#i'll get started on dogma tomorrow!

[wildflowercryptid]

i just found out about ryota kanai thanks to an artist i follow on insta collaborating with him for a mv and oh my god his music is so good....

[reader6898]

New Beginnings

Pairing: Corrie guard Dogma x female reader

Summary: Dogma joins the coruscant guard after being saved by Fox and meets you: a sweet, caring, and beautiful assistant

Warning: none. Dogma being his cute self and getting all flustered around the reader

A/n: Dogma is safe and living his best life with the guard and you can't tell me otherwise because f**k canon. Also, I'm thinking of turning this into a mini series of some sort but I haven't decided yet 🤷

"thank you for doing this, Fox. It's just..after Umbara I didn't want anything to happen to him. He didn't deserve this." The two men walk down the hall to the cell and Fox stops for a moment to look at Rex. "Everything you and the others went through should have never happened. I'm glad that general is dead. He got what was coming to him." Rex couldn't agree more.

The two of them walked a little more and made it to the correct cell. Fox comms someone and the door to the cell opens. The person that was currently occupying the cell looked over and when he saw his former clone captain he stood up.

"Dogma." Dogma looks at Rex. "Sir, what are you doing here?" Rex and Fox look at each other before Rex turns to him. "I'm getting you out of here." Dogma looked at him with a shocked look. "You are?" "Let me explain. I am getting you out of here. They are letting you go. But..." Dogma looks at him. "But what?" "You're joining the guard." "I don't understand. I'm not allowed to join the 501st anymore?" Rex shakes his head. "Even though Krell deserved what he got the GAR doesn't see it that way and due to the circumstances you're no longer a part of torrent company."

"That's not fair, sir. Krell got what he deserved and I'm the one being punished?" Rex puts his hand up. "I know. I'm in agreement with you, Dogma. But they were going to decommission you and I didn't want that to happen. That's why I talked to commander Fox here. He's agreed to take you in and make you a guard." "So I'll be writing up tickets and hauling drunk people to jail." Fox steps in. "That's some of it but there's more to it than just ticket writing and drunk nat-borns." Dogma looks at Rex who gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Dogma. I did all I could. This was the only way." Dogma slumped his shoulders a little. "I understand, sir."

Rex places a hand on his shoulder. "You're a good soldier, Dogma, and I wished that things had turned out differently." Dogma agreed. "Me too." Rex pulls Dogma into a hug. "I wish you the best of luck, kid." Rex let's go of him. "Thank you, sir." Rex nods at Fox in a silent thank you before leaving the two clones in the cell. Dogma looks at the commander. "First things first: let's get you out of here, kid."

After being given a new set of armor and blacks to wear underneath Fox brought Dogma to the barracks and introduced him to everyone. Dogma felt like a shiny again but this time he would be starting all over. After Dogma was introduced Fox pulls him aside. "Tomorrow, you'll report with the shinies at 0900 hours. For now, get some rest. You'll need it." Dogma nods and Fox turns to leave. "Commander?" Fox turns back around and looks at him. "Yes?" "Thank you, sir. For letting me join the guard." Fox nods at him. "I couldn't just let you be forgotten. Well, get some sleep kid." Dogma salutes Fox and the commander leaves.

Dogma goes back to his bunk and crawls under the thin blanket. He lies there for a while as he listens to small conversations around him while others snore in their sleep. This time will be different. This time he's determined to make things right and prove himself, even if it's no longer with his old batallion. Dogma rolls over after a few minutes and eventually falls asleep.

The next morning he woke up, put his new armor on, and reports to commander Fox with the other shinies right at the scheduled time. "Welcome to the coruscant guard. My name is commander Fox and lead commanding officer. All of you have been chosen to protect the people of coruscant and represent for all that it stands for. All of you will be separated into groups among the commanding officers and will be training through them. This job won't be easy so if you can't handle it then I'll just send you right back to Kamino. You were chosen for a reason so I'd hate to see any of you back out now before you get started. Now, when I call out your number or name if you have one you will immediately report to your commanding officer. Understood?" All of them salute Fox. "Sir, yes, sir!" "Good. Now, let's begin."

After being assigned to commander Thorn Dogma learns the ups and downs of the guard and gets some training it. Everything was completely different than being on a battle field. It's definitely going to take some time to adjust but Dogma knows that he could handle it. Now, he was currently bringing some papers that his commanding officer needed to turn in to Fox's office. The only problem was is that he has absolutely no clue where it was located and Thorn never told him where it was. The senate building was huge and will take forever to find his office.

After a good thirty minutes of looking around and walking into offices that definitely weren't Fox's Dogma was frustrated. Thorn had told him that the papers had to be delivered right away and now Dogma was stuck. He wasn't even sure if he was on the right level. Dogma takes a second to himself before he officially loses his mind. He takes off his helmet and runs his hand through his hair as he takes a breather.

As he stands there he hears humming coming from down the hall and looks over to see a woman coming out of a room. She was wearing a long flowy dress and had her hair up. She was carrying some papers in her hands as she walked down the hall towards where Dogma was. She was breathtaking. Dogma comes out of his trance and clears his throat before speaking. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

You looked at him as you approached him. "Yes? What can I do for you trooper?" Your voice. You sounded like an angel. Dogma blushes before he realizes that he must look like an idiot. "I was..umm.. I uhh..I was wondering if you...possibly..uhh..know where commander...commander Fox's office was." You giggled a little and Dogma swooned. Who were you?

"Of course I do. Did you need him for something?" "Oh. Um yes actually. I uh..he needs these papers." Dogma holds up the papers in his hand and you glance at them real quick before looking back at him. "I'm actually headed there right now. I can show you if you like." Dogma blushes some more. "Yes. Yes, thank you. I appreciate that." You give him a smile and start to walk towards the elevator. Dogma watches you for a moment before doing a little jog and following you. The two of you walk into the elevator and you press the button that will take you to the floor that Fox is located on.

As the two of you rode up quietly you couldn't help but glance at the clone next to you. He was a typical clone with the same features of the man who's DNA flowed through all of them but the thing that made him stand out was the v-shape tattoo on his face. It made him unique and he was certainly very cute which you couldn't deny. You blush as you look forward. "If you don't mind me asking but what's your name? I've never seen you around here before." Dogma smiled at your question. "I'm new. Just joined the guard. And the name is Dogma." "It's nice to meet you Dogma." You give him your own name.

Dogma tests your name on his lips and in his head and he quite enjoyed it. It suited you. The elevator comes to a stop and the two of you get off. As you make your way to Fox's office you greet the clones in a friendly manner. Dogma has never met someone as nice as you before.

You finally come up to your destination. "Here we are." You knock and when you hear Fox answer the two of you walk in. Fox looks up and smiles at you as you approach. "My favorite assistant has returned." You roll your eyes. "I'm your only assistant Fox." You set the papers down in front of him. "You are my star. What would I do without you?" You chuckle a little. "Probably go crazy and burn this place to the ground." Fox laughs. "Yeah. You're probably right."

Dogma stands behind you quietly until Fox spots him behind you. "Dogma. What brings you hear?" Dogma salutes Fox and steps forward. "Commander Thorn sent me to bring you these papers, sir." Dogma holds up the papers. "Ah. Got it. Well, thank you Dogma. I'll take those from you now." Dogma hands Fox the papers and takes a step back with his hands behind his back. "I see you've met my assistant." "Yes, sir." "She's the best so I expect you to treat her with respect." "Yes, sir." You roll your eyes again at Fox but smile as you did.

Dogma's comm goes off and looks to see that he's being summoned by his commander. Dogma looks up at Fox. "Go ahead, Dogma. You're dismissed." Dogma salutes Fox. "Yes, sir." You look at Dogma as he turns to walk away. "It was nice meeting you, Dogma. Maybe we'll see each other around." Dogma blushes once more. "Yes. Maybe. It was nice meet you too..ma'am." You giggle as you smile. You give him a little wave and he hesitates before waving back. You blush as you turn back to Fox and Dogma leaves.

As Dogma rides back down to where he was needed Dogma thought about you. He's truly never met anyone like you before and this must be how his brothers feel every time they meet a woman at 79s. Dogma smiles to himself as he gets off to get back to work and for the rest of the day you were the only thing on his mind.

As he went to bed that night he dreamed of your smile and he honestly couldn't wait for your next encounter.

