#marauder lockdown

[windydrawallday]

And this is how Swindle became a widower jkjkjk

Referenced @goobygnarp 's [pic] here. Thank you again for feeding my desire to doodle what I have on my brain!

#myart #maccadam #transformers combaticons #combaticons #swinlock #marauder lockdown #goobygnarp swindle #trouble dealers #to close the night with something extra silly #when your partner got quite the bulk of overprotective individuals in their life #fight through them like how Scott Pilgrim does with each of Ramona's exes LMAO #jk just Brawl is the one ready to KO the slinky mech #technically Lockdown needs to be a tad smaller but #as always he cheats it with his long aft neck and the extension on his leg knees

[goldenromione]

The way I interpreted the introduction of the Marauders was that it was meant to be a cautionary tale for Harry, not an inspiration. Both lived during a time of war (same war, different eras) but to drastically different outcomes and it was all due to their friendships.

The Marauders had attempted to put a bandaid over their fissures (that being their power imbalance, group dynamics, etc.). But, as the war went into full effect, the cracks worsened. Tensions grew. Things were different. They didn't trust each other as easily anymore.

The war got between them. Peter crumbled under the weight of his fear. We can only wonder what would have happened if he felt more supported by his friends and less like a pet. Sirius made it clear where his loyalty lied (the Potters). He suspected Remus as the spy. Remus suspected him. James couldn't mediate under lockdown.

The thing is: war is a fog that clouds your brain. This is acknowledged by both Remus and Sirius when they reunite. They apologize for thinking ill of one another because it wasn't intentional. They were just scared. So, the problem lies in the fact that their foundation was rocky to begin with. James was their pillar.

And you could easily see Harry as the pillar of his group. He's the one they draw inspiration from, after all. But, in reality, each member is holding their own weight. Harry and his friends remain steadfast throughout the war. Loyal to not one but to all.

Even during tough times or moments where they disagree, there was never a doubt about whether they would finish this fight side-by-side. It really goes to show the strength of their bond.

#they're like foils #i'm obsessed #harry potter #hp #jk rowling #james potter #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #sirius black

[saintsenara]

if you are still doing ship game, thoughts on jily?

thank you very much, anon - i am always taking questions both on romantic ships and on characters' platonic vibes, the more unhinged the better.

although jily can't really be described in those terms, not least because their narrative purpose in canon is to be little more than blank canvases onto which harry can project as he goes through his series-long character arc, shedding his initial hero worship of james when confronted with the reality of his father's behaviour in order of the phoenix and starting both to fully appreciate lily's centrality to the course his life is taking and to see his dad with nuance as a real and fully-rounded person, flaws and all.

this narrative role means that the glimpses we get of them in canon feel kind of superficial - their bantering during snape's worst memory is basically high-school-teen-movie level, the snapshots of their life under lockdown in deathly hallows lovely and bittersweet but also just colour to a storyline which is already all of those things.

and this is not to say that i find jily uninteresting as a ship - i completely reject the common anti-jily position that they didn't really like each other, that they had nothing in common, or that their backgrounds made them incompatible [i'll expand on this below, but while i do think that their respective blood statuses and the impact of these on their relationship are worth thinking about, i loathe fics which portray james as chafing against his marriage because, as a pureblood, he'd be more comfortable with someone 'of his own kind'. this is bullshit, and there's far, far too much of it in this fandom]. my views on one of james' most frequent non-lily partnerships are well known, and i share the outrage many jily fans have for the way lily in particular is treated in a subfandom increasingly dominated by rigid fanon which prioritises giving depth to male characters [even if those characters are, in essence, oc's] and slash relationships over exploring the canon female characters, partnered or not.

but i do also find that a lot of jily falls into the same trap as much of the hinny i dislike - that is, a tendency to present as a sunshine-and-roses fairytale a relationship which is much more interesting if the things which canon implies [and which can be reasonably inferred outside of canon scenes from a canon coherent engagement with the text] might have introduced an element of dysfunction into james and lily's partnership are taken into account.

the shadow of the war is obviously one of these things. what role lily actually plays in the resistance is something which preoccupies me [she is never mentioned in canon to have taken a combat role - and i find it considerably more plausible that any attempt voldemort made to recruit her was at snape's request and connected to her potions prowess] particularly because, as we see in the way her death is memorialised in deathly hallows, the series regards the defence of the integrity of the nuclear family as a key aim for the good guys. how does she interact with james and his wartime role when she's pregnant, nursing, or in hiding for the vast majority of her time in the order? how does she feel about her husband being a soldier if she's behind the scenes?

indeed, what role james [and sirius] plays in the order is also something i'm obsessed with thinking about - not least because so much of the inherent tragedy of the marauders' storyline is caused by the fact that james and sirius think they're fucking invincible and that their plans to keep the potters safe are foolproof. it's entirely reasonable to read james and sirius as being pretty gung-ho about being paramilitaries - and my headcanon is absolutely that more battled-hardened order members didn't like them very much [moody does not, after all, seem massively fond of sirius] - and lily seems affected by this too [she's not holding her wand either!], and what they thought they were doing as 1981 rolls around is compelling to me.

james and lily's divergent backgrounds is also something i'd like to see explored more in fandom - not, as i've said, in the dull 'james should have married a pureblood' way, but in a way which deals with the fact that their relationship follows wizarding norms. molly weasley can blame the war all she likes, but [although i doubt this was jkr's intention] the evidence of canon is that witches and wizards marry and have children extremely young as a social standard, that couples generally don't live together before marriage, that divorce doesn't seem to be common, and that married women tend not to work. lily - a mother at twenty and, therefore, presumably married at nineteen - is coming of age, then, in a magical world which thinks about gender very differently from the muggle world of the 1970s, and i think that tension is worth exploring.

[similarly, the way in which her marriage is self-protective - lily gains a pureblood name and the social cachet which comes with it at a time when she's in rising danger on account of her birth - is something i think it's worth looking at when considering the pairing.]

there are other flashes of dysfuntion which i adore thinking about in relation to jily - lily's relationship with the other marauders [you can pry the reading that sirius resents her for stealing the love of his life - and i certainly don't mean lupin - away from him from my cold, dead hands]; how much of his misbehaviour at school james conceals from her; the fact that lily becoming more overtly interested in james from her sixth year onward must have a little bit of attempting to make snape jealous mixed into it - and whenever i stumble upon them in fics i say oh ho like horace slughorn and kick my little feet in the air.

i care rather less about 'we're so hot and flawless and not doomed' as a trope.

but i do stan james for beefing with vernon dursley even though lily told him to behave. the man really is just that annoying.

#asks answered #asenora's opinions on ships #jily #james potter #lily evans #is this an 'i'm in danger' one? #only time will tell

[spindrifters]

Umm, unpopular opinion but I feel like the ATYD fic really ruined the perception and canon traits of MWPP&Co. Especially amongst the Gen Zs who think reading a used HP book will make them seem like they're supporting the terf compared to reading a queer fanfic is neutral ground. 😶

okay real talk, though? it's nothing to do with atyd itself as a work of art. I really enjoyed the fic! however! something really interesting happened here. which is........

*drumroll* *elevator music* *dun dun dun*

the covid pandemic.

and specifically the way it coincided with the advent of tiktok.

people were looking for community, and they couldn't find it physically because they were on lockdown, so they found it online instead. which is, I posit, the reason atyd went viral in the first place. source: idk I've been on the internet for a while. but that fic finished posting TWO YEARS before it went viral. I think @broomsticks might have the stats for us. if not, sorry bout the tag, I'm on glass of wine #3. so people found community -- in the foraging niche, in the sourdough breadmaking niche, in the fanfiction niche. first with dracotok, then marauderstok, and I'm fairly sure atyd being the fic was nothing more than luck of the draw. tiktok introduced a whole new group of people to fandom, in a way that had never happened before. a way that was.........

*gasp*

mainstream.

suddenly reading and writing fanfiction isn't the dark secret you keep from your friends and loved ones, it's something you gush about on tiktok with your full government face. (which is lovely, by the way, just new.) (and not only a gen z phenomenon, for the record, though largely centered on them due to tiktok's demographics.) and for many people, their first introduction to marauders fanfiction was atyd. so what had been just one interpretation out of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of fics, becomes the focalized point off which this new swath of fandom is basing their perception.

so. I kind of agree. but I'd blame covid/tiktok rather than the fic or author itself.

#not to age myself but Welcome To My Ted Talk

[doublebladedbitch]

Chapter 16 - 'The Target'

Pairing: TBB Crosshair x femOC

When I returned to the cockpit, Tech was transferring clearance codes for our arrival and I sighted the two V-wing starfighters, siding us on both sides. 

„All clear. Landing bay one-tac-one“ The clone on the other side ordered us and Tech easily navigated the Marauder to said landing bay and we landed in the hangar. 

While the others carried their helmets under their arms, I hid under my white one and tried to stay in the background, to not draw attention towards me. Our eyes landed on a squad of troopers with crimson red markings.

„What is the Coruscant Guard doing here?“ Hunter asked in a low voice. Before someone could answer an announcement was filling the halls over the communication system, „Lockdown 5 remains in place. All security teams report to the command center.“

„So this isn’t a drill“ Tech stated. 

„What have we missed?“ Wrecker asked and turned to us questioning. A group of shock troopers were approaching and two of them were carrying a dead body, that was hidden under a white medical blanket. 

„What is happening?“ Hunter stepped forward to ask them. Their leader turned to us and answered „General Grievous has been defeated on Utapau and the separatist leadership has collapsed.“

„It really was like you said“ Wrecker whispered towards Tech. 

