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wrenkenstein · 3 days ago

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hi!! love reading your analysis and opinions on sw (sorry for interrupting your tcw liveblog! it’s been really fun hearing your stuff about that) and i’ve been really curious about what you think of crosshair’s “redemption” on a meta level. not really talking about his redemption itself (as it sucks), but rather how it plays out for crosshair (and not how it develops his character per-say, but how it pretty much continues to reinforce his negative behaviors due to the severe lack of consequence)

obviously this wasn’t the intention of the writers, but i find it really interesting how his redemption is unbelievably shallow and thus sort of works because it’s bad. for the narrative itself? it’s abhorrent. but on a meta level, for crosshair? it’s so bad that it makes sense for him which is hilarious.

he’s blatantly a fascist who never really denounces his fascism, but finally realizes that the machine WILL consume him too, especially because he’s part of a marginalized group. being a gold-star fascist dead-set on proving his believed innate superiority to the other clones will only get him so far and certainly won’t exempt him from systematic bigotry, so he leaves the empire when he finally has to face that he’ll never get the glory he’s tried so hard for.…. and they really try to make this some big deal like he’s finally coming to terms that he’s just as expendable as the other clones, crushing his ego and finally appreciating that he’s not better and he never will be. fascism isn’t a tool to be used to cover up his insecurities, and everyone he’s lost along the way was in the right to leave him.

except. this just doesn’t happen.

he consistently blames everyone around him for leaving him, never admits to his faults, never addresses how his worldview could have possibly changed because of mayday’s influence; in fact, mayday is quite literally the only clone outside of clone force 99 (and omega) that we see crosshair treat with respect, as even after his “redemption” he consistently demeans and relentlessly snidely harasses the other clones. he may have left the empire, sure, but he didn’t *change*. his respect for mayday is supposed to be seen as a generalization for all of the other clones but he makes it quite pertinent that it isn’t.. and he’s forgiven for it, somehow.

howzer is one of the few clones that (rightly!!) adamantly challenges crosshair on his change of heart and change of loyalty, and yet, somehow after seeing crosshair fighting for their side he immediately forgives crosshair. howzer would be completely in the right to detest and distrust him forever, especially when crosshair has provided no proof that he’s changed morally outside of battle.. and still this forgiveness is so easily handed to him. it’s completely ridiculous.

he’s done horrible things, drastically moreso than all of the other deserters.. but somehow, genocide can be swept under the rug if other characters say “hey, we did some bad stuff too!” all of the horrendous actions we see him feel no guilt over, all of the bigoted ideologies we never see him drop are treated as something to get over, something he can leave in the past and not confront. he helped omega escape, so attempting to murder her can be excused now. from a character development standpoint it’s complete ass (which it is), but taking it from the pov of the character, it’s actually quite fascinating how it oddly complies with crosshair’s point of view.

he was just following orders, so they should get over it. being imprisoned and treated like an object, like just another reg was enough of an ego-crushing experience for him, so he shouldn’t be questioned or criticized anymore. he believes he’s getting the worst of it with the EXTREMELY minimal consequences he’s suffered, especially when his horrible actions were justified but misguided in his head… yet, in reality, he hasn’t even scratched the surface of how much he deserves to be confronted for. it's wonderfully curious… where his redemption was a large, painful step for himself in his eyes, it was quite possibly the most unfounded redemption ever in reality.

anyways, i’m rambling now! i’ve just always found it kind of ironic how he’s praised for changing when sure, he THINKS he does, but he barely does anything to better himself and continues to be a pretty shitty person with no repercussions. i’ve rewatched tbb trying to emphasize with crosshair and it’s really funny because it’s practically impossible. it seriously gets to a point where you go “wow this guy sucks so much he’s kind of endearing.”

this entire thing wasn’t to say that the writers are secret geniuses or whatever.. because they aren’t. his redemption is unbelievably bad. i just find it utterly ridiculous that they fucked up so bad that it kind of works for his character, but i digress. have a good day!

I agree entirely! I've only seen season 3 once, but there's one line that sticks out to me when Crosshair is asked why he finally left the Empire: "The empire wasn't loyal to me" (paraphrase).

It was never about the Empire's morals the way it was for Kallus (whom I agree had a rushed redemption) or other former fascists who leave. Every single thing about Crosshair's "redemption" exists to affirm his own flawed worldview and his deeply flawed version of events. The idea that his brothers maybe wouldn't want to be with him anymore in s1 because he tried to kill a child and attempted to justify it isn't a valid reason to leave. His chip getting "turned up" leading to him nearly setting his own family on fire -- INCLUDING A CHILD -- and him continuing to side with the Empire despite that deep violation to himself and others isn't a valid reason to "abandon" him. Everything in the galaxy revolves around Crosshair, the "redeemed" "former" fascist who has allegedly seen the error of his ways.