Tagging: @sinfulsalutations @523rdrebel @cw80831 @deejadabbles @moonlightwarriorqueen @anxiouspineapple99 @starrylothcat @techs-stitches @the-rain-on-kamino @the-bad-batch-baroness @wizardofrozz @wings-and-beskar @rexxdjarin @dystopicjumpsuit @eternal-transcience @cloneloverrrrr

[karizard-ao3]

My reactions to Evangelion, episode 15: Lies and Silence

Before I begin, I was thinking about it this morning and I'm wondering if NERV is indeed trying to bring on the apocalypse (and to create an Eden for fetus Adam to live in) and the Angels are in fact the good guys trying to stop them. There's a lot of talk about saving humanity but it kind of seems to me like the second impact was due to humans killing an Angel, who then exploded? It makes me wonder what kind of research they were doing on that Arctic base (Antarctic?) Idk, but to me it seems like humanity as a whole has not been in danger from the Angels: it's just NERV. But I'm also kind of hung up on the Instrumentality part of the Human Instrumentality project. Instrumental for what?

Anyway, I'll keep wondering on it, but I'm going to start the episode.

"Every project is interlinked"

is the first time we're hearing about the Marduk institute?

Oh, okay. So it sounds like the Human Instrumentality project is about trying to find kids to pilot the Evangelions. That makes sense. They are the instruments in piloting the Evas. So perhaps Adam has been genetically engineered to be the perfect pilot.

Asuka! Oh my gosh! Girl who cried wolf!

Shinji has been preoccupied with Rei since that thing happened in Unit 0, maybe?

Asking Rei for advice on how to talk to his own dad. Poor kid

He's comparing Rei to a mother. IS SHE A CLONE OF HIS MOTHER. Also, he's so awkward.

Or maybe she's a robot with his mother's personality inside. Oooooooh.

When Asuka asked to borrow Misato's lavender perfume my first thought was of Love Spell.

Oh, he's going to see his mother tomorrow! She's alive and also apparently negligent.

I'm chuckling because my first thought on seeing Kaji was, "You couldn't even shave for your friend's wedding?" and then Misato got on him for the same thing lol.

Nope, his mom is actually dead.

That's a very stark cemetery.

So he can't remember her face, there are no photographs that exist, the grave is just a facade... So mysterious.

"I see." What an ass.

I didn't know Shinji played an instrument! And so beautifully!

Shinji is so sweet and positive. I just love him so much.

Ritsuko's comment on transistasis and homeostasis has me thinking about the potential that NERV is trying to force human evolution. Perhaps they want to create a symbiotic relationship with the Evas? I don't know about that... Trying to evolve them to be compatible with technology? Space travel? Is the planet doomed?

Kaji is such a smooth talker.

Yeah, kiss her. That'll shut her up.

Asuka, Jesus Christ. Mocking Shinji about his dead mom to bully him into kissing you. Girl, please.

I'm wheezing! He turned fuschia!

Is it because he couldn't breathe? Omg

Asuka... Sweetheart... You're just repeating his warning back to him.

I wonder if Asuka realizing Misato and Kaji have a thing is going to interfere with her ability to complete her next mission.

There's the central dogma! Rei's in a tube hooked up to what looks like a metal brain.

Okay, so I'm thinking about how when Shinji was in Unit 0 he was like, "Oh, it's Rei. Wait, that's not-" and then creepy Rei looked up at him and jumped towards him and that is when Unit 0 flipped out and started trying to get to the real Rei. So I am thinking there are perhaps multiple people inside Rei (this is also influenced by the fact that when I was looking up to see if ep. 14 was a recap episode I saw it mentioned that Rei is schizophrenic. However, I'm not sure I believe she's actually schizophrenic. I kind of think she is actually harboring another person and that it's Shinji's mother.)

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH ADAM IS THE FIRST ANGEL?

I had kind of wondered if there was an Angel inside the facility. I had initally assumed there would be one kept top secretly but they kept saying how they needed to catch one for research so I was like, "Oh, maybe not, but that's weird that they wouldn't have on after all this time." Especially with everything they seem to know about them. I figured it had to be they either created them or were studying them.

In Closing

I'm so excited! Mysteries are starting to come to light!

Okay, let me see if I can organize my current theories:

Rei might be an imprint Shinji's mother - possibly she's an android, possibly just a person with an especially impressionable brain. But I think that there's Rei the girl and then also the additional personality/ies if this is the case.

NERV is going to perhaps force human evolution using genetic engineering. Or, they might be planning an apocalypse. The Angels may be trying to stop this from happening. I really have no idea.

I just considered that given the ages of the children and the timeline of the second impact, is it possible that children who were in-utero/ conceived around or after that time have some kind of Angel influence within their DNA? Like some kind of radiation? Could this be why only kids can operate the Evas? Are Angels neccessary for the next phase of whatever NERV has planned?

I feel like there's more but I want to hurry up and get to the next episode, so bye.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Bedtime Anxieties

I have been wanting to transcribe this Parafernalha video as a sort of clone wars incorrect quotes for ages. This is a whole series of them themed around bedtime anxieties.

(For my non-portuguese speaking followers, Parafernalha is a Brazilian comedy skit youtube channel and they have some pretty funny vids that definitely work as incorrect quotes situations.)

---

-Fear of the Dark-

Jesse, turning off his bedside lamp after getting nice and comfortable in bed: Ominous voice in the dark: Jeeeeeesse.... Jesse, turning the light back on and glancing around in confusion: ...? Jesse, shrugs and turns the light back off to try to get some sleep: Ominous voice in the dark, slightly more insistent than before: Jeeeeeesseeeee.... Jesse, turning the light on again and looking around more frantically: ?! Jesse, turning the light back off slightly annoyed: Ominous voice in the dark, mockingly: JeEeEeEsSeEeEeE!!! Jesse, turning the light back on: FUCK! -turns over and tries to get some sleep with the light on-

-Domestic Accidents-

Echo, laying in his hammock and pulling his blanket over himself before closing his eyes and turning onto his side to get comfortable: Echo, suddenly snapping his eyes back open and jolting up in bed: Did I remember to turn off the gas??? -The Havoc Marauder explodes-

-Sleepwalking-

Dogma, sleeping peacefully on the top bunk: Tup, sleeping on the bottom bunk: Guaraná!!! Dogma, jolting awake: Whoa..?! Dogma, looking around in confusion: ...? -tiredly rubs his face before laying his head back down to try to get back to sleep- Tup: Guaraná!!! -shifting in his sleep- Dogma, sitting back up: Ah...? Tup, sitting up and beginning to sleepwalk: A glass of guaraná... Dogma, watching him go: ... Tup, stumbling on his way out and now yelling: I want a glass of guaraná!! I wanna eat my children!!! Dogma, unsure what the hell he's dreaming about that's making him say that and honestly too afraid to ask: ??? Tup, sleepwalking out of the barracks: Y'all are a bunch of punks! Dogma, stays in bed after deciding this is ultimately not his problem:

-Insomnia-

Kix, thinking to himself while laying in bed: Why do I always have so much trouble falling asleep? I shouldn't have watched that extra episode of Gilmore Girls. Why do I always sabotage myself like that? What am I even doing with my life? You know what, fuck it. I'll think about it tomorrow. Kix, closes his eyes and tries to fall asleep: -Kex's alarm goes off, signalling the start of his shift- Kix, tiredly opening his eyes: Motherfucker...

-Nighttime Invaders-

Cody, asleep in his bed in the officer's quarters of the Negotiator after a rough day of preparations before a campaign: Cody, slowly wakes up when he realizes he hears loud techno music: ... Cody, gets up and goes investigate only to find the 501st appear to have invaded the Negotiator and are currently throwing a party: ..... Fives, dancing and having a good time before noticing Cody standing in the doorway: ... You left the ship unlocked. Come join the party! -continuing to enjoy himself- Cody, flabbergasted: ...

-Back with Sleepwalking Tup-

Random Mugger, blaster in hand: Oi, this is a robbery! Give me everything you've got. Tup, still very much sleepwalking: I'd like a cup treat with strawberry and nutella... Random Mugger, confused: You'd like a-- Dude are you crazy??? Tup, disarming the man with ease: THE CLIENT IS ALWAYS RIGHT! -shoots the blaster in the air before stuffing it in his waistband and continuing on his journey- I'd like a cup treat with just a little bit of ganache... Random Mugger, shocked and mildly afraid: ...