„You sound surprised?“ Tech replied and I couldn’t help but giggle. Echo quickly silenced me by hitting me with his shoulder. We quickly turned our attention back to the troops when they carried the dead body besides us and suddenly a lightsaber fell onto the ground. Hunter eyed it closely as the shock trooper picked it up, „Is there a problem?“ 

As an answer Hunter stepped back. „Let’s head to the barracks.“

„I wouldn’t stay for too long, there is a mandatory meeting for all clones at 1500.“ The shock trooper informed us, before we headed to the barracks. 

„The smell hasn’t gone any better“ Echo stated when we entered their room. It was a similar layout to the bedroom on the Marauder, a little bit messier even. B1 droid heads under the table, a pile of blacks thrown over a chair, all kinds of weapons placed all over the room. With an amused smile I took off my helmet and curiously looked around the room. 

„Shae, try to not breathe in the smell“ Echo suggested jokingly after he passed me and placed his helmet on the table in the middle of the room. 

„It just smells like Hunter’s bandana does after a week“ I joked and tried to act as serious as I could and earned a „Hey!“ from him. „Next time when you sleep, I’ll hide it under your pillow so you can enjoy it the whole night…“ Hunter threatened jokingly and stepped closer. I played along and ran away from him. 

„Approximately, you’ll have suffocated by then“ Tech stated in his usual voice, but smiled lightly when he saw Hunter’s expression. 

„I’ll note to hide one under your’s too“ Hunter replied smirking and crossed his arms over his chest. I walked up to him and leaned my arm on his shoulder, „Did you hear that Tech?“ I joked about Hunter’s threat. 

„We should focus, the meeting is soon“ Crosshair suddenly spoke, causing everyone to look at him. Concerned I walked up to him after I sensed the tension between him and Hunter, as the others got back to their things. I tried to look into his eyes, but he just stared down at his rifle, ignoring me. 

„Eleven more successful missions!“ Wrecker stated proudly as he drew markings on the wall, counting them. 

„Kaller wasn’t a win“ Echo commented. 

„We’ve completed our objective“ Wrecker argued and stoped drawing lines. 

„Not every objective“ Crosshair snarled and looked up at Hunter. With furrowed eyebrows I looked at him, being worried. „He let that Jedi kid escape.“ He continued, keeping his eyes darted on his sergeant. 

„I don’t think that executing our commanders is a mission objective“ Hunter replied and turned to him. 

„An order is an order.“

„Since when?“ Hunter counters and they just stare at each other angrily, the tension filling up the whole room. It gets interrupted by the intercom ordering all clones to assemble in the staging area for the briefing. 

„This is one meeting, I don’t want to miss.“ Hunter stated, dragging his eyes away from Crosshair. 

„There is a first for everything“ Tech commented and collected his belongings. Sighing I wanted to grab my helmet but Hunter placed his hand on it, stopping me. „You stay here“ he orders and not wanting to argue, I accept and took a step back. „We’ll tell you everything when we get back“ Wrecker tried to comfort me and smiled. 

„And we’ll grab you a bit, that’s probably safer anyway“ Echo added and followed his brothers. 

„Shae…“ Crosshair spoke up as he walked up to me. „I-I…it’s just that kid, we had our mission and he…“ He tried to find the right words to explain himself, but I placed my hand on his shoulder. „Cross, it’s fine. I’ll try to talk to him later, okay?“ I offered, hoping it would make things better. He nodded and smiled weakly. „Please don’t kill each other“ I joked and couldn’t hide the hint of worry in my words. He rolled his eyes at me and smirked slightly, before he left. I stopped Tech when he wanted to walk past me. 

„Take care of them…“ I said with pleading eyes. 

„I’ll try my best, but I won’t take any responsibility“ he answered and corrected the position of his glasses, when he excited the room after the others, leaving me behind. 

„They used live rounds on us! I can’t believe it!“ Wrecker stated angrily when they entered the barracks again. 

„I tried to warn you about Tarkin…“ Echo answered. 

„W-What happened?“ I asked, immediately jumping off the bunk I had been waiting on, worrying for standard hours. I glanced over at Crosshair to check on him first, but he just looked onto the ground. 

„The republic is now the empire, Echo got knocked out in the cantina and there was a girl, then we had to do a battle simulation and they used live rounds!“ Wrecker replied and threw his hands in the air.

Before I could answer, Crosshair commented dryly „People get shoot at all the time…“ 

„There is a difference between getting shot at in battle, then be used as target practice“ Tech replied and eyed his slim brother. I walked over to Crosshair and placed my hand on his shoulder. „Tech is right…“

„Well, no one got hurt, right? So what’s the big deal?“ Crosshair replied annoyed, without looking at me and shook my hand off his shoulder before he walked past me.

„We are no dummy droids“ Wrecker added annoyed and sank onto a chair behind him. 

„Someone is coming“ Hunter suddenly said and threw my helmet towards me to put on. Right when the helmet covered my face the door opened.

„…I agree.“ I froze in shock when I heard the voice coming from the door. „Most impressive, I have to admit“ the man added and like the others I stood still, not looking at him. I stood out like a sore thumb between them and the slick voice made me fear the man even more. Under the visor I glanced over without turning my head and watched him getting closer. He was wearing a grey officer uniform, that matched his hair and his shark-like eyes closely watched all of us. Suddenly his eyes met mine and even through the visor, it felt like he was staring into my soul.

„Who do we have here?“ The officer asked eyeing me up and down.

„A new recruit, part of our team, Sir“ Hunter answered quickly. The officer nodded slowly and turned his head back to the others, before he dragged his eyes away from me. 

„The empire might have some unorthodox methods, but so do you…“ he began again. „Nala Se speaks quite highly of her five enhanced clones. She claims you are more capable than an army.“ 

Hunter firmly nodded, acknowledging the compliment. 

„That’s why we have a mission for you“ he continued and looked into the round again. 

„What do you need us to do?“ Hunter asked, staying in his stance, causing the officer to slightly smile. 

„The empire has tracked down a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with - immediately.“ 

„What kind of insurgents?“ Echo asked the officer, who turned to him before he answered. „Separatist forces, leftovers, trying to keep the galaxy at war. If you five eliminate this threat, I’ll look  upon you most favorably, when I assesses the new imperial army.“ he finished with a slick smirk. 

„Five? We are six, Sir“ Crosshair spoke up. 

„I wish to talk to your sixth member in the meantime, let the guards outside guide you to my office, when the others head off“ he spoke towards me, before he left with his two shock troopers. We stood still until the door closed behind him. 

I sighed heavily when I took off my helmet. My eyes wandered over to Crosshair, when our gazes met he looked at me worryingly, but Hunter stepped between us. He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, causing me to look at him. 

“Everything will be fine…”

„I don’t trust Tarkin“ Echo said grumpily, eying the door the officer had left through. 

„Don’t do anything stupid and try to behave when he talks to you“ Hunter said in a warning tone. 

„You guys are not helping“ Crosshair snarled and stepped beside Hunter.

„The chances are very high that he figures out,  that you are not one of us, but he will probably welcome that, considering he isn’t very fond of clones…“ Tech added joining me by my side. 

„…no one is“ Crosshair scoffed. 

„We will be back soon“ Hunter added trying to calm me. „Say what he wants you to and don’t forget you are one of us now, he won’t hurt you, Shae“ he added, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. The others nodded, agreeing with him.

„I hope you are right about that…“ I replied, still a little worried. „And please be careful yourself“ I said to all of them. 

„Oh don’t worry about us“ Wrecker said confidently and laid his arm around Crosshair, who annoyedly shock it off immediately. All of us exchanged a nod, before they gathered their belongings and helmets. Crosshair was the last one and stopped before he exited the room, following his brothers. 

„Everything will be fine“ he said and hesitantly took my hand in his. He didn’t look into my eyes and kept his eyes on my hands and intertwined our fingers. 

„Cross…I’m scared…“ I replied, causing him to look at me.  Something in his expression was different since Kaller…

He seemed torn and conflicted. Slowly I lifted my hand up to his face and wanted to stroke over his cheek to comfort him but he quickly stopped me, grabbing me by my wrist. 

Confused and shocked I looked at him and his sudden roughness towards me. Almost scared of his own actions he quickly let go again and put on his helmet to hide his face and walked towards the exit. 

“Be careful!” I added in a pleading tone, causing him to stop in his tracks for a moment. He hesitated for a while and I could hear him sigh under his helmet, before he left, following the others. I put on my helmet myself and exited the room as well.

I watched after them as one of the shock troopers lead them away, the other one waiting for me. Crosshair turned around a last time and our eyes met through the visors. I turned away and nodded towards the other trooper, waiting to lead me to Tarkin. 

I followed him and my worries around my boys slowly turned into fear about what would happen now. What if he wouldn’t accept me being a part of them and would send me away? It wouldn’t surprise me, if someone like me wasn’t allowed along them nor accepted. I doubted that the republic nor empire had ever faced a situation like this…

„Sit down, he will be here shortly“ the trooper spoke after he stopped in front of a white door. His hands slid over the control panel next to the door, before it hissed open, revealing a white bright room, with a dark grey desk and two chairs. I looked at him for a short while and had to stop myself from thanking him, which would have given away that I wasn’t a clone. So I just nodded firmly and entered the room, slowly walking towards the chair on my side of the desk. I flinched nervously when the door hissed again, when it shut. I sat down and waited. 

