#tbb circuit

[levi-venn]

Mirror Squad

An HC I need to get out of my head so I can move on with my life (Hah, jokes on you, Levi, Bad Batch is your life).

So...Hemlock created a mirror image of the Bad Batch called the Mirror Squad, but it's not what you think. Turns out these clones were the ORIGINAL Bad Batch.

Their names: Crunch (Wrecker), Striker (Hunter), Circuit (Tech), Void (Echo/Memento - See Notes), and CX-2 aka Headshot (Crosshair).

Striker and Hunter

Circuit and Tech

Void and Echo

Crunch and Wrecker

Headshot and Crosshair

The Mirror Squad - Origin Story Concept

The Mirror Squad were the first batch of Experimental Unit Clone Commandos created on Kamino: Striker, Crunch, Circuit, Void, and Headshot. They were decommissioned due to their rebellious and unpredictable nature which made them a liability rather than an asset to the future Clone Army.

Because the Experimental Clone Program was an expensive endeavor, the Kaminoans did not decommission these clones, but rather put them in stasis for later research. They tried again another batch of experimental clones and this time only four clones survived: Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, Memento (see note) and Crosshair.

Note: Memento did not survive past his cadet years. Void and Echo's parallel are a coincidence.

When Kamino was evacuated, Hemlock scooped up the original Bad Batch squad, still in stasis within their pods. These clones were the first to be brainwashed and reprogrammed by Hemlock. Although their memories were wiped, their instincts to work as a cohesive unit remained.

Technically, the Bad Batch is a mirror image of what the original Clone Force 99 almost was, but this squad's official name is Mirror Squad.

[martianbugsbunny]

crosshair w piercings writers I love u

[substantial-exposure]

I have so many feelings I'm not ready to talk about.

Crosshair and Ventress

The ship that I didn't know I needed.

[neon-junkie]

How would TBB react to seeing the reader about to leave on a night out dressed up in a super hot outfit?

Gender-neutral reader, but feminine presenting. Words like 'beautiful' and 'pretty' are used!

Hunter - Even with half of his face tattooed, he still manages to blush through the thickness of the ink. - He's truly lost for words. - Hunter has an adorable stutter as he compliments, "wow, you look… nice- I mean, incredible. Good. Beautiful?" - Hunter then facepalms as he scolds himself for picking "nice" as his first compliment. Ugh, you look so much more than nice! - You'll both be giggling as Hunter takes a deep breath, and begins going into detail about how good you look, highlighting the specific parts that really stand out to him. - You're heading out with friends, but Hunter is quietly hinting that he wants to come along. Totally not because he's jealous or anything, but because he hopes to meet your friends, right? The friends that he's met several times before? Yeah! - Tell him that you'll still be looking this good when you come back home later tonight, and he'll get the hint. - However, he may need to leave a fresh mark or two on your neck, just to get the point across that you're taken.

Echo - This poor, poor man is going to turn the deepest shade of red when he finally sees you. - Why, just WHY did you have to wear that specific outfit that he loves so much?! And you're going out without him too?! Oh, what a tease! - Echo is lost for words as he gushes over you. He feels like it's his wedding day - How is he this lucky? How did he land an angel like you? - There's a tear in his eye as you smother him in kisses, reassuring him that you're all his, that you're the lucky one for being with him, that you can't wait to come home and snuggle up with him later. - Echo doesn't ask for much, but he would like to be kept in the loop on your whereabouts. Purely for your own safety! - "And when you reach the next bar, just comm me. Your friends have my comm number too, don't they? If anything goes wrong, and you want picking up-" blahblahblah. - One final smother in reassuring kisses, and you're good to hit the town!

Wrecker - His mouth instantly hangs open, his eyes turn wide, and his facial expression swiftly turns into a grin as he comments, "HOT!!" - You know in cartoons where the character's mouth drops open, and they begin howling and barking? Yeah, that's Wrecker. - Seriously, you look hot, and Wrecker's going to ensure that you know it. - "Look at you! I can't believe I got myself an angel as sweet as you!" - He'll mention how he's sad that he's not tagging along, but he'll assure you that it's important you spend your time with your friends. - Wrecker isn't as clingy as he seems. After all, he'll be right here, waiting for your return. - And when you do return, all your hangover needs will be met. A tall glass of water waiting for you, a midnight snack, breakfast in bed, and a big buff man to cuddle you back to health!

Tech - This will go one of two ways: - Option one: Tech eyes you up and down, and with a firm nod, he comments, "that is suitable attire for your evening. I hope you enjoy yourself." - Option two: Tech's brain short circuits. He can barely muster up a thought, let alone a comment. Radio silence, but his expression says it all. - Either way, Tech is more than impressed with your outfit choice, and how stunning you look. He just… struggles to find the words, like a deer in the headlights. - Give him a few moments, and you'll be met with suitable praise. "How exquisite you look, a truly elegant and radiant creature." - Tech can't pinpoint one specific word to describe how beautiful you look, so instead, he selects the most complex and in-depth ones. He doesn't want to rely on a 'standard compliment.' - A few kisses later, and you're off to meet your friends. All the while, Tech begins pacing around the Marauder like a lost puppy. He needs to keep himself occupied until you return!

Crosshair - He's instantly thirsty for you, smiling cheekily as he eyes you up, gawking at the sight of you. - Crosshair has a way with words, and spews out his praise, all whilst kneading at your waist, his hands trailing down to grab your ass whilst he steals a handful of kisses from you. - And then it dawns on him… - You're going out with your friends tonight, not him… - Jealousy swiftly takes over, and his compliment turn into teasing (yet petty) jabs. Nothing to hurt your feelings, though. - "Any reason why you're wearing this tonight? Do you need more attention? Am I not enough for you?" - Whilst his tone is teasing, there's a desperate need for validation. - Yes, he knows you'd never be stupid and hurt him, but… can you please remind him one more time? - Don't be surprised when you leave, and minutes later, Crosshair sends you a holotext. "Comm me if you need anything, Beautiful."

[techs-goggles9902]

Can you do at Tech lives fan-fic (like if Tech is CX-2)??

CX-2 is all that remains

Warnings: prosthetic stuff, mentions of blood and stuff, contact lenses 💀 scars and stuff, bacta usage, memory issues (ik nothing super bad but what if you had a fear of contacts??) TBB SPOILERS

Word count: 1457 (WHOA I WENT OVERBOARD)

A/N: IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG ANON. I genuinely love the bad batch but I HATE WRITING THEM SOMETIMES 😭 I feel like I’m butchering their characters. But I gotchuuuuu!!! Lmk if I should continue this.

Requests are open! See Masterlist for details!!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: some of this was supposed to be italicized but my copy and pasting removes it, so some of this stuff are their thoughts. Just an FYI

“You recognized it, too,” Hunter whispers to Crosshair as the group hurries up the rocks.

”I did. You said he died on Eriadu,” the sniper replies in a low mumble.

“He did… Wrecker watched him fall.”

”Well, obviously he survived. Next move?”

”Follow through with the plan, Cross. I’ll have Echo double back and take us down there.”

”But… it’s him?”

Hunter pauses. When he speaks, his voice cracks, “Tech’s alive. And with the Empire.”