-Bizarre Dreams-

Hardcase, sleepily eating junkfood while watching a holofilm on his datapad: Hardcase, slowly nods off: Hardcase, while dreaming: ... -sitting up and beginning to scratch himself frantically- Hardcase, still dreaming: ...? -keeps scratching himself and only pauses when he notices someone sitting at the foot of his bed- Giant Cockroach, sitting at the foot of Hardcase's bed: -lighting a cigar and just sitting there like it owns the place- Hardcase, begins screaming at the top of his lungs and wakes up the entire barracks in the process:

-Awaiting a Visit from Death-

Thorn, shifting in bed and noticing Fox getting dressed in his officer's greys: ... What are you doing Fox? Where are you going? Fox: Getting ready for bed. Thorn, confused: ... Dressed like that? Fox: Obviously... Imagine I die in my sleep and the Grim Reaper comes to get me. Fox: I'm not going dressed in a moth-eaten bodyglove. No. Gotta have SOME dignity... Thorn, rolling his eyes: ...

-Sleeping with Uncovered Feet-

Rex, peacefully asleep in his bed and shifting slight causing the covers to be pulled away from his feet: Random wearing a Jason Voorhees mask, rising up from under the bed and raising a hatched over his head to strike Rex's exposed feet:

-Once again, back with Sleepwalking Tup-

Tup, still sleepwalking and apparently participating in a kowakian monkey-lizard knife fight: Crowd of Natborns, cheering: YEAH! THAT'S IT! WOOHOO!!! One of the Natborn, turns to congratulate Tup on yet another victory: You're on a roll you lucky bastard! -smacking Tup on the back- Tup, jolting awake: ... -looking around in confusion- W-what? Where am I? Where am I?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! The Crowd of Natborns, all startled: ??? Tup, panicking as apparently this isn't the first time he's gotten up to shenanigans while sleepwalking: OH GOD NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!!!

[turbo-tsundere]

Small heads-up!

If you don't wanna be spammed with my Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen gameplays, please filter the "#the isekaied entomologist" or "#turbo-tsun plays ddda" tags. DD2 coming out last month andimmenselystubbornartblock inspired me to finally parse through my recordings of the first game, and I ended up making a few compilations - 7 in total - ranging anywhere from 15 seconds to 3-ish minutes; I'll be posting them from queue 2-3 times a day, starting tomorrow.

But should you choose to watch them still, then thank you <3; and please enjoy Gonta and Kokichi shenaningans :D

Some of the videos will be from my first gameplay, with Gonta as the Arisen, and Kokichi as the pawn (the game lets you create both your player character and npc companion), and some will be from New Game +, where I switched their roles, and played as Arisen!Kokichi instead.

Hopefully, you'll get at least a sensible chuckle out of these <3 Because, truly, this game was a gift that kept on giving.

But, yes. See you tomorrow. Peace.

[koyacyi-vode]

Hey! For the character ask game, could you do Fox and/or Dogma? Thank you! :)

Brave of you to request Fox for this headcanon game when C literally encourages me to be as mean as possible. Fox first then I'll post Dogma second!

---

Headcanon A - realistic:

This is one I explored briefly in this fic. Fox rarely drinks alcohol. He has always disliked the feeling of not being in control, and that feeling gets exponentially worse the longer the war goes on the the more he has to deal with palpy. When he DOES drink he drinks alone and usually just to either forget things or because he can't sleep. He'd only consider getting positively shit-faced if he was with his closest brothers (those who know why he doesn't drink instead of just thinking he's got a stick up his ass).

On that note, few of Fox's brothers know him very well because he's incredibly closed off. Shinies in the Guard are simultaneously awed by him (cause wow!!! it's THE commander Fox!) as well as intimidated by how cagey he is with them (which gets MUCH worse after Fives)

Headcanon B - while it may not be realistic it is hilarious:

Fox has zero clue how to deal with children and even though he is hashtag 'trying his best', he's woefully lacking in parental instincts. He gets awkward with them and uncomfortable cause KRIFF they're small and vulnerable and where's their armor???

Unfortunately, when Fox draws the short straw and has to guard senators or diplomats (on Coruscant, poor boi never gets to leave because of his position and isnt on the diplomatic service rotation like the other commanders) he is sometimes saddled with their children.

and if Fox didn't know how to interact with NORMAL children, senators' chilren are an absolute nightmare for him.

Fox, whose one personal posession is a 40oz caf mug, is privately horrified that a toddler can have their own FLOOR of a building to themself.

Fox is eventually taken off babysitting duty entirely as Thire quotes him as being "a danger to public safety and common sense" after he gives a child a blaster when the kid asked for something to play with and the parents complained.

fox: it wasn't kriffing loaded. i'm not stupid.

thire: uh huh. you keep telling yourself that.

Headcanon C - heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends:

(general warnings for suicidal ideation, please be mindful if that makes you at all uncomfortable, especially the paragraphs i'm marking after a *)

Fox has some of the most intense survivor's guilt in the GAR. Being from the original Command Class, live fire was still used in training up until they were roughly 16 standard years. Fox's first visceral experience with death was when one of his batchmates made a single misstep and was fatally wounded in an exercise. Fox was right next to him and held him while his brother died in his arms.

That experience so young shaped him into being incredibly protective of his brothers as well as being a perfectionist. (If one wrong move gets you killed then he CAN'T make a wrong move, otherwise what use would he be to his brothers?) he figures, if he is the one stepping out then he wont have to watch his brothers die again. (that does not go as he planned)

Fox is known as being utterly fearless and is one of the most decorated soldiers in the GAR. However, Fox's closest brothers recongize that his 'fearlessness' is actually a combination of overprotectiveness and cripplingly dangerous recklessness.

Desperation along with the soul-crushing work that goes with being the commander of the guard whittled him down mentally, emotionally, and physically (along with being unknowingly brainwashed and used against his will - palps found his 'obedience' useful, and would test different contingency orders by manipulating Fox's chip or straight up using Force influence on him. Fox's body recognized that something wrong was happening to him LONG before he figured it out himself, which gave him chronic panic attacks that he hid from everyone).

*

Fox's recklessness was also in part because he just wanted things to be over. in a kind of convoluted, lengthy suicide by proxy. it's woefully easy for him to attempt it, because he has a crazy dangerous job. all he had to do was wear himself down physically and mentally by not taking care of himself. and then grudgingly wonder if a stray blaster bolt will finally end it for him.

Fox would never do it himself. Because the inclination is in direct opposition with his need to keep his brothers alive, and how can he do that if he's dead? Rationalizing it doesn't of course stop the feelings from occuring, he can't just talk himself out of being reckless and endangering his life. But it keeps him going another day when he thinks of his brothers.

only 3 of his brothers know any specifics about his suicidal tendencies (and even then Fox is an emotional brick wall so most of it they just have to gUESS and then judge their hypothesis on how guilty Fox looks when they ask). The ones who know are Wolffe and Cody (Fox's remaining batchmates) and Stone. And Stone found out simply by being observant and calling Fox out on his self care and getting more than he bargained for in response.

which is what brings me to Fox's canon death and how his reaction to Vader is quite telling of his mental and emotional state at the time. Because here is competent, decorated, fearless Fox, stammering and afraid of Vader's presence (my headcanon is his fear of Vader overrode the chip's programming a bit, because other instances in canon show post 66 clones being quite one-note and Fox's reaction is an exeption along with Grey). But Fox had, after years, finally made a mistake and took that fatal misstep. But maybe it just wasnt an accident.

Headcanon D - unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own:

If Legends existed in canon, Fox would absolutely be aware of some of the shit the Nulls and RCs got up to on Coruscant. But he finds Ordo absolutely impossible to deal with (theyre too similar so they end up hating each other on principle). he would really just rather not get into it, so he just literally turns around like "not my problem" and leaves them to it. Plausible deniability and less headaches are better for him in the long run.

Unrelated headcanon, but Fox is one of the clones that starts to go gray early almost entirely from stress (others being Ordo and Alpha-17). His brothers tease him relentlessly about it.

[cuddly-t0y]

hello! i'm trying to get into some post-monkees music (especially mike's) and i'd like to hear some of your recommendations for songs/albums for all of the members as well. thanks so much!

Mike's in particular you have a lot of ground to cover with both the first national band and his solo stuff so I'll try to keep the list brief and put where you can find it all. Micky's and Davy's I will do a separate post for because their stuff is a lot to talk about because basically they bounced around a lot.

First National Band albums:

Magnetic South (I haven't listened enough to it but I think it helps give everything else some context) on Spotify

Loose Salute (I really enjoy this album and it has some bops) on Spotify

Nevada Fighter (probably my favorite of the three, has some of my personal favorite songs of this era) on Spotify

Solo Albums:

Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma (has some great songs from Elephant Parts on there) on YouTube

From a Radio Engine to a Photon Wing (has some other great stuff from Elephant Parts and is generally very experimental) on YouTube

The Newer Stuff (while it's a compilation album, it has some things that are unique to it that I really like) on YouTube

Peter's stuff isn't as prolific as Mike's, but I think it really is similar while still being uniquely Peter. I still am finding out about Peter's discography little by little, so this is not by any means the end all be all.

