Shoot Your Shot

Incoming transmission…📡✨

Come and join the party! The Clone x OC week event starts on the 10th and ends on the 16th of February 2025 ✨

What is Clone x OC week?

A week-long fandom event focusing on the ships between various clone troopers of the Star Wars universe and original characters (OCs) created by passionate fans!

Below the cut is some basic information regarding the event.

How does the event work?

This is a prompt-based creative event where participants create Clone x OC fan-works inspired by a set of themes. Each day of the event will be associated with a theme. Once the day of a specific theme arrives, participants will upload their work to their respective blogs and we will try to reblog everything so that everyone can enjoy the creations.

What are the themes?

Here is the list of the themes for Clone x OC week 2025, along with the reveal dates:

10 Feb: Introduction

11 Feb: Quality time

12 Feb: Conflict

13 Feb: Intimacy

14 Feb: Future

15 Feb: What if…

16 Feb: Free space/catch up day

The themes are designed to help participants explore different relationship aspects of their pairing, as well as to give viewers a glimpse or an overview of the dynamic of the ship. We hope that this will pique the interests of viewers to delve deeper into the ship’s story!

What is the schedule?

Here is the schedule of this event.

27 oct - 3 nov: Interest check

10 nov - 9 feb: Creation period

10 feb - 16 feb: Event week

We know that life can be very busy, especially at the end of the year during the holiday season. We want to give everyone a chance to join this party, that’s why the creation period is very generous.

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With that said, we wish everyone a happy creation period and if there are any questions, please feel free to drop them in the ask box. Until then, see you soon with more event features ✨

Not the First, But the Best - Parts 2 & 3

Summary: Crosshair and Arlo spend a sweet evening together on their first date, and it goes even better than Crosshair could have expected. What he also didn’t expect was to face the nosy inquiries of his siblings so soon. It would seem nothing stays a secret for long on a tiny island like Pabu.

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Pairing: Crosshair x Original Female Character

Rating: T

Here are Chapters 2 & 3 for my most recent Crosslo fic! Sorry they're a couple days later than promised, but hopefully it's worth the wait! The rest of the series can be found here: Cross My Heart and Help Me Heal.

Excited to see you doing these too! How about 19 for crosslo

Thank you so much for this ask! Sorry for the delay, but life has been so busy. I had the most fun writing this and I did take a little liberty with what it means to be "underwater" but I hope you enjoy! There is a little bit of spiciness in this one, so I'm putting the full text below the cut :)

Falling for You

Kiss Roulette Prompt 19: A kiss underwater

Pairing: Crosshair x oc (Arlo)

“Look, Cross!” Arlo called, wiping the sweat from her brow with one hand while extending the other out before her, pointing to the clearing at the end of the long jungle trail.

Crosshair shook his head, little droplets of sweat flying from his brow as he did so. Picking the hottest day of the year to go on a hike through the jungle on the far side of lower Pabu hadn’t been the finest idea, but it seemed it had all been worth it to Arlo, as she continued to point emphatically into the clearing before her, a broad smile on her face.

Stepping up to meet her, he peered beyond the thicket of tropical trees and bushes and was pleasantly surprised by the oasis that awaited him. There was a large pool of water in the middle of the clearing, fed by a beautiful waterfall, skittering over the rocks a few meters above the pool and cascading down into the clear green-blue water below.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Arlo observed, already wandering across the clearing to the water’s edge, where she promptly sat down and removed her hiking shoes. Crosshair padded up behind her, folding his arms over his chest and regarding her dubiously.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow as she pulled the hairband from her golden locks next, allowing her hair to cascade down her back, and then she stood.

“I’m going for a swim of course,” Arlo replied evenly, pulling her shirt over her head. “If I spend a minute more in this heat, I’m going to melt.”

