#Puppet on a String

[darkeeveeanimatesus]

I DID A THING!!!!

the darkness is having a kaotic puppet show....

[awkward-tension-art]

Puppet on a String Chp.1 (Fives x Reader)

As promised! Fives x reader! This one is gonna be more angst, so heads-up. This takes place pretty much directly after Darkness on Umbara, anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Chapter 11. Epilogue

Mesh'la

CW: Fives x Reader, Reader is a medical practitioner, mentions of Umbara Arc, mentions of Pong Krell, Crying, Grief, details of severe injuries, Fives crying is his own warning, Hospital setting, medical talk, angst, swearing, brief interaction of 501st doctor

Minors DNI!

I found an anomaly.

That was the holo-message your friend and colleague sent you with no context. The network of medical personnel in the GAR would often get vague messages from the 501st field surgeon. At this point, you were used to that medic sending incomprehensible half sentences and unexplained data. 

Nonsense was standard with the 501st soldiers. Their doctor was no different.

You’d know. You were in a relationship with an ARC trooper that originated in the 501st. 

Oh Fives…

His own messages were concerning. Apparently Umbara was a disaster. One of the Jedi Generals had turned out to be a traitor, killing so many of the 501st they lost one third of their numbers.

You weren’t in the army, so you didn’t work with the Jedi very much. You were a medical practitioner assisting a neurologist in the Grand Republic Medical Facility. Since the war began you tried to shift your focus to tend to wounded military personnel, but your time was limited due to your other obligation. 

You were on the Ethics Committee that often bounced between Kamino and Coruscant. It was established shortly after the war began, and the clones became known to the Jedi. General Shaak Ti had established the committee, hand selecting doctors, nurses and scientists to make sure clone testing was safe and ethical.

Your supervisor was chosen and she had opted for you to represent her. Something you thanked her for some days, and hated her for other days.

Your thoughts were interrupted, the 501st doctor sent another message. This one was the context you were looking for. 

Used Umbaran scanner. Found something strange in every clone's brain.

What?

How could an Umbaran scanner find something nothing at the GRMF had seen before? 

Attached to the message were scans. Images of clone heads, giving an internal view of the neural activity. You had to admit, that scanner was thorough. You could see the different levels of neurotransmitters. Levels of sleep. Levels of stress. Even going so far to tell neuro-response time.

It was fascinating. Despite being clones, all of them had different reads. They were all unique, with their own different personalities and individuality. 

One of the scans, Hardcase, had an overactive prefrontal cortex. Must be a hyperactive clone.

Another one, Jesse, had activation in the midbrain and nucleus accumbens. He must have been focusing on something when the scan was taken.

Curiously, one scan, Dogma, had readings of heightened anxiety.

However, despite these differences, there was one repeating feature. 

ANOMALY: right orbital floor, parietal and temporal intersection

It looked like a tumor of some type. Or a lesion. Was it a clone thing?

There was a scan of Fives and you checked his status. He too had that unknown abnormality. 

Questions ran through your mind. What was this? Was this benign? Did this have the potential to cause problems later? Was this tied to the clones' genetic data?

You continued to stare at the holo-message and scans. Another one popped up, this one from the director of the medical facility, followed by an announcement.

Code Green. External Triage. 501st. 212th. 7th Sky.

That's…a lot more than normal. Those were the battalions returning from Umbara. Taking that planet must’ve been chaotic, more so than what Fives had told you. 

You drank the last of your caf and stood from your desk. 

You had work to do.

Your steps through the metal, sterile halls were quick as you met several of your fellow doctors on the landing pad. Already ships were dropping off the injured that survived Umbara.

“Fly solo.” Your supervisor nodded as she handed you a datapad with patient information. Without another word, she rushed out to the ships as they unloaded patients.

With a breath, you focused. 

Designation: CT-9821 “Rusty”

Assignment: 501st Legion

Information: Scans indicated broken ribs and full body burns.

You typed quickly, getting Rusty handled as swiftly as you could. Luckily, the GRMF had a system in place. Once you typed a command, the medical droids would follow through with the treatment.

Treatment: Stabilize ribs, treat burns with bacta tank. Will reassess after 12 hours.

You looked up, seeing the 501st field surgeon on top of another soldier being carried on a stretcher. Their hands were on the trooper's chest, bleeding profusely. The doctor looked at you, “He ripped out his own sutures!” 

“On it!” You nodded, getting to the hover stretcher and leading them inside and to a trauma room to properly suture, disinfect and deal with the wound. You needed to get the bleeding under control, that was priority. Once you began, you looked to the 501st doctor again, “You did your job and you did it well. Wash your hands and get some caf.”

The purpose of the medics and field surgeons in the army was to keep the men alive until they could get more surgical and intensive care such as on their venator ship. But with high numbers after every battle, especially now, those medical bays could only do so much. 