Stranger Things Have Happened (has some great songs and really the man can sing. If you like Dan Wilson, you'll really like this album.) on Spotify

Saved By The Blues (I like some of it, blues isn't really my thing but I think it suits Peter's voice) on Spotify

I hope this answered your question partially and gives you a good starting off point.

My birthday is tomorrow so I think talking about Micky and Davy's stuff will be a nice birthday post.

Anyways, thanks for asking, I really enjoy doing music recommendations ☺️

[wanderinginksplot]

One-Shot: Fives + Surprise

I'm not super confident about my portrayal of Fives, but here you go anyway! This is definitely a more intense version of flirting than I feel he would use, but it made the story flow so much more nicely.

Fives/Reader pairing - gn!reader

Length: a little over 3,600 words

Warnings: aggressive flirting

---

It started with a small request, as it usually did:

"Hey, can you hang onto this for us?"

Since you had worked with the 501st for more than two days, you were immediately suspicious. “What is it?” you asked, not accepting the box.

“It’s a present for Fives,” Tup told you.

You arched a brow. “And we’ve finally run out of storage closets on the Resolute?”

“No, but he would find it right away if we hid it somewhere else,” Jesse explained.

That, at least, made sense. The clone troopers had been literally bred for intelligence. The ability to pick up on subtle clues was part of their training, so they were extremely difficult to surprise. And ARC troopers? Forget it. You would have better luck hiding a blurrg in a Coruscanti penthouse.

It was clever on the troopers’ part: you were familiar with ARC Fives from stories told by the other troopers, but the two of you had never met. Your involvement in a surprise would be such an odd variable that he might be thrown off entirely.

“Fine,” you agreed, feeling like it was a bad idea but accepting the box anyway. “I’ll keep this hidden until Fives comes on-board.”

Hawk showed up at your door a few days later, holding a small crate and looking sheepish. “These are Fives’ favorite treats. Jesse told me you had a place for them?”

"I guess?" you agreed hesitantly, glancing around the small room you had been allotted. "Just… leave them here. I'll find room for them."

Tup was next, bringing a small holoset to play music on. Then Kix showed up with some decorations. Dogma brought a display of Fives' medals and commendations. And the gifts kept coming.

On and on the process went, until your room was full to bursting. You still didn't know much about Fives - he hadn't been assigned to the 501st since you had been here and you had a healthy doubt for anything the troopers told you - but you had definitely learned everything there was to know about his preferences through storing all of the surprises.

At last, the Resolute was docking just outside of Coruscant’s atmosphere for a quick replenishment of fuel, rations, and personnel. ARC Fives was supposed to take a shuttle up to the cruiser and join the 501st for the next series of missions.

You had been trying to get to the bridge so Admiral Yularen could sign off on a form, but everyone was waiting for the shuttles to arrive and you were drawn unwillingly into conversation.

“How is all of the stuff?” Jesse asked anxiously.

“It’s fine, I guess,” you told him with a shrug. “It’s all in my quarters, so we should be okay as long as no one does a surprise inspection.”

“That might be more of a challenge than you think,” Kix muttered. At your arched brow, he looked you over and nodded as if something had been confirmed. “Fives has a type, and you’re it.”

“No,” Jesse denied immediately. “I don’t think so.”

Kix scowled at him and gestured at you. “Think about it. Height, body type, face shape… they’re a dead match for the last few humans Fives left 79’s with.”

Now it was Jesse’s turn to stare at you. Eventually, he frowned and turned back to Kix. “Kriff. What do we do?”

“Uh, have confidence that Fives isn’t going to take an interest in a random nat-born?” you asked.

Kix and Jesse exchanged glances and laughed patronizingly. Or maybe you were just being sensitive.

“The party isn’t until tomorrow night. You think Fives is going to spend two days on a ship with someone he hasn’t met and not try to win them over?” Kix asked skeptically.

“Okay, have confidence that I can avoid flirting with some random guy for two days?” you adjusted.

Jesse arched a brow, the movement doing fascinating things to the Republic cog tattooed on his head. “You don’t know Fives. He’s persistent, and everyone loves him. Especially hard-shebs like you. Just… don’t let him in your room.”

All right, now you were getting offended for real. “Are you implying that I’m going to sleep with some guy I’ve never met? In what is essentially my workplace? And that it’s going to happen before tomorrow night?”

It took Kix elbowing him in the ribs before Jesse seemed to realize his mistake. “Uh, no-! Not- I just… What I meant was…”

Jesse trailed off and looked around helplessly until his comlink went off. He silenced it and hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve got to go take care of… something. Thanks again for storing that stuff!”

When he had left, you shot Kix an unimpressed look. “I saw you press your comlink button, you know.”

“Yeah, I assumed you had,” Kix admitted openly. “But our choices were to give him an out or listen to him try to recover from that. I figured this was the better option for everyone.”

“Good call,” you agreed. “I’m going to leave, though. Tell Jesse to calm down. I’m not that mad.”

“Sorry!” Jesse called from somewhere behind you as you gave a wry smile and shook your head.

You got the signatures you needed and were coming back from the bridge when you heard the commotion. You allowed yourself a single, heartfelt sigh before stiffening your shoulders and marching around the corner. Maybe by putting on an ultra-professional face, you could avoid any of the ARC’s flirtation attempts.

By pretending to fiddle with your comlink, you did your best to avoid the group, but it was hopeless. They filled the wide corridor and you ended up having to weave through troopers, which felt pretty unprofessional considering that most of them were in armor while you were wearing comfortable civilian clothing.

“Hey!” a friendly voice called to you. You did your best to ignore the greeting, but a trooper planted himself in front of you before you could fully clear the group.

This had to be Fives - who else would tattoo the number on his temple? - but nothing in his appearance was quite what you had expected of a battle-distinguished ARC trooper. The troopers had spoken of their cheerful, energetic brother, but sometimes their humor was on a different scale than yours and you had regarded their descriptions with skepticism.

To your honest surprise, the man looked nothing like the stern ARCs you had met before. Instead, Fives looked pleasant, face expressive under the facial hair that hinted at a vain streak. His dark eyes were kind and his mouth was already stretched in a pleasant smile.

“We haven't met. I’m Fives,” he told you as you accepted his hand for a brisk handshake. At least, that had been your intention, but Fives held your hand longer than professional etiquette allowed.

You gave a slight nod, internally forbidding yourself to smile. “So I’ve heard.”

"I should have known that my brothers would mention me," Fives said with a low chuckle. “All good things, I hope?”

“Not all of them,” you said, hoping to put him off a little with your bluntness.

To your surprise, his friendly smile widened into a predatory grin and his voice lowered. “Even better.”

“Fives,” Rex said from nearby, sounding impatient and tired. “Do we need to go over the workplace harassment policy?”

“No, sir,” Fives told him before looking back at you. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

It should have sounded like a threat. Honestly, you didn’t have much patience for people who came onto you as strongly as Fives was currently doing, but something about his personality and bearing made it less offensive than it really should have been.

“I’m very busy,” you hedged.

“That’s okay,” Fives reassured you. “I’m very persistent.”

And then he was gone, having disappeared back into the crowd before you could finish rolling your eyes at him.

By the time you saw Fives again, it was toward the end of your day. You were in the mess hall eating dinner when a crowd of troopers stumbled in. You weren't close enough to see individual appearances, but the uproarious laughter warned you that Fives was probably in the mix.

"Look who it is!" Fives crowed, grabbing a tray and heading toward you.

"Hey!" Tup said loudly, pulling the other trooper's attention. "Maybe we should sit over there, instead."

Fives eyed the table Tup had indicated, looking unimpressed. "Nah, I want to eat over here, vod."

Jesse stepped in Fives' way. His voice was too low for you to easily overhear, and you were keeping your eyes on your meal. Still, you managed to get the idea. Especially when you caught Jesse's closing sentence. "- I don't think they like you very much."

“What are you talking about?” Fives demanded, sounding offended. “Everyone likes me!”

“Strongly disagree,” Kix pitched in, grinning when Fives shot him a look.

Still, their distraction allowed you enough time to finish your meal, and Fives had barely set his tray on the table when you stood and lifted your own.

“You should sit for a few minutes,” Fives told you. “Helps digestion, you know?”

“I have work to do,” was your simple answer, and you were gone before he could say anything else.

