#kilt's clonely meta

[battlekilt]

An inescapable tragedy... of surviving...

Rex's plot armor ain't all that it's cracked up to be. But he can't get out of it, any more than Fives and Fox could get out of their fate.

Was responding to a comment on my post about the duality of Fives and Fox's fate, written a little over a year ago, and decided to share my response. It grew as I polished it up.

"Long, long ago, in a galaxy far far away..."

We all knew how this would end. We knew that Fives would end in tragedy because had it not, then the tragedy of Order 66 would not happen.

Narratively, Fox functions as Rex's foil, which only further compounds the tragedy of Fives's death because it almost makes Rex a Hamlet-like character.

See, the most pivotal moments we've seen Rex develop led to this moment.

His struggle to question authority were answered when he questioned his orders to drop the issue of the ship, but also what Order 66 told him: The Jedi are traitors—execute them all.

His indecision to act on his independent instincts. A lesson we saw him go through with on Umbara, which Fives had been the opposite end of the spectrum Dogma; the two foils against Rex t0 gauge who he had been, and who he would become.

Both of those lessons, of authority and action through conviction, were seen evolving when didn't back down from Anakin or Cody's skepticism—He had good reason to believe Echo was alive, and he was determined to see that theory through.

Rex's inaction over Fives was mostly due to him not understanding what was happening enough to be able to do anything at all, but also his limited access to do anything, even if knew what to do.

But, it triggered a series of events that was sprung into motion. And that started with the other side of his coin becoming the unwilling executor of such an important brother. This was it, this was the final lesson we see him go through about indecision and skepticism.

The moment of Fives's death sealed the fates of both Rex and Fox.

Fives's death and its circumstances made Rex aware enough of the chip to file his formal complaint—the log he told Ahsoka to find, with the eerie choice of words, "Find Fives. Find him."

When she did so, she learned the secret, and decided she could not let her friend die. It had also given Rex the cognition to fight the chip, if only for a few scant seconds.

Few would ever be spared this tragic fate. We as the audience watch Fives's discovery and fool ourselves that maybe, maybe, what happened long, long ago, might be changed. However, we also know that it would never be changed. His discovery and death did not stop the events of Order 66, but it did end up being what spared Ahsoka, and in doing so, it saved Rex's fate from the same fate all the other Clones suffered.

Had Fives not died, Ahsoka would not be alive, and Rex might have shared her fate—either in the same grisly demise as the rest of the 332nd, or doomed to an Imperial life.

Lives saved, undoubtedly.

The same could not be said for Fox, who never had any choice in whether he took that shot or not; his duty wouldn't let him, and the narrative is much crueler.

Fives's death also made Anakin, who certainly did not carry Rex's same military rationale into his next life, as Lord Vader, bear a grudge set ablaze while he survived solely on hatred in his heart. Unable to act on the few injustices he felt he had inflicted on him, Vader made right what happened to Fives, and satisfied that hatred within... with Fox's death.

Oh, those final sounds. Fives died with the loud crack of a blaster bolt. Fox died with the simple, soft crack of his neck.

However, Rex lived, and I think... both Fives and Fox would see the value in that. Not that Rex was wholly spared.

Remember what Cody had said? Which, in hindsight, seemed another lessons in Rex's life for him to carry on with. It was also... another foreshadow.

Cody wasn't wrong. Rex's plot armor only prolonged the hardest thing.

So many had not been spared this fate. However, neither had Rex. He had the worst of it, if we are being honest. Ask Obi-Wan, after all.

What could possibly so hard about being this tragic fate?

Being a survivor.

#commander fox #captain rex #arc trooper fives #darth vader #anakin skywalker #kilt's meta #kilt's headcanons #kilt's clonely meta #kilt's clonely headcanons #kilt's writing

[voxiferous]

prompts for @domesticfluffsimulator. Believe it or not, I remembered all of these off the top of my head - we’re only missing ONE. I spent so long making them that i couldn’t forget them! :D

1. LUNA BEING A TOTAL BADASS AND DEFEATING LEVIATHAN IN BATTLE (side bonus of saving noctis’s ass)

2. f/f pairing of your choice on a date at the citadel skywalk (i think this would be good for crowna but idk, please feel free to pick whoever you want :D)

3. gladnis soulmate au where what you write appears on your soulmate’s skin. ignis secretly has gladio’s tattoos (this was consensual)

4. au where prompto burned or cut off the barcode in high school and noctis is finding out about it now some months later (promptis)

5. au where prompto dies in zegnautus keep. but first, he programmes one of his clones with his memories and feelings, in the hopes that it will replace him so that noct never has to mourn for him.

6. au where prompto meets one of his clones during episode prompto. this clone is remarkably similar to versus xiii prompto, ohoho. he helps out ffxv prompto somehow

7. ignis is caught crossdressing by his bros, and is really embarrassed about it, so gladio, prompto, and noctis go out and buy kilts so four of them can wear skirts together and look cool :D

8. dfab transgender cor on roadtrip with regis, clarus, and cid

9. something inspired by this photoset - aliens? demons? angels? curses? magic? robots? dreams? you decide!

10. ravus with hanahaki - flower disease - where when you’re pining for someone you start coughing up blue flowers (sylleblossoms?) until they eventually kill you, unless you confess to your crush. i think ravus/noctis for this one, but any ravus pairing is good, just not ravus/ardyn or anything like that

11. during the dark world, noctis appears to the bros in the form of (an) animal(s) - cat, chocobo, dog, maybe even stuff like voretooth or anak - and they always know it’s him cuz his fur/feathers/whatever are always black. he does this to protect them, and also just because he misses them, sometimes

12. ignis and coctura having a cook-off. bonus points if they are flirting, dating, or married

13. gladio x aranea - one of them asking the other out, or their cute first date

14. noctis, prompto, or ignis meeting their younger self (30 > 20, or 20 > 8-10)

15. this is a long shot, but since you are the queen of rarepairs, could you please write ravus x noctis’s noncanonical older brother mors (who was named after his grandpa)? (mors is better at being a king than our dearly depressed noctis, and a little more outgoing < i recognise this is practically ravus x oc though so if you don’t want to take this one it’s fine!) pov of an outsider is fine, like maybe noctis sees them kissing and is like ‘oh no, now both princess of lucis are gay’ lol idk

16. fic set in the au where lucis will win the war as per your meta (maybe nyx perspective???? idk)

17. Okay, I originally was going to ask you to do something inspired by 2 of my meta posts, the colour symbolism one and the one with my headcanons for the chocobros in skirts. Well, my blog got deleted, so i can’t link you to those posts. but i can copy/paste both metas in their entirety into this post. so here they are (to be clear, this is TWO prompts):

Colour symbolism

black is the royal colour. this one detail could really have a big effect on the worldbuilding, but we don’t really see any evidence of said worldbuilding in game. so… here are my thoughts on it. I headcanon that commoners do not wear black at all. or rather, that there is a specific shade of True Black that they can’t wear. the school uniforms we see Prompto and Noctis in in brotherhood are an approved shade of off-black. a lot of times, a rich, dark navy blue (”formal blue”) is substituted for occasions where people of other nations would wear black. the closer one is to royalty, the more black one is allowed to wear on one’s person. In the past, there was a strict colour hierarchy, but that has relaxed over time. Now it’s just True Black vs. off-black, which is ranked in the same category as formal blue, dark green, and dark purple. Dark brown is not particularly popular in the modern day, but in some parts of Lucis it is the traditional formal colour of choice. a Lucian tourist may still be shocked to see people in Altissia or Tenebrae wearing shades that look suspiciously close to True Black. also, it would be a huge diplomatic faux pas for a diplomat, noble, or politician from a foreign country to wear black in the presence of Lucian royalty. Noctis only ever wears black, as does Regis, of course. Noctis would have a terrible time dressing himself if he were told to wear something that isn’t black - he has no idea how to match colours in an outfit. Gladio generally wears black on the job but enjoys wearing other colours for more casual activities (as we’ve seen by his green-jacket outfit). in contrast, Ignis’s suit, unlike many Lucian commoners’ suits, is True Black, which anyone who sees him on the street would be amazed and a little intimidated by. Prompto doesn’t wear much black, of course, but I like to headcanon that Noctis gave him his True Black wristband. Anyone who sees Prompto wearing that would instantly know that Prompto has won the favour of someone in a noble house. and anyone who sees the Regalia in street would immediately know that a member of the court must be inside, at least until Noctis gets around to customising it. in the distant past, white was the colour of mourning and only worn at funerals, as in many real world Asian cultures. it would be super cool if Luna’s white dresses were not intended to symbolise religious purity, but actually represent the link between the Oracle and the Astral Realm, or death; a reminder that the Oracle is the last thing between a Starscourge victim and a funeral. btw, this makes Ravus essentially a goth. though whether he wears white out of love for his sister or because he just likes the colour is unknown. of course, we’ve also seen that Luna’s wedding dress is white, but that can be attributed to newer cultural interactions between Lucis, Tenebrae, and whatever countries existed before Niflheim became an empire. Thus, her wedding dress and Oracle garb contain symbols coming from two different cultural traditions. the fact that the wedding dress is white is actually a symbol of Niflheim’s control over the wedding, since the Oracle is traditionally allowed to wear another colour on the day of their marriage. The traditional colour of marriage garments is yellow, to symbolise that the person you are marrying is the light of your life. The traditional colour of healing and purity is royal blue, like Luna’s sylleblossoms. lastly i would like to remind everyone that if my headcanons are in any way accurate, then wearing black underwear would probably be as gauche as printing the american flag on your butt. and if commoners aren’t allowed to wear True Black, then all black lingerie that exists must be the regulation approved shade of off-black anyway. noctis has to get his boxers hand-sewed

