#Crosshair learning that TBB were never his only family

[squidsponge]

No regs, just brothers.

#literally fridging clones at this point #Crosshair learning that TBB were never his only family #i didn't cry into my waffle #i'm in your walls filoni #rip Baeday #i mean Mayday #top tier clone fashion #loved the mummy look #very symbolic #the clones deserved better #clone troopers #star wars #crosshair #mayday #commander mayday #tbb #tbb spoilers #tbb s2 spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #bad batch spoilers #sw spoilers #spoilers

[oceansssblue]

Hunter not being able to have the time or place to relieve himself pls ☺️

One explicit&short sexy Hunter smut coming right up!

"TEN MINUTES OF PRIVACY"

TBB REQUESTS —HUNTER/F READER 📩🔥

WARNINGS: HUNTER BEING SEXY, HUNTER BEING CAUGHT ON THE ACT, HUNTER BEING KISSED AND TOUCHED.

Hunter was a responsible man. He had been taught to be like that; always taking care of his men, his squad. He worked towards his objectives with his brothers on his mind; always trying to secure their safety no matter how dangerous the situations they found themselves in were. Now, though... Now Hunter only wanted to take care of one thing; himself.

It felt like ages since he had had the time to relieve himself. They had been busy, that wasn't a doubt; first taking care of Tech's precarious health after Eriadu, then reuniting with Omega and Crosshair... And now even Echo was back on the Marauder. It was as crampt as it had ever been; and though Hunter loved his family with all his heart, he just wanted fifteen minutes of privacy for himself.

Those fifteen minutes of peace had been impossible to find. Every time he thought he finally had them, someone would return to the ship or comm him; and his free time would be tragically interrupted. On one time Tech had urgently asked for his help with some repairs; on another, Crosshair had found a reason to fight with a bunch of locals and –though Wrecker had assured him he had it under control– Hunter just had to intervene. On a third ocasion, Echo had asked his opinion on an alternative strategy for their next mission; and even Omega had been unusually affectionate lately, shadowing his every step as if she were afraid to get separated again.

His frustration only continued to grow when days kept passing by. It wasn't just because he wanted to; masturbating was more of a need, now. He felt tense and irritated, snapping at every minor thing. His headaches were only getting worse, nights without rest more common than not. It was only a matter of time before he bursted and said hurtful things; and he didn't want to hurt anyone.

Finally, luckily, his brothers seemed to catch on. It's Echo who suggests going out for a walk, and he manages to convince everyone with the promise of a pretty sunset on Pabu, pointing out that Hunter's migraines are only getting worse and he needs some silence and space to himself. They accept with various degrees of excitement; but they do, and they leave, and Hunter finds himself suddenly on his own.

He doesn't even bother to get fully naked; he doesn't have the patience. He sits on his bunk and tugs his pants down; already hard cock inmediately falling to rest on his stomach when freed. It's warm in the room, so he does take his shirt of and throws it carelessly somewhere on the floor. He doesn't waste any more time and sighs in relief, closing his hand around his cock. Privacy at least.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You hadn't met the boys until their fourth month on Pabu. Their arrival had been the talk of the island for quite some time; not only because rumours said they were a surprising set of clones, but because Pabu suddenly had five handsome elegible bachelors to pick from. Wrecker made you feel small and cute, his energy as radiant as the sun; Echo was the gentleman of any girl's dream. You'd never grow bored with Tech, he was an interesting person to chat with; and Crosshair was all quiet and mysterious, tempting you to find his secrets. Objectively, you could see all of this attributes in the Batch; you could understand the hype. Personally, though... Personally, Hunter had the 100% of your attention.

He was so handsome. Your eyes had inmediatelly locked onto his figure the first time you had had the chance to see him; this firm but kind soldier helping a blonde teenager –you later learned their sister was called Omega– practice what seemed to be defence moves in front of their ship. The second time you had seen Hunter had been one morning on the beach. You had woken up early to be able to swim through Pabu's clean waters without anyone else disturbing the sea's wildlife; diving goggles and swimming fins in hand. After a quiet relaxing swim in the sea, you had sat down in the sand for a bit; and your distracted gaze had followed Hunter's attractive figure in his morning run through the beach.

One thing you had learned about, was that Hunter was always aware of what was happening around him. Weeks later, he had explained to you it was part of his special set of abilities. His mutations. In that second meet up, you had been embarassedly shocked to be caught gawking at him; though it had quickly turned to a pleased shyness when fifteen minutes later Hunter had returned to the same spot to talk to you. He had first greeted you with a sexy little smile; asking to sit besides you if you didn't mind the smell of his built up sweat. He had made you feel comfortable and safe since that very first time; and all those that followed.

It's not that you have consciously started to date him or anything. Hell, you've never even kissed yet. It's just all casual meet ups that ends with the two of you having the best time together. You might be doing groceries and Hunter making his way to their apartment after their latest arrival; and so he will offer you to help with the bags, and you'll accept, and once everything is properly placed in your home, one of you would suggest having a walk together and catch up with your respectives lifes. It feels like a date, most of the times; but none are planned, adressed as such, and Hunter has so many suitors –and is so genuinely kind– you wonder if you're seing things that are not really there.

You've heard the Batch is back on Pabu after three whole weeks travelling the galaxy, though, and you had seen everyone but Hunter in the beach some minutes ago; you know it means he's staying back and resting in the Marauder. You want to see him, so –even though you don't really know if it's your place or not– you make your way down to their ship. You'll just say hi and leave him be.

The Marauder's ramp is still opened, so you jump up and enter the ship. The cockpit's empty; you guess Hunter's somewhere inside. You call him softly, not wanting to wake him up in case he's using the time to catch up on some sleep; but you receive no answer, so you continue walking through the corridor, innocently.

There's a low muttering coming from a room, so you redirect your steps there; and you come to a stop completely frozen in front of the opened door. H-Hunter... Hunter's lounging on one of the bunks, with the back of his head resting against the wall; eyes closed and face relaxed in upmost pleasure. Small words and what you now clearly identify as whimpers and moans escape his parted lips ocasionally; shirt abandoned to the floor and abdominal muscles twitching with each particular rush of pleasure, sweat dripping down his chest and shimmering on his tanned skin. His pants are just low enough so that he can have access at his cock; one hand firmly wrapped around it and stroking up and down while the other clenches on his thigh. And his cock... Fuck, it looks good, dripping precum and flushed almost red by now; Hunter must be reaching his end any minute now.

Hunter... Is a sin, and though your shock is big enough to erase any coherent word from your mind, you aren't made of stone; and your breathing pattern grows heavier with desire while your heart speeds up, and even lost in his own pleasure, Hunter hears that.

His eyes snap open, his face turning slightly to the left to take a glance at the door. Your eyes lock and Hunter gasps out loud, something that sounds like a mix of utter shock and pleasure yet; his hand reluctantly stopping and resting around the base of his cock. Hunter's wide eyes and redenning cheeks show his embarassment at being caught like this; but to your surprise, he doesn't run to pull his pants back up, or hide his raging boner. He just waits, perhaps deciding on what to say or do.

"Mesh'la..." he suddenly and almost hesitantly calls you by that nickname he had started to use for you a month back.

You don't know what it means, though when asking his brothers, Tech had pointed out it was in their language, Mando'a.

Hunter calling you reminds you that you're still staring; staring at Hunter and his half naked body, cock exposed, and invading a clearly very private moment you have no right to stand by.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, Hunter" you quickly blurt out, eyes flying down and focusing on a spot on the floor in front of your feet. "I just saw your family at the beach, thought I'd come and said hi, and then I heard a noise and... Uh... I didn't know... You were..."

You inevitably take a glance upwards, and to your shock, Hunter's cock twitches in his frozen hand and he lets out a small moan.

He doesn't look particularly bothered by your interruption. By the situation. It seems he's just more impatient to carry on, so maybe you should just turn around and leave and...

"Mesh'la... Touch me" he answers, voice deep sending tingles down your spine.

You can't help but stutter as you fix your eyes on his.

"S-s-sorry?" It's what comes out of your mouth, stunned.

You must have heard wrong. There's no chance he just asked that.

"Please" Hunter suddenly whines, words turning him into a bothered mess. "Please, mesh'la, been wanting to masturbate for so long, but it has been impossible here, and now that I finally had the space to do so I tried and I, I... I'm subsconsciously stressed they're going to come back and interrupt me any time now, and I can't also stop thinking about last mission and..."

You're still shocked looking at Hunter; though his words are starting to slowly sink in, and he reads it in your wide eyes. You're so close to him and...

"Please" he begs, quietly but desperately. "Please help me cum".

You need ten more seconds before you finally find the way to reboot your mind again and you're able to nod. Hunter whimpers in relief and inevitably strokes his cock up and down once; stopping afterwards and leaving both of his hands on ech respective thigh; widening them so you have plenty of space to comfortably work with him. You gulp your nervousness down and slowly approach him.

Hunter's dark gaze doesn't leave your eyes as you sink down on your knees between his legs impossibly slowly. Your eyes swipe down over his perfectly trained body, and his cock twitches again against his stomach. The sight makes you bite your lip in a mix of desire, nerves and shyness; and Hunter groans torturedly.

"Mesh'la..." he calls you again, needy, and you breathe in and glance up at his face before setting your resolve.

Your left hand caresses up Hunter's left thigh, thumb squeezing once on the dip between his pelvis and leg; while your right teases down Hunter's abs to finally close around his length. Hunter's impossibly hard. You start with your first movement up and down his cock; and Hunter moans.

"Y-yeah... Yeah, cyare, thank you, yes..." he stutters in half whimpers, half relieved moans, and you have to contain one of yours.

He looks so good like this, so needy, so lost. So desperate.

"You look hot as fuck, Hunter" you tell him, voice barely more than a whisper.

Hunter moans needily and his hips cant forward towards your hand.

"M-mesh'la... M-m sorry for springing this on you so suddenly, just... Just wanted to cum and... Wanted you for weeks too, mesh'la, so pretty, fuck..."

Okay. Okay. Breathe. Hunter's a talker during sex, the kind of person that just looses himself in it and talks his mind of, and that's perfectly fine. You aren't gonna pass out. You are going to cope with the fact that he's gonna ruin yourself for everyone else and help him out.

"It's okay, Hunter" you soothe him, right hand moving upwards and twisting gently towards the end, another tiny involuntary buckle of his hips following you. "Just breathe and relax. I got you, okay?"

Hunter sighs and slides lower on the bed, though still proped up. He closes his eyes momentarily before focusing on you again, then staring at your hand working him up.

It doesn't take too long for him to cum. He's obviously being holding himself back; and finally in a safe place, with you as an additional stimuli, his mind locks on the growing pleasure and his hard cock twitches when he reaches his orgasm. Part of it lands on his stomach; some stays on your hand, and the rest pools on his pelvic, dripping down to a slow. His chest moves up and down with his heavy breathing; his eyes closed shut and head tilted back, neck exposed, muscles showing. And his sounds are music to your ears; raspy, broken. Relieved.

When he opens his eyes again, and Hunter looks at you, he seems more like himself; like this desperate lost version has been pushed back again under the surface. You read shame and guiltiness mixed in his expresion; and smile to soothe him.

"Don't even bother with excuses" you chuckle, using his discarded shirt to clean your hand and passing it to him next. "You were enjoying your privacy and I surprised you, and neither of us did what we should have done, and here we are. We're just gonna move forward and you're gonna invite me to a date".

Hunter gives you a tiny happy smile. It quickly turns onto a smirk.

"Okay. Tomorrow afternoon, then. I'll be sure to take care of everything this time".

You know what that means, and you smirk too, though flushing slightly. Yes, please.

THE END.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Taraa! Decided not to write it too long, hope you've liked it!

remind you that im still working in some other requests. I'm considering not writing every single one though, just those with whom I feel inspired... Dont want any of you to have a go at me though lol. Idk what I'll end up doing honestly, I might just write those with which I feel more inspired forst and then move down the line. We'll see!

