#fox its tired of rex's kids

[crashlanding-skywalker]

[Fox babysitting the 501st]

Kickback: How old do you think I am?

Striker: Kickback, age doesnt matter.

Striker: You can die at any time.

——————

Tag: I’m not an idiot, I just lack all common sense.

Tag: Like, I can build an entire flying ship with complex circuitry.

Tag: But you can bet that I’ll be doing the Tide Pod challenge.

——————

Ringo: Without ugly, there would be no beauty in this world.

Attie: Thank you for your sacrifice, Contrail.

——————

Nax: I know it's sad but death is a natural part of life and by the time I finish this sentence, a hundred people will have died in Lothal.

Matchstick, visibly distressed: WHY DID YOU STOP TALKING-

——————

Fox, playing with Ridge: Axe, where are you going?

Axe: To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense.

Ridge: And who's that?

Axe: Myself, Rid.

——————

Hil: You know, not every problem can be solved with a knife.

Echo: I know, that's why I always carry two.

——————

Jinx: Hi :).

The 501st:

Jinx: Everyone's bones are wet.

Fox: Why would you say that?

Jinx: Nobody was saying hi back :(.

——————

Fox: You're a loose cannon.

Echo: No, I'm not. Am i a cannon? probably yeah, but a loose cannon? Is that what you think of me, Fox?

Kix: I think you play by your own rules.

Jesse: No way, he thinks rules were made to be broken.

Fox: And those are all attributes of a loose cannon.

Echo: No, I'm just a reckless renegade.

Echo, pointing at Fives: He's the loose cannon.

Fives: *smashes a chair*

——————

Fox: Why can’t y'all just get along?

Vaughn: Because most of us are assholes, Commander.

——————

Echo, holding a knife: Imagine stabbing someone with this knife.

Kix: It would instantly cauterize the wound which means the person wouldn't bleed, so it's not very useful.

Fives: If you want information it is.

Attie: Why would you STAB a person when you can have TOAST?

——————

Echo: We should normalize not loving family members.

Dogma: You can just say “I hate my dumb fuck uncle” or whatever.

Dogma: Talk like a normal person.

——————

Kano: Remember what I told you.

Contrail: Don’t be a cunt.

——————

Attie: I think I should be allowed on ghost hunter tv shows.

Swoop: I think that would be dangerous for the ghosts.

——————

Hawk, to Dogma: ARE YOU

Jesse: Fucking.

Hawk: KIDDING ME?! YOU

Jesse: Fucking.

Hawk: IDIOT!

(silence)

Appo: What was that?

Jesse: Fox banned Hawk from swearing, so I’m helping him out.

——————

Swoop: I'm sorry. Please talk to me.

S. Fox:

Swoop: Hello? World's most amazing person?? Sweet pea? Precious cinnamon roll that's too good for this world, too pure?

S. Fox: 'Sorry' doesn't bring back my fucking froot loops.

—————— Tucker: "you should be at the club" Tucker: I can't go to the club, I'll be in there saying shit like "perchance" and "thrice"

——————

Boomer: I think I should be allowed on ghost hunter tv shows.

Swoop: I think that would be dangerous for the ghosts.

——————

Echo: Bet you can’t eat 15 crayons.

Fives: Bet you I can!

Fox sipping caff while checking to make sure Rex and Cody are still on speed dial, and goes back to reading the paper:

——————

Fox, entering the kitchen:

Fox, sees Hardcase: What are you doing?

Hardcase: Oh, I was just gonna light this chicken on fire to see if it turns into a phoenix.

Fox: It's 3 am...

Hardcase: *puppy eyes*

Fox, sighs: We can try it later

——————

Fox: Is anyone d-

Kix: Depressed?

Dogma: Drained?

Voca: Dumb?

Fives: Disliked?

Fox: -done with their work...

Fox, calling Rex: What is wrong with you kids...

[wantonlywindswept]

another trope inversion of GAR/Guard interactions:

the GAR is entirely aware that Coruscant is a shit posting.

they're not blind; they can see all the anti-clone sentiment when they're on leave. even when they're deployed, it's not like they're cut off from all news - they know how many times bills for clone rights have gone to the Senate floor and been ruthlessly voted down. they can see how even their Jedi are restrained by the Senate dragging its feet and making bad choices and handling the war like it's a game of dejarik since it will never affect them personally.

very few politicians have the respect of the clones.

but the Guard still have to work with the spoiled, self-centered bastards, and the GAR knows that they're not being treated well. but what can they do? they have no rights, the Jedi are as trapped under the Senate's thumb as they are, and it's not like they can get regular citizens to do anything.

so they offer their support as much as they can. any Guard, any Corrie who needs help, all they have to do is find one of their brothers and it will be offered without any questions.

you'd think that crime rate would go up when battle-traumatized soldiers are given leave on a city-planet like Coruscant, but it actually goes down.

way down.

the thing criminals come to realize is that if you are being chased by one of the Guard, if ANY other clone catches sight of you, it is ON SIGHT. clones in casual clothes carrying food and drinks have dropped everything to immediately join a Guard's hunt, throwing themselves into the pursuit with glee and an energy that the usually-exhausted Guards often lack. (some of them howl. those, the criminal underground agrees, are the worst.) 

and with hundreds or thousands of clones wandering around during battalions' leave, it's possible to run into one of them anywhere. and they usually travel in packs.

best just to lay low for a while.

when it leaks that the Guard regularly run low on supplies, all sorts of things start to go missing on the venators. just a box or a crate here or there, ration packs or bacta patches or cold-weather gear. there are millions of clones and thousands of ships; it's not like every little thing can be tracked by the quartermasters. 

