#well its after tcw

[antianakin]

Regarding Codywan; which one of the pair do you think would be more likely to fail at self-care, forcing the other to get them into bed, insist they take a break from the planning table and so on?

Cody. 1000% Cody.

For one, Cody is simply younger than Obi-Wan and so is going to have less experience in general, but he's also led an IMMENSELY sheltered life that was full of lots of strict routines that didn't allow him to do much of anything beyond what the Kaminoans allowed him to do. And there is no indication that one of those things the clones were taught was good mental health practices. In fact, you could argue that we have evidence they were explicitly NOT taught mental health practices since I think they tell us in TCW that the clones were told they'd had regular stress somehow engineered out of them. If the Kaminoans believed that, then presumably they wouldn't have felt the need to teach the clones how to effectively HANDLE stress beyond just... pushing through it to complete the objective/mission.

Cody is an incredibly competent person who seems to be pretty steady in a crisis, for sure, but I think he's primarily steady IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS, all of which relate to battles and war and dealing with authorities. Take him out of that situation and he's probably going to struggle a little more with understanding the parameters of what's expected of him. He'd pick that kind of thing up VERY quickly, but it seems like something all of the clones would have to learn after leaving Kamino. Basic things like how to go shopping or going out to eat, even going to a club and the expectations for the social interactions in those places is going to have a learning curve.

I also think that the clones are probably going to be fairly good at managing physical health because maintaining their ability to do their jobs in that way would likely be something the Kaminoans would have kept in mind, but managing their emotional and mental health would be something entirely new. Like I said, they have been led to believe they don't experience stress and all of its related problems, so understanding what they feel and the best ways to handle it are going to be completely beyond them.

And this is where the Jedi can come in. They're literally intergalactic therapists, this is their bread and butter. Helping the clones understand what they're feeling and how to best manage what's happening to them would likely be one of the first building blocks of trust between the two groups. But there's obviously one Jedi among potentially THOUSANDS of troopers, so they probably start by passing along advice to a few of the higher ranked troopers and hope that it trickles down through the other men. And this could easily lead to some bonding between Obi-Wan and Cody, with Obi-Wan recognizing when Cody is pushing himself too far for too long and learning his tells for when he's tired but can go a little longer vs when he's basically dead on his feet and SHOULDN'T go any longer, or when he's in a mood to listen to advice from someone about getting rest vs when he's in a mental place where that's just not going to be taken well and might actually cause Cody to push himself even harder.

I'll also point out that, despite popular fandom characterization, Obi-Wan really doesn't show any inclination to push himself beyond what he can handle in canon. In what I think is season one of TCW, there's a moment somewhere between Obi-Wan and Anakin where Obi-Wan asks ANAKIN if he's slept and can tell that Anakin hasn't, implying that Obi-Wan probably HAS slept despite the stress of the situation. And then there's Landing at Point Rain where Obi-Wan gets badly injured and proceeds to sit through the majority of the battle. He only gets up ONCE, when it seems like their defenses are about to be broken and he has absolutely no other choice but to fight, and then as soon as reinforcements arrive he immediately sits back down again and STAYS seated even through Anakin and Ahsoka arriving, their mission debrief, and being treated by a medic. Everyone else literally has to gather around him because he refuses to move from his seated position. He never tries to get up and fight when he doesn't have to nor does he seem to avoid or refuse medical aid once it's available. At the end, he keeps leaning on Anakin and Ki-Adi-Mundi as he is led to a ship that will take him away from the field so he can get MORE medical aid and doesn't seem to be refusing that, either.

Even in the context of the films, during the fight with Dooku where he gets badly injured, he stays DOWN after that and lets Anakin handle the fight instead because he knows that trying to get up and keep fighting would just be a distraction. And it isn't that he CAN'T get up, we see him stand up and limp away later, but that there would be very little point in him trying to do so. And he doesn't seem to be trying to hide his injuries after the battle's over, either, he's very obviously limping and holding his arm.

Which isn't to say that Obi-Wan couldn't occasionally choose to pull all nighters if he felt it necessary for one reason or another, or that he would NEVER push himself through pain or exhaustion in certain situations, but I don't think that the fandom characterization of him as someone who can barely take care of himself and constantly hides injuries and avoids medical attention to the point of literally causing himself further harm is consistent with how he's actually shown in canon. We don't ever get to see Cody react to being injured, but given what we know of the clones' upbringing, it just makes more sense to me that Cody would struggle with pushing himself beyond what he SHOULD and with managing his own emotions.

[jewishcissiekj]

Since Asajj Ventress appeared in recent media and is set to appear in future shows and Star Wars content, I've seen a lot of people starting to read Dark Disciple. but besides that book, there are so many stories featuring Asajj over her 22 years of existence. So if you are looking for some recommendations and entry points to Asajj outside of the TV shows, here are some recommendations to get to know her a bit better, in both the Canon and Legends timelines:

(for anyone looking for a definitive list of everything she's ever been in, I also have that)

for anyone looking for just the list of recommendations without all my babbling, scroll down to the bottom, it'll be there.

Canon

Dooku: Jedi Lost Audiodrama - Script by Cavan Scott, preformed by full cast (also available in Script format) Starting off, this masterpiece. Telling the dual story of Asajj and Dooku, Jedi Lost is genuinely some of the best Star Wars content out there, in my opinion. Taking place early in The Clone Wars, it tells Asajj's journey battling her ghosts and uncovering her Master's history. It requires only the context of the prequels and The Clone Wars, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes the Prequels, Dooku, or Asajj.

Brotherhood - by Mike Chen Continuing with the book that serves as an introduction to Asajj in canon (chronologically), Brotherhood presents an interesting take on her first meetings with Anakin and Obi-Wan. She's far from the main character here, only supporting the book's plot as the villain and the initiator behind some of the troubles Obi-Wan faces on Cato Neimodia. This Asajj is more calculated, working behind the scenes while still facing off face to face against Obi-Wan and Anakin, and it uniquely handles her character. The book is a Clone Wars adventure taking place before and it requires only the movies' and TCW's context, once again. *While technically taking place after Hyperspace Stories #5, it contradicts that issue's events and makes more sense if it takes place before, so I listed it first (for more info on the contradictions you can go here)*

Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #5 - Written by Amanda Deibert, with art by Riccardo Faccini (Variant cover by Cary Nord) Taking place shortly after Anakin's knighting, before The Clone Wars show, this is a short and interesting comic story for Asajj. While tying into an over-arching plot of the series, this issue stands alone well. Simply put, Asajj is sent to retrieve a mysterious item by Count Dooku and encounters Anakin and Obi-Wan in the process. It has fun art, fun dynamics, and it's really good.

Worthless - a short story from Stories of Jedi and Sith - written by Delilah S. Dawson with an illustration by Jake Bartok This one is not as set on the timeline, but we do know it takes place while Asajj is still working for Dooku. In short, without too many spoilers, Asajj falls into a pit and has to trust on a Clone Trooper's help to get out. The story is a part of an anthology, but it completely stand-alone on its own. If you can read it on its own, I recommend it, but the rest of the book is also very much worth it if you want to buy it for the story. Dawson captures a version of Asajj that rarely gets attention, before the Nightsisters, and manages to show her identity and tell a wonderful story without that tool that's often overly used (in my opinion).

Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle #3 - Written by Cavan Scott with art by Francesco Francavilla & Nick Brokenshire Jumping forward in the Timeline, we have another Asajj story by Cavan Scott! It has Bounty Hunting, A baby Sarlacc, pretty art, fun coloring, and Asajj. So what's not to love? Like Hyperspace Stories, Return to Vader's Castle also has an over-arching plot, but that's 4 framing pages of Vaneé being a bitch and has no effect on the rest of it. Solid stuff. (it is also the source of the first picture in this post)

Sisters - a short comic story from the Age of Republic Special - written by Jody Houser with art by Carlos Gómez Next, we have a wonderful short story taking place just before The Clone Wars episode "To Catch a Jedi". In just a few pages, Jody Houser brings conflict and personality to Asajj's time on Coruscant. And there's gorgeous art.

Legends

While Legends, and especially the comics, have some of my favorite stories with Asajj, it's hard to recommend individual issues. They can be stand-alone but still connected and ingrained in the ongoing story of the comics. But I tried to hand-pick the best for introduction and knowledge of who Asajj is a character there. So I won't recommend the 12 issues she's in, I set myself the limit of sticking with the same number of recommendations I had for canon.

Star Wars: Republic: The New Face of War - 2-issue Comic arc - written by W. Haden Blackman with art by Tomás Giorello Although I'm assuming you all have at least a passing familiarity with Asajj's character, introductions are still important. And, yes, Asajj first appeared in a different comic and after a month or so in Clone Wars (2003), but chronologically, in-universe, this is her first appearance. The Face of War is comprised of issues #51 and #52 of the Star Wars: Republic comic series, and although Asajj is only in the last page of #51, it's necessary context. This one isn't a must for me, but it sets the ground for her. And it's good. Giorello's art brings a unique perspective to Asajj's character, and by that I mean it may not be to some people's taste. So take your pick with this one.

Star Wars: Republic #53 - written by W. Haden Blackman, with art by Brian Ching If the last one isn't a must, this one is. It is a stand-alone adventure, almost feeling like a (better) TCW episode. Obi-Wan is off to infiltrate a Techno Union base with a team of all-star legendary Jedi that are introduced, and everything goes wrong when they run into the Confederacy's best, Durge and Asajj Ventress. I say it's a must because it establishes the nature of the rivalry between Obi-Wan and Asajj, and gives us such a sense of who those people are. It also lays the foundations to my next comic recommendation.

Dark Heart - short story by August and Cynthia Hahn This one, a 1784-word story, originally published on Wizards.com as a part of The Living Force roleplaying campaign, is definitely not a must, but it's barely 2k words, just read it. In all seriousness though, it captures Asajj's essence and I just. love it. You can read it right now, that's the link in the name, it's up online for free legally. While it is a part of the RPG campaign, I read it individually and had no trouble at all.

The Cestus Deception - by Steven Barnes (The Japanese cover is prettier and has Asajj, ok?) Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto head to the planet Ord Cestus to try and convince Ord Cestus's government to ally with The Republic. But under the surface, a mysterious scheme had developed and it gets messy. Never ask me to write a publisher's summary. Asajj is the villain of this one, and I don't have much to say about it, but it is good. Fair warning: it hasn't aged the best in my opinion, and not even in a politically correct sense, some of the descriptions and relationships were questionable at best. If you like Kit Fisto and political adventuring and Clone Wars fights and a mascarade ball, if I remember correctly, this one's for you. It's not much of a story for Asajj but it is a fun read.

Star Wars: Republic #60 - written by W. Haden Blackman with art by Tomás Giorello I have never ever not once said it but this right here is my favorite Asajj story of all time ever. It does require context, though, so here's it: after the battle of Jabiim, Alpha-17 (Legends Arc Trooper, you may have heard of him) and Obi-Wan (a staple in Asajj's stories, he needs to gtfo women's business) are blown up and declared dead. Turns out Asajj Ventress has been holding them in her castle on the planet Rattatak and this is the daring story of their escape. In this issue, Asajj's origin story is revealed, before the Nightsisters had anything to do with her. More than any other Legends issue, it differentiates greatly from anything you know about Asajj in TCW/Canon. She's a warlord, with armies at her beck and call, a military commander, And it's fun. Her origin story is told in this issue, and it's such a great story that shifted my understanding of her a lot. The art, once again, is by Giorello, keep it in mind.

