#domino squad lives au

[zealfruity]

Got posessed by Domino Squad Lives AU emotions for the first time in a little while.

Idk where they are, but it sure is nice to vibe under the sun in some field with your bros, not having to worry about a war for once. Even just for a little while.

[dominos-onthe-holonet]

I'm not sure if making this group blog was premature or not. But I had an idea, and when I get them I act on them.

This post is basically to try and explain what this is.

I asked a Fives rper that I really think captures his essence if they were interested, and they agreed.

Idea:

I mean, this is Tumblr, so for the majority I think we'll go the 'Hey, what if clones had social media or the internet?' Route.

Though I have gone in-person/multi-para form through here before.

This is essentially like an AU idea, at the same time. What if the Domino Squad all survived past Rishi? Then we rp it.

Their big dream was becoming ARC troopers. So maybe this time they do.

I mean that's basically it.

I'm Echo, I have a Fives, I think based off of our conversation.

But if anyone knows anyone who'd be interested in joining, let me know. (Ex: Hevy, Droid-Bait, Cutup, 99)

~ Echo Mun

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN 😭

IT IS DONE,

IT

IS

DONE

-----

From a personal AU where the entire Domino squad survives Rishi moon and goes on to join the 501st.

[kbirbpods]

no turning back (ready or not) - @clonebang 2023 Team 7 Authors: @flowerparrish & kbirb Artist: @PaxDuane Word Count: 10,310 Fandom: Clone Wars Rating: Teen & Up Audiences Relationships: Jon Antilles/CT-782 | Hevy, Cutup & Droidbait & Echo & Fives & Hevy (Star Wars), Jon Antilles & Fay, Fay & CT-782 | Hevy Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Immortal, Canon-Typical Violence, Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Old Guard AU, Fix-It of Sorts, Mental Connection/Psychic Connection, psychic dreams, That's Not How The Force Works (Star Wars), Force Bond (Star Wars), Immortality, POV Alternating, Mentioned Quinlan Vos, Pre-Relationship, Developing Relationship, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Hopeful Ending Summary:

It is rare for the Force to create immortals. So rare that only those who remain know. When Jon Antilles dies, he wakes back up, but he is not alone. After the events of Rishi Moon, Hevy wakes up. Alone but dreaming. Dreaming of two Jedi he does not know, who dream of him too. Or, a Jon/Hevy Old Guard AU

featuring gorgeous artwork from PaxDuane:

[airlockfailure]

Last Line Challenge

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like). 

Got tagged by @loverboy-havocboy! Thank you n-n

This line's from the next chapter of Sanguis Et Passio and not the unnamed fic I'm working on in the background.

Hevy’s fists clench and unclench while he speaks, looking otherwise calm kneeling on the ground beside Cutup, hands on his thighs.  “We’re not a group of shinies fresh from Kamino who want to impress the Marshal Commander.  Things happen."

No pressure tags @brokenphoenix99, @intrepidmare, @wolveria, @thatfunkyopossum, let me know if you don't want to be tagged in the future, and I will try to remember not to tag you.

[gx-gameon]

As you know Chazz is my baby boy, my cinnamon apple, so to see you mention that the DM crew adopt him immediately makes me so happy.

I know you haven't seen season 4 but Chazz is probably the most understanding of the og friend squad about Jaden's trauma and AAHH I just love him and he deserves good friends and people who care about him so it makes me so happy 🤣

My and my friends also joked about how Chazz and Jaden's rivalry feels more like a sibling rivalry then anything so the idea of him becoming Jaden's unofficial brother is one I hold dear to my heart!!

Love the au as always!! Keep up the amazing work!!

No I’m really loving Chazz in my rewatch.

He just needs to be around people who make him feel safe. He needs to know it’s okay for him to be silly. Because he is silly.

But his brothers pout so much pressure on him and wouldn’t accept anything but perfection out of him. It wasn’t a safe environment.

He’s so used to trying to be ‘A Princeton’ that I don’t think he evened learned to be Chazz. Until Jaden and North Academy, until he returned to Duel Academy and made friends with the people there.

Jaden telling his brothers off after their duel is a big deal and I’m pretty close to watching the episode where Chazz’s brothers come back and I’m excited because I don’t remember that episode at all.

But ya after three years together Jaden and Chazz go through a lot. Because he’s ’the rival’ he’s more active than most of the other characters. Meaning he’s actually helping Jaden. He’s not standing by his side the way Joey or Kaiba do for Yugi when they face major villains. But he is helping. (I’m thinking about the end of Season 2 where Jaden is fighting for the world and Chazz is just kicking the cult off of campus. They aren’t ’working together’ but that is a huge weight lifted off of Jaden. He can focus on saving the world while Chazz saves their friends/school.)

And your right the way they talk to each other and interact is way more like brothers who push each other’s buttons/push each other to be better.

So ya once they graduate and all run back into each other at some torment held in Domino.

Jaden and the others are all talking and they all go their separate ways for the night.

Syrus and Zane have a hotel room together.

Atticus and Alexis do as well. They actually booked in the same hotel so it’s a sibling party!

Hassleberry has loggings at a different hotel but it’s okay because it turns out that’s where Jim and Axel are staying. They all ask where

Jaden is staying and he’s just like “with my dads they living here.” And while people are suprised since Jaden didn’t mention living in Domino the last time they were here there was also a crazy cult and it’s Jaden so they all shake it off without asking to many questions (please ask questions, maybe who are your parents or what do they do?)

Jesse isn’t arriving until the next day but Jaden already invited him to stay at the manor. Perks of being the one ‘friend’ who knows who Jaden is.

The others all walk away and Jaden turns to Chazz who hasn’t said anything yet. “So what fancy hotel you staying at?” Jaden teases knowing his friend only likes the best of the best.

But Chazz has been financially cut off by his brothers and the pro leagues haven’t started up yet for the season so he hasn’t been paid yet. He came to the tournament because his friends were talking about it in the group chat and he wanted to see them and to hopefully win some money. He wasn’t planning on telling anyone about his situation. No one else asked. But here’s Jaden asking him where he’s staying for the night. Jaden who has a home here….

At first he tries to lie and say ‘ya I got a room at the best place.” Jaden is like great I’ll walk you there.” The city is big and can be dangerous, Jaden doesn’t want his friend walking alone. But he also has eyes and has been traveling a lot himself recently he can tell it’s been a while since his friend has had a good nights sleep.

Chazz tries to refuse but Jaden is stubborn and finally Chazz cracks and tells him. “My brothers cut me off okay! I don’t have anywhere to go so if you would just leave me alone.” And no Jaden’s having none of that. He was planning on telling everyone at some point during the tournament about his family. Might as well start now.

He grabs chases arm and starts pulling him. “What are you doing you slacker unhand me!” But Jaden is not listening and pulls out his phone.

“Hey Oto-san can you send the car to my location. Also I’m bringing a friend home…. Ya everything is okay he just needs a place to stay…. It’s Chazz and his brothers are being jerks again….Thanks Oto-san love you.”

Chazz can only hear half the conversation but he’s put somethings together. 1) Jaden comes from money if his parents are “sending the car” so all the times he called Jaden poor were not correct. 2) he’s apparently staying with Jaden. 3) Jaden’s parents know his brothers are ‘jerks’

Before the can truly process any of that Jaden turns to him and give one of those small smiles he gives now not the mega watt grin he used to have but a rare soft smile. “You’re going to stay with me. Don’t worry my family’s going to love you.”