(rex realizes that, for whatever reason, his battalion is always prioritized for resupply, and rarely any questions are asked about their requisitions. rex takes immediate and shameless advantage of this. rex manages, somehow, to lose two entire bacta tanks, along with the bacta to fill them.)

and ofc the idea that started this whole ramble - when a shiny Corrie stumbles somewhere where some of the 501st are shooting the shit, causing everything to immediately come to a halt. the kid is clutching his helmet and one of his pauldrons to his chest; his hair is mussed up and there are tears on his cheeks and bruises on his face and unadulterated panic in his eyes. 

there's an angry call in the corridor.

the shiny flinches.

fives grabs him, hears him squeak, snaps out orders. echo yanks off his bucket and his upper armor; jesse lunges for a blanket. they hustle the kid into a chair, drape the blanket over his lower body, hastily swap his upper armor and helmet for echo's. fives shoves the armor somewhere, doesn't matter, it's out of sight with the telltale red, and they all barely have enough time to drop themselves back into the chairs arranged around the table and pick up their cards before some natborn stomps into the room.

anything we can do for you, sir? sorry, no, the Guard didn't stop in here. we saw him head back down toward the rotunda, though. yes, sir. have a nice day, sir.

they close and lock the door. fives goes back to the shiny. fives was instantly prepared to help a fellow clone in need.

fives was not prepared for tears.

the kid gets snot all over the inside of echo's helmet. they take him back to Guard HQ. fox is painfully, desperately relieved to see him. fox looks too-thin and too-tired but there is a fresh GAR-issued bacta patch covering a slash across the side of his cheek. he thanks them for saving the shiny, like that's something that ever needs gratitude, but is swept away before any of them can say that. 

fives doesn't think that misplaced bacta and pilfered rations are enough support for the Guard anymore.

thankfully, rex and the rest of the GAR agree.

[hawthornsword]

Nothing Between Us But Light?

Bestest of besties. Sister of my heart. You know very fucking well that this behemoth has very nearly not been touched since its conception last year because my desire for this story currently outstrips my ability to write it. But that's what I get for putting it on the list I suppose, so. Very well. For you:

Commander Fox had never met Quinlan Vos when the Jedi shadow brought proof that Palpatine was the Sith. They brought him down together. Now Quinlan is missing, and Fox is slowly falling in love with the traces of the man he finds while he tries to bring him home.

Fox was staring into space, sitting on the couch in Quinlan’s apartment when the door opened. He couldn’t muster the energy to look and see who it was. He’d already given up on it being Quinlan. “Oh. Hello Commander Fox,” said a soft feminine voice. Secura then. Quinlan had been her master; it made sense she’d come here. “Have you heard from Quinlan?” “No. You?” he asked. “Me neither,” she sighed. Fox felt the couch dip beside him and glanced over as an arm went around him. Bly. Secura started making tea in the kitchen. “Doing alright, vod?” Bly asked. Fox shrugged. “Fine. Just tired.” “Yeah.” The soft clink of teaware was the only sound, and soon Fox could identify the familiar scent of the smoky tea Quinlan always smelled of. “Didn’t realize you were close with Vos,” Bly said after a minute. “I’m not.” They'd only known each other a few weeks. “It’s amazing how some things just have a way of bringing people together,” Secura said as she sat the tea tray down on the table in front of them. She carefully poured three cups. “Things. Like killing Sith.” “Exactly like that,” Secura said with a smile. “It’s how Obi-Wan and Anakin and Padme all met too.” “Mm, she loves telling that story,” Fox said with a small smile over his teacup. “Skywalker sounds like a cute kid. Wonder what happened?”  A laugh punched out of Bly’s chest and Secura giggled. “Quinlan was almost on that mission too,” she said. “He was on Tatooine at the time, but he couldn’t break cover to help them. I was thinking I’d get in touch with some of his contacts there, and elsewhere, to see if they’ve seen him.” Fox said nothing. Quinlan was gone, disappeared like the Shadow he was, and the Jedi were barely putting in a cursory effort to find him so far. Would his former padawan do more? She had plenty to keep her busy, and happy as well, going by the way she and Bly looked at one another. “And you’re welcome to stay here as well. Quinlan won’t mind at all,” she said. There were a lot of Vode staying in the temple, it turned out. The Jedi had opened their home to them completely. The place was huge, with hundreds of lower levels, as if it grew with Coruscant itself.  Bly told Fox where to find the Quartermaster - where he was supposed to have gone when he was released from the Halls of Healing, but he found himself slicing into Quinlan’s apartment instead - so he could get anything he needed, including a room assignment. He got a change of clothes, soft beige linen, but nothing else. One of the Guard would bring him blacks and armor as soon as he commed them anyway.  He took Secura at her word and stayed in Quinlan’s place. He slept on the couch despite Secura assuring him he could use the bedroom. She and Bly visited every day, but they didn’t comment on this. Eventually he bumped into Rex in the halls of healing and experienced a moment of blind panic thinking his vod'ika was injured. Fox hadn't heard he was back from Anaxes. Rex was fine though, if surprised at Fox pulling him into a crushing hug. He hadn't seen him since then ordeal with Ahsoka. Rex introduced him to his ARCs Fives, Tup, and Echo. The same Echo Ahsoka had been so torn up over losing at the Citadel. “It’s a miracle he survived,” Fives had said, pulling Echo close against him. “One I’m grateful for every day.” Later, back in the apartment, on Quinlan’s couch, Fox thought about that. About miracles, and Rex believing in the impossible enough to go on a wild goose chase for Echo. He commed General Secura. “Let me help you find Quinlan,” Fox said immediately when she answered. Secura smiled at him. She smiled a lot. “Of course. I was hoping you would say that.” 