Yoda: Dark Rendezvous - by Sean Stewart (Japanese cover, once again) Last but certainly not least, the Legends Clone Wars book I've heard the most positive reviews of, and was not disappointed in the slightest. It is as good as they say. The story doesn't focus on Asajj, and she isn't even the main antagonist, but she gets a meaningful role in it and has her place and her arc in the story. It's also my favorite approach to how Asajj would act when she has to deal with children. Worth the hype and an excellent book to read unrelated to Asajj.

Alright, that's all! I hope you check out at least one of these, they're all great. As said before, I also have a complete list of everything Asajj in chronological order. Feel free to ask me anything about the list and the things in it. I can also give a complete comic reading list for her, since it's a bit more than just the issues she appeared in. For anyone struggling with the accessibility of these recommendations, I have a hopefully comprehensive guide in the complete appearances post. And now just this list because I promised that:

Canon 1) Dooku: Jedi Lost Audiodrama - Script by Cavan Scott, preformed by full cast (also available in Script format) 2) Brotherhood - by Mike Chen 3) Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #5 - Written by Amanda Deibert, with art by Riccardo Faccini (Variant cover by Cary Nord) 4) Worthless - a short story from Stories of Jedi and Sith - written by Delilah S. Dawson with an illustration by Jake Bartok 5) Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader's Castle #3 - Written by Cavan Scott with art by Francesco Francavilla & Nick Brokenshire 6) Sisters - a short comic story from the Age of Republic Special - written by Jody Houser with art by Carlos Gómez

Legends 1) Star Wars: Republic: The New Face of War - 2-issue Comic arc (Star Wars: Republic #51-52) - written by W. Haden Blackman with art by Tomás Giorello 2) Star Wars: Republic #53 - written by W. Haden Blackman, with art by Brian Ching 3) Dark Heart - short story by August and Cynthia Hahn 4) The Cestus Deception - by Steven Barnes 5) Star Wars: Republic #60 - written by W. Haden Blackman with art by Tomás Giorello 6) Yoda: Dark Rendezvous - by Sean Stewart

tag list: @thechaoticfanartist @charmwasjess @metalatl @redsandspirit @slutshartsstuff @housepartyfortwo @karma-malfoy @thelivingforce

[jedi-enthusiast]

Ok, I know that I already reblogged @antianakin's post about why Anakin didn't need to murder an entire Tusken village because 2-3 of them killed his mom (original post here), but I just feel the need to talk about one of the most damning examples of why Anakin has no excuse for that response.

Post Order 66 Jedi/Clone interactions.

Let's just say, for the sake of the argument, that the entirety of the Tusken village--including the literal babies and children--all took part in the torture/murder of Shimi Skywalker. No exceptions.

Anakin's response to his mother's death is to murder everyone with no remorse or a second thought. Even when he confesses what he did to Padme, the RotS novel clearly shows that he doesn't actually feel bad about what he did. Most of his worry is about what others will think of him and, ironically, about how he's a "good Jedi" that should be better than this.

Now let's move on...

Every clone took part in Order 66 in some way.*

The clones murdered every single Jedi they could in cold blood (albeit without a choice), including the children, with only a miniscule few survivors. How many do we canonically have right now that didn't get captured and become Inquisitors? Obi-Wan, Quinlan, Cal, Caleb/Kanan, and Gungi are all I can think of at the moment.** That's 5 Jedi, out of thousands, that survived--and that's not even mentioning the destruction of their places of worship/cultural artifacts and the shitty propaganda spread about their culture.

* I'm not including the Bad Batch because, my own opinions about the show/characters/writing/etc. aside, we can all agree that the only reason their chips didn't activate was because they're Filoni's beloved OCs and he has a habit of trying to make his OCs "special" in some way.

** I'm not including Ahsoka in this because, like she says repeatedly as of Season 7 of TCW onward, she isn't a Jedi and doesn't see herself as such--and for the same reason I'm not including Grogu, since he's like...a Mandalorian apprentice now and not technically a Jedi. I'm also not including Luminara because she eventually gets captured and killed pretty early on and I'm trying to only include Jedi that are alive for a significant amount of time in the Imperial Era.

So, how do the Jedi treat the clones after they murder their entire family and destroy their culture? Let's look!

-----

Example One:

Obi-Wan Kenobi never learns about the inhibitor chips, as of current canon. He is 100% under the impression that Cody and the 212th (as well as all of the other clones) just up and betrayed him and the Order for no reason. He also watched the security tapes that, yes, showed Anakin killing children, but also would have shown the clones killing Jedi as well.

In the Kenobi show he runs into a clone veteran of the 501st--a veteran who, in all likelihood, probably stormed the Temple and was a part of its destruction.

Does he spit in the clone's face? Call him a murderer? Kill or harm him in any way?

Nope!

He gives the veteran some of his credits, even though it's made a point in the show that Obi-Wan is now working with limited funds and is very poor at this point in time. He doesn't have credits to spare and he is supposed to be looking for Leia, but he takes a moment to give some to someone who took part in the genocide of his people.

He also routinely thinks about Cody and the 212th in the comics! He remembers them fondly and still connects Cody to the feeling of hope, even though they tried to kill him! Even though he has no idea that they never wanted to!

-----

Example Two:

Kanan Jarrus/Caleb Dume knows about the inhibitor chips, but in Rebels it's made very clear that he thinks that it's just something the clones made up so that they didn't have to take responsibility for their actions.

In Rebels, Ahsoka makes the (objectively bad) decision to send Kanan out to find her "old friends" to help the rebellion.*** Kanan then finds out that her "old friends" are three clones, only after he gets there and sees them. He reacts in a panic and ignites his saber, clearly freaking out a bit.

*** I'll probably expand on this later, because I have a lot of opinions on this particular decision of hers, but anyway-

Does he try to hurt and/or kill them? Do they have to fight him off? Does he even lunge in their direction or deflect Wolffe's blaster bolt at him?

Again, nope!

He steps in front of Ezra in a defensive position and, when shot at by Wolffe, deflects the bolt into their ship. Then, when Ezra steps in and says that Ahsoka said to trust them, Kanan de-ignites his saber and they all have a conversation about them helping in the rebellion--even though Kanan clearly doesn't trust them at all and is dealing with his PTSD while being there. Eventually he even comes to get along with/trust Rex, albeit in later episodes.

-----

Example Three:

Gungi, in the Bad Batch, meets up with the Batch and immediately recognizes them as clones. Now, we don't know his opinion on them and their betrayal because it's never really expressed, but it's safe to assume that he has no idea about the chips (at least, until Tech tells him) and it's clear that he's very scared at that point in time.

What does he do?

He hides in the corner of the ship and is wary about the food they offer to him.

That's literally it.

And then later in the episode he works together with TBB and trusts them enough to let them help defend his village.

-----

So, even with most of the Jedi either having no idea about the chips or likely doubting that story, we're shown over and over again that the Jedi never seek revenge against the clones or try to kill them after Order 66. Even though their lives were ruined by what the clones did/took part in, they're never shown to be actively trying to cause them harm.

So there is literally no way you could possibly justify Anakin killing an entire village of Tuskens because of his mother's death, when--in arguably the same/a worse situation--the Jedi are actively shown not doing that.

[wendingways]

Wendingways' Star Wars fic recs

The vast majority of these are fix-its. Some are time travel/time loop. Most revolve around PT, TCW, and OT characters. A lot are also gen, as it turns out.

The order of the list has nothing to do with how much I enjoyed each fic, because I've enjoyed them all in different ways, for different reasons! Fics that seem to be really popular have been placed toward the bottom of each section, because I'm guessing they already appear on a lot of other rec lists. Aside from that, the order is pretty much random.

*Chapter and word counts may not be up to date. I try to go through once in a while to update the details for WIPS, but it's a lot to keep track of!

Complete multichapter fics

Finding Obi-Wan; T, 86.9k. Obi-Wan, having disappeared from the Jedi Temple, wakes up with no idea who he is or what the Force is and gets pulled into all manner of messes (yes, Hondo gets involved, of course he does), while Anakin refuses to believe he's dead and struggles to find him.

Blood and Copper Oxide; T, 36.3k. "Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader crash land on a planet that shouldn't have existed. Luke can't escape Vader and survive the planet at the same time. Darth Vader can't capture Luke and fight off the innumerable threats the planet sends his way. They might have to work together instead." Very cool story!

The Skywalker Secret; T, 39.8k. Anakin time travels back to the Clone Wars following Endor. The story is told mostly through the eyes of perplexed observers, and has an excellent ending; it's very satisfying and lovely!

Lunches at Anakin's; T, 93.1k. After Endor, thanks to the Force's meddling, Anakin finds himself alive but stuck on Tatooine, where he ends up reluctantly mentoring a Force-sensitive girl. (Technically complete, but part of a series which is not complete.)

(Tooka)Cat Scratch Fever; not rated, 17.7k. Luke adopts a tooka which turns out to be his father, under a curse by Sidious. (I would probably rate this one as T.)

In the Tall Grass; T, 18.5k. "After a failed order 66, in which many Jedi still died but the Sith were defeated, an exiled warrior and a boy wander a distant planet and attempt to get along." This one is so cool, it has such a fairytale feel to it! And there's a sequel!

Shadows of the Future; K+, 129.3k. Obi-Wan dies on Mustafar and is sent back to TPM, where he bonds with Anakin and begins to change the future for the better.

Gut Feeling; T, 7.5k. Amusing little multichapter wherein Piett is assigned a new aide who goes by the name of Lucas Starkiller (who is clearly not Luke Skywalker, definitely not), and from there becomes embroiled in treason.

May Death Find You Alive; T, 11.0k. Anakin gets stuck in a time loop where Obi-Wan keeps dying.

Empire Reimagined; series, T, 341.7k. A saga of Luke, Vader/Anakin, Piett, Veers, and Leia covering from ESB-era to post-ROTJ. Epic friendships abound! (Series not marked complete, but the last completed fic doesn't leave you hanging.)

Mirjahaal; T, 132.8k. Another lovely Wishful fic in the spirit of Empire Reimagined, involving favorite characters and somebody else who's a surprise!

The Exiled; T, 20.1k. "Leia has tried everything to help her baby son. She has turned to every expert on the Force she knows-- all but one. (Ben and Grandpa go camping)" (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

Cloudy Symbols of High Romance; G, 22.1k. This one's a bit of a relict! Posted pre-AOTC, way back in 2001, it's a cool take on how Anakin and Padmé's AOTC-era reunion happened, and omg, it's so much better than AOTC. It's actually cute, and you can see why they like each other, and man does it make the knowledge of what's coming so much the worse.

Kintsugi; T, 16.7k. Quietly tragic, even though nobody dies and it's broadly a fix-it. Not a comfy fic, but one which is well done.

What Lurks in the Dark; T, 155.4k. "A simple mission to check out an abandoned weapons factory turns into a dangerous fight for survival. Trust is broken, loyalties will be tested, and dark secrets are brought to light. Because sooner or later, the truth always comes out."

The Beauty in the Beast; T, 46.1k. "When the Force decides it's had enough of Darth Vader and wants Anakin Skywalker back, it dumps his long-lost teenage son on his doorstep with an ultimatum: unless Vader renounces the Sith and turns back to the Light within three months, Luke will die."