Chazz wants to argue but where else is he going to go. Besides how bad can a family full of Jaden’s be… on second thought maybe he’ll sleep under a bridge.

Too late the cars here and it’s fancy. Like nicer than what his brothers and him used to call…. Oh so not only is Jaden not poor, he’s richer than the Princetons. Okay Chazz didn’t not read this kid right at all. But to be fair what rich kid is excited to stay at the Slifer dorms? (These two rich kids)

They take the ride to Jaden’s and Chazz is trying to make himself look presentable. He wants to make a good impression. This is Jaden’s family after all. And while he’s not Jaden’s best friend, Jaden is his. And they are being kind enough to let him stay. Jaden is talking softly about different places they should visit while in town and trying to distract his anxious friend. Chazz is so in his own head/distracted by Jaden he doesn’t even realize they are at their destination until Jaden goes “oh we’re here.” And jumps out of the car.

Chazz follows, and almost falls down when he sees Kaiba Manor in front of him. ‘There is no way that Jaden is…. No he would have know that…but” Chazz is having a crisis.

Jaden is already walking up the stairs when he notices Chazz isn’t following him. He turns around and head back to his friend. “Uh Chazz are you alright?”

Chazz slowly turns to look at him. “You’re the Prince of Duels.” It’s not a question.

Suddenly Jaden is nervous. He should have told Chazz in the ride over but his friend had looked pretty stressed. “Um ya I am, though I don’t really like going by that title.” Jaden said as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

Chazz opens his mouth and closes it a few times as he processed… everything. He doesn’t get long as the front door is thrown open and Yugi Muto, the King of Games, comes out and runs to Jaden. “Jaden! It’s good to have you home.” He calls as he pulls his son!!! Into a hug and oh wow this is really real now. Chazz is standing in front of Thee Kaiba Manor with the King and Prince of Games right next to him. His brain might melt out of his ears. Yugi then turns to him and smiles. “You must be Chazz. Jaden’s told me a lot about you.”

And Chazz’s brain kicks back in. The King of Games has heard of him!! He bows quickly and lowly to show respect. “Yes Sir. It’s an honor to meet you.” Then his brain kicks back in. He raises his head to look at Jaden through his bangs. “Jaden. Why didn’t you tell us about this?” And he is hurt and a little mad. He’s trusted Jaden with a lot of information about his family and his life and it hurts to know his friend didn’t trust him in the same way.

Jaden tenses. His friend is mad at him. Jaden has done a lot of things. He’s failed to listen to and protect his friends in the dark world. He’s struggled with the guilt of his actions and his PTSD for the whole year. He’s had anxiety and PTSD since freshman year. And he’s always been afraid that his friend would hate him once he told them. He could have saved them all so much pain if he just let his family take care of all of their problems. But then his family would have been in danger. He tried his best to protect everyone and he always came up short.

Yugi feels Jaden tense and is about to go into over protective dad mode. He is very aware how badly revealing Jaden’s identity could go.

Jaden speaks before he can. “I- I was scared that people would treat me different.” It’s a weak response and Jaden is ashamed that he failed to protect everyone and chose to protect himself instead (no Jaden bad) and he’s expecting Chazz to tell him off

But Chazz can see how small Jaden is making himself. He also knows about family pressure and having to present yourself a certain way because it’s what people expect from you. He also knows how desperately he hid his connections to his duel spirits because he didn’t want to be seen as different. “That makes sense.” He says as he straightens up. He can physically see Jaden and Yugi relaxing and figures he said the right thing.

Then another thought hits him and he grabs Jaden by the shoulders startling the poor boy. “Who else knows?”

Jaden looks at his with a small hint of fear in his eyes. “Um well Chumley found out the summer before our second year.”

“Chumley knew before me!” Chazz is furious. How did Chumley earn Jaden’s trust faster than him. What did he do wrong (note Chazz’s fury is at his own short comings not Jaden but Jaden is seeing it as him being mad at him)

“I didn’t tell him he came to Kaiba Corp with Pegasus and we ran into each other.” Jaden tried to justify.

Chazz’s fury seems quelled by that. “Well that makes sense, it was an accident. Any one else.”

“Um Jesse.” Jaden says nervously.

And Chazz wants to be outrage, because Jesse only knew Jaden for a year, but honestly that tracks. “Sound right. Anyone else?”

“Um no you’re the second person I told.” And Chazz puffs up with pride at that. He’s the second. Not Syrus or Hasselberry who claim to be Jaden’s best friend, not sweet Alexis. The Chazz got to know before any of them. Maybe Jaden does see him as his best friend to, after he can see that Jaden and Jesse are on the fast track to more than friends.

Then a wicked idea comes to him. He send Jaden a Cheshire Cat grin. “So Dr. Crowler doesn’t know yet?”

Yugi who had been watching the whole exchange starts laughing. Because okay there is nothing to worry about with this kid.

Jaden matches Chazz’s smile. “Nope not a clue.”

“Oh this is going to be awesome.” Chazz cackles “you have to tell him in front of me. I have to be there for this.”

And now their all laughing and Jaden grabs his friends hand. His friend who isn’t mad at him for keeping a secret from him and is treating Jaden the same as he always has. “Sure thing. But first come meet the rest of my family.”

And suddenly Chazz is nervous again. He’s about to meet some of the biggest names in dueling. But Jaden is smiling at him, really smiling and theirs a hand in his shoulder. He turns to see Yugi with a gentle smile on his face. “Don’t worry. Jaden’s told us all about you. They’re excited to finally meet The Chazz.” And Chazz is over whelmed because Yugi is being so nice to him. And then they walk inside and Yugi pass him with a little “welcome home” and oh. Oh he hasn’t had that before.

[youeverjustmarryabountyhunter]

Recently became obsessed with cowboy au's again so I did what any reasonable person would do and made a silly Clone Wars au for pure self indulgence.

Please enjoy my silly little headcannons and maybe one day I'll actually write the thing (I've said this several times before...but one day!)

•Usually with modern au's I try to justify why Jango has so many damn kids but not this time. The man just does okay? Also he's not attracted to women so like..who knows! My favorite plot point is Jango just has a bunch of kids and no one knows why and they just have to accept that

•Jango/Myles supremacy. They're married, thank you. Silas is their third wheel that's just always sorta there.

•Good dad Jango! Always good dad Jango. I just love him okay? It's like a little treat for myself.

•Ages are like...semi...cannon? For the clones the alphas are all adults, as are the commanders. After that, Rex, Kix, Jesse and whoever else I deem to be in that like age range- are 18/19/20. Domino squad, are teenagers. Tup, Dogma, Wooley, Comet are like..ranging from preteen's to 8. Boba is the baby at 3 years old. Don't ask me about Omega or the bad batch please I haven't decided what I'm doing with them yet, probably gonna make them Arla's kiddos like the other modern au of mine. These are also like..just a general guidelines of ages I haven't really fleshed anything out.

•Boba LOVES animals. It's a good thing they live on a farm. He just..befriends all of the animals even the ones that he isn't supposed to (raccoons) Jango nearly had a heart attack. Boba was fine though, just a little grumpy that Jango took him away from the raccoon.