Tech - no, CX-2! He had to get used to that - needs to get out of the water, and fast. The current pulls at him as he grips a narrow rock beneath the surface.

His helmet can only keep him alive for so long, he needs air sooner rather than later.

This isn’t ideal. The cybernetics will never last if their circuits are drenched.

His slender fingers lose their grip on the rock. One, two, three. The Shadow loses his grip entirely, his gloves ripped apart at the seams as the sharp ridges cut into the calloused flesh of his fingers.

The current throws him back into another rock, his backpack absorbing most of the impact.

There, he thinks as the water starts to seep into his body suit, I just need to make it to that ledge and my odds of survival increase significantly.

He feels his cybernetics digging into the tender flesh of his legs. The part where the river meets land was so close, yet so far. Reaching out a bloody hand, his shredded fingers are met with rough sediment.

Finally…

”Echo, Rex, please. It’s him! I feel it,” Hunter says, trying to keep Echo from making the jump into hyperspace.

“Hunter, what if it’s n-”

”Rex, your buddy isn’t coming after us. He let us go. There’s no risk in going down there,” Crosshair cuts in. Echo and Rex glance at each other.

Rex, Echo’s expression says, what if…

Echo, Rex’s body language reads, you said it yourself. He’s gone.

You didn’t give up on me.

Rex’s gaze softens. “Fine. You have ten minutes.”

Hunter lets out a breath, clasping Rex’s shoulder. He says, “I owe you.”

”You owe me a lot, Sarge.”

Echo lands the ship just off the riverbank but is still hidden in the trees in case Wolffe changes his mind. The ramp opens with a soft hiss and plants itself on the rocks with a gentle thud. The river laps against the rocks like white noise, the water running down the cliff adds to the effect.

And there, lying on the rocks, still half in the water, lies the Shadow. Barely conscious and panting, his bloodied fingers groping the sediment.

“Maker… Gregor, get the med kit!” Echo yells back into the ship as Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker trip over themselves to get down to the riverbank.

“Shit… Hunter, is he…” Wrecker asks in a low tone, kneeling down beside the semiconscious clone.

“His heart’s beating,” the sergeant replies.

“Damn… Wrecker, can you get him on the ship? Gently?” Echo asks, leaning down to check the assassin’s pulse.

“I got him.” Wrecker slowly turns the clone onto his back and snakes an arm beneath his knees and back. “I gotcha, I gotcha…”

CX-2 feels himself being lifted up off the ground, his helmet removed, his head resting on someone’s shoulder plate. He hears voices calling out to him, hands lowering him down onto something somewhat comfortable. A bunk?

His armor taken off his wet bodysuit, said bodysuit is either peeled or cut away from his body.

“Cybernetics aren’t the best quality… just a pawn in Hemlock’s game,” a gruff voice says.

“Oh, Tech…” a softer voice says.

“I told you that you should’ve taken medic training,” a different voice comments. A scoff follows.

“Stow it, Cross.” Cross… that seems so familiar to CX-2. All the voices do, even the soft, feminine one. A warm liquid oozes out of where prosthetics meet flesh. Blood.

“Shit, Gregor, hand me the gauze,” He knows this voice…

“Echo, keep pressure. I’m getting him bacta,” Echo… warm hands trail down his body, checking for further injuries.

“Crap… these prosthetics are absolute trash, I should know. Not even connected properly… Tech, if you were awake to see this mess…” the voice, Echo, scoffs. CX-2 hears a smile in his voice.

“Are…are they as good as yours?” CX-2 hears his own voice ask that. He doesn’t know why he said that. In fact, his mouth moved on its own accord. All sounds around him cease and everything’s quiet except the soft hum of the ship.

“I… no, sorry, bud…mine are cooler,” Echo responds. CX-2 feels a subtle smile tugging at his own lips. Why? These are the enemy. Someone tends to his mangled hands, cleaning them and wrapping them tenderly.

“Tech…” CX-2 hears that name being called over and over again. Whispered in his ear. Murmured into his forehead as soft lips make contact with the scarred skin. Breathed into his hands as someone holds them gently.

His eyes open, just for a moment, meeting the gaze of five pairs of brown eyes. “Tech is gone,” he says. “CX-2 is all that remains…” He’s out like a light a second later.

Hunter’s heart felt like it was stabbed, trampled, cut out of his chest, and thrown out onto a rock to die. Tech is gone… the words echo through his mind all the way back to Pabu. This wasn’t the reunion he had in mind when he realized the Shadow was actually his little brother.

Crosshair doesn’t know how to feel. He abandoned his squad, his family, for the Empire. Is this karma, he thought.

Nonsense, Tech’s voice whispers in his head, this has nothing to do with you. The rational explanation is that the Empire succeeded in turning me into an assassin where they failed to turn you. Do not blame yourself, Crosshair. There was nothing you could do to stop this.

But I could’ve known, Crosshair’s voice whispers back to Tech’s, we would’ve been at Tantiss together.

And how could you possibly have known that, Cross?

Wrecker just tries to keep Omega away from their unconscious brother. “He needs his rest, Meg.”

“I won’t leave until he wakes up,” the blonde replies, crossing her arms. “I’m not bothering him, anyway.”

Wrecker sighs, placing a hand on her scrawny shoulder. He mutters, “Tech’s always been the one to take care of us… it’s weird that we’re taking care of him.”

“I know… what did he mean by ‘Tech’s gone’?”

“I… I don’t know. Cross said the Empire erases their previous lives while they turn them into… this. He’ll pull through and we’ll be losing to him in dejarik in no time.”

Echo was confused. Tech had just asked him about his cybernetics, meaning he did in fact remember them, at least somewhat. He stares out the viewport in the cockpit, his fingers picking at his scomp link. Tech always hated when he did that.

The next time CX-2 resurfaces, he’s staring up at a - wooden? - ceiling, definitely not a ship’s. A house? Hut? Cabin? He groans, lifting a hand up to pinch the scarred bridge of his nose. His face was littered with thick, ragged scars. Ever since Eriadu.

He looks at his hand in surprise as he sees its bandage has been changed recently. Where is he? CX-2 sits up slowly, orienting himself as he goes. The room is warm, small but not small enough that you feel claustrophobic. A window is above the bed he’s currently lying on, soft light filtering through the translucent curtains. He strains his neck to peer out of it.

Pabu…

He gets off the bed, looking down at his prosthetics, which start just below the knee. They’re sturdier as he stands and they don’t restrict his movement like they used to. They’re… comfortable.

He quietly - as quiet as you can get with two durasteel feet - leaves the room, examining the hallway. A kitchen is down the hall, so he heads there. Wincing, he looks around the corner to see if anyone’s there.

There is.

Crosshair…

“C’mere, Tech,” the sniper says, gesturing to the seat at the island beside him. CX-2 hobbles over to it, taking a seat silently.

“I’m not the brother you remember,” he rasps, looking out the window.

“No shit… no goggles?”

“Hemlock thought I should wear contacts so the goggles don’t break out on a mission.”

Crosshair hums in response.

“Why did you come back?”

The sniper takes a moment to respond, “Couldn’t leave you behind.”

It’s CX-2’s - no, Tech’s - turn to hum in response. He feels Crosshair leaning against him slightly.

“You’re not who you used to be, but we’ll get there. Right?”