clothing-has-no-gender skirt post

skirts are for everyone. boys in skirts need more love, so here they are, feat. iris. pls love them

disclaimer: all the skirts depicted in this post are good skirts and HAVE POCKETS

noct and prompto’s school has both skirt and pants options for their uniforms. prompto switches between skirts and pants depending on the season and how he feels that day. noct doesn’t like the uniform skirt because it matches the ties so it’s not black

noctis prefers dresses to skirts because he’s lazy and dresses mean no need to pick a whole outfit; and prompto prefers skirts because that boy loves layers just look at his crownsguard outfit; but both of them will wear either skirts or dresses as the mood strikes them.

gladio hates wearing dresses because he finds them impractical. he only owns like, two, and one of them has a hole in it. ignis prefers dresses to skirts because he likes the way they look. he regards both dresses and skirts fashion items more than anything

ignis is the chocobro most likely to wear a skirt or dress as formal wear, including as part of a suit. he attends court in skirts a lot

gladio is the kind of practical guy who wears short skirts with spandex underneath them (like female athletes irl)

neither ignis or noctis will wear miniskirts. i’m torn as to whether prompto would wear them, since he’s known to have body image issues, but since he is a runner he may feel that his legs are nice enough to pull off the miniskirt look, with or without spandex. headcanon this one at your own discretion

the only other skirt gladio really wears is essentially a utilikilt (the cargo-shorts equivalent of a skirt, basically). these things are really practical and fashionable, so after seeing gladio in his utilikilt, all the other chocobros want one too. no word on who actually gets one

prompto has at least one regular kilt, if that distinction even matters in a world where any man can wear a skirt. what i mean is he likes pleats and plaid

noctis has been known to wear leather skirts. he pulls them off surprisingly well, as well as a mean combat-boots-and-skirt combo

noctis prefers to warp in pants because he’s afraid of flashing the MTs, but warping in skirts feels really cool so sometimes he does it when no one is around. also, skirts that are too long will mess up the landing, so he refuses to own any that go past the knee, just in case

noctis loves handkerchief skirts. ignis thinks they are awful

this makes ignis the most likely to wear floor-length skirts. prompto will wear them, but it’s not a style he prefers except maybe in formal wear

yes, iris does get gladio’s skirts (and shirts, she likes sleeping in them) as hand-me-downs. she has to take in the waists to be able to wear them. one time she prematurely took one of gladio’s skirts that they both liked and altered it in before he was done with it. they still argue about it to this day

ignis wears the fewest skirts on the roadtrip because all of his are fancy. he has a couple of nice ones for the wedding (T.T) and for galdin quay. noctis wears the second fewest because he is the most comfortable warping in pants, so his are also primarily reserved for rest stops. then there’s gladio in his spandex-and-skirts combo and prompto in a kilt, kicking ass and taking names. fuck yeah.

AND THAT, AS THEY SAY, IS THAT.

#domesticfluffsimulator #vox asks #thanks again for taking all these requests!! #really excited to see what you come up with!

[battlekilt]

Your interpretation of Cody and Obi-wans relationship in parallel to Obi-wan and Anakins was something that never really crossed my mind. But now that you say it, it really is a fascinating view on them. I'd read a whole book about it.

In response to this post.

Funny you should say that, Anon. I am currently in the process of writing a rather sizable chunk of a fic, for the purposes of having a lot of it written before it starts going up, and the dynamic between these three are a key element. Though, I have a blorbo—Rex is the main character. These three? Though? They contain some of the most important relationships in his life, so that will be explored, a lot. Especially since the three of them play a large part in what drives the narrative.

I am glad you feel that way, specifically.

No matter what, Cody is, like all Clones, an incredibly young man. Even if we somehow set aside the fact that he was 'born' the year Obi-Wan became Anakin's master, which I don't think is entirely honest to wholly do, and focus on his physical development...

Cody is 'twenty-years' old when he meets Obi-Wan. Cody is functionally, in comparison, a 4-star General.

Let me elaborate further:

In the US Military, there are currently 17 active 4-Star Generals.

To quote Wiki:

There are currently 44 active-duty four-star officers in the uniformed services of the United States: 17 in the Army*, three in the Marine Corps, eight in the Navy, 11 in the Air Force*, two in the Space Force***, two in the Coast Guard, and one in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. ARMY** and AF** are bold because it fits the scope of the 3rd System Army, with the 7th Sky Corps is nested within the System Army. Which, fits with the allegorical theme of the GAR being based on the US Military. The Air Force was a nested tactical corps within the US ARMY from its inception in 1933-35 (ask a military historian which date and start an argument), and became a separate and equal element in 1947.

One remarkable note is that the US Army has the most 4-star positions that it has had since WWII. But, I digress.

Much like the US Military is divided regionally, the GAR is divided into the major galactic sectors. Nearly all are under the command of a member of the Jedi High Council, and there were a 1–2 Admirals that were given command for brief periods. All were served by the highest rank achievable by a Clone—Marshal Commander.

That's our sunshine boy. One of the most powerful 12–15 Clones in the whole Grand Army of the Republic.

Under Cody's command, because let's be real, Obi-Wan is there to provide legitimacy, vibe-checks, and familiarity with the galaxy that Cody would not have—having grown up on an isolated world barely connected to the GFFA, there are 250,000 Clone Troopers, with a support personnel corps at about 4x–7x per Clone Trooper, and this is aside from Naval staff and any civilian personnel.

This puts the 3rd System at:

Low: 1,769,472 High: 2,359,296

Let's put this more in perspective.

The current US Military, combined:

Active Duty: 1.4M Total: 2.2M

Alone, the 3rd has more Clones than the Army Reserve, as of 2021. However, in total, would have more personal than the Active Duty on the low estimate, and the total (active+reserve) is still under the highest estimate for the 3rd System Army.

Cody's command is... massive. While I understand that this fits with the galactic scale, that is still... a lot for one person. Yes, I am going to stand by my assessment that Cody would have the most military responsibilities, even in comparison to Obi-Wan. General Kenobi does not have the training that Cody has been given.

Now, let's go into Training VS Experience. Training is the education received: NEARLY all US officers are required to have a higher education—a bachelors degree or above.

(Admittedly, this does get complicated).

To my knowledge, most have all been taught at one of the military schools—West Point, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, etc. There are some senior military colleges that are also secondary higher academies that some O-10s may have come from. Sorry, I didn't get too far down this one. While there may be exceptions, for the most part... this is going to be typical.

Generals typically have over 20 years of military experience.

30 years.

Developmentally, Cody is a twenty-year-old. 20. 10 * 2. Half of 40.

The lowest commissioned rank in the Army is 2nd Lt. Statically, the average age for all commissioned officers is, on average, in their forties, though a good number of our 2LTs are in their thirties.

Generals are typically in their forties.

This means that Cody is younger than... any officer.

Experience? Life Experience? Outside of education, drills and simulations? None. According to Legends, the Kaminoans barely allowed the RepComm trainers to ever use LiveAmmo. Though, it would be reasonable that by the time Cody would have entered ARC training, he would have been exposed to life-fire practice.