Sibling Revelry; T, 24.9k. "After Bespin and before Endor, Darth Vader is shocked to discover that Luke and Leia are twins. Especially since Imperial Intelligence just told him that Organa and Skywalker are, erm, a tad closer than previously suspected..." A hilarious comedy of misunderstandings!

The Sith Who Brought Life Day; G, 13.3k. A rather entertaining take on how Vader found out who blew up the Death Star.

This Life of Ours; T, 53.9k. "On the run from the empire and the remaining Jedi alike, Vader must come to terms with his past and his future, all the while learning to care for the boy that is his only connection to his life as Anakin Skywalker." (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

Teach the Padawan. Save the Galaxy.; series, T, 387.4k. 4 books complete, but the series itself is not complete. Ben Kenobi goes back in time and becomes Obi-Wan's master instead of Qui-Gon.

Legacy; G, 175.5k. Post-ROTJ Luke and Leia time travel to the Clone Wars.

there but for the grace of god; T, 49.2k. Young Luke winds up time traveling to the Clone Wars, where he causes both confusion and conversations that will lead to a brighter future for the TCW crew and the galaxy in general.

Precipice; M, 231.7k. "An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall." Padmé and Anakin each raise a twin and work to bring Palpatine down.

Don't Look Back; M, series, 533.7k. 2 books complete, 1 in progress. Leia gets sent back to AOTC-era, and omg is she a force to be reckoned with! Very detailed, very political series.

Oneshots

Negative Static Stability; G, 8.1k. Vader and Leia meet when Leia is 5; lessons on the workings of ships ensue, along with some good old Artoo scheming. Adorable!

Palpatine's Greatest Hits II: Imperial Boogaloo; T, 1.3k. Just Palpatine being salty. It's very fun! "Fortress Dramaticus" has got to be one of my favorite bits, coupled with Palpatine's ongoing disgust at its lack of shields and certain people's inability to learn certain lessons. And his disgust at Vader's Kenobi obsession. Okay, the whole thing is great. Go read it!

Dust to Dust; T, 4.7k. "Darth Vader goes back in time. The Galaxy is saved; he is not."

Puppet Kings; series, T-M, 18.8k. Really nicely done, dark oneshot trilogy (complete) about Luke, Vader, & Co. I'm not usually one for horror and tragedy, but I read the first fic in the series and didn't want to stop!

Amelioration; T, 8.2k. "A recently liberated Vader attempts to ameliorate the future by changing the past." A different sort of angle, and an interesting fic!

The Horrendous Space Kablooie; T, 6.2k. "9 year old Anakin wakes up on the Executor. Chaos ensues." Well worth reading! Can't say more because I don't want to spoil anything.

The Agony of Tarkin; G, 4.8k. "An extra in the Imperial Opera Company discovers he has been assigned the role of Darth Vader in its upcoming production of The Agony of Tarkin." Another hilarious fic in the vein of The Sith Who Brought Life Day and Accountant Non-Heroes of the Republic.

Accountant Non-Heroes of the Republic; G, 7.0k. "Palpatine makes a choice to hide his fiscal manoeuvres in the Financial Department. The Financial Department takes advantage of this lack of transparency to do whatever they want. This saved the Republic." It's always fun to watch Palpatine shoot himself in the foot, and all the better when it comes completely out of left field.

Out of Step; T, 4.9k. Nice little oneshot with post OT-era Obi-Wan and Anakin stuck into their TPM-era selves.

FIVE HUNDRED AND ONE THING THE MEMBERS OF THE 501ST LEGION OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO; T, 4.9k. A hilarious list composed by General Kenobi. I laugh myself silly every time I read this. (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

501 MORE THINGS THE 501ST ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO; T, 3.4k. A sequel to the 501st list fic, also very funny, although it only has about 250 entries, not 501. (Visible to registered AO3 users only.) Listed with oneshots because the extant 250 entries can be read as a complete list.

Where Have We Come?; T, 2.0k. "The first time was one of the hardest and the easiest. Obi-Wan loses at Mustafar, but instead of dying he wakes up at the dawn of the last day of the republic, doomed to repeat the worst day of his life, over and over again." Time loop!

you drew stars around my scars (but now i'm bleeding); not rated, 1.1k. Post-Twilight of the Apprentice, Ahsoka and Anakin. I'd rate G or T. (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

still dancing with your ghosts (sleeping with your memories); M, 1.1k. "Everyone knows about the Massacre, and how no Jedi made it out alive. The Jedi refuse to let anyone forget." I do not cry easily at fics. This one made me cry.

The Trick is to Keep Breathing; T, 3.5k. "She's older now, and so is he. Far older now. She wonders: will he have lost any power with his age? Will he be shorter, weaker? An old man on a ventilator? It's hard to imagine that he won't still be dangerous. But then, that's exactly what she's counting on."

Tuning up your TIE-Fighter to prove you’re better than the bastard currently running the TIE-Fighter Program for fun and profit; G, 7.1K. "As a rule, Vader didn't really do anything with his social media account, but then the rant of some kid from Tatooine about the inefficiency of TIE Fighters began trending, the pilots and engineers on the Devastator started fixing their ships and Vader got invested."

Multichapter fics that are incomplete but still appear to be alive as of now

Turning Point; T, 9.8k. After Vader dies on the second Death Star, he's sent back in time to the year 69 BBY, on Naboo, where he picks up an unfortunate barnacle in the person of the teenage Sheev Palpatine. Quite entertaining, and I can't wait to see where it goes!

The Good He Seeks; T, 70.1k. "After killing the Emperor, Darth Vader agreed to serve the fledgling New Republic and destroy the last true-believers of the Empire he had once helped create. But he's living on borrowed time." Though I do enjoy pure fix-its, there's just something that really gets me about fics that are fix-it-ish, but life is messy, the characters are messy, there are no easy answers or perfect solutions, and every positive development really feels earned. So far, this is one of those fics, and I'm loving it!

The Galaxy Revolves at a Million Miles a Day (Around Me); T, 40.7k. After dying on Executor during the battle of Endor, Piett finds himself trapped in a time loop which he must break. I'm a sucker for time loops, and this is such a good one!

The Sleepover to Restore the Republic; T, 56.1k. This many Skywalkers, clones, and associated friends, relatives, and coworkers were never intended to be thrown together, and when they are, boy oh boy. Gloriously chaotic and funny. (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

Nameless, on the Edge of Nowhere; M, 100.7k. Vader survives ROTJ, but both he and Luke made it out of the second Death Star via random hyperspace jumps in separate ships. After getting by for a time, the not-fully-Sith-but-not-fully-redeemed Vader ends up with the Rebellion, where Leia becomes his handler. Slow build, and a really rewarding read thus far! (Also, I love the OCs in this one; they all feel very natural and vivid, and like people in their own right.)

Multichapter fics/series for those okay with living on the edge (inconsistent updates, long hiatus, or abandoned)

Headaches; T, 31.2K. "When Luke overhears his aunt and uncle arguing, he follows old Ben to Daiyu. Skywalker shenanigans ensues." Oh my goodness, the pure child chaos that is in this fic, it's an excellent time. Hasn't updated in almost a year, but what's there is so good!

Balance on the knife edge; T, 136.6k. After dying on Malachor, Ahsoka time travels back to Mortis, during the Clone Wars.

The Thunder Answered Back; M, 13.1k. "Count Dooku survives his duel with Anakin Skywalker only to wake up as a captive in the Jedi Temple on the evening of Order 66 and the siege. Betrayed, maimed, and surrounded by slaughter on every side, he must choose his path forward - and choose it quickly. RotS AU." Featuring Jocasta Nu.

Synchronous; G, 67.9k. "It's the usual time-entangling fiasco: 'Find the disturbance. Rectify the wrong. Fix the anomaly. Bring balance to the past so the Force may be balanced in the future.' There is a slight miscalculation, however, and Luke Skywalker finds himself in the Clone Wars while having to masquerade in the body of his late father Anakin Skywalker. Leia and Han aren't so helpful either."

In the Midst of Darkness Lays a Sleeping Light; T, 26.0k. Series, wherein Palpatine turns Vader into a dragon. (It goes great for both of them. Totally.) Angsty and enjoyable, and an interesting exploration of dehumanization/rehumanization.

To Set Up a Sith; T, 35.2k. "Teenage Luke tries to help his unwitting Sith father make a friend, with a little help from his ghost mom and the Force." Interesting story with fun and sweet bits, and I'm super curious about how it will turn out if it's ever finished!

like a lazy ocean hugs the shore; T, 10.7k. After Vader kills him, Fox gets stuck in a time loop around the time when Fives is killed.

Living Every Day; T, 82.9k. "When Satine Kryze survives her encounter with Darth Maul, it changes the galaxy. But even more than that, it changes the lives of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Skywalker family."

Dancing with Ghosts in Your Garden; T, 979.3k. Star Wars PT and TCW characters, but in a Hogwarts setting. It works surprisingly well! There's a little more teenage romance than is my personal preference, but it's a cool AU and quite long if you're looking for a fun, imaginative fic to absolutely bury yourself in for a while. (And it looks like Ahsoka might finally be entering during the next year of the fic!!)

What We've Become; T, 82.0K. "Darth Vader and Ahsoka’s fight on Malachor takes a different path, and Ahsoka actually is able to save her master. Or rather, she’s able to convince him to save himself. Diverges from canon in the last few minutes of Twilight of the Apprentice and goes increasingly AU from there."

better late than never; G, 41.4k. Ahsoka wins at Malachor, Vader redemption fic.

Madhouse Promenade; T, 13.0k. "In a bid to save his new apprentice's life, Darth Sidious siphoned the life force from Padmé Amidala, ultimately killing her. Ten years later, after finding out the truth, Darth Vader finds himself haunted by her ghost, and Padmé finds herself face-to-face with what her husband has become."

Hard Reset; T, 33.4k. "Anakin Skywalker wakes up to his worst nightmare, and he doesn't even know all of it yet." Aka Vader gets amnesia, and Anakin is confused about everything. (Visible to registered AO3 users only.)

The Ghosts on Coruscant; T, 143.6k. After surviving Mustafar and living as a rebel for eight years, Padmé is captured by the Empire, and Vader finds out.

Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns; T, 616.6k. ST-era Leia time travels back to ANH.

Old Man Luke; M, 109.4. ST-era Luke and Leia time travel to the Clone Wars.

Comics (all wips)

Dark Chasm; T, 21 chapters. "On Bespin, the truth is revealed, and Vader bids for Luke to join him. Luke looks down into the dark chasm and makes a choice."

Imperial Babysitters; T, 17 chapters. Cute comic/art series with Luke being raised by Vader, Piett, and Veers.

Our New Hope; T, 57 chapters. "After Ahsoka Tano discovers 12-year-old Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, she takes him under her wing and around the Galaxy. Meanwhile, Darth Vader has found Bail Organa's force-sensitive daughter and has started training her as a Junior Inquisitor. A chance encounter between the twins brings their worlds together."

The Tinies; G, 76 chapters. Cute comic with Vader and Padmé raising Luke and Leia.

[warsamongthestars]

So, since its been a bit, let's start with a criticism.

Cody was badly handled in TBB.

( In fairness, a lot of things were. An unbelievable amount of things were. I'll eventually get to a full list. )

The thing about Commander Cody, is that he represents several things and is symbolic of several things.