“Possibly.”

Crosshair scoffs, “Good to have you back.”

Taglist: @will-is-silly @fionajames @sevdidntdie @hellhound5925 @dangraccoon @skellymom

Please let me know if you want to be taken off or join the list!!!

[archivewriter1ont]

Hello writer,

I hope you're doing well😊

May I ask from your yesterday reblogged writer ask game: 5, 14, 20, 28 ?(Hard to choose, so many good questions)

5. Quote one of your fics out of context

This one was super fun to write and I had a ball with the dialogue.

Wrecker smirked. “Aw, our baby brother is the God Maker. ” “Shut up,” Crosshair snarled, flicking his toothpick at the big man. “God of angry toothpicks,” Echo grumbled. 

(if you're interested that story is here 😁)

14. What two fandoms would you write a crossover for?

To be honest...my munchkin sibling has almost convinced me to write a TBB/TFP crossover. 😂 I might do it, too! I could totally see something like that happening... Hyperspace and a space bridge coordinates getting mixed up or colliding, and now The Bad Batch has to deal with giant talking Autobots and yet ANOTHER intergalactic war.

Also, Ratchet and Crosshair would be besties. Hot take but Tech would get on his last nerve circuit. Optimus and Hunter, on the other hand, would bond over exhaustion and too much responsibility.

20. What was the last thing you researched for a story?

How to bandage a deep neck wound. (For My Last Living Words)

28. Which fic is closest to your heart?

I probably have to say that I'm the most emotionally attached to I Know Your Name as My Brother: Adopting Echo. I'm the most excited about finishing Echo and the Cadet Batch at the moment, but then that will probably transfer to The Fault in Our Timelines

Thanks for asking! 🥰

[im-no-jedi]

TBB headcanons: Physical and Mental Traits

I was originally gonna break these posts up by character, but it’s more fun just categorizing everything (plus I get to make more posts this way hehe)

anyway! here are some traits I believe each of the boys have:

Hunter

Oldest of the og four (CT 9901) 

All of his senses are heightened, which makes him more sensitive to things (smells, sounds, touch, etc) but he’s REALLY good at hiding it

Occasionally experiences sensory overload, but has several techniques to keep himself calm (stimming with his knife, meditation, isolation, listening to music, conversing with one of his bros or Omega) 

Is autistic, but is good at masking it most of the time 

Very, very rarely experiences panic attacks from overstimulation (happened mostly as a child, has only happened once during the war) 

Has a high level of tolerance for pain, despite his heightened senses (mostly is just good at hiding it though)

Has a scar over his left eyebrow that he got due to accidentally cutting himself with a knife when he was younger (he has perfectionist issues because of this); has other various scars all over his body (main ones being on his left pectoral from getting shot by Cad Bane, and slight burn marks on the palm of his right hand from the Zygerrian whip)

Fairly introverted; he likes his solitude but gets lonely at times and can NOT be away from the squad for too long or he’ll go crazy

Tech

Second oldest of the og four (CT 9902) 

Retains information the first time it’s told/explained to him (the recording thing is literally just a hobby, he doesn’t need it LOL)

Obsessively researches things in his free time 

Basically blind without his goggles; he’s semi colorblind, which is why the lens are tinted

Is very autistic 

Stims with his tools 

Has an average level of tolerance for pain, doesn’t like to make a big deal out of it and straight up ignores it most of the time (“I pretend I do not see it”)

Has a few scars on his hands from tinkering, but are mostly healed (lotion works wonders my dudes)

Completely introverted, please leave him alone thanks

Wrecker

Second youngest of the og four (CT 9903) 

Is constantly hungry because of his size and high metabolism 

Gets muscle aches if he goes too long without being active 

Has ADHD and autism 

Stims via working out or playing with Lula (or any of Omega’s other toys when she’s not playing with them)

Has a low level of tolerance for pain, but tries to act otherwise (and does a terrible job at it LOL)

Got his face scar on their first mission ever, doesn’t regret it and thinks it makes him look cooler 

Has various scars all over his body, as well as stretch marks from growing so big so quickly

Very extroverted, gets lonely easily

Crosshair

Youngest of the og four (CT 9904) 

Gets frequent headaches because of his superior vision (which is why getting the Order 66 headaches didn’t seem out of the ordinary to him) 

Gets sore limbs sometimes, especially his legs, from how long they are 

Is autistic 

Stims by chewing on his toothpicks 

Has an average level of tolerance for pain but is really good at hiding it

Has a few minor scars on his body but mostly stretch marks from growing so tall so quickly

Very introverted, but gets lonely at times (and will NEVER admit it)

Echo

Oldest of the entire group overall

Suffers from “ghost limbs” with his scomp arm and legs sometimes 

Will get eye twitches sometimes from his brain “short-circuiting” 

Makes jokes about his disabilities to cope (“you wouldn’t hurt a disabled man, would you?”) 

Has PTSD, mostly from what happened after the Citadel explosion 

Distracts himself from the Horrors™ by running ship diagnostics and rereading manuals (which he already liked doing, of course)

Has an average level of tolerance for pain and likes to hide it behind his jokes (“tis but a flesh wound!”)

Has some scars all over his body from the Citadel explosion and his implants

Big extrovert, HATES being alone, please don’t leave him alone OMG

[stardusthuntress]

Hot... in So Many Ways!

TBB Echo x femaleMandalorian!reader  (mostly pronouns and attire in this part, that will change in part 2!)

Word Count: ~2k

Summary: maybe this IS more of a summer fic, but who cares? I like summer! Holiday season ain't my thing, so imma pretend it's summer again! HAHAHAHAHA!!! So, here’s a fic where it’s so hot outside, it inspires a little heat inside too! ;P 

TW: Echo is self-conscious, kinda a given; also, it’s flirty and out-of-practice Echo! Nothing too serious in this part tho! But part 2 WILL be smut! And please note, I am NOT a medic nor doctor of that variety, BUT this stems from my experience living in a desert, so it’s not 100% accurate on what you should do in the heat, but the note about not drinking cold water in excessive heat is a real thing! Wanted to include that in there for funsies! 

helmet banners thanks to the one and only @/djarrex!

This planet was hot. Really hot. Even in the shade it was easy to overheat. So, naturally, this had to be the planet where the ship’s AC nearly went out. It sorta was getting overworked in this environment. And since they didn’t know if this planet was okay with clones, Tech had parked the ship out of view a little ways away from the entirely-indoor city. 

The others were out collecting data for Rex. Except for Tech, who was in the nearest marketplace, acquiring parts. But they needed two people to work on the repairs until Tech got back with the rest of the parts. Naturally, that became Echo and his partner. 

Echo was outside, doing his best to repair the exterior of the ship, where the Imperials had been kind enough to leave a few new blaster burns… right next to the life support quick repair hatch… clearly these Imperials knew what they were doing. Which is what landed the Maurader here, on a desolate planet the Imperials didn’t want. Actually, most people didn’t want it, it was mostly devoid of life, except for the one spaceport-focused town the rest of the team were currently scavenging for intel and parts. 

Before he had left, Tech had warned not to stay outside for long periods of time. It was too hot here for the human body to withstand the heat for more than an hour or so at a time. 