[youeverjustmarryabountyhunter]

Figured I might as well start actually posting about this Au I made- 

The au in question is a Star Wars modern au that I plan to one day turn into an actual fic, but as of now it's just one poorly put together chapter and a lot of brainstorming!

It's sort of a slice of life/everyone lives/happy ending story. It's centered around Boba Fett and started as a joke about his name and how in a modern setting when people first meet him they say 'Like the tea?' And he gets irrationally annoyed by it. Hence the name "No, Not The Tea" (but shortened to "Not The Tea" because removing 1 word suddenly makes it less of a mouthful)

But let's meet the characters, yeah?

The star of our show, Boba Fett, is 15 years old and the story starts with his first year of highschool.  He's grumpy (your typically moody teen) and the youngest of his brothers unless you count Din (14) and he does because he's tired of being the baby. (It does have its perks, though) Din isn't actually his brother, but he and the rest of their little rag tag group might aswell be family. (Peli 17, Fennec 16, and Cobb 15) 

Next up we have everyone's favorite dad, Jango Fett! (He's a very good father in this) Father of 3 boys(or so he thought) Kote "Cody" (23), Rex(19), and Boba, he has his hands full despite two of them being grown. He works as a bounty hunter (cause that's an actual profession) and his hobbies include annoying his family, and crushing on his kids history teacher. At the age of 18, he signed up to be a sperm donor unaware of just how much they would be using his DNA. Turns out? A lot. And the majority don't seem to have a good home life. He's sufficiently pissed, when he finds out. 

Coming in as the eldest child of the Fett household we have Cody! (That was until 17 and Fox showed up at least) Any legal document you find will say "Kote" but people are stupid and difficult and can't pronounce it (it's exceedingly simple, really) so Cody was born. Cody is a caffeine addict (though what Fett isn't?) and will jump at any opportunity to bother his younger brothers. (He once got Obi-Wan to buy Boba a boba-tea..Obi-Wan thought it was sweet! Boba almost committed a murder. They do not speak of that incident) 

The middle child that somehow became a father to twins before anybody else could even think of utter the words "grandchildren" would be Rex. It's not like it's his fault! He figured having his 8th period of his senior year would be fun. He didn't anticipate that helping his gym teacher out would involve talking a sophomore down from a panic attack. (Echo, 16 at the time. 17 when our story starts) It's absolutely not Rex's fault that he and his twin followed him around like little ducklings after that. (Fives called him dad as a joke, so Rex took it upon himself to tell Jango that he had grandkids and almost gave the man a heart attack.) It doesn't help the Echo and Fives look suspiciously like Boba- hey wait a minute! Yeah, you guessed it. Long lost kids^^ 

Alright speed round let's go,

Arla's kids are the Bad Batch boys(she adopted them, they have no relation to Jango. Hunter 21, Wrecker 20, Crosshair and Tech 19) Omega is 11 and her biological daughter. Her big brothers love her to death. 

Ahsoka is 19 and Rex's bff. 

Luke and Leia are also 11, and they're their parents (and Uncle Obi's, and auntie soka's) pride and joy. Anakin and Padme have basically adopted Han (15. Was in Boba's grade but got held back) as their own at this point. 

Wolffe is Cody's age, and the oldest of his brothers (Sinker, Boost, and Comet). They were put into the system (Yes, they came from Jango's DNA) and Plo Koon adopted them. When Jango and Plo first met they exchanged numbers and gushed about their children. (There is much more to that story but that's for a later post)

Ima-gun Di is an ex war general and currently married to Keeli. These two have absolutely NO role in the story whatsoever, I just love them. Jango has only met them once and it was because Ima-gun mistook Jango for Keeli at a grocery store once. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi is a tired, loving man who teaches history at a highschool and has a not so secret crush on one of his student's fathers. (He's actually taught all the Fett boy's, lord help him.)

Jaster Mereel just wants to know how his ad keeps ending up with kids. He was already confused where the first three came from but now there are 7??(Alpha-17. Oldest. Jango is more of a brother to him if anything. Fox, did not intend to be apart of this family in the slightest and that was fine up until he met Boba and they bonded. Now he's an Ori’vod?? Yeah that checks. Then of course Cody, Rex, Echo&Fives, and Boba.) Best grandfather ever.

