"Harmless" Adventures with the Bad Batch

-1 Year Anniversary: A thank you, future content, and more-

Hello readers! It's been a year now and this fic is finally finished.  I really dragged this out for a lot longer than I expected.   But nonetheless, if you have made it to the end of this story, I must congratulate you for having such a high trash-tolerance.  I mean let's be real, this is my first story and probably sucked.  But either way it's pretty weird to think that exactly one year ago today, 13 year old me was posting the very first chapter of this crazy fanfic, completely oblivious to where this book would lead me.

So in honor of this anniversary, I am going to tell you the story of how I wrote this book, give some j fo on future content, and give my final thanks to you all.  I'm sorry ahead of time if this all seems a little scatter-brained, I am writing this without editing it too much. But without any further ado, let's get started :)

So how did I get into writing?  Let me tell you, I didn't just wake up one day and decide "hey let's share my writing which probably sucks with a bunch of strangers!  :D"  Instead, it was actually my older brother who suggested I do it!  (So a special thanks to you, big bro, I literally wouldn't be here rn if it weren't for you ❤️) He had seen me reading on my iPad and asked me if it was a fanfic because he saw the the screen, which sparked a conversation about it (he reads fanfics too). The rest of our conversation wan't overly remarkable until the end though. Before he had walked away, he told me, "You know, you should write some fan-fiction.  You'd be good at it."

 Honestly, I brushed him off with a laugh, saying that I didn't have the commitment or the time for it. Not to mention that my writing skills were only sub-par at best.  I had written things in the past, but I always ended up leaving the projects half finished.  Though truthfully, I thought that it would be really cool to write and post fanfics.  I just realistically didn't see myself doing it.

But I kept it at the back of my mind anyways.

Flash-forward a couple months, to around June of 2020.  I was reading some fanfics again; one of my favorite ones had just updated and I was excitedly immersing myself in the story.  (It was 'Off to a Great Start', and it's a Bad Batch story, if you were wondering.  The fic is in my Star Wars reading list if you want to try it. HIGHLY recommend)  But anyways I had just finished the chapter when I came to the realization.  I wanted to be able to write a story like that one.  I wanted to give other people the excitement and joy I felt when I was reading it.  And so the beginning of a long journey began.

I drafted up a couple plots.  I ultimately settled on a found-family story about a bounty hunter and the Bad Batch.  It would be overall light-hearted, but would have a couple action-packed chapters too.  Not to mention lots and lots of fluffy angst XD

Fun fact!: Some of the other plots I had considered included one about a padawan in the 501st and another about a female clone who was a part of Clone Force 99.  The first of those was scrapped after I read a fanfic with a similar plot (I didn't want to steal their idea) and the second was nearly chosen but I was afraid that the idea was too generic, predictable, and would end being done but other people.  And Omega exists now, so in a way, I was right!

Once I was sure if the plot, I got to work.  Over the course of about a week or two, I wrote the very first chapter, created my account, and finally, on this day exactly one year ago, I posted the very first chapter.  I remember the bubbly anticipation as I waited to get views and votes and the excitement I would feel whenever I did.   It was such a new experience and I loved it. 

Despite the excitement, I was trying to be realistic, and set a goal.  I wanted to reach 10,000 views and 25 chapters by the end of the first year.  I wasn't really sure if I would achieve it, but I was cautiously optimistic.  Today, as I'm posting this message, "Harmless" Adventures with the Bad Batch has a count of 138,134 words (excluding this note) and has 32.2K views, or over triple my original goal.  I also have reach 904 votes and just shy 100 followers, which I was never expecting.

But how I will move forward now that this story is complete?  Over the course of the last few months, I received several comments asking if this book would get a sequel.  At first and I realize that I haven't really given a definitive answer.  If you have read the ending arc, epilogue, and comments scattered throughout the book, you could probably already guess this.  

But YES, "Harmless" Adventures with the Bad Batch will be receiving a sequel :)

No title or release date has been selected yet, but I will give you the best overview I can.  (Btw, I will post an announcement on my message board when writing for the sequel begins)

 Firstly, the sequel will only roughly follow the show's plot. (Sorry guys I need to fix everything that Disney has [in my opinion] done wrong) I probably won't be using it as a script for the story, and the plot will likely be similar to this one with humor based chapters and occasional action-adventure ones too.  

The Bad Batch will be on the run from the Empire, trying to make their way through the galaxy while trying to learn how to parent a little girl, learn how to be people other than soldiers, and (most importantly) bring home their brother.

It's pretty crazy to think that after an entire year, I'm going right back to where I started: the beginning of a story about the Bad Batch.  I wouldn't have done this without you; so my dear reader, for every view, comment, and vote you gave the fic, you made all the difference. Thank you for every one single one of them, I could've have made it this far without you. 

I have poured many hours into writing this story. It's the first one I have ever actually written and completed, and therefore it will forever be special to me. Someday, the future me will probably be re-reading this, cringing at it all. But right now, I'm proud of it. This was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything and I can't wait to continue to write and share my works more.  So I suppose this is the end.  That is a strange realization, but I look forward to my future stories and I hope you do too :)

But before you go, I had a couple questions for you about the story (think of it as a short survey) It would really help if you would answer some of them; they will help me with my future writing.  Constructive criticism is always allowed and welcome!

(1) Was the plot too scattered?  Would you have preferred to have a more focused storyline?

(2) Were the Bad Batch and Abby too OOC or overpowered?

(3) What was your favorite chapter?  And why?

(4) Was my writing style and grammar easy to understand?

(5) Is there anything in particular I should work on (ex. being more descriptive of the setting, pacing the story more)?

(6) Is there anything you wanted to see in this book or in the sequel?

(7) Any other constructive criticism or comments you can give me?

Well, that is all, my dear reader.  Thank you so much for your time and commitment to my story, it truly means the world to me.  I am glad that this was my first story, and I am glad that you all were my first readers.  Even when I'm an adult and have moved on with my life, I will always remember the kind comments that you all left here because they are what encouraged me to keep going and become a true writer.  You all truly changed my life for the better and I will always be grateful for that.  If you have any questions for me, feel free to comment them below and I'll get back to you ASAP.  Until next time, readers!  Bye!  Love to you all! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️