Or in other words, so hot that even Echo had shed his shirt. Echo, the man who struggled to explore a physical relationship because he still hated what the Techno Union had done to him. 

And DAMN was shirtless Echo hot! And not just because it was hot outside. It was evident that Echo had made a point to do more than just get his strength back. Watching him work inside a panel at eye level gave the woman he loved a good view as she came out to bring him a part and hydration. 

She paused for a split second as her brain restarted, short circuited by the toned muscles flexing ahead of her. The way his abs moved with every shift of his arms, flexing beneath a smattering of scars that clearly bore the stories of many battles, left her jaw on the floor. 

“I’ll be in in a minute, I promise. Just a few more things I can do to reinforce this until Tech get’s back,” Echo’s voice echoed out of the side of the ship. 

She shook herself back to reality and continued towards him, folding her hands, and the objects held in them, behind her back. “I’ll hold you to that minute, Corporal. In the meantime though, the part you asked for is in my pocket.” 

Echo emerged from the side of the ship, confused that she didn’t just hand him the piece. 

“There’s my handsome trooper,” she smiled, “come here for a second.” 

Echo obediently extracted himself from the panel and approached his partner. 

As he did so, she finally revealed the objects she’d been hiding behind her back. A wet towel, so laden with water it left drips in the desert sand at their feet, and a canteen. 

“Mmmmmmm, you’re my savior,” he teased, “please tell me those are cold.” 

She laughed. “You know drinking cold water won’t help you drink enough to stay hydrated, no matter how appealing it sounds. So the water bottle is just cool, but the towel is colder, and that’s for the rest of you.” 

She handed him the water bottle as he approached, and leaned in for a quick kiss. 

Echo quickly raised the water bottle and downed half of it in just a few gulps. 

While he refueled, she stepped behind him and rubbed the cool, sopping wet towel, over his neck and shoulders and back. Then completing a circle around him, returned to his front to run it over his chest, and taking a tad longer to rub it over his abs to commit the sight and feel to memory in case this was a one-off. 

Echo chuckled as he finished off the water bottle, “What are you doing down there, Love?” 

“Just cooling you off, Handsome,” she said, straightening again, hiding a smirk, and stepping up to him for another chaste kiss. “One more minute, soldier, then back inside.” 

“Yes, Ma’am,” Echo looked straight into her eyes when he said it, a spark in his own, despite the heat outside. 

She took back the water bottle and stood still, allowing him to retrieve the part from her pocket, and with one last kiss, she retreated back inside. 

Echo watched her go, enjoying the view. The heat had left her in a pair of short shorts and sports bra, leaving little to the imagination. The sooner he could get back inside to that, the better, he decided, turning back to his work. 

Behind Echo’s sweaty form, the door closed. As his eyes adjusted to the lower light levels, they sought his loving partner. But her eyes weren’t looking up at him, they looked down, and she was biting her lip as though she was holding back from something. 

“That grossly sweaty, huh? I’ll take a quick shower, be right back,” he laughed, slipping past her with a peck to her cheek in passing. 

“Hmmm?” She looked up, surprised at getting caught, but he was already entering the fresher. 

Truth be told, she’d gotten distracted watching a drop of sweat run down his abs, emphasizing every curve…and she’d been holding back from licking it off…

When he came out of the fresher, a new set of clothes on, he found her at a console, running diagnostics on the patchwork repairs he’d done outside. She was still showing off a canvas of skin that Echo wanted nothing more than to paint with his love, and leave marks on so the others would know not to touch what was his. 

“Feel better?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the screen, wanting to finish quickly so she could get back to her handsome partner. 

Echo came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her exposed midriff, humming a response as his lips found her neck. 

“You should wear this more often,” he mumbled into her skin as he gripped her, tight.

She laughed and spun in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. “Aww, but you put a shirt back on!” 

He laughed, “it’s better this way, then no one has to see it.” 

“See what? How toned your abs are? So no one can ask about the story behind each scar? Or watch you do a one-handed push-up or pull-up?” 

Echo let out a snort, “As if anyone would be interested in the battle scars and their stories on a mere clone.” He said it with disdain, and she knew it was because he thought she could do better with any of his brothers because they weren’t missing so many pieces, or anyone else in the galaxy. Echo always was very hard on himself. 

“Echo, I’m a Mandalorian! Battle stories and scars are very important to my culture. The more one survives, the more hallowed the warrior! Take your shirt off and tell me the story of each scar you remember, and I’ll let you do the same on me.” 

Echo was preparing to laugh, but found his mind was a blank slate by the end of her statement. Had she just offered to remove her clothes for him? Was this normal for everyone to do in her culture, or was it actually as intimate as it sounded? Echo blinked at her in shock, mind scrambling to figure out what to do or say in response. She also wanted him to take his clothes off for her. He’d never wanted to as badly as he did in that moment. 

“Is that…. Umm… Mando… Mandalorian culture?” It had been a long time since Echo had had this much difficulty stringing a sentence together. He wasn’t even sure if the words he’d used actually made a coherent sentence or were just discombobulated thoughts when they came out, like the ones currently floating through his head. He felt like a shiny seeing a pretty girl at a bar for the first time all over again. 

She giggled. “Yeah, telling stories of battles past is one of the best ways to pass the time for a Mandalorian… Though, only those closest to us know which scar comes from which battle. We don’t often let others see what’s beneath the armor,” she admitted, a little shy, hiding in his neck, and giving him an opportunity to get his thoughts together. 

“Yes,” Echo muttered, barely able to find his voice. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” 

She looked up at him. He was nodding rapidly. She smiled, and found his lips crashing into hers, as he kissed her hungrily. 

Echo’s mind raced. If the computer hadn’t been running such important diagnostics, he would have taken her on that console, without hesitation. Instead, he pinned her against the bulkhead as she smiled against his lips at his enthusiasm. 

“Wait,” Echo pulled back for a moment, “but earlier when you looked at me when I was all sweaty…” he looked at her with a question on his brow. 

“Oh, that, uhhhh, I wanted to… um… it sounds silly, it’s nothing…”

“So I really was that gross and sweaty, huh?” He cringes, bracing for bad news.

“NO! No! Actually, I really wanted to… *sigh*, I don’t know why this is so hard to say… I wanted to… to lick… your abs…. I, uh, still want to, actually… if you’re ok with that?” 

Once again Echo errored out, finding himself only capable of kissing her with a fervor he didn’t know he had anymore. 

She groaned into the kiss, and wrapped a leg around his hips. 

Echo’s hand flew to hold it to him. He enjoyed the soft warmth of her thigh, peppered with scars he could trace with his eyes closed. He longed to know the tale of each and every one of them. And he coudn’t wait any longer. He used his scomp arm to scoop her off the ground, his flesh hand gripping her waist, and carry her to his bunk. 

Once there, he hastily climbed in, and gently deposited her on the soft pillows. 

She detached enough to practically rip the shirt from his body, and shimmy her way down his body, still underneath him. 

“What are y—hnnnng” he groaned as she licked a stripe up his abdomen. His eyes widened, as he peered down at her beneath him. He cursed himself for forgetting that comment. He’d been so caught up in being lucky enough to see even more of her. She smiled up at him, seductively, then went back to slowly tracing the edges of every muscle of his abs with her tongue. Echo’s arms began to shake as she nipped at him between licks. 