Crosshair stared openly as she threw her shirt to the ground and made quick work of the buttons on her pants. To his surprise, she didn’t stop there. Next came her bra, and then her underwear, until she was standing before him completely naked, without a hint of self-consciousness whatsoever.

He must have worn his shock on his face, because Arlo gave him a suggestive wink before wading into the water. Crosshair watched her with interest. Though they’d been together for years, she never ceased to catch him off guard from time to time. Arlo was a confident woman, but this was bold, even for her.

Huffing a short chuckle, he watched as she continued to make her way towards the center of the pool. When the water reached her waist, she turned back towards him and regarded him with a saccharine smile on her face.

“Care to join me, love?” she asked, eyes wide with false innocence as her hands boasted temptation, drawing his gaze from her face to her chest as she played with her hair, the long golden strands having fallen over her shoulders.

“It looks cold,” Crosshair grouched, even as he set his pack on the ground, fighting the smirk that warred with his scowl for dominance upon his lips.

“Hmmm,” Arlo murmured, flicking her hair back over her shoulders. “I find it rather refreshing.”

“Indeed,” Crosshair drawled, kicking off his boots as he pulled his shirt over his head. Arlo merely giggled softly, dragging her fingers playfully through the water at her hips, watching him with a heated satisfaction in her eyes. Crosshair allowed himself to smirk then, happy to know she liked what she saw.

After he finished divesting himself of his clothes, he followed her path into the middle of the pool. When he reached for her, Arlo stepped back but caught his hand in hers. Tugging on it gently, she led him across the water towards the waterfall.

She looked like something out of a dream, a water nymph, leading him towards what could only be both his pleasure and his doom. Crosshair was enchanted and couldn’t help the smile and laugh she pulled from his lips as she placed her free hand into the waterfall’s path, grinning and giggling as the water splashed across it.

“It feels nice,” she assured him as she backed under the silvery falls, tipping her head back as the cool water slid down her face and neck before trailing down the rest of her body. Crosshair eagerly stepped into the waterfall with her, letting out a sigh of satisfaction as she finally allowed him to hold her.

With his hands encircling her waist, he stepped forward, until her body was pressed against his. The warmth of her skin was a delicious contrast to the coolness of the water running over his body.

“Kiss me,” she murmured. Or at least that’s what Crosshair thought she was going to say. His lips were already on hers, and she kissed him back eagerly, falling into his embrace.

Oh wow I’m in love with this 🥹

You are cordially invited…. 🥰💚💕

(Happy ARC Trooper Thursday! This was totally inspired by @rainydaydream-gal18 ‘s https://www.tumblr.com/rainydaydream-gal18/750754157428916224/the-bad-batch-imagine-a-pabu-wedding post! Go check out her writing, it’s wonderful!)

@legacygirlingreen @thora-sniper @sukithebean @thecoffeelorian @neyswxrld @somewhere-on-kamino @clonethirstingisreal @royallykt @morerandombullshit @burningfieldof-clover @tbnrpotato

Unbidden - Part 1

Summary: During a date night, an intimate moment is turned sour when Crosshair is forced to relive some of his darkest memories from his time on Tantiss. Arlo is there to help him through, but he's not so sure how to let her in.

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Pairing: Crosshair x Arlo (Original Female Character)

Word Count: ~6,000

Warnings: Panic Attack

Written for Whumptober Day 1 Prompt: Panic Attack

Not sure if anyone is still following these two cuz I know it's been forever and a day since I posted anything for them, but here is another little thing I wrote for them! Chapter 2 will be up in 1-2 weeks <3

what do you mean hes fictional. i need him

"You Weren't Loyal To Me": How Crosshair's Brothers Absolutely Failed Him in "The Bad Batch" Season 1

I know I'm not the first person to make these arguments, but after recently rewatching "The Bad Batch" Season 1, I feel compelled to play Devil's Advocate and assert that Crosshair's brothers absolutely failed him in Season 1.

