itself to see. Especially when Quinlan offers Obi-Wan to be his copilot, and Obi-Wan easily resigns himself to his fate.

Anyway, I do love that the majority of the episode is an omage to Indiana Jones movies (namely, Temple of Doom), but also to gangster and crime thriller films. Which was absolutely a perfect choice for Quinlan considering that his experiences as a Shadow involved a great deal of missions infiltrating criminal undergrounds and the like.

And the grey morality that is often presence in those types of films is a great compliment to Quinlan, as he while he's still a Jedi, he doesn't hold as strictly to the etiquette and more "refined" tactics of his fellow Jedi. It's also just a nice reference to his own struggles with the Dark Side. And pairing him up with Obi-Wan--his close friend and the one responsible for helping him return to the Light--is just the perfect sort of complimentary team format that is to be expected with those films.

Also this moment:

**A totally not accurate, but very accurate summary of events**

Quinlan: KRIFF THIS DOOR!!!

Obi-Wan: Quin, you can't just barge into people's houses-

Quinlan: Sure I can. I just did.

Fucking iconic.

(As a quick side note, I do love that they took a moment to show off Quinlan's psychometry abilities. Just A+ work right there).

I do also understand that the budget was very limited for TCW (considering that they held off until S3 to debut Quinlan due to the costs of creating yet another character model) and I am very grateful that they were able to give him his own episode. But I can't help wishing we had a little more.

Especially towards the end of the episode. Quinlan just sort of goes completely mute. It is fantastic to see him fight Cad Bane (considering bounty hunters with Cad Bane's skills would be right up Quinlan's alley) and watching him investigate alongside Obi-Wan is also a lot of fun to watch. But it is odd for their banter to just sort of peter off to the point that Obi-Wan is pretty much the only person speaking for the majority of the episode's run time.

The moment where Obi-Wan and Quinlan are hanging from the cliff really sticks out to me the most in this episode. When Obi-Wan says to him "I never did enjoy hanging out with you"--while very funny and a nice reference to their friendship--I can't help but being the tiniest bit disappointed that Quinlan doesn't respond with more than a small smug smile. Granted, the fact he just smiles is funny. But Idk. I'm aware I'm just nitpicking at this point, but I would have loved to hear any sort of verbal response from Quinlan to that, no matter how minor.

I don't know if the budget was extra limited due to Quinlan's new character model being added to the episode, if Quinlan's voice actor just wasn't available to read anymore lines, what production problems may have arisen while creating the episode, or if the script simply just didn't have any other speaking lines for Quinlan. But, uh, yeah. I would have loved just a little something more from him.

Because prior to me finding out more about Quinlan over the years, my initial impression was that Quinlan and Obi-Wan were more colleagues than actual childhood friends. And not just childhood friends, but friends who had a very complicated but overall very sweet friendship despite the hardships they shared.

And I just think that's sort of a shame.

Yes, his character model does appear again in a later TCW episode (Destiny, S6, EP12), but only as a character model/easter egg. And while it did touch me that the Kenobi Show confirmed that Quinlan had survived Order 66 (yes, I did cry when that reveal happened, shut up), I still would find myself wishing we had more on screen Quinlan Vos content.

Just because Quinlan really is an amazing character and I absolutely adore his relationship with Obi-Wan and his padawan, Aayla Secura. He's genuinely a fascinating character to read about in the comics and even more so for the fact that his struggles with the Dark Side did not prevent him from continuing to be a good person.

I think what I just want more than anything is for more people to be exposed to how great Quinlan is. I'm not expecting a Quinlan centric show to up anytime in the future and I don't expect people to go out of their way to read the comics and books about yet another SW character. I just wish more people knew what a fantastic character he is. Especially his wonderful relationships with Obi-Wan and Aayla.

Tldr: I just want people to know how great Quinlan is. Also, give me baby Quinlan and Obi-Wan being the absolute chaos gremlins they are!!! Also, just more Quinlan content in general. I would love that :3

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Clone Trooper Rambles

Part journaling exercise, part character study, part playing imaginary friends with clone troopers.

Warnings: Arguments, Fives giving off irritating little brother vibes, threats.

---

Commando

“Ahh, finally some representation!” Fi crowed, beaming at me.

Sev glanced over, frowning when he saw the shirt I was wearing. “What are you talking about, di’kut? That’s a white commando helmet. You and the rest of Omega wear that ridiculous black armor.”

“That armor has saved our shebs more times than we can count,” Niner told him.

“Yeah?” Scorch asked, eyes dancing. “How did it work out for you on that snow planet?”

