If I see one more thing villainizing Crosshair for everything he’s doing while literally being mind controlled it is ON SIGHT

Yes this big bad villain who WANTS to gun down his SQUAD, the only people that ever accepted him for the SNARK that he is, when you can see so many times how soft he is with them

“Relax, Wrecker. You’ll top him next time.” “No he won’t.”

After one upping Wrecker he clearly is having fun teasing him. You can hear the grin on his face. He loves being with them even though he’d probably rather die than admit it.

“But OP!” You might say. “OP, he hates regs! He antagonized CAPTAIN FREAKING REX how can you say this??” Now I’m not one to ever tolerate someone smack talking regs and certainly not Rex. But I’m gonna surprise y’all, he was justified. Yeah he was extremely harsh and was absolutely gunning for Rex’s buttons, but A. He just said what literally everyone else on that mission was thinking (that maybe Rex was getting too emotionally involved) and B. We see from Aftermath that many regs honestly treated TBB like GARBAGE. Of course Crosshair wouldn’t find it worthwhile to go out of his way to help one.

We jump straight from Rex literally DECKING him (valid on Rex’s part) over Echo to CROSSHAIR PROTECTIVELY PUTTING HIS HAND ON ECHO’S SHOULDER TO STEADY HIM. Why would it matter to let one more reg fall to his death? Because Crosshair isn’t the emotionless, heartless, and callous soldier he spends all of his time convincing everyone he is.

To everyone saying he’s not pulling his shots in the recent episode, I rewatched every episode he was in back to back. He did not miss once. Not a single time. And now suddenly he’s missing shots on Tech and Hunter? Twice? Sounds like he’s fighting the chip if you ask me. Just like Rex did when he told Ahsoka to find Fives; it’s possible to get bits of himself through the cracks, if only for a split second before he’s gone again.

And I’m ending this with the gif of when Hunter invites Echo to be a Bad Batcher. Despite Crosshair’s obvious distaste for regs, he clearly has no problem following Hunter’s lead and accepting someone new into their very niche squad. He never questioned Hunter on anything that we saw, and I doubt he did very much prior to Order 66 judging by Hunter’s horror at Crosshair’s lack of acknowledgment on Kaller. He is not a villain. He’s yet another clone that never deserved the life he was constructed for, another clone with no agency or choice. I will die on this hill

I’ve never actually thought about this tbh. Amazing point op, thanks!

rex comes to stand next to ahsoka in front of the lines of helmets held up on spikes. regards each and every one, variation in their design amidst the ranks. he can recognize each unique scratch above visors or on scalps, see those whose coat of paint was new and spruce and those whose coat of paint was worn and flaking. he can see those who were painted a beautiful shade of sunset orange, white markings of diamonds and lines on their foreheads. he can see those who do not hold any shade of paint at all, the ivory of shinies inducted into the 332nd kept clean save for the ashes atop their plastoid. he can see those with the same shade of blue they’ve always had, forming triangles down the center of their buckets, of unique designs pertaining to the brothers he had known long ago.

his eyes drift towards the clone helmet at the center front, held up on a spike for all to see. the visor outlined by a shade of blue, the republic cog he was so famously known for painted in a gray that flakes off the edge. old, belonging to one of a vet, of one who had led the charge back on saleucami when he could not, of one who took the opportunity to do what was right and risk his life flying those umbaran fighters up to the mothership above. jesse. arc trooper jesse. gone.

( he had died in rex’s arms just hours before. had died once the ship collapsed upon the ground, crawling out of the remains in an attempt to seek vengeance once more. lodged into his stomach was a piece of durasteel. he collapsed three steps in.

rex had cradled him in his arms, sobbing pitifully as he held his brother with trembling hands, clutching to him so tight it could’ve made the pain worse. but it wouldn’t be much of a difference — jesse was dying. rex had reached over, slipped jesse’s bucket from over his head, coming face to face with the trooper he had loved like his own flesh and blood. pain contorting his face, mouth pulled into a grit of teeth, tears falling down his cheek as he gasps for air. smothered in nothing but grime and blood. 

jesse attempts to reach for his blaster, still overtaken by the chip, but rex throws it away before he has the chance. then jesse grabs at his neck, attempting to strangle him. rex latches onto it before he makes it to his throat. he grips it. tight. tight enough to break it, and his vod’ika trembles even harder. he’s shaking. crying harder.

“traitor,” jesse had whispered to him. the words are rancid, spiteful, but the look in his eyes was of nothing but pain. one that rex recognized before. it was the look he had when hardcase died, it was the look he had when kix vanished, it was the look he had after maul breached his mind and subjected him to unspeakable torture. but… it was also a look of love. a brotherly love, one that has rex’s heart-wrenching at the sight. jesse was still in there.

and in the next moment, he’s gone. )

rex stands before the lines of the troopers he’s been with for the last couple of days, or weeks, or years. stands before their burials, lined up just in the formation he had them stand in a few hours before. even in death they were just soldiers. mindless, dead soldiers.

he should have listened to fives. he should have come back for echo. he should have fought harder for dogma to be freed, listened to slick despite what he had done. he should have tried to search for kix after he disappeared, he should have kept tup with him when he had the chance, he should have said goodbye to cody before he left for mandalore. he should have saved jesse. he should have saved wolffe, or bly, or anyone. he should have saved them. instead, he stands in a sea of dead brothers, wearing the armor of a commander that he is no longer fit to be.

“rex?” ahsoka calls out to him softly, her gray robe flowing around her like the wings of a sprite, montrals sticking up from under her hood. 

it’s upon her words that rex realizes the streaks of tears that have begun to cascade down his cheek, flowing down and down until it reaches his chestplate and the dusty ground below. it’s upon her words that rex finally breaks, falling to his knees and releasing a sob from deep within his chest, the grief and anger and frustration and hopelessness finally setting in and washing over like a tidal wave. ahsoka is at his side immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder pauldron, letting him sob into her embrace. rex clutches onto her robe so tight he’s afraid to let go.

and rex cries. he just cries. for how long, he doesn’t know. for what reasons, he doesn’t know. but every time he looks up again, and sees jesse’s helmet up on that stake, the tears start up again. and he cries. because that’s all he can do.