He's the Hero-Mentor Archetype, shared with Obi-wan Kenobi. He's there to set the example to the characters the ideal of what he does, as well as serve as example to the Audience of what the function of this character in the greater universe is--both as function and, since we're in the space opera and symbolism is key, an indicator of the greater world-build at large. This is better shown in TCWs, though unfortunately, even there it falls through because TCWs didn't focus on the Clones outside of a handful of episodes (which is a damn shame, given the set up.)

Cody is the First Clone Character. He's the first named clone who has an effect on the world and thus catches the audience's eye. Just as Kenobi was the first Jedi character to ever be introduced, and thus, sets the example for every Jedi Character after him. ( Mind that i said Character. A person in the nameless mass that does nothing but sit there for a scene and is barely noticeable, is no more a character than a barrel in another scene. If something is just there to fill the backdrop, its not a character. Its filled scene space. ) Because Cody is the Clone's Clone, he serves as an example of what the greater clone world is: in his case, what the Ideal is, just Kenobi does for the Jedi. If something has gone wrong with the greater system, you will see it in them. ( Think Kenobi and the Hardeen situation. Then compare the Jedi's attitude with Ahsoka's trial. If the show isn't enough, try the Prequel Trilogy--Kenobi's criticism of Qui-gon Jin for picking up Anakin, and then how the attitude is reflected in the Jedi Council upon confronting Anakin. )

So, there's your backdrop.

The way TBBshow treats Cody starts off as, actually, rather decent.

Commander Cody wouldn't be just another Guest Character to take focus away from story, character and plot ( as an excuse to not write either three), it would make sense for him to show up in the immediate Post-Order 66 era.

His Gray Paint is also very nice.

I personally subscribe to the idea that, since the 212th had golden colors and Cody himself had a sun-like motif about him--the gray out was, in a sense, a parallel to the Deathstar.

Its a "star" but its moon gray and it causes death where ever it targets.

NOT-BONUS: Being familiar with Crosshair would've been a bonus, it makes for a nice touch on a pre-established relationship from TCWs--the problem is, is that the reason Crosshair is even there is a broken argument for a piss poor planning from Season 1. Crosshair is there, because the writers want him to be there, and not for anything reasonable in-story--remember, they even dropped the Chip plotline. There is no reason for Crosshair to be in the empire besides the fanfic plot of "The Jerk must be Evil because he's said Not Nice Things".

And that's where it stops.

Because we've suddenly got a Cody with Personality, in a time where y'know, that doesn't make any sense.

You could argue that "oh the chip wears off!"... which is from the same show that completely forgets about the chip a quarter way through, and would rather blame its victims for not trying to not do evil things when under influence.

And it ends with "Oh he ran away". With the implication of "Oh he just disagreed with the Empire!"

... Several things there, folks:

The Republic was the same way. Watch Phantom Menace. Watch the Clone Wars. What happened on that episode, is half the arcs and seasons on the Clone Wars. Except without trench warfare and the cost of thousands fo lives. If anything, it was arguably more peaceful than anything the Clone Wars produced.

It breaks Cody as a character. He's meant to represent Clones as a whole, just as Kenobi represents Jedi as a whole. Clones as a whole are under the chip influence and are willingly serving the empire; and even if they weren't, Pre-TCWs Extended Universe has several arguments (not necessarily good ones) about how clone training would've made systematic orders very easy for clones. Cody is meant to be under the influence. If anything, he's meant to be the Imperial's Imperial Clone by this point. Because by his nature as a clone in Star Wars, he falls to the Empire and Hunts Jedi down, because that's what being the Clone's Clone is in a Post Order 66 era. It is, in fact, a very important marking point in the whole Prequels and TCWs, that this happens.

It continues the obvious flaw: Lack of Communication and the Writer's inability to write anything deeper than One Liners You're telling me that the Officer in Charge, who would call one of his troops "Son" like he's a grizzled war-vet, who would be a gentleman one minute and fist fight walking-talking solid metal-bot, who has supposedly taken example from Kenobi the art of subterfuge, wouldn't confront Crosshair if he disagreed with Crosshair's methods? Congratulations, the new personality trait for Cody of the TBB is Cowardice. I'm so fucking happy about it. Really I am. No matter how boring and overtalkative they were, even the Prequels were capable of meaningful conversations. For one thing, they painfully talked about how Anakin repeatedly killed people. TBB does not have meaningful conversations. Oh it'll look to the wind dramatically and make the audience think that something is happening, and yeah, its fun to imagine that something up... ... But remember that nothing is actually there.

The "Story is Elsewhere" Then why aren't they writing That Story Elsewhere then? Fun thing about stories, is that, if you want them to happen, you Write Them. "Expanding in order to ensure other media" Thanks, I can find a regular Clickbait Content Farm online, without having to pay subscription for one. "Expanding on Star Wars at another time" I can go on AO3, for that, thank you. The ultimate truth is, is that this team cannot write. They will throw in a bunch of characters and references to get the blood pumping, but the moment you look back and see what is happening, you realize, absolutely nothing is happening at all. They would rather bank on resurrecting Ventress meaninglessly, than confront the fact that they killed Tech, who is by all time spent and story applied (regardless of quality at this point), a much more important character. They would rather dangle the kid sidekick from name any last century sci-fi shows, than confront the fact that Crosshair got brainwashed, and when they do confront that, its with the help of the sidekick like she's gods damn discount bootleg of Steven Universe, and with a helping heap of Victim Blaming. Why is a more interesting and meaningful story Implied to be elsewhere, when you could be writing an interesting and meaningful story Now what you have?

Now the thing about criticism, is that its easy, so how bout I offer a better scenario with what we have?

( I'll offer an Actually Decent Scenario when "Rewriting TBB" comes up. For now, we work with just the episode. )

Crosshair meets Cody again, they go on mission to take back a Separatist world. ( Yes, take back, because the Empire is also the Republic but with the shackles off, remember this. The Clone Wars didn't end just because the Jedi are dead. )

Cody doesn't call anyone by their names, except for Crosshair. (Working off of Imperial themes from S1). Besides that small issue of calling his brothers by their numbers, he otherwise seems to act like Cody.

After some cool fight scenes that play off of Cody and Crosshair' strengths--such as Crosshair sniping and mirror calculations, and Cody's ability to fist fight Robocop--they reach the planetary leader area.

Crosshair is, as a proper Sniper, is directed to set up in a sniping position to watch Cody's back, whilst negotiations under duress happen. It ends with Cody putting a blaster bolt through the Seppie Leader's head.

Now such heartlessness is something that Crosshair would expect out of himself (He knows what needs to be done--he's a sniper, he's been trained, there's already blood on his hands so he thinks he damned anyway), but it coming out of Cody is shocking. Because Cody is the Good Guys' Good Guy for Clones, any clones.

( In this instance, its both a shock and a sad confirmation to the audience, because we know and acknowledge the chip, and its much more powerful and tragic to see it affect someone as important and long standing as Commander Cody )

Crosshair confronts Cody about it, and Cody brushes it off as simply following orders for the greater good. When Crosshair pushes-- because as a Bad Batcher, pushing things beyond acceptable social limits is in the job description--Cody implies a threat, asking if Crosshair is thinking about going against orders in command.

( We can even have a nice shot of a thigh blaster with Cody's hand near it, with some dramatic, quiet music that thumps )

Crosshair goes "No sir", and the episode ends with the implication that Crosshair seeing what the Empire has been doing to the people he knew.

Cue the credits.

[lesquatrechevrons]

TCW Multigenerational timeloop AU

@cacodaemonia and @anxiousotters thank you for asking about the AU! 💖💖💖

it’s all because I am fascinated by what kind of societies/communities the clones would foster given the chance, time and space to do so and also because I wonder what happens to those survivors of o66 that we don’t hear about (and have not died T_T). And lastly, because I Am Not Immune To The Grandfather Paradox and how this can play out!

TLDR: surviving clones recover, rebuild their numbers & raise each other in a liminal place away from The War. Things are so every cycle the Oldest Generation will pass away and be reborn as the Youngest; knowledge needs to be taught from generation to generation. No one knows (not even me) if this cycle will break one day, but the clones do understand that every few cycles the stars are in position for them to mess with the GFFA time continuum. Will they? If yes, how? If not, what does this cycle of rebirth mean for the culture they choose to create?

Much longer rambling (and super rough sketches! At the end!) under the cut!

The rambling explanation:  

I have 2 versions in mind:

The one with no legends characters (straight TCWs only), would probably need much ‘hand-wavy’ will of the force: some of the survivors find a pocket of time (inner core planet/sheltered galaxy like exagol that follows its own rules) and ~something~ causes them to be reborn at every cycle; example, you have old Dogma teaching a teenage Boil holding a toddler 99. In 40 years Dogma will be reborn and the cycle begins again. Plus, (vague idea) there is a temporal window that will allow them to ‘come back’ but only in the 10 years before and 10 years after TCW. They (I) don’t know if there are conditions to meet that will break any of their cycles. 

the one with some Legends characters, what they find from the clones genetic research jumpstarts the hope to “fix” the galaxy. They find a remote planet in the inner core, set up embryo batches much like Kamino, raise themselves communally, wait their chance to understand ‘what is their purpose’. I would think Spar is around (instead of dying, sharing Jango’s memories in a sort of ‘Postmortem: what went wrong’), as well as Mereel (given he and the RepComm cast synthesised the cure). And I still like the idea of a time window, except this time is ‘with the power of pettiness, revenge, and this apocryphal force temple I found’ flavour, and it would allow them to mess with the TCW until they get the outcome they want. 

So, my many questions that I am rotating for both AUs are:

In AU #2, which outcome would ‘strategy trained’ classes vs the troopers want for 3 millions of themselves? It would be an occasion to think about how different clone classes (Nulls Alphas CCs CTs etc) think of what ‘fixing’ something is. Also what kind of society do you create if your role is determined by your body type? And if you don’t have external stressors like pure survival, would you allow diversity? Would you level the playing ground by giving new generations access to the same modifications you have?

Would there be non-clones around? (It would be fun if every ‘Window in time’ cycle the clones grab a few key people - and see how they impact things).

In both AUs, if you could learn at the knee of a previous version of yourself, would you still be you? Maybe they have batches of clones eligible to ‘be’ one of ‘the originals’, chosen based on tests (because the early generations all they knew was testing). If you could prevent your future-past self, would you? How would a ‘4th generation Ponds’(from either AU) behave, if it was raised and taught with the experiences by previous versions of himself and the mistakes he made to try and save his men/Mace/Boba?

Would they enforce command top down (as this is all they have known), or would they learn/discover other ways to organise themselves? 

Do you isolate yourself from the galaxy? Or do you live as if one day you will ‘rejoin’ it? And if you think that you need to ‘prepare’ for something, will you? Will you run? Will you allow those that do not want to fight (Slick, Cut), to not to?

NOTE: I realised that I didn’t mention any specific ships or characters because I tend to think in terms of worldbuilding first and this idea is so… formless… I can’t even begin listing of who would drive the narration here. I’m imagining a choral cast because rocks are hewn by hammering them one hundred times, rather than one single hit.

And the… very rough… sketches!! Mistakes abound. As you can tell I’m going for a vibe of ‘teenagers without the canon terrible stressors’.