Now, don't mistake me. I don't believe Crosshair was 100% in the right. Once he regained his free will -- whether he actually removed his inhibitor chip, or whether his injury on Bracca deactivated it or lessened its impacts -- he definitely should've left the Empire the first chance he had.

I imagine he was trying to make the best of a bad situation, but I don't see why he would stay with an organization hijacked his mind and ordered him to kill his family, civilians and other people who were trying to do the right thing.

But, I don't think his brothers -- I'm excluding Omega because she's a child and was following everyone else's lead -- are 100% in the right either.

I believe Crosshair's brothers basically abandoned him.

CROSSHAIR'S GREAT INSECURITY?

Now, I understand that they didn't initially plan to abandon Crosshair. But, once they knew he was being mind-controlled and especially once they knew how to undo its effects, they never even considered going back for him.

We never see them debate trying to save Crosshair. They don't discuss whether it's feasible, whether it's worth the risk, how they would even attempt it, etc.

I think this was a much-needed moment that we never get to see. In fact, as others have pointed out, we don't really get much discussion about Crosshair at all.

He's their brother. He's been by their side from infancy through their time as cadets through dozens of missions. Why aren't they more upset about him turning against him? Or being mind-controlled by the Empire?

They seem so blasé about it. Like it's more of an inconvenience than a tragedy, especially by 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth." Like "Ope, Crosshair's here. I bet he's gonna try to kill us again."

As I'll discuss more later, Hunter gets captured on Daro, and Omega loses her frickin' mind. Even Echo, Wrecker and Tech seemed distressed too, even if the show didn't focused on their reactions as much.

But, Crosshair's mind and body get hijacked by the Empire, and nobody seems to give a shit.

No wonder why Crosshair felt so betrayed and said everything he does in 1.15 and 1.16. It probably confirmed something he always felt, or always feared:

That he was the odd man out in his squad -- the last to be included and the first to be excluded.

That they never cared about him as much as he cared about them.

Based on experiences in my own life, with friends and coworkers, I do wonder if Crosshair was always insecure about his standing within the group. This makes sense given that he's likely the youngest of the four original brothers, and that as a sniper, he isn't always in the middle of the action like they are. His personality doesn't really help either, but his brothers seem to be able to navigate it just fine in their "The Clone Wars" Season 7 arc.

Maybe this is partly why he seemed OK with Echo joining the squad at the end of TCW arc: because he felt like Echo would become the new 'odd man' considering that he didn't grow up with the Bad Batch and wouldn't know Crosshair's brothers like he does.

It's been a while since I watched TCW Season 7, so maybe I'm wrong.

But, I definitely think this is partly why he resents Omega so much in Season 1:

The Bad Batch -- mainly Hunter -- decided to risk their lives and their freedom to go back to Kamino for Omega. She might've been their "little sister," but they'd known her all of one day and Hunter still decided it was worth going back for her.

Yet they never went back for him.

Hell, as far as we the audience know, they never even considered it.

I'm not saying it would have been easy or risk-free. They also now have Omega in their care, and trying to extract Crosshair from Imperial custody while all parties involved would be trying to kill or capture them isn't an easy undertaking.

But, as I'll talk about more later, these guys do rescue and extraction missions all the time. They put their lives on the line for complete strangers several times in Season 1 to save them from Imperial custody, slavery, etc.

And I'm not saying they were wrong to do those things. It was objectively good that the Bad Batch saved the people they did.

But, I can absolutely understand why Crosshair would be infuriated that his brothers take on all these missions to help complete strangers but never bother to help him...

ANALYZING THE BATCH'S DECISIONS BASED ON THE SEASON 1 TIMELINE

I understand that, before he confronts them in the hangar in 1.01 "Aftermath," that they were planning to go back for him. And that they were forced to leave him behind because he was literally gunning for them. And -- as far as his brothers knew -- he was doing it of his own free will.

However, in 1.02 "Cut and Run," Omega tells them about the inhibitor chips, implying that that's how Crosshair is being controlled.