It's deeply liberal propaganda lmao. I'll never enjoy a "forgive the fascist" plotline because it's only ever served to uphold hegemonic views on oppressor violence/hegemonies, and this is one of the reasons why.

Crosshair explicitly states that, besides taking it personally that the bad batch "left him", he believes that they're superior to the regular clones. This goes unchallenged for the rest of the series on both a textual and meta textual level. Crosshair saving ONE clone ONE time does not a redemption make. It more closely mirrors Wrecker's patronizing "This one we like!" when scooping Rex up into a hug when someone brought up the fact that they don't like regs. Wrecker has chosen Rex has one of the "good ones", one of the clones worthy of their respect. Crosshair had chosen Mayday as such.

And on top of that, the writers never could bring themselves to flesh out the other clones the way they deserved. The Bad Batch kills the other clones without question, without remorse, and without comment. Even Rex switched to stun lasers at some point during s7 of the clone wars.

(I might be misremembering and if I am, I apologize, but Omega gets and uses the bow before Crosshair tries to set them on fire? Right? She uses that bow against a clone or two at point blank range? The bow that's been shown to kill people? She's killed clones.)

Crosshair gets randomly mopey a few times and laments that "we're not them", as in they're not like the other clones. Which...I frankly am not clear on what the purpose of this was, because yeah you're not them, you never even TRY to be like them? Having your token clone to rescue and feel angry about doesn't translate into respect, as you've pointed out. And the writers have the regular clones sacrifice themselves for the Bad Batch, even going so far as to have Echo beg for "one last fight." Most of them, iirc, die.

(The Bad Batch themselves and the writers do the absolute most to separate out The Batch from the rest of the clone populace in frequently contradictory ways. The Batch are always affirmed to be better than the other clones, but Crosshair implies that their mission will fail or he should be abandoned because ig he doesnt have the bond that the other clones have? But oh look Hunter and Wrecker come across some abandoned clone cadets because of course regular clones would abandon children, and it's the Batch who swoops in to save them, because they have the superior morals. The superior everything. This is the same Batch that did not even attempt to free child slaves from a factory. Contrast this with Waxer/Boil/Numa, or 1.21 where the commander offers rations to a village of civilians that have just been bombed).

What people don't understand is that just because someone suffered, that doesn't mean they've been redeemed or changed. You're right that his morals didn't change. You're right that his viewpoint and outlook on the world didn't change. Crosshairs antics and deep fried ideology got one of his team members killed -- if Crosshair hadn't been so egotistical and okay with fascist violence, if he'd simply followed when they begged him to go with them at the end of season 1, then he wouldn't have ended up on Eriadu or wherever, and Tech nnem wouldn't have gone to rescue them (yeah yeah yeah Crosshair said not to come for him, but remember how the Batch are Different from regular clones in all possible ways? At least now they actually fall in line with the other clones: don't leave a man behind). Tech died because of Crosshair. People like to argue that Tech is dead because of Palpatine (duh), Krennic or Tarkin or whoever ordered the attack on that airbus (duh), or even Saw (????? no), but folks don't realize that there can be multiple causes for one event. Crosshair is one of them.

The narrative is so focused on the liberal idea of Forgiving Fascists as long as they've suffered enough that everyone's personalities are shafted in favor of getting crosshair his unearned redemption medal. Even Crosshair himself suffers for this! When you rush a redemption, you lose agency. Crosshair's self flagellation and "We're not them! :(" doesn't make sense, especially because soon before or after that he's shitting on the other clones anyways. Notice how the work of redemption focuses on all the people he's hurt forgiving him as quickly as possible and never once holding him truly accountable for all that he's done? Notice how Omega is the first and fastest to forgive him (the writing with her feels misogynistic to me for this reason)? Notice how individual suffering and sorrow equate to a change in morals? Notice how Crosshair can just get away with outright saying he left for himself and loyalty, not because he's disgusted with the people he's hurt/was forced to hurt? That man is still a fascist. What do you mean being mind controlled into killing civilians wasn't at the top of the ticket? HELLO?

That man wasn't redeemed, I don't care what anyone says. This is just poor writing and weird propaganda. People who looked at Crosshair's redemption and took it all at face value would go so far as to say that anyone who didn't accept the change of "borderline white supremacists" was an enemy of progress, hated change, and would be tacitly or explicitly responsible for the violent ideologies those people cling to. Because of course every fascist must be welcomed with open arms once they try to leave it, because it's sooooo scary to leave and it's suuuuuch a cult and the biggest victim is the white person who was a white supremacist or a fascist. Not the people of color they would have harmed. Not their victims.