I didn’t know if it just felt like an eternity because I was so anxious or if the officer really took his time. But I guessed he would have a lot of more important manners to attend to, than me. Anxiously my leg bounced up and down and I looked around the empty cold room to pass time, not finding anything to distract me. 

Suddenly the door hissed again, causing me to freeze in place. When I heard the steps coming closer and closer, until I could see the figure in the corner of my eye, I jumped up and saluted, like I had seen clones do before. 

„There is still some improvement I see“ Tarkin chuckled and walked onto the other side of the desk and added „ease up, trooper“ before he sat down. I did as I was told and watched his every move. „Please remove your helmet now.“ 

I froze again and he repeated himself, the smile from earlier disappearing. Really slowly I lifted my hands and removed the helmet. I felt even more intimidated by him without the helmet. With it, I had felt safe, hidden in a way. The smile returned when he looked at my face. 

„If it helps, I already knew you weren’t a clone“ he explained and leaned back in his chair. „So… who are you?“ 

„Shae“ I replied with a shaking voice. He raised one eyebrow and waited for me to continue „…Chuchi“ I added and swallowed hard. I knew lying would just get me in trouble. His eyes flickered at the mention of my last name, but he didn’t comment on it. 

„W-What gave me away…Sir?“ I asked nervously, when he said nothing and just eyed me. He chuckled. 

„Everything.“ He replied. „The height, the stance and the whole explanation of Clone Force 99 recruiting a new trooper seemed  a little…odd to me.“ 

I just nodded as reply. 

„I still wouldn’t have expected someone like…like you, miss“ Tarkin added and lightly tilted his head. „A pleasant surprise.“

He wanted to say something but got interrupted by a message on the com link on his desk. „Sir, we have new information about the mission on Onderon-“ A trooper explained through the com. 

„Good. I’ll be right there“ Tarkin replied shortly and shut the com system off with a beep. „I am sorry Miss Chuchi, but I’ll have to attend this-“

„I-I can come with you“ I interrupted him and rushed onto my feet when he lifted himself up to leave. They had new information about Onderon, that was where the bad batch was headed. „Sir“ I quickly added, when I realized how unprofessional this had been. 

„I fear not…“ he answered, „Besides, I am sure it’s only good news. Don’t you trust them to accomplish this mission?“ He asked me when he slowly made his way around the table. 

„No doubt, Sir“ I answered truthfully. 

„Then there is nothing to worry about“ He said, pleased with my answer and walked past me. „I’ll send someone to guide you to your new quarters, you can wait here“ he said over his shoulder to me, before he left through the door. I sighed and sank down into the seat again. And waited. 

After an even longer, but not as anxious, wait, the door opened again and I quickly turned around in the chair to look at the arriving person. The shock trooper looked surprised to see me, but quickly turned back into his professional persona and signaled me to follow him. I stood up and almost forgot the helmet, I had placed on the desk, before I followed him onto the hallway. I had loosened up a little and like I had told Tarkin, I had trust in them and was surprised at how well the officer had accepted me…I would have expected a lot worse. 

„How do you find your way around here?“ I asked the trooper as I caught up with him with a smile. „Everything looks the same…so white“ 

He just shrugged his shoulders. Probably not really a joker, I thought to myself and noticed the weird looks I was getting. „Hi“ I greeted a few troopers, who I caught staring at me. I didn’t get any answer, but mumbled words they exchanged when we passed them. 

„They aren’t really used to beings such as yourself“ the trooper explained after a while. 

„Such as myself?“ I repeated amused. „I’m human too“ 

„Females.“ he answered dryly and I let out a small „oh“

„Sounds like a boring life“ I joked after a while and eyed him. 

„Sounds like a quiet life“ He answered slightly annoyed, without looking at me. 

We stopped in front of a door, that honestly looked like every other door in Tapioca City. If this would be the new quarters, I knew, I would have trouble finding it again. The trooper pressed a button next to the door to open it, revealing a smaller but cleaner room. I thanked him when I walked past him. It had a small window next to the bed onto the stormy seas. I noticed a bathroom being connected to it and a stach of the newest weapons in a corner of the room. „Wow“ I breathed out, „they are going to love this“ I stated with a chuckle and let my fingers slide over the black rifle and eyed the bag of grenades and explosives.

Suddenly I heard mumbling words being spoken over his helmets com-system, but couldn’t make any of them out. I slowly turned around to face him, only to find that he was already pointing his blaster at me. 

„What is-?“ I began to ask with my hands in the air, but was stunned by his blaster before I could finish.

I woke up on a hard metallic bench and immediately jumped to my feet when I became conscious again. Stumbling and shaking I had to lean against the cold wall behind me as everything turned and I shock my head to get a clearer vision. I was only wearing the blacks now and they had removed all armor and weapons I had on me.

A red ray shield, metallic grey walls, a guarded control panel on the other side of the shield. I was a prisoner. 

„Hey!“ I yelled to get the two guards attention and hit onto the wall. They pressed a button to be able to communicate with me and one of them replied „Silent, girl!“ 

„Why am I in here? Where is my squad?“ I asked, ignoring his order. 

„Clone Force 99 failed“ He answered. 

„Failed?“ I asked in shock. „They never failed a mission before. Where are they now?“ I ask further. And felt the fear and worry rise inside me. 

„Locked up, like you“ the other trooper answers. 

„W-Why didn’t you lock me up with them?“ 

„We have our orders.“ One answered. „Shut it now“ The other added and pressed off the sound button of the cell. 

I slammed my fist against the metallic wall in frustration and sank down onto the bench again. My mind circled around an escape and rescue plan, but I couldn’t figure out a way to come out of this cell. Then it seemed like my answer just came through the door. Tarkin. 

He sighted me and I jumped onto my feet, closely watching their interaction. With a nod and a few words I couldn’t make out, one of the troopers removed the ray shield and the both of them slowly made their way towards me, blasters at the ready. 

Without thinking twice, I quickly pushed the blaster away from me and dodged the stun shot from the other one successfully. With a flick of my hand on his wrist he whined in pain and let his blaster go, I managed to catch it in fall as I rolled over the ground and with a kick of my leg I swept his feet away from under him. I caught his falling blaster and lifted up both at them, targeted at the two surprised troopers in front of me. 

„You are full of surprises“ I heard Tarkin laughing behind me. Still on my knees I quickly turned around and targeted the blasters at him. „Where are they?“ 

„Easy there, Miss“ he said calmly and unfazed by the blasters. „I am sure you’re gonna want to listen to this first…“  

Suddenly both of my wrists were being grabbed and turned, forcing me to let go of the guns. They fell onto the ground and I grunted in pain, when the trooper behind me pinned my hands behind my back. Quickly the other one cuffed them and collected their blasters again, so they were guarding me on both sides now. 

„Looks like I don’t have a choice“ I huffed. 

„Miss Chuchi, I don’t have bad intentions“ He began, but I rolled my eyes at him. „This all is a lot more difficult than it seems…I am forced to do this“ he explained motioning towards the cell and the cuffs. „Your…squad brought you and themselves into this position, I am just following our policy here…“ 

„They never failed a mission“ I answered angrily, not believing him. 

„I am afraid, they did this time…“ he answered and pulled out his data pad showing me recordings of the bad batch talking to a group of people, a man leading them on and it seemed like he tried to explain something. I noticed Crosshair stepping up, but Hunter keeping him down and continuing his talk. Still not quite understanding it, I glanced back up at Tarkin. 

„The people you see there are said insurgents, they were ordered to take care of. Against orders they even sided with their war fanatic leader…“ Tarkin explained as we continued to watch the holo recordings. In disbelief and shock I felt tears creeping up into my eyes, when I feared the fate that followed such behavior. 

„Where are they now?“ I asked with a shaking voice. 

„I am glad you ask that“ He replied and pressed another button of his data pad, showing a live security transmission from the hangar bay, where the Marauder was parked. Echo, Wrecker, Hunter and a little blonde girl were lifting and searching the crates around them. 

„Where is Crosshair?“ I immediately asked when I couldn’t find him. Fear rose in me and with a risen eyebrow Tarkin watched my scared expression as he noticed it. 

„Don’t worry about him, he is the only one of them, that came to his senses“ he explained with a pleased expression. „And I am giving you the same choice…“ 

„I-I have to see him first…a-and please let me try to reason with them - I am sure this was all a misunderstanding“ I stuttered and looked at Tarkin with pleading eyes. He thought for a while. 

„I fear it is too late for that“ Tarkin replied, „But good luck.“ 

I couldn’t believe it. He would let me go? Why did he trust me? Only when I heard the click as they removed my handcuffs, I could believe it. Without hesitation I ran out of the door and made my way as fast as I could to the hangar bay. The large metallic doors opened when I reached them and I almost slipped when I surrounded the corner. 

„Hunter!“ I yelled, gaining his attention. All of them turned their heads surprised. 

„Shae!“ He exclaimed happy and surprised to see me. „W-We tried to look for you…We have to leave.“ He said urgently and wanted to lead me towards the ship.

I tried to catch my breath again and stopped in my tracks, taking his hand to stop both of us. „We have to get Crosshair, Hunter!“ 

„I don’t think we have to look far…“ the girl slowly said and looked at the hangar doors. 

We followed her eyes and watched them open with loud metallic sounds. A group of shock troopers carefully entered, followed by none other than Crosshair himself. He wasn’t wearing his usual uniform, but was dressed in a complete black clone armor with his signature toothpick in the side of his mouth, a matching helmet under his arm and a rifle in his other. 