Stay tunned for more,

XX,

Sky.

Back to my general masterlist here:

#hunter tbb #sargent hunter #hunter bad batch #hunter x you #hunter x reader #hunter #tbb hunter #sw tbb #the bad batch #tbb #star wars #clones #fanfic #clone wars #tech tbb #echo tbb #fics #wrecker tbb #tbb echo #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #smut #oneshot #request

[oh-three]

TBB S3E4:

Man, that shuttle is in rough shape.

"We have to land." / "A little hard to do when nothing's working." Ayyy, banter.

"Your future, however, is less certain." He doesn't trust her for a second and that's completely fair.

Omega thinking the Empire followed them, and Crosshair explaining that they were already there is actually really funny to me.

Is that a baseball cap? In Star Wars?? That helmet is horrendous.

Oh my god, Omega learned too much about seedy employers from Cid 😭

Omega and Crosshair barely know each other and have such a great dynamic already, I love them.

"And if you lose?" / "Well,...I guess we'll be in more trouble." 🤣

Oh no, Imp officer.

Something tells me this is where Omega loses.

"That shuttle looks like one of ours." How observant.

"Never seen you or your DAD around before." Crosshair is part of the Dad Batch now confirmed.

The captain took that loss well ngl.

LMAO. He was just trying to catch gamblers by breaking the law himself. Way to get back half his money. 😭

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. We know by trailers that Omega ends p back at Tantiss, and that Crosshair ends up back with the Batch. They can only afford to bribe the port guy for one ticket. FUCK.

Oh, nevermind. They still somehow have enough, she had a good day. It was a good theory, though.

I hate to agree with Crosshair, but...

"If you wanna go, then go." 😭

She's gonna get caught trying to get Batcher back. That's what's happening. The captain's not stupid, he's probably figured out who they are.

Ahh, Cross came back, I remain in fear.

YEP. KNEW THAT WAS A TRAP.

Is Lau the town or the planet?

Crosshair's "finally" before he let out that first shot. My man is so happy for Omega to agree with him for once.

That's a hell of a stampede.

Ayyy, bye, Cap. You should've taken them in when you had the chance at the bar. Now, you're dead.

That went well.

The shot of the stormtroopers around the crashed shuttle reminding me of ants on an anthill.

THERE THEY ARE.

DUDE, THIS MUSIC MIGHT MAKE ME CRY.

Ayy, what an entrance, Hunter.

"I had help," and then there's Crosshair walking down the ramp, and my emotions are going crazy, and HE'S FINALLY BACK WITH HIS FAMILY. 😭

#bad batch #bad batch spoilers #tbb spoilers #the bad batch #tbb #star wars

[talizorahs]

Bad Batch Fic Rec List

a sweet anon asked me on tbb eve for a gen fic rec list, which i responded to but we all got caught up in the throws of part 1 of the finale. find the list reposted below for your reading pleasure while we wait for part 2 this friday!

13 gen recs follow which cover pre-canon, republic era and imperial era, with also a section for alternate au fics.

happy reading <3

Back Story / Pre-Canon

Unshaken by wwheeljack. Gen | 40k words | Complete

Summary: Before he was Tech, he was CT-33-7641. Different from the other clone cadets. Wrong. Abnormal. Strange. He was enhanced with superior intelligence and memory, but he looked nothing like his brethren. He stood out in a world where all he wanted to do was blend in, but his brethren would never let him. And the Kaminoans were there, watching their experiment, their failure, coldly. Notable tags: Child Abuse, Torture, The Kaminoans torture and abuse their experiments, Children like picking on people who are different from them

Comments: This fic is honestly my canon backstory for the formaton of the Batch. It's wonderful and touches all the right notes with the entire cast (unfortunately excluding Echo, given the timeline). The fic is from Tech's POV and looks at his experiences growing up on Kamino, then delves more deeply into how he meets the Bad Batch. It also develops the Batch's dynamic into what we see in the Clone Wars and their show. It features a lot of Tech!Whump, which I'm a sucker for, and this fic definitely delivers on all fronts of 'good' in that regard. Wwheeljack writes the entirety of the cast like they've been lifted out of the show which is why I've got no quarrels re-reading this fic when I'm looking for 30 minutes to kill. -- Namesake by Petralice. Gen | 1.5k words | Complete

Summary: The sharp, sterile scent of sanitation liquid burst through the room as Crosshair doused a new needle with it. That needle was about to go very near his eye; he needed his eyes perhaps more than any other clone in the Batch, and if he’d been capable of feeling nervous, the thought would have sent his heart dancing in his throat. How Crosshair got his tattoo. Notable tags: Tattoos, Needles

Comments: I really enjoyed this and how it explores the dynamic between the team, notably Crosshair and the rest of the Batch. Bonus points as it includes backstory to Crosshair's tattoo! -- In. Out. by postapocalyptic_cryptic. Gen | 253 words (drabble) | Complete Summary: Hunter and Tech wait for some news. Tech braids Hunter's hair. Notable tags: Sibling bonding, ADHD Tech Autistic Hunter Bonding Comments: This is just wonderfully soft, and as far as I’m concerned, canon. I absolutely adored it and the dynamic it implies between Tech and Hunter, including how Hunter acts as a physical and emotional anchor to Tech. --

Republic Era

Echo and the Batch's Medic (series) by DuskEverlasting. Gen | 32k words | 2 stories

Part 1: Echo and the Batch's Medic (Complete) Summary: Echo had enough trouble trying to fit into a galaxy he’d been gone from for years in a body that he no longer recognized. Learning that Crosshair of all people was the designated medic of the Bad Batch was overkill. Part 2: The Reg and the Medic (Complete) Summary: It had taken time, but Echo finally felt that he belonged with the Bad Batch. They were his teammates, his brothers. He’d never expected to have family again after Skako Minor, so he had no intention of letting it slip away. Now if only he could understand Crosshair, and why the team’s sniper/medic seemed to hate him. Notable tags (all stories): Developing Friendships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Resurgence of Echo's unresolved trauma, Crosshair is Team Medic

Comments: This fic captures Echo and Crosshair perfectly and makes you yearn for more of their dynamic in the show. Interestingly, it applies a headcanon about Crosshair's physiology I don't hear a lot about and I really enjoyed how DuskEverlasting weaved it in. I also really liked putting Crosshair as the team's medic, a role other fics usually assign to Tech. He fulfills that role in both fics, and hearing Echo's monologues about it are as if the author has a lense directly into his thought processes. It also has your dash of Crosshair!Whump and Echo!Whump that makes me enjoy a fic just that much more. This is more poignant because of Crosshair's role in this series as a medic, which makes reading just the more enjoyable. -- Check My Work by bitterfish. Gen | 1.3k words | Complete

Summary: Crosshair reveals how smart he is when Tech's to tired to check his work properly. Notable tags: Bonding through math, Crosshair is a math wiz you can't take this from me

Summary: This fic sprinkles more Crosshair headcanons that I didn't realise I wanted until I read them. It's a cross between a character study of Crosshair and a slice of life for the relationship between Crosshair and Tech. It shows mutual respect and ultimately, the trust they have for each other. A wonderful read all around. -- Resistance by postapocalyptic_cryptic. Gen | 3.2k words | Complete

Summary: One time Hunter was prepared for torture and one time he was tortured. (With electricity. They're going to shock him. He is going to be electrocuted). Notable tags: Platonic Cuddling, Torture, Electrocution, Dehumanization

Comments: I can't speak more highly of this fic and the snapshot it gives us a) into Hunter's backstory and b) comparing it with Hunter's feelings about the Batch as they learn to be a team. It's so wonderfully soft, and features a cameo I wish we'd seen more in the show. -- The First Face by NanoTwentyFaces. Gen | 8.7k words | Complete

Summary: While there was also Rex when he was rescued, the first clear memory of his emergence from the stasis chamber was of Tech. The first face he clearly saw, especially that of the batch. Since then, it just felt natural for him and Tech to be close. Notable tags: Developing Friendships, Tech and Echo are besties

Comments: This fic ticks all of the brotherly bonding boxes! It also just makes sense and I adore how NanoTwentyFaces explored it with such emotional precision. They capture Echo spectactularly, and also the Batch as they adjust to having an additional member in their tight-knit squad. It also touches on the fact the Batch aren't perfect in any sense of the word, but makes sure to explain that that's okay. --

Imperial Era / Current Canon

Dead Men Walking by ThePatchyCat. Gen | 2.1k words | Complete

Summary: Echo catches Rex before he leaves. Notable tags: Wanted more between [Rex & Echo] so I did it myself, Set after S1E7 of The Bad Batch

Comments: I wish this happened in the first Bracca episode. ThePatchyCat captures Echo and Rex so wonderfully and rounds off the fic with a moment I need to happen in canon (and have semi-written into one of my fics). I didn't know I needed this level of interaction, or any interaction between Rex and Echo from the 2 Bracca episodes, until I read this and I have never been more happy to be proven wrong. -- These Silver Linings by Rowanartist. Gen | 4.2k words | Complete

Summary: The pout is back on Omega's face, her hands folded underneath her chin in her best impression of a tooka begging for food, “Can we go check it out, pleaseee?” Tech knows he should say no. The little voice of reason that he likes to listen so much tells him that it’s not smart. They have repairs to do and Hunter specifically told them not to get into trouble. But as much as he prides himself on resisting Omega’s childlike charm, he has to admit that he feels strangely touched by the fact that she’s asking him to go explore with her. Not Wrecker, not Hunter, not Echo, but him. Or Tech and Omega go on an adventure together, and inadvertently have a much needed conversation about their feelings. Notable tags: Tech has ADHD/Autism, Omega is a smart kid

Comments: I love this fic so much and Rowanartist manages to lift the characters straight out of the show and into their writing. They capture Tech so wonderfully and they make you yearn for more interactions between Tech and Omega in the show. There's also Tech!Whump, which even before that point, the fic was ticking all the boxes for me for family bonding, fantastic headcanons, and amazing writing to match. -- Landmines by rose_willow. Gen | 4.6k words | Complete

Summary: How she'd walked into the middle of a field of landmines, Tech wasn't quite sure. What he did know was that he had to get her out of it. Notable tags: I browse the archive every night and there's a shocking lack of Tech whump, They're a family and I love them

Comments: This fic is a standalone that explores Tech and Omega's relationship. It's very dramatic, given the stakes with Omega wandering into a mindfield, but the high stakes mean the resulting interactions are equally as dramatic and great. As well as exploring the relationship between Tech and Omega, it touches on Tech's relationship with the Batch after Order 66, and is generally one of those emotionally satisfying fics that ticks all of your gen boxes. --

Other / AU

When All Is Said And Done by hanged_albatross. Gen | 58k words | Complete

Summary:  A year after Order 66, The Bad Batch finds themselves cornered by the threat of the Empire and the need to take increasingly dangerous jobs to stay afloat. Just as the team seems to be reaching their breaking point, a job is offered that appears to good to be true. But when it all goes wrong, the Bad Batch must fight to survive in a galaxy turned against them and save one of their own. Notable tags: Mission Fic, Medical Torture, Brief mention of suicidal ideations

Comments: A grittier take on what the show could have explored, and I enjoyed every chapter of it. Hanged_Albatross paints a very vivid picture here of the Bad Batch trying to survive in a galaxy that’s pitted against them, and their emotional journies of coming to terms with the cruelty of the Empire. Nobody’s chips activates, either, so everybody is together (almost!) and working together to save the day. The ending of the fic is satisfying, and definitely has indirectly influenced my own writing for the Bad Batch. There’s unfortunately no Omega, but the author doesn’t need that in this fic to tell an interesting and satisfying story about the whole cast. -- Marked for Death by GrizzlyConstellation. Crosshair/Echo (see comments) | 34k words | Ongoing (13/15 chapters)