Wow!! This is so much more than I thought I had to say about this AU! I always get stuck on such big questions that I can’t answer (I am just not a plotter enough to make them a believable story), as well as the sheer mountain of material I need to read (RepComm, the games, so many episodes in TCWs…)(I need 72 hours long days!!!)

but if you have any feedback, or if you want to play in this sandbox, please do feel free to do so!!! <3<3<3 And thank you if you made it this far in my rambles!!

[nightfall-1409]

I have just realized that this series of events has unintentionally made Bo-Katan the funniest person in this galaxy (at this time).

We know in Mandalorian S2 that Bo-Katan knows Ahsoka's locations, and further, what sounds like her plans. This implies to the audience that she's in general contact with Ahsoka, and given their good terms at the end of TCW it seems like Bo-Katan and her may genuinely be on good terms.

We also know from Rebels that Bo-Katan is well aware of Sabine, and further, got the Darksaber from Sabine. So obviously, (in my head at least,) it's more likely than not if Ahsoka started to train Sabine that Bo-Katan would hear about it, as it sounds like they were all quite involved in the Rebellion and its aftermath.

Except the situation in Mando S2 was Din showing up with puppy dog eyes under his bucket like "please im looking for a jedi master for my foundling do you know where one is?"

So. EITHER.

a) Bo-Katan knows that Ahsoka stopped training Sabine, (in Sabine's words, she walked away from Sabine.) after what sounds like a hot mess wrt the Night of 1000 Tears, the death of Clan Wren, no leads on where Thrawn or Ezra are, its all a wash... and she sees this man and his Yoda looking baby and goes..."ooh you know what"

just sends her a Jedi baby like. You want a baby Jedi and not a Mandalorian, oh well see, I got you a baby Jedi right here for you. Wrapped up in a completely DIFFERENT Mandalorian Problem. So uh. What about that student of yours. Ahsoka. What's going on there. Buddy?

OR

b) Bo-Katan is completely in the dark about the apprenticeship going awry bc of how busy she's been with trying to take on Gideon, (which is why she didn't reach out to Sabine and have her there w/ her to kill the man who murdered her Family) and just set Ahsoka up on this blind playdate with a baby Jedi and his Mandalorian dad bc, well, "You train Mandalorians don't you? Well, why not have another!" and this was just how she ended up Finding Out that actually Ahsoka's no longer taking apprenticeships at this time.

[mera-k1]

Hii!! Can we get a first kiss hcs with TCW and/or AKYR, please? Whether its cute giggly ones or the slow and steady,,,🤲🌹

(((I actually sent an anon ask on this but i got a notif that something went wrong with it lol, but lmk if it actually slides into your inbox:0)))

Have a nice one!

it never did come into my inbox but dw!! hope you enjoy the fluff~ later note: GOT WAY TOO LONG... PUTTING AKYR IN A SEP POST!!

First Kiss

TCW x gn!reader

-fluff, idk u guys kiss 😱, not rlly in order so here's order i wrote in -> yohei, shiki, ryu, saimon

having to watch your boyfriend clean counters and sweep the floor wasn't the most exciting thing in the world. but.. he didn't look half bad while doing it. with the sleeves of his bartender 'uniform' rolled up and his focused expression, you couldn't help but admire him. well, okay.. you hadn't been dating that long but the crush you had on yohei was... you've had to for a little longer than you'd like to admit. so when he accepted your confession, you were extremely surprised that the cold-fronted man had actually accepted.

besides that, you really just had wanted to spend some time with him lately. after all, he'd been working so much! why not take some time off and spend some time with you? that's what you had proposed but-

"i needa finish cleaning, babe."

"oh.."

those were the only words that had been spoken since you had gotten here. letting out a dramatic sigh, you slumped down onto the bar counter that he had just finished cleaning. the damp, cool counter smelled of cleaning supplies and you wrinkled your nose at the sudden strong smell and lifted your head back up to wipe your now wet cheek.

"what're you sighing for?" he looked over after you had let out the dramatic sigh, cloth in hand as he wiped down the opposite end of the counter from you.

"i just wanna spend time with you!" you put your elbow onto the counter, leaning your face into your hand as you stared at him. yohei returned your sigh with one of his own as he shook his head.

"i told you i've-"

"i know what you told me!" you huffed out at him, a pout forming on your face as he walked over to you.

"tell you what," he started, looking at your pouty face. yeah... there was no way he could say no to you now. he was being a little mean, wasn't he? he briefly leaned down, planting a quick peck on your lips before walking back over to the previously abandoned cloth he had been using to clean. "we'll go out somewhere once--" you didn't hear the rest as your face turned pink as you suddenly shot up, shock evident on your face.

"y-you kissed me!" you covered your mouth, half from shock and the other half... you weren't really sure. "that was the first time you've ever kissed me!" he looked over at you, a faint pink color appearing on his cheeks.

"...mh. i- i guess i did."

okay so.. maybe it was a little bit awkward, eating lunch with your boyfriend. or well... new boyfriend. not like you've ever had one before but it felt awkward to sit by him during lunch uninvited. but... it's kind of an unspoken thing that you're allowed to do that, right? you had been friends beforehand but... this whole relationship thing was kinda hard... especially with your shy boyfriend.

"uh- uhm- th-thank you for eating with me, (name)..." shiki mumbled, shyly. his face growing pink with blush. you weren't sure if he was flustered by you unexpectedly sitting by him or if he had just remembered that you two were technically dating after that mess of a confession from you. god, you didn't even want to think about it right now...

"no problem!" you gave him a content smile which seemed to make his face go redder. even though it hadn't been long, you were happy that this sweetheart of a guy was your boyfriend. he might be timid but you still loved him!

"ah.. (name)?" he looked over at you, a hesitant expression on his face. it was almost impossible to tell what he was about to ask you with that expression. it almost looked like pity, but you knew it wasn't- but it also looked like shyness? but he was shy about a whole lot of things!

"what's up?" you asked, trying to keep the conversation casual and not think about the possible question.

"w- would you like to go somewhere after school?" he mumbled, looking down shyly. "ah-! with- with me! if that's okay..." he quickly added. as if it wasn't obvious enough! of course you would love to go on a little date with him!

"of course! why wouldn't it be okay, shiki?" you gave him a smile as he almost immediately brightened up too.

"really?!" you nodded happily in response, getting up from your spot on the bench beside him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before taking your bag and rushing off as the bell rang.

"i'll meet you outside your class after school, okay?!" you called as you jogged away, leaving him an embarrassed and blushing mess as he stared at you disappear in shock.

some days, you weren't sure if you should regret asking ryu out. deep down you knew you didn't regret it, of course, but times when ryu was running around the room in a dino onesie, pretending to be a dinosaur made you wonder what you had really gotten yourself into when you asked him out.

"ROARR!! i'm gonna get ya, (name)!!" he made a scary face as he ran over to where you were sitting with his arms outstretched, ready to grab you. you couldn't help but laugh at his childishness when he tackled you down onto the carpet. "iiii... got you!!!"

you both became a fit of giggles after ryu tackled you down, cuddling in closer to you as if being on the floor was a normal occurrence for the two of you. "okay, okay.. it's time to actually get up and ready, ryu." you patted his head as he childishly wrapped his arms around you and shook his head with a pout.

"not yet! just a little longer, 'kay? and then we will blast off, captain!!" he declared, suddenly an astronaut instead of a dinosaur now. you couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up inside of you.

"from dinosaur to astronaut? what a drastic switch!" you playfully teased him before he suddenly jumped up, pointing up towards the ceiling (which you assumed he was pointing towards the sky) and brought his finger back down to point at you on the floor.

"yes! we will be blasting off to the moon! astronaut ryu and (name) are making it to the moon!" he declared loudly as you got up from your spot on the ground and walked over to his excited face.

"i'm sure we will, ryu, but it's time to get ready, okay?" you smiled at him before he sighed, seemingly accepting the fact that he couldn't sit and have fun with you all day in his room.

"one thing before we blast off!" he gave a determined look, his hands on his hips. you raised your eyebrows at him as a silent 'go ahead'. "astronaut ryu needs a kiss before he gets ready!" you would have been flustered by his sudden request but seeing him so determined made you forget the blush that had burned onto your face when he said it. leaning in, you gave him a kiss on his smiling face before he cheered leaving you to look at him with a content smile on your face. yeah, he was definitely the one for you.

"you don't have to force yourself, love," the deep, comforting voice of saimon sounded beside you as you both sat on his bed. you wanted to take your relationship a little farther and sleep beside him instead of sleeping in another room whenever you visited him. "take your time."

"no, no it's alright. i trust you and stuff, but i'm just nervous..." you sighed, nerves getting the better of you as you fiddled with your hands in your lap. his hand lifted from its spot behind you and rubbed your back, gently nudging you closer to him.

"you don't have to rush anything, love. i'll wait for you to be ready." he assured you as he rubbed your back, leaning down to kiss your temple.

your hand reached up to touch his face gently, leaning up to reach his face as well now and kiss him. for real this time. although it was your first real kiss with him, it felt so natural and comfortable as his hand held yours, thumb rubbing over your knuckles as you both held the kiss for what felt like minutes till you had to pull away for air.

"...sorry! i should have asked before doing that-" he had a soft smile on his face as you rambled on, flustered that you had done that without even asking him beforehand.

"it's alright, i enjoyed it just as much as you did. nothing to fret over, my love." god... this man would be the death of you without even trying..

[tis-the-marmot]

Just some of my thoughts on The Bad Batch finale or, well, The Bad Batch in general under the cut

You know, I can still vividly picture my old self back in 2020, awaiting Ahsoka's return when Season 7 of The Clone Wars had just been released. Then I began watching, and The Bad Batch made their very first appearance. I was like "who the hell are these soldiers, I couldn't care less about their arc. where's Ahsoka. Oh is she coming later? Fine, I guess I can put up with these clones for a few more episodes."

And as I kept watching I could feel myself gradually warming up to them. "Hm. I guess they're not so bad after all. The sniper is kinda cool. And they all have their interesting little dynamics with each other. Echo's back yippiee!! And he's joining the Bad Batch, good for him, good for him."

Still, that wasn't enough to shake my initial indifference, and I quickly went back to wanting them gone. "Okay seriously you guys have stolen too much screentime, I'm ready to see Ahsoka kick Maul's ass now, so byeee"

Who. Would've. Known. Who would've thought I was talking about the same clone squad that would reduce me to a crying mess four years later.

Would 2020 Marmot believe present-day Marmot if I told her that snarky sniper would become one of her favourite Star Wars characters? Would she nod along with uncertainty if I advised her not to get too attached to that guy with the goggles, only for her to grow fond of him anyway?

Would she laugh in my face if I counted all the occasions she would've rewatched those four TCW episodes in the future - the same ones she couldn't wait to get over with the first time - just to recall the simpler days of Clone Force 99?

How would she react if I described her excitement when they first announced that The Bad Batch was going to have its own show, and her absurd feeling of emptiness now that everything's over after three seasons?

I really wish I could delve into a deeper analysis of the last episode and comment on everything that happened, I'd really love to. But I just can't. Not while I'm still trying to process the fact that this series has officially ended.

And what a bittersweet ending to an equally bittersweet story. I've always recognised The Bad Batch for what it is, with all of its strengths and flaws, and I admit there are some narrative choices I still don't fully agree with. But despite everything this show means the world to me. The characters mean the world to me. I've seen Omega grow, change her brothers for the better and let herself be changed by them as well. I've seen how the presence, or rather the absence of certain Bad Batch members affected and shaped the rest of the squad. I laughed with them, cried with them, got frustrated alongside them and sometimes WITH them too. I will forever treasure every single moment I spent with the Bad Batch in mind, from the anticipation and the cryptic tweets the day before every airing, to reading all the different theories and admiring the fanart right after finishing the episode of the week.