Without hesitation I wanted to run up to him and hug him, just happy to have him back, but Hunter grabbed me by my arm and pulled me with him to hide me behind one of the crates, before he protectively stood in front of me. 

„Omega, get behind Wrecker“ he ordered the little girl and scared of Crosshair, she did as she was told. Hunter and Wrecker had taken out their blasters and pointed them towards their brother in black. Wrecker held onto my arm to stop me, when Hunter stood up got away from the crates. In horror and confusion I could only watch.

„Best stand down, sergeant. Make it easy on yourself“ Crosshair spoke directly to Hunter, not noticing me. 

„Have you lost your mind?“ Hunter asked in shock, his voice filled with bitterness and frustration. Crosshair stayed calm and replied „You should’ve killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders and got us into this position…“

„I did what was right!“ Hunter defended himself and his hand turned into a fist. 

„You never could see the bigger picture…now surrender“ Crosshair slowly said. 

With anger and frustration Hunter prepared himself for the fight and held out his blaster. Wrecker did the same and pushed Omega and I back. 

„You two, get onto the ship!“ Hunter ordered and as Omega tried to carefully make her way over, I only could shake my head. I couldn’t believe this was happening, how could they fight each other? How could Hunter want to leave Crosshair? 

„I am not going with you!“ I yelled over the blaster fire, that had started. Getting cover behind a crate he looked at me. „Shae…it’s not safe here. He-“ he tried to explain but I stood up anyway and with lifted up arms I walked into Crosshair’s direction. 

„Shae!“ Wrecker and Hunter screamed in unison after me, but I fought my tears and continued walking. I locked eyes with him for a split second but they quickly darkened when he saw something beside me.

Suddenly I got jumped from the side and slammed onto the ground by Hunter, pinning me onto the ground. „Please don’t do this“ he breathed out. 

„We can’t leave him“ I answered with tears in my eyes. 

„Hunter!“ We heard Crosshair yell over the blaster fire, that slowly stopped. „You will not take her from me!“ 

I have never heard him this angry before and swallowed down the fear that crept up inside me. Hunter didn’t resist, when I pushed him off me and slowly got up. My eyes met with Crosshair’s and I saw something soften in his gaze for a split second, before they flickered to something behind me and darkened again, before I felt my body being paralyzed by a stun shot and being caught by someone behind me. 

„She belongs to me!“ Crosshair’s voice was the last thing I heard. 

#bad batch #clone x reader #clone force 99 #crosshair x reader #tbb #tbb crosshair #sw tbb

[behindthesefangirleyes]

Just started reading your marauders fic and I was suprised by the pairing. What made you decide to do James and Regulus?

Hi! This is a rambling answer, so fair warning.

Honestly, it wasn’t a long, thought-out decision. I was a massive Jily shipper when I first joined the Marauders fandom around 2008-14. Then after I returned to Marauders fics during the lockdown, I discovered the ship demographics were different.

I had only heard of Jegulus from Choices at that point (and would not go on to read Zep’s stories until after I had to remove mine), but I thought it might be interesting to explore how Jegulus as a couple could survive a read-the-books theme.

As an aside, I still very much want to return to this series. I need to determine the how/when, but it’s still on my mind!

#and thanks for reading! #it’s incredible that I’m still getting regular requests for the files over a year after taking them down #marauders read hp #marauders #jegulus #harry potter #answered asks

[jilyarchive]

OCTOBER AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: MISSGRYFFIN

Q: Where can we find you and your stories?

A: @missgryffin​, AO3

Q: How would you describe your writing style?

A: Intense, sexy, snappy, and fast-paced. I have a rampant imagination and love a good sexual tension build-up, so my fics usually include a lot of plot, drama, and (of course) smut.

Q: How do you come up with ideas for your writing?

A: It’s such a grab-bag. A pretty substantial number of my fics have originated from prompts, actually! I also draw a lot on TV shows/movies I’ve seen, novels I’ve read, tropes I see that I’m inspired to try, etc. Also, I find that a lot of my ideas actually form while I’m writing. I’ll go in with a sense of direction, but it’s not until I’m writing and really in the thick of it that the details take shape, and then new ideas begin to spout off from there, based on what I learn about what the characters and story need.

Q: When and why did you begin writing fanfiction?

A: Technically, during the two-year wait between the releases of books 5 and 6, because I was utterly HP obsessed, my imagination was in overdrive thinking about what could happen in the final two books, and I had discovered MuggleNet fanfiction / FFN by that point, so I’d been devouring all of that early era of HP fanfic. I actually have a giant binder of my own fanfic writing from that period; I would type up stories in Word, format them with fun fonts and fan art covers I found online, and print them out for myself. (Which, I still do this!) Fun fact: there’s even a Marauders story in there that I had completely forgotten about that has a striking resemblance to the bones of Eternal Summer. It genuinely freaked me out a little when I found it, ha! 

 But even though I wrote creatively through most of my childhood/school phases of life, I had taken a pretty substantial break in early adulthood and didn’t “return” to writing until the pandemic in 2020. Life was bizarre, Netflix had gotten boring, and I was craving a creative outlet or hobby that could make lockdown bearable. I randomly stumbled my way back to fanfic / fandom, and here we are!

Q: What’s one thing you’d tell someone who is considering reading one of your fics?

A: Buckle up! 🎢 Also, I hope you are either i) at home, or ii) have a really great NSFW poker face 😅 But to give a more serious answer, I’d say that I write a wide range of tones, and I really lean in to what that tone is. If a fic is tagged for fluff and crack, it will be so adorably sweet and cringe-funny that your face will hurt from smiling. If a fic is tagged for angst and darker themes, it will feel like a knife to the gut. (If it’s tagged for all of the above—cough Eternal Summer cough—you’re at the front of a line for a wild rollercoaster, my friend!) Since I write both extremes, I’m never offended when readers skip fics or prefer one “genre” to another. But please know that Jily is always endgame in all of my stories—that’s the whole reason why we’re here 💗

Q: What are some of your favorite Jily tropes?

A: Enemies to lovers is my #1, even if it’s more of that “enemies-ish” rivalry at the beginning. There’s just nothing more quintessentially Jily to me than the process of them discovering more layers to the other person and slowly realizing that the other person is so much more than the antagonist they’d built up in their head. (And that they -gasp- actually…like them! Worse, they like them like them! A lot!) Gets me every time. 

Other favorites include There Was Only One Bed, Hurt/Comfort, and Forced Proximity/Stuck/Trapped. 

Q: What do you like most about the Jily fandom?

A: That we celebrate how much of a power couple Jily is. I’m going to quote @jilyss’ answer for this because it’s so true: we understand James has an arrogant streak but grew up, we celebrate Lily for the intelligent, strong, cool, bamf woman she is, and we appreciate how they’re true, complementary equals finding real, raw love with one another. (And also all the wonderful reader and fellow-writer friends I’ve made! 😘)

Q: Pick a favourite Marauders era character.

A: My man JP. From only the few hints we get about him in the books, we know he’s such a dynamic person, and I really love bringing him to life. Also, his growth/redemption story deserved more air-time, so I’m glad fanfic is here to fill that gap.

Q: Self-promo time! List the fics that you are most proud of writing.

A:

Eternal Summer – My first born! Even though it’s far from being finished and needs a lot of work, I’m really proud of the world-building I’ve done thus far. 

Vindicated – This was thrilling for me to write because it’s a total departure from what I’d previously written: second chances, canon-divergent AU, American settings, original characters, more adult relationship, etc. I have more planned for this universe and I’m really excited for it. 

for the hope of it all – My latest completed fic. I challenged myself to write a softer, friends-to-lovers, mutually pining kind of summer fic, and this came together in a flood. But what makes me proud is that with this fic, I could really see how much my writing has evolved and improved from those early ES days. 

Q: Fic rec time! Could you recommend a few of your favourite Jily fics?

A:

Of Chrysalism by @maraudersftw​ – It’s only a short one-shot, but the way this fic haunts me!! Exquisite. 

The Wedding Ring by @mppmaraudergirl​ – Lauren is the Nancy Meyers of Jily, and this fic is the epitome of that. A total comfort fic for me; I want it to be a movie that I can play in my living room over and over again until I know it by heart. 

Eighteen Again by @scriibble-fics​ – If I didn’t know scriibble was getting her PhD in History, I’d think she was a screenwriter. The world-building in this fic is like no other—I’m in a constant state of chills when I read it. The emotional depth, the heartbreak, the romance, the political intrigue…it’s one of those fics that never leaves you.

Thank you @missgryffin​ for letting us ‘interview’ you and for sharing your fics with us! ❤️

#october author spotlight #author spotlight #thank you!! #its requested author month #next will be another random selection :)

[windydrawallday]

KEEP TALKING TO ME

"It doesn't have to be like this / All we need to do is make sure / We keep talking."

@goobygnarp thank you for the inspiration 💚

PS i will leave too the pic without the dialogue bubbles layer: tbh this piece could look even better if worked on a vertical canvas but AGH time...