Summary:  After months of being under Imperial control, Crosshair is slowly wasting away. It turns out, removing the chip was the easy part. It's going to take time and Echo losing his patience for him to finally accept help from his family. Notable tags: Slow Burn, Trauma, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

Comments: Straight off the bat, this isn’t a gen fic, which dissuaded me from reading it at first as well. Grizzly has just released chapter 13 and in my opinion, it’s perfectly viable to read the story so far as gen. I have been doing that and enjoying it just the same. Grizzly paints an amazing, slow storyline for Crosshair coming to terms with what the Empire has put him through. The recovery is physical as well as mental, and Crosshair’s as stubborn as ever for all of it. It explores the others wearing him down, and him reforming his relationships with the entirety of the cast, including Omega. I would be ecstatic if we got anything similar in the show, but unfortunately Grizzly does it so well that I doubt we’ll get to explore Crosshair and the team’s trauma in such emotional depth as their fic. -- Frozen Pines (series) by wwheeljack. Gen | 37k words | 3 stories

Part 1: Frozen Pines (Complete) Summary: If he had been paying more attention to Crosshair, he could have acted to save his brother. But he didn't. He left his brother behind. Tech and his brothers wait out a blizzard after escaping the Empire, with a damaged ship and nowhere to find repairs. As the blizzard clears, their scanner picks up a weak signal and Tech and Omega head out to find the source of the signal. Part 2: Yawning Grave (Complete) Summary: Crosshair had broken the promise that had kept him going through the war, kept him fighting for something he did not believe in. Crosshair didn't care about the Republic or the Jedi… all he cared about were his brothers. His family. And now his family was broken, torn from the inside with a single shot from his rifle. Sequel to Frozen Pines. Part 3: Ghost On The Shore (Complete) Summary: Crosshair's lived with guilt and self-loathing for eight years, hunting Imperials and running from his brothers in an attempt to hide from the possibility of their forgiveness. He hungers for his family, but knows he does not deserve it, until he is offered a possibility to find what he's wanted for eight years. Final part of Frozen Pines. Notable tags (all stories): Character Death, Crosshair gets some suitable regret and angst, This is mainly just angst and regret, [Crosshair] gets some closure?

Comments: I have no words for the artistry of the Frozen Pines series. I went on a bit about wwheeljack above, with their fic Unshaken but Frozen Pines also knocks it out of the park. If you want to feel things, this is the fic to open and binge for the next few hours of your life. It is very sad. Full disclosure, the last fic is tragic and actually made me bawl. I won't say too much else, but note the tag in italics I have added, is that the series does include a character death and explores it in detail. The death is treated with the utmost care and is written into the series perfectly, and is also rounded off with a fitting emotional conclusion. I was devastated at first, and a little angry at the death, but stick with the series and finish it before you reserve judgement.

#the bad batch #bad batch #clone force 99 #tbb #star wars #not bioware #fic rec

[wwheeljack]

Okay bc im curious and I don't think we've talked about it (well we've talked some stuff, but not Grand Scheme level of stuff) but!!!! I'd love to know, if you had the option to change the canon story of TBB after Aftermath, how would you have wanted the show to go? Like, with their adventures, getting their chips out, saving Cross, character cameos/deaths, what would you have taken out of the show, what would you have added, etc.!

I Trust and Adore your ideas over canon and I have been struck with Interest, and I'd love to hear what you'd have done with the show post Aftermath, if you're okay with sharing!

HMM.

Well, I...

I'm always the most interested in emotional depth/exploration with the characters, and I think it would have been very interesting to see how the boys would really react to losing Cross (if we are going with the 'Cross is enslaved by the Empire' route).

They knew Cross for four years at minimum (and longer, in my headcanons) and he was their brother and their family.

Hunter, Wrecker and Tech would be so used to having Cross around, being their lookout and sniper, that I would have loved to actually see the brothers really react to losing him.

Have one of them call his name, expecting him to assist them, but no response comes. Hunter turns to look for Cross, then he remembers Cross isn't with them... that their sniper has turned on them, and they don't have their lookout.

Wrecker would look for his brother and make a joke that Cross would normally roll his eyes at or grumble about, but then Wrecker realizes that Cross isn't there... that his brother's gone, and they've left him behind. Wrecker doesn't have his competitions anymore, nor does he get to tease Cross, and Wrecker doesn't know what to think of losing his brother.

Tech's... even more withdrawn than normal. He does not express himself emotionally normally, but now he's even quieter and harder to read. He misses Crosshair, and yet doesn't know how to feel about Crosshair "betraying" them.

He always had Cross as his silent protector, and the one who would spend the most time with him and actually listen to his rambles, but now Cross is gone? Cross turned his back on his brothers and shot Wrecker?

The boys struggle to hide from the Empire, and have to learn how to live without the Galactic Republic giving them food and supplies any longer. I mean, in the end, the boys were raised to be soldiers, and that is all they know - and they don't have that old resource to fall back on.

I'd love an exploration not only into the loss of their brother, but how much they are unprepared for living in a world where they don't have an easy fall back they had during the Clone Wars.

I thought we would have this show start to reveal the way the Empire took over, digging its claws into everything, and how much stress that would put on the boys. Not only do they have to get used to living a life on the run, but they have to realize that all of their training means nothing now.

Of course, I'd want to see the boys start to talk about Cross and why he turned on them, though none of them are fully certain of the real reason behind his betrayal. I would keep Battle Scars to show the boys how dangerous the chips are, and to give the boys the idea behind their brother's betrayal - except I would have Wrecker apologize to his brothers, and show how they involuntarily are afraid of him because of what he almost did to them.

Say that Tech will flinch when Wrecker raises his hand towards him, even if Tech tries to fight the innate fear he has towards Wrecker at that moment, and Wrecker's heart breaks. He never intended to harm his brothers, and he becomes even more fiercely protective of his brothers after Battle Scars.

Once Tech starts to realize that his brother didn't willingly betray them, he puts all of his focus into how they can get Cross back. Reunion happens similarly to how it did in the show, except that they do try and rescue Cross - only for Cross' men to overpower his brothers and they take Cross back, wounding Hunter in the process.

Hunter can't lead for awhile and so Echo has to try and lead, while Wrecker and Tech struggle with taking care of Hunter and all of them try to adapt to having to rely on Echo and not their sergeant.

Crosshair keeps hunting them and, for each time he runs into his brothers, the control of the chip starts to break because he loves his brothers... and sees how broken they are.

They don't know what to do without their whole family around, and they are starting to break apart at the seams. They run into Cross eventually, and Cross fights the chip long enough to make it easier for his brothers to capture him.

Once they have his chip removed, Cross does everything he can to support his brothers - and to try and make them forgive him, since he believes they hate him.

Eventually he realizes his brothers don't hate him, and that they wanted him back the whole time. The brothers do everything they can to survive, and it's a struggle but they are whole again, and they are always better as a group.

Also, flash back episode, PLEASE. I want to see cadet Batch so, so badly! Let me see the boys meet up, and let me see tiny, baby Tech get his goggles, and Cross finally meet his brothers and have to learn to trust Hunter and Wrecker. Show us exactly why the Batch (especially Cross) hate regs, and how they grew up on Kamino.

I'm not certain my thoughts on the show in the long run, since we still have three episodes left, but I know for a fact I wanted to see more about Cross leaving them. That should have affected them far more than the show ever gave us...

#carifusaga #I don't like cameos that much as I want a story to be able to stand on its own #and not sure whether I'd have Omega or not #But in the matters of the boys and their brotherly bond? #I'd love to have seen more encounters with Cross #and actually have the boys respond to losing him #and give me post-Republic starting Empire! #I wanted to see how they worked/started #and how the boys would respond to a life without them being soldiers #and how they'd struggle without the resources the Republic afforded them #And give me Cadet!Batch #I WANT to see tiny cadet boys :( #Give Echo the chance to be the leader and have to realize they aren't soldiers any longer #but men on the run desperate to live and survive each day #(also explore his PTSD and how he struggled to deal with working with the Batch and their different tactics) #Give Wrecker his emotional intelligence and show him as our fierce older brother who struggles with what he did in Battle Scars #And let Tech show emotions! Let him break down emotionally about Cross' betrayal #And have him struggle with believing that Cross could have turned on them while also knowing Cross wouldn't do that #Not Tech's Crosshair... his best friend and strongest supporter. Tech knows Cross couldn't do that... but he struggles #And Hunter... oh Hunter... #Believing that he left Cross behind and betrayed his brother #that the weight of the world rests on Hunter's shoulders and all he wants to do is protects his brothers #Crosshair does everything he can to make up for what he did... and fights for his brothers like he never did before #Just... give me emotional depth #Please! #Give me actual character development #this is what I could think of for now... don't know how the last three episodes will change my heart #But ahhhhhhh thank you for asking! #sorry for rambling so much hhh #long

[itsclydebitches]

one of the previous anons here (again)! :0

not to be an "UM ACTUALLY" kinda person, but I think the tinfoil anon was referring to the scene in the training room (where crosshair got stunned by hunter) insteada the scene at sea (rescuing omega and azi).

I'm.... *also* really curious about what he was thinking there, honestly? Like, all that setup to ask his brothers to join the empire with him -- but what did he expect them to say? And it even seemed like he was about to draw his rifle on Hunter, before Hunter stunned him, but the others also had their guns pointed at him? He couldn't have possibly thought he was going to walk away from that in one piece lmao, regardless of whether he outdrew Hunter or not

Anyway, yeah, apologies for cluttering your inbox with the digital equivalent of snail mail these past 48ish hours XD.... I just think these meta posts are neato

OH SHIT if that's the case so sorry other anon, that's my bad 😅

And omg, literally don't worry my inbox is already beyond saving. I've got hundreds of asks spanning back years at this point, stuff I just straight up don't have time to answer and, sadly, probably never will. Cluttered doesn't begin to cover it. If my ask box could embody physical space, it would probably smell like TBB's barracks lol

But YEAH okay, let's talk the stunning scene instead because I love being sad on a Sunday night. What's important for me is that building up to this it's Hunter who is gunning for Crosshair (pun not intended lol). Crosshair has already shown that he's not planning to hurt them by murdering his other team and he's only just started to think over Hunter's "We never were" — in response to his "don't become my enemy" accusation — when all the droids pop up. Yet instead of focusing on them, Hunter immediately jumps on Crosshair. I mean yeah, we as the audience (to a certain, complicated extent) understand why they're so wary of him, but also think about how bad that looks from Crosshair's perspective. You've just proven you're not out to hurt your team, Hunter claims you were never enemies... but the second a fight starts he attacks you. Like you're the enemy. So does Hunter believe what he's saying? So many of the problems here come down to claims vs. action. TBB is really good at saying things to Crosshair, but aren't very good at backing them up with action. Like claiming they wouldn't leave him behind vs. actually not coming back for him during this whole stretch, here we've got "We're not your enemy" vs. Hunter choosing to attack him instead of the droids.

So they tussle a bit and it's only when the droids become overwhelming that Hunter is forced to turn his attention towards them instead. When he does, we see Crosshair thinking for a moment and then we get a preview of that "Oh no, Crosshair is going to shoot Hunter!" scare out on the water: he lifts his rifle, aims in a way that appears to be at Hunter's back, but then shoots over his shoulder to hit the droids instead. We even get two reaction shots to this, Hunter's brief look of surprise and a more overt "Omg, Crosshair is helping" reaction from Tech and Wrecker.

When Wrecker pulls his helmet back down it's with a sense of new determination. The whole squad is back in action! This is (again) proof that Crosshair is not out to be their enemy. He just fought alongside them, protecting them rather than taking advantage of the situation to take them out.

... except that as soon as the battle is finished Hunter immediately has his weapon on Crosshair.

And everyone else follows his lead.