Then in 1.03 "The Replacements," we see that Tech is building a device to locate their inhibitor chips, and Omega tries to tell the Batch and specifically emphasizes to Hunter that Crosshair has no control over his actions. Hunter admits that he's angry at himself for leaving Crosshair behind, and Omega reassures him that they'll get him back someday.

So, it seems like -- at least in Omega's eyes -- the Batch was planning to save Crosshair at some point. And, Hunter at minimum feels guilty for leaving Crosshair on Kamino, even though they didn't really have much of a choice at the time.

However, the Batch gets sidetracked in 1.04 and 1.05. First, they need supplies; then bounty hunters are after Omega; then they need intel on who's after her and why.

Then, by the events of 1.07 "Battle Scars," we see that they've fallen into a routine of doing jobs for Cid. It's safe to assume they've done -- or at least attempted -- a dozen jobs for her at this point, based on Wrecker and Omega's 20 orders of Mantell Mix.

And then Rex shows up and tells them point-blank that the clones can't fight the inhibitor chip's effects, re-emphasizing Omega's earlier point that Crosshair had no control over his actions.

The Batch then experiences this firsthand with Wrecker, whose chip activates before they can extract it. We see that, even with Wrecker fighting the chip's effects with all his might, he endangers his brothers and was *this* close to killing Omega, but thankfully Rex stuns him in the nick of time.

Now, we have confirmation based on both Rex and Wrecker's experiences that removing an active chip restores a clone's free will.

Thus, by the end of 1.07 "Battle Scars," the Batch definitively knows:

Crosshair is being controlled by an inhibitor chip and is being forced to do the Empire's bidding;

How to remove an inhibitor chip; and

That removing a clone's active inhibitor chip will restore his free will

And yet, despite all this knowledge, the only effort they make to save Crosshair is to tell him about the inhibitor chip.

They don't attempt or even discuss possibly stunning him on the artillery deck and taking him with them.

But, admittedly, this isn't the best time to attempt a rescue, as they're outnumbered and essentially trapped aboard the Jedi Cruiser. And then Omega gets captured by Cad Bane and Hunter gets shot, and the others are desperately trying to get off Bracca before Crosshair & co. shoot them down. Fine. Getting off Bracca safely and then trying to find Omega should be their priority.

But, once they recover Omega on Bora Vio, and their lives aren't in immediate danger anymore... this would've been the perfect time to at least debate going back for Crosshair.

Again, they have all the information needed at this point.

As for how they find him, well, I'm sure they could get the information somehow. Or they could just cause a stir somewhere so he'd show up to arrest them again, like he did on Bracca.

But, no, they just continue doing jobs for Cid in 1.10-1.13. They don't bring him up at all until they see him on Ryloth in 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth," and again, the tone is like, "Well, Crosshair is here. That's annoying."

If not being able to locate him was the only reason they didn't try to save him after 1.08/1.09, that argument doesn't apply to 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth." He's there. They know he's there. They're already there doing an extraction job anyway... why don't they just grab him too???

Yes, there would be additional risks, but YOUR BROTHER HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE EMPIRE AND FORCED TO DO ITS BIDDING, AND YOU DON'T SEEM TO GIVE A SHIT!!!

Which brings us nicely to:

THE DOUBLE STANDARD

Throughout Season 1, but especially in the latter half, we see The Batch putting themselves in harm's way for complete strangers, or at most, friends-of-friends.

They rescue Muchi the Rancor and other people from enslavers; they extract the former Separatist Senator from Raxus; they extract the Syndullas from Ryloth; they break Gregor out of the Imperial base on Daro.

In the latter three cases, the Batch went to Imperial-occupied planets and an Imperial base, despite all the risks involved. And, especially when they saved Gregor, they had very little information going in and basically just winged the entire thing.

It just feels like, when you look at all these cases, any argument the Batch could make for not saving Crosshair just falls apart.