•It's a miracle Boba knows how to walk because he's just constantly being carried/demanding to be carried. If he has the option to be in someone's arms he will be. Spoiled little thing. Honestly all of the Fett kids are probably spoiled, but they like to tease Boba about it cause he's the baby.

•Real talk though, I think Boba is a little sweety. He just loves his aliit(family) so much and wants to spend all his time with them.

•Mando'a is a language because I said so. Mandalorians are still a culture. That's just my go to for all modern au's tbh.

•Jaster is the best grandpa EVER. He's the reason they're all spoiled. Auntie Zam ALSO spoils them rotten. Uncle Bossk does as well it's just a lot less. Hondo...is Hondo let's be honest here. They're spoiled sure but Jango would really like to know WHERE Hondo got everything from (he would not like the answer)

•I haven't figured out how or anything but Codywan IS happening. Same with Blyla (is that Aayla and Bly's ship name?? Gonna pretend it is-)

•In the vain of keeping ages semi cannon Fennec is 19 and a farmhand 👌. She's like..not legally adopted but she might as well be. Jango's baby girl right there. Boba follows her around like a puppy and it only annoys her a little. She's definitely the reason he knows bad words let's be honest.

•I'm leaning towards most face tattoos are just birthmarks. As far as names go those are just their names. No one ever said Jango was good at naming things. Isn't there a comic in legends where they have a pet eel and it's name is just eel?

•Everything I know about 3 year olds comes from the times I have babysat actually 3 year olds and google. So in that spirit, Boba does have a paci in the art depicted below simple because I wanted to draw a pacifier- but Jango is also trying to ween him off it so he doesn't mess up his teeth.

This au has consumed me like..ugh I'm obsessed with it. There may or may not be a pinterest board just entirely dedicated to it. You don't understand how in love with this silly little au I am-

If you made it this far through the post- have some traditional art that may or may not get turned digital eventually! (There was one of Myles and Jango but I literally cannot decide on Myles hairstyle and couldn't erase it anymore for fear of ripping the paper so...)

Join me next time (maybe-) for when I inevitably think of more headcannons for this au.

In order: Jango and Boba, Jango braiding Fennec's hair, and Cody!

[clone-anon]

Finding a Way

Pairing: Hevy x GN!Reader

Rating: SFW, we’ll say PG-13

Word Count: 2522

Warnings: Explosion at Rishi Station, some angst but plenty of fluff, description of injuries and healing, kissing, cuddling

A/N: This was written for @sinfulsalutations as part of the @rare-clone-fic-exchange. I hope you enjoy this. It's my first time writing Hevy, but I love him.

Summary: This is a Hevy Lives AU. You're a GAR contractor who takes supplies to various outposts, including Rishi Station. You strike up a friendly relationship with Hevy and are devastated to learn of the explosion, doing what you can to reach out to him once he heals, and getting a lot closer along the way.

Other characters mentioned: Domino Squad, 99, and OC clone medic Shots

Hevy did not like Rishi Station. All that training just to get here? The time passed in the usual way.  You connected via comms, bringing a shipment of cargo in for the squad.  He acknowledged when you asked for permission to land.  Your job had you skipping around to various outposts bringing supplies. Sometimes, you were the only outside face they saw for many rotations. 

You landed and Hevy greeted you as you got off the ship.  Echo confirmed the cargo you brought was exactly what they ordered. Ration bars, dehydrated soup mix, standard issue soap and shampoo, and five sets of spare blacks.  The boys all helped you unload the cargo and Hevy decided to walk you back to the ship. He didn’t have to. He wasn’t sure what propelled him forward, but he thought it would be a nice gesture.

“Thanks, Hevy,” you said, just before boarding.

“My pleasure,” he replied.  He smiled slightly and gave a small nod.  You returned the smile and had a feeling this was going to become your favorite stop on this route.

Every two weeks you would stop at Rishi Station with supplies and every two weeks Hevy would be there to greet you. You got to know Domino Squad well and made sure it was your last stop of the day so that you could take your time without having to worry about where you were headed next. You started including a few things that were not standard issue, just so they didn’t feel forgotten out there. They appreciated the fresh fruit, candy, and puzzles.

“You don’t have to do that,” Hevy said, as he watched his brothers immediately start scrutinizing one of the puzzles, excited for something new.

“I know,” you answered, “I just thought you’d like it.”

“I do,” he said with a smile. “I mean, er, we do. We definitely do.”

He walked you to your ship again, but instead of boarding right away, you stood outside long enough to look at the stars. You didn’t want to stay out too long with the local fauna being what they were, but you loved how clear the sky was tonight and you were really starting to like Hevy. He was strong and loyal to his brothers, but there was a gentleness to him too.  You looked at the night sky together and showed him some of the routes you took, your finger tracing a course between dotted planets. Hevy committed them to memory so he could think about you flying around out there, somehow close even if you weren’t there with him.

“If they ever let me off this moon, can I take you on a proper date?”  The question escaped his lips before he even had the chance to stop himself.

“I’d like that very much,” you replied.  “I live on Coruscant. I’m sure we could find something to do.”

“It’s a date then,” he said, reaching for your hand. You softly clasped his hand in your own, giving it a light squeeze and feeling heat fill your cheeks.  You were stuck staring into each others eyes and smiling when your chrono went off, reminding you that you definitely had to leave.

“I’m sorry,” you sighed.

“I understand,” he said, giving your hand a squeeze in return and letting it go. “Until next time.”

You nodded with a grin and got on your shuttle. He watched you fly away before rejoining his brothers.

There was not to be a next time, though.  You’d never go back to Rishi Station.  Several rotations after you left, there was an attack.  You heard about it from some other troopers on your route and your heart dropped to the floor.  It was another rotation before Echo managed to find you through a GAR database and managed to contact you.  They were back on Kamino with Hevy.  He’d nearly died, but somehow, the side panel on the bomb they made managed to stay intact and push him out of the building, protecting him from certain death.  Still, he was badly injured and the Kaminoans weren’t sure he would make it. If several jedi generals hadn’t intervened, he might not have found himself in a bacta tank. He had massive burns all over his body and a massive concussion along with internal bruising.  The recovery would not be easy.  His armor had been mostly destroyed, but it helped save him.

When you received the message, you read it as quickly as you could, hoping against hope that it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. You started crying when you read that Hevy was alive. Although your heart broke every time you got to know a clone and found out the war had taken them, Hevy was special to you. You gave yourself a moment to let the tears flow as relief swept through your being.  Once you were ready, you read the rest of the message. Hevy was doing poorly, but they were trying to keep him alive long enough for him to heal. Echo and Fives had joined the 501st and Hevy was set to join too, as long as he pulled through.  He was stuck on Kamino in the meantime.  He and Fives wanted you to know, but they couldn’t say more than that.  You immediately asked if you could come and see him, but the Kaminoans didn’t want that.  You didn’t really have a reason to be on Kamino and sneaking you in so you could visit had its risks.  Your heart sank again, but in your correspondence, Fives had an idea.  He asked if you could send a voice recording for Hevy and they could play it to him to try to help lift his spirits. They didn’t know if he could even hear it while in the bacta tank, but it was worth a shot.