Crosshair had complete trust in them. He had his back turned right before this moment, head in his hand, not at all worried about what his allies were doing. Why would he? They're meant to be allies and the threat (the droids) is gone. Except then he turns around to find that Hunter has his weapon on him after Crosshair just killed for him, after Hunter attacked first, after Crosshair didn't attack when given the chance, and you can see him looking down at his weapon with this sense of resignation.

What was he thinking in this moment? Probably that fighting is inevitable. I don't think Crosshair believes he can make it out of this without being stunned (or shot. I mean, does he know their blasters are set to stun?), but rather that he's just going along with what the others insist is going to happen. Every time he does something to say "We're not enemies" they do something back that says, "We are."

Crosshair doesn't want to fight his team, but Omega releases droids to help them battle him.

Crosshair wants to fight the droids, but Hunter attacks him instead.

Crosshair does fight the droids when given the chance and thinks that's it, he's proven his trustworthiness, but Hunter has him at gunpoint the second it's over, as do the others.

Every time he tries to do something to show he's not their enemy — "Don't make me your enemy" he says. That's what he's trying not to be — they turn around and frame him as the enemy anyway, whether it's attacking him instead of a droid, Tech telling Wrecker he's beyond talking to, or all of them assuming he's out to shoot Hunter instead of save Omega. This is an ongoing trend that just snowballs the longer things go on. Have you watched Grisha? You know the Darkling's line, "Fine, make me your villain"? To my mind it's sorta like that only with Crosshair having better grounds to make that claim than the Darkling did lol. Raising his gun isn't about thinking he can win this fight. It's also not about wanting to fight — he's made it very clear that he doesn't want that at all. It's much more of a resigned, "Fine, if this is the road you insist on going down, I'll oblige you."

"This is who I am," Crosshair says and Hunter has made it clear, several times over, that "this" is TBB's enemy. Crosshair didn't want that, but it's what they're insisting on, so an enemy is going to defend themselves by shooting back. Which is when he's knocked out, wakes up drowning, is saved by Omega, learns the Empire tried to kill him, and is back to his half angry/half desperate, "Can you please not think of me as the enemy for two seconds and hear what I have to offer?"

As for what he thought his brothers would say in regards to joining the Empire, that offer he has... I think he thought they'd say yes. Whether that belief is born of his own, twisted reasoning, or if there is still something going on with the chip, Crosshair prioritizes their safety and their purpose over the ethics of working for the Empire. When Hunter goes, "We're loyal to each other, not some Empire" that's something Crosshair agrees with. When not forced to try and kill them via the chip, he is loyal to the squad, absolutely, even over what the Empire wants. That's why he kills the Empire's soldiers and disobeys orders to get rid of TBB, instead trying to orchestrate their move into the organization instead. That's not what the Empire wants, it's what Crosshair wants.

So they're both loyal to the team over who they work for, the only problem is a) Crosshair is struggling to believe that they ever considered him a true part of the team — "You weren't loyal to me" — and b) Hunter's loyalty, unlike Crosshair's, actually has a limit. For him, he's not willing to kill civilians to give his brothers a sense of purpose in the world. He's not willing to follow an evil Empire to ensure that they have food and aren't always on the run. For Hunter, his desire to keep the rest of the team safe and happy does not outweigh basic morality (which is a good thing!) They'll figure out a way to survive while also doing the morally correct thing. Crosshair, however, places nothing above his teammates. He'll betray the Empire's orders for them. He'll kill his new team for them. He'll murder whatever innocents it takes to give them a safe, fulfilling life in this new galaxy. The Empire wants him to kill other people's kids? What does he care if the tradeoff is getting a good home for Omega? Something, something, Jedi fear attachments. All of which makes this whole mess all the more tragic. He will do anything — literally, ethically anything — for his squad... and they didn't even come back for him. He'll do anything for them, but they're insisting on being enemies instead. The underlying problem is that Crosshair's way of expressing devotion and care — let me help you join the Empire that's definitely going to take over the galaxy so that you'll be under their all-powerful protection and can live save, happy lives — is something that TBB finds to be repugnant (with, you know, excellent reason). So Crosshair is just standing there, continually offering his heart to them, not understanding why these ethical questions are more important than the only thing he cares about: them. And, again, we don't currently know how much of that warped thinking stems from Crosshair himself, or something that was/is still up with the chip.

Plus, toss in everything else we've discussed about Crosshair's abandonment. He doesn't understand why they care about the Empire's crimes over the protection of their family and he's continually hurt by the knowledge that they won't go as far for him as he's willing to go for them, not realizing that going that far is morally reprehensible. If TBB had tried to rescue him and had approached him as a brother in need of rescue, rather than an enemy, he might be more receptive to their arguments about what's best for the team. Simply because he would have felt like he was still a part of that team. Right now, everything Hunter argues about the evils of the Empire, while 100% true, are filtered through this knowledge that Crosshair isn't a "real" brother anymore. Chip or not, he believes what he's saying and has no reason to think that he's wrong, just that others aren't listening to him. From Crosshair's POV, they wrote him off the second this all started and haven't made a single move to fix things. That's the easiest way to entrench the idea that his way of doing things is right, the only problem here are his brothers who refuse to see it, insisting on opposing him instead, just as they had from the get-go when they left and never came back. To Crosshair, he's reaching out despite (again, from his perspective) the others not deserving it, yet that extended hand is continually slapped away. Nothing in the situation is helping him realize that what he's offering is what's wrong because it's all framed to look like he himself is the problem (see: Tech's little speech to Wrecker). But that's also why Omega's reminder that he's still their brother is so important. He gets a reminder, but Crosshair needs to see that again too. He needs a reason to turn away from the Empire because, whether it's due to the chip or not, the simple argument "This is wrong" isn't doing it for him. I honestly think he'd have left with them if he felt like he could rejoin the squad because, as established, his squad means everything to him. That's the top priority. But so much happened to make Crosshair believe that his brothers don't want him, that they'll only accept him as an enemy, that any offers to join them are made only out of obligation... that all he has left is the Empire. He needs to believe that they accept him as his brother so he can toss the Empire to the curb for what he wanted this whole time: to go home.

tl;dr IT'S SUCH A HORRIBLE MESS lol and this is why I oh so hope season two tackles all this with something resembling respect and nuance. This is one hell of a tangled problem, with lots of justified and inaccurate anger on both sides, so to try and simplify it all into a, "Crosshair is just a bad guy who thinks bad things ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" would be... less than satisfying imo.

#TBB #The Bad Batch #SW #Star Wars #mymetas

[hellowkatey]

post-finale thoughts on the bad batch below the cut

[I'm specifically focusing on story and characters. this doesn't even begin to address the issues with their animation design, coloring, and the whole lot of racial, stereotypical, and ableist themes that show up, they are important to be aware of and speak out against. resources that I have found helpful are linked.]

@revenge-of-the-shit has a great compendium with lots of resources for both TBB and SW as a whole | change.org petition

okay.

As a SW fan, I am no stranger to putting up with meh writing because of my love for the characters. I love found family and I love the protective space dad trope with all my being, so TBB caught me by the hyperfixation... but not until the last few episodes of the season.

I loved Echo and Tech from the beginning. As someone who is neurodivergent, I relate to Tech a lot. And I've had a soft spot for Echo since TCW. Wrecker and Omega are more neutral for me. I like them but don't connect to them as much. My like for Hunter decreased as the season progressed, and I disliked Crosshair until episode 15. After part 1 of the finale, I went back and rewatched TCW backdoor pilot and actually began to understand Crosshair.

Coming into the 2nd part of the finale, I sort of expected them to discover Crosshair still had his chip despite claiming to already have it removed, remove it, and they fly off in the Marauder into the sunset, brothers again.

Obviously that is not what happened. But I'm not mad about that. I'm actually glad this didn't happen, though it hurt to see that wide shot of Crosshair standing alone on the platform as his brothers flew away.

I do think Crosshair still has his chip. I think the Empire tricked him into thinking they removed it. It's a mind game. Because Crosshair thinks he had the chip removed, he stops fighting the impulses to support the Empire over his team. He genuinely believes he has chosen this.

And, because Crosshair by nature is severe and unyielding (as Tech says), his natural personality is not far off from the aggression and standoffish shift that chipped clones display. But compared to how Crosshair was in TCW and the first episode, he's definitely not all there imo. The fact he remained loyal to the Empire after they destroyed Kamino with him on it (and the scenes of him still having headaches-- I mean, hello, how did the boys miss that??) is why I believe he is still chipped.

But I am glad Crosshair did not go with them even though it messes up the premise of a fic I wrote between ep. 15 and 16 (rip). The finale was important for bringing the boys back together so they can see they all still care about one another, but there's a difference in ideology. And there's a breach of trust on both sides.

Crosshair needs to see for himself that the Empire has been manipulating him and he needs to come to that conclusion on his own. The Bad Batch, mainly Hunter, needs to realize that they did abandon their brother because as soon as they figured out about the inhibitor chips their primary mission should have been getting Crosshair out of there.

In terms of the conflict between Crosshair & himself and Crosshair & The Bad Batch, I think the show did a good job. It's an extremely complex issue, and they depicted the characters as true humans that make mistakes and have to atone for them. I hope season 2 focuses on what they need to work on individually to be ready to come back together as a team.

That is why I think I watched the show but didn't really connect to it until we actually got back to the main conflict from the first episode.

But this was a 16-episode season. They filled half a season with cameos and odd-jobs which were hardly used it to advance the characters' arcs. (At least when the Mandalorian S2 did this, the cameos contributed to the journey in some way.)

Tech, Echo, and Wrecker basically got no development when there were lots of opportunities to explore this-- I mean, we have Echo who was a POW, the last of his squad, pretty well acquainted with the Jedi, and the only "reg" among them. Before he was taken by the Techno Union, he was a huge advocate of following orders and doing things by the books. I feel like he would have had a hard time with learning about the chips and Fives' death amongst other things. Tech and Crosshair were depicted working together a lot in TCW, and he is one of the few that (sort of) defends Crosshair in the finale, but that dynamic isn't explored much either. And Wrecker's chip actually activated and he hurts his brothers. Yet, there's not really any sort of fallout there either. I also feel like they alluded to Omega having some sort of special ability at the beginning and then we just never touched on it again.

I point out these things not just as a fan, but as someone who studied writing and storytelling in college. You can have your round and flat, dynamic and static characters, but they still should have a complete arc. And they all can't be flat. Especially as being part of the main cast. I think they focused mainly on external struggles and forgot about the internal ones, which would have been much more profound. If The Bad Batch was an anthology of their missions during TCW I would be a little more forgiving of the mission-to-mission episode format, but this immediately following Order 66. One of the most emotional moments in the SW franchise.

Don't get me wrong, I loved moments of the show. It's inspired me enough to read (and write) fic for it. And I've read some really kick ass writing that has fulfilled a lot of the desires I had for the show in terms of addressing internal conflict and character development. I'm well acquainted with the fandom by this point to know emotional depth is not often a priority in SW. But I did not expect the show to lack basic character development for main characters. I've browsed The Bad Batch AO3 tag a few times now, and a very large portion has to do with creating character development and backstory that doesn't exist in canon yet. I think that says a lot on its own.

This is long so I'll stop but my overall opinion of the show is bittersweet. If someone asked me what I thought of it in one sentence, I would say "it has potential". But since S2 is confirmed, it sounds like they should have time to see fan responses, take the valid criticisms to heart, and I think TBB has the potential to join the club of a beloved SW show with a rough first season.

#the bad batch spoilers #below the cut #feel free to slide into my inbox/DMs to chat about the show #also remember these are my ~opinions~ #and though this is a #long post #I did not address all of my thoughts on the show

[itsclydebitches]

hello! loved your tbb meta posts (10/10 analyses of the batch and their respective characterizations), but since it wasn't explicitly mentioned -- did you catch the post-s1 interview with jennifer corbett (head writer) and brad rau (exec producer)? their answers about crosshair's chip being out were Interesting (tm) but fairly definitive-sounding, so I'm wondering what your thoughts on it might've been.