Mando'a is a language, because I actually love it sm- 

There is so much more lore to this au than I realized, and this isn't even all of it. I fully plan on posting more, and I have a lot of art that I've done for it if I would ever get around to finishing it/posting it. Feel free to ask questions, and I hope to post more! 

(Fun fact, I accidentally deleted all of this the first time I type it. So this is the second time I've typed it- I'm not bitter.)

[soclonely]

what about…the clones as people you’d see in the airport at 3pm on a tuesday*?

*assuming non-holiday week

This is ironic because next Tuesday I will be at the airport at 3pm on a work trip! Are you secretly my boss? 👀 If so, I deserve a raise!

Rex- Carrying coffee around for hours. Has probably hit starbucks 4 different times already and their wait time for their flight is only 2 hours

Echo- An oddly specific one. Blonde haired, messy bunned girl wearing a white t-shirt, black athetic shorts OR grey sweatpants, wearing birkenstocks, carrying a vera bradley backpack and a rolling bag, with her travel pillow hanging around her neck. I see them every time! Just pure absolute comfort

Fives- that one asshole sleeping on the ground with their legs sticking out and their hood up.

Jesse- Deer in headlights, first time traveler who has a PAPER TICKET with them. Bless these adults

Kix- The person whose phone is cranked up and they are talking and laughing loudly on it as they wander

Tup- no hesitation business traveler who has no problem running you over on the moving sidewalk to get to the business lounge.

Dogma- mentions to the clerk they have preboarding like 5 different times and asks to make sure they will be first to let on

Hardcase- the bachelorette party coming back from an extended weekend in Miami.. literally the worst flight experience of my life

Coric- The person running across 4 terminals with all of their belongings to catch their next flight because they thought flying into atlanta with only an hour between flights was plenty of time

Bly- the annoying couple walking in front of you slowly with their wheelie bags and holding onto one another. If you miss your flight because of them its totally okay to steal their wedding rings.

99- the airport worker in the golf cart. idk why, but hes always there

Cody- Flight attendants/pilots that are quickly shuffling around the airport to their next flight. they travel in a fucking pack

Waxer/Boil- Mom with a toddler who cannot keep them entertained. pushing them around the airport in a stroller, giving them constant snacks and toys, and having to watch them pick it up everytime their child throws it and cackles

Wolffe- The very tired customer service rep at the flight desk.

Boost/Sinker- Same as Kix BUT sitting next to you at the gate while waiting for your flight

Hunter- The dad who thought it would be cheaper to take a family trip in the middle of the week so him, his wife, and their five kids are going through checklists, looking at pamphlets, and talking while they wait to board.

Wrecker- The loud kid asking everyone questions and running all over the terminal while their parents just ignore it.

Tech- The dude sitting right in the middle of the outlet area near your gate and hogging the whole fucking table. I hate these guys

Crosshair- The group of people who bought plane tickets, but did not reserve their seats so they are now asking everyone at the gate if they will trade so they can sit next to their friends. No maam I paid an extra few $$ to pick my seat I will not trade you.

Omega- The influencer. Look, I love Omega but there is some serious influencer vibes there. selfies all over the airport

Howzer- the security guard that keeps following me around. I know I didnt do anything illegal but seeing the same one over and over again keeps making me second guess myself. like i dunno AM i actually smuggling drugs?

Fox- The group of guys sitting at the airport bar!

Gregor- The man with literally all the snacks. Seeing him at every convenience store in the airport (thats me)

[soclonely]

Rex- The turkey of course! He is the main dish of the clone wars, may as well bring it to dinner

Echo- greenbean casserole. but instead of cream of mushroom soup he uses cream of chicken. All clones sadly picked up Jango's mushroom allergy... and I may be projecting on this

Fives- sweet potatos, with extra marshmallows on top

Jesse- The rolls. No one trusts him to cook because last Space Thanksgiving he burnt the kitchen

Kix- Tofuturkey... guys my cousin was in charge of the main dish one year and his very vegan PETA girlfriend decided not to tell anyone they were bringing a turkey COMPLETELY made of tofu.. it was honestly very frightening

Tup- The family drama 💅

Dogma- stuffing. he makes an amazing one with sausage and sage and appples

Hardcase- Brown sugar and pineapple ham

Coric- napkins and paper plates. he knows the host will be tired after all that prep and ya know what? nothing wrong with splurging on convenience once a year to save sanity

Bly- ultra fancy macaroni and cheese (its his girlfriends recipe so you better compliment it!)

99- literally makes THE BEST mashed potatos

Cody- homemade cranberry sauce

Waxer/Boil- cookies and some icing to decorate them. Its a fun activities for the kids at dinner and a great way to distract them before food!

Wolffe- Pumpkin pie, with extra whipped cream on the side for topping

Boost/Sinker- chips and dip! gotta have something to munch on while football is playing.

Hunter- meat and cheese tray, with fancy crackers.

Wrecker-Apple pie and vanilla ice cream

Tech- he has researched AND perfected the art of making the best gravy possible, so he will do that for you.