It had been the truth, unfortunately, and you were kept awake with filling out requisition forms, acquisition forms, and receipts until your yawning had interrupted too many times to continue. Still, you had slept fitfully, disturbed by the powerfully sweet smell of the treats in one of the crates under your bunk.

Eventually, you were too frustrated to keep sleeping. With nothing else to do, you decided to go get a datapad with the next day’s forms from Captain Rex’s office. You would probably need to get a jump on the next day’s work if Fives’ party was going to take up some of your limited time.

Halfway to the captain’s office, you found an unfamiliar figure staring from a viewport and muttering to himself.

“Aboard the Resolute again. Weird to be back with the 501st alone. Never thought I’d be here without you, Echo…”

Feeling guilty at interrupting such a private moment, you cleared your throat softly. “Everything okay?”

Fives jumped violently and turned in your direction. His eyes were solemn and shiny, but he already wore a wide smile. It was as hard and impersonal as a piece of his armor, clearly more of a shield than an expression of feeling, but there was no malice in it.

“Wow, been a while since someone managed to sneak up on me like that! Alpha-17 would have my shebs if he had seen it. He was my trainer while I was becoming an ARC-”

“Were you talking to Echo?” you interrupted to ask.

Fives’ smile dropped for a moment before he managed to recover. “I should be getting back to the barracks-”

“It’s fine, you know,” you told him, looking out of the viewport. You weren’t much interested in space, but you hoped that the lack of eye contact would help him feel less like he was being put on the spot. “People process grief in different ways, and you’ve experienced more grief than most. Talk to your brother if you want. If it makes you feel better, that is. No one has the right to criticize how you deal with losing him.”

“Some people might say that talking to people who aren’t there makes you look crazy,” Fives commented blandly.

You glanced at him before you could fight the urge. In the split second before you pulled your gaze back to stars passing the ship, you were struck by how human he looked. He had dropped the larger-than-life personality that made him more of a caricature than a person. This was Fives. The real Fives.

With a shrug, you countered, “Trying to ignore the pain and loss could make you crazy for real. Better to deal with things however you need to rather than let them spiral.”

Despite his stated intention of returning to the barracks, Fives didn’t budge even after the silence had stretched far too long. With a sudden surge of intuition, you asked, “Do you want to talk about him?”

Fives shook his head, looking uncertain. “You don’t want to hear a trooper you don’t like talking about a trooper you never knew.”

“First off, I don’t dislike you,” you corrected. “And secondly, I’ve heard plenty of the men talk about troopers I’ve never met and never will. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about them.”

It took another few minutes, but Fives began to talk about his brother. He started slowly, giving a clinical-sounding description of Echo’s number, how he got his name, and some background information of Domino Squad - his original batch of brothers. As if it got easier for him to speak the longer he practiced, Fives’ words flowed easier and with fond warmth as you told you all about Echo.

You smiled and grimaced with Fives as he told you about the missions they had been on, the situations they had gotten into, the camaraderie they had so clearly shared… When Fives finally told you about Echo’s death, his eyes reflected the passing stars so clearly that he looked blind.

It was painful, watching him struggle so hard against the need to mourn his brother. You didn’t want to overstep, but you couldn’t fight the extremely human need to comfort someone who was hurt. Slowly, you touched him on the shoulder, increasing the pressure to a warm press when he didn’t immediately pull away.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” you said, startled by how shallow the sentiment felt when placed against such a depth of pain.

“Thanks,” Fives accepted, a wealth of sincerity in the single word. He rubbed at his face with the heel of one hand. “I can’t stop now that I got started, so thanks for that.”

You nodded sympathetically, having been in a similar situation in the past. “It’s for the best, but I am sorry.”

“Well, you know how you could make it up to me?” Fives asked, any flirtation broken up by the slight sniffle in the middle of the question. “If I go into the barracks like this, everyone will want to know what happened, and I think I’m talked out at the moment. Can I lie low in your quarters for a few minutes while I get myself together?”

“No!” you burst out inelegantly, the importance of the secret you held undercutting any hope of a normal response.

Fives looked taken aback by your vehemence, then understanding dawned. The worst, though, was the flash of hurt on his face before his expression cleared into a smooth mask.

“Of course not,” he agreed blandly. “Sorry for taking up so much of your time, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”

Fives saluted and walked away before you could realize that you had to say something - anything. But it was too late. Fives was gone, and you went back to your quarters alone, all thoughts of tomorrow’s work gone from your mind. All that was left was guilt.

The next day was more of the same. You couldn’t focus on work at all with your mind playing back the conversation with Fives and providing example after example of ways you could have fixed the situation. It was far too late, of course, but you couldn’t stop the fruitless attempts to make things better.

You received a call over your comlink when the troopers went to retrieve the stored crates from your quarters. They politely declined your offer of help, but requested that you meet everyone in the mess hall roughly two hours from then. You did so, but stayed tucked in a far corner. You suspected Fives wouldn’t be rude to you, but he probably wouldn’t be thrilled to see you, either. You were determined to keep your distance.

Eventually, it seemed like every one of the crew members on the Resolute was crammed into the small mess hall. You worried for a moment about who exactly was navigating the cruiser, but Fives stepped into the room and you were far more concerned about whether you would leave the party with your hearing intact.

The cheering finally stopped and Jesse came forward to pull Fives into a headbutt. You had noticed the troopers doing that in the past with helmets on, but since both men were bare-headed, you could see the matching grins they wore.

“We never thought you’d make it past twenty ARC missions, Fives,” Jesse started off, laughing when Fives made a rude gesture at the crowd. “This party is your reward.”

Fives frowned and the room fell silent. “I… haven’t, though. This is my twentieth mission.”

“Okay, if you die this time, we’ll take back your presents,” Tup countered.

“Presents?” Fives asked, beaming like a child.

And so the procession started. It seemed like every trooper had something for Fives, and most of them came with an inside joke or story that Fives and the trooper in question told the crowd. The room was filled with laughter and warmth, and even you - a relative outsider - couldn’t stop smiling.

“But we know you would want to honor those who didn’t make it,” Captain Rex said, and the crowd took on a more solemn attitude. Carefully, the captain presented the original box to Fives - the first one that had been hidden in your quarters, the contents of which you had never asked about.

Fives opened the box slowly. Even from your spot behind most of the crowd, you could see the wave of emotion that crashed over his expressive face as he glanced at Rex with pleading eyes.

“Echo’s vambrace?” he asked hoarsely. “How did you get this? There was nothing-”

“No, it was his spare,” Rex told Fives gently, clasping Fives’ pauldron in solidarity. “I found it while I was processing his kit. We thought you might like to keep a part of him with you.”

Fives nodded and shakily detached the left vambrace from the rest of his armor, the captain assisting as Fives fumbled with the small clasps. Finally, Fives’ original vambrace was stored in the box and Echo’s was fixed to his left forearm. Fives stroked the armor’s surface gently before turning his attention back to the room as a whole.

“Thank you all,” he said earnestly. “I couldn’t ask for better brothers.” His eyes fell on you for the first time. They lingered for a moment before he moved on. “I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

After a beat of solemn silence, Fives grinned, and it was brilliant in the dim mess hall. “Now, one of you had to have bought sweets, right?”

While the troopers were distracted by the treats that had been stored in one of the crates, you slipped from the mess hall. Fives hadn’t said anything that insinuated that he was mad at you, but he also hadn’t said anything that said he wasn’t. It didn’t matter. You had a full day’s work to catch up on. Plus, you wanted to sleep as soon as possible since the night before had been such a struggle.

All thoughts of work or sleep flew from your mind when you heard your name called from the other end of an empty hallway. When you turned, heart already thundering, it was to find Fives striding toward you.

“Were you just going to leave without saying congratulations?”

You appreciated that he was trying to end the uncomfortable tension between the two of you, but you were a big believer in telling the truth.

“Fives, I’m so sorry about last night. I would gladly have let you come to my quarters, but I was storing all the stuff for the party and I couldn’t ruin it for the 501st. You don’t understand how much they were looking forward to you being here, and how much work they put into planning this whole thing. I know I reacted poorly and I wish I could change that, but I hope you can forgive me.”

Your entire explanation tumbled out in one, run-on explanation and Fives stared at you for a moment. “I still didn’t hear a congratulations.”

It wasn’t flattering to admit, but you stared at him open-mouthed for a long moment while you tried to figure out what that meant. Was he still mad? Was he just going to ignore everything that happened in your conversation?

After you failed to speak, Fives’ grin dropped. “I’m sorry. As soon as I saw the party stuff, I realized that you must have had it in your quarters. I overreacted.”