No matter how hard his training was, it was not the same as life-experience in the field. This is where Obi-Wan, one of the few Jedi Masters who has worked with military operations with ANY comfort—which was still very little, really lends himself to his XO.

The Kaminoans are professionals at creating and building... well, professional militaries. They had the help of Jango Fett and other Mandalorian trainers to augment their training. However, for the most part, the Clones were trained using the methodology and educational paradigm the Kaminoans created—though, never on the same scale. This was pure professional military education on an industrial level.

Cody?

Cody may have more training and knowledge than most four-star generals will have in their lifetime, all with the benefit of a wikipedia style swath of information, modern technology to impart that knowledge, and some pretty extensive stimulation. But, what is under Cody's pretty-little-military-cut head? All of it is knowledge that surpasses what most Generals will EVER dream, even if they just stayed in military education.

However.

He is a ten-year-old in a twenty-year-old's body with the brain of AT LEAST two-life-times of military experience.

Impressive, huh?

But, Cody is still... not like you or I.

At the time of Cody's training, it is highly unlikely they left the Kaminoan starsystem. If they did, they did not engage with the galaxy at large. This is a bit like growing up Tatooine.

On the edge of the galaxy, with only the stars to stare up at.

Anakin grew up in a sea of sand. Cody grew up in a... world of seas.

Cody's life experience, the life experience you and I would take for granted, is nonexistent. He could lead an army better than our best Generals could hope for. But, what else has he known?

My parallels are that Obi-Wan purposefully encouraged Anakin to be a sassy menace. He wanted to break that slave-mentality. Luckily, Anakin already showed that he could become a spitfire, even when he was sweet little Ani.

Similarly, I characterize that Obi-Wan did the same for Cody.

Anakin's shackles were the explosive in his body, the ferocity of how slave culture was brutally enforced—fear. However, Anakin knew that he was a slave, and he knew enough of something more.

Cody's shackles are the indoctrination he received from the time of his birth. Unfortunately for fandom at large, Cody is... a much more obedient military man that I think many want to see him. Based on remnants of Legends and the retained canon, no Marshal Commander would be in their position were they not... very obedient—to militant POVs. In fact, in the Disney comics, Cody has... a rather brutal attitude towards deserters—

BTW, in a military, desertion is one of the worst offensive that could be committed against a soldier's oath, that which they swore themselves to... but more importantly... their fellow soldiers.

In contrast, Wolffe is much more forgiving, and advocates for their re-assimilation in the GAR; Cody... disagrees with the fact that the deserters are still alive, and believes they should still be executed by a firing squad.

In season 1, Slick—for whatever reason—becomes a rare voice to call out the circumstances of the Clones. Not only do Rex and Cody recoil at a brother betraying the GAR, the Jedi, and of course... the killing of brothers, but they also scoff at his assertion that they are slaves.

Cut becomes a critical introduction to the slow character development we see Rex go through; Cody unlikely goes through the same because that's just how stories like this work. Just the simple act of asking the questions he gave to Rex set the stage for what happened on Umbara, and even then, Rex struggled to show defiance.

BTW, Fives's actions are fulfilling the duties of an (active) ARC. They are supposed to be more independent, whereas a command-class Clone like Rex may be a trained ARC, but his duties as a CC**** would mean that his prime directive is the cohesion of the command, and to assist in the joint operation between the Clones and the Jedi.

Fast-forward to Order 66 and Cody doesn't hesitate. Yes, it is the chip. However, that was not how ROTS was scripted or filmed. I know this is getting Doylist, but it is relevant. At that time, the Clones knew what was going to happen. They knew that they would eventually turn on the Jedi. Through the story of TCW08, it changes to a Manchurian Candidate concept, and eventually evolves the story of the chips that we know today. As the Doylist context changed, it remains that Cody acted without any pause. This is in line because the highest priority Cody held was always loyalty to the Republic. Loyalty to the REPUBLIC—Not the Jedi, not his brothers, not General Kenobi. Just. The. Republic. A traitor to the Republic is worst than the Separatists.

When the order went out, Cody's brain heard:

Obi-Wan friend. Obi-Wan betrayed Republic. Kill General Kenobi. He is no friend to the Republic—thus—to Cody.

Makes sense to him, especially at the moment. This is conditioning. This is indoctrination. This is militantism in action. The chip wasn't really necessary... it was for the sake of the audience who didn't want to believe that the men we began to care about would ever do this 'willfully,' even though all that mental conditioning and indoctrination would mean that they didn't have a choice... even if they didn't have the chip.

Obviously, by the time you get to TBB, when some Clones begin to question that Manchurian voice in their head, Cody's rationale returns, and so does his critical thinking. We have Cody, a Clone depicted in recent comics with a militant intolerance towards desertion, going AWOL from the Empire—that is HUGE. Was this his fall from grace? His fall to what was his darkside? From one angle, yes. However, it was a fallback into grace, and I like to think that it goes back to two people: Obi-Wan and Rex. We'll continue to focus on Obi-Wan, though.

I like to think that it was the seeds of the Jedi finally germinated, and it was Obi-Wan that planted them within his dear Clone Commander.

Obi-Wan being a one former menace himself—you know, a young man who thought tying two lightsabers to the ends of a rope was a good idea—got himself stuffed into one of the dreaded Jedi Council armchairs. Great, now he HAS to be responsible.

Cody and Anakin are, in many ways, parallels, just not direct. They are often inversions of each other, and together they make a great foil for Obi-Wan in general.

The idea that Obi-Wan saw this INCREDIBLY accomplished, intelligent, "gifted-child" of a Clone Commander and thought... "How do I get him to be a menace?"

I love it. I feel like it is just the thing someone like Obi-Wan Kenobi would do. It makes sense that Obi-Wan would want to help Cody grow beyond the very narrow—but extensive—field of knowledge, all for the express purpose of watching the young man develop into a more rounded individual.

It is also very, very Jedi. It was always the Jedi that were the sole friends of the Clones. So, it makes sense to me that the Jedi would advocate for this sort of well-rounded development. And the Clones? They would sorely need that kind of encouragement.

The Clones were never supposed to have names. They Clones were not individuals. It was the Jedi who told them to paint their units colors. It was the Jedi who TOLD him to pick out names. In Legends, and I think it fits with the remaining printed canon, Cody was actually very apprehensive and skeptical about how much of a good idea it was for the Clones TO develop individuality.

Cody was not bred for the specific purpose of his role—not even for being a CC. (Sorry, fanon)

He was just another Clone. Maybe he got nurtured and natured into a better candidate for a command-class Clone, but in the end? He was randomly chosen. As clarified in recent apocrypha, Cody was just a Clone Captain in the 91st when Obi-Wan found him and was impressed by him.

What made "Just A Clone Captain Cody" stand-out to Obi-Wan? There's plenty of theories that can arise.

In my lore, Alpha-17 recommended Obi-Wan go check out "#2224 in Windu's battalion."

From Captain to Marshal Commander? AHHHH. Someone send help.

Imagine the fine-lined walked poor young Obi-Wan had with Anakin: a former rebellious ginger-child himself, he became a well-behaved rule minder under Qui-Gon. Now he has this older Padawan, who is also a former slave of one of the harshest slave planets we know of. He has to get Anakin to be self-expressive, learn how to act on his own self-agency—AND—he has to also... try and help Anakin assimilate into the Jedi Order.

Take Cody: ten years old, looks twenty, has the knowledge of several lifetimes lived by career military men, who has seen very little of the galaxy.

Keep in mind, Obi-Wan met Jango Fett. He knew just what kind of attitude could lurk under that stony face so like the others, even if he said, "Yes, sir," without hesitation, and followed his orders faithfully.

I don't think Obi-Wan would be able to help himself. It is part of the Jedi Culture to be a positive presence. Unlike Anakin did with the 501st, Obi-Wan purposefully kept himself removed from most Clones; his empathy made it too difficult to ensure their suffering and death, so distance kept him remotely functional. The only two Clones Obi-Wan accepted as friends had been Cody and Rex. Obviously, Rex is an Anakin problem. But, Cody? His young, cloned, new friend? Right there. Right there. That... Jedi compulsion, that ITCH they get, it would gnaw at him. He can't help many others.