Crosshair- baked beans with bacon

Omega-fruit and veggie trays with some of the best dipping ranch this side of the galaxy

Howzer- creamed corn with a twist, just a hint of heat when he adds some peppers

Fox- The drinks, specifically coffee and beer

Gregor-pigs in a blanket, also a blanket for himself because after this meal, he is ready for a nap!

Public Poll

The Clones are hosting a thanksgiving potluck! Who’s coming and what are they bringing?

@soclonely tagging my wifey because this is right up her alley

[mwolf0epsilon]

Whumptober Day 21: Famous Last Words

Prompt: Coughing Up Blood

Summary: There's a lot of things that Doom regrets. Looking into what happened on Ringo Vida might be the last one.

[Never written Doom before. Might be the first and last, which is ironic considering how this one ends.]

THIS STORY IS ALSO ON AO3

---

Doom might not know what it was like to be a Jedi following their doctrine and its enigmatic intricacies, but he did understand what it was like to mourn the death of a sibling. He's done so hundreds if not thousands of times already, and was well acquainted with the five stages of grief.

General Tiplar's death had taken its toll on general Tiplee.

His heart ached for his one remaining general. He understood how much it hurt to lose someone so close to your heart. Jedi or not, the twins had been an inseparable duo. Seeing one without the other felt like a crime...

But not even he would risk the hide of his men just because he was hurting. Which was what Tiplee had been doing since Ringo Vida. The scarlet skinned Mikkia had become so caught up in anger and grief that she did not seem to be able to process, that she no longer seemed to have any regard for sensible planning of any of the assaults she lead.

Aggressive tactics had become her go to strategy. A means to turn her hurt into a sharp weapon she could use.

Doom's men were dying because of unresolved grief.

During the first week since the murder on the battlefield, Doom had been absolutely seething. Betrayal had never been something easy for him to let go of, and that 501st trooper who'd shot down his general had betrayed him and his men in a way that had certainly gotten his blood boiling.

Shameful as it was to admit, he'd felt a strange sense of satisfaction when he'd heard the kid had died. Taken with him whatever rabies he'd caught that lead him to gun down an innocent without a thought.

He'd stopped feeling all that good when he realized what path his own grief had been taking him. How much he'd let it consume him that he didn't mourn a sick brother who'd obviously had no control over his own diseased brain.

If anything, Doom had felt worse when he heard another brother had perished as a result of the same sickness. Apparently the kid's closest friend had gotten infected trying to find a cure for him. Subsequently going off the deep end and tried to kill the chancellor due to delirium and confusion.

None of them had been at fault.

Doom's misery had spoken too loud for him to think clearly. Just as Tiplee's own grief blinded her to the suffering of the men she was getting killed out on the field.

War and pestilence were not fair mistresses. Neither was bereavement.

Even so something had definitely felt off about the whole situation. Doom had just never been able to really put a finger on it. To scratch that irritating little itch in the back of his brain that screamed of a wrongness unknown.

Not until now...

Captain Rex had given him no answers when he'd sought him out. Refused to so much as address either incidents that had not only resulted in a dead Jedi, but two dead brothers as well. The blond trooper had even told him to leave his men alone to try to process the losses at their own pace.

Doom hadn't even dared go to Skywalker.

The brash general of the 501st had never been someone he liked to deal with whenever his battalion was forced to work with him and his men and, seeing as Rex was not cooperating, he doubted his pig-headed Jedi would either.

That left him with only one other source of information that might know what happened. The one that had to put down another brother to ensure that damnable virus didn't infect anyone else...

Commander Fox would surely give him the closure he needed.

Or at least he'd thought so. What he got instead were cryptic answers and hushed whispers. Warnings that made little sense to him at the time. Warnings that came from tired lips and a pleading tone.

"Leave well enough alone Doom, before something happens to you as well..." Fox had told him through gritted teeth. His bucket had still been on, but his body language was nothing if not fearful. Unguarded. Tired. "Nothing good ever comes from troopers putting their noses where they don't belong."

Looking back on it now, Fox had likely been trying to protect him more than dissuade him from finding a way to deal with his loss. He'd not understood him then. He'd just wanted to find answers that would appease Tiplee before someone else had to needlessly die in battle.

But now?

He and Fox had never been close... But Fox hadn't wanted him to die like this. Because he knew it was going to happen. The amount of corpses Doom was surrounded by as he bled out, choking on his own blood and regrets, told him as much.

Empty eyes, a drawn blaster, armour so coated in red it couldn't all be paint... Commander Doom had dug too deep and it had cost him everything. It had likely cost Fox a lot more however.

This little nook in the lower levels where brothers were thrown to die, coughing up blood while the marshal commander of the Coruscant Guard stared without truly seeing, couldn't have been anything more than a punishment for a man who only wanted to protect his kin.

At least Doom wouldn't die in ignorance. A bittersweet comfort.

[masterjedilenawrites]

My guy, can I just say that I LOVE your writing? Its absolutely amazing and wholesome! speaking of wholesome, could I maybe request the clones with an s/o who wants a child? Or maybe the clones as fathers?