“So you-?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Fives told you firmly. “Thank you for taking the time to care about what I had to say.”

“For what it’s worth, Echo sounds like a wonderful person and an incredible friend,” you offered. “From the stories you told me, you cared about him and he definitely cared about you, too. In the end, that’s what matters, isn’t it? Finding someone to care about?”

Fives watched you for a long moment, then shook his head. “You don’t talk like a real person. You talk like a holofilm.”

“Ouch,” you muttered with a half-hearted grin.

“No, a good holofilm,” Fives assured. “And I’d like to see more of it, if that’s okay? It’ll take us another few days of prep work before the mission is ready. I wanna spend some time with you. If you want, that is.”

“That sounds nice,” you admitted with a shy grin.

Fives beamed at you. “Good! Now come eat some cakes with the rest of us!”

In moments, you were being towed back down the hallway to the mess hall, your hand firmly held in Fives’ gloved grip.

---

A/N - check out other fics and one-shots on my masterlist, or submit a prompt of your own!

[loridrabbles]

Imprisoned | Dogma x Reader (part 27)

To make up for the missing chapter last week, this chapter is a liiittle longer than usual.

     Dogma's time at home with (Y/n) and Saoirse had been coming to an end, quicker than any of them had hoped. With their last day together coming to a close, all (y/n) wanted to do was hold him close and hope that time would slow down, even if just a little. She sat on the couch, listening to the fire crackling in the fireplace, watching him play with Saoirse on the floor in the flickering orange light. She was completely entranced by the rattle she had in her hands and laughed with unrestrained joy when she shook it. 

     "What time do you have to leave tomorrow?" (Y/n) asked.

     "Around 6 or so." Dogma answered, looking over his shoulder at her.

     "Am I coming with you, or should I stay here?"

     "I was hoping you would come with me." He replied. "But if you'd rather not bring her there, you don't have to come."

     "I think she'll be fine. It's busy, but it's not like we fire anti-air missiles from that base."

     "Yeah, that's true." He said, holding his hands out for Saoirse to tap the rattle against. 

     "Is there anything you want to do this evening?" She asked, sliding off the couch to sit on the floor next to him. "Go out to dinner? Go for a walk? Try and fail a new recipe ourselves?"

     He thought for a moment, holding Saoirse's little hand in his, rubbing the soft skin of the back of her hand with his thumb.

     "I think I just want to sit at that park you talk about so much. Just the three of us. No one around to distract or bother us. Maybe bring a picnic. I just want the last few hours we have together to be...just us. Calm and quiet."

     (Y/n) leaned against him, her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rid her mind of the thought of what's to come the next day.

     "That sounds nice." She breathed.

     (Y/n) and Dogma worked together in the kitchen to make a small picnic basket. (Y/n) picked out a blanket and a couple of Saoirse's toys and stuffed them into a backpack. She bundled up her baby in some warmer clothes and they were out the door.

     The park was only a short cab ride away, where the city edged up to the river. There was a large expanse of grass and trees along a walking trail and some shrubbery to help hide the view of the city. The sun was setting, leaving ribbons of orange and yellow on the water. Across the river were apartment buildings and businesses which didn't reach nearly as high in the sky as the building on the near side of the city, allowing citizens in the part to catch a glimpse of the sunset. 

     "This looks like a good a spot as any." Dogma said, setting the backpack down a few feet from a small tree, probably only a few years old.

     "I'll get the blanket set up." (Y/n) said giving Saoirse to Dogma.

     She rolled the blanket out onto the grass and set the basket down in the corner, then pulled a rattle and a plush bear stuffed with crinkly plastic from the bag. She took a seat and held her hands out for Saoirse.

     "She's getting cranky." He said, sitting adjacent to her. 

     "She's probably hungry. She hasn't eaten since her nap." 

     (Y/n) unclasped her shirt and bra while Dogma opened the basket.

     "Do you want anything?" He asked.

     "No. I've been picking through the fridge all day." She laughed. A breeze swept through the area and rustled through the trees. Goosebumps formed up and down (Y/n)'s arms and she shivered a little. "It's chillier than I thought."

     "Here." Dogma said pulling off his zip up and draping it over her shoulders. "I have a long sleeve shirt on. I'll be fine."

     "Thanks, baby." She smiled.

     The park was as peaceful as Dogma had hoped. They had only heard the footsteps of one or two people walking along a trail in the first few minutes they were there. From their spot, they could hear the gentle lapping of the river water against the bank and the rustling of the leaves as a gentle spring breeze surrounded them. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow on their skin.

     Dogma popped a piece of fruit in his mouth and scooted closer to (Y/n). As Saoirse was happily drinking away, he stared at her tiny little lashes kissing her chubby cheeks.

     "She's so gorgeous. He said, then gave (Y/n) a kiss on the cheek. "You too."

     (Y/n) giggled and looked up at the sunset, then over to Dogma who was admiring the sky as well. She placed her hand over his as it rested on the blanket.

     "I'm glad you thought of this." She said, looking at him admiringly. 

     "Me too." He said as her cheerful face turned into a wistful smile.

     "I'm gonna miss you so much." She said, squeezing his hand. "I just got you back."

     "Don't cry, sweetheart." He said, wiping away a tear with his thumb.

     "I just can't stop thinking about tomorrow." She sniffled.

     "Then let's think about yesterday." He said. "Remember when we used to be at each other's throats?"

     "Yeah." She laughed a little, placing Saoirse on her back to lay on the blanket, handing her the stuffed bear. "I'll admit, the first time I saw the guards kicking your ass, I was a little happy."

     "Ouch." He chuckled.

     "But then, when we got back to the cell and you were hurt, I felt bad because I knew how you were feeling and it was like an insult to injury."

     "Yeah. It sucked. I think there's still a little scar just underneath my lip." He said, pointing to the corner of his mouth. "When...did you realize you loved me?" He asked. He saw a small smile spread across (y/n)'s face.

     "The first night we were in solitary and I started to panic. I realized when you rushed to my bedside." She paused and laughed a little. "I realized you loved me when you started letting me have the last of your peanut butter. What about me? When did you realize?"

     "When you asked me what my favorite color was and I kissed you for the first time." 

     "I remember that night." She smiled. "I wanted to throw up because I was so nervous and excited."

     "Me too. I was so scared that you didn't feel the same way and you'd smack me for trying to kiss you."

     "If you had caught me three days earlier, I might have."

     "Well, I'm glad I waited." Dogma said, reaching for his backpack. He shuffled around looking for something, while (Y/n) looked at him a little confused, wondering what he was doing. She had Saoirse sitting in her lap as she played with her favorite teething ring. A moment later, he pulled a small bag from inside.

     "What's that?" She asked.

     "Checkers." He said, opening the bag and spreading out the game board. "I saw it when we were at a store together and bought it while you were distracted with Saoirse.

     A huge smile spread across (y/n)'s face. She watched as he set up the game pieces on the board and realized how similar it was to the one they played with while in prison, though there were some differences. The board was made up of a much softer, thicker fabric, and the game pieces were brighter and carved out of heavy wood.

     "You go first." He said, sliding his body over a little so he could lay on his side, propping his head up on his wrist. (Y/n)'s fingers dances across her side of the board before she selected a piece to move. Dogma smile as he watched, reminiscing the days they spent together. As he moved his piece, Saoirse leaned forward in (y/n)'s arms and grabbed a piece, trying to stick it in her mouth, making her dad chuckle a little.

     "No, no, no, honey." (Y/n) took the piece and gave her a toy instead. "I don't want you to choke."

      After a few rounds of checkers, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The black-haired little girl wiggled in (y/n)'s lap and reached her hands out to Dogma, cooing and squealing.

     "I think someone wants her daddy." She said, passing her to him. He took her in his arms and rolled onto his back with her on his chest.

     "Ahh! Come here, sweetheart." He said humorously, kissing her all over her chubby face. The sun had near set, only light illuminating them were the street lamps.

     "We should probably head back home." (Y/n) said stretching.

     "Yeah. She's starting to fall asleep already." He answered, looking at Saoirse whose eyes were getting heavy and floating shut while she listened to his heartbeat.

     The taxi ride to the base was silent. I was early. Saoirse was still asleep on (y/n)'s chest as she held Dogma's hand tightly in hers. He fought back tears half the way there and occasionally felt Dogma massage the back of her hand with his thumb as like he knew she was biting her cheeks.  As they rounded the corner and arrived outside the gates, she could hear him let out a long, heavy sigh. Captain Rex was waiting for them outside. The taxi came to a stop, and Dogma stepped out, feeling naked in just his blacks. He almost couldn't wait to put his armor back on, even if it meant he had to leave his family behind. 