Sorry if I moved this away from what you were initially talking about asjdfhlakjsd it's just this "redemption" drives me up a WALL but I see constant praise for it.

#the bad batch is BADLY WRITTEN #in every aspect #but specifically crosshair is SUCH a letdown #i hope people can lose the rose-tinted glasses #and see how the writing fails stupendously for everyone #tbb #the bad batch

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wrenkenstein · 4 days ago

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Tech

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wrenkenstein · 4 days ago

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it’s just me and the 5 people on here who know my oc by name against the world

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wrenkenstein · 4 days ago

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My BOY

They gave us Tech mowing down bad guys with the dual wield!

#holy mother of god #the bad batch #tbb tech #clone trooper tech

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wrenkenstein · 4 days ago

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I don't typically read x readers (mostly because I can't envision myself in a positive manner at all xD) but I did end up reading this, and it was SO cute!! I actually didn't even realize who wrote it!

Hello! I have a fic idea where the reader has a sensory meltdown and even though the others try to help they don't really know what to do but then Tech comes in with all the know-how on how to approach/help.

Maybe it could be taking place during the race Tech did and the reader gets overwhelmed by the sound and the heat and anxiety and Tech comes in for the rescue after the race ends, or maybe on a mission and Hunter asks Tech to take you aside/back to the marauder and tells him that they have it handled.

I think it'd be cool if Tech silently brought out sensory items and waited patiently with you and then opens up about how he has the same issue but maybe he usually shuts down instead or has a meltdown alone. Sorry I had a few ideas I wanted to share, hope this ask isn't too overwhelming! <3

Alright, took me awhile but I finished your request! I ended up going with the race plot :) I apologize for the wait. I wanted to do my best to portray everything correctly.

Sprouting Within the Soul

Tech x GN!Reader SFW Comfort Fic (gender-neutral pronouns used, little physical description.) (Can be read as platonic)

Reader is a phytotoxin specialist and becomes a clone medic. Story takes place on Safa Toma where Tech comforts them during an autistic meltdown.

Warnings: Talk of overstimulation, stimming, meltdowns, and gentle praise.

Notes: Phytotoxin- plant poison. I'm still getting used to Tumblr so no fancy dividers yet :,) I am working on making some for personal use

WC: 3,955

Setting up readers' story, skip if wanted!

You didn’t enjoy medicine as much as you did vegetation. But the two interests mixed into a love for phytotoxin, and you found yourself as a specialist clone medic 2 months before you fled with Omega; working alongside her during that time. You grew deeply attached to the special little clone; knowing nothing could separate you.

She told you everything she could about the Clone Force 99; from their names all the way to their genetic mutations. And during one of those one-sided conversations, she told you about the inhibitor chips. This is what sparked your questions about the clones true purpose.

Your interactions with the boys themselves were brief. However, that would suddenly change.

Omega told you that she felt that Kamino was in danger, and you believed her immediately. It didn’t matter what it was that made her feel that way. You trusted Omega, and the thought of not knowing if she was safe scared you. You accompanied her, and her brothers, off-world; not a second guess in your mind.

Leaving the life you came accustomed to was hard. Especially when you were being so abruptly transitioned to a chaotic one. But the others, especially her brother Tech, did their best to ease you into the new life.

With Hunter and Echo being off on their own mission, it was just you Wrecker, Omega, and Tech today. A day you'd absorb every calm second you were given.

You were sitting beside Tech at the bar, him looking into poisonous plants for you.

You noticed that when he found out about your love for the subject, he took it personally. He took every moment he could to talk to you about the various flora of the universe. It wasn't a rare occurrence for him to share something you already knew. But that never mattered or annoyed you. You were just happy someone took part in your interests. Sometimes, he would tell you something that you surprisingly knew nothing of. Others, he would mention something you knew plenty about and you’d talk to him about it for hours.

It felt good having someone to talk to (or at) that clearly enjoyed it.

Just as he would offer you his ear, you would offer him yours. Always listening and enjoying whatever facts he had on his current interests. His passion for the things he knew made them all the more interesting. His voice and excitement would never get old to you.

Even though you felt seen by Tech, you still had moments of worrying you said something wrong. He never gave you a reason to think that you may have offended him, but you couldn’t help the anxiety. So you would often overexplain your intentions. He allowed you to say what you felt you needed to in order clear your intentions, and would then follow up in calm reassurance. He was always a source of calm patient energy, something you never got enough of.

But your day was swiftly stolen by a green Trandoshen. Cid, of course, had a last-minute mission for the four of you. You huffed to yourself, you just got comfortable watching Omega and Wrecker’s Mantell-Mix bet!