Hey there, anon! Thank you—I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them :D

I’ve heard this info second-hand and ran into one written interview on the topic (idk if it’s the same one you’re thinking of), but my first response is… arguably a reach lol. Not to start off with a tin hat on, but it’s always possible that the writers are lying. Which yes, yes, we have a knee-jerk reaction against the idea of anyone lying for any reason, but in this case, it would be in service of both the writer’s plans and the audience’s enjoyment. Let’s say for the sake of argument that Crosshair’s chip is definitely still in and the entire point of this setup is a double twist: first the reveal that his chip is gone, then the real reveal that it’s actually still in and Crosshair was lied to (among other possibilities). How can the writers discuss him during hiatus without revealing that twist? By playing the current knowledge straight, despite the fact that they know otherwise. Yup, Crosshair’s chip is out. Yup, he chose this 100% willingly. Nothing else to see here, folks! To do otherwise would be to reveal the twist way too early. Even refusing to answer the question, dodging it, would give it all away. Imagine if during a season finale we’re meant to believe that a character is dead and then during hiatus an interviewer asks how the cast will mourn them. If the writer refuses to answer, every fan will realize that Something Is Up and what’s the main possibility here? That they’re not actually dead! Twist spoiled… unless the writer pretends that what the audience currently knows is definitely the truth here.

Taking my tin hat off now, these interviews are one of the main reasons why I’m worried about the writing moving forward. Because despite the paragraph above, I’m by no means convinced that the writers are skillfully keeping up a lie to avoid spoilers. It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but it’s not necessarily likely either. Which leaves us taking their words at face value and that’s… a problem. Because as so many fans have already pointed out, the writing is setting up a twist that, according to these interviews, doesn’t exist. That doesn’t say good things about their intentions for the show vs. what actually ends up on screen and that kind of disconnect becomes frustrating for viewers very quickly. Take the headaches, for example. I’ve seen a couple of fans explain Crosshair’s away using the engine accident: “His face got burned up, of course his head still hurts. You’re reading too much into this.” But imagine for a moment if I’d tried to do the same thing for Wrecker prior to “Battle Scars”: “He gets thrown around and hits his head nearly every episode, of course it hurts. You’re reading too much into this.” Other fans would have—quite rightfully—explained to me how television works and that this repetitive problem is functioning as foreshadowing of a larger problem. With a side of the fact that this is an action show where the characters consistently shrug off their injuries. We’re not supposed to take Wrecker getting thrown around seriously. He’s the brawn of the group, meant to withstand a lot of damage, with any injuries being presented as either #cool (Wrecker shrugs off Fennec’s hits to go after Omega, yeah!) or #funny (Wrecker treats Crosshair shooting him like a badge of honor lol), not something he’s going to have to grapple with in a serious manner. So the audience recognizes the question, what’s more likely? That Wrecker’s headaches are a deliberate visual cue on the part of the writers to tell us that something important is happening, or that suddenly how the genre treats injuries has drastically changed?

It's precisely the same with Crosshair. He’s not the brawn like Wrecker is, but he’s still the action (anti)hero who shrugs off injuries because this is a show interested in more fun, explosive plot, not a deep dive into recovery. (See also: the story doing nothing with Echo’s trauma.) When Crosshair is injured, he’s immediately fighting to get back into a ship and when we next see him he’s passed the recovery stage entirely. There’s only a scar to show that this happened at all. We don’t watch him getting bacta skin grafts, or worrying about his eyesight, or struggling to eat, etc. The point is that he was injured for the purposes of that episode and now he’s not. So why would we think his headaches are a long-term symptom when the show is otherwise not at all interested in writing long-term symptoms? What’s more likely, that this familiar visual cue is being repeated to tell us that this is the chip, just like it was with Wrecker, or that the story is randomly interested in something it never was interested in before?

The audience is right to think that there’s more going on because the show has been written to say, "Something more is going on." The headaches, Crosshair’s refusal to give concrete information, the group conveniently not using Tech’s scanner, the burn scar hiding where the chip’s scar would be, a lack of motivation for the Empire removing the chip, not seeing its removal when the show did include its power being amplified… all of these are deliberate writing choices to set up another reveal. But, if we take the interview at face value and learn that these weren’t deliberate details… then what? The writers are making mistakes? Throwing in “clues” for the hell of it that they never intend to cache in on? Unless there’s some amazing answer here that allows for both these inconsistencies' explanations and the writers’ hard stance—something I personally can’t think up—then we’re left with is a pretty serious flaw in the show. A flaw that’s going to undermine the audience’s trust in everything we get from here on out. The next time we see something that feels like a cool setup/reveal, half the fandom will be going, “Yes! It totally means that ___ is going to happen!!” while the other half will be going, “… does it? Because we thought things were happening with Crosshair and that went nowhere.” Writers have to tackle the implications of what they’ve put on screen. Otherwise, the story falls apart.

So yeah, I’m aware of those hard “His chip is out and this is his choice” statements and, frankly, they make me nervous for season two. Because what the show needs is to engage with what we actually got in the finale: an ambiguous state of Crosshair’s chip, a number of hints that it might still be in there, and an ethical dilemma that, so far, hasn’t acknowledged how much of an influence the group’s decisions have had on Crosshair’s. I tackled most of this in the first analysis, but something I didn’t unpack there was the “choice” of not leaving with them. I mean yes, by all exact definitions—and if we accept that the chip really isn’t there—then Crosshair absolutely had free will in that moment to do as he pleased. But life is way more complicated than that. Imagine for a moment that I put two candy bars in front of you. “You can have whichever one you’d like,” I say. You reach for the one on the left and I glare, hard. I scoff at you. I mutter about your choices, your personality, your flaws, and your mistakes. So you reach for the one on the right instead and I’m… neutral. Okay then. Right candy bar it is. “They could have chosen the one on the left” someone watching claims. “Nothing was stopping them. No one put a gun to their head!” And yeah, the concept of “stopping them” was never that extreme… but the more compassionate, nuanced look acknowledge that some measure of “stopping them” did exist. Insults. Cruelty. A clear indication that one choice was wrong and the other was right. That’s one hell of an influence, even if it's not as formidable as a gun or a chip.

And that’s what Crosshair is dealing with. Yes, joining the Empire is clearly wrong and yes, a non-chipped Crosshair has free will to walk away from it… but walking towards TBB was never presented as a real option for him. He saw that through their inaction when they never came back for him. Then in Hunter’s refusal to admit that they’d made a mistake in leaving him behind. Wrecker putting all responsibility on his shoulders, despite knowing what the chip does to someone. Tech backing him up and framing this situation as stemming solely from Crosshair’s base personality—“severe and unyielding.” It’s seen in the always-loving Omega walking away from him in the barracks, in Crosshair’s hesitation to follow them to safer ground (and boy oh boy, do I have sad headcanons about that), and most especially, in their reactions to him saving Omega. What Crosshair learns in that moment is that they honestly believe that he, not the Empire's chip, but he would shoot Hunter and that saving their little sister is not a point in his favor. It's met only with glares and a need to disarm himself. They don’t trust him and actions that should produce trust are outright ignored, so… where can they go from here? Nowhere, according to TBB’s actions. They’re not giving Crosshair any wiggle room, any hope that these relationships can be repaired, or any acknowledgement that they had a hand in things getting this bad. So when they offer to let Crosshair come with them—which is very significantly presented as an obligation, not something they want—he knows that offer is BS. Whatever their real feelings might be (because the found family show obviously wants us to believe that everyone loves each other), their actions have said loud and clear that they don’t want him. That yes, he could technically walk onto that ship… but that it would be the “wrong” decision accompanied by more insults, scoffs, and pressure to do otherwise. That once he's there, he'll be treated only as a threat with any good deeds ignored. It's an awful offer outside of it being the morally correct decision when it comes to leaving the Empire... so Crosshair reaches for the right candy bar instead.

That very long tangent out of the way, THIS is what season two has to grapple with, along with all that ambiguity and the existence of these "The chip is still here" hints. But the interviews don’t seem to acknowledge that all of this exists, instead framing things as if we’d ended the finale knowing for sure that the chip is out and had watched a season where Crosshair is 100% responsible for everything that’s happened, no Empire or TBB influence involved. The way the interviews frame things doesn’t match up with the text, so I can only hope this is an example of bad communication, or the writers keeping a spoiler under wraps, because otherwise… season two might be frustrating to watch, with fans continually going, “Why are you ignoring that this happened? Why are you pretending that all of this is simpler than it actually is?”

#TBB #The Bad Batch #Crosshair #Star Wars #SW #mymetas

[itsclydebitches]

I’m the tin foil hat anon and I wanted to thank you for the response on my bb submission, you make great points. Although I was frustrated that some of them raised even more questions I didn’t think of myself… UGH… lol the S2 wait is gonna be painful

On the point of crosshair thinking his chip was removed a looong time ago(meaning before bracca or even as early as ep1) it wouldn’t make sense bc of his response to Hunter’s “you tried to kill us, we didn’t have a choice”. He says “and I did?”. So he seems to be aware he couldn’t control himself in all their previous encounters. Does it mean he knows his actions were due to chip then?

And you say crosshair avoiding the “when” question can be due to him not caring if the horrible actions he committed are chip or himself and it’s meant to show that he truly is despicable and evil. It could be the case because he shows absolutely no remorse or regret over slaughtering civilians, never apologizes to his brothers for not only trying to kill them but almost successfully incinerating(!!!) them. On top of that (apparently) without a chip he casually murders his own squad without a blink of an eye right in front of them.

On the other hand, he shows care for Omega’s safety in that episode and wants a better place in the universe for his brothers(even if it’s obviously a mistake). He sounds hurt and betrayed by them yet he still wants what he thinks is best for them. He seemed genuine and sincere in that moment. Even after they refused to join he protected them against the droids. He had multiple opportunities to shoot Hunter or others in the back but never did(and looked like didn’t even consider it). BUT after all of that he decides to raise his gun and try to shoot hunter who already has his gun drawn?! And in front of the whole squad holding him at gun point!!! WTF was he thinking?! WHY? I know they rejected his offer but still. Did his reveal completely change his plans? I just don’t understand. I know he is meant to be “complex and nuanced character with layers” but what a mood swing lmao

As much as I loved and enjoyed the bad batch overall I’m beginning to think that all these inconsistencies aren’t meant to be a crafty set up for next season. What they most likely are is just writers being vague on purpose so they don’t write themselves into a corner.

And as to why the batch and Omega didn’t even try to rescue their brother could just be so that Hunter and Crosshair would have this drama and disagreement at the end. Despite brad rau claiming their argument was over ideological differences. And Jen Corbett saying in that same cursed interview that the batch always love and support each other no matter what because they’re family. Well, I guess not crosshair, he doesn’t count anymore lol

And I agree with you I’d rather see the batch acknowledging they could have done more to try and rescue him than go into the chip details. However, I have a suspicion the real reason or explanation on why they never went back for him isn’t going to be brought up ever. Even *in universe* it simply does not make sense. Just makes me sad seeing how many people also try to come up with explanations. That should have been the writers job to provide something besides Hunter’s “you tried to kill us” bc that’s a weak argument and a total bs since he was SHOCKED to learn crosshair doesn’t have a chip.