     "Well...this is it." He said as (y/n) slid off the seat and onto the concrete walkway.

     "This is it..." (Y/n) sighed, looking down at her feet. "I'm going to miss you so much." She said, resting her chin on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

     "I'll come back."

     "I know." She gave him a longing smile and noticed Captain Rex approaching them.

     "Good morning, Sir." Dogma said, standing to face him. 

     "Morning, soldier. Your armor is waiting for you in your locker. Be prepared for a meeting at O'ninehundred." He said. "Are you ready?"

     "Just a minute." Dogma said, turning back to (y/n) whose eyes were red and glossy with tears. He ran his fingers through Saoirse's soft hair and gave her a kiss on her forehead before wrapping both his girls in his arms. (Y/n) wrapped her free arm tightly around his waist, tilting her head back to give him kisses along his jaw. 

     "I love you so much, darling." He said, pressing his lips firmly to hers. 

     "I love you too." She said, letting to of Saoirse as he picked her up. He pulled her close to his chest and peppered kisses all over and buried his face in her soft hair, closing his eyes for a moment.

     "I love you, babygirl." He whispered with one last kiss before passing her back to (y/n). "I'll see you soon."

     He caressed her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to Captain Rex.

     "I'm ready, sir." He said. 

     "Good." He said. He turned to (y/n), gave her a friendly nod, and walked through the gates of the base, Dogma close behind. He wanted to look back at her so badly, but he couldn't. He knew if he saw (y/n) crying, he probably would too. He could cry later.

[wr1t3-my-wr0ngs]

Good Soldiers—Chapter 3/4

Remembering Yesterday’s Tomorrow (In the Here and Now)- Part 4 cont.

As much as Rex wants to move directly onto the next step in removing Krell, there is still a war that needs to be dealt with. Having Fives in his corner helps immensely as both a sounding board and support. It has taken a weight off his shoulders that he is infinitely glad he no longer has to shoulder alone. However, he had forgotten the specific brand of insanity that comes from working with his brothers, and while he is happy (among the other emotions that swirl dangerously close to the surface) to have them in his life again, it does, at times, make him wish his hair was longer so he could pull it out. Especially as he, Jesse, Tup, and Hardcase listen to Fives' infiltration plan.

"You want to what?"

He knows his plan to deal with Krell isn't perfect, but he hopes beyond all sense of reason that it's better then what he just heard Fives suggest.

"Have the men and myself fly the Umbaran craft into the supply ship and blow up the main reactor."

Last time, he hadn't asked for details. The thinking being he couldn't report what he didn't know. If this was the same plan that Fives had used to take down the supply ship, Rex knows why it went so horribly wrong.

"You are aware that General Skywalker was already one of the best pilots in the galaxy at that time? And that most of it was an accident?"

His brother looks sheepish. From his perch atop a table, Rex pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. Despite knowing the answer, he asks his next question anyway.

"How many men are you planning to take up?"

"It would be us three, Sir."

Rex looks at Jesse who has momentarily looked up from cleaning his blaster to indicate Fives, Hardcase, and himself. The Captain unconsciously brings a hand up to stroke a beard that isn't there, thinking over the specifics that he was privy to the first time around — regretting his lack of involvement and the subsequent lack of information.

“If you have a better plan, we’re all ears.”

He thinks of Ahsoka, of her uncanny ability (force given or natural, he never knew) to plan on the fly. To take a pile of unknowns and somehow rearrange them until they created actionable intel. There was a reason she was one of the leaders of the Rebellion, and he, her right-hand-man.

But she's not here. Surrounded by a room of living ghosts, the only thing he has of her is his ring and the memories of advice they had shared. One in particular whispers across his mind.

Work with what you know.

So that’s what he does.

He thinks about the Separatist ships he's been on. The narrow passages designed for droids and not much else. Considers the size and challenges of the Umbaran crafts. Three would be a tight squeeze and tricky to maneuver in such a limited space, even with the best of pilots, never mind when operated by foot soldiers who considered demolishing a hanger a successful test run.

"Send only one pilot."

"Without backup?"

Tups concern is valid, a brother without backup was always a dangerous thing, for the mission and the soldier both. But he doesn't have a better plan, not one that would work with their limited number of men, resources, and time. He can only pray that what he can change will be enough.

Rex leaves that part out when he explains his thinking, although Fives gives him a brief side-eye. He watches as each man mulls over the idea, weighs the pros and the cons, considers their part.

"I'll do it."

His heart sinks.

"The Captains right, and I have the most experience with the tech."

"Hardcase, " He isn't sure what to say without giving himself away to everyone in the room. When he had first woken and started putting together his plan, he had considered that there may be things he couldn’t change, couldn’t make right. Hardcase it would seem, is one of those things. A knot of emotion catches in his chest as he considers the very real possibility of watching his brother's death a second time over. Eventually, he settles on the only question available to him.

“Are you sure?”

His brother squares his shoulders, easy-going manner set aside.

“I am, Captain.”

The room is silent for a moment, heavy with the knowledge that this very well may end up a suicide mission.

"What about—"

At that moment the doors to the barracks open, cutting Jesse off mid-sentence, revealing Dogma, head bent over a datapad and lips silently moving.

The collective group freezes, including Dogma who seems to realize he has the full attention of everyone in the room. His head snaps up and eyes go wide, jaw clicking shut, and for a second Rex thinks he can see fear in his brother's eyes. But his time to observe is limited, as Dogma, without so much as a word, about faces and leaves the room with the speed of a man being chased by cannon fire.

The group exchange glances and all Rex can do is shrug at the inquiring look Fives sends his way, just as stumped by his brothers behavior as the rest of them. He had expected suspicion and anger, or even the cold shoulder. Those he could understand, but fear?

He shakes himself internally. His concerns about Dogma hardly the top of his priorities at the moment.

"What about Krell?" Jesse repeats, looking between Fives and Rex in equal measure.

"We need a Jedi."

Hardcase scoffs and crosses his arms.

"Yeah, I don't know if you noticed Captain, but they're in short supply."

"I'm just saying that his ability to receive transmissions with new orders is awfully convenient, considering they're supposed to be being jammed."

Jesse looks up from cleaning his blaster with a critical eye.

"You think he's lying about communications with the 212th?"

Rex nods.

"It's a possibility. And it won't hurt to try and get General Kenobi here to assist."

"I think, " Tup starts slowly. "That I might be able to convince a few of the men to try and establish contact against orders. No promises, though."

Rex looks over to Fives, who nods in agreement.

"That's all we can ask for Tup."

Tup inclines his head at the ARC Trooper.

"And what if, and that's a karking large if mind you, we can't get the General to assist?"

Rex sighs.

"Plan B and prey."

----

Dogma was acting strange.

Usually, Tup wouldn't have paid much attention to his brother's odd habits. But he had never seen him that upset before or that close to exchanging blows with another brother. He understands Dogma's anger; he does. Is still reeling from the implications himself, even though nothing he heard really surprised him when he thought about it. But he also understands, as best as he can understand his brother, why it would affect Dogma more than the rest. He’s aware that he is the closest to Dogma, one of the few Vod’e who took the time to get to know the tightly wound trooper. And as a result, is far more used to the quirks of behavior than most and has learned to read Dogma with some degree of accuracy.

But he’s not sure what to make of his brother's recent behavior; walking into rooms, only to turn back around when he spots any of them, constantly reading at every available opportunity. Not that Dogma hadn’t done his share of recreational reading, but this was something different. The few times Tup had found him in the past hours, Dogma seemed to be enthralled, reading as if his life depended on it.

And now he is missing from his bunk.

It feels like avoidance, but never in his short life has Tup known Dogma to do anything less than face a problem head-on.

It concerns him, for Dogmas sake. His one consolation being that he knows his brother would ask for help if he needed it.

Whatever it is Dogma is up to, he only hopes it won't cause a problem for the Captain.

-----

Watching the sky for the impending destruction of the Separatist ship is by far the tensest twenty minutes of Rex’s life, and he intends to spend them with his eyes glued to the sky as if he might be able to see the raging space battle and the one small ship that contains his brother if he looks hard enough. Futile, he knows, but it's all he can do. The troops mill around him, coming and going at their own paces, running information back to the main tower, or just enjoying what rest they can in the middle of a war zone. At some point, Fives joins him.

"Any word?"

"Not yet, Captain."

"Any sign that Krell suspects?"

Fives shakes his head.

"No, Sir. I don't know what you told him about the takeoff, but he doesn't seem suspicious."