Which is when you and the medical facility would be the final destination. The priority was to save the lives that managed to hold on that long with such limited care. From there, once they were under proper life saving measures, everyone else would be cared for with better medical supplies. Wounds treated on the field would be double checked, infections would be treated, and bandages would be changed.

The doctor shook their head, heading back out to help their men. Someone else in the GRMF would grab them and force them to sit down. As you didn’t miss their bandaged and braced arm.

Damn workaholic, you thought, though, truthfully, you’d probably be the same if you were in their shoes. You might even be worse off, since you didn’t have the mental strength to be on the field like them.

No, you always struggled if you lost a patient. Having someone die under your care always left a permanent scar.

Once the clone was under the effects of painkillers and sedatives, you gave the suture work to one of the medical droids. You had other patients, and frankly, the droids could be more precise in their stitches.

You got back out, and checked another soldier.

Designation: ARF-5798 “Ink”

Assignment: 501st Legion

Information: Burst fracture of T7 through T11, broken left femur, shattered right ilium

By all the gods in the galaxy, what the hell happened on Umbara?!

Treatment: Intensive care ASAP, immediate surgery to correct spinal cord, pain management, will assess nerve damage when stabilized

With 3 battalions, all injured to some degree, the medical facility was on the verge of being overwhelmed.

Your focus went razor sharp. All you knew now were the injured who needed help. You weren’t a soldier but this was your battlefield.

It was hours later when the hospital gave the announcement.

Code Clear. Resume normal duties.

The medical facility gave a heavy sigh in relief. You looked at the datapad in your hands as you walked through the hall, so far, none of the records have been updated with deaths. Either everyone critical managed to pull through, or no one had filled in the data yet…

You hoped for the former. 

“Mesh’la…” You whirled around at the sound of a trembling voice, nearly dropping your datapad. 

Fives was standing in the hallway, helmet off and looking so…so broken. 

He had always been an emotional trooper, and he didn’t hide it. Something you adored about him. And right now, he was on the verge of a breakdown. 

You looked around quickly before getting to his side and grabbing his hand. Wordlessly, you took him into one of the medical facility supply rooms and locked the door. 

“Oh Fives…” you held his face in your hands, looking into his tear filled eyes, “It’s alright now, Fives…” 

He shook his head, letting his tears fall, “so many of us…gone…” 

Immediately you wrapped your arms around him, shushing him softly. 

Fives’ armored hands gripped the back of your lab coat tightly as he sobbed. You shifted, resting his head against your shoulder to let him cry out his emotions. You swayed slightly in hopes to calm him. Your lover was in a fragile state, and he needed someone to help him out of it….

“Fives…” You murmured his name softly, “You’re safe now, ok?”

“N-no…Hardcase…My plan had-” He choked out, falling into more weeping. Your lover was incomprehensible. 

Hardcase…a trooper most likely. A friend that he hasn’t mentioned?

“Fives…?” 

“He nearly executed me!” He jerked back, holding your arms. His tan cheeks were marked with heavy tears, and his eyes were bloodshot, “Krell betrayed us and he was the one who ordered me and Jesse to be executed!”

The horror was clear on your face, “Fives…” You held his face again, using his thumbs to wipe away his tears, “What happened on Umbara? Talk to me, breathe and talk to me…”  He stared at you and, through his tears, told you everything.

[fidjiefidjie]

Bon Soir 🩷🎙🤞💜

Sandie Shaw 🎶 Puppet On A String

(Live in Beat Club)

[alterkrystal]

I’d like to take some time off today to thank Renfield for being a good model.

Even if the sketch itself is kinda ehh :3

(TW for fake and uncolored gore!)

Of course, keychain from @zinkiez / @png-of-a-bat , so credit goes as always!

[rastronomicals]

1:45 PM EST November 8, 2024:

The Detroit Cobras - “Puppet on a String” From the album Tied & True (April 24, 2007)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: Garage

–

[bexyarts]

Dance little puppet, put on a show!

Pov: You've signed your soul away to basically the devil because you want revenge on your family but also now you're literally just the devil's puppet now.

[alpojones]

Sidney Sweeny.

[writingtimelessthenovel]

[dreamersplush49]

Overworked but playing fine (october spooky #2)

Sometimes in life we can get tired of something, but what would the others think? They seam to only care about your talent and not your fealings, keep dancing and maybe they will ignore your falling limbs...

[darkeeveeanimatesus]

TECHNICALLY- I redrew an old art piece.

and added a little ✨SPICE✨

[awkward-tension-art]

Biggest different between Rex’s S/O and Fives S/O?

The 501st Doctor/Doc knows how to act around Jedi.

Fives’ so/Mesh’la

Does not.

[theironguardianandfriends]

"Who is in control?"

[imaginarytree]

A little halloween drawing of my own Oc

Sorry for the messy lineart

Happy late halloween

[rastronomicals]

7:34 PM EDT September 21, 2023:

The Detroit Cobras - "Puppet On A String" From the album Tied & True (April 24, 2007)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: Garage

[anotherescsite]

Sandy Shaw

Eurovision winner 1967