You were tracing circles with your finger on the countertop; cheek resting on its cool surface. Omega and Wrecker were playing Dejarik. Hearing them laugh and get competitive with each other made you smile.

“Hey I heard that! Don't get sassy with me Bacta Bunny. I have a mission for you and you're taking it!”

You scowled at the nickname, your reaction being noticed only by Omega, who looked at you briefly before looking at Cid. You found the nickname demeaning- as if all you were was the occasional medic the batch needed.

“Hunter and Echo aren't back from the other mission yet.” Omega told Cid, confused as to why they would do something without them.

“I would not call transporting 50 cases of nerf nuggets a ‘mission’. Nor is it a proper use of our skill set,” Tech added to Omega’s statement.

You rested your head into the palm of your hand, leaning into it, “Tech isn't wrong Cid. You're wasting what ya’ got. There are better uses of our skill y’know.”

“Yeah, well, your skill set will come in real useful on this one. Especially you, Muscles. You're gonna be my security crew.”

Your head lifted at that, “Hey now security for what? What did you do that requires security?”

Tech nodded in agreement, “We will require a more detailed briefing than that.”

“No time. The shuttle's waiting.” Cid dodged, already at the door. You disliked how secretive Cid was. Why couldn't she just tell you what you needed to know?

Wrecker tossed Omega her little helmet, and of course, Omega gave you all her usual wishful thinking.

“Maybe it'll be fun.”

“Heh, works for me.”

“Wrecker, you're saying that as if you're difficult to convince,” you bantered teasingly, you loved the big guy but you weren't wrong. He was easy to convince. He just grinned and gave you a mix of a laugh and grunt before following Omega.

You sat for a moment, wishing you could easily adapt the same way Wrecker and Omega did. But you couldn't help but feel anxious with the sudden change to your schedule.

Tech sighed and you gave him a small pat on the shoulder before jumping off your barstool.

It shouldn't be all that bad, should it?

As soon as your shuttle landed, you were met with muffled crowds and people.

‘Just a little noise. I can handle this’

“I am beginning to understand the need for added security in a place like this.” Tech mentioned to the group, taking in the nature of the people around him.

“Safa Toma can be a little rough around the edges if you don't know what you're doing. But lucky for us I know my way around. And if things get dicey, that's where you come in.”

You looked at the back of Omega’s head once Cid said that last sentence. You weren't particularly fond of how much danger she was constantly in. Yes, she's a clone like her brothers. And clones were indeed made to fight. But she's only a kid and is already dealing with so much. You placed your left hand on her right shoulder, and she gave you two pats in response. Something she always did to let you know she'd be fine.

But once you exited the building, and were blasted with Safa Toma’s boiling sun and restless crowds, you felt like you were the one who might not be fine. You took a deep breath to ground yourself, but the air dried out your nose making you more uncomfortable.

‘This shouldn't be a long mission. It's just security.’

The cheering got louder as you became surrounded by people, constantly getting bumped into. The machines on what appeared to be a race track flashed by directly in front of you, any loose hair you had whipped in the direction they flew towards; tickling your skin.

You stayed behind Omega and held your hands together, rubbing the flesh between your left hand’s pointer and thumb to soothe yourself.

“Whoa!” Omega was leaning on the rail, trying to take in everything happening on the track.

“It's called Riot Racing.” Cid said, clearly only talking to Omega.

One of the racers began shooting at an opponent ahead of it, resulting in the victim crashing into one of the walls.

“Wow! Did you see that?” Wrecker excitedly asked Omega. You glanced at Tech whose eyes were wide behind his goggles.

‘Well if Omega didn't Tech definitely did.’

“It appears anything goes out there.”

The PA system announcer began narrating the scene in front of all of you. Declaring the steal of the lead, that was apparently carried out by Cid’s racer.

You blindly followed Cid and the others after TAY-0’s win, falling slightly behind. You fixated on your hands, attempting to tune out the obnoxious droid in front of you. Any other day his quips would pull a small laugh from you. But the sun felt like it was getting hotter, and the crowd seemed louder and fuller. You didn't understand how Omega was handling it so well, she didn't have the climate-controlled armor her brothers did.

‘If Omega can handle it then why can't I?’

“Your ringer is a droid?” Tech queried Cid, getting what would barely count as a real answer from the droid instead.

“Oh, I'm so sorry. You have a problem with droids, human? You think you can make the split-second calculation to win out there? You want to challenge TAY-0?” the droid asked, defensively getting up in Tech's face. And of course, Tech gave little to no physical reaction.

“I do not have enough information about this sport to determine that at this time.”

“Then take a seat, spectacled spectator.”