"We didn't know where he was." He was on Ryloth -- grab him then.

"We didn't have enough information." You didn't on Daro, and you still snuck into a heavily fortified Imperial base to rescue Gregor.

"Everyone there would've been trying to kill us." You literally extract/rescue people from Imperial forces for a living...

"It would've endangered Omega." Well, buddy, have I got a story for you...

You see, when Hunter falls on Daro and gets captured, the Batch still comes to his rescue despite knowing it's a trap AND THEY BRING OMEGA WITH THEM!!!

Every excuse they could've made for not saving Crosshair sooner is gone. The Batch will literally run into a trap for Hunter, and they constantly throw themselves into danger to save Omega, but they never do the same for Crosshair.

It really feels like such a double standard.

They seem to care about everyone BUT him.

Plus, sadly, there's one more parallel I can draw. One more instance where the Bad Batch put themselves in harm's way to save a fellow clone who was being mind-controlled by their enemies in an attempt to kill them...

Echo.

Yes, remember all the way back in TCW Season 7, when we find out that Echo is the one behind the algorithm that's giving the Separatists an advantage in all these battles?

Even though Rex thought Echo was dead, the minute he suspects Echo's still alive, he goes after him. He even punches Crosshair over it, after Crosshair bullies Rex for leaving Echo for dead at the Citadel.

One of the "regs" went back for his brother despite knowing his was being mind-controlled by the enemy and forced to attack them.

Rex, Anakin and the Bad Batch save Echo from a terrible fate. They extract him from the Separatists, restore his free will and essentially give him his life back.

Yet, when the exact same thing happens to one of their own, the Batch don't even consider going back for Crosshair the way Rex went back for Echo -- hell, the way they went in for Echo too, even though they didn't know him!!

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

I will give the Batch this: once Crosshair confronts them on Kamino and Hunter stuns him, Hunter decides not to leave Crosshair behind this time. And that was even after Crosshair refused to say when he had his chip removed. So, for all they know, he might've been acting of his own free will when he tried to kill them on Bracca.

While taking Crosshair with them at the end of 1.15 was a step in the right direction, I don't think it was enough to make up for everything they failed to do.

And, while he doesn't specify exactly what, Hunter later admits to Crosshair in 3.05 "The Return" that he has regrets too. And considering the context and the timeframe they're talking about, it's possible Hunter regrets not going back for Crosshair sooner/at all, among other mistakes he's made. (Story for another time.)

I'll also give some consideration to Wrecker, who was the only one of the brothers who said he actively missed Crosshair in 1.03 "The Replacements." Tech mentions Crosshair very flippantly a few times, and Echo doesn't really mention him at all.

Obviously, we'll never know for certain, but I do wonder how Crosshair would've reacted if his brothers had rescued him and removed his chip at some point. Would he have stayed with them? Would he have wanted to rejoin the Empire voluntarily?

Considering he (supposedly) had his chip removed and still stayed with the Empire willingly in-universe, it's possible he might've wanted to do the same thing in an AU where his brothers rescued him.

He definitely despised that they were fugitives and "scavenging like rats," while he had authority, respect and purpose as a soldier of the Empire.

But, I think a large component -- although not the only one -- of why he stays with the Empire is that he felt like his brothers abandoned him. He brings this up several times in 1.15 and 1.16, and the way he does indicates this is a major sore spot for him.

We see in 1.01 "Aftermath" that the chip enhancement procedure is painful. He scrunches his face, flexes his hand and squirms around in the chamber. Plus, the machine itself looks similar to the Mind Flayer from other "Star Wars" properties.

Crosshair was literally being tortured by the Empire. Maybe he doesn't recall that once the procedure's done, but we see him getting his chip enhanced in both 1.01 and 1.03, and it's possible it was enhanced even more times off-screen.

I cannot stress enough: the Empire basically took Crosshair prisoner, tortured him and hijacked his free will.