Wow thank you, I'm flailing on the floor from these compliments! Glad to provide some wholesome content for the fandom in these trying times... #bringcrosshairhome

I just did a Clones with pregnant S/O request, so here's Clones as fathers...

Cody is a dutiful father. He takes the job seriously right from the start, seamlessly readjusting his life to include his child as if they'd always been there. He'll take any opportunity to teach his child all the important things, from hands-on tasks like fixing a speeder or shooting a blaster, to more abstract concepts like being polite to strangers and apologizing when in the wrong. When he has to choose work over home, he makes up for it with extra attention when he returns.

Rex is a super-dad. His kids look up to him their entire lives, believing he really is a superhero. Think Jack Pearson from This is Us. He'll dress up for tea parties, and listen to the same stories over and over, and chauffeur them and their friends around town, and help with homework, and lend them money for when they go on their first date.... He's tired all the time, but he never lets it show. He and his S/O are partners in this endeavor; their teamwork is admirable and enviable.

Wolffe is a private dad. He keeps his family life separate, that way he can be the tough leader he needs to be in battle, and then let all of that go when he returns home. He's a secret softie and only his S/O and child ever see that side of him. They have him wrapped around their finger; he knows this, and loves it. There isn't a single thing he wouldn't do for either of them. They are his world. He gets sentimental about a lot of things and doesn't like how fast his baby grows up.

Fox is a doting father. He'd spoil the shit out of his kids. Sneaking candy when their mom says no, buying the toy they secretly eyed in the store, letting them stay up late and watch him clean his armor. He gets in trouble with his S/O a lot, but he can't help it. He wants to give his kids the entire galaxy. He can discipline them when necessary, and because he only does so sparingly, his kids take it seriously and never act that way again. He thinks they are just perfect.

Fives is a proud dad. Everything his children do is amazing. He keeps every last drawing or craft they make for him. He recounts every milestone of their lives to his brothers. He cries over them a lot. He is just in awe of how they grow up, all their strength and potential and innocence, he just eats it up. He definitely wears T-Shirts that have puns of the word dad in it, so anyone who sees him knows who he is. It's the most important part of his life, far more than being a soldier.

Echo is a nurturing father. He is very concerned with the health and happiness of his child. He's more nervous when they're young, wondering if they're behind in their development or whether their runny nose is a sign of something more serious. He's more comfortable when they get older, letting them do more on their own. He's big on communication and uses little codewords. Like, Cover-fire means he needs them to just do as they're told. DMZ means they're free to speak their mind, no judgement. Retreat means they need to rethink their bad attitude and apologize.

Jesse is a hip dad. He doesn't try to be, he just is. He never really let go of that part of himself after becoming a father, listening to certain kinds of music or having a fun night out. He doesn't set a lot of rules; in fact, he openly allows certain things that other parents might balk at. He figures it's better for them to experience these things in the safety of their home, rather than doing it behind his back and getting hurt. His kids like their cool dad, they're never embarrassed.

Kix is an affectionate father. His favorite thing in the whole galaxy is coming home to his children tackling him with hugs and kisses. He might coddle in the early years, letting them sleep in his bed or carrying them around everywhere. But as they grow, he's more encouraging of their independence, so long as they still let him hug them whenever he wants. He's also obsessed with health; totally the dad who never lets them eat any sugar or watch TV if the sun's still shining.

Tup is a timid dad. He second-guesses himself a lot, wondering if he made the right decisions or said the right things to his child. He does his best to learn and catch on to the best way to go about things, but it seems as soon as he's finally comfortable, his child has grown up or moved on to the next phase and he has to start over. He is best during the quiet moments of his child's life: reading stories before bed, giggling during bathtime, comforting a broken heart...

Dogma is a responsible father. He prioritizes rules over all else, but puts a lot of thought and care into crafting them. And he's created a lot of rules for himself, too. Things like always wishing them good-night, even when he's away on missions. Or never expressing his frustration in front of them. He creates plenty of opportunities for them to earn privileges or other rewards. He disciplines firmly but fairly. He splits the child-rearing duties with his S/O evenly, as well.

Hardcase is a dorky dad. He's not as hardcore at home as he is on the battlefield, but he still has a lot of energy and releases it through corny jokes, silly antics, and other displays of tomfoolery. Think Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. He wants to be his children's best friend. He tries to keep up with all the trends and slang, which just makes his kids cringe in embarrassment. He's not the best with discipline, but he does get more serious if one of them is hurt or struggling.

Hunter is an interactive father. He will never be considered distant, oh no. He engages with his kid on every level, being a constant and dependable presence in their life. He talks to them as a baby even when they don't understand. He lets them tag along as a toddler, indulging in their curiosity. He checks in with them when they're older, having honest conversations about whatever is on their mind.

Wrecker is a playful dad. Life is an adventure and he's excited to take his children along on the ride. He'd have a lot of kids, filling his home with sounds of laughter and fighting and joy and tears. He'd encourage them to develop a hobby and would attend every competition, performance, etc. without fail. Even with so many to keep track of, he manages to make each one feel special, they all have an important place in the family and never get left out, not on his watch.