Okay, you held in a snort with that one. That was really clever.

Wrecker on the other hand was quite upfront with his reaction, repeating TAY-0 and bumping Tech.

You sat against a wall as repairs were made to the droid's speeder. You chose to ignore what was going on for the time being. You weren't needed at the moment, so you should take advantage of that. You closed your eyes and pressed into the wall, trying to grasp all the peace you were given.

Which wasn't much apparently.

A large man found his way into the pit, three smaller men behind him. You stood after he greeted Cid, his tone making you realize he was the reason she needed security. And when he approached Omega you quickly made your way behind her next to Wrecker; all of your hands making their way to your designated blasters.

“Not gonna introduce me to your new crew?”

‘Why’s that matter to him?’

He gave a hearty laugh, “They're not gonna help you win.”

Cid stood up to Millegi, looking much shorter than she already did in front of him.

“Oh, I know I'm gonna win.”

After a few seconds of intimidation from Millegi, he offered a bet. It was frustrating how quickly Cid agreed. Of course, she'd take any chance she could to make some credits.

You spaced out for a moment before Cid insisted on hurrying up with the minor repairs. She was going to be much pushier now that credits were on the line.

You paced behind the others, feeling restless now being back at the track. You looked up only for a moment when Wrecker returned, then back to the ground. You could feel your patience for today running low. You were rather surprised to hear Tech say he didn't know who'd win. But you knew he'd figure it out eventually, he always does.

But when TAY-0 took damage, and Millegi’s racer won the round, you knew Millegi wouldn't be far.

So you rushed to help collect the pieces of TAY-0 from the track and held your guard for when he'd eventually show up.

And he did, of course, with Cid not having any credits to give him.

“Wanna step in here? I didn't bring you three for the company.”

And with your cue, you put on your helmet and hovered a hand over your blaster. Millegi's men were quick to point their own at you. Of course, Omega spoke up, “Wait how much does she owe?”

“More than you got, kid.”

“Well,” she paused for a moment, “we're not done yet.”

“Omega…” you whispered, “Don't. Stand down.”

“That's right. Looks like you're done to me.”

“One last race. If you win, we pay you double.”

You groaned into your helmet and shared looks between Tech and Wrecker. This could either go really well or really bad.

“If we win, we get Cid.”

“You don't know what you're getting into, kid.”

You followed in suit with the boys, Tech speaking up first, “I'm inclined to agree with him, Omega.”

“Yeah, I'm inclined too. We don't know anything about racing” Wrecker added, not at all slick about the confession.

“Omega this can very easily end very badly.” You told her worriedly

“They're gonna hurt Cid if we do nothing.”

You breathed in deeply through your nose. Omega was not one to lose determination. And you all knew that. You crossed your arms and stood behind her. If this is what she really wants to do, then you'll just have to stand with her.

“So we have a deal?”

“We race tomorrow. And I keep Cid as collateral.”

As his men collected Cid, Millegi gave a warning, “For your sakes, you better be able to pay up.”

You looked down at Omega, “I suppose that went well?”

After Omega spent some time on the speeder, you offered to take her place to get a break. She nodded and jumped down from the table, you taking her place.

“Do we really need to fix him right away? He isn't exactly pleasant company,” you joked slightly.

“Well, he is already partially operational. So it is a bit late now. Speaking of, with a few more adjustments, he may be capable of racing.”

TAY-0 was basically summoned by your conversation, “Uh, that is hilarious. I am more than capable. I am ready to– Where are my arms and legs!?” You laughed to yourself and looked up to finish the repairs that were left on the speeder. TAY-0 was entertaining, but he's also just… a lot.

Wrecker came into the pit and dropped off the rest of TAY-0's parts.

“No, that's not how you connect the servo. Let TAY-0 instruct you how to do this properly.”

You grinned at Tech’s response. What can you say? You enjoyed his sass.

Nightfall came, and Safa Toma was finally quieter and cooler. But you still felt uneasy. All day has been dealing with people and TAY-0, and now you have to sleep in the pit. You tossed in your sleeping bag, Wrecker and Omega already sleeping beside each other. You covered your eyes with your forearm, hoping the pressure would help you sleep.

You lifted it though when you heard rustling beside you.

“Hey Tech, finished working on TAY-0?”

“Yes, he is fully operational for tomorrow's race.”

You nodded and yawned before turning on your side. The ground was hard and the sleeping bag didn’t help as much as it should.

“Problem?” Tech asked, now behind you.

“Oh, no Tech I’m alright. Just been a long day and I didn’t realize how long we would be here for. But I’m alright.”

He shuffled, likely laying down himself. You knew he could sleep just about anywhere, and honestly, it’s a skill you were a bit jealous of.