The same could have been said for Anakin, who was just freed, but had nowhere else to go—little Ani had no one else. Obi-Wan didn't have the same responsibilities as a fresh Knight as he would as a Jedi Master. He could risk everything and leave the Order to train Anakin if the Jedi won't matriculate him. He risked everything to help this one little boy. Later? He wants to risk everything, again. But now, his everything doesn't belong to him anymore—not even enough to consider leaving the Order. Every Clone death is another slice across him, and even a thousand papercuts will get'cha.

But, he wants to help. He would want to help beyond vibe-checks, lightsaber wielding, crazy feats of Force-enchanted bravery.

He would want to help a person—Cody, the clone so often by his side—become a PERSON in his own right. A young man that everyone else has forgotten IS a young man. I doubt Obi-Wan would ever forget that, like he never forgot that Anakin was a young man.

So, there is that itch. That... Jedi need to just... reach out and help make the galaxy a better place for others. One Clone. Is that too much to ask? Can he be allowed to be a mentor for ONE Clone? If he helped this Clone become more than a faceless soldier, if he helped this Clone have more growth and life experience than just what he was given on Kamino, maybe... Maybe Obi-Wan can imagine that there will be a life after the war. To do that, he wants to help his new friend become a full person—in the hopes of the After the War.

Obi-Wan cannot save everyone. He cannot help everyone.

But maybe...

Maybe, JUST maybe, he can help this one Clone become more of a person, and far... far less of just another number.

Slavery is a hell of a thing, and it comes in many forms. But another face of slavery is indoctrination, which is ultimately the stripping away personhood, so they can be utilized as a tool—sound familiar? Yeah, me too.

I think, Obi-Wan would recognize this about the two young men he cares about. Yes, even Rex, but... this post is about Cody and Anakin.

I went on more about Cody than Anakin because... there's a lot of wonderful meta about Anakin, and I'm not confident enough to try and fill the same niche. I also have so much I could say about how I envision Anakin and Cody get along, and how it might be through Obi-Wan's eyes. I'll just say this: he thinks both his overgrown students are hilarious together, and his tickles him... Ginger. ;)

Anyway, I hope this post finds you, anon, and you get anything from it. At the time of this post, I only have one posted fic. While it doesn't go as deep into this meta, there are some elements in it to get a taste of this characterization/meta. When the bigger version of the AU goes up—who knows. It is currently at 270K+.

Thank you for the engagement!

EDIT: There are MORE points of comparison that I just... couldn't get to. Such as the earliest characterization notes we were given about Cody, right after ROTS came out. (Overly cautious, anxious, but highly competent—I love me some anxiety-riddled people with excess competency. My "Imposter Syndrome" Cody isn't going anywhere, and it helps him lineup with Anakin.)

Side-notes and additional commentary under the cut.

***We don't acknowledge "space force" in this house.

**** Yeah, no, Rex is a CC. I'll fite over this. He is labelled in far more apocrypha as a CC, and it just gets way too complicated to label him a CT when he is in a command-class position. This is one area of new canon I'm just... gonna ignore. I hc that Krell was being a jackass to Rex.

Note: Rex was always a CC until the Umbara episodes. When he was called CT-7567... it was a script terror. I'm ignoring that retcon. There's even books printed as late as 2021 that list him as CC.

#commander cody #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #long post #kilt's clonely meta #kilt's meta #gffa meta #bucket answers #anonymous #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

The the 2nd biggest compliment I have to a Clone is...

I make them into dorks, dweebs, nerds with hyperfocuses. I give them the charisma of the introvert with the resting bitch face that's mistaken as the bully (they aren't), and the social graces of the kid that'd get shoved in the locker.

Without making them any less deadly.

The biggest compliment?

I make them lack any ability to hide the fact.

-gestures to Cody and Fordo-

Clones wouldn't know what it meant to be the cool kids if it jumped out of the water and smacked them in the face. The fact that REX would be considered 'the cool Clone' does not bode well for them. He's the funny Clone, but he's the class-clown

Dorks. Every. Single. Last. One of them.

#clone troopers #clone: cody #clone: fordo #clone king #// yes that includes alpha17 #kilt's clonely headcanons #kilt's clonely meta

[battlekilt]

For myself, I think I finally realized why I relate more to the Clones relationship with Kamino than to Mandalore. Why it is important for me to assert the Clones identity as their own unique, immigrant story. Because...

While one person may hear one thing about Clones being Mandalorian or not, what I hear is what I grew up with, what my parents grew up with, what my grandparents grew up with...

"Go home, w*tback/guidx!"

But... But... this is my home. This is our home. We've adapted to here. My ancestors gave up our ethnic language, now I speak this language, now. We've adapted our ethnic recipes to the region, and made new versions. I had no say in the decisions of my foreparents, and I inherited their identity as an immigrant.

This... IS home. Not the world—THEY—chose to leave behind.

Both takes are valid.

When I'm told that I must identity the Clones as Mandalorian, after we HEAR Rex state—with Cody's agreement—that Kamino is THEIR home... what I hear is...

"Go home. You don't belong here. This is not your home."

I—

#kilt's clonely meta #kilt's kamino

[battlekilt]

Admittedly, I'm a little skeptical—okay, intensely skeptical—Clone Force 99 was too defective to get medical care?

They were a highly valued tactical unit that received some of the most specialized and highly qualified equipment. Tools and weaponry that the average Clone didn't have access to.

Commander Wolffe entirely lost his eye. It was rendered non-functional with Ventress's lightsaber. As I see it, it may come down to whether Wrecker's vision has sufficient acumen to perform his job (which is to be a human wrecking ball) or if it is a matter of Wolffe's specific job required him to have 20/20 vision (very likely, considering what we see the Wolf Pack do).

However, I don't believe it would be necessarily be common knowledge. Might be common and popular fanon.

Might be partly because Wolffe and his eye is a near and dear thing for me, as I did a completely unnecessary level of research into him. :wheeze:

#kilt's clonely meta #clone: wrecker #clone: wolffe #// didn't want to hijack anything

[battlekilt]

*sobssssss lovingly at the brotherly friendship they write between Cody and Obi-Wan*

Obi-Wan loves this dorky young man, so much. He has loved seeing him open up from a shy, obedient yes-man, to an honest person that showed his Fett-itude in private, and still zealously guards the respect others have invested in Obi-Wan.

Sadly, I feel like Cody is what Obi-Wan sometimes wishes Anakin had been. Or... what he thinks he wishes Anakin would be. Truthfully, it is that spiteful defiance hidden under his Commander's armor that he adores so much—the things Cody and Anakin have in common.

I have to watch myself to keep from going off on a meta-fueled tangent comparing Cody and Anakin in Obi-Wan's eyes. But, there is a lot.

Both come from very tightly controlled places to curate obedience out of the subjects. Cody's was less about fear, and just militant mental conditioning into nearly dogmatic subservience.

Oddly enough, Anakin may have had a detonator chip in his body, it was revealed that Cody's chip was the most deadly, for its target wasn't the body of its subject, but far... far more. The fact that the Clone's chip was in his mind is no short-order hindsight; it is also a metaphor for what set Cody and Anakin apart.

Anakin had a much easier time letting his defiance out, but he is the product of chattel slavery that isn't so concerned with convincing the enslaved parties to be active participants in their own enslavement.

The military requires a militant, cultist mental conditioning that does strip pre-established self-agency, and remakes the subject to fit the image it requires. Hence, the prim Clone Commander with the neat little military haircut; the only outward sign of his individuality in the scar he earned—somehow.

I was in a server for a bit, where my characterization of Cody needing Obi-Wan's mentorship and permission to be a mischief-maker in his own right was called into questioning—labeled infantilization. It disturbed me, and upset me. Not because it was my headcanon, but because it showed a privileged position experienced by the part, who appeared to me to lack the experience of the result of military-cultish mental conditioning.

The military tells their subjects what to do. When to eat, when to sleep, when to shower, when to dress, what to dress in, what weapons to use, where to go—

The list is endless.

Our own soldiers often struggle to assimilate back into civilians when they are out of the military.

Someone like Cody?

Hell yeah. He'd probably need to be heckled and needled to do silly things we'd take for granted. That is the result of such thorough indoctrination as it takes to produce a professional military to the caliber of the GAR.

There is a lot of victim blaming in that we see signs of indoctrination struggle against health enabling by others. That indoctrination is so evident in the Clones, and is one of the primary storylines that we begin to truly see unfold out of their themes in TCW. To remove that from someone, like Cody, and call the exploration of such a theme/phenomenon infantilization is... the genuinely problematic behavior.