“That isn’t the point,” Fi brushed off. “Point is, it’s clearly stylized. It’s supposed to be a negative image. Black armor on a white background.”

“Just like you on that snow planet,” Boss said casually. 

“So you agree the picture on her shirt is of us.” Darman hadn’t even been in the room last time I checked, but he was suddenly there and sounding victorious. 

I shook my head at the argument and kept working my way through the dirty dishes in the sink. And yet, my shoulders felt suddenly tight with tension when Fives walked in and made a disgusted noise in my direction. 

“Ugh, a commando helmet?” he asked, not bothering to disguise his disdain. “Why? Got bored representing the better half of the GAR?” 

“Better?” various commandos demanded. 

“Half?” I repeated. That seemed like a severe overstatement from what I knew about the GAR. 

“No offense,” Fives told everyone, giving his most offensive look around the room. “It’s just… well, you know. Commandos are bred that way. ARC troopers are the ones who distinguished themselves in battle. We earn our specialties.” 

“You wouldn’t last a day as a commando,” Sev snapped. 

Fives shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve heard you can die of boredom.” 

Sev snarled and Boss didn’t look particularly motivated to hold him back from the now-smirking Fives. 

Fixer stepped slightly in front of his squad-mate. It seemed like the only concession anyone was willing to offer. “Commandos get more training than any ARC. It’s different from the ground up. ARCs are standard troopers who happened to think fast enough not to be killed. Commandos are trained to think differently all of the time.” 

“We’re Kamino’s most advanced group of troopers,” Atin expanded for Fives. “You’re basically a standard trooper with a skirt and a chip on your shoulder.”

“Skirt?” Fives demanded, finally sounding less than thrilled. 

“Hey, a commando shirt,” Wrecker commented, coming inside from his most recent guard shift. He looked utterly bewildered by the way everyone turned on him, snarling. I gestured frantically for him to stop talking or just leave, but Wrecker was busy staring around the room and trying to figure out what had happened. 

“You got something to add about commandos?” Scorch asked, his smile a bit too sharp for my comfort.

Interestingly, Wrecker and the rest of the Bad Batch were kind of commandos, I mused. They had certainly gotten less intense training than the earlier squads like Delta and Omega, but technically…

“Nope, nothin’ at all,” Wrecker demurred, holding his hands up as he walked out of the room. 

Smart man. 

“I’m just saying,” Fives started, “this argument is pretty even with just me representing the ARCs. That’s a pretty clear sign in my favor.” 

“The only sign is that the ARC training program takes troopers who are a few screws short of a gunship,” Atin muttered loudly. 

Stomping footsteps from the front door sounded their slow, ponderous way into the kitchen. I glanced over in time to watch Alpha-17 round the corner. He seemed to pick up on the tension in the air, staring around the room with displeasure written across his scarred face. “Whatever osik you’re all going on about, keep it to yourselves. I don’t have enough patience to pretend to care.” 

The commandos dispersed, throwing dark looks and muttered complaints in Fives’ direction. For his part, Fives stood beaming at Alpha as he settled into a chair across the counter from where I was washing dishes. 

“Fives, what are you staring at?” Alpha demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he added, “Kark off. I’m tired of looking at you.” 

“Yes, sir, Captain,” Fives agreed immediately, rushing off. 

Alpha and I sat in silence for a long moment before I lifted a brow at him. “It’s like you could smell the trouble.” 

Alpha snorted, lifting his arm to show you the comlink attached to his vambrace. “Echo told me what was going on. Figured I’d put a stop to it before they got too wrapped up in themselves.” 

“Ah.” I thought about that as I set a dish on the drying rack. “You may have been a few minutes too late for that.” 

“Did anyone throw a punch?” he asked. When I shook my head, Alpha said, “Then I was on time. If it happens again, kick ‘em out of the house. I know you can do that. May as well use it now and then.” 

“At least it was a good distraction from the dishes,” I said mournfully, looking at the stack I still had yet to clean. 

Alpha gave me an exasperated look. “You have access to years of music and podcasts on that phone. That has to be more entertaining than trooper drama.” 

“Depends on the drama,” I countered, grinning as Alpha rolled his eyes.

---

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Author's Note - This was just a silly one as I worked on characterization for the different commando groups and how they would interact with the ARCs. But it makes me smile when I read it, so here you go!

[batshieroglyphics]

FICLET: The World Distorts ~ Star Wars Prequels ~ Mature

Title: The World Distorts Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars Author: Batsutousai Rating: Mature Pairing: Commander Fox/Obi-Wan Kenobi Warnings: time loop, implied suicide during time loop, happy ending (unless you're Palpafuckup), non-binary Fox Prompt: From @herald-of-the-end, Obi-Wan/Fox, time Summary: Fox has been trapped in a time loop on the day the zillo beast escapes and is killed, but it turns out he's not the only one.