Btw sorry for the long posts lol I just found your takes very intriguing

The season two wait is something awful and I only just started it lol. No worries about long asks though! My blog has become quite meta heavy over the years, so this is normal for my inbox. Besides, it’s a bit of a pot and kettle situation. It's not like my answers are particularly concise :D

Okay first, I have the unpopular (?) opinion that Crosshair was never planning to shoot Hunter, partly for the reasons you lay out here. You’re right, it doesn’t make sense, and rather than just accepting that he had that kind of “mood swing" (which would be pretty bad writing based on everything else we've seen) I think it does make sense that this was never his intention at all. Rather, it’s just a setup to make the audience think he’s about to shoot Hunter—that’s the obvious goal of that moment: the shock, drama, confusion, and then relief—but that doesn’t mean that in-universe that was ever Crosshair’s goal, even for just a split second. Omega leaves the pod. Echo, crucially, says that he can’t see her, setting up that Crosshair with his enhanced sight is probably the only one who could. He grabs his rifle off screen and as he does, Hunter leans over the side of the pod as he prepares to jump in, precisely where Crosshair needs to aim to hit Omega. Hunter is in his way. He’s directly in the line of fire, not because Crosshair is aiming for him, but just because that's where Omega is and they're both aiming for her: Crosshair with his rifle, Hunter ready to dive. The little shift Crosshair makes reads to me as him ensuring he doesn’t hit Hunter, despite him being right where he needs to aim, not him full on changing targets.

Even if we choose to read it as him deliberately aiming at Hunter—because yeah, the scene is meant to be ambiguous—I don’t think he, like, meant it meant it. Crosshair, as we’ve seen throughout TBB and TCW, can be pretty antagonistic. He likes to do things to get a rise out of people, like staring at regs until they snap at him, or pushing Rex’s buttons until he swings. If he was choosing to aim at Hunter in that moment, rather than Hunter just being in the way, I think it’s only bravado. Remember the “Don’t make the same mistake twice. Don’t make me your enemy” line? Crosshair has a need to remind others of his skill and power—whether it’s playfully like in TCW, or more seriously in TBB—and that’s likely what this is here. “Hey, Hunter. Look. I got my weapon back. I’ve got you cornered. I’m about to save our sister when you can’t. Remember that I’m good and you need me.” Those feelings of abandonment are tied up in that need to be needed, so when Crosshair is seething at being left behind, brutally showing them how he can get a drop on their leader and doing the thing they can't (save Omega) is a great way to remind them of what they threw away/re-boost his own self-esteem. But none of that means shooting Hunter was ever a real possibility. Because nowhere else do we see Crosshair willingly trying to harm his team. He does while under the chip’s influence, but then he never hurts Hunter when he’s captured. He kills his new team before they can hurt the batch. He helps them fight off the droids. There’s a tussle, but it’s not choreographed like either he or Hunter truly intends harm. Crosshair demonstrates no aggression during the entire escape, willingly gives up his weapon after saving Omega, and just stands there as they leave. If this guy actually wanted to hurt them, he would. Which is more likely, that Crosshair had a split second of real murder intent across two episodes of doing everything possible to help his team, or that this was just a mean bluff?

But personally, I don’t even think it was a bluff. I think the coincidence of Crosshair needing to aim there and Hunter already being there is just meant to imply an attack for the audience, not imply that Crosshair, in-universe, ever intended to hurt him, even for just a second. If he had, he wouldn’t look so surprised and sad when he realizes the others are pointing their weapons at him. If he was out to shoot Hunter, even if only for a moment, seeing his brothers come to his defense would be expected; a given. But if he only ever intended to save Omega, then seeing their weapons trained on him would produce the emotions we saw: shock that they’d turn on him and then severe disappointment. From Crosshair’s perspective, he didn’t do anything wrong and never intended to do wrong either. Hence, looking away in disbelief that his need to aim through Hunter was taken as a serious threat. He's realizing that they honestly believe that he would hurt them. Not the chipped version of him, but just him, all on his own.

As for the rest of his characterization, I think your point that “You tried to kill us” is a weak argument is pretty important. Meaning, Crosshair knows he didn’t attack his team and nearly kill them, the Empire controlling him like a puppet did. He (arguably) doesn’t owe them an apology for something that he was as much a victim for. However, we usually expect one anyway—like Wrecker still apologizing to Omega—because that's how people who have hurt loved ones react, whether the hurt was intentional or not, but that guilt is currently overshadowed by his fury that they left him behind. For him I think it’s a bit of a circular problem. Yes, he nearly killed them… but he wouldn’t have nearly killed them if they’d come back and rescued him. With the obvious disclaimer that the Empire is the real evil here, Crosshair as a threat is a bit of a problem of the batch's own making. If they’d done the right thing and gotten him out, there wouldn’t have been these scary moments like the engine incident. If they’d at least tried, then Crosshair likely would have been more guilt-ridden because he hurt his brothers who were trying to help him. As it stands, he tried to hurt the people who claim they're his brothers, but who left him behind. That's why he presents this second chance as magnanimous: from Crosshair's perspective, they haven't done anything to earn his care, but they're getting it anyway. An apology though? That's pushing things too far. If when Wrecker turned the group had locked him somewhere in the ship and gone off planet, leaving him there under the justification “Well, he tried to kill us!" would Wrecker still return with apologies for his actions... or would he be primarily pissed at being left like that, withholding apologies because they did him harm intentionally, whereas he did harm under another's control? I mean, maybe he'd be forgiving (the huge difference between his and Crosshair’s personalities is another factor), but also maybe not. Having Crosshair apologize for the near-death experiences requires 1. For him to feel responsibility for something that was forced on him and 2. For him to not be absolutely furious at the batch for abandoning him. They've gotta work through that before Crosshair can acknowledge that guilt.

Killing his second team on the other hand… idk if the batch cares, honestly. It was the killing of civilians that they balked at, not other fighters like themselves. Even the Jedis’ execution, something they clearly didn’t like, wasn’t enough to turn them from the Empire, presumably because the Jedi are capable of defending themselves. They fell in battle. It’s only when the Empire asks them to kill kids and untrained civilians that they go, “Absolutely not. This organization is evil.” Murder of other fighters was, you know, not great, but not worth defecting over either. Crosshair’s second team is made up of fighters who have been trying to kill them, so they’re definitely fair game. If we removed Crosshair’s plan from the situation and the batch was just fighting their way off Kamino after a capture, would they have also killed the team without a blink of an eye? Probably. It's self-defense. The second they raised their blasters it became a battle and, unless you’re specifically out to stun someone for some reason, battles end bloody. The shock is which side Crosshair was on, not that one side was willing to murder the other. It’s definitely messed up from our perspective that Crosshair laid a trap to murder his team to prove a point… but from the batch’s perspective? Crosshair killed a bunch of imperial fighters who were threatening them during a battle. That’s just an average Tuesday for them, nothing much to get upset over.

And omg don’t get me started on Crosshair wanting to find Omega a family! Like yeah, it’s obviously a #mistake and his faith in the Empire is Super Messed Up but... the underlying motivation is so good. It’s another situation where there’s no easy answer. Which is more important: Omega’s emotional health where she grows up with clones like her, the people who are now 100% her family, or her physical health, where she stays some place where she’s not always getting shot at, kidnapped, at risk of going hungry, etc.? It’s easy as the audience to go, “Of course she belongs with her dads!!” but if you choose to read the story through any realistic lens, Crosshair absolutely has a point about this being terrible environment for a kid, the exact point the batch themselves were making until Omega begged to stay. I love my feral, compassionate child but let me tell you, I YELLED when she yeeted herself out of that pod. This is a traumatized, formerly isolated kid with absolutely zero self-preservation, combined with, at times, a lack of basic common sense that’s inevitable in children (like not realizing she can’t pull a very heavy droid up through the water). As emotionally gutting as the thought is and, in this particular case, a Very Bad Idea, I really can’t fault anyone for raising the possibility that she go somewhere else, somewhere she’s likely to survive into her teens 😅

#TBB #The Bad Batch #SW #Star Wars #mymetas

[itsclydebitches]

Hello again! Im the tinfoil hat anon with the long ass asks and I finally had the time to read your response. Thank you, it makes my day reading your answers. I honestly just enjoyed them over a cup of coffee like a good book.

Now, the gun pointing scene I mentioned was in fact the one from the droid fight facility like the other anon suggested. But I really liked that you covered the boat scene too, I haven’t thought of it much myself and now I definitely have!

I also would like to mention I love your “candy bar” choice analogy and I 100% agree Hunter’s “invitation” to join back wasn’t welcoming in the slightest. It is very likely just an obligation as you said. Sort of “you gave us a chance, we owe you a chance too”.

And the problem with it is now I am struggling to figure out how the batch members might change their attitude toward Crosshair going forward, especially Hunter. As of right now Crosshair’s best relationship is not with his brothers but with Omega(as surprising as this is). And I think he does realize now she cared about him the most out of all of them during the short time they interacted(both 1st and last episodes). Even between themselves(not counting Omega) I find most of the bad batch members to be cold and distant to each other. They feel less like a family than Rebels for example. And they aren’t even a “found family”(a trope everyone loves) but an actual one! And I get that they’re soldiers and supposed to be tough, I don’t expect them to share all “the feels”. I just can’t put my finger on it but something feels off. I agree with your previous post, the show doesn’t do a very good job showing or even telling they love each other.

Will Hunter and co only start caring about their brother again only after he leaves the empire?(assuming he does at some point). What about Disney’s prevailing theme and message that “family always love and care for each other no matter what”? I guess it’s “family always love and care for each other but only if you’re good guys making right choices”. There is no room for mistakes or wrong decisions. In the last episode everyone form the batch seemed to have given up on Crosshair(besides Omega). For now their attitude seems to be just “you’re not our enemy” and that’s that.

I realize Crosshair is a “bad guy” and consciously made his choice(and we know it’s the wrong one) but to me it felt like he thought he didn’t even had a choice or rather became so lost and confused he actually thought he chose the empire as “the lesser evil”(as in the less shitty choice out of all the other bad ones). We as audience have the benefit to know exactly how atrocious the empire really is but maybe Crosshair still doesn’t realize that.

So what exactly must Crosshair do to get back “in their good graces” as you say? Start saving “the good guys”? Save the bad batch multiple times? There is a popular opinion on how Crosshair can redeem himself. That he eventually heroically sacrifices himself to save them. I personally REALLY hope it’s NOT what’s going to happen but I heard so many people speculating his story is set up to be redemption=death. I know you mentioned you don’t want “Vader style redemption” either. Personally I think it would be a waste of a character who has a lot of potential. And I just think that the batch kind of don’t really deserve his sacrifice(maybe save for Omega) after how they never tried to save him themselves and how they treated him overall. Maybe he will risk his life to save Omega at some point and that will “prove” to Hunter he cares? Although he has already shown he cares by saving her(even if in Crosshair’s own words it’s just so they’re “even”). And the thing is, he doesn’t need to prove that he loves them, he already did that in episode 15 and made it clear he does care. He actually went to extreme by shooting his squad to prove his loyalty. What were the moments the batch demonstrated they care about him? Hunter saying “you never were our enemy” and taking his unconscious body to safety? To me Hunter “not leaving him behind” during bombardment felt more like guilt about the last time it happened and an obligation to Crosshair for helping them with droids, rather than them showing care. And I kinda of think if that was any random civilian(or anyone other than an enemy or a threat) they would carry them out too just because that’s what good guys do and not because it’s their brother. You also mentioned that minutes later Hunter snaps at him with “if you want to stay here and die, that’s your choice” which I agree can be interpreted in different ways. And I think it’s one more point to it being an obligation that in Hunter’s eyes is fulfilled now. He corrected his mistake of leaving a brother behind and saved him this time, now his guilt won’t burden him any longer.

Anyway, I can’t wait for season 2 and I appreciate you and all the anons sharing the tinfoil hat, interacting and speculating together. Those discussions have been a lot of fun!

TLDR: How do your think the relationship between the brothers will mend or evolve in the next season? Do you think S2 will improve in portraying the batch more as a family rather than a group of mercs doing missions together? What are your thoughts on the popular idea of Crosshair’s redemption by ultimate sacrifice? As in, how likely do you think this scenario is?