Someone like Cody would absolutely need someone to mentor him in ways he lacks because he, like all Clones, would not be a well-rounded person. The level of obedience required of these men wouldn't permit genuine experience nor the expression of self-agency that would make them well-rounded individuals. They aren't supposed to be individuals. From the onset, it made clear that it was the Jedi who encouraged the individuality the Clones came to let out of their shells.

Just to start the process of deprogramming that level of indoctrination, it would take mentorship, guidance, encouragement, and ultimately? All the things that a good big brother with life experience would have.

Me? I love Obi-Wan being that older brother to Cody. This soft-faced, doleful eyed Jedi in robes, the one to tell his armored, hard-faced, ornery Clone Commander with a sun on his plate to... do something small, for himself. To have a bit of fun that has consequences—nothing big.

Just... Cody hates that one kaf mug? He's told Kenobi a thousand times that open containers are not supposed to be in the tactical room?

Knock it off the table, Cody. Do it, Cody. Now Kenobi is bringing it where he shouldn't, just to irritate Cody. He has to encourage this seemingly full-grown man, who has received more military education than most professional officers that have been in service for a lifetime, just to...

Knock it off the table, Cody. Prove to why it shouldn't be in this room.

Obi-Wan spent so much time trying to get Anakin to conform to the Order's ways, mostly because it was all he knew to do; it was what he had to do with himself.

But this Clone? This man of a million identical faces? To encourage him to BE defiant is, in my esteem, a testament of Obi-Wan's true measure of a man.

This is me cutting this short, believe it or not.

I love Obi-Wan being Cody's older brother, his mentor, his teacher... so... SO MUCH.

#clone: cody #au: rexx #kilt's clonely headcanons #// i think it is ultimately why i cannot ship these two characters #// for me it detracts from this parallel theme for Cody & Obi-Wan & Anakin #// and it does go back to Rex #// because we have some indication that Anakin also taught Rex to be more free spirited #kilt's clonely meta #jedi: kenobi #jedi: skywalker #headcanon: anakin & cody

[battlekilt]

I'm sorry, but for the most part, a lot of what the Kaminoans told Obi-Wan and others about the Clones...

Sounds like the scripted company-line we are taught in retail or when we are there to reassure a customer that the product they commissioned meets these unrealistic expectations.

Which when taken into the claim that Clones are somehow perfectly docile and completely obedient because of some genetic breeding is just... talking up the skills of their scientist. Human behavior isn't that easy to modify through genetics, not without careful observation, and expectation that alterations MIGHT be seen in the next, subsequent generation.

I wonder if for a moment Obi-Wan listened to Taun We try to tell him that these men, who came from a Mandalorian bounty hunter, were docile and completely obedient and thought, "Yeah, and I'm a Nautolan. Sure Jan." (Which, I immediately see Taun We blinked at him and saying, "My name is not... 'Jan'.")

But, this is where it actually gets darker to me than I see the line others follow:

When Rex says that they Clones are made to withstand everything... it sounds like a man who is reciting the company script, but has fooled himself into believing it. Why? I imagine it is because he needs to. He is holding himself, his brothers, his men—all of it together by a thread, and he needs to believe that he can handle everything.

#kilt's clonely meta #gffa meta #tcw meta #clone meta #kilt's writing #bucket's gffa meta #bucket's writing

[battlekilt]

Asking me about... Rex's hair texture is a dangerous thing. Honey, I'm a fashion stylist, and I have an obsession with beauty. I used to get extensions, and I don't trust no white person with that. Go to the experts. And I learned to shut up and listen as black women talked about their beauty culture. So, I get real passionate about hair texture for the Clones, specifically... Rex.

#kilt's brain #kilt's clonely meta #bucket's brain

[battlekilt]

Incoherent right now, but my own tags on a post about the tragedy of the Clones and the Jedi.

#//i was assigned someone for a gift fic #// i took it seriously #// did it for our mutual otp #// and it went off the rails #// to talk about the mutual almost #// soulmate like bond and balance between the Order and the Clones #// which is to highlight and frame the tragedy #// that happens in canon #// and when i think about my own damn headspace for it #// i want to cry and hug them both #// i just want the Jedi who want to #// to sit back and just marvel at these glorious men #// who give their whole heart and soul #// and won't be around for very long #// that the Clones are a unique culture of their own #// a thing of beauty that the Jedi just want to sit back and marvel at #// and have a chance to celebrate #// and it is something they were BOTH robbed of in canon #// i will die on the hill #// that to most of the Jedi #// the Clones were family #// bc that was the only way they could have been the perfect trap #// thing of it is #// that made the Jedi family for the Clones as well #// and imagine your brain being turned against you to turn on your family #// i just can't for these two #// they are a tale of two souls #// it was the best of times #// it was the worst of times #// they were all each other had

When i have more brain cells and i'm not already emotionally drained, i will try and write more of a little essay-editorial on this.

though, really, just read my fic.

#kilt's meta #kilt's clonely meta #bucket's jedi meta #// i'm not a terribly big clone/jedi shipper in the classic sense #// with some exceptions #// by i soulmate OTP the two group in a way that transcends our neat #// little concepts of the forms love comes in #// and is just living love that exists in the moment #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

To my discovery, I seem to be an outlier that has thought, in great, detail about Rex hearing the story of Anakin Skywalker defending the Temple against the 501st men, and being slain by this Lord Vader.

I think about this scene all the time, from Rex's POV—obviously.

Because the truth was, Anakin was a GOAT of a Jedi. But also? The 501st was Spec-Ops; they helped trained Ahsoka, and Anakin taught his men specifically how to be better soldiers alongside him. The 501st and Anakin knew each other's tactics far more intimately than other Jedi-Clone units did. Rex knew too well how a fight between them and Anakin would have been disastrous for both. Numbers would have swarmed Anakin, he would have killed so many.

Rex's imagination much have just played over and over and over and over again how many of his men's lives his General—who he was so clearly loyal to, but also... proud to serve—fell. He must have imagined that moment when the mysterious new Sith Apprentice showed up, backed up his men, and provided the aide and support needed to take Skywalker's life. The scenario must have played over and over again, none of them merciful.

Every time another body fell, it was another shot in Rex's heart. But, so too was the moment he imagined when his men's blasterfire joined in Vader's blade. When their men had the power of gravity, and pulled Skywalker's lifeless husk onto the beautiful, polished, Temple floor.

Think about Rex being able to conjure the image of the Temple so clearly in his mind. He knows how his men fought, he KNOWS how Anakin fought, and with his tactical abilities... he could think of so many scenarios that could have very well played out—and he'd know it. He'd sit in the dark and just know any one of them could have been exactly how they happened... and it would HAUNT him that the two fought each other. Killed each other. That HIS men would have helped spill Skywalker's blood on that pristine, reverent floor as his General died trying to defend the children and the elderly. Rex would have known that Anakin would have fought until he couldn't, and it would EAT him up to picture his helmeted men staring down at Skywalker's bloodied face.

And he'd wonder: Who picked up the General's lightsaber? Was it Appo? Did Appo pick it up and hand it over to this Lord Vader?

That horrible, twisted wish that Skywalker killed as many men of their men—as many of HIS BROTHERS—as possible. Men whom Anakin knew by name helped many of them pick out their names and how Skywalker remembered them all. Men that Anakin would recognize by the sound of their voice, a feat only Clones learned to do. Their General, who laughed with them, painted their armor with them.

I can just imagine old-man Rex maybe opening up and talking about this to Ahsoka and Ahsoka? Refusing to correct him. She isn't going to be the one to tell her old friend what he's figured out—what she learned actually happened to Anakin. There's no way she's telling her aging Cloned friend that Anakin, Rex's GENERAL, was Vader—that it had been HIM who led the 501st on the Temple.

Yeah, I think about this a lot—how for the rest of Rex's days, he thought over and over again about what must have happened at that Temple. The role each of them had to play. I think about how Rex's speculative thoughts about his men's role in the Temple's purge and their role in General Skywalker's death.

So, I think about how Ahsoka let him think of these horrors, these nightmares. Because she knew the truth would break his heart more than the images he already played in his head.