“I understand. I am not a fan of sudden plans myself, let alone ones with little explanation. I may be used to dealing with them, but they are still difficult.”

You smiled to yourself. “I’m sure we won’t be here too long.”

“Hopefully not”

You wished Cid would have prepared you for where you would be in some way. It felt like you were being cooked underneath your gear and it was miserable. Even when you stayed behind in the pit, there was still all of the noise and the fact you were somewhere completely new with no way to get away.

Two days in a row of dry heat. Two days of screaming. Two days of an obnoxious amount of people and tense interactions. And it was getting to you. Normally it wouldn’t bother you, or at the very least if it did you’d be able to get away from everything. But not being able to escape made it feel like you were suffocating. And as Omega and Wrecker cheered along with the crowd, you slipped away to find quiet.

It proved to be a harder task than you thought it would be, that in itself made you feel worse. But after struggling to find a place to rest, you gave up and decided a place with no people would be enough. You couldn’t help tearing off your helmet and gear, slamming it to the ground as you took your frustrations out on it. You slumped against the first sturdy object you found. The shade was minimal, but it was there. At least you were alone.

After a few minutes, you faintly heard Tech’s name being chanted. And after 5 more standard minutes went by, your comlink beeped. You ignored it, only for it to beep again. And when it did, you tore it off and threw it as far as you could. You couldn’t stand the noise. Or any noise at this point of your mental state.

You covered your ears and held your eyes shut, blocking out as much as you could.

Tech was surprised when he exited his speeder and you weren’t with Wrecker or Omega. And when he asked about your whereabouts, they were surprised too, worrying him even more.

“They were behind me!” Worry and defensiveness laced Wrecker’s tone. They both knew that Safa Toma wasn’t a safe planet for someone to go off by themselves. And after Tech commed you twice with no response, he was definitely certain something wasn’t right.

“I will be back, I am going to track the com signal and check in.”

“I wanna come too!” Omega pleaded with Tech, but he shook his head.

“Negative. We do not know the situation. If assistance is required, then you will be notified.”

Omega didn’t like the idea of not going with, but listened anyway. Wrecker keeping her occupied until Cid and Millegi showed up.

Following your com signal, he eventually found you. He was relieved to see you were safe.

“Ah there you are.” You didn’t respond. At first Tech thought you just didn’t hear him, so he tried again.

“Problem?”

You said nothing, instead shifting where you sat. He said it again. But again, there was nothing. He approached.

He saw all of your gear strewn about on the ground around you. Then took a moment to study your body language. Your hands were over your ears, and your eyes were tightly shut. You made yourself small where you sat.

‘Oh’

He looked around to try and see what he could do to change your surroundings, but when he couldn’t find anything he chose to sit beside you. Your eyes were still squeezed shut, moisture at their corners as you snapped your fingers. Your body couldn’t decide between refusing stimuli or letting it out. He remembered the one-time use earplugs he kept on him for Hunter (or for himself), taking them out of a pocket and placing them next to you.

“Here,” he said softly, only saying what was necessary.

You grabbed them and placed them in your ears, taking in a shaky breath. You brought your knees to your face and pressed them into your eyes. Your hands were free to move about however they needed to.

He chose that simply offering his presence until you expressed you needed him would be best. He knew that sometimes interacting with others during a meltdown was hard. At least, it was for him. He grabbed his data pad from one of his many pockets to occupy himself while he gave you time. He would be there when you were ready, no matter how long that might be. It would be a few minutes before you said anything or acknowledged him in any way.

“Did you win?”

He looked up at you, your cheek resting on your knee as you looked in the opposite direction of Tech. Your sudden break of silence caught him off guard.

“Of course, was there any doubt?” He asked back. You shook your head no and smiled to yourself before frowning again.

“Can you hug me?” you asked him quietly. He hummed in confirmation before lifting the arm closest to you. Turning around and seeing his arm open for you, you leaned into his side. He squeezed you gently, giving you the pressure you needed in that moment.

You sat together, Tech finding his own comfort from the stress of the past two days with you. He rubbed your arm with his thumb before finding a strand of your hair to twist in his fingers. Breaking the silence when he felt you were ready.

“Why did you not say you were overstimulated?”

You rubbed the flesh between your thumb and finger, “I… I don’t know. I was embarrassed. Everyone else seemed fine and I was- am frustrated that I’m not. It bothers me.”

He looked down at you quizzically, “Why would you be embarrassed? It is completely normal to have different needs. Even clones are different from each other, in one way or another. It is expected.” He told you.

“I know that but it doesn’t feel like the kind of ‘different’ that just makes someone unique I guess. I feel weak, but I know I need to be strong for everybody.”