Saying goodbye is unbelievably difficult, but I'm so, so grateful for the experience. The Bad Batch will always hold a special place in my heart. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in creating this wonderful show, and to the fellow fans who shared this unforgettable journey with me from beginning to end. ❤️🖤

[antianakin]

Hey there! Do you have any good anti-Vader/Vader critical during the Original Trilogy/ with the OT group? I don't know if it is the tags I use or anything, but most of the fics I find with the OT group + Vader tends to go towards being nice to Vader, with a 'Good Parent Vader' and all.

I'm going to assume this is asking about fic recs. I don't tend to read as much with the OT characters, I'm just less invested in them, but I have a few that might fall into this category. I don't have any way of helping you look for fics via tags, but I can recommend the same trick I always do which is to find fics you like that ARE more critical towards Anakin/Vader and then go through that author's other work and bookmarks and just keep moving forward from there. If they write Anakin critical stuff, chances are pretty high that they probably read it, too.

Ahsoka is Mace's Padawan series (Stintless Stars) by SkyeBean: The last fic in this series is set during ROTJ at the last strategy meeting the Rebels have about the battle on Endor. It's definitely meant more as an end to this series to just wrap up a lot of the character development for Ahsoka and give a glimpse at how she and Mace and the Jedi have changed things in the decades leading up to ROTJ, so I don't truly recommend reading the last fic without having read the rest of the series which is (obviously) more Prequels/TCW focused. The fic does sort-of briefly touch on Luke and Leia, but it's told through Ahsoka's perspective. Luke is, as usual, more positive towards Anakin, but Leia is not. The entire series is Anakin critical (as well as Padme and Anidala critical), but the focus isn't on the OT or its characters.

Meet in the Middle by BilbosMum: Luke and Leia connect with Obi-Wan and Rex through a shared dream that will allow them to meet each other through the power of love. This is set somewhere between ROTS and ANH and mostly focuses on Obi-Wan and Rex's relationship, but there is some discussion of Anakin and his current decision-making in there.

may you inherit his light by notbecauseofvictories: Leia reflects on Bail and Anakin and her feelings about both of them and how her two fathers have shaped who she has become after ROTJ. This fic is definitely critical of Anakin and immensely positive towards Bail, but it's not what I would call ANTI Anakin. It's honestly my favorite Leia fic I've ever read, it really digs into her and while it sort-of touches on the "Leia is angry like Anakin" trope, it goes deeper than that and considers WHY Leia might be angry and whether it truly is anything like Anakin's anger at all.

that was a spring of storms by blackkat: Leia accidentally time travels herself, Bail, and Luke back in time to the first year of the Clone War. This fic is VERY much a WIP, there's only 2 chapters of it and it hasn't been updated in quite a while, but the concept still really appeals to me a lot. This is cheating in terms of your prompt since the majority of the fic is obviously going to take place within the Prequels/TCW era, but it obviously is dealing with a Luke and Leia from ANH, so I'm letting it count.

ring the bells that can still ring by rain_sleet_snow: Reva trains Luke and Leia post-ANH. Reva is not an OT character, but it's set in that time period and Reva is having to interact with multiple OT characters and isn't exactly someone who is going to be positive about Anakin.

Compromise by gaeasun: Dogma reflects on his life during the celebration on Endor as he speaks with Rex and Leia. This one's stretching the definition of being Anakin critical, Dogma makes a single comment that sort-of discusses his feelings about Jedi in general as he looks at the bonfire for Anakin's body, and Dogma is obviously not an OT character at all, but I like the concept of how much Dogma would have had to grow over the decades since the war and the hint of his relationship with Leia.

finally cleaning, cleaning my closet by dee_lirious: Leia deals with Anakin's ghost trying to interact with her post-ROTJ. It's a really interesting exploration of what Leia WANTS Anakin to be to her and what she starts to decide he ACTUALLY is to her. It's a look at what forgiveness is and how it might look for Leia. It's not precisely positive towards Anakin, but it does ultimately recognize that what is causing Leia's anger is fear that stems from an unimaginable loss. It's perhaps more positive towards Anakin at the end than you might want, but it's left relatively open-ended, as well.

[eriexplosion]

I never let myself really believe they'd bring Tech back (because Occam's razor, or whatever). And I'm so used to weird/bad writing choices from other works that I'm mostly able to shrug my shoulders and go "aw rats, disappointment again :\" about TBB's ending.

... But I still feel kinda hollowed-out, post-finale. I'm not autistic (I think), but my sibling is, so it meant something to my old withered heart that a Star Wars show about family would have a confirmedly-ND character among their cast (though, somewhat tangentially, I agree with your post about all of the Bad Batch being arguably ND-coded). I was delighted that he was well-written, and that he'd eclipsed the stock "smart guy" trope he'd started out as in TCW.

And, I dunno. I feel like a sucker, having hoped for a brief moment that the writers wouldn't throw all that away. And for what? People on reddit were saying for months on end that "his sacrifice is meaningful and shouldn't be wasted", but I can't agree. I think it would've been more meaningful had he lived.

I feel disappointed with the trajectory the back half of S3 took, and I don't think that's unreasonable. Even beyond the disappointment of "dang, they really did that?", S3 after the first handful of eps (imo) felt kind of... rushed? Underexplored? Like there should've been a season 4 (for pacing/development's sake) and various changes to the plot, but there weren't.

Told myself several years ago that I'd reserve judgment for the writing until the series was over and done with. And now that it's all just wrapped up, I suppose I'm stewing with my thoughts, a little. The character arcs all feel like they fell short of their potential payoff, to me -- and maybe I'll change my mind in a few months, but right now? Eh.

Crosshair's got PTSD/trauma that makes his hand shake? Cut off the hand. Omega's got potential force sensitivity/a decision to make concerning what to do going forward? Who cares about that. Tech's getting a decent (and suspicious, in hindsight) amount of character development? Better kill him off so the audience really feels the sting. Cid, Phee, CX-2, Echo, Scorch? Who cares about them; they can show up when their skills are needed and fuck off without halfway-decent closure when they aren't. The familial/sibling themes that were open to being explored? Eh; let's focus predominantly on this one father-child bond. Omega doesn't even need to say goodbye to Crosshair and Wrecker, lol. Foreshadowing and setup? What foreshadowing and setup.

... I'm realizing that I'm actually Quite disappointed lmao. In a lackluster "I don't know what I expected" kind of way. Time to read so many fix-its

There's just a lot that was set up that never came to fruition and it's frustrating when the show has been so good up until that point. And the thing is that Tech being CX-2 would have resolved at least some of it! The CX-2 plot obviously but also, Crosshair's guilt and trauma being helped by being able to fix at least one of his mistakes? Omega's guilt over putting her family in danger being relieved because she finally has them all back?

It didn't even need to be fleshed out, I wouldn't have cared. The only thing I wanted this whole show was the family to be together and complete. And not only did we not get Tech back but yeah Echo was basically just not counted as part of that and Phee was ignored in the end.

This season feels like it needed another editing pass to work as a whole, even though I'd liked everything up to the finale it didn't really end up coming together for me. I'd even have accepted Tech being gone if they had put actual mourning in the first half, instead of stringing it along with little mentions and the CX-2 stuff. I'd be frustrated and mad, but at least it would have felt like they respected him as a character.

Really the only good things I have to say is I think Nala Se blowing up the databanks was a fantastic end to her character that didn't really redeem everything she's done but did bring her to an interesting stopping point. And I am glad everyone else made it out alive. I'm glad that Crosshair especially did after everything he's been through, he's still my boy after all this time even if the Tech stuff has overshadowed a lot of his growth in my head.

[r0gerr0ger]

More thoughts about Satine’s pacifism…

So I read this post the other day that suggested Satine’s period of rule was just a blip in Mandalore’s history, that she only maintained power because she’d won it in battle, and that Mandalorians were glad to return to their traditionalist ways and… it just really irked me.

Because that’s not true at all??

When we meet Satine in TCW, it’s super clear that she was very popular, and a good ruler. In only 15-20 years, she’s restored Sundari to prosperity, and is a city that appears very wealthy with a satisfied population. She herself is very invested in her people, helps directly with social and political matters. She’s managed to rebuild worlds and cities devastated by war and environmental issues.

There’s never any kind of explanation exactly as to her style of rule. Certainly she’s not a constitutional monarch but there is a prime minister and council, and regional governors, so she’s no autocrat. This suggests democracy, and her people thus voting for continued pacifist policies/leaders.

(We also only see issues/events occur that in any society would involve leaders, regardless of how much a role they play in politics)

I mean sure, it’s the capital city and we don’t really see anywhere else. And there’s also corruption, hunger, terrorism, etc.- but a lot of the latter issues are because of outside forces (galactic war and the sith) that she does remarkably well, in my opinion, to combat for several years.

So already that’s a lot of evidence to suggest pacifism/modernism was widely popular amongst Mandalorians and not just a blip.

(Also, she may have come to power through battle, but this suggests there was an incredibly strong military and public force behind her ascendancy to the throne in order to win a civil war that had been waging essentially for decades- therefore illustrating mandalorians wanted pacifism, and she didn’t just usurp her position)

Then to the suggestion they were glad to return to their military ways…

People often use the state of Mandalore in Rebels/The Mandalorian to argue that the warrior culture was a more natural and preferred one among Mandalorians.

But this isn’t what we see at all.

We return to Mandalore in Rebels like 17/18 years after we last saw it in TCW. In this time, an extremist clan and the empire have been ruling the system.

We’ve seen the scale and ability of the empire’s propaganda missions already- erasing or changing history, destroying entire races- particularly with the jedi.

Alongside a ruler encouraging/forcing his people to re-embrace their martial past, of course it’s going to appear as if Mandalorian society has returned to its ‘original’ state of violence and warfare.

And yet, even though it’s gone back to clan warfare and endless, unnecessary fighting, that’s not what the people want at all.

Even though the Mandalorians we meet in Rebels are characterised as especially traditional (clan wren allied with death watch; fenn rau fought alongside the republic and later the empire, going against satine’s political status) they are never actually fighting for a return to their martial past.

Instead, the whole storyline is about uniting Mandalorians, pushing out the oppressive empire, ending the civil wars, etc.

Sure, they want to retain more of their martial culture than Satine did, but perhaps here is where we can argue that Sundari was a bit of an exception by being so especially modernist, whereas other planets and communities still retained many elements of their warrior culture- such as wearing the armour- even if not engaging in warfare.

Again, there is a similar storyline in The Mandalorian season 3- despite the fact that this is about the most extreme group of Mandalorians. It’s still about uniting together, rebuilding their world, ending war and violence among each other, protecting each other.

Therefore, I think it’s clear that actually, even if not to quite the same degree (but then, it’s likely this would come later once the last 2 decades of military propaganda had been overcome) Mandalorians didn’t want to retain their military past, but wanted to move in a more pacifist direction.

The only thing I have some issue arguing against is what we see in TCW when Satine is overthrown, where the masses really quickly switch to supporting death watch/Vizsla.

I’ve talked here about why this may be the case but even many of my arguments on that post don’t properly explain why a city that in previous seasons we saw offering mass support for satine and prospering under pacifism, suddenly turned so against her.