The truth would have been a death kneel to Rex's faith, his heart, and his spirit, and I think Ahsoka knew that. There was enough blood-stained betrayal in the old Clone's heart, and I think she would let him imagine that their men, his brothers, had killed their General Skywalker of no fault of their own, and the Jedi Knight he had served for years had instead died valiantly.

#anakin skywalker #captain rex #ahsoka tano #darth vader #order 66 #clone king #jedi: skywalker #sith: vader #kilt's meta #kilt's writing #bucket's writing #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

The tragedy of Fives is the tragedy of Fox.

Inspired by this post by @groundrunner100 — But it got too long and the meta was a severe angle off from their good post. Check it out.

Honestly, the tragedy of Fives is a tragedy he ultimately shares with Fox.

We the audience know that Fives isn't crazy. We the audience know what is only a few months away. Which is why his exchange with the cab driver really reminds us that we are down the path of a tragedy no one can stop.

Fives asked, "You ever hear the one about the people engineered to kill, engineered to kill their best friends, their leaders, and they don't even know it?"

We the audience are screaming in our hearts. We know he is telling an ending we already know.

Because our answer is, "Yes, we have heard the tragedy of the Clones—the tragedy of YOU."

At this point, we had come to know Fives from the cadet who barely graduated to become a Trooper, was assigned a milksop station that never should have mattered, but became the linchpin of an upcoming battle for Kamino. There he is taken in with his fellow 'barely managed graduated from Clone School' classmate by the, "Oh shit, it's the 501st." We got to see the irony in how it was at a postponed matched up for the fate of Kamino, where we also had first met them, that Fives had proven his merit and was sent off to become the most elite Trooper there was—an ARC. We saw the tragedy of when he lost his brother, his old very ARC-like independence when he stood as the voice of Rex's better heart. And in this last episode, we were so subtly reminded of why he was an ARC Trooper—we were reminded how proud he made "Captain Rex or Sir."

When the audience first saw Revenge of the Sith, the Clones were still very much presented as mirrors without minds. Cody was the first Clone we really saw named, and all we got was that he knew how to do a cool spin with his helmet, and Obi-Wan liked him well enough to remark to Anakin, "Good man." At the time, it was phrased and presented to the audience that they hadn't known each other for very long, for why else would Obi-Wan choose that moment to remark to Anakin his opinion of this Clone Commander?

No longer do we look at the Clones and only remember their helmets when they raised their blasters and killed Master Mundi or the pretty blue Twi'lek Jedi on that pretty jungle in snow. They were more than just the smart men who nodded to each other, slowed their speeders down, and swiftly took down a Jedi that they had just been riding beside. When the 'ugly Jedi' Lucas created so no one would like him was shot down by his own men, now we are sobbing because we have context.

So, when Fives so summarily tells the tragic fate of he and his brothers to a cab driver that just hears a lot of stories, we know that this story is true. We know that though he is in a time when we are begging for things to say, it cannot be changed.

Fox is just like Fives. He is exactly like Rex. He is no different from Cody. He... is a faceless pawn on Palpatine's board. Worse than that, the fact that we never see Fox's face simply reinforces the fact that in this story, Fox is just a prop.

However, we also know that because Fives is so vivid with life and personality, that Rex is so warm and comforting, and Cody is a long-time friend we've gotten to know since ROTS... we know that under that helmet, Fox is a person.

Fox never gets to be a person. He has no one to tell him what Fives told the Cab Driver. He has the position of someone who has never been told the future. He is a stern and true to his duties as Cody and Rex because he is an honorable, dutiful Clone... as they were all bred to be.

We want to make context for him, stories for him. We want to make sure he is a person so that his tragedy is just as sorrowful as Fives. We want so bad for there to be little quirks to him, loves for him, humor and joy in him because ultimately… Fives got that. We didn't see most of it, but we knew it was there. He was expressive, he loved his brothers, he smiled so large and bright, and he obviously brought joy in Rex's life. Did Fox have anyone to be so proud of? Was anyone just as proud of him?

Tragically, Fox doesn't get to hear Fives's story. He doesn't have the context to consider that maybe this ARC Trooper can stop the real betrayal of the Republic.

Fox is the plot reinforced. As we foolishly beg for Anakin and Rex to listen to Fives, to DO SOMETHING because we do not to relive that tragic moment when Order 66 goes out—when the galaxy we came to know during TCW comes to an end.

While Fives knows the truth, he is the fate that cannot be changed. Fox is the blasterbolt that secured the future, that kept the story on the path it needs to unfold.

Fives and Fox are so much like two characters out of a Shakespearean tale or a Greek Myth.

As I say to people, if Rex has apex-level plot armor, Fox... had a noose. He was doomed from the start. There was no way out for him. No one to show him a way.

I think that is one reason why so many people love Fox. We are drawn to his tragedy, we are compelled to rip off that mask that reveal the face under it.

Since he is ultimately as faceless as any other Clone we never see, he is a mystery in this tragedy. The desire to humanize him before his tragic fate comes to pass is painful, it is visceral. We seek for ways to secure him love because the tragedy has no love for him—that was given to Fives, so as he dies in Rex's arms, so too does our foolish hope that all this could have been prevented.

There was never any salvation because Fox was the poor unlucky bastard who held up the blaster and took the shot. Because the fate is going to happen. Fox's only mercy is that to us, who get to see the broader, colorful tapestry of the story—we who look at the woven segment dedicated to the Clones, we have paid attention, and we cannot forget him no more than we could forget Fives.

We knew Fives's face, his face that, other than that goatee and his simple tattoo, is very much a 'Cody Copy' face, complete with 'The Cody Cut.' We have memorized his boyish smirk, his bold idealistic bravery, we watched his rise to an ARC when he came out from the bottom. We know his story, we knew he told the truth. We know nothing about Fox. We know that as a Clone, he has the face of the Clone—but as we've learned with Fives, we also know that they are so much more than that face.

Their duality is we know Fives and know nothing of Fox. The same way Fives knew the truth, the future—he knew how the story will end, and he brings hope that maybe it can be stopped. We know nothing of Fox—he knows nothing of the truth, the future—he doesn't even know that he is what secures the ending of the story. Saving Fox would have saved all the Clones, we know... that was never going to happen.

Both just wanted to do their duty, that's why we can see their entanglement, their mirror image.

Fox is in 'Fates' with Fives.

#commander fox #arc trooper fives #star wars the clone wars #star wars tcw #clone troopers #sw rots #star wars meta #// sits down next to fox and stares into the same void #kilt's meta #kilt's writing #kilt's clonely thoughts

[battlekilt]

Inspired by a post by @vttrvm about Rexwalker's order of “who caught feelings first.” Please check it out! Hope you'll forgive me for needing to add on, but, especially from a Rex-focused individual, I have to—100% agree.

This post will return to Rexwalker, but from an attempted analysis of Anakin's emotions through his attachments. So, if you just want the Ani-analysis, I hope you find it here as the strongest point. But, it will return to the shipping lens.

Not only because I can see Rex as almost notoriously oblivious to other's having feelings for him, but just has blinders on for the rest of this life too much to realize his own feelings...

But because, Anakin is, obviously, an extreme in his attachments—they are taken to the Nth degree.

Anakin takes his emotions for others are always amplified, saturated—if emotions for everyone else is water, Anakin's is HEAVY WATER—nuclear.

Obi-Wan isn't just his master, he isn't just brother-like as Obi-Wan sees him—implied to already be excessive in the eyes of the Order, but he frames Obi-Wan as like a FATHER to him.

Padme doesn't just remain the girl who he forever thought-of—pined for. No, she remains the epitome of his thoughts when he thinks of the ideal woman—HIS ideal woman.

Palpatine isn't just an older man with wisdom, he is his galactic mentor outside of Obi-Wan. When he begins to question just how far he can trust Obi-Wan or even Padme, he rests that with Palpatine.

Now take Rex. Rex is likely one of the first non-Jedi, non-Romantic, non-Mentor, the closest to a secular friendship Anakin has had in a long time—probably since Tatooine. Through the war, they quickly trauma-bond—and we all know how Anakin does his bonds.

His bonds aren't ropes. They are CHAINS. Best of all, Rex cannot go anywhere. Rex is his Clone Captain, sure... but he becomes Anakin's Clone Companion.

Let us not laugh at the irony that someone who is attached to Anakin's side because of the durasteel-linked chain-of-command like Rex, is also a product of slavery—not that Rex believes this, cannot leave Anakin even if Rex wanted to.