Anon, that is just wonderfully hilarious to me. Ah yes, the sunrise, a good cup o' joe, and the overly long character analysis of a snarky, fictional sniper. Exactly what everyone needs in the morning! 😆

You know, TBB is far from the first show I've watched where there's an obvious, emotional conclusion the creator wants the audience to come to—the squad all love each other Very Much—yet that conclusion isn't always well supported by the text. It creates this horribly awkward situation where you're going, "Yes, I'm fully aware of what the show wanted to do, but this reading, arguably, did not end up in the story itself. So what are we talking about here? The intention, or the execution?" It's like Schrödinger's Bad Batch where the group is simultaneously Very Loving and Very Distant depending on how much meta-aspects are influencing your reading: those authorial intentions, understanding of how found family tropes should work, fluff focused fics/fan art that color our understanding of the characters, etc. And, of course, whether someone saw TCW before they watched TBB. I personally wouldn't go quite so far as to say they're "cold" towards one another—with Crosshair as an exception now—but there wasn't the level of bonding among the squad that I expected of a show called The Bad Batch. Especially compared to their arc in TCW. The other night I re-watched the season seven premiere and was struck not just by how much more the squad interacted with each other back then, but how those interactions added depth to their characters too. For example, Crosshair is the mean one, right? He's the one picking fights with the Regs? Well yeah... but it's also Wrecker. While they're trying to decide what to do with Cody injured, Jesse calls out Crosshair on his attitude—"You can't talk to Captain Rex like that!"—and Wrecker's immediate response is, "Says who?" and he hefts Jesse into the air. And then he just holds him there, clearly using his superior strength to do as he pleases, until Hunter (sounding pretty angry) tells him to put Jesse down. If Wrecker had put him into a more classically understood bullying position, like pinning him to the ground, it would probably read as less funny—less "Haha strong clone lifts Jesse up in the air!" and more "Oh shit, strong clone can do whatever the hell he wants to the Regs and few are able to stop him." It's such a quick moment, but it tells us a ton about Wrecker. That he's going to stick up for his brothers, no matter the context (Crosshair deserves to be called out). That he will gleefully assist Crosshair in bothering the Regs (something that is reinforced when he later throws the trays in the mess hall, after Hunter has already deescalated the situation). That he's likely been hurt by awful treatment from the Regs too. That he'll only listen to Hunter when it comes to backing off. Little of this work—that interplay among the squad that shows us new sides to them other than basic things like "Wrecker is the nice, happy brother"—exists in TBB.

Or, at least, little exists after Omega becomes an official member of the squad.

Because, as said previously, she becomes the focus. I don't mean that as a total criticism. As established, I love Omega. But if we're talking about why the squad can feel so distant from each other, I think she's the root cause, simply because the story became all about her relationships with the Batch, rather than the Batch's relationships with each other. Having dived headfirst into reading and writing fic, it occurred to me just how many of the bonding moments we love, the sort of stuff we'll see repeated in fics because we understand that this is where the story's emotional center is, are given to Omega in canon:

Someone is hurt and in need of comfort. Omega's emotional state is the focus + moments like her being worried over Hunter getting shot.

Someone needs to learn a new skill. Echo teaches Omega how to use her bow.

Someone reveals a skill they never knew they had before. Omega is a strategic genius and plays her last game with Hunter.

Someone is in serious danger and in need of rescue. Omega rescues the group from the slavers + is the most vocal about rescuing Hunter. (Which, again, is a pretty sharp contrast to the whole Crosshair situation.) Omega, in turn, needs rescuing from things like the decommission conveyor belt.

Similarly, someone is kidnapped and in need of rescue. Omega is kidnapped twice by bounty hunters and the Batch goes after her.

Someone saves another's life. Omega saves Crosshair from drowning.

Someone does something super sweet for another. Wrecker gives Omega her room. Omega gives Wrecker Lula.

A cute tradition is established between characters. Wrecker has his popcorn-esque candy sharing with Omega.

Someone hurts someone else and has to ask forgiveness. Wrecker is upset about nearly shooting Omega and they have that sweet moment together.

Note that most of these examples could have occurred between other Batch members, but didn't. Someone could have created a space for Echo on the ship too. Wrecker also could have apologized to Tech for choking him, etc. It's not that those moments shouldn't happen with Omega, just that there should be more of a balance across the whole season, especially for a show supposedly focused on the original squad. Additionally, it's not that cute bonding moments between the rest of the Batch don't exist. I love Hunter selling Echo off as a droid. I love Wrecker and Tech bickering while fixing the ship. I love the tug-of-war to save Wrecker from the sea monster. Yes, we do have moments... it's just that comparatively it feels pretty skewed in Omega's direction.

So, as a VERY long-winded way of answering your question, I think we need to fix the above in order to tackle Crosshair's redemption in season two. Now that we've had a full season focused on Omega, we need to strike a better balance among the rest of the squad moving forward. We need to re-established the "obvious" conclusion that the rest of the Batch loves Crosshair and that's done (in part) by establishing their love for one another too. To my mind, both goals go hand-in-hand, especially since you can develop their relationship with Crosshair and their relationships with each other simultaneously. Imagine if instead of just having Wrecker somewhat comically admit that he misses Crosshair (like he's dead and they can't go get him??), he and Tech had a serious conversation about why they can't get him back yet, despite very much wanting to. Imagine if Echo, the one who was rescued against all odds, got to scream at Hunter to go get Crosshair like Omega screamed at them to go back for Hunter. Imagine if we'd gotten more than a tiny arc in TCW to establish the Batch's dynamic with each other, providing a foundation for how they would each react to Crosshair's absence. Instead, what little we've got in TBB about Crosshair's relationship with his brothers is filtered through Omega: Omega's embarrassment that she knocked over Crosshair's case, Omega treating Crosshair's comm link like a toy, Omega's quest to save Hunter that just happened to involve Crosshair along the way.

Obviously, at this point we can't fix how the first season did things, but I think we can start patching over these issues in season two. It would be jarring—we'd still be 100% correct to ask where this "Brothers love you, support you, and will endlessly fight for you" theme was for Crosshair's entire time under the Empire's thumb... but I'd take an about-face into something better than not getting any improvement at all. It is frustrating though, especially for a show that I otherwise really, really enjoyed. For me, the issue isn't so much that the show made a mistake (since no show is perfect), but that the mistake is attached to such a foundational part of the franchise. Not just in terms of "SW is about hope and forgiveness" but the specific relationship most clones have with each other: a willingness to go above and beyond for their brothers. The focus on Omega aside, it's hard to believe in the family dynamic when one member of the family was so quickly and easily dismissed. I couldn't get invested in Hunter's rescue as much as I should have because rather than going, "Yes!! Save your brother!!!" my brain just kept going, "Lol where was this energy for Crosshair?" It messes with your reading of the whole story, so in order to fix that mistake going forward, we need to start seeing the bonds that only sometimes exist in season one. Show the guys expressing love for one another more consistently (in whatever way that might be—as you say, soldiers don't have to be all touchy-feely. Give us more moments like Wrecker supporting his brothers' bad habits) and then extend that to Crosshair. Which brother is going to demand that they fight for him? Which brother is going to acknowledge that they never tried to save him? Which brother is going to question this iffy statement about the chip? In order to buy into the family theme, Omega can't be the only one doing that emotional work.

Ideally, I wouldn't want Crosshair to go out of his way to prove that he's a good guy now. I mean, I obviously want him to stop helping the Empire and such, duh lol, but I'm personally not looking for a bunch of Extra Good Things directed at the Batch as a requirement for forgiveness. Simply because that would reinforce the idea that they're 100% Crosshair's victims, Crosshair is 100% the bad guy, and he's the only one who needs to do any work to fix this situation. Crosshair needs to stop doing bad things (working for Empire). But the Batch needs to start doing good things too (reaching out to him). Especially since Crosshair made a good play already, only to be met with glares and distrust. He saved Omega! And AZI! And none of them cared. So am I (is Crosshair) supposed to believe that saving one of their lives again will result in a different reaction? That doesn't make much sense. And no, his own life wasn't at risk when he did that, but does every antagonist need to die/nearly die to prove they're worth fighting for? As you say, he's already shown that he loves them, far more than they've shown the reverse. Every time Crosshair hurt them (attacking) it was while he was under the chip's influence. In contrast, the group has no "I was being controlled" excuse for when they hurt him (abandonment). Season two needs to acknowledge the Batch's responsibility in all this—and acknowledge that they're all victims of the Empire—in order to figure out an appropriate arc for Crosshair's redemption.

Right now, the issue is not Crosshair loving his brothers, the issue is how Crosshair chooses to express that love: trying to keep them safe and giving them a purpose in life by joining the organization that's clearly going to dominate the galaxy. The only way to fix that, now that his offer has been rejected, is for him to realize that a life on the run from the Empire, together, is a better option for everyone. And the only way for that to happen is for the Batch to seriously offer him a place with them again. They need to make the first move here. They need to fight for him. And yeah, I totally get that a lot of people don't like that because it's not "fair." He's the bad guy. He's with the fascist allegory. He's killed people and has therefore lost any right to compassion and effort from the good guys... but if that's the case, then we just have to accept that (within the story-world, not from a writing perspective) Crosshair is unlikely to ever come back from this. When people reach that kind of low, they rarely pull themselves out on their own. They need other people to help them do that. Help them a lot. But with the exception of Omega's reminder—which Crosshair can't believe due to how everyone else has treated him—they leave him alone and seem to expect him to fix himself first, then he gets their support. It needs to be the other way around. Support is what would allow him to become a good guy again, not "Well, you'll get our love when you're good again, not before." That's unlikely to occur and, as discussed, it doesn't take into account things like this bad guy life being forced on Crosshair at the start. If the story really wanted this to be a matter of ideological differences... then make it about ideological differences. Let Crosshair leave of his own free will, right at the start. Don't enslave him for half the season, have him realize he was abandoned, imply all that brainwashing, give him no realistic way out, and then punish him for not doing the right thing. This isn't a situation where someone went bad for the hell of it—the story isn't asking us to feel compassion for, say, the Admiral—it's a situation where Crosshair was controlled and now can't see a way out. That context allows for the Batch, the good guys, to fight for him without the audience thinking the show is just excusing that behavior. They should have been fighting from the start, but since they didn't, I hope we at least start seeing that in season two.

Ultimately though... I don't really expect all of the above. The more balanced dynamics and having the Batch fight for Crosshair rather than Crosshair going it alone... I wouldn't want to bet any money on us getting it, just because these are things that should have been established in season one and would have been more easy to pull off in season one. (If the Batch wouldn't fight for Crosshair while he was literally under the Empire's control, why would they fight now when he's supposedly acting of his own free will? It's backwards in terms of the emotional effort involved.) But again, it could happen! I'd be very pleased if it did happen, despite the jarring change. I don't want to make it sound like I think they're going to write off Crosshair entirely. Far from it, I think there are too many details like his sad looks for that, to say nothing of Omega's compassion. But the execution of getting him on Team Good Guys again might be preeeetty bumpy. I expect it to revolve around Crosshair's sins and Crosshair's redemption, even if what I would like is balancing that with Crosshair's loss of agency, the Batch's mistakes, and their own redemption towards him.

Honestly though, I just hope that whatever happens happens soon. It's a personal preference, absolutely, but after a season of Crosshair as the antagonist, I'm ready for him to be back with the group, making the Empire (and bounty hunters) the primary enemy. Whether his return happens through a mutual acknowledgement of mistakes, or through Crosshair being depicted as the only one in the wrong who has to do something big to be forgiven... just get him back with the squad lol. Because if the writing isn't going to delve into that nuance, then the longer he remains unforgiven, the longer some of us have to watch a series while going, "Wait, wait, wait, I really don't agree with how you're painting this picture."

#TBB #The Bad Batch #SW #Star Wars #mymetas #long post

[talizorahs]

What are some good (general/non-romanntic) TBB fics you would recommend for me to read? I haven't read much, and saw you make a post a few days ago about reading all the fics in the TBB tag, so I am very curious!

Thanks!

oooo hi anon!

i would gladly put a rec list together for you, as i too really enjoy gen fics. the bad batch just have this familial bond that i can't read any other way than platonic and brotherly.