And so, Echo and Fives found themselves standing outside Hevy’s bacta tank playing your recording multiple times a day. Hi Hevy. It’s me. I heard what you did and what happened. I’m proud of you and you need to get better. You still owe me a date. Promise me you’ll be there.  When Echo and Fives had to ship out with the 501st for their next mission, they gave the recording to 99, who sat there diligently playing your message at least once a day and keeping Hevy company.  After a couple rotations he started to notice Hevy’s hand twitched when he heard the recording.

Hevy heard your voice and his brain was trying to comprehend where he was. Was he alive? How was he alive? He felt himself floating and could hear 99’s voice after yours. He wished more than anything to see his brothers and to see you.  He promised himself he’d find his way back to you. 

It was only one more rotation and he was out of the tank.  He was greeted by 99, a medical droid, and a clone medic named Shots. 

“Glad to have you back, Hevy,” smiled 99, as the droid and Shots helped Hevy dry off and lay down.

“Glad to be back, 99,” he replied.

Shots and the droid started scanning Hevy and he just rolled his eyes.

“I just woke up,” he protested.

“Yes, but the faster we scan you and confirm you’re fine, the sooner you can leave,” Shots retorted with a grin. 

Hevy sighed and waited, keeping a particular eye on the droid.  There wasn’t a single clone he knew who loved the medbay or wanted to spend more time there than they had to.

“Okay, looks like your burns healed, internal bruises are mostly gone, and you have no signs of concussion,” Shots reported. “We’ll get you a training session to see how that goes, but barring any major issues, you should be ready for duty.”

Hevy was pleased with the news.  99 walked him down to his temporary quarters and told him what happened during and after the explosion. Hevy took in the information and accepted that it just wasn’t his time yet. At least they had been successful in defending Rishi Station. 

“99?”

“Yes?” 

“There was another voice. When I was in the tank. I heard your voice and one other.”  He didn’t want to give too much away, but he had to know.

“Oh yes,” 99 replied.  “Echo left this for you. Something about communicating with a supplier?”

Hevy smiled. “Thanks 99.”

A couple rotations later he passed a physical exam, was cleared to join the 501st, and headed out into battle, but not before following the instructions Echo left for how to contact you.  It all seemed to happen so quickly in your mind.  He nearly died and they were already sending him into battle. In his message, he explained what he remembered and promised you he’d be on Coruscant soon.  You wanted to see him before he headed into battle, but knew that’s not how the GAR worked.

You kept yourself busy in the meantime, still delivering supplies to the outposts and adding a new stopping point. Every time you went past the old route that would have taken you to Rishi, you smiled to yourself. You missed that stop. You missed him.  You were thankful you got to have some text correspondence while he was gone so you knew he made it through each day. He wasn’t allowed to say much about where he was or what he was doing as that was on a need-to-know basis and the army certainly didn’t want to risk soldier’s transmissions being intercepted while communicating with a civilian, but you heard from him and that got you through the day.  Your messages started getting more personal, allowing him to know you and asking questions about him. You told him about a cool plant you saw in the market or the new flavor of ration bar which did not taste as good as was advertised.

On his end, Hevy looked for a new message from you every chance he got. They always made him smile.  He loved reading about life on Coruscant, learning about your friends and the places you liked to go. He loved all the little details too.  He had gotten to know you and really liked you before the accident, but he was seriously falling for you now. He would be on Coruscant soon and felt his heart pound as he wrote, “So what about that date?”

On your end, you had to read the words over and over, just to make sure you still weren’t making it up.  You replied, “I’m ready when you are.”

The day came and your mind was only on him. You didn’t pretend to care about work that day, so much as deciding to take the day off so you weren’t distracted while flying.  Hevy wore a new set of fatigues and stood a little awkwardly at your predetermined meet-up location, but he didn’t have to wait long.  As soon as he saw you he ran to embrace you. It felt like the most natural thing. You held on to his back and shoulders, subconsciously trying to make sure he was really here. You breathed deeply and felt tears coming to your eyes. You pulled away from the hug a little, your hands tracing down each arm and resting on his hands.

“You’re here,” you said, looking up into his beautiful brown eyes. “You’re really here.”

He hugged you again. “I finally made it, cyare.”

There was so much you wanted to show him.  You took his hand and led him through that part of town, stopping at one of your favorite places to eat.  He wanted to try more food than he could possibly fit in his stomach and you told him you’d just have to bring him there back again and again.  Now that he was here you could take your time. Even though the war was still going on, you had this moment right now and you weren’t going to waste it.  Hevy loved walking around with you and held your hand the entire time, not wanting to let go. You walked him through a small festival, enjoying the music while lights shown through blown glass art in every color.  It was beautiful, but it was even better that you were sharing the experience. You chatted well into the night until the festival was starting to shut down. 

“I don’t want this night to end,” you admitted.

“I don’t either,” he agreed.

“When do you ship out next?”

“A week. The 501st boys really needed a break. I just joined them, but they’ve been out there fighting for a long time without shore leave.”

“Hevy,” you retorted with a grin, “You are part of them now and you need a break too. Besides, you just got blown up.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough.”

You looked down and thought for a moment.

“What is it,” he asked. “Is something wrong?”

You shook your head. “I was just wondering if maybe you’d like to spend the night at my place. Nothing more than… I don’t know if that would be too much.”

“I’d love to,” he answered. “I’d also love to kiss you.”

You beamed and leaned toward him.  His lips planted firmly on yours made you both smile. As he pulled away you surged forward just a bit to leave one more little kiss for him.

He took your hand and let you lead the way. You were just one level down and it wasn’t long before you let him inside, suddenly wondering why you hadn’t cleaned up more. Hevy didn’t mind though. He didn’t even notice. He liked seeing where you live and seeing your personality in the little items you had around your home.  After you both took your boots off, he grinned and picked you up, kissing you again.

“Oh! Hevy!” You looked down, a little unsure.  He calmly looked up at you, happy to have you in his arms.

“I carry a Z-6 rotary cannon,” he said confidently.  Then, a little softer he added, “I could carry you anywhere. Just say the word.”

You leaned down and rested your forehead to his, placing your arms on his shoulders and smiling down at him.

You whispered, “For tonight, how about you just take me that way.” You tilted your head and looked down the hallway toward your bedroom.

He grinned, “I can do that.”

You found yourselves in bed, snuggling against each other. While the environment was new to him, because it was you and your home, he immediately relaxed. Right now, the war didn’t exist. Right now, he was with you. He was alive and here and happy.  He settled against the pillow and pulled you a little closer.  You kissed him again.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” you said quietly.

“So am I, cyar’ika.”

You listened to his heartbeat and felt his chest rise and fall with each breath. It was comforting.  It wasn’t long before you fell asleep in each other’s arms, wanting nothing more than to steal away any moment with him you could get.

[noperopesaredope]

Do the Star Wars Clones Age at 2x Speed? Yes, and Here’s the Math

I recently decided to look up the canonical developmental ages of the clones while working on an AU concept, and while most sources said they age at twice the speed of humans, I saw a few others debating this notion. So I decided to do some research based on the time when each of the events happened and the realistic developmental age the clones could be during these periods when we see them.

Has someone probably already done this? Yes. Do I care? No. I’m autistic and can do what I want. Also, I spent a weird amount of time on this and want to share it to confirm once and for all.