Best of all, Rex doesn't want to. Back to the fact that Rex doesn't believe he is a slave, he believes he 100% chose his life he was made for, Rex's genuinely warm, affable, loyal personality makes Anakin instantly feel secure that Rex wouldn't leave him.

That is a level of trust and security I honestly... don't think Anakin has ever been truly provided. Not since his mother.

We watch that Anakin always feels like he has to do better, be better, be capable of wrenching himself into the image of a perfect Jedi like he sees Obi-Wan to be—completely unawares that Obi-Wan did that to himself, most likely to be the perfect Jedi Teacher he felt he needed to be for Anakin. But Anakin is fire, he cannot be simply contained. He seeks out too many escape routes to grow, to spread outside his bounds. He just cannot breathe, otherwise. Any gap in the constraints around Anakin become the pressures he seeps through.

In his own eyes, Anakin thinks can never be perfect for Obi-Wan, blind that Obi-Wan just has every confidence that Anakin can be so much more, every bit of what Anakin seems to believe he is capable of but lives with constant doubt. Anakin projects his doubt onto Obi-Wan, and he lets Obi-Wan become his embitterment.

Padme was a boy's unattainable vision. A dream that never becomes reality. When it does, Anakin is forever desperate that he will wake up from his dream. Or worse… Padme will wake up and realize this isn't a dream she wants to live. It terrifies him—it makes him into the night terror, the dreadful sleep demon that tries to keep her in a shared dream. Sadly, it doesn't always bring out the best in him… it often makes him a nightmare.

Ahsoka isn't just his pupil, his student—she becomes like a little sister to him; a testing grounds for his paternal instincts. He attaches onto her with a ferocity. The idea of letting her go is as much an anathema as it is others. He must prepare her for life itself from everything—but not only is it his responsibility, it has also become one of his fiercest purposes in life.

Rex, on the other hand, is a completely skilled, disciplined, military traditionalist despite his ARC-training. He is like Padme and Obi-Wan both—Padme feels secured by the system like Rex does with his military complex, and like Obi-Wan as what it means to be a Jedi Knight, Rex conforms to the image of the Perfect Clone Trooper, and Obi-Wan finds comfort in traditions.

Captain Rex is a traditionalist.

However, he actively puts faith in Anakin. His deference to the chain of command makes it clear that when told to jump, he will jump. Quickly, he is won over. He becomes a believer—a faithful. Anakin doesn't have to argue with Rex to prove himself. No matter how dubious a plan may seem to Rex, he follows through.

Yet, Anakin also has trust in Rex—trust that if there is truly an issue, a GENUINE issue that Rex sees that isn't just, “Well, that sounds crazy or unbelievable,” Rex will speak up. He doesn't do it in a way that wounds Anakin's pride, doesn't make Anakin feel like a foolish child, he does it in a practical, sensible way. With Rex, there is no need to add, “No offense, but—” Because not only is Rex rarely offensive to others, let alone his General, he isn't going to express offense at any of Anakin's failings.

Rex always points out flaws in Anakin to be genuinely helpful, to the point that it comforts Anakin. It is the difference that Rex was never a teacher to Anakin.

In the books, it is made clear that Rex is quite popular, even with the natborns who work with him. He is charming, funny, easy-going, even to the Navy officers. So much so, they remark on it.

It isn't hard to imagine that of all the reasons Anakin is proud of Rex, proud to work with Rex, there is also an element of his need to show off the people in his life. He, Anakin Skywalker, a barely knighted Jedi, has one of the most beloved Clones in the GAR. He gets to stand back while Rex wins over Admirals the other Clones struggle, and he gets to smirk with pride that Rex is his.

Rex almost becomes a proselytizing faithful, who also speaks his confidence to others—he infects them. Skepticism voiced by Rex, followed up by, “—but, I'm confidence it will work,” only adds to how validated Anakin feels.

Their relationship is based, more than any other, on equality. Though Anakin is a Jedi General—he never truly stops being a slave inside. That is something he'd see he shares with Rex: he feels trapped, tethered to where he is. It makes Rex an easy equal.

To return to this Rexwalker as promised—

Unawares of his effect on others, Rex wouldn't be so quick to realize his General has developed feelings, though it wouldn't be hard to imagine how quick they would.

Anakin's emotions would quickly evolve… that equal playing field, a lot of room for his emotions to grow, expand in complexity.

Every time Anakin watches others interact with Rex, he is prideful, pleased… but, as we know, Anakin has gotta Anakin, so sometimes… he'd be like a child and change his mind: he's done sharing, he wants the Captain's attention back on him.

Lucky for him, it isn't hard for Anakin to draw in Rex's attention. He only has to move, if a lot is going on, he could say the man's name, and at the extreme, “Captain Rex.” Then those eyes are back on him—a focus as sharp as a hawk.

Though part of Anakin would want to possess Rex, he doesn't have to fight for it. Rex is his. Rex is 501st. The 501st is General Skywalker.

Others will say, “You know Captain Rex?” A voice will respond, “General Skywalker's Clone?”

That's right, a voice would say in Anakin's head: Rex is his.

And Rex wouldn't fight it. He is easy going about it.

Other than the war, which they fight with together, side by side, like Anakin likes… he never has to fight or struggle for Rex's attention. Nothing comes before Anakin in Rex's world, instead the two share the same things Anakin holds so high.

Side-by-side or separated, Rex and Anakin are always in tune with each other. They predict each other. It is one reason they are an effective fighting force together.

There are many things the two shared together in a way Anakin doesn't get to share with others. There are the experiences of the 501st—each unit has a unique perspective. They share Ahsoka, share the responsibility of her: Anakin takes the role as the one to prepare her as a Jedi, and Rex prepares her to be a soldier, to lead soldiers, to understand the Clones in a way no other Jedi has before. Her tutelage, the shaping of her future through experiences, her very survival, is something those two share in a way as intimate as co-parents. ( It saddens me to see when Rex's role is minimized and Obi-Wan is held in his place. For though Obi-Wan definitely shaped her, taught her… I think Rex is the only equal to Anakin in what made her what she is. ) — These two men worked together towards making her the woman she became.

Anakin would not miss how much he shares with Rex.

When Anakin does do something that Rex doesn't personally like, Rex's solution is simple: ask for an alternative.

During “Landing on Point Rain,” when the wall is coming down and in the heat of the moment, Anakin—with Ahsoka's help because it quickly figures out what is going on—Force levitates Rex a distance from the wall, and then lets gravity quickly bring Rex down the wall. Sure, Rex screams—because who wouldn't, but Anakin and Ahsoka catches him.

Rex doesn't get angry. He doesn't lecture Anakin. He is actually rather easy going in how he accepts Anakin's hand. All he says, in a voice that calmly expressed how he didn't enjoy the experience, “Next time, just tell me to jump.”

This is OBVIOUSLY the first time Anakin has had to do with Rex. Yes, he had to, especially at the moment. Without their past opportunities to discuss this tactic, Anakin wasn't going to risk Rex not understanding what he needed him to do, nor did he have the time to clearly tell him.

I have seen others claim that this is a sign of Anakin being abusive to Rex; it isn't. War is abusive. What would be abusive is if Anakin did nothing and let Rex die because he was disposable. Sometimes, in extreme situations, what is courtesy or a matter of informed consent because a luxury against the pressures of time. There is no time to sit and have a discussion or even spare a word.

Their relationship has already established a trust in this. Previously, in the books, Anakin was being a numb-skull and Rex came out of nowhere, and physically SHOVES Anakin's head down and tells him to 'keep it kriffin down'—(I paraphrased.)

Rex's tone isn't prickly, it isn't offended. It is the equivalent of, “Next time, you can tell me to jump, and I will.” Why? Rex (now) knows Anakin will catch up. He understands the tactic and he has faith. Rex doesn't go off on him, Rex doesn't sound impatient, offended, wounded, or even like he truly doubted that Anakin would catch up—again, the scream is perfectly natural; you fall from an extreme height, knowing that you won't die, and STILL not scream.

The Order talk very... eloquently, rather expressive of their scholarly, monastic, cultured, some might even argue privileged, patient lifestyle. Anakin talks more plainly. He talks... more like a boy from a backwater planet with seas of sand and one too many suns. He talks more like... a soldier, would.