13 recs below, links & my thoughts included <3 hope you enjoy!

Back Story/Pre-Canon

Unshaken by wwheeljack.

Gen | 40k words | Complete

Summary: Before he was Tech, he was CT-33-7641. Different from the other clone cadets. Wrong. Abnormal. Strange. He was enhanced with superior intelligence and memory, but he looked nothing like his brethren. He stood out in a world where all he wanted to do was blend in, but his brethren would never let him. And the Kaminoans were there, watching their experiment, their failure, coldly.

Notable tags: Child Abuse, Torture, The Kaminoans torture and abuse their experiments, Children like picking on people who are different from them

Comments: This fic is honestly my canon backstory for the formaton of the Batch. It's wonderful and touches all the right notes with the entire cast (unfortunately excluding Echo, given the timeline).

The fic is from Tech's POV and looks at his experiences growing up on Kamino, then delves more deeply into how he meets the Bad Batch. It also develops the Batch's dynamic into what we see in the Clone Wars and their show. It features a lot of Tech!Whump, which I'm a sucker for, and this fic definitely delivers on all fronts of 'good' in that regard.

Wwheeljack writes the entirety of the cast like they've been lifted out of the show which is why I've got no quarrels re-reading this fic when I'm looking for 30 minutes to kill.

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Namesake by Petralice.

Gen | 1.5k words | Complete

Summary: The sharp, sterile scent of sanitation liquid burst through the room as Crosshair doused a new needle with it. That needle was about to go very near his eye; he needed his eyes perhaps more than any other clone in the Batch, and if he’d been capable of feeling nervous, the thought would have sent his heart dancing in his throat. How Crosshair got his tattoo.

Notable tags: Tattoos, Needles

Comments: I really enjoyed this and how it explores the dynamic between the team, notably Crosshair and the rest of the Batch. Bonus points as it includes backstory to Crosshair's tattoo!

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In. Out. by postapocalyptic_cryptic.

Gen | 253 words (drabble) | Complete

Summary: Hunter and Tech wait for some news. Tech braids Hunter's hair.

Notable tags: Sibling bonding, ADHD Tech Autistic Hunter Bonding

Comments: This is just wonderfully soft, and as far as I’m concerned, canon. I absolutely adored it and the dynamic it implies between Tech and Hunter, including how Hunter acts as a physical and emotional anchor to Tech.

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Republic Era

Echo and the Batch's Medic (series) by DuskEverlasting.

Gen | 32k words | 2 stories

Part 1: Echo and the Batch's Medic (Complete)

Summary: Echo had enough trouble trying to fit into a galaxy he’d been gone from for years in a body that he no longer recognized. Learning that Crosshair of all people was the designated medic of the Bad Batch was overkill.

Part 2: The Reg and the Medic (Complete)

Summary: It had taken time, but Echo finally felt that he belonged with the Bad Batch. They were his teammates, his brothers. He’d never expected to have family again after Skako Minor, so he had no intention of letting it slip away.

Now if only he could understand Crosshair, and why the team’s sniper/medic seemed to hate him.

Notable tags (all stories): Developing Friendships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Resurgence of Echo's unresolved trauma, Crosshair is Team Medic

Comments: This fic captures Echo and Crosshair perfectly and makes you yearn for more of their dynamic in the show. Interestingly, it applies a headcanon about Crosshair's physiology I don't hear a lot about and I really enjoyed how DuskEverlasting weaved it in. I also really liked putting Crosshair as the team's medic, a role other fics usually assign to Tech. He fulfills that role in both fics, and hearing Echo's monologues about it are as if the author has a lense directly into his thought processes.

It also has your dash of Crosshair!Whump and Echo!Whump that makes me enjoy a fic just that much more. This is more poignant because of Crosshair's role in this series as a medic, which makes reading just the more enjoyable.

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Check My Work by bitterfish.

Gen | 1.3k words | Complete

Summary: Crosshair reveals how smart he is when Tech's to tired to check his work properly.

Notable tags: Bonding through math, Crosshair is a math wiz you can't take this from me

Summary: This fic sprinkles more Crosshair headcanons that I didn't realise I wanted until I read them. It's a cross between a character study of Crosshair and a slice of life for the relationship between Crosshair and Tech. It shows mutual respect and ultimately, the trust they have for each other. A wonderful read all around.

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Resistance by postapocalyptic_cryptic.

Gen | 3.2k words | Complete

Summary: One time Hunter was prepared for torture and one time he was tortured.

(With electricity. They're going to shock him. He is going to be electrocuted).

Notable tags: Platonic Cuddling, Torture, Electrocution, Dehumanization

Comments: I can't speak more highly of this fic and the snapshot it gives us a) into Hunter's backstory and b) comparing it with Hunter's feelings about the Batch as they learn to be a team. It's so wonderfully soft, and features a cameo I wish we'd seen more in the show.

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The First Face by NanoTwentyFaces.

Gen | 8.7k words | Complete

Summary: While there was also Rex when he was rescued, the first clear memory of his emergence from the stasis chamber was of Tech. The first face he clearly saw, especially that of the batch. Since then, it just felt natural for him and Tech to be close.

Notable tags: Developing Friendships, Tech and Echo are besties

Comments: This fic ticks all of the brotherly bonding boxes! It also just makes sense and I adore how NanoTwentyFaces explored it with such emotional precision. They capture Echo spectactularly, and also the Batch as they adjust to having an additional member in their tight-knit squad. It also touches on the fact the Batch aren't perfect in any sense of the word, but makes sure to explain that that's okay.

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Imperial Era / Current Canon

Dead Men Walking by ThePatchyCat.

Gen | 2.1k words | Complete

Summary: Echo catches Rex before he leaves.

Notable tags: Wanted more between [Rex & Echo] so I did it myself, Set after S1E7 of The Bad Batch

Comments: I wish this happened in the first Bracca episode. ThePatchyCat captures Echo and Rex so wonderfully and rounds off the fic with a moment I need to happen in canon (and have semi-written into one of my fics). I didn't know I needed this level of interaction, or any interaction between Rex and Echo from the 2 Bracca episodes, until I read this and I have never been more happy to be proven wrong.

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These Silver Linings by Rowanartist.

Gen | 4.2k words | Complete

Summary: The pout is back on Omega's face, her hands folded underneath her chin in her best impression of a tooka begging for food, “Can we go check it out, pleaseee?”

Tech knows he should say no. The little voice of reason that he likes to listen so much tells him that it’s not smart. They have repairs to do and Hunter specifically told them not to get into trouble. But as much as he prides himself on resisting Omega’s childlike charm, he has to admit that he feels strangely touched by the fact that she’s asking him to go explore with her. Not Wrecker, not Hunter, not Echo, but him.

Or

Tech and Omega go on an adventure together, and inadvertently have a much needed conversation about their feelings.

Notable tags: Tech has ADHD/Autism, Omega is a smart kid

Comments: I love this fic so much and Rowanartist manages to lift the characters straight out of the show and into their writing. They capture Tech so wonderfully and they make you yearn for more interactions between Tech and Omega in the show. There's also Tech!Whump, which even before that point, the fic was ticking all the boxes for me for family bonding, fantastic headcanons, and amazing writing to match.

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Landmines by rose_willow.

Gen | 4.6k words | Complete

Summary: How she'd walked into the middle of a field of landmines, Tech wasn't quite sure. What he did know was that he had to get her out of it.

Notable tags: I browse the archive every night and there's a shocking lack of Tech whump, They're a family and I love them

Comments: This fic is a standalone that explores Tech and Omega's relationship. It's very dramatic, given the stakes with Omega wandering into a mindfield, but the high stakes mean the resulting interactions are equally as dramatic and great. As well as exploring the relationship between Tech and Omega, it touches on Tech's relationship with the Batch after Order 66, and is generally one of those emotionally satisfying fics that ticks all of your gen boxes.

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Other / AU

When All Is Said And Done by hanged_albatross.

Gen | 58k words | Complete

Summary:  A year after Order 66, The Bad Batch finds themselves cornered by the threat of the Empire and the need to take increasingly dangerous jobs to stay afloat.

Just as the team seems to be reaching their breaking point, a job is offered that appears to good to be true.

But when it all goes wrong, the Bad Batch must fight to survive in a galaxy turned against them and save one of their own.

Notable tags: Mission Fic, Medical Torture, Brief mention of suicidal ideations

Comments: A grittier take on what the show could have explored, and I enjoyed every chapter of it. Hanged_Albatross paints a very vivid picture here of the Bad Batch trying to survive in a galaxy that’s pitted against them, and their emotional journies of coming to terms with the cruelty of the Empire. Nobody’s chips activates, either, so everybody is together (almost!) and working together to save the day.

The ending of the fic is satisfying, and definitely has indirectly influenced my own writing for the Bad Batch. There’s unfortunately no Omega, but the author doesn’t need that in this fic to tell an interesting and satisfying story about the whole cast.

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Marked for Death by GrizzlyConstellation.

Crosshair/Echo (see comments) | 34k words | Ongoing (13/15 chapters)

Summary:  After months of being under Imperial control, Crosshair is slowly wasting away. It turns out, removing the chip was the easy part. It's going to take time and Echo losing his patience for him to finally accept help from his family.

Notable tags: Slow Burn, Trauma, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm

Comments: Straight off the bat, this isn’t a gen fic, which dissuaded me from reading it at first as well. Grizzly has just released chapter 13 and in my opinion, it’s perfectly viable to read the story so far as gen. I have been doing that and enjoying it just the same.

Grizzly paints an amazing, slow storyline for Crosshair coming to terms with what the Empire has put him through. The recovery is physical as well as mental, and Crosshair’s as stubborn as ever for all of it. It explores the others wearing him down, and him reforming his relationships with the entirety of the cast, including Omega. I would be ecstatic if we got anything similar in the show, but unfortunately Grizzly does it so well that I doubt we’ll get to explore Crosshair and the team’s trauma in such emotional depth as their fic.

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Frozen Pines (series) by wwheeljack.

Gen | 37k words | 3 stories

Part 1: Frozen Pines (Complete)

Summary: If he had been paying more attention to Crosshair, he could have acted to save his brother. But he didn't. He left his brother behind. Tech and his brothers wait out a blizzard after escaping the Empire, with a damaged ship and nowhere to find repairs. As the blizzard clears, their scanner picks up a weak signal and Tech and Omega head out to find the source of the signal.

Part 2: Yawning Grave (Complete)

Summary: Crosshair had broken the promise that had kept him going through the war, kept him fighting for something he did not believe in. Crosshair didn't care about the Republic or the Jedi… all he cared about were his brothers. His family.

And now his family was broken, torn from the inside with a single shot from his rifle.

Sequel to Frozen Pines.

Part 3: Ghost On The Shore (Complete)

Summary: Crosshair's lived with guilt and self-loathing for eight years, hunting Imperials and running from his brothers in an attempt to hide from the possibility of their forgiveness. He hungers for his family, but knows he does not deserve it, until he is offered a possibility to find what he's wanted for eight years.

Final part of Frozen Pines.

Notable tags (all stories): Character Death, Crosshair gets some suitable regret and angst, This is mainly just angst and regret, [Crosshair] gets some closure?

Comments: I have no words for the artistry of the Frozen Pines series. I went on a bit about wwheeljack above, with their fic Unshaken but Frozen Pines also knocks it out of the park. If you want to feel things, this is the fic to open and binge for the next few hours of your life.

It is very sad. Full disclosure, the last fic is tragic and actually made me bawl. I won't say too much else, but note the tag in italics I have added, is that the series does include a character death and explores it in detail. The death is treated with the utmost care and is written into the series perfectly, and is also rounded off with a fitting emotional conclusion. I was devastated at first, and a little angry at the death, but stick with the series and finish it before you reserve judgement.

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#the bad batch #star wars #not bioware #fic rec #anonymous