So, the Kaminoans began creating the clone troopers about 10 years before the Clone Wars began. This means that by the start of the war, the oldest clones would be developmentally about 20, which makes a certain amount of sense. We also see the relative age clones are deployed, what with the Domino Squad, and they both look and act like people in their early 20s.

The war lasts for about three years, meaning the oldest clones were developmentally around 26 or so when the war ended, something that makes a certain degree of sense based on how the older clones act. They do seem a bit older than 26, acting and looking more like they are entering their 30s, but that could be due to the experiences of war drastically aging them in terms of maturity.

Rebels takes place 14 years after the war ends, but we only see the clones again in Season 2, 16 years after the war. If the clones do develop at twice the speed of humans, then the clones would have aged 32 years. Adding that by how old they were when the war ended, they would be developmentally 58.

The reason the clones appear to be older than this is likely due to their white hair. However, white/gray hair usually starts to appear during your mid-thirties, and many go full gray around 50. The clones would be developmentally almost 60, which is when plenty of people are fully gray. So it wouldn’t actually be all that unrealistic for them to be 58, and becomes more obvious when you actually take a good look at them and take into consideration their health and fitness levels.

While this isn’t actually any proof, I would also like to quickly mention how old the clones would be for the rest of the overall movie series. A New Hope takes place 19 years after the end of the Clone Wars, so the clones would have developed 38 years. Adding that by 26, it would have been 64 years for the clones. So the oldest clones would likely be developmentally 64 by the start of A New Hope. A New Hope takes place over the course of either a week or 3, which won’t affect my calculations that much.

According to a couple sources, The Empire Strikes Back takes place 3 years after A New Hope, so 22 years after the Clone Wars ended. The clones would have aged by 44 years, so they would be developmentally 70. The Empire Strikes Back likely takes place over the course of about a few months (mainly due to the Yoda training), so again, it still doesn’t affect my calculations that much.

Return of the Jedi takes place roughly a year after The Empire Strikes Back, and over the course of a week or so. The clones would have aged 2 years, so they would be developmentally 72 by the end of the 2nd trilogy. This means that a clone could have lived through both the Clone Wars and the reign of the Empire. They could have seen the Empire’s rise and its fall, depending on whether or not they died of old age. And chronologically speaking, they would only be 37.

Sadly (or perhaps luckily), they would not live to see the rise of the First Order, as that rose to power 30 years after the fall of the Empire, which would be 60 years for the clones. And that would make them developmentally 133, which is not likely.

But it’s still fascinating to me how the lifespan of a clone trooper works in the Star Wars universe. I’m currently writing up the outline of an AU about clone troopers, and I was thinking about this and how it affects them and their lives. IDK, just wanted to get all this math out of my system after doing Star Wars math for a couple of hours (for the AU).

[zealfruity]

"We all know what we have to do."

Here are the dominoes in their current AU designs! This took me way too long and the reason why is pretty much entirely because of the lineart.

Original picture I redrew this from, lineart, and flat colours below.

[fives-not-5]

Admin Rules and Info

~ Admin Information:

Admin name: Domino (because Fives~)

Pronouns: She/Her

20+ Admin

----------------------------------

- I am going with certain Canon things as well as fanon and my own personal headcanons for my interpretation of rp.

- Fives and Echo absolutely are twins

- Fives, Hardcase and Jesse are a chaos squad at the same as Fives and Echo being a dangerous Chaotic Partnership.

- I don't think I'll be doing any shipping on this blog, but if that ever changes I'll bring it up.

- all posts are open rp unless specified otherwise

- I welcome AUs and time travel shenanigans. Second part meaning, I kinda wanna interact with an Ezra even if that's technically not natural.

- I have multiple living Fives AUs I'll be doing too because he's my comfort character, so I've spent lots of time writing about him

- When rping, don't be afraid to set boundaries, they are healthy and essential.

- putting this out here because it was a problem before in star Wars rp community (it was discord but still) but no homophobia. I'm personally Bi, and I also Head canon that for Fives, even if there probably won't be any long term shipping here.

I'm blanking on what else I should put here, so I'll end it for now and maybe update later if I miss anything.

[starrylothcat]

First of all, thank you to all my followers and mutuals. If you follow me for my writing or my unhinged reblogging, I appreciate all of you from the bottom of my heart! Sorry it took me a minute to put this together! This was a fun event to run, and big hugs to everyone who sent in their shout-outs. Please check out everything on this list, there's a lot of wonderful content from even more wonderful creators! (Linking and formatting on Tumblr is wonky so if I made any mistakes or links don't work, please let me know!) Masterlist under the cut!

⭐Fanfiction⭐

Glitch’s Masterlist - OC Masterlist by @techs-stitches

Masterlist of OC Glitch x Tech

In More Ways Than One (NSFW) The Bad Batch x F Reader by @madameminor

A night out with the Batch almost turns into a bar brawl, until your quick thinking sets up the perfect cover. Then your squad starts thinking it doesn't have to stay a cover. Sharing is caring, after all.

Fireworks - Hound x F Reader by @imarvelatthestars

Reader meets Hound after her massiff makes a run for it. Will romance blossom?

Dance With Me - Echo x Reader by @kaminocasey

You're cleaning the ship, listening to music, and Echo gets an idea.

Dominoes AO3 Link - by @meridiansdominoes

Domino squad wakes up to find themselves back on Kamino, hours from taking their final test... except they remember passing the final test, and they each remember dying afterwards, too.

Ghosts of Coruscan AO3 Link by numphet on AO3

Padmé Amidala, a former senator of the fallen Republic, barely survived the childbirth. After her recovery, she suffered from partial memory loss and was led to believe that the Emperor's mysterious enforcer, Darth Vader, killed her husband on Mustafar. Eight years later, she has joined the aspiring Rebel Alliance and volunteered to take part in a high-risk operation, only to be captured and thrown into an Imperial prison. To hide her true identity and protect her children from the Empire's wrath, she is forced to use a little too predictable alias.

Doc’s Febuwhump Series - The Bad Batch x OC by @staycalmandhugaclone

Fem Medic OC fic series with all the Batchers

Nightsky (NSFW) Echo x F Reader x Rex by @rain-on-kamino

Just back from a mission, The Bad Batch is unexpectedly visited by Rex. So you just have to wait a little longer to lay down with your love Echo. Or? Maybe this is the opportunity to try something new. Especially since the handsome captain obviously has a crush on you, too.

In Need (NSFW) Hunter x Jedi F Reader by @wanderer-six

While travelling with the Bad Batch, you find yourself overwhelmed by a certain need. Unable to deal with it, you try to wait it out in hopes it will pass. But you come to find that your arousal has been unintentionally torturing your poor sergeant.

Positions (NSFW) Cody x F Reader x Rex by @kaminocasey

Rex invites Cody out to 79s, only because they have bigger plans for you tonight.

Water and Rock (NSFW) Obi Wan x F Reader by @split-spectrum

When your former master Obi Wan joins you on a mission, it's clear things aren't the same as they once were. The trials you face together may break your bond, or turn it into something else entirely.