Easily, I can imagine Rex paraphrasing things Obi-Wan might say, into words that just more natural to Anakin. For Rexwalker fics I've started on, I have segments where Rex explains what he has observed of General Kenobi and Anakin, or he speaks on his experiences of men angered—how pain is the root of it. Rex says it in that plain-spoken-way, stripped of any judgement that makes Anakin feel he has to defend himself.

So often, Rex is or can be a mirror for Anakin to see the same things from a different angle. Because as a soldier, as a Clone, as a boy who also came from a backwater planet on the edge of the galaxy, Rex just... says it plain. Because of the established trust and equal exchange of their relationship, it wouldn't trigger Anakin's defenses as much. It disarms Anakin—Rex disarms him, and it makes it easier for Anakin to not just listen, but to swallow it whole.(*1)

To Rex, though, everything is natural as it was meant to be; he was made for this. To Anakin, though, this might be one of the first times everything has felt so natural in a long… long time.

It wouldn't take long for Anakin to feel this, to let it grow and maturate. Anakin is the first to turn around, look at a feeling and go, "Oh, oh, oh, I see you!"

SO yeah, Anakin would be the first to get stupid-faced when he looks at Rex. There would so much stupidity in his dumb, beautiful, Anakin eyes while he looks at Rex. Obi-Wan is in the background going, "Oh no, not again." Cody's pulling out a slug-thrower.

And there ends, one of my Rexwalker essays. Thank you for attending my Rex Talk—there will be more.

Crap, man, I'm thinking myself into a corner of this, becoming an OTP.

Personally, I never cared for An)dala—not to disparage it or those who ship it. I accepted it as a matter of necessity to the plot and the story, and viewed it as something to analyze as part of the characters, their decisions, and how things came to be.

(*1) Boy, if Rex had become the companion Anakin talked to about things he cannot come to Obi-Wan about, instead of the mentor he shared with—Palpatine, hahaha... Rex saves the galaxy by being Rex.

FUCK.

That corner I'm thinking myself into? It is the one where I stand there holding a box of pizzas going, "Man... this would have been a MUCH better alternative and the galaxy could have been saved. Another form of tragedy in the Star Wars universe—this emotional alternative for Anakin COULD have saved things, instead of doomed them."

#rexwalker #anakin skywalker #captain rex #star wars clone wars #sw tcw #kilt's writing #kilt's meta #// can you have meta on ships? #// this is star wars #// we can have meta on drinks served at cantinas #bucket's highlights #anakin headcanon #bucket's writing #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

The thing is, I am pretty certain that to most Clones, when a natborn calls them Clone, it is a bit like the use of 'boy' against black men.

#kilt's clonely headcanons #kilt's headcanons #kilt's meta #bucket's star wars meta #clone troopers #kilt's writing #bucket's writing #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

So, here's one of some Clone things I sometimes write...

From their place atop a city on stilts, the galaxy felt so unattainably large beyond the field of stars above their heads. As their fast approaching futures came with a speed that ever-increased, it still felt far… far away. What they prepared for had seemed a concept, a theory, a fable of futures told. Eager though they were, within them were still those boys, trapped beyond the breastbone of a soldier. And yet, they were relentless, prepared for what they were so wholly unprepared for—the realities of war.

Just me, exploring through writing the duality of the clones as boys and men at once, and the tragedy of it.

#clone troopers #star wars meta #star wars tcw #star wars the clone wars #kilt's writing #bucket's clonely thoughts #kilt's meta #bucket's writing #bucket's meta

[battlekilt]

7567 tears to fill an ocean...

The most interesting thing about me isn't even me. It is the tiny tyrannical terrors that rule my life—my African Grey Parrots, Frankie and Harley. I am 21+.

♔ To catch my attention...

&—; Parrots, namely African Greys &—; Clone Troopers: Rex, Wolffe, and their army of vod'e. &—; Jedi: Anakin & Obi-Wan &—; Kaminoans (species) &—; Ships: ❤ Anakin/Rex (Rexwalker) ❤ & ❤ Obi-Wan/Rex (ObiRex) ❤

♔ — NAVIGATION For sanity's sake...

&—; FAV ❤ Characters: REX, Wolffe, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Plo (more to come) &—; Characters: Cody, Fox, Fives, Fordo, Boba, Ahsoka, (...) &—; True ❤ Ships: Anakin/Rex (Rexwalker) & Obi-Wan/Rex (ObiRex) &—; Other Ships: Thorniyo &—; My Parrots / My Birds / Birbs &—; Star Wars: References, Meta &—; Miniature people—I collect 1/6th scale figures. Mostly Clones. &—; Gifts received. &—; References (another post) &—; Kilt's Other Interests (may add another post.)

&—; Kilt's Brain—useless thoughts &—; Kilt's World—ly things. Overlaps with the brain. &—; Kilt's Birbs—Live with dinosaurs they said; it'd be great, they said.

♔ Creative banality—

Mostly, I write headcanons, meta, snippets, and work on fanfics. I have the special talent of starting off hilarious and full of fun, then somehow everything I do take a left-turn to a forest of angst.

&—; Headcanons—more SW Clones. &—; Clonely Headcanons—Clone headcanons. &—; SW Meta—yep. &—; Clonely Meta—Just for Clones. &—; Snippets—Little ficlets and things. &—; Fics—Little ficlets and things. &—; Writing—Headcanons, snippets, Meta, Fics... kind of catch-all.

♔ AUs—

&—; AU: Little Troopers—[oldest]—the Clones get de-aged. &—; AU: Bonded—Two halves, one heart—[oldest]—Clones and Jedi are bonded. &—; AU: Chosen Dancer—[oldest]—Princess Tutu inspired. Ballet, music, fairytales... &—; AU: ARCFormers—[oldest]—ARCs are magicked to be capable of transforming into animals. &—; AU: Modern Academics—[oldest]—self-titled AU where Rex is an educator, but so is Obi-Wan, and Anakin. Who knows who else? &—; AU: Batakin Skywalker—[oldest]—Anakin Skywalker is a humanoid bat. &—; AU: Shattered Mirror—[oldest]—What if the Heroes and Villains swapped roles? Based on art.

♔ "Stay calm, what's the procedure!?" Tags/Triggers/Squicks: (Rules, Guide, Requests)

In general, I try to make as little demands as possible on others. Tags:

&—; TAG ALL SHIPS (e.g. #Obirex and #Rexwalker) — Q: "Why is this important?" — A: This allows for content to be filtered or browsed. &—; Tryp*phobia (small holes, etc.) &—; Major Character Death &—; Bad Batch Season 2

&—; Content Warning Tags:

Overall, I do not tag for many cw warnings, aside from ships or discourse, not unless asked. (I still retain the right to politely decline.) These are the cw tags I do use: — #cw deep sea; for sea creatures. Will be used for visual mediums, only. — #cw shell mollusks (shelled squishy things.) — #cw trypophobia: sea things do this a lot, or there is something that itches this phobia—OR—I know that if I wasn’t expecting it, it would bother me or worse... trigger me. Funfact, did you know that trypophobia is a spectrum?

&—; Mutual Breaking

— If I am mutual with someone and it is broken on the other side, I take that as a boundary to cut off communication. So, I will unfollow, block, and keep my distance on tumblr and elsewhere—including Discord. This may seem extreme and maybe it is. But I don't want to live guessing if someone doesn't want to retain contact with me. There are too many guessing games on the internet.

&—; Critical Content:

Any content written that may come-off as critical of fandom interests will be tagged #[subject] critical.E.g. #rexwalker critical. NOTE: I tend to be overly zealous and cautious about this. So, even if I am simply stating that I do not ship something, I will tag it as critical.

♔ — EXTRAS I do ROLEPLAY for those interested...

— Captain Rex, can double-up or trade for ships. — 3rd person. Novella/Literate — Discord 1x1, maybe groups. — DM for more.

♔ — Fandom Spouses: What is a fandom spouse? This is a partner in crime, a buddy of banality, a blorbo consultant; someone who talks at length about their beloved character, and listens to me in kind. They are a great resource for me to turn to if I have questions about said character or the meta the focuses on them. They are often a fandom best friends, though rarely the only one. There may be others in private spaces that fit this role, but they may have a much more private presence online.

— Obi-Wan @ninjigma (Obi-Wan, and over-all Jedi greatness.) — Anakin @spacingstars (Anakin, Anakin, Anakin, Anakin.)

#// idk know if this matter to anyone