With a final, sloppy kiss to his belly button, she slipped down between his legs even farther. A sly laugh the only warning before she pressed her lips to the wet spot at his tip, and used his moment of surprise and her battle hardened muscles to flip him onto his back. 

She hummed with delight, nestling herself between his legs, arms crossed over his hips, hands resting atop his member as she looked up at him, feet kicking in the air behind her. 

Echo lay there for a moment, just watching her, stunned, before summoning the energy to prop himself up on his elbows. 

She leaned forward and kissed his abs again as his hips pivoted beneath her. Letting her eyes and fingers begin to trace out the patterns of scars decorating his body. 

“You promised to tell me the stories of your battle scars, Handsome.” 

Echo chuckled, decidedly out of breath, “who could say no to you, especially after all that, Mesh’la!” 

She smiled, and squeezed the hand that still rested over his member ever so slightly. 

Echo moaned again. “Nnnnn— as much as I love the feeling, and the view, of you between my legs, I really need yours up here.” He patted the bed by his side. “Let me love you too, Mesh’la!” 

She giggled, and readjusted, with one final caress and kiss to his length...

.......keep an eye out for a pure smut part 2!!!

Please don’t steal my work! I pour my heart into these so if you like it please reblog to share instead of reposting it!

taglist: @cw80831 @amorfista (I know I'm missing a few people, so dm me if I missed ya or if you want to change what you're tagged for!)

[sinisterexaggerator]

I'm having a lot of fic ideas lately. This time Cad Bane and Tech.

Not me just wanting my favorites to interact (no smut >D).

Concept goes like this:

Bane loses Omega to Fennec and TBB, he winds up tracking them down again, maybe just to Ord Mantell. The Batch are all over the place, doing their thing, some at Cid's, some at the market, Idk, but anyway, Tech is off on his own and this is when Cad sees and recognizes him.

Tech is captured by Cad Bane. He drags him to his ship. He starts questioning him, being rough, throws him in a cell maybe, which Tech could most likely get out of by short-circuiting a few things here or there, but he decides to see where this is going and if he can garner any information.

He refuses to sell out his family. He is extremely loyal. This is very off-putting to Cad Bane for many reasons, especially considering he has no one he can trust and no one who is loyal to him.

Maybe this is the first time he has cornered a clone. He's fascinated by him. He's Jango but he's not. Maybe they start having philosophical discussions about right and wrong. At first Bane is infuriated, but Tech's non-judgmental, matter-of-fact tone has him second-guessing himself on occasion.

In the end, he is moved by his love for his brothers and his sister. His unshakable loyalty. Maybe he mentions Boba and "dat de kid might wanna know he has a sister." Maybe he gives him a compliment, or praises him for his dedication to his siblings, saying it must be nice. Or maybe he throws offhandedly out there that he's never been so lucky.

For whatever reason, he lets him go.

Maybe before Tech exits the ship he places a hand on his shoulder and says, "There is still time."

Maybe Bane feels extra depressed for awhile, maybe he cries about his life, wishing he could have had something like that.

If the rest of the Bad Batch asks about it, he shrugs it off and says, "I do not think he will bother us again." They don't push him for details.

[levi-venn]

The Short Answer First!

"How exactly did they get into the hands of hemlock?"

The Mirror Squads was put on ice during the Clone Wars after Headshot tried to start a rebellion inside the GAR. Hemlock scooped them up during the evacuation just before Rampart destroyed Tipoca City.

"What do they think of Omega or the Bad Batch themselves?"

A fic emerged out of this question focusing on one of my favorite Batchers and my favorite Mirror Squad soldier. 

If you (or anyone!) would like to see more "Broken Mirror" stories, let me know who you'd want to see next! I’m always happy to scribble these out (I’m in Editing Hell with the sequel to my shyRobot book and I need BREAKS!!)

------

Broken Mirrors: Circuit & Tech (cadet)

Tech was very impressed with himself for two reasons.

First Reason: This self-imposed recon mission went on for a whole month now, and Tech had yet to be detected by The Target.

Second Reason: Tech had successfully kept these recon missions a secret from his brothers. This was an astounding accomplishment considering Crosshair’s sobriquet for him was “Tech the Snitch”.

Tech had informed Crosshair that informing Hunter of potential problematic situations is not “snitching”. Crosshair responded by putting him in a headlock. 

Regardless, Tech would not snitch on The Target. At least, not until he understood what and who he was. 

As far as Tech could tell, The Target was a clone, and most certainly a defective one.

If this was the case, why was he kept separate from the rest of Tech’s batch? And why did Nala Se insist that after Memento’s passing, only four of his batch remained?

Until he could answer these questions, Tech would continue his recon mission. 

Using the ventilation shafts, Tech traversed over the Regs' bunks, the mess hall, and slid down several slanted shafts towards his favorite place in the whole facility: The Data Lake.

A cornucopia of knowledge. Shelves stuffed full of dusty tomes and between pristine holobooks, recycled air filled with the musty smell of history and aged flimsies, the soothing hum of low lights in the floors and distant roar of the ocean below.

And this is where Tech found The Target once again.

Crouching in his usual spot, safe in the shadows atop a shelf bare of any books, Tech was safe to observe the clone.

The clone was taller and lankier than an average Reg. His movements were quick and deliberate. Long fingers snatching books, light feet that hardly touched the ground as he moved from shelf to shelf. He was twitchy and erratic and noisy. His leg shook when he tried to sit. He hummed curiously when he seemed to find something pleasing in a book. He snarled suddenly as he'd throw a tome across the Data Lake's floor.

It was unclear if the clone was safe to approach.

And when the clone muttered to himself, occasionally letting out a brief, high-pitched laugh, or perhaps a choked sob.

Tech didn't intend to meet him anytime soon.

***

Circuit let out a pained laughed. 

The Data Lake was bone dry of the information he sought. A cruel irony that all he needed was something to help quiet his mind, focus himself inwards, give him a few moments of reliefs.

Every book suggested mediation, a warm glass of blue milk, a reflection inward. 

I am trapped within a body that won’t rest, in a mind that won’t hush. Silly books, I am very inward. Too inward. Please...please let me out...

He flung the holobook behind him and leapt to the next shelf, fingers gliding across each spine while his glowing red goggles scanned the titles, flashes of synopses whirring in front of his eyes far quicker than a Regs’ eyes could read.

The little one was here again tonight. Watching him. As if shadows could hide him from Circuit.

The cadet was clever enough to stay hidden, but brave enough to return to this place. The cadet had no idea how lucky he was that it was Circuit he found. Void or Striker would have eaten him alive...metaphorically...probably.

“You’ve been watching me.”

No reply.

Circuit looked up at the darkness where he knew the little one hid. Too scared or too smart to move. Circuit’s helmet and gloves were still on one of the study desks. He would not be a complete shadow…but still…

He fell back into the darkness between the high shelves, skittering around the room, letting the echoing acoustics of the Data Lake mask where he moved. Deftly he climbed the shelves, avoiding cones of illumination, skirting the cadet's line of sight until...

...he was just behind the cadet.

“There you are.”

The cadet yelped and spun, hand reaching for his hip where a blaster would have rested had he worn a belt tonight.