Really, I put this down to TCW being, in the end, a show aimed at younger audiences, and needing to get the point across clearly and dramatically that death watch and maul had manipulated people, and that’s why it seems so out of place.

(Does anyone have more to say on this than me? I’d find other’s perspective on this, whatever that perspective is, really interesting)

Either way, it’s made continually clear that Satine’s rule was far from a blip in Mandalorian history, or that Mandalorians only ever barely tolerated her.

Their martial society was a thing of the past. People were sick of it. Satine won the clan wars for a reason, and was a very effective ruler for many years until events outside her control (that frankly would have negatively impacted even the most golden ruler) meant she fell from power.

Had there not been the clone war or the sith, she would undoubtedly have continued to rule, and mandalore continued to stay pacifist.

(I also think it’s a shame we never saw more of mandalorian society during Satine’s rule. We only focus on her and other political rulers at that time, and when we later return to mandalore it’s all from the perspective of either extremists like din djarin and his sect, or again more political leaders/rulers that have an especially militaristic past.)

[kanansdume]

I've got a lot of complicated feelings on Jude Watson's writing in Star Wars, both positive and negative, but occasionally something she writes just... hits. And this quote? This fucking HITS.

This is from Secrets of the Jedi, the novel that discusses Siri and Obi-Wan's romantic relationship that has now been de-canonized. This particular scene is after their relationship has been discovered and they're breaking up in order to remain Jedi because they've been told they cannot do both.

But the line that hits me the most is Siri saying "I was so afraid of what lay ahead that I wanted to let go of my own will" because... WOW. Wow is that Star Wars to its core. That is literally EXACTLY what Anakin and Padme do in their own relationship, Anakin in particular. It's his FEAR of the future, even one that might not even happen, that causes him to let go of his own will and do things he KNOWS are wrong just to try to prevent it. Padme ignores a lot of her own boundaries and morals and better judgment in order to be in a relationship with Anakin. She lets go of the fact that Anakin makes her uncomfortable, she lets go of the fact that Anakin straight-up claims he's a fascist, she lets go of Anakin massacring the Tuskens. If we take TCW into account, then she also lets go of Anakin's possessiveness and sexist demands as well as the fact that he SCARES her sometimes and nearly beats a man to death in order to punish her for what he believed to be a lack of fidelity on her part. She lets go of a LOT of her own will in order to love Anakin.

And Siri asks the question afterwards, is that what love is? Obi-Wan doesn't have a response, but I think the novel does have a stance on the issue. It's a little muddied by a lack of understanding of what attachment is, but I think the answer within Star Wars itself is that this ISN'T what love is. This is what love can LEAD to if you allow it to do so, and it's not an uncommon thing to happen, but this isn't actually love itself. This is what ATTACHMENT is. This is the precise definition of attachment, this fear of what MIGHT happen to something that makes you feel good that it causes you to give up your own will in order to keep it and avoid the feeling of loss. But love is selfless, love is compassion, love is about letting go of your own desires in order to prioritize someone else's happiness.

And within this exact same novel, we actually see a perfect example of this kind of love, showcased through Qui-Gon and the way he feels about Obi-Wan. They're separated partway through the story and Qui-Gon is constantly thinking about how much he misses Obi-Wan and wishes Obi-Wan were with him, but he's capable of recognizing that their mission could save many lives from being lost and that's more important than his desire to be with someone he cares about. There's a moment where Qui-Gon discovers that Obi-Wan is in some kind of danger and he has to choose between trying to rescue Obi-Wan or continuing on with his mission, he CANNOT do both. In his thoughts, he recognizes that losing Obi-Wan would be devastatingly painful, equally as painful as losing Tahl had been, but he still chooses to continue with the mission because there are TWENTY lives on the line and his love for Obi-Wan cannot cost those twenty people their lives. THIS is what love looks like, THIS is genuine selfless compassion for another person. And nothing in the novel ever condemns Qui-Gon for how he feels about Obi-Wan or indicates that he needs to change or end his relationship with Obi-Wan, but it also doesn't shy away from showing just how deeply Qui-Gon DOES care for Obi-Wan.

And while I can believe Siri and Obi-Wan's feelings for each other were genuine, it turns into a selfish attachment VERY quickly. They nearly immediately decide to start living a lie and wanting to change an entire culture just so they can have something they want, despite the fact that Siri at least says that these rules exist for a reason. Their personal happiness becomes more important than anything else momentarily. They both claim that they'll be able to do their duty still, that they'll be able to balance both, but they're also both very ready to deceive other people who care about them in order to keep this thing that makes them feel good. The hurt they are willing to cause to others is small, but it's also something that could continue to grow and snowball into something more and more selfish. What happens when they can't see each other for a really long time and start to get desperate to find a way to be together? What happens when the lies start piling up and cause misunderstandings in their other relationships? The more they cling to each other, the more willing they will be to do the next selfish thing until eventually those selfish choices stop being so small.

This is what attachment does, this is the danger of that kind of love. It's not that all love is always like this, but just that this is an incredibly common thing to happen, especially in romantic relationships. Siri and Obi-Wan literally get to the point of losing their sense of self and their own will INCREDIBLY quickly because neither of them wants to have to make a choice because they're too afraid of losing either their relationship OR their status as Jedi. But, inevitably, they HAVE to choose. They would always have had to choose, regardless of how long the lie lasted or whether it was even discovered at all.

But love does not HAVE to be like this. Love does not inevitably steal your sense of self or your willingness to make your own decisions. It is absolutely possible to have a healthy love that does none of those things and this novel 100% shows that. Just because Obi-Wan and Siri's feelings for each other are genuine does not automatically make them selfless or free of attachment. And while I have my issues with this novel and the way it handles this storyline, including the fact that I'm like 85% sure that this isn't the intended message, I really like what it says about what selfish love can do to you and the way it subtly shows what true selfless love can look like.

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

Letting Go: How Shinkai Succeeds where Lucas Fails

After reading that essay on how Kung Fu Panda did the “letting go of attachments” story way better than Lucas did, I was inspired to write this. The problem with SW is that it tries to apply what is spiritual advice to a hero’s narrative when it’s not about heroism. It’s about coming to terms with grief, preparing for death or letting your child grow up. I want to talk a bit about two of Makoto Shinkai’s films that are both favorites of mine, Weathering With You and Suzume as both delve into this topic. The latter has its title character come to terms with her grief and trauma while the former is a rejection of the utilitarian view of letting one person die for the “greater good”.

Suzume succeeds with its “letting go” message because it focuses on the journey and shows the importance of a true support system and that it takes time to come to terms with grief. Expecting people to just let go immediately isn’t fair and unrealistic. Suzume’s whole journey is about exploring new places, meeting new people and learning joy can still come from grief.

Shinkai based this movie off the 2011 earthquake which was a real source of trauma for Japan. Suzume is a survivor who lost her mother and her home. She has to learn to not dwell on her past hurt but at no point is she shamed for missing her mother or told to just let Souta rot as the keystone for “the greater good”. She’s allowed to mourn. She and her aunt, Tamaki grow as people and as parent and child through emotional experiences, both in the movie during their argument and reconciliation as well as in the booklet that revealed a bit about their past. Tamaki had the responsibilities of being a parent thrust on her and resented it at times but communication was what helped their relationship become healthier and she never shamed her niece for having negative emotions. I’ve written an essay about this too.

The reason this movie succeeds at its message is that it treats its characters and audience with sensitivity. Suzume heals by remembering the happy moments with her mother and Tamaki was willing to adapt to her needs, unlike the Jedi Council. I think @abla-soso’s written about this but George doesn’t have the healthiest view of human psychology and trauma or of relationships nor is he a good writer. He’s sympathetic to Anakin, sure, but he and much of the fandom treat him as just greedy for holding onto his attachments when he doesn’t have a support system that validates his emotions and won’t help him heal except for telling him to meditate. A child healing by remembering their mother while going on a road trip to come out of their shell is not the same as being forced to go and help slavers that caused you so much pain. How can one heal from that?

The other movie in question, Weathering With You, is sort of a response to the ultra collectivism in Japan. Hina is expected to die so the rainfall will stop but what about the people who know her and have to deal with her loss? The little people are always forgotten about in these greater good arguments. Kind of like Trace and Rafa in TCW. Hodaka may have been selfish, yes, but Hina was the one person who treated him with kindness and affection as opposed to how his parents and the kids from his hometown did. Not to mention she still had a brother to take care of with their mother dying a year before the film was set. To just die would be abandoning those who needed her. Hodaka’s trauma and anger is treated with respect by Shinkai as opposed to just being written off as evil like Lucas or Jedi stans would.

Some have interpreted the movie as a climate change denial story with the rains and flooding being treated as natural. But it’s really more of a response those who put all the blame and pressure on one person to fix the problem, especially the young being forced to do so by the older generations. It’s not fair for the older generations to create these problems then put all the burden of solving it on the youth. The Jedi council was plenty guilty of that with how they treated their padawans. And it’s okay to live your life to the fullest, even if the world is falling apart.

I’m sure the Jedi apologists will probably respond by saying “Jedi aren’t against love or emotion, just possessiveness” but that’s not what the movies show even if Lucas didn’t intend for it to come off that way. Maybe these movies treat the subject with more sensitivity and nuance because they’re written by someone who understands Shinto philosophy unlike a 70s hippie who blends stoicism with eastern beliefs. Yes, SW was intended to be black and white, but that’s not how real life works. What may not affect one person will affect another and it’s not wrong to need time and unconditional love to heal. You can’t just slap labels like selfish attachment or greed on someone when you don’t know or refuse to understand their circumstances and motivations and it’s not fair to judge or write them off.

[clonebrainrot]

Do you ever just sit back and think about how lucky we are to get three great shows? One after another. Sure the bad batch is my favorite. But I love TCW and Rebels as well faults and all. It amazes me that we have gotten over 220 episodes of this.

And hey I haven’t forgotten resistance either. It may be the step child of Star Wars animation, but it has its moments. I still recommend watching it if you haven’t. It’s only like 40 episodes.

Thanks to the cast and crew for making these shows just that fantastic.

[warsamongthestars]

VERSUS... PART 1

Let's get some PVP in here, yeah? Let's start a Bad Batch Arena.

Our first contestants are Hunter and Hunter and Hunter, Echo and Echo and Echo, and Crosshair and Crosshair and Crosshair.

Tech, Wrecker and potentially more, will come at a later time.

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

HUNTER vs HUNTER vs HUNTER

TBB Hunter is set up to be the stoic, quiet leader type of the Bad Batch, the one who is meant to do the right thing and keep people safe in hard situations, as well as being brother to his squad and father to Omega...

Actually Portrayed TBB Hunter, is a stick in the mud (or stick up his ass, take your pick) single-minded bit of a control freak with hypocritical values, has no emotions beyond "worry about Omega", "the Mission", "yell at family members for reasons", "Paranoia", "Overly Dramatic Looks of Stoicism" with a dash of "Cardboard Cutout Writer's Hang-On"; and not only has zero communication skills as a character, but also has zero communications skills in his scripting, with no other reason beyond "He's got to be Our version Hero Guy at all costs and the Hero guy rescues the Star Kid... but only when its the most dramatic" (Effectively making him even bad at the thing he's written to be). I'm pretty certain the only reason he has never been written to be confronted (by anyone except the "bad" guys and the bad guys) for any of his actions, reasonings (or hell, even had a plain ordinary conversation), is because the moment he is, the spell will be broken and he will revert to a rock with a bandana and googly eyes glued on, and will forever after, have to be pulled along on missions by a tied on string. TBB Hunter has to make a lot of idiotic, semi-obessive and non-confrontational choices for any TBB story to work as it does now, to the point where he comes off as a paper puppet on an ice cream stick, than a character that is capable of basic conversation and meaningful communication with other characters, and has values and backstory. As it were, he si regulated to "Father figure" to Omega, and as I've pointed out in one post, he's not even good at that without coming off as being absolutely terrible.