And his brothers essentially did nothing to save him.

It would be one thing if his brothers were civilians like you and me, and didn't know the first thing about how to infiltrate an Imperial compound or how to navigate a firefight despite being outnumbered.

But, that doesn't apply to The Bad Batch. That's literally their bread-and-butter.

And Crosshair -- especially once he seems to regain his free will between the Bracca and Ryloth arcs -- watched his brothers risk their lives to save complete strangers while doing nothing for him.

I would've been livid too.

Not to sound like Tech, but while I don't agree with Crosshair's decision, I can understand why he decided to stay on Kamino rather than go with them at the end of 1.16. His brothers offered him no real comfort and no real apology, and I think he desperately wanted to hear that, especially from Hunter.

I know after everything that's happened -- especially Crosshair refusing to say when he had his chip removed -- that it would've been hard to admit their mistakes. But, Crosshair wanted to hear something beyond: "You can come with us if you want. And if you don't, we don't have to be enemies."

The closest thing to comfort any of them offer is Omega affirming that, despite everything, she still cared about him. This seems to be the only thing that really effects him, that causes him to doubt his decision, that causes him to show any kind of emotion beyond anger.

I legitimately believe that if someone had talked to Crosshair one-on-one for like five minutes, and really showed how much they still cared about him and always did, that he would've rejoined them.

Granted, it's really hard to tell.

Crosshair has, as Tech said, always been severe and unyielding. Plus, he really suffers from this "in for a penny, in for a pound" kind of mindset, which is partly why he stays with the Empire for so long even after regaining his free will.

But the fact that all his brothers leave him on Kamino again so effortlessly, so easily is just tragic. No final goodbye. No hug. No nothing.

For all any of them know, this could be the last time they ever see each other. (And, for Tech and Crosshair, it was.)

I know it wouldn't have been easy after everything that's happened, but for crying out loud, I just wanted them to try.

And I imagine Crosshair did too.

IN CONCLUSION

Honestly, I think the TBB writers and producers purposely never gave us a scene of The Batch debating whether to go after Crosshair, or a scene of them outlining to us the audience why it wasn't possible even though they wanted to.

I think the creative team wanted us to sympathize with Crosshair when he says "You weren't loyal to me," while also arguably giving our protagonists a weakness to overcome later.

This really seems like the case if we look at Season 2.

Once the Batch finds out Crosshair's being detained by the Empire's Advanced Science Division in 2.14 "Tipping Point," they immediately start discussing whether and why they should try to save him, even after everything that happened between them in S1.

On top of that, this time they actually decide to do whatever it takes to get him back, despite limited intel and the imminent danger behind such an undertaking.

I think the Batch genuinely learned from their mistakes in Season 1 and, as Hunter maybe alludes to in 3.05 "The Return," regretted not going back for Crosshair sooner/at all after the Empire started controlling him.

I'll admit: I think when I first watched Season 1, I was basically in the Batch's corner. Crosshair was gunning for them at every opportunity, and Omega's well-being quickly became their priority (understandably so).

But, after rewatching Season 1 -- especially now that the show is over and we see how everyone's arcs play out -- it really hits me just how much Crosshair's brothers failed him in Season 1.

Again, I'm not saying Crosshair didn't make mistakes too. He definitely did.

But Crosshair's brothers failed him first.

I will be crying over this forever.

Thanks for the tag @ladylucksrogue!

Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphey is currently stuck in my head 😆 it’s a pretty pleasant song to have stuck in your head, if I’m being honest

NPTs: @tealmisthams, @whyamismall, @aknightreaderr, @julijuli77, @acatinwinterfell and anyone else who wants to participate!

ATTENTION

If you see this you are OBLIGATED to reblog w/ the song currently stuck in your head :)

I was listening to the song and imagined Omega dancing in the rain on the Camino) And Crosshair walked by and secretly smiled)