#myart #maccadam #tfa swindle #tfa lockdown #swinlock #tfa prowl #lockprowl #that last one as a former relationship #I LIKE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF GRIEVING A LOVED ONE OK? #and because for some curious reason it was the conversation theme with a couple of friends and skhfsdhf #the blood moon kicked me recently too i guess its not as coincidential as i think pfff #marauder lockdown #goobygnarp swindle #ifellinrobothellagain #this is bordering ventart i think... i wont tag it as such anyways #i have time without listening to that pink floyd song #i think i had enough of angst for now HAHAHA COFF #trouble dealers

[ellecdc]

https://www.tumblr.com/ellecdc/748586662784794624/ellehave-you-by-any-chance-watched?source=share it took me MONTHS to finish supernatural and this was during the lockdown😭 I mean 40 minute episodes and like 20 ish episodes per season and 15 seasons!?!!? You HAVE to be committed but it's honestly such a great series, def in my top 10. (Also I've always been more of a Sam girl than a Dean girl and I will always choose Remus from the marauders era characters so that's something we have in common ig😭<3)[sorry for yapping sm]

Great minds think alike OBVI 😭🫶

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

Hi. Just read the new chapter and it was absolutely amazing. KSFM got me into reading some of ur other fic and a name I keep seeing is Sandy..one of James's ex gfs. Im really curious to know about her. I know shes irrevalant to the story and is just brought up mostly as a talking point but she just makes me curious😋. Can u share any hcs or characterisations u have of her? Reading from ur fics, i gathered she is the gossipy type tho😏👀

Thank you!! I'm so happy you liked the chapter!

I love this question!! That's very observant of you! Fair warning that this answer is probably going to be very long because I love talking about OCs😅

So for backstory, I had the idea a while ago that I wanted to write my own take on a multi book series about the Marauders and Lily's time at Hogwarts. (Which still might happen eventually, but not until I've done way more planning) So I made a spreadsheet with lists of the students in all four houses every year that the Marauders were at school, so I'd have a database of sorts when writing. (I had a lot of free time on my hands during covid lockdown lmao)

Sandra "Sandy" Keaton is one of the characters I drew from that database, and I have used that name in passing now twice!

She is one of the other Gryffindors in the Marauders' year, which means she shares a dormitory with Lily for seven years, but I don't envision them ever being friends.

She is absolutely a gossipy type character, someone who would get along well with Bertha Jorkins, and in my head she looks kind of like Regina George. She's charismatic, outgoing, and opinionated (James has a bit of a type, let's say), and she gets written off by a lot of people as being "shallow" because of her stereotypically feminine interests (she loves dressing up, hair and makeup is always perfect, she devours every copy of Witch Weekly, and she loves a good romance novel.)

She has a bit of a vindictive streak, and possibly some mean girl tendencies, so she's frequently involved in some sort of drama. But she's not one-dimensional. She's a half-blood who's insecure about her place in the wizarding world, and she's been raised to seek out status as a means of survival. She seeks validation in the approval of others, which unfortunately leads her to make poor choices...like downplaying her intelligence to appeal to boys, and lashing out harshly at others who make her feel insecure.

She has a rich internal life that a lot of her classmates don't get to see. She cares very deeply about politics and worries about the war, though she tries to hide it. She's artistic and loves to draw, though she's not confident enough in it to share it with people. And she's got a huge soft spot for animals, especially her grumpy little cat. She has a little sister named Susie who she's fiercely defensive of. And she'll go to war with anyone who hurts her best friend, Zoe Boot.

She and James have a brief, ill-fated relationship. They never become close friends afterwards, but once they both mature a little, there's mutual respect.

That's Sandy!

(This was a lot lol. But thanks for the question! This was fun!)

#original character #sandy keaton

[crab-instruments]

What’s Coming to Me Part 18

Master <Part 17 Part 19>

Pairing: Crosshair x Sniper Reader (GN)

Rating and warning: killing and ambivalence to killing, angst

Beta Reader: @unfocusedfish

a/n: Look forward to the next two Fridays, as the last two parts will be posted then :)

Time didn’t exist in your new found prison cell. You counted the rotations based on the date changing on your holopad and the few times Omega came to visit you. She couldn’t leave her post as often, the chaos from before allowed her to move around freely. Omega was definitely giving you her own rations, so you put as much back into her backpack as you could without her noticing. You felt no different than a wild animal stuck in a trap, backed into a corner, depending on the kindness of someone who only had a moderate amount of power.

You tried to stay sane by following the day and night schedule of Kamino as best you could. Slicing into the same system as before, you checked for new updates on The Bad Batch and what was happening with the Republic. The planet was still on a Level 5 Lockdown, so you kept your data trail as minimal as possible. Your waking hours were mostly spent analyzing the data on the chips Omega had given you. It was sparse, the bare minimum of information in the system. This order was a well kept secret, who knows how long this has been in the works.

The rest of Kamino went into a “new normal,” where the clones acted as if they hadn’t murdered their commanding officers a few days prior. The clones who were hunting you specifically were dead and you had erased yourself from existence in their system. Maybe they forgot you existed or added you to the losses. Since they weren’t actively looking for you, you could relax a little. At least until The Batch showed up.

Relaxing never lasted long, however. The stillness around you and the absence of sound allowed your loud thoughts to dominate your mind. You had dealt with a lot of kark your whole life and gotten yourself out of many messes, but this took the uj’alayi. If you only had to worry about you, none of this would be a problem but, no. You had to start caring for the lanky clone and his brothers. Waiting for them to return was your current and only option, lest you deal with more guilt and regret for leaving.

The Bad Batch were genetically mutated clones, so it was possible the order didn’t affect them in the same way. Their interactions with you showed how deviant they could be, but it was only a matter of how long they would last against the programming. Gator appeared to fight it momentarily, but it lasted barely a second. You could remove a few of their chips here on Kamino and escape, but all was too big a risk. It was you against an army of genetically modified soldiers, hard coded to follow any order.

You let out a sigh and hit the back of your head against the cold metal.

So much of your plans depended on the removal of the chips actually deprogramming them. If you spent all that time risking your life to remove the chips only to find out they were beyond saving… What would you do? Would you be able to do anything or was this all what you deserved, what you had coming to you?

A familiar clearance code popped up on your holopad from a ship entering the atmosphere. The Havoc Marauder. You resisted the urge to run out of your hiding spot and face the boys head on, shake them by the shoulders, and ask what the kriff is going on?

But you stayed firmly curled in your spot on the floor. You did not know if these were not the clones you once knew. You would have to watch and see how they were affected.

Risking being caught in the system, you pulled up live security footage from the hanger where they landed. You watched as each member filed out, a little more on edge than normal. Nothing stood out as unusual, but it was too early to tell. Crosshair was the only one who kept his helmet on after exiting the ship, so you couldn’t study his face.

The squad looked around, confused by the changes. Hunter talked to another trooper in red, but more importantly, his gaze lingered on the stretcher that carted a dead Jedi. Their lightsaber fell to the ground. You couldn’t tell if Hunter was suspicious or if you wanted him to be suspicious, so you moved to follow them as best you could to their barracks via the security cameras.

The Bad Batch had not lost their defiant ways, clumping in a group rather than walking single file down the hall. Hunter led the pack, Tech’s nose was still firmly in his holopad, and the rest followed. Each detail gave you toxic hope, as you couldn’t definitively say they were unchanged. It did strike you as odd that Tech attempted to talk to a clone and was brushed off physically. When they entered the barracks, you pulled out of the security cameras. There wasn’t any in there, or rather, Tech had sliced them to show either an empty room or to replay older video.

Seeing them so close yet so far away hurt your chest. Inside your head, you envisioned what it was like to be buried under the sands of Tatooine again, hearing the wind whistle through the ruins you called home. It felt so cold here compared to the binary sun dried planet. So cold and so lonely.

A beep from your holopad made you flinch.

It was a message.

A message from Tech.

With a swift motion, you turned off the holopad and tossed it at the wall. It likely wasn’t broken, but if it stayed within stabbing range, you might just try to destroy it.

Your heart raced and your breathing became erratic as you considered how screwed you could be. It wasn’t that you hadn’t considered sending a message to The Bad Batch or even Nuwa and Siari. You were just… scared. Scared in a way you had never been before. Everything was crumbling right before your eyes.

Never in your life had you allowed yourself to depend on others in this way. It was as if all of your fears gathered in one place to haunt you for tearing down the walls you once carefully built for safety. How could you be so stupid? Was this so-called love worth it for it to turn on you and rob you blind? You started to feel light headed as your breathing became shallow. The tiny room felt even more suffocating.

Before your anxiety got any worse, you swiftly slapped your face, as hard as you could muster in your current state.

Get a grip! Focus on what is right in front of you.

You reached over to grab your thrown holopad. The screen was cracked but it turned back on. You ignored Tech’s message and tapped back into the security cameras. There was barely anyone around, so you switched until you found all the soldiers gathered, staring up at the screen to a guy in a hood. He looked absolutely insidious, the definition of a suspicious villain. His speech went on, talking about how the Republic had won the war and they were now the Galactic Empire, which is… not great. The talking cloak of a man was calling himself the Emperor and all the Jedi were traitors. However, he reassured everyone that they had been eliminated. The amount of bantha fodder flowing out of his mouth was giving you a headache.

When he finally shut his mouth, you turned off the holopad. What an absolute joke. The Republic didn’t win. Only this self proclaimed Emperor won, maybe his followers. If only you had been given a mission to snipe him from existence, but there was poison in the water. He would be replaced by the fastest opportunist.

I need to see Crosshair. I still haven’t seen his face in so long.

The clones had dispersed and you weren’t even sure what they could be doing at this point. As you were about to give up, you cut to the mess hall and saw their classic dark gray armor sticking out in a sea of white. They sat isolated from the rest and it brought you a little bit of comfort. At least that hasn’t changed.