Crosshair is a protective father. He knows he's not the best with emotions, so he makes up for it by always having his child's back. Looking out for them. Keeping them safe. He'd teach them how to fight from an early age, going to shooting ranges or on hunts. It'll be their "thing," a way for them to quietly connect through the years. And heaven help the poor soul who ever hurts his little one. He will not hold back in defending their honor and squeezing out an apology.

Tech is a chill dad. He isn't bothered by much, so he keeps his cool through even the roughest stages of his child's development. This ends up creating a sense of stability for his family, they can always count on Dad to keep things steady and real. He won't pry into his child's life; if they want help, they'll need to come to him. But once they do, he is passionate about teaching them everything he knows. He will support them in all of their studies, hobbies, and interests.

[nimsajlove]

Brother Wolf

Some things about Ahsoka and Wolffe between the passing of time.

Brothers-AU         Ao3

Edit: What the actual hell did tumblr do to my teeny tiny stars? Or is this just me?

*~*

„Hey, who does this cadet belong to?“, a voice rang through the hangar, Jedi General Plo Koon and Commander Wolffe interrupted their conversation to raise their heads. A clone in gleaming white armor made its way through the men seated on the ground. He had grabbed a young girl by the wrist. She watched with amazement as hundreds of soldiers covered their armor with paint. Then she grinned broadly at her, obviously involuntary, companion and tried to pull her hand away from him. „I can manage on my own.“, she protested and Woffe was tempted to roll his eyes, when the general's low chuckle threw him a bit off. „Thank you very much, I will take over from here.“, assured General Koon and held out his big hand to the girl. Wolffe was fascinated, he had never really seen a togruta and he had not expected that the color of the lekku could darken that quickly!

„Sir.“, the man in white armor responded to the command and released the girl from his grasp. Hastily she reached out and clasped General Koon's fingers in hers. When she smiled, the snow-white markings on her cheekbones lifted with it. „‘Soka, how long did it take you to get here?“, asked the General and the girl grinned even wider, if possible. „It took me 10 minutes.“, she boasted. Oh dear, Wolffe only had needed 5 on his first day on Coruscant. But he also swallowed the thought, later when he was alone he would allow himself to grin a little. But not now, not in front of his Jedi.

General Koon did seem to be smiling, however. „Commander Wolffe, may I introduce you jedi youngling Ahsoka?“ She pouted! She didn't seem to like the addition of youngling at all... „‘Soka, that's Commander Wolffe.“ Wolffe bowed his head in greeting and the girl, Ahsoka, looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes. Was she studying his helmet? „Are that supposed to be ... teeth?“, she asked critically and General Koon seemed to smile again, where had Wolffe got into? A jedi cadet who eyed him with a predatory look and a jedi general who seemed to be having a lot of fun. If he told Fox that, it might even make his brother laugh.

Before Wolffe could answer, the General's comlink blinked. „Ah… Commander, I'll leave little Ahsoka with you. I'll be right back.“ Great. Wolffe looked after the General for a moment, would it be beneath his dignity to just send the kid home? Sighing softly, he turned his gaze back to Ahsoka and when he watched how she already followed Boost every step of the way, grinning broadly and with amazed eyes, he actually had to smile.

*

Wolffe was tired, so infinitely tired. But grumpy too, and that was exactly what he needed to mask his exhaustion as best he could. Still, he couldn't find the energy to get up when the ship jumped into hyperspace. His stomach was sure, however, that General Koon hadn't been behind the wheel! Rex spoke well of Skywalker, but Wolffe was very happy to serve under another jedi at moments like these.

Soft snoring made him open one eye, Boost and Sinker leaned together slumped against the wall opposite him and slept leaning against each other. They were still in a pretty good shape... What would become of them now? It only seemed logical to split Boost and Sinker among other battalions and assign him, Wolffe, to another unit as well. That would mean less paperwork, right? Kark! This wasn't fair! But he would pull himself together for his last two men. And for the General.

Soft steps made Wolffe blink again, when did he close his eyes again? Ahsoka crept cautiously through the ship, armed with a couple of blankets. One more reason to pull himself together. Rex's tiny Commander-sibling didn't have to see any more suffering than she already would see in this war. Why hadn't General Koon spoken out against her being a padawan? She was a child! Just a little girl who, just a few months ago, had stood in his hangar with wide eyes. And now? Now there was that sad look she gave Boost and Sinker.

Ahsoka gently wrapped two blankets around the two men before she straightened up and padded over to Wolffe with the last one. Wonderful, now the little thing had to take care of him! „It's okay, I'll be fine.“, he growled and got up a little, Ahsoka looked at him. Her gaze was far too serious for her small, round face. Then she clicked her tongue miserably and threw the blanket over the clone anyway. „I'm sorry.“, she muttered and when Wolffe rolled his eyes it was just a reason for her to crawl closer to him. Finally she sat on the floor too, pressed close to his side. That wasn't so bad... „Cody asked about you. And Rex too“, Ahsoka mumbled softly and Wolffe rolled his eyes again, but leaned back against the escape pod again, puffing. „Of course they did...“, he muttered softly and the girl laughed softly into his uniform. „I told them you are fine...“, she added and then fell silent. No, she shouldn't worry her tiny head over all of this. „We will be.“, Wolffe assured her quietly. Ahsoka cuddled closer to him and even if he neither hugged her nor wrapped the blanket around her, she felt his head sag a little in her direction.