TCWs Hunter is a mix between compulsively sarcastic, deadly thrill seeker, and anxious sensitive guy. He can either brush off all situations and conflicts with snark, or he will utterly shut down from the stress of it all, coming off as a Sergeant in-name only (Probably only promoted to such, because in comparison to his brothers, he is the quiet one that doesn't cause trouble and someone had to Officially lead the Troublemakers in the paperwork). This goes out the window the moment he has a chance to do something that gets his blood up--such as skydiving without a parachute. This is contrasted immediately by the fact that he hates enclosed spaces, or going into traps. (Though he will never say it up front) He does not talk about himself if he can avoid it, but will promote and snark at his brothers from here to back, though obviously nobody takes his snark seriously (and he is, in fact, seriously proud of his brothers--and won't take lip from anyone against them, even if Crosshair stirs up shit, Hunter will step in to defend him first). His attempts to be dramatic come off as cringe fail (cos bet you credits he's secretly a dork), as any kind of authentic emotions towards strangers is an awkward affair. [ See his bad, but successful, attempt to invite Echo onto the team ] This Hunter is far more playful, and far more willing to play around; and most of his attitude implies that, behind closed doors with the rest of CF99, he's literally just one of the guys, and is just as hurt and lost as the rest of CF99 when it comes to dealing with regular clones--and only acts as a leader to avoid Regs coming over and yelling at them.

( Unfortunately for the fandom writers, all three Hunters seem to totally lack the enhancement / mutation TCWs Tech claims he has, as even in TBB, there is never a point where it gets explored or even used in any meaningful way )

Overall, TBB Hunter comes off as a character who only shallowly is related to TCWs Hunter, as their attitudes couldn't be more different. If I had to make a observation as to why, its because they kept trying to turn TBB Hunter into Early Season TCWs Rex, and then had to be repeatedly reminded that they weren't, in fact, writing Captain Rex.

TBB Hunter and TCWs Hunter are not only different characters, they're not even in the same space ball park with each other. TBB Hunter can't even follow the setup that TBB Hunter is meant to have, some how turning the concept, the written and the past version into three entirely different characters who at no point ever connect with one another. THe only way they're even seemingly related is because they look like each other and are voiced by the same guy, but we have an entire Clone Army of nothing but that, so I don't honestly know how the writers could've fucked this character up so badly.

ECHO VS ECHO VS ECHO

TBB Echo is set up to be the connection between TCWs and TBB, and finally, be a main character beyond a familiar audience surrogate for clones. He has gotten a good TBB redesign (with OG Trilogy reference), and post-episode 1, has the set to be the lancer to Hunter's hero, when he's not paired up with Tech as the two smart guys.

Actual TBB Echo is a bitchy side-piece no nonsense tough guy, who doesn't do anything much meaningful (that isn't about the donut steel OC), and has been regulated to the guy everyone tells to shut up. Episodes that would be perfect to explore Echo as a grown and changed character, with years of history and fandom meaning, often bypass Echo entirely in favor of the shallow mission of the week. Moments that would serve to explore Echo as both main character and former TCWs character, are mere one sentence mentioned that get little more emotional impact than asking about the local weather. His only significant contribution is magically leaving at the end of one episode for Reasons that are never explored before, beyond his typical tough guy whining (and even then, it wouldn't be called a conversation, let alone communication with character or audience), and having magical off screen adventures with the group of clones we would've been better off watching instead. Only to be copy and pasted back into the series when the writers realize that they really have fucked up trying to portray the the BBs as anything but failed characters, and really need a badass to do something, and came up with the excuse that absence means a character went from level 15 to level 100 in Skyrim game logic. This Echo is just a series of STar Wars references wrapped in a poorly made breakfast burrito with only vague hints of character brushed up on and then vanishing into the wind to never been seen from again. There were attempts to lighly explore both his disabilities, his new abilities and the implied PTSD he suffers, but these are dropped in favor of giving him the "I must go my planet needs me" treatment, dropping any potential conflict or character nuance or new character challenge, and completely forgetting that he's supposed to be a main character anyway.

TCWs Echo is a guy who tends to repeat orders (hence the name, Echo) that other people already know, makes puns and has humor during stressful situations (like being in the process of being shot at), has no problems jumping command as a cadet to personally request transfer (the lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch)... and Yet reads the GAR regulations as a pass time (though all his prior actions show that this probably less to do with being a rules follower, and more akin to being a rules lawyer in order to see what he can arguably get away with ). He's a strategist as claimed, as there are plenty of instances in his portrayal where he does contribute strategically [ see the Rishi Moon Base episode and Battle of Kamino ] He has an military officer like composure, but he's not afraid to fight a bitch (and in fact will probably be the first one who throws a punch). In the midst of deadly situations, he'll be the one with a sense of humor. His use of humor and his anxious need to repeat orders, suggests an underlying high strung nature (that is even explained a bit in in the uncut and original Bad Batch episodes, as he's the kind of guy who can't let things lie). He'll state things firmly, but not aggressively, and he isn't one to have a temper, even when all doubt has been placed on him. Never mistake his composure for ease. TCWs Echo has had several years as a character, experiencing episodes as both main character and b-plot character, with plenty of implied unseen adventures (such surviving the second campaign of geonosis), who has a strong subtle care for brothers both living and lost (his first episode after Rishi and Cadets shows that he stuck a sticker of Hevy's, his late squademate, favorite weapon on his armor).

Over all, the Portrayed TBB Echo and TCWs Echo are total opposites as characters, as TCWs Echo doesn't bitch and doesn't lose his cool and would have definitely marched up and decked someone in the face if he disagreed with them. Only now he has a drill for an arm, and its drill baby drill time!

And would have definitely, fucking definitely, had Done Something, Portrayed Something, Painted Something, on his armor, to remember Fives.

Over all TBB Echo is a failure to make him a main character, even to his own series, as he fails to have any significant character progression or exploration, and is forever regulated to either side-piece or the mystical super secret sixth green power ranger only to be brought out for filler movies.

The only saving grace I'd take outta TBB ECho is that his armor is fucking cool, and I have to admit that's one of the few aspects from TBB I am extremely fond of.

CROSSHAIR VS CROSSHAIR VS CROSSHAIR

TBB Crosshair is portrayed to be the jerk and the fallen brother, the one who follows the bad guys and believes in their values, to the cost of the rest of his squad, and this continues as a conflict throughout his character.

And actually Portrayed TBB Crosshair is pretty good at following that set up all the way through. From fall, to misery to redemption, TBB Crosshair pretty much fuses his set up and his portrayal as a well rounded character who achieves what he is written to do, and would arguably be one of TBB's writing successes. ... Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of TCWs written plotlines and general world-build nuances, like the DM forgot half the Lore two years into the campaign, and the writing only works if you drop those nuances without any exploration or thought, making it seem like his character arc would've been better if he hadn't been written as a clone in the first place... but if that ended up being the case, it would've just been another rehash of Darth Vader. When placed against his other brothers, the squadmates and characters he has betrayed, he comes off as the most 3D character dealing with 2D carboard cutouts, but even he is weak to resist the power of the super duper donut steel mary sue, and "accepts" that all the things he did when he was drugged must be clearly his fault and not the fault of the Imperialists who spiked his drink and starved him.

TCWs Crosshair is a quiet, cuttingly sarcastic and very prideful man, who strives to press the buttons of those he doesn't like--and he tends to not like someone on sight. But unlike typical assholes, when he presses a button, its usually a button that is actually there and beholds some inherent (if harsh and bitter) truth to the character or situation he's observing, though often this is pressed as insultingly as possible. He mostly goes after tough "Reg" characters (whom he definitely detests on sight), but will avoid antagonizing those people who do prove that they care through action (such as the medic Kix, or Commander Cody). When he presses on a character with his cold keen observations, he's often backed up by the rest of the Bad Batch, suggesting that when he does these things--the rest of them do agree with him, even if they don't voice it or press on like he does. A few scenes of this suggest that Crosshair is, in fact, implied to be the second in command of the Bad Batch and probably would've been the Leader, through keen observation, confidence and his attitude of being constantly in control of situations-- if it wasn't for the fact that he's a real asshole to everyone but his squad. Unlike the rest of the Bad Batch, Crosshair is, in fact, shown to have an empathy streak in ironic contrast to his normal cold-hearted (and very face-punchable) demeanor. He's the first to inform that Commander Cody still cannot be moved after having an entire ship land on him like the wicked witch, and is the first to physically assure (and even watch over) a recently rescued Echo right after Captain Rex. Inspite of this empathy streak, Crosshair seems incapable of saying anything outright positive, as a contrast to TCWs Hunter who will praise his team and teammates over himself; though Crosshair is the only one that Hunter will absolutely not snark at (Probably both out of respect and likely because nobody wins sarcasm against Crosshair--the man is a marathon runner of the sarcastic streak) ( Out of the whole of the Batch, in their series of contrasts and parallels, Crosshair was probably trusting of Echo's intentions versus Hunter and Tech's distrust... This is just speculation however ) Crosshair, akin to Hunter, does have a playful streak in that he keeps a count of his droid kills in competition to Wrecker's, with snarky teasing.

The major difference between TBB Crosshair and TCWs Crosshair, is that TCWs Crosshair isn't an unobservant idiot.

Yes, that's a damn shame to call TBB Crosshair, who has the best written story of TBB, but any conversation with TBB Crosshair comes off as talking to a brick wall. He is asked intelligent questions and given intelligent observations, but the writing is determined to keep TBB Crosshair as the bad guy or redeemed from evil inspite of the fact that it also keeps trying to have the world build nuance of being drugged and brainwashed into a intergalactic all powerful empire with magic powers and super technology, and this makes his story rather oddly liminal.

Meanwhile, TCWs Crosshair is so full of intelligent and keen observations, even though he's such a dick about it, that he could've probably out-observed his own chip.

Which makes me truely believe that the only reason that TBB Crosshair was written to be controlled by his chip, and then to be victim blamed by the narrative to accept the consequences of being mind controlled and brainwashed into evil action--was that TBB was punishing the character concept of Crosshair for being written as a dick, and as any children's show will tell you, the jerks must always be evil.

TCWs Crosshair, bottom line, is a guy who never believed in loyalty to the cause, because by his proven empathy streak, he was always loyal to people first--and he criticized those who put the cause above other people.

Meanwhile, TBB Crosshair was the kind of guy who only believed in the caused, and has to be kicked around to believe in people.

Like Echo, TCWs Crosshair and TBB Crosshair are total opposites by their values, though they share similar attitudes, and are total opposites by their capacity for observation (TCWs Crosshair observed and learned quick, where TBB Crosshair had to have several people dead before he realized something was up--a trait that TCWs Crosshair would've never needed).

ROUND ONE, OVER!