Your focus was completely on Crosshair as he ate silently, adding in a sarcastic comment here and there. You studied every movement, every detail to see what could have changed but the video quality wasn’t high enough to give a definite answer. His expression changed when Omega showed up and sat next to them. They all seemed confused at her presence.

Crosshair went back to his normal demeanor. Everything else seemed to freeze around him as he ignored what was going on. Some of the squad was now standing, a confrontation unfolding. For the first time in what felt like forever, you huffed out something that seemed like a laugh. Crosshair, predictably, did not care. For a moment, it felt like everything was resolved, but then Wrecker threw a tray of food.

On the tiny, cracked screen, you watched as chaos unfolded in the mess hall. Each one of The Batch seemed to react as you would expect, Crosshair attempting to stay out of it until his food was disturbed and could no longer ignore what was happening. In a movement so fast it was barely caught on the camera, he threw his tray and took out two clones.

This continued for a few minutes until Echo was knocked out. He had been fully capable of defending himself, but when you rewound the footage, something had caught his eye. You couldn’t find out what it was, unable to get a camera view of the angle he was looking up at. It seemed significant enough to throw off his concentration. You turned off the holopad while they carted Echo off to medical.

Sitting back, you thought about the food fight in the mess. Based on that alone, The Bad Batch hadn’t been affected by the order, still defiant and rebellious. Of course, you hadn’t seen them act around what this so-called Empire would consider an enemy. But you couldn’t stop the small spark of hope that they could be the same, that they found this all absurd and were waiting for the best chance off of this stupid planet.

So many questions could be answered if you just reached out, but the fear of rejection, the dread of being right about trusting others from the very beginning, kept you from sending a single message.

Your eyes became heavy from all the stress you were carrying and how compact you were keeping yourself, physically and emotionally. Trying to keep yourself awake, you went through different plans of how you would confront The Bad Batch. You eventually lost the battle, exhaustion taking over.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tiny footsteps approaching woke you. “Shev’la, it’s me, Omega.” You rolled your eyes, as if you didn’t know it was Omega, but you appreciated her consideration. She stepped into the dim light, a few rations in her hands. “Echo was released from the medbay. Oh, did you know he was sent there?” You nodded. Omega smiled sheepishly. “So, you saw the food fight.” You gave her a knowing smile, something between I’m proud of you and that was childish and not your best moment.

“Ha, well… They were called, so they’re probably getting reprimanded right now…” Omega continued to talk listlessly, as if she regrets being unable to join in to the punishment. You pulled up the security footage, bouncing around to find out where they were. They weren’t in the rooms you’d think they would be, so you opened your search until you saw their armor in a training room.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion; was training a punishment? Everything seemed normal, having seen a similar training simulation before all… this happened… You turned the holopad over to Omega, asking her if this is what she meant.

“Huh. That doesn’t look like a punishment. Something’s odd about it, too.” She gasped a moment later. “Wrecker!”

You snatched the holopad back to see Wrecker on the ground. He was still moving, but he was clearly hit by something that packed a punch. The rest of the boys started ducking behind cover harder than before, stiffer and more alert. It finally clicked when you saw damage from a blaster shot on the ground.

Oh… They’re using live rounds against them… Just like they did… Against the Jedi…

The screen was hard to focus on again. It took a moment to realize it was because your hands were shaking, powerless behind a screen again. You would not stand by and let this happen again.

You stood quickly and shoved the holopad into Omega’s hands a little too aggressively. Grabbing your sniper, you were determined to get The Bad Batch out of there, whether they were on your side or not. A small hand stopped your crusade, urgent and tight around your wrist. Your neck snapped as you looked back at Omega, staring daggers at her for getting in your way. For a moment, she wasn’t a kid but an obstacle blocking your path.

“No, it’s too dangerous! You can’t go right now. I have to… I’ll talk to them first. Figure out a plan to get us all out of here.” The us gave you pause, shaking you from your vicious instinct from a moment ago. Omega was including herself in this. Could she not stand to be here with the monsters she helped create? Or was she really the innocent bystander she acted like?

“Look, they completed it! They’re fine! Tech looks a bit… But they are going back to the barracks. Let me go instead. I promise I’ll be back.” You studied her worried face, not finding the deceit you so desperately searched for and put your sniper down again. Omega sighed with relief and let go of your arm, doing a few double takes before leaving.

You didn’t trust Omega, not fully. You found it difficult to trust anyone new, even if she had proved that she was on your side. Or rather, had the same goals in mind, and she was right. This wasn’t the right time. You would need a diversion and a big one at that. Maybe it was that you didn’t want to distrust an innocent looking child, either. She knew this place much better than you did. You sat down again and sighed, thinking how Omega reminded you of Siari.

You’ve gone soft, Shev’la.

To pass the time, you took the analyzed chip information and condensed it all into a single datastick. You could plug it into a surgical device and locate the chip for easy removal, if it came that. It was at least part one of a possible escape plan. The second part would be getting off this planet.

You rubbed your eyes, thinking of how you would need to learn how to fly a ship from inside your little tunnel. Best case would be leaving on the Marauder with the boys, but you had to plan for the worst. One problem after another. You accessed all the ships located on Kamino and decided a smaller ship would be better for escaping and hopefully learning how to fly. Using the autopilot feature would only get you so far, it couldn’t land on its own.

If only contacting Nuwa wasn’t so dangerous. For once I miss his inability to shut his mouth.

It wasn’t difficult to find material on how to fly, thankfully. You were in the best place to find it; the training planet of the clone army. The words blurred together as your sanity was hanging by a thread.

Absorption of piloting instructions was interrupted by a notification relating to The Bad Batch. They were given a small throwaway mission. Suppression of insurgents, unsurprising since the war “ended” and there would be those who disagreed. The idea of them leaving Kamino made you uneasy, you had no way of knowing when they would return but it was supposed to be a one-and-done mission. You squinted in suspicion at the encrypted information attached to the mission file.

One of the cracks on your holopad grew larger, alerting you to how strong your grip was on the pad. You let go, taking a moment to stretch out and focus. It was possible the encrypted data would give more information on what the mission was really about.

Opening the encrypted file, you learned that the Empire was sending a recon drone to secretly observe them, to test their loyalty to this newly founded Empire. It was signed off by an officer named Tarkin, he seemed to be questioning their allegiance as much as you were. Also attached was a report from CT-9904. It contained information detailing that the Sergeant of the squad had lied about the death of a padawan on Kaller, that it was likely the padawan was still alive and allowed to get away.

This combined with the other observations you made gave you hope once again. Maybe, just maybe, you could get out of this alive with your new found family. You decided then to face them when they got back and go from there, still working on a backup plan as necessary. You went back to learning how to pilot starships without crashing straight into the ground.

Part 19

Notes:

Opens encrypted file

Mando'a: uj’alayi - something like cake

Star Wars Cursing: Kriff

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#what's coming to me #crosshair x reader #crosshair x you #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch x you #bad batch x reader #bad batch x you #tbb x reader #tbb x you #crab fics

[tempest-sun]

Diamond in the Rough Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Ord Mantellian Nights

Warnings: None

Words: 2,079

Imagine a planet, in a galaxy far, far away. Where the Black Sun syndicate roams. Where you can meet every creature and tongue. It's chaotic, but, hey, it's home.

Ord Mantell is quiet tonight. Quantxi bathes the empty streets in a bright red glow. The Marauder cuts through the air, another successful mission under Clone Force 99’s belt.

Feel the winds from the East and the Bright Jewel in the West. Come on down, stop on by. Hop on a ship and go fly. To another Ord Mantellian night!

They soar over the sprawling palace where a Princess lounges on the balcony of her chambers. Her eyes wistfully watching the ship become smaller on the horizon until it disappears completely. She wonders what it would be like to fly away, exploring what’s beyond the mid-rim. 

There's many paths that may lead you to light or to dark. Well, your destiny lies in your hands. Only one may enter her heart. One who's worth lies within, Our diamond in the rough.

Tech lands the Marauder in the landing bay. His golden brown eyes surveying his sleeping brothers and sister. Quietly, he initiates the lockdown protocols careful not to wake them. It’d be cruel to wake them after they worked so hard. Grabbing a spare blanket, He drapes it over Omega who is snuggled up on Hunter’s chest. Going over to the racks, he picks up Lula placing it back on Wreckers chest. Wrecker’s face relaxes, squeezing the tooka doll to his chest, rolling over to face the wall. Tech can hear soft snores from Echo’s bunk as he clambers up the metal ladder to his own bunk. As soon as his head hits the pillow, Tech is out like a light. 

Ord Mantellian nights bleed into Ord Mantellian days. Always something to excite, take off and take flight. Where a fool off their guard, could fall and fall hard underneath the moon. 

Back in the palace, the Princess settles into bed among a mountain of pillows. Her faithful loth cat companion sprawled out by her side. A gentle breeze caresses her skin, lulling her to sleep blissfully unaware of what the new day is about to bring.  ————————————————————————

The mid morning sun beats down on your back, the red silk fan you’re using provides little relief from the heat. You smile and nod politely as yet another suitor drones on and on. If I have to hear how much treasure he has, I’m going to scream. It isn’t that the man in front of you is unattractive, Maker knows that he is everything that a girl dreams of when thinking of Prince Charming. He’s tall, broad shouldered with a thick mane of blonde hair. His green eyes glittering as he talks about all the things he has or better yet, all the things he can buy you with. 

Raiah, your orange and striped loth cat, yawns in your lap purring softly. Out of the corner of your eye, your younger sister’s expression mirrors your completely bored one. You zone back into the conversation.