Hunter x F Reader by @freesia-writes with bonus spicy Hunter fanart by @verndusk and a smutty part 2 by @spicy-clones. Phew! Clone Matchmaking AU Masterlist by @tcwmatchmakingau

The Clone Wars have ended, and with their legal status secured, the clone troopers look to the future, to the things they never thought they would be able to have. Homes. Families. Love. But without the support systems and social structures available to natborns, many troopers have difficulty finding meaningful connections. Enter Right to Love Matchmaking Service: a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping clone troopers find the loves of their lives.

Sharp Edges (NSFW) Crosshair x Reader by @spicy-clones & @lightwise

What started off as self-indulgent Crosshair smut has evolved into a fully-developed fic, with plot, character development, twists and turns, angst, yearning, and plenty of delicious *spice*. ;)

⭐Artwork⭐

Wrecker and Reader Cuddles (plus Lula!) by @madbunnyarts

Bo Katan Comic by @projectorthus for @bokatanweek

Celebrating Anakin's Birthday by @stealingpotatoes

They Call Themselves...The Bad Batch by @shyranno

Alpha 17 and Captain Rex by @cobaltbeam

Sexy Tech Fanart by @raevulsix

Crosshair Back on The Marauder by @zaana

Awesome Graphics by @idontgetanysleep

Fixing TBB S2 Finale by @lightspringrain

[kbirbpods]

Voiceteam 2024 has brought about the need for a new pinned Dear Podficcer Letter! This is kind of a year-round one of sorts for ease of access. This are the fandoms/tropes/etc that I always love, not just what I am hyperfixated on! For events I tend to focus on hyperfixations + always have the section about what I will make outside of my wants ~

So, please look below the cut for my general letter.

Recent-ish letters: Purimgifts '24 | ITPE '23 | Summer Swap '23

Things I Like, Regardless of Fandom:

THEMES: trans/nonbinary characters (extra points for neopronouns); gender exploration in general; found family (genfic or otherwise); angst with a happy ending; polyamory; good asexual or aromantic representation; genfic

TROPES: fix-it fics!! extra points for time travel or time loops in fix its; fake dating/marriage; mutual pining; soulmates (AU or just clearly soulmates); crack treated seriously; rivals-to-friends/lovers; oops only one bed; secret identities

CROSSOVERS!

AUs: soulmates soulmates soulmates; regency era (or any different era); modern AU; crossovers, provided i know the other fandom or the fic doesn’t require knowledge of the other fandom!; college/sport AU; fantasy/fae AUs

Star Wars AUs/Tropes (yes they need their own categories): no Order-66/Order-66 happens differently; force sensitive clones; Jon Antilles lives; [insert clone here] lives; Anakin doesn’t fall; Palpatine dies; Domino Squad Lives; force sensitive Leia; modern AUs; trans clones

PODFIC SPECIFIC: anything epistolary (texting/chat fics especially but letters and such are also fun to explore); including music / SFX if you’re comfortable; including bloopers if you have them/are comfortable exposing them

RATINGS: Contrary to popular belief I do not hate explicit fics so really any rating but I generally prefer G-M because I can be picky about what explicit content I’m absorbing.

Do Not Wants (triggers, squicks, please no):

major archive warnings (major character death is okay so long as it’s temporary and resolved); unhappy endings; I really don’t like pregnancy, which includes MPREG (I like omegaverse dynamics minus that aspect) - kidfic is cool I just don’t want pregnancy as a theme & especially not graphic depictions of it; suicide/self-harm “on screen” (mentions of past suicidal ideation/self harm are fine if not a flashback/graphic); non-/dub-con or any depictions of rape (once again, recovery is okay if done well); adult/minor relationships or relationships with unaddressed/starkly imbalanced power dynamics; any sort of poorly depicted mental health tropes (no BPD or other personality disorder bashing, no institutionalization, no “split personality” as a trope) - i really like explorations of PTSD/trauma but it has to be handled with fidelity and gentleness; and I have a random trigger about cockroaches

as a note: I do not like slave!fic but acknowledge that the situation of the clones is, at it’s core, a form of slavery. so while i ask for slave!fic AUs to be fully avoided, I do appreciate fics that tackle that aspect of the Clone Wars series with tact, fidelity, and honesty.

Fandoms & Characters I Would Love to Receive:

Star Wars: I love so much Star Wars that to split them like I did on AO3 would make this post too long. I think it’s easiest to say this: I prefer Clone Wars, Rebels, Rogue One/Andor, anything about Jon Antilles, anything about Hevy & the Domino Squad, anything Ahsoka Tano, Mandalorian culture (including Din & Grogu content!), and Mandoa as a language.

My main ships are: Cody/Obi-Wan, Kallus/Zeb, Hevy/anyone (consensual), Finn/Poe or Finn/Poe/Rey, blackkat rarepairs (mainly Jon Antilles/anyone), Jon Antilles & Fay (platonic), Waxer/Boil, Fives/Echo, Kanan/Hera, Quinlan/Fox(/Jon), Quinlan/Obi-Wan(/Cody), & Fox/Bail/Breha [also Clone OC ships!!] My favorite characters are: Hevy, Fox, Cody, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Leia, Poe, Fives, Luke, Jon Antilles, Fay (Legends)

Ted Lasso: My favorite ships are Roy/Keeley/Jamie, Ted/Trent, Roy/Keeley, and Jamie/Dani. Ted & Rebecca as platonic soulmates/besties in general. I love explorations of how much Dr. Jacob sucks and fix-its for the ending!

Batfam/DC: I can be picky and yet not? Basically, I just prefer no inner-Batfam fics of the boys because I truly view them as brothers. Jason is my boy forever & always. My favorite ships are Jason Todd/Roy Harper(/Kori), Dick Grayson/Wally West, Harley/Ivy, Tim Drake/Kon, Tim/Bernard, Tim/Kon/Bernard, and Wally/Artemis from Young Justice. This is the fandom that I specifically am obsessed with found family in. – I love exploring Alfred being the boys’ Grandpa and Bruce’s complex dadhood!

The Locked Tomb: I’m definitely Gideon/Harrow on main; I really like fics where one or both of them are trans/nonbinary. Nona is my favorite character so explorations of her found family (the household or the friends or all of them) are important to me. Cam/Pal is important to me. I love modern AUs a lot.

Our Flag Means Death: Obviously Blackbeard/Stede is a big deal and I ship it forever. But my heart belongs to Jim/Olu and any explorations of Jim’s gender identity! Pining Izzy Hands makes me weak, as long as he’s not being abusive towards Edward or Stede, so Izzy/Ed or Izzy/Ed/Stede is always choice.

ATLA: Always and forever a Zuko/Sokka shipper, specifically obsessed with found family in this, gen fic exploring the universe at all is super important to me!!!

All for the Game: Jean/Jeremy forever and always. I will always always eat up Jerejean fics. Of course Andrew/Neil. Renee/Allison. Andrew/Neil/Kevin is perfection. And really just... Gen fics around the Foxes or Trojans will always bring me so much joy.

A RARE ASK: I am super into both Dragon Age & Mass Effect. The former is much easier to find fandom for and there are a lot of fics with blanket permission statements. For Dragon Age, DA:O is my favorite (especially Alistair) or any sort of Hawke!centric fics. But in April 2024 I became re-obsessed with Mass Effect & anticipate it lasting a while. My rare ask is for Mass Effect fics - specifically Shep/Garrus or Shep/Liara (or them as a triad). Or gen fic!! But I feel like I am on an island here lol

MISC OTHERS: The Old Guard; First Kill; The Adventure Zone (Balance & Amnesty); Red, White and Royal Blue; Good Omens; The Tarot Sequence; Teen Wolf; Fallout (New Vegas, Fo4, & the show); Legend of Zelda; and Buffy (especially genfic & crossovers).