Tech was quiet for a moment to figure out the right thing to say. He knows how you’re feeling. He’s felt the same way. He took in a deep breath before he spoke, “Being autistic does not make you weak. The way you receive and process information in your brain is different. It is okay to allow yourself time for it to do that. I promise, it is okay to have these needs. I have them too.”

“You do?”

“I do. While I do not have meltdowns often, I frequently have shutdowns. That does not make me a less efficient soldier. Genetically modifying me to be autistic was not an accident. There are desirable traits in autistic people. For example, I have exceptional attention to detail. I have a strong memory that allows me to retain important information. I am loyal. Of course there is more. But I do not wish to come across as egotistical.”

You sat there with Tech’s words. You never thought about the fact that, perhaps, nothing was wrong with you. Just different. You looked up, looking just past Tech’s eyes but flicking to them slightly before asking, “What is there that is good about me?”

He quirked his usual half-smile and looked up into the sky, “For starters, you are empathetic, more so than some. While I am sure this may be difficult for you at times, it allows you to be more compassionate. You are honest and direct, making your transition into our force easier as you are too honest to be distrusted. You are passionate and determined. No matter how many times you fall, you get up and try a new approach. You are not only passionate with things, but with people. You have spent much time learning what our crew members like and dislike, and act accordingly. You are deeply passionate in your relationships and I admire that about you. I could continue if you would like.”

You shook your head, cheeks slightly warm at the praise you asked for.

You found yourself leaning deeper into Tech and he welcomed you. You loved that you were able to find comfort in the exceptional clone beside you. It felt good not having to be alone, and being not only understood but accepted. His armor cooled you but his presence warmed you to your core.

“Thank you Tech I-...I think I’m ready to go now.” You told him shifting away slightly to prep yourself to get up. He nodded and stood, offering a hand to help you to your feet. You smiled up at him softly, feeling something in your soul sprouting in his light.

#I don't typically read x readers #mostly because I can't envision myself in a positive manner at all #but i did find this and gosh #ITS SO CUTE!!!#the writing about autism and sensory overload is so eloquent #and perfectly IC #gosh i love it.#tech would be the best at this #i needed him the other day when i had a total meltdown lol!#tbb tech #clone force 99 #the bad batch #star wars the bad batch

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wrenkenstein · 5 days ago

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Last night I did a sketch of my fav Star Wars boy/ clone. It got me thinking about potentially doing another bad batch series rewatch.

Sorry about disappearing for like twenty days😅. I wasn’t planning on it, but I just kind of forgot about Tumblr for the last month. I’m not always great at keeping up with multiple social media accounts. I’m WAYYY more active on instagram. My main platform.

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wrenkenstein · 5 days ago

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TBB doodle requests are open!

Hi all! Small (big) announcement? I'm opening my inbox to TBB doodle requests!

You're free to send ideas my way related to TBB, and I'll happily have a go at illustrating them. I find I have the drive to draw, but never the motivation, unless it's for other people. xD

There are only a few rules;

No NSFW unless it's gore/angst

No shipping (so no CC, no techphee, no hunshep or whatever else yall ship, etc)

No OCs

You're more than welcome to send small doodle suggestions, or more elaborate, prompt based ones. I can't promise I'll get to them all, but I'll hit as many as I can whenever my motivation allows! :^) These will be done gradually, so don't expect an immediate response... but they WILL happen. xD

#the bad batch #star wars #clone trooper tech #star wars the bad batch #tbb tech #tech the bad batch #tech tbb #tbb #star wars tbb

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wrenkenstein · 5 days ago

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Let's talk about Aroace Tech.

There has never not been a time in this fandom where the existence of aroace headcanons for Tech has not been contested. As an aroace person who is also autistic, and who has been fighting the battle against acephobia in this fandom for almost 4 years now... I'd like to talk about that.

For the entire duration of my time in this fandom, I have always pushed for aroace acceptance and representation in fandom media. This has largely been through my personal content with Tech, and my introduction of an aroace partner for him. And while I have gotten overwhelming support for these two over the years, I have also been met with extremely concerning pushback.

Death threats, anonymous messages, angry shippers telling me that my interpretation of Tech as a character is wrong and harmful, despite it being a 1:1 reflection of my own identity. I write and treat Tech as aroace because it makes me feel seen. Me, who is of the type of person where representation is solely restricted to harmful stereotypes, has found immense joy and comfort in making Tech aroace.

I do believe that this largely comes from the wave of fandom purity culture that followed the dreaded virus. In an attempt to protect a certain group of people, those in fandom will try and erase anything that they deem as harmful to that group - often erasing the very group they meant to protect in the process.