“When we are married, we shall spend our honeymoon at the Autumn Palace. Every heir of the dynasty has been conceived there and our children will be conceived there as well,” The Prince says eagerly.

Your sister snorts trying to stifle her laugh. You scoff, leaning back against your chair. He did not just say that. “‘When we’re married?’ I don’t recall saying yes to your proposal.” 

“I, uh, asked your mother–” He glances over his shoulder to his advisor. His advisor, a stout balding older man, encourages him to keep talking.

“Do I look like my mother sir?” You fold your arms across your chest. Raiah rises on your lap, a low growl emanating from his throat toward the Prince. You scratch between his ears waiting for the Prince’s response. 

“No but she is the one that will be making the decision. There was no point repeating myself to ask you.” He replies, shrugging his shoulders as if that explains everything. 

Your sister doesn’t hold back her giggle anticipating the scathing remark building on the tip of your tongue. Raiah hisses, baring his teeth picking up on the anger rolling off you. “You arrogant pig. You must be delusional to think I would marry someone as ignorant and rude as you.”

The Prince pushes away from the table, his chair clattering to the floor. He slams his fists on the table making you and your sister jump. “I will give you this one chance to apologise to me.” His face beat red with unconcealed anger. 

You smirk from your chair. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” You pout. 

The Prince puffs out his chest a smug smile on his face. “That's better. Now–”

“I’m sorry that I had to waste my morning on the likes of someone like you.” You interrupt, a sweet smile painted on your face. 

First, his face turns red then it turns a deep shade of purple. You swear you can see the steam coming out of his ears. He opens and shuts his mouth trying to formulate his anger. He jabs a finger in your direction about to unleash a torrent of curses. Raiah, annoyed that this man has the audacity to come into your personal space, chomps down on the Prince’s finger. The Prince yanks his hand back, yelping in pain. “You kriffing bitch!” He finally comes up with. He whimpers, cradling his hand to his chest running out of the reading room. His advisor, in an attempt to save face, gives a courteous nod to the two of you. He calls after his Prince.

“Buh-bye!” You wave. The two of you dissolve into giggles. 

“What was that?” Your sister throws her head back. “Did you see how fast he went?” 

“You’re such a good boy Raiah,” you snuggle your face against your cat’s fur. He purrs, kissing your face. “My good little attack kitty.” You feed him a much deserved treat. “If I had known he moved that fast, I would’ve pissed him off sooner. Ugh, can you believe that guy?” 

“No! At least with your other suitors they weren’t so blatant about their disrespect,” She tucks her legs up under her pale orange skirts. “I can’t believe he tried to get in your face.”

“Good thing I have Raiah as my bodyguard,” you laugh.

“And he actually bit him! Oh my stars!” She laughs with you.

“What is the meaning of this?!” The Queen’s voice booms. Her burgundy skirts swish around her ankles as she strides in. You both immediately jump up from your seats bowing your heads, laughter dying on your lips. Raiah scampers under your skirts circling around your ankles.

“Mother.”

“Mother,” you meet her disappointed gaze.

“Can you explain to me why yet another suitor has stormed out of here cursing this family?” She puts her hands on her hips. Her eyes dark with a simmering fury. “Well?” She taps her foot on the black marble floors.

You square your shoulders, your own fury bubbling to the surface. “Maybe you can explain to me why you and the council keep choosing these men who only want a broodmare rather than a partner?” You raise your eyebrow. 

Your sister gasps. She looks between the two of you watching the tense standoff.

“Y/N,” your mother takes a deep breath pinching the bridge of her nose. “I have been more than patient with you after your father’s death but it is time for you to do your duty.”

“You would rather marry me off to a stranger to strengthen your rule over my happiness? That’s very hypocritical of you.” You retort.

Your mother tightens her lips in a thin line. “For the good of this family, you will marry, so help me Maker, even if it is the next man to walk through that door.” 

“My Queen,” Deonor, your mother’s royal advisor, enters the room. “Princess, Princess,” he nods to you and your sister. “The representative from Florrum has arrived as scheduled.” 

“Very good,” She replies, her features sunny once again. To you, she gives you a pointed look. “We will continue this discussion later.” 

“Looking forward to it,” you mutter sarcastically watching her leave. Raiah sticks his head out once the coast is clear. “I’m going out.” You say to your sister, grabbing your book. You exit the reading room, walking up the gold ornate grand staircase. Raiah is already waiting for you at the top.  

“Y/N, you can’t. You know what Mama says,” your sister follows beside you. “It’s too dangerous.” 

“Mom exaggerates,” you roll your eyes. “Besides, it's too nice of a day to stay cooped up in here. Cover for me will you?” You bite your bottom lip expectantly.

“I don’t know–” she bounces her leg, debating her options. “I just don’t want to get in trouble–”.

“You won’t! I’ll be back before anyone knows I’m gone. And if anyone asks, just tell them that I am absolutely spent from this morning’s ordeal.”

She sighs. “Fine but you owe me. Big time!”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” You embrace her. “You’re the best!”

“Yeah yeah,” she waves you off. 

You dash down the hall, giddiness in your step more than excited to have a few hours of freedom because Maker knows you won’t be going anywhere for a while. Grabbing your beige woollen cloak, you throw it over your turquoise sundress. You lift the large tapestry your father bought you before he died. A small twinge of sadness fills you. Stamping that down, you push the soft space in the wall revealing a hidden stairway ready to begin your adventure. 

————————————————————————

The sun blazes above the bustling marketplace. It’s one of those rare days where there are no jobs leaving the Batch with a rare day off. Tech takes this opportunity to appraise his ship surveying the damage from the firefight with Imperial ships. He frowns, yet another power capacitor has bitten the dust. 

“What’s the damage?” Echo pokes his head out from the ship.

“The better question would be what isn’t damaged.” He pulls out his holopad, typing up a list of parts. “We need parts if we hope to use the Marauder for any future jobs.”

“Are you going to the market?!” Omega appears seemingly out of nowhere. “Can I come?”

“Did you ask Hunter?” Echo asks her.

“Yup! He said to ask you.”

Echo shrugs. “Sure, as long as you help carry things.”

“I will!” She grins. “Can we go now? I want Mantell Mix!”

“Get me some too!” Wrecker yells from his rack.

Tech, Echo, and Omega set off into town, the list of supplies split between the two men. Wrecker, still recuperating from his blaster wound, stays behind with Hunter. The only one who can calm Wrecker enough to patch him up.

“It would be better for us to split up and cover more ground. That way, by my calculations, we can repair the ship by this evening.” Tech presses some buttons on his vambrace. “I sent you your list.”

“Got it,” Echo confirms. “Come on Omega.”

The pair of them set off, Omega skipping to keep up with Echo. Tech goes the opposite direction, determined to make this trip quick and efficient.

A few hundred credits later, Tech nearly has all his shopping complete. He doesn’t look up from his data pad, checking off all the parts that he has acquired thus far. He wonders how Echo and Omega are making out with their list. He hasn’t heard from them on the comms and nothing is crossed off on the shared document. He is in the process of typing up a message to Echo when something or rather someone collides with his shoulder.

“Excuse me,” you politely say, ducking your head walking past the man you just bumped into not giving him a second glance. 

Tech, on the other hand, finds it odd how on such a hot day you’re wearing a heavy cloak. Something on the cobblestone glints in the sun. Bending down he picks up a tiny silver locket. He turns it over in his palm, your initials on the back. Looking up he searches the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of you. He sighs in relief when he sees the particular shade of beige of your cloak further down the street. Pocketing your locket, he weaves through the crowd determined to return it to you.

Next Chapter

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #star wars the bad batch #bad batch fanfic #bad batch tech #tech x reader #tech x reader fic #aladdin #aladdin au #diamond in the rough

[thessalian]

Astrid vs The Emerald Grove

But first, what happened with Lae'zel

Astarion: Well. That's an awful lot of shouting.

Astrid: From two different directions, even. Um...

Lae'zel: *in Astrid's head* GET ME OUT OF HERE.

Astrid: *looking over at terrified tieflings* You know ... you should probably cut her down before she gets angry. You ... probably wouldn't like her when she's angry. And ... oh by all the gods you didn't even disarm her she has a bow.

Tieflings: Ofuck. *drop Lae'zel out of the cage*

Lae'zel: FINALLY. Now either you help me kill these wretches, or I kill you.

Astrid: .......................

Gale: She ... gets angry? I didn't realise she actually got angry...

Astrid: *Vicious Mockery resonance* FUCK YOU, YOU ULTRA-VIOLENT SQUID-OBSESSED DRAGON-SHAGGING HARPY!

Lae'zel: *staggers* You ... you coward!

Astarion: She's willing to throw down with a githyanki twice her size. I'd rethink that. *arrow to the chest*

Shadowheart: Honestly, I've wanted to do this since you tried to get her to abandon me to the pod. *Sacred Flame*

Gale: ...Generally I try not to judge? But ... you made Astrid angry. Which leads me to only one word as a response. That word being... IGNIS! *Fire Bolt*

Any Big Fans of Lae'zel: *should probably look away from the stabnation that ensues*

Gale: ...You know, it occurs to me - now that it's too late to do anything about it, mind you - that the gith do tend to know more about illithids than anyone else and she might have had a lead on a cure...

Astrid: *glare* We will find. Another. Way.

Gale: *steps back, hands up placatingly* Yes. Yes we will.