Authors with BP that I love, as a starting point:

Flowerparrish, trixree, wanderingjedihistorian, hoebiwan, blackkat, cac0daemonia, elismor_aswell, SunsetsOverLA, friendoftheJabberwock

[writingmonet]

THE MAD INSIDE OF US

My Domino Squad AU Lives is out (at least chapter one, lol).

Here's a sneak peek:

People always need a best and a worst. Cutup isn’t sure why. Just because he’s good at doing things who wants him to go get drunk (he’s not the best. The best don’t leave their brothers behind and the best don’t appear as mad in front of everyone). It doesn’t mean anything. If it does, it's solely to make him appear at his worst. But he’s a soldier of the GAR and Rex has - in his most deadly, annoying voice of Captain, firmly told him that: “We’re soldiers. We can be angry. But we cannot be angry with our brothers or let this anger blind us. That would get us killed on the battlefield.” Real pep-talk, eh captain? 

This story happened after Order 66 happened (albeit differently), months ago.

Disclaimer: alcoholism and PTSD in this chapter.

Reminder my ao3 count is WritingMonet.

@saturn-sends-hugs and @the-bi-space-ace since I remember talking about this project to you.

[shagpaboloutpost]

Set in my Dead Brothers Rescue Coalition au, because my brain won’t let it go: in the simplest of terms, this is a Domino Squad lives au and the war is over now; Hevy spent some time in the Coruscant Guard befriending my oc Nel who helped him and the rest of Domino stop Palpatine and reveal the truth about the chips. There’s a lot more context but it doesn’t play into this snippet too much, since it is very oc-centric

(Part Two; Part Three is coming soon)

It was the first time Tibanna had been to Coruscant since… he didn’t remember. He’d been once. He’d hidden in the barracks the whole time, sure that if he set foot on the streets every red-clad clone on the planet would know and treat him accordingly.

Not a terribly rational fear, but his more rational brain agreed with the outcome anyway if not the logic.

Assignment to Shag Pabol had been a gift. He’d never have to go to Coruscant again, and never risk running into a Guard who knew about him.

Now the war was over, and clones were being recalled to the Core in batches of a hundred, so they could be questioned at length about what they wanted out of life. The Jedi did it compassionately, at least; the Senate was clearly doing it because they were worried about money. For Tibanna, who’d had to spend the entire flight here listening to Starcatcher ask the same questions, it was all torture.

And what the hell was he meant to answer, anyway? His life was Shag Pabol. It was always supposed to be Shag Pabol. Who wanted a bomb defused by someone who couldn’t stand the sight of explosives? Who wanted demolitions done by a man who’d try anything but demolition? Even Wraith hadn’t wanted him, until he saw that Tibanna wasn’t about to let anyone get hurt for his shortcomings.

“Think bigger!” Starcatcher had urged him. “It’s not about doing what you’ve been doing. If you could do anything in the galaxy, what would you do?”

“I’d shove you out an airlock,” Widow had said from two seats down. A couple clones – mostly Tibanna’s squad – had snickered. Tyrant had drawn herself upright, eyes blazing.

“Widow,” she said coldly. Widow’s mouth had closed with a click. Tyrant had looked over at Starcatcher.

“Give Tibanna time to think it over,” she’d advised, flicking a sympathetic glance his way. “What are your plans?”

Starcatcher had a million of them, which if you asked Tibanna meant he wasn’t any more decisive about it than those of them who had no answer at all. But he had a feeling if he pushed his luck Tyrant would come down hard on all of them, and Wraith would be glad to watch. It was always dangerous when those two were together.

The peace only lasted so long. Not being separated by squad meant time to form new alliances, and potentially dangerous ones at that. Tibanna knew the night would go wrong when Festival called his name with Teal, Turquoise, Magenta, and Starcatcher at his back.

“You’re coming out with us, right?”

“Festival…” Tibanna searched for an excuse that wouldn’t give away how much he didn’t want to be here.

“Come on! No fireworks in bars, after all. Every clone in the army’s been to 79’s but us.”

“I’ve been,” Starcatcher offered.

“Everyone including Starcatcher but not us,” Festival said. “Tibanna. What’s the issue this time? I know you’re not actually allergic to fun.”

He sighed.

“Fine,” he said. “Fine, but only so I can keep you idiots from crashing a speeder into a wall once you’re drunk.”

“Oh, thank the Force,” Magenta said. “I didn’t want to go. You can deal with them.”

“Wait –“ Tibanna said, alarmed, but Magenta was already gone. He looked at the assembled clones with a sinking feeling: Festival, Starcatcher, Teal, and Turquoise.

“Please tell me Wraith or Ty will be there,” he said faintly.

“Not sure,” Festival said. “Only one way to find out!”

Wraith was there, and Festival whooped with delight as soon as they saw him. Teal leaned over to Turquoise, muttering something in his ear with a dirty look at Wraith. Tibanna may not be Magenta, but he knew their plotting faces when he saw them. He put an arm around each of them and hauled them after Festival to the booth where Wraith sat.

“Sergeant! Hi!” Starcatcher said delightedly. Wraith turned, and Tibanna froze. He barely noticed when Teal and Turquoise wriggled out of his grip. There were two clones sitting opposite Wraith. One wore civilian clothing. The other was fully kitted out in Coruscant Guard red, their helmet sitting on the table beside them.

“I don’t think this is the party you’re looking for,” Wraith said, but he scooted over to let Festival sit anyway. Tibanna knew he was standing there like an idiot, but he didn’t know what to do.

“What are you up to, sir? Catching up with old friends from your Intelligence days?” Starcatcher asked.

“Classified,” Wraith said.

“Banthashit, the army’s disbanded!” Turquoise blurted, apparently more eager to push his luck than he was to escape Wraith’s watchful eye altogether. “Nothing’s classified anymore.”

The clone without armour laughed.

“You’d be surprised,” they said. Teal perked up; Tibanna couldn’t blame her. This vod had a unique accent.

“Sergeant!” Teal whispered. “Sergeant, that’s the one from the recording!”

“Told you I’d be famous, Hevy,” they said. The Coruscant Guard groaned and shoved their friend.

“Ignore him,” Hevy said. “They’re the only people we know actually saw the thing, anyway.”

“That we know of,” he replied. “Hey, Hevy, scoot over, they’re still stuck standing there.”

“There’s plenty of space!” Hevy protested.

“I’m fine,” Tibanna said. “I was just – uh –“

Wraith was watching him now. Of course Wraith would notice something was wrong.

“What’s this about a recording?” Starcatcher asked.

“I found this recording in our systems,” Teal said eagerly. “After a security breach a couple months back? The one where nothing happened? And Ty and Sergeant Wraith said to keep it quiet – oh. Sorry, sir.”

“It’s not sensitive anymore,” Wraith said. “Right?”

“We just don’t want to advertise it, in case somebody doesn’t like how much time we spent breaking and entering,” said the clone with the accent. Wraith nodded. He looked up at Tibanna again, but looked away without saying anything.