Circuit crouched like a gargoyle inches from the cadet’s face, studying him with unblinking brown eyes behind red lenses. The cadet's eyes were round eyes, magnified behind yellow-tinted goggles. He had a paler pigmentation than his own, lighter brown hair, thinner and straighter.  

But the same brown eyes. Same wild-eyed wonder in the face of Fear.

Fascinating...

He could see his own reflection in the boy’s goggles, the gaunt cheeks, square jaw, a ghost of a Reg.

A ghost of this boy perhaps? A living spectre? A preemptive haunt?

He let out a sudden, unhinged laugh that shattered like broken glass against the soft silence of the room.

The boy recoiled, clutching his legs.

“You’re not a Reg.”

Circuit’s lip curled. Crunch often complained his smile was menacing, but it couldn't be helped. Humor always pulled back his lips to bare his teeth. 

“And neither are you, little one.”

“You're a defective clone then.”

“Defective…” Circuit hadn’t slept in fifty-four hours and his neck felt rubbery, he let it roll around briefly before looking at the cadet again. Crunch once said he looked like a marionette with its strings cut.

He liked puppets. They felt...relatable.

He didn't fight his brain as it unraveled again...

“...Deficient, yes. Demonstrative and devilish. Defiant, but dependable. Demanding. Devastating. Dev...dev...Did you know that Devronian horns continue to grow post-mortem?”

The boy perked up suddenly. “I did know that. Did you know that in Devronian culture it's customary to mount their horns of the deceased's tombstone?”

“I did,” Circuit hunched like a gargoyle, his back arching in delight at this exchange. “Did you know that a Devronian soldier's tombstone is often comprised of common cement and the bone dust of their enemies?”

The boy cracked a smile. “No…no I did not. That is fascinating.” He paused then extended a hand “I’m Tech.”

Circuit regarded the hand. It was still shaking from fear...or adrenaline…or both.

“Circuit.”

He took Tech’s hand, but did not shake it. He simply held it and squeezed, willing it to stop trembling.

Stop shaking.

After fifty-four hours of no sleep, his own hand was shaking, too. On missions he took stimulants to calm it. Now...it just vibrated freely.

Tech seemed to notice this and he put a small hand over Circuit’s as if having the same thought.

Stop shaking.

The shaking stopped. Circuit felt...not calm...never calm...

...his shoulders sagged.

“What did they do to you?” Tech asked, quietly.

That question. Such a question. Where to begin? Where to end? When does it end?!

It was as if a hundred flies were plucking at the spiderweb inside his mind, calling attention to a hundred different scenarios, experiments, trials, tears, and terror, and please...make it stop...

He squeezed Tech’s hand tight and pushed through the Noise so he could speak. 

“They put Everything in my head.” Circuit laughed at the sudden thought of a Kaminoan scientist opening his head up like a pickled meiloorun jar and pouring an ocean of Thoughts inside.

“So much. Too much. All of it. It doesn’t stop. They made my mind exceptional. Then overclocked it to madness.”

He released Tech’s hand before he could accidentally crush it and sat down, drawing his knees to his chest. 

“I…” Tech’s words were slower than Circuit’s, methodical, and Circuit could see those bright brown eyes move rapidly as he absorbed the information he received. “...also have an exceptional mind. It processes information far faster than Regs and I am able to retain 99.88% of information provided to me.”

“How is the Noise?” Circuit asked.

“The what?”

Circuit tapped his temple with two fingers. “The Noise. The Thoughts. The Waterfall of Information that gushes so loud it roars in a silent room.”

“There’s…no noise.” Tech thinks for a moment. “Or…maybe I’m the Noise. My brothers say I talk too much and fill their head with useless facts. I talk a lot because there is a lot to say and…” Tech frowned a little. “...I can’t  help myself.”

Circuit tilted his head to the side. “Headshot says I should talk more. That all those thoughts fill my head like hot air in a balloon and one day I’ll pop.” Circuit’s voice cracked as he laughed. “But...I’ve already popped. I pop every day. Popopopoppoppoppoppop.”

Tech reached out and grabbed Circuit’s hand again and squeezed it hard. 

Circuit quieted. His head bowed.

“Will we join your squad?” Tech asked. "When we're older?"

“No.” More words bubbled in his head - Nononononono - but Tech’s firm grip anchored him.

“You sound very sure. How do you know?”

“Because we are the trial run, the first pancake, a sample size, and you and your brothers are the Real Batch. The Success. You’re flawed perfectly and we are perfectly flawed.” Circuit giggled, but he forgot what was funny. He sighed…he was tired… “My brothers don’t understand. Every exercise we complete, every mission we execute, every success and win are all for you. When they push us to our limits, that data is used to pull you up to your potential.”

Circuit looked at Tech and felt an odd sense of pride. “You are the Real Batch. We are just a mirror, trapped in a foggy mirror. A dull reflection to what you are and will become.”

Tech’s eyes dropped a moment, his pupils quivering slightly as he ingests what Circuit told him. 

“Did…Memento have a mirror?”

“Yes. His name is Void.”

“We lost Memento because of his defects.”

Circuit squeezed Tech’s hand only to find that Tech was clinging to him just as tightly. “I know you did, little one. I’m sorry.”

“It was predicted that he wouldn't live long past adolescence," Tech said, and Circuit was sure he heard a small sniffle, though no tears were perceived. "But thank you.” After a moment he asked. “Is Void healthy?”

Circuit’s laugh snapped like fire popper and it echoed through the Data Lake. “What is healthy to a defective clone?” His laugh quieted, shriveling into a weak sigh. “He is as broken as any of us, but he will live as long as we are allowed to survive.”

“Are you worried they’ll retire you?” Tech asked.  

Circuit shook his head. “We are useful still. They will stress test us until we die or until we are relocated for additional experimentation. My brothers want to believe we will be a part of the upcoming war, but…I believe our journey will end elsewhere.”

“Perhaps I can help,” Tech said. “You can meet my brothers. We can be one big squad.”

More pride gushed into his heart so suddenly Circuit wondered if it would burst from his chest, a fountain of blood and happiness. He suppressed another maniacal giggle. “That’s a nice thought, but we are not the main characters of this story, Tech. We crawl so you may run. It is how it is.”

“How long have you known about us?” Tech asked.

Circuit grinned. “Since you were a legume in a tube.”

Tech frowned. “Why have we never met?”

Circuit’s tired head rolled around again. “It is safer this way. We are not safe. You are not safe with us.”

“What do you mean?”

Circuit pulled his hand away to roll up his sleeves. He showed thick lines of scars overwritten by erratic, intricate artwork of vectors and circuits and formulas. Scars were overwritten by new ink, overlapped with newer scars and scratched over by even newer ink. “Saying that we are unstable is equivalent to saying the galaxy has a few stars in it.” 

Tech’s brown knitted upwards and he reached out to take Circuit’s hand again. Circuit fought his impulse and pulled farther away.

Safer. Better this way. For him. All of this is for him...

“Will you be here tomorrow?” Tech asked. 

Circuit should've said no. He should never return to the Data Lake, sever this connection before it got too strong.

Before I feel too Real.

“I will…If I am not sleeping.”

“Oh.”

Circuit sneered. “...that was a joke. I never sleep.”

“You’re...insomniacal?”