Astrid: *complete 180 back to cheerful* Which reminds me - hello, tieflings? Hi? Erm ... sorry about the ultraviolence but you were probably going to do that anyway so ... um ... you wouldn't know a healer in the area that might be willing to see us, would you? And if so, could you direct us to them, please?

Tieflings: *point in the general direction of the other yelling*

Astrid: Cool. Thanks! Bye!

Tieflings: *run*

Astrid: Oh, hey, Shadowheart; did you want her armour? I think it's better than yours and I guess she's not using it anymore...

Shadowheart: Sure. Shame to see it go to waste.

Astarion: I underestimated her. I thought she was just a little cream puff, but she's vicious. I like it.

Gale: Get in line, paste-face.

Controller Lady's Note: I know, I know, but even if they cut certain segments of camp chatter out of the finished game, I DO NOT LIKE HER. Sorry.

A short trek down the road later

Scouts: OPEN THE GATE! GOBLINS!

Hellrider Exile Dude: Oh for fuck's sake...

Goblin Marauding Party: *attacks*

The Entire Party: *walking into the middle of this* ...wut.

Wyll: *is swashbucking awsome on the hoof*

Astrid: ...Now that's what I call an entrance. Wish we'd entered like that instead of just tripping over the whole mess...

Astarion: We're going to have to fight these now, aren't we?

Astrid: *Vicious Mockery resonance; at nearby bugbear* I'D ASK FOR A MATCH, BUT I'VE GOT ONE; YOUR FACE AND MY GRANTHER'S HAIRY WRINKLED BALL-SACK.

Gale: You have to admit, she's adorable when she's shouting profanities. IGNIS! *sets a nearby goblin on fire*

Astarion: Yes, yes, true. *shanks a nearby goblin*

Stabnation: *generally ensues*

Inside the Emerald Grove

Kargha: Thieving wretches get what's coming to them. Lock her up with Teela.

Teela: *hiss*

Astrid: Your deity would really dislike this, you know. You have your things back, this is going to be over one way or another anyway, so maybe ... just ... let her go back to her parents? Either you're ensuring the goodwill of the locals or you're preventing a riot that'll interrupt your ritual. It's a win for you either way.

Kargha: Oh, fine. Now what are you doing in here?

Astrid: Looking for Nettie, and also kind of hoping you might reconsider the lockdown because that seems a little extreme...

Kargha: NO! Get the tieflings out of here however you have to and leave us alone!

Astrid: ...You know that an isolated system never evolves, right?

Teela: *hisssssss*

Astrid: Okay, okay, I'll go; just ... real quick before I try to solve the problem, which way to Nettie?

Kargha: In the back.

Gale: *quietly as they walk towards the back* I know that look. You gave the githyanki that look.

Astrid: I'm not going to murder her... But she's hiding something and I want to know what it is. So we'll talk to Nettie, see what she can do ... and either way, we'll find out. How do you feel about a bit of burglary, Astarion?

Astarion: ...I knew I liked you for a reason.

Nettie: Oh, how d'you do? You don't look particularly sick or hurt?

Astrid: Um. Mind flayer tadpole. It's a thing.

Nettie: Well, only Haslin can help and goblins got him awhile back. I could poison you quick if you wanted...

Astrid: Let's call that one plan M.

A little later, heading in a beach-ward direction

Astarion: I don't believe I got spotted. And had to be rescued by a ray of sunshine. That's a little ironic, honestly.

Astrid: That's sweet! ...I think. Anyway, just a little cantrip to get him looking elsewhere, since he could clearly see behind bookshelves. I guess we should go investigate the swamp and-- Is that singing?

Little Tiefling Boy: Ooooooooh, pretty...

Basically Everybody Else: Oooooh, pretty...

Astrid: *successful Nature check* Oh. Harpies. I am not getting upstaged by a random collection of boobs and feathers. *pulls lute* Ahem. *to the tune of The Bird on my Head* "We're just standing with a vacant kid with a bird singing in his head / We're just standing with a vacant kid with a bird singing in his head / Wicked, wicked, cruel, cruel bird / Let him pass on by / He belongs in his mom's arms--"

Harpy: *completing the lyric* AND YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!!!

Astrid: No, see, that's my line.

Astarion: Our line, if you don't mind.

Astrid: Oh, good! I mean, I should be above this kind of competitive thing, but ... they're cheating.

Gale: Ah, no; those claws? They'd destroy a lute, rather than strum it as gracefully as you do yours.

Shadowheart: If you're done with all the praise, those claws are coming for your face.

Gale: Mm. Indeed. IGNIS!

Astrid: That's your answer to everything, isn't it? It's kind of cute.

Harpies: WE'RE TRYING TO KILL YOU HERE.

Astrid: And your friend's on fire. *Vicious Mockery voice* THE FOULEST ROASTED FOWL THIS SIDE OF AVERNUS!

Astarion: The insults are getting subtler. I like it.

Stabnation: *ensues*

A fair bit later, at camp

Gale: So ... I need to absorb magic for ... reasons ... or I sort of die. Having multiple conditions is a ... problem.

Shadowheart; Astarion: Tell me about it.

Astrid: ...Took the words right out of my mouth.

Shadowheart: It's ... nothing to worry about. I'd tell you if it was. Just ... maybe. Someday. Later.

Astarion: Don't look at me. I still think your an altruistic freak of nature. Just you increase my chances of survival by a lot if I'm on your good side.

Astrid: Well, at least we know where we are. Oh, Wyll, you made it!

Wyll: Look, you might have a lead on getting the parasite out, and maybe even figure out why we aren't changing yet. I did try to ask your wizard but he got very ... wordy about it. Anyway, you also offered to help kill Karlach. Which ... you know, Blade of the Frontiers isn't used to being offered help like that. So ... anything I need to know?

Astrid: Goblins. Lotta goblins. Also finding out what Kargha's doing in the swamps. Because she's being sneaky and we could probably avoid a lot of the mess by airing her dirty laundry. Or a well-placed bit of blackmail, whichever.

Shadowheart; Gale; Astarion: ........................

Wyll: ...I take it that's ... a surprising response from her?

Shadowheart: She's saved at least four tiefling children, actually negotiated with a squirrel despite not having drunk one of her hard-crafted Potions of Speak With Animals--

Astrid: ...I was waiting to find some sugar to add to them. They're really nasty-tasting.

Gale: That's what you get for drinking mushroom ash, I suppose.

Shadowheart: --And calmed down a terrified boar for no good reason.

Astarion: Mm. Yes. Indeed. Anyway, she's mostly the creamiest and puffiest cream puff of them all, but there are those few little moments when she shows ... potential.

Gale: The insulting people to death.

Astarion: The "making people laugh so hard they roll about on a burning floor and yet still can't stop" ... thing.

Gale: And I don't know what she whispered to that harpy that got it tearing its own feathers out and attempting to drown itself...

Shadowheart: Now we add blackmail to her list of surprises.

Astrid: Even if it means nobody has to die?

Wyll: ...I think I'm going to like it here.

#Thess liveblogs Baldur's Gate 3 #Astrid the Bard #baldur's gate 3 spoilers

[bianavacker-is-bi-as-hell]

I read it over lockdown during peak marauders tiktok-

MOOD I love it sm the slowburn is actually killing meee

#asks #songofpatrochilless #atyd #atyd wolfstar

[katatonicimpression]

2 for Shinobi, 12 for Monet, 14 for Bobby (shaking things up lol)

2. When I think I truly started to like Shinobi

I remember years and years ago encountering him when going through 90s xforce. There's a very memorable scene where the team just teleport into his bathtub.

But I only started to pay specific attention to him again in lockdown when I got back into comics in a big way and the wasted potential of Marauders melted my brain. Then I went back through all his past appearances and became a bit obsessed.

He's a poor little meow meow who's far too incompetent to be held responsible for his attempts at supervillainy.

12. Sexuality hc for Monet!

I feel like she's straight.. although my favourite ship for her is a gay one lol. Straight-ish. Heteroflexible.

14. Best storyline Bobby had

The aftermath of Emma taking over his body in the early 90s is where we get some of his best character stuff. It's got the drama with his dad, and the gay themes. Although, I guess, as a "storyline", there's a sense in which this just fizzles out without a strong arc.

Shout out to the cloud thing in defenders, even if it's a bit dated now, we enjoy gender fluid antics in this house. Although, again, this never feels resolved in a narrative sense. That's a pretty common thing in comics writing though so whatever.

I do love the 2017 and 2018 solo series, I think they do manage to feel like they've said something about him. Also, a small thing, but I feel like Grace was the last guy to write him actually feeling like an adult. This is a larger problem across a lot of media rn, especially marvel, especially xmen, but yeah. Sometimes you want stories that feel like they're about adults, and not this YA/coming of age trend every single time.

And I'm a big fan of Vecchio's take on him too, even if they're just little cartoony infinity comics. There's a complete arc there, a good shape to the stories, and a solid grasp on the kind of guy Bobby is, his specific anxieties and what he needs right now.

#asks

[euphorial-docx]

ok ok… in the first wizarding war… hogwarts would be a bit more strict and on a kind of lockdown situation, like it was in the second war, right?

i feel like we all just forget that hogwarts exists once the war starts in marauders fics, which is far enough because most of the marauders fight once they graduate, but the war was there before they graduated. all the protection tactics we saw in the harry potter series came from somewhere. like i’ll bet they had dementors around hogwarts when the first war got especially bad, or maybe aurors or something.

idk my brain is just thinking a whole lot right now, and this is what it’s focusing on for some reason.