Rex didn't expect he would be, since he's almost certain that Krell knows what they are doing despite the lie Rex had fed him. Suspects that Krell knew the first time too, and that everything that followed was designed to torture himself and the men as much as possible.

They laps into silence and Rex returns his focus to the sky.

"Permission to ask a question?"

Rex glances at his brother, gauging the request.

"Granted."

"How did this mission go, last time?"

Fives is looking at him, but Rex can't meet his eyes and hopes that his brother will let the topic go with a simple answer.

"It was a success,"

"Rex, " The plea is soft, and it strikes him how much younger his brother is; the gap between them able to be measured in decades instead of a few years. Aware that behind the bravado and the swagger, Fives is as scared as Rex, wondering if he just sent his brother to his death.

He's hesitant to talk about it, the memories from Umbara old wounds that never fully healed. The sound of distant artillery and shelling only hammers home the futility of attempting to avoid them.

"I wasn't as involved last time, didn't really condone the course of action. I don't know what went wrong exactly, but from what I gathered something happened to sound the alarm, and the Seppies raised the ray shield around the main reactor. It had to be detonated by hand."

"Which brother...?"

"Hardcase."

The inhale of breath is sharp, and its what makes Rex finally look at his vod'ika, sees the pain in his eyes.

"Fives, I'm sorry."

"He knows the risks."

Rex isn't sure who the phrase is trying to console, Fives, or himself. He reaches out a hand to the back of his brother's neck, gently bringing their foreheads together. He can feel his little brother tremble ever so slightly under his touch, and he gives what he hopes is a comforting squeeze. They stay like that until the Captain feels the ARC Troopers breathing even out. When he pulls away Fives looks better, less shaken, and although his grin isn't as large as normal, it's still there. (He marks it down in a new column in his heart, right next to Ahsoka's smiles and laughter, counting it as a small victory against a war that's designed to cause as much misery as possible).

"Thanks, Gramps."

Despite himself, he laughs. Perhaps, he thinks, the nickname isn't so bad if it brings a little joy.

He's about to respond, when a flash of light overhead draws their attention; Bright orange and yellow that bleeds through the dark clouds. Hardcase did it. But he doesn't let himself relax, not yet, because for all the changes made, he still doesn't know if he changed enough.

His heart pounds in his ears and he's fairly certain that he's forgotten to breathe. The seconds tick by, each one seemingly longer than the last. Beside him, Fives is tense; eyes also fixed to the sky, waiting and watching.

The relief that foods him when he spots the speck of light approaching is indescribable. However, it quickly fades when he notices the erratic flight, the way the ship lists dangerously to one side, and (when it gets closer) the sparks that trial behind it.

The landing, if it can be called that, is rough, and when the shield comes down, Rex is there ready to catch his brother if need be. It's a good thing too, as Hardcase tumbles from the seat, blood leaking from under his helmet. It takes a matter of moments to find the pulse at his brother's neck and only then does Rex breathe. Unconscious, but miraculously alive.

Boots on the pavement prompt him and Fives to look up.

"The General requests your presence."

---

Knowing the execution order is coming doesn't make it any easier to hear or make him want to strangle the fallen Jedi any less. Especially as Hardcase, barley able to stand from what Rex strongly suspects is a concussion, has to be assisted to his mark.

“Do the prisoners request blindfolds?”

Tup looks disturbed to even be asking the question, and Rex’s heart goes out to him. No brother should have to face killing their own family.

Not right.

He has to check again to be sure he isn't imagining it, but no, it is Tup at the firing line.

Fives has begun speaking, but Rex doesn’t pay attention, too busy doing a headcount, grateful for the lack of helmets obscuring faces. He does it again, just to be sure.

Dogma isn't there.

Distantly, he's aware that Fives speech is winding to a close, but only just. Too busy running over the possibilities, the implications, and drawing a blank.

The sound of blaster fire draws his attention violently back to the present, and he is no less relieved to see that the firing squad had come to the same conclusion as before.

Fives glares at him as he walks up.

"A warning would have been nice." The ARC trooper hisses under his breath.

"And miss that speech? Look at them Fives, " he surreptitiously gestures to the men as he begins undoing the binders. "Sometimes we forget that we're more than walking numbers, especially under men like Krell. They needed to hear that."

The binders come off with a click, and Fives rubs his wrists.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I needed to hear it."

The ARC Trooper looks at the Captain for a moment, eventually nodding his head in acceptance.

"Besides, " Rex cocks an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't believe me?"

Fives punches him in the arm.

---

To say that Krell is displeased at the news of the failed execution would be an understatement. The fallen Jedi is livid, and standing before him held in a fourhanded grip, forced to look up to meet the massive force users gaze, Rex is reminded of standing up against the Imperial AT-AT on Seelos, just him, Gregor, and Wolffe; Easily uncrushable and very small.

“You are making a mistake by crossing me clone.”

It is fortunate then, that he isn't immune from the insanity that plagues his brothers, and that his tolerance for disrespect dwindled significantly with age.

“Its Captain.”

The lack of ‘Sir’ does not go unnoticed, and Krell’s grip on his arms tightens to the point of bruising. Rex does not look away. Neither does Krell, not even as a trooper relays the incoming transmission.

Rex is aware that were they alone, Krell would drop all pretenses of being a General. When the Besalisk does let go, it's accompanied by a shove and despite his best efforts, Rex stumbles.

“Lock the traitors in the brig. You have your stay of execution, Captain.”

The way Krell says his title slides like ice down Rex’s spine and leaves a rancid taste in his mouth.

“We take the Capitol now.”

---

The battle passes in a blur and by the time its over, he's shaken to his core. The reality of it so much worse than the nightmares ever were. Worse because he can still taste the ion trace from the blasters that lingers in the air, the screams of his brothers ringing to loud in his ears. Unable to console himself with the knowledge that it was just a dream.

The blood caked into his blacks.

He's only one man he tries to remind himself, only one man against a tide of destruction and death. He can't change everything.

Intellectually he knows its not his fault — that it's Krell and Krell alone that is responsible for every life lost in this sector of the planet.

It doesn't help, knowing that the battle - the loss- was designed to be a form of torture, not when it worked so well. Not when he still blames himself—his orders for the troops to not wear their helmets into battle being too little, too late, with far too many brothers dead by friendly fire.

Blames himself for every brother lost.

For Waxer.

His fists clench in a mix of rage and sorrow, before pulling himself back to present. They have minutes left before they go to confront Krell, and he needs to focus as they go over the plan one last time. The prison is hardly private, but at this point, discretion no longer matters. He knows that every brother, not just the little band he has assembled, will stand with him.

"I still say we should just kill him."

By rights, Hardcase shouldn't even be out of medical, but Rex strongly suspects that only death would have kept him from joining the fight against Krell at this point.

He shakes his head.

"And I'm right there beside you Vod, but unless we want to end up shipped back to Kamino for reconditioning, we need-"

"Evidence."

All four heads whip around. There, standing in the door to the cell, looking haggard and broken is Dogma. No one says a word as he makes his way toward the group and silently extends a datastick, hands trembling.

"I couldn't get what you said out of my mind." He addresses Rex. "About how things didn't add up. So I read his reports, ran the numbers. You were right."

His face is stony, but in his eyes, Rex can see the betrayal, the anger, the overwhelming sense of loss that comes from having ones whole world come undone around them.

"He didn't even hide it."

Ah, he read those reports. Brutal and full of plain language detailing his choices. The kind of reports where it didn't make sense how they could have gone without being flagged, not until Rex had learned the truth about Palpatine, just one of the many puzzle pieces that fell into place. Rex carefully takes the datastick.

“How do I help?”

He looks from Dogma to the cylindrical tube. Evidence, he had said.

"Is this what I think it is?"

Dogma nods.

"Every file, every report, every statistic." His smile is a wry, bitter thing. Sharp and self-deprecating, edged with the anger of a man who will never again be played for a fool. "It's amazing what you can get access to when someone thinks you're in their back pocket."

Then they have all the evidence they need.

"Tup, any word from the 212th?"

"No, Captain."

His frustration slips past his lips as a growl and he rapidly does the mental calculations, handing the datastick back to the tattooed Trooper.

"Dogma, get this to General Kenobi. I don't care how or who you have to go through to get it to him, but it's for his eyes only. Understand?"

The Trooper salutes, new purpose lending strength to his bearing, and as he barks out a "Yes, Sir!" he almost looks like the Dogma Rex remembers from the start of the campaign.

He looks around the cell at his brothers, fully kitted and armed, faces set with grim determination.

"Alright, men: Plan B."