“An insomniac,” Circuit gently corrected.

“Ah of course. An insomniac. Did you know that Insomnia causes hallucinations?”

“Yes, are you a hallucination?”

Tech gave a short laugh and shook his head. “No.”

Circuit offered his hand for a final shake. Tech clutched his hand and squeezed it tightly. “I hope sleep finds you tonight.”

Circuit watched Tech slip back into the ventilation shafts, then he returned to his own brothers in a bunk at a safe distance from where the New Batch slumbered.

Instead of crawling into his own bed, he slithered into Crunch’s bunk. Crunch’s loud snores halted with a snort and he blinked sleepily at Circuit. 

“Wot?” Crunch asked.

“Hold hand,” Circuit demanded, plopping his pillow beside Crunch’s. Short words worked best with Crunch’s brain, a brain that was as loud as Circuit’s, though far thicker.

“Mmmph.” Crunch wrapped his large mitt around Circuit’s hand and squeezed to point it almost hurt. He then resumed his chest rattling snores.

The physical contact seemed to scare away the bothersome flies plucking at Circuit’s mind. In fact, the Noise was quieter than it had been since he was ripped from his birthing tube. 

He slept for two hours.

It was glorious.

[lifblogs]

Maybe this sounds silly, but for a challenge at my library I have started tracking my reading through an app called Beanstack (this is not the silly part. I’m getting to that). At first I thought the app wasn’t for me, but the stats are very pleasing to me, and I can track my fanfiction reading! Which has made me much more excited to read fanfic actually. Maybe it’s an OCD thing that it bothered me that I couldn’t track the stats of my fanfic reading so therefore “it was lesser,” which is obviously NOT true AT ALL. But this app has made me so much more ready and open and excited to read fanfic, and I’m having a lot of fun sharing various fanworks, and it’s kinda cool to see a lot of the same TBB fic writers all follow each other in a circuitous web. I’ve been having a good time.

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Thoughts on TBB Eps 1x6-8

Hello! It's me again. I may have forgotten I was rewatching this show and now it's been over a month since the last thoughts post. I said I wasn't going to leave it that long and then I left it longer so well done me!

But now you get my thoughts on three different episodes! I end up talking about Echo a lot in this, but what's new?

1x5

"The Jedi who are all dead?"

Straight off the bat, Tech is being sassy and I love that. He makes a point though. Working for Cid didn't seem to help them out too much in the long run.

Rules

It's great that off the back of the last episode they've decided to lay some ground rules for Omega. They probably should've done something like this beforehand, but seeing as they are notorious for breaking rules, it doesn't surprise me. I can just imagine them getting back from the previous mission and holding a meeting about setting rules for Omega because they don't want to go through the stress of that again. (Also, it was 100% Echo who first brought up the idea).

Cid

*Sees Cid*

*Is reminded of the S2 finale*

*Visceral anger*

Omega Pushing Things

Omega going up the Dejarik table and randomly pressing buttons even though it isn't doing anything is the exact same energy as fiddling with an arcade machine when you don't have any money. You just wanna press all the buttons even though you won't get anything out of it.

Mum Mode

Love Echo going into Mom Mode and stopping Omega from touching the pointy object (plus the head shake). I like to imagine that this is a habit he picked up from dealing with Fives. He would constantly have to stop his brother from picking up every weapon he came across and it's just prepared him for dealing with a young child who wants to fiddle with everything.

Wrecker and Omega High Five

It's cute!

"They didn't have a choice. They're captives treated like property."

Whoever gave Echo that line... Ouch! I mean, it's perfect. But ouch! Echo knows what it's like to be treated like property and he's damned if he's going to let anything like that happen to someone else. I'd say that it's probably one of the things Echo is the most passionate about. He will always do what is best for people, and that particularly comes through in this episode. Especially since he's been through that experience and knows how horrific it can be.

"And we're going to stop it from happening to that kid."

It isn't just about the money for Echo. At that point, he's more concerned about getting the child out of there. He even sighs when Tech brings up the payment because I honestly think that that isn't Echo's priority. He wants to do good and he doesn't want people to suffer through the same ordeal that he did. Even though the money was the reason they took the mission in the first place, I think that he would rather they saved the captured people than get the money.

"Take care of it. Quietly."

*screech* *scream* *thud*

Clone Helmets

Why does Cid have clone helmets on her wall? Where did she get them from? Did it come from a dead clone? Did she get given it by a clone or was it found somewhere? Is it new? Was it something given to her by the Jedi? I have questions!

Echo Being Zapped

I always get particularly stressed out when Echo gets electrocuted. I know he's had worse, but anytime any sort of current run through his body I get very tense. I'm worried that one day something important is going to short-circuit.

"I wasn't sneaking, I was unlocking."

I swear clones just come with a certain level of sass. Like, it must be genetic because all of them have an innate ability to backtalk everyone.

Echo on a Speeder

Whoever decided this, thank you. Thank you very much. It is very much appreciated. More Echo on speeder bikes please!

Wrecker vs Muchi

The idea that Tech and Hunter were just stood, watching Wrecker fight Muchi is hilarious. They didn't do anything, they just watched. I like to think that instead of cheering him on, they just critiqued how he was doing because that's exactly what siblings do.

And then Echo and Omega turn up and they also both stand there staring at him! No-one does anything! It's perfect.

1x6

Why is Omega Training Indoors?

She almost killed someone and destroyed a Dejarik table. This doesn't seem safe at all. Could they not have taken her some else to train? Who decided to let a child wield a weapon indoors with no training??? This seems like a bad idea, but hey, this is the Batch we're talking about. The idea that none of them questioned this does not surprise me. (Except maybe Echo. I feel like he would've had more to say about this plan).

"Weak noodle arms"

I highly relate to this because I too have weak noodle arms.

Binoculars

I've mentioned this before, but the orientation value (or whatever you want to call it) on the binoculars is always the same. It doesn't matter where they are looking, they value is always 350-450 degrees, even when you have two people looking at the same thing from two different locations.

Since I noticed this, I've never been able to unsee it. (It's the same in the previous episode as well).

Game Map

Anyone else think that the droid factory would make a good SW Battlefront map? It would make for a good PvP arena, with all the stairs and conveyer belts.

I need someone to make this a thing now.

Omega and Trauma

Honestly, I'm surprised that Omega doesn't seem to have developed any obvious PTSD after what she has gone through. That girl must have so much trauma. I mean, she almost got incinerated ffs! That's got to have resulted in some sort of nightmare.

"Is there an echo in here?"

10/10 pun. No Notes.

1x7

Chaotic Opening

I love an episode that opens with just pure chaos. Just throw us right into the action, it's great. Especially since you have to try and work out what the context of everything is.

Rex's Disguise

This man's plan when laying low is to just put a poncho over the top of his very recognisable armour. How has that worked??? It just reminds me of Point of No Return in Phantom of the Opera where the Phantom comes out in a shroud and no-one seems to recognise him even though the mysterious person has the same body structure and voice as the Phantom.

It's very much the same effect as everyone in the MCU putting a baseball cap on and never being noticed. Work on your disguises, people!