In our fandom, this is VERY prevalent. So let me speak on behalf of the many autistic and aroace folks I've met when I say;

If you do not believe that Tech can be aroace, or are of the belief that it is a "bad stereotype" for autistic people, this tells us that you believe romance is the checkmark for maturity as a human being, and that a lack of romantic attraction makes someone less of an adult. This also conveys to us that you see romance as the sole thing that makes someone a human - Because you believe an aroace headcanon "dehumanizes" and automatically "infantalizes" an autistic person.

... Are you seeing the issue here?

Aroace people are not any less mature than anyone else, simply due to their lack of romantic attraction. Likewise, they are not less human because of that either. Aroace people like me make the choice not to pursue romantic relationships because we simply have no interest in it. I am a fully functioning adult with a vibrant life that is not lacking in any regard or capacity due to the absence of romantic or sexual relationships. It is insulting to me that people think of me as less "mature" or less "human" because of my own personal choice to exclude these factors from my life. Similarly, it is harmful to see people be so adverse to Tech headcanons of a similar nature, under the guise of these things inherently being 'bad'.

Now, here are some common arguments given to me against this.

- People use it as an excuse or to be harmful/ableist towards autistic people!

I will be completely honest; it is extremely easy to spot an aroace headcanon for Tech, or for any autistic character, that is intentionally malicious.

You'll often find that someone who creates this content is not shy about showing, writing or displaying Tech in ways that are evidently infantalized or dehumanizing. Simply look at the subtext. Is this person creating aroace content for themselves and their own representation, or are they doing it because they do not believe autistic people can feel attraction? Are they displaying this belief in their writing or art?

If they are? Block them. It's as simple as that.

- Tech can't be aroace because Phee exists!

To this, I have quite a number of responses.

Firstly, aroace people are more than capable of being in relationships with others. Both segments of the identity are a spectrum of attraction, and this spectrum will look different for everyone. To say Tech is aroace does not automatically void him of the potential of a relationship. I have many friends who write and view him as aroace, and maintain that in Techphee as a ship. I, myself, write him as being involved in an aroace relationship. I am in one myself. Being aroace does not suddenly mean you can't be in a relationship - it is meant to describe your experience with attraction.

Secondly, remember that Techphee as a ship is not canon. These are two characters who are not endgame, who are never in any formal relationship, and who never hold hands, kiss, or verbally affirm a relationship in any capacity. It is one-sided flirting. Even if the book expands on Tech's thoughts towards Phee and his mindset, the ending of the show will remain the same. It is perfectly reasonable that people may glean interpretations from this that align with Tech being aroace, adverse in various regards, etc. Likewise, it's perfectly fine to interpret the text as him being any other queer identity. Nobody is making you change your views, so please don't heckle others into doing the same.

Thirdly, remember that fandom is BUILT on the back of queer headcanons. If you trace fandom, OCs and the like back to their roots, all avenues will point you towards gay/mlm Star Trek content - even while the male characters in the show display open attraction to women. This has never stopped anyone, and it never will. Hell, Star Wars is built on it in a similar fashion. Despite Anakin and Padme being in a formal, canon relationship, there are THOUSANDS who write and treat Anakin as a gay man. The same applies for Obi-Wan and Satine, or even Ahsoka, who went as far as kissing Lux. Fandom is a means to represent yourself, and has always been a safe space for queer exploration. Do not exclude aroace people from that privilege.

- Why can't he just be happy?

This implies aroace people cannot be happy...? Which is a genuinely harmful rhetoric. To be happy and fulfilled in life does not mean one has to be in a relationship. It never has.

I am happy. Most aroace people I know are perfectly happy and content with their lives, their friendships and the connections with people they make. Our quality of life is not dampened by the lack of sexual or romantic connections we make. I'd argue it's bolstered by our ability to breeze through life without those aspects interrupting the things we want to do.

While this argument, and those who are angered by autistic/aroace headcanons ebb and flow like the waves, it is still disheartening to see the tides against aroace representation rise again everytime someone attempts to try and explore it. It makes me and many others feel unsafe and unwelcome in this fandom. I am frequently reminded of a Twitter post I made eons ago, which gained a small amount of traction on here...

In closing, let's all remember that we're here because we love Tech. He has been a massive milestone of importance in my life, as I am sure he has been for many others. We are all going to express our interest in this character in different ways - and that's okay! Do not rush to erase someone elses interpretation of a character simply because it is different than yours. Everyone has a right to explore this character, themselves, and anything else in their orbit.

Educate yourself on the topic of aroace identities, their frequency and relationship with autism, and how it impacts those who fall underneath both labels, as opposed to immediately running to cry "ableism".

Because whether you like it or not, there will always be autistic people who are aroace, and there always have been.

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