"Ah, Commander Fox," Kenobi interrupted, smiling in that way that Fox had heard Cody describe, but honestly hadn't expected to make their own heart skip a beat; damn unfairly attractive natborns who knew how to use their good looks, anyway. "I was wondering when you would make yourself known." Fox narrowed their eyes at the Jedi, tilted their helmet up enough to take an obnoxiously loud slurp of Vos' remaining caf—the constant cycles and their subsequent deaths may have fatally eroded their sense of self-preservation—then let their helmet fall back into place and asked, "How long have you known I was reliving this kriffing day, too?" Kenobi hummed, while Windu let out a quiet noise of understanding. "Oh, having Guard-maintained gunships laying in wait around the lab was a pretty clear sign it was someone in your command," Kenobi said, and Fox huffed, giving him that. "But it wasn't until the second time you cleared the entire Senate and the zillo beast destroyed the building, that I narrowed down that it was you." What could Fox say? It had been very cathartic the first time.

Read it on Archive of Our Own! (Please note that you will require an AO3 account of your own to read. Please let me know if you need an invite code.)

[notallthoseinheadspace]

Thoughts/speculation on The Bad Batch:

Weirdly, I am actually more hopeful for a positive ending now than I was before Point of No Return.

(Episode spoilers, discussion, and speculation below cut)

So, this is coming from a point of being pretty sure that A) CX-2 is Tech (because who the fuck else in this series says 'domicile", literally nobody, I was on the fence until that tbh) and B) that Omega is Force-sensitive (and that they've been dropping hints about it since Season 1). Even if she's not Force-sensitive, she's incredibly intuitive and has an amazing mind for strategy, which has been repeatedly proven.

But minor things that could have been guesses on her part - identifying Cid, calling out Crosshair while they're in the brig, bonding with Batcher, and in a way never giving up on Crosshair - also could be manifestations of a minor and untrained connection to the Force. If we do see indisputable Force abilities from her, my guess is they'll manifest in minor prescience, sensing the emotions of others, and bonding with creatures, since those are all things she's already shown. (I don’t think she has Jedi potential, but it bears repeating that not every Force-sensitive is or needs to be a Jedi! [Or a Sith.])

And Omega - tactical prodigy who can (probably) sense the emotions/general thoughts of others, is alone in the shuttle with CX-Tech. Possibly with some form of tracker - she and Crosshair knew she’d be scanned. She gave up one comm and wasn’t scanned again. Not having fallback plans would be unlike them, even if those plans are sometimes very much by the seat of their pants.

Because the Batch had plans for everything and Tech made her learn them all.

Now, what sticks out to me about CX-2 in this episode is that he has notably, despite orders, very deliberately avoided killing any of the Batch members during the invasion of Pabu.

It would have been no trouble whatsoever for him to blow up the Marauder a moment later, when Wrecker was inside of it. And he made the decision to shoot the pilot of the gunship - in the neck, through the cockpit window - an arguably harder shot than Hunter, who was in the open bay, and easily capable of bailing out and swimming back to shore when the ship crashed.

And he's taken Omega in the shuttle with him, with no other guards, and left her unrestrained in the cockpit aside from a pair of binders. And while she’s a child, and was pressed into docility during her time on Tantiss, she’s still a clone, one who’s been trained and tested by the team that boasted a 100% success rate until Order 66.

And, if CX-2 is Tech and the storyline is mirroring itself, then let’s go back to 2x09, The Crossing, where they’re trying to extract ipsium from Cid’s mine. Omega is struggling, Tech is set against his family, and quiet heart-to-hearts are had as Tech and Omega sit together in the blue-lit dark, separated from their brothers - which leads to reunions, solutions, and escape.

So - it may not be the devastating reveal of a helmet pulled from an unconscious-or-worse body that I originally imagined - it may be quiet, knowing questions and a helmet calmly lifted off and set on the console to look at his sister with his own eyes.

...of course, whether he still knows her or not is the question.

[kobold-royalty]

Ya'll this is Charikleia. SHES SUCH A PRETTY MINOTAUR. SHes a scribe, and one of the new characters in the meta story for the pathfinder book Howl of the Wild. Gosh look at how cute she is

(Artist is Gunship Revolution for Paizo)

[stellarmothe]

I want to draw samus in her gunship but images of the interior are actually pretty hard to find as well as mostly being from the angle of the pilot so you can’t see beyond the controls and window.

does anyone know some good reference images? Help :(