Echo

First of all, Echo and Rex having a little "cheers" moment and clinking cups is adorable. I like to imagine that it was them having a throwback moment to when they used to go to 79s between missions. Just a little "I'm happy to see you alive" moment. :)

And then Echo smiling when he sees Omega meeting Rex for the first time!!! He's so happy to see his little sister meeting his mentor and older brother. That man knew that those two would get on straight away.

And Rex's awkward face is so adorable! This man has literally no idea what to do in social situations and it's amazing. Also, Omega calling Rex old is hilarious at the best way that this interaction could've gone.

Protective Rex

The first thing that Rex does after finding out that the Batch still have their chips in is to protect Omega. He has known her for 5 seconds and is determined to make sure that she is okay. It very much reminds me of how Echo is. His priority is to protect the child, even if it means having to hurt his brothers. He doesn't want to, but he's going to do the right thing.

Ahsoka was like a younger sister to Rex, so he knows what it'll be like for both Omega and the Batch if their chips go off. He wants to protect her from what could happen, even though he's just met her, because that's who Rex is as a person and we love him for that.

Omega and Rex

I love watching Omega running to catch up with Rex. It's like she wants to hang out with her cool uncle and chat to him. I just know that Echo would be smiling when he saw that.

Fives Convo

Ah yes, the conversation about Fives. Or should I say the lack thereof. I have a lot to say about this after watching the episode today, but I'm going to do that in a separate post because I have a feeling I may end up going on about it for a while. Instead, I'm just going to leave a gif that summarise my reaction to this convo every time I see it.

Don't get me wrong, I love this episode, but the frustration here!!!

Mistakes

There's a couple of errors in this episode and it always makes me laugh when I spot them. Rex's hairline keeps changing and Echo has a patch on his head before he even has his chip removed.

Echo's PTSD

This would've been a great episode to address Echo's trauma. 6 episodes ago this man had a panic attack because he woke up surrounded by medical equipment and people trying to scan his head. And then we get to an episode where he has to go into a claustrophobic machine that is not too dissimilar in shape to his stasis chamber to get a chip removed from his brain. AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO ADDRESS THE PTSD THING???

I get that there is other stuff in this episode that fills up the run time but this very much feels like a situation that would cause Echo to spiral and we don't see any of that.

Rex and His Helmet

The moment where Rex is studying his helmet breaks my heart. He probably has so much going through his head at that point: losing his brothers, what would've happened if he had listened to Fives, the idea that they may lose the Batch (including losing Echo again), the idea that the repercussions from this war may never end.

It's a look at what once was, what is and what could've been.

"Oh. You made it."

Tech, mate. I absolutely love you.

Wrecker and Omega

My heart! Even though he knows deep down that it wasn't his fault, and even though Omega tells him that, Wrecker still feels the need to apologise for what happened. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her and he almost ended up killing. The pain in his eyes breaks my heart and I just wanna hug him so bad. These two are so precious. I know that he probably has nightmares about that and sometimes doubts that he will be able to protect her. He's scared that he could actually hurt her. But he's a big softie and we know that that's the last thing he would let happen.

Also, is Omega just running around with loose Mantell mix in her pocket? Where is she keeping that???

Hunter and Rex

Okay, I get the significance of having that final conversation between Hunter and Rex. Hunter just wants to do what is best for his squad, to protect his team, and Rex gets that. Rex understands that feeling because he has also been in many a situation where all he wants to do is make sure his men are safe. But I also wish we got another moment between Rex and Echo here. It would've been a great episode to talk through things and it doesn't happen. I would've loved to have had a moment where Rex asks Echo about how he's settling into the group and how's he's coping with everything. Give me back the older/younger brother dynamic!!!

Concluding Thoughts

We need more scenes addressing Echo's PTSD

Omega is apparently running around with Mantell mix in her pockets

Wrecker needs a hug

Rex needs a better disguise

I talk about Echo a lot

[lets-reblog-stuff]

In TBB Tech and Wrecker don't eve know how bribes work so they had limited funds on their disposal - like some cash for mission-oriented necessities, like basic supplies or working undercover - I know it's played for laughs, but they could not know that if everything was severely limited for them.

On Coruscant (or in general bigger cities/planets belonging to the Republic) they could have certain, regulated, places to go, so it was more of a close circuit - because not only booze, but also tattoos, haircuts, etc. had to be made made somewhere... Fandom assumes some clones are skilled tattoo artists and barbers but I think GAR is less self-sufficient than it is believed.

In Legends there were a lot more of natborns depicted to work for GAR - like surgeon staff from Medstar duology - so I always thought some establishments served clones for a tax write-off or/and (partial) recouping of costs?

Also 79's appeared to have normal patrons, so the bar just happened to clones clones (otherwise those twi'leks women in Fives' arc are ladies of the night?)?

CLONES DIDNT GET PAID FOR THEIR SERVICE SO HOW DID THEY BUY DRINKS AT 79’S. RIDDLE ME THAT FILONI

[cross-my-heartt]

I am so sorry for prattling on about this but I'm a million miles down the Crosshair rabbit hole and I WANT TO HUG THIS MAN SO BADLY.

I'm supposed to make this post about all the reasons Crosshair had for wanting to stay with the Empire in season one right? And I wanted to make it solely based on the information he has (from his limited pov) without involving morality or the role his personal biases play in his decision.

I decided to leave all that for another post. Look at just what he has to work with from a factual standpoint for now.

But then I was going through Aftermath and it's so interesting to hear what Crosshair has to say about the Republic and the Empire. I mean sure, he has his chip then but some of the things he says don't sound like chip talk and are all stuff he echoes when he's free of it.

And oh my god, the level of cynicism of this man. I am going to make a full post about it but there's just something heartbreaking when you think about how distrustful and paranoid and just pessimistic he is.

The reason the batch desert is because they believe the Empire is worse than the Republic. If Crosshair doesn't because he's naive that means he believes that's false, that the Empire is just as good as, if not better, than the Republic.

Except that Crosshair is the opposite of naive. He's not naive he's cynical because to him, the Republic was just as bad as the Empire.

To Crosshair the world is a sh*tty and merciless place. The Republic couldn't be trusted, the Empire can't be trusted, leaving either is a death sentence (and is he really wrong? just how many times do the batch have a close brush with death after they desert and survive for the sole reason that Crosshair is on the other side?), the rest of the galaxy is dangerous and the only way to survive is selling your skills for the basic right to live.

You're on your own (nobody wants to help you right? the regs rarely did. the Kaminoans saw you as an experiment. the Republic sent you on suicide missions) and the only thing you have is the handful of people you love and the usefulness you have to offer to those who hold power over you.

This is the nature Tech spoke about - that unyielding cynicism, that perpetual harsh distrust that paints the word in such a brutal light.

And all of this makes the rage he feels at the end of the Outpost so much more impactful. Because Crosshair played the game. He felt like he saw through every slimy institution that ever threatened to wipe him and his family out, he did what was necessary, he calculated the risks, he took all the facts into account and still, still, the universe crouched down, looked him dead in the eye and spat in his face.

And I honestly don't know how you even begin to recover from a blow like that.

[shadowthestoryteller]

Wrecker: Please come back to us, Cross! Don't let your hummus get in the way of rejoining your brothers!

Imp!Crosshair: Mf do you mean hubris?

[vessels-cape]

No thoughts just Eleni Syndulla