“Right,” Teal said. “That’s… Was it true, then? All the things the recording said?”

Wraith pursed his lips.

“Your unit is scheduled to have your chips removed tomorrow morning,” said Hevy quietly. “We didn’t make an army-wide announcement, because the Senate is being awful as it is.”

That we was strange to hear. Hevy wasn’t a high-ranking clone, going off the armour. But they talked like these decisions had been theirs to make. Tibanna wondered again about the details of the war’s sudden end.

“Sir, if you knew about this how come we didn’t?” Starcatcher asked, sounding hurt. He was the only one. Tibanna and Festival were both used to the way Wraith operated, and Teal had obviously told Turquoise right away.

“Op sec,” Wraith said, ignoring Festival as she mouthed it with him. “Need to know only.”

“Do we get the story now?” Starcatcher asked plaintively. Everyone very visibly leaned in. Hevy nudged their vod. The other clone nudged back. Wraith groaned.

“It’s classified –“

“I’m not getting their drinks.”

Another Coruscant Guard nudged Tibanna gently out of the way with an elbow, setting down drinks for Hevy, Wraith, and the other clone. They sat next to Hevy with a wince and a sigh. As the light hit their cheek, Tibanna knew why. They’d grown their hair out, keeping it tied in a loose braid, and an intricate-looking tattoo peeked out from their sleeve, curling a little tail across the back of their ungloved hand. Those things didn’t matter. Tibanna knew the shape of the scars he’d given them.

“Shrapnel,” he blurted.

Everyone stared but Shrapnel, who curled their hand around their glass and didn’t look up.

“I was hoping that wasn’t you,” they said quietly.

“Nel?” Hevy asked.

“How deep does this dark secret thing go?” Starcatcher complained.

“Go order your drinks,” Wraith commanded the others, picking up on the implications in an instant just like always. Tibanna liked his sergeant most days, but he’d never been quite so grateful for him before. Teal and Festival took their cues, pushing Starcatcher and Turquoise with them. Wraith stood, setting a hand on Tibanna’s arm.

“Do you two need a minute?”

“It won’t take a minute,” Shrapnel said. “There’s nothing to say.”

Wraith looked from one vod to the other, obviously calculating something.

“We may not be friends, Nel,” he said. “But I think mutual informants owe each other something, and I ought to tell you that Tibanna’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with. More careful and considerate than most of my squad, and thinks everything through. It means he’s not half bad at talking those things through, either, if you let him.”

“This has nothing to do with you, sergeant,” Shrapnel said. “I’m sure you’re proud to stand up for your troops.”

“Nel, what the –“ Hevy hissed.

“I’m leaving, actually,” Shrapnel announced, visibly struggling to their feet. Tibanna’s guilt twisted over and around itself in his stomach. “Don’t want to bring your party down.”

“Shrapnel, wait,” Tibanna said, finally finding his voice as he grabbed for their wrist frantically. “Please, I – how have you been?”

“In pain,” they said shortly. “And that’s not my name.” They shook him off and walked away.

“You’re Nel’s batchmate,” Hevy said.

“Is this supposed to mean something to the rest of us?” their brother whispered. Hevy swatted him.

“I’ll tell you later, Cutup,” they said. “You are, aren’t you?”

Tibanna managed to nod.

“Shrapnel is a pretty cruel joke of a name,” Hevy said coldly.

“This coming from the man who named Droidbait?” Cutup muttered into his drink. Judging by his wince a second later, Hevy had kicked him.

“I didn’t – They were Shrapnel before it happened,” Tibanna protested weakly. He sank into a seat at last, more because he didn’t trust his legs to hold him than because he wanted to be here.

“Tibanna,” Wraith said. “What’s going on?”

Tibanna got the feeling Wraith already knew; he knew what Tibanna had done, just not who he’d done it to. The fact that Shrapnel – Nel and Wraith had known each other from Coruscant was a surprise. He was glad he’d never dropped Nel’s old name. Wraith was clever enough to put the pieces together.

“You know,” Tibanna said. Hevy was watching him like a judge. Cutup looked worried. He wished Festival would come back. He could use a squadmate. “I wasn’t careful, and I wanted to show off. Nel had an idea, some theory they wanted to test, and I loved going along with that kind of thing. I walked away to get something, leaving unstable compounds behind, and…”

He tried to say it all with the cadence of a briefing, something he’d learned a long time ago from Wraith to keep the feelings out of it. He almost made it through.

“I’m going after her,” Hevy announced, standing up. He looked Tibanna over with a neutral expression. Tibanna had assumed that was an Intelligence thing, when Wraith did it, but maybe it was just a Coruscant thing. The music and lights in the bar shifted, and for a moment Hevy looked like Nel had on that awful day. Tibanna dropped his head into his hands. The last thing he needed was to hallucinate from guilt.

“Hevy,” Cutup hissed.

“I know,” he hissed back. “Just – you can just drink your drink, all right?”

“Like hell,” Cutup said. Tibanna dug his fingers into his scalp, refusing to look up at whatever display of brotherly devotion was in front of him. He didn’t deserve it.

“Nel won’t talk to you, anyway,” Hevy said. “I’ll be back.”

Wraith sat gingerly beside Tibanna, who refused to look up.

“If I’d known I knew your batchmate…” he began awkwardly.

Now Tibanna did look up, the better to fix his sergeant with a doleful glare.

“What would you have said, sir? What could you say?”

Wraith’s moustache twitched unhappily. With a look of extreme discomfort, he gingerly wrapped an arm around Tibanna’s shoulders.

“You’re still a terrible hugger, sir,” Tibanna informed him, but he appreciated the gesture. From the look Wraith gave him, equal parts tired and amused and fond, he knew.

“Uh,” Cutup said. “Do you want to hear about the crazy Force parts of ending the war, or should I not try to distract you?”

“Please tell me about anything that doesn’t involve Nel,” Tibanna said. Cutup made a face.

“Crazy Force shit it is.”

[kill-the-feels]

I absolutely adore your Fives fic!

But I have to be honest, after reading your other stories, I'm a little nervous for the end lol!

If the unbearable still happens in the story (I still refuse to accept it and hold onto Dominoes in an iron grip 😅), I request that the Reader becomes an absolute thorn in the Empire's side.

Like, Reader doesn't have to do anything absolutely game changing, just inconvenience the Empire enough for Imperial Command to be pulling their hair out and shouting "who keeps doing this?!?!"

All the while Reader is sitting back with the most smug grin in galactic history 🤣

Thank you so much!!💜

In the spirit of full disclosure, I actually have two endings written (I never write chronologically) — the bad place™️ and a slight au. I also hold onto the Domino squad (my beloveds) with an iron grip and have let my youngest brother half-convince me Fives will be back in TBB (unlikely but I can dream)

So if we have to say goodbye to Fives, best believe Reader will get subtly devious and the Empire will regret life more than if they’d left Fives alive (you think she’s friends with Fives and didn’t learn anything about casually making life a living hell for your CO??)

hOWEVER being that I am in charge of this little story, if there were to be a miraculous escaping of Fives and Commander which then leads to them becoming a joint thorn in the Empire’s side, well, then I certainly wouldn’t be surprised…..