*

Rex hadn't returned yet... Cody next to Wolffe glanced at the door again, the mood of the two commanders had clearly sagged. And not just theirs, Wolffe could see some of Rex's men in a corner. Their heads were huddled together and they were whispering to one another. The ARC, Fives, had its arms crossed and leaned against a brother's hand. Cody looked at the door again. „Kriff, that is no longer bearable. I'll go and look for them.“, Wolffe grumbled and got up.

Cody didn't try to stop him, just nodded and got to his feet as well. Well, they seemed to agree this time! With great strides Wolffe made his way outside, if Ahsoka was really there again she would never stay outside that long. Or would she? After all, she belonged to the family... Oh, all of this sucked! Really, the whole thing was just completly unfair! He had believed Rex. Ahsoka Tano would never kill clones, not with those big eyes and grin. But she had been together with Ventress and what should he think of that?! He would have shot the witch on the spot, if Ahsoka hadn't been standing in front of him. She had defended the enemy.

But at the same time she had tried to protect him and the men. Wanted to talk! He should have just stunned her right then and she would never have gotten even close to that damn warehouse.

The evening air was cold and cleared the many thoughts from Wolffe's head. That was all behind them, Ahsoka was alive. She was innocent. That counted. He had reached his goal and had brought her home when Rex and Skywalker were unable to. Even if he had expected more ... backbone from General Plo. But he didn't owe Plo an apology, they all owed it to Ahsoka. Hardly thought through, he discovered two huddled figures. So that's where Rex had been! The Captain sat leaning against the wall of the barrack in the darkness and that on his lap was a violently trembling Ahsoka. Kriff, maybe Cody should have gone looking for them after all? Too late now, Rex looked up and caught Wolffe's gaze. All right, going back was no longer an option. So he came closer with careful steps. Ahsoka had turned her back on him, he could see as she tensed when he came within earshot. Rex had an arm wrapped around her, his free hand gently rubbing her back. A low growl escaped the girl and while Rex looked worried, Wolffe had to smile against his will. What a cute attempt to chase him away again. But she had mastert the art to ignore his grumbling, so he would return the favor.

Also, he had come here on a mission and he still had to apologize. That would be difficult enough... „Your men are getting annoying in there.“, Wolffe muttered and Rex snorted, of course his little brother knew immediately which men were meant! „Fine. Ahsoka, I'll go and talk to the others. I'll be right back, okay?“, he muttered and the girl shuddered before she nodded and slipped off Rex's lap. When he got up, he gave Wolffe a questioning look. „I'm staying.“, confirmed Wolffe.

That seemed to move Rex to give Wolffe another sharp look. Hey! He didn't even have a blaster on hand and he was sure that Ahsoka would bite off his hand anyway before he could draw a single blaster. She certainly could. Rex went back inside and Wolffe sat on the floor next to Ahsoka. There was a low growl and she shrugged her shoulders protectively. „No reason to be rude.“, he grumbled and Ahsoka's head jerked up, with tear-stained eyes and bared teeth she looked at him. „I trusted you!“, she spat, ouch. That ... maybe he deserved that. But that's not how things would work here, he already felt guilty and she wasn't going to talk it any bigger! „And I trusted you too. And yet you were with Ventress.“, he replied chilled, quietly. Then her lower lip started trembling. Kriff.

Ahsoka angrily wiped her face with her hands and hastily tried her body to get herself back under control. She wanted to be mad! She wanted to bite and scratch. But there was just that deep fear inside of her. The back of a hand on her shoulder almost made her jump in the air. Then she tried to avoid the touch. No chance, Wolffe's hand stayed on her shoulder. Like glued on. „I hate you.“, she sniffed tired and angry and sad. This was too much for one day, just too much. Wolffe watched her make a face and then carefully turned his hand, now he gripped her shoulder tightly. „I'm sorry. It wasn't fair.“, he admitted quietly and Ahsoka slumped, she just nodded. „I never believed you could have done any of this. But Fox and the others couldn't be talked into anything diffrent. I wanted to bring you back home.“ She nodded again and Wolffe took a deep breath, he had said what had to be said. It wouldn't hurt to go back inside now and get Rex! He was just getting up again when Ahsoka suddenly slumped to one side. With a thump, her head landed on his shoulder and he froze. It had been ages since she'd gotten that close to him. „I'm sorry I hit you.“, she muttered and Wolffe could feel her shaking again. Kriff. Slowly he raised a hand and squeezed her shoulder. „It's okay, it's been a strange day.“, he muttered and she nodded. Tears still shone on her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and she trembled violently with every breath. Were she cold? „You should get back into the warmth.“, Wolffe decided and got up, with one hand he pulled her to her feet and supported her. She looked pathetic, absolutely drained. And like she needed a hug.

He didn’t hug her. Instead he led them slowly back into the building, across the hallway to the 501st quarters. Inside, voices could be heard. What were these laser brains arguing about this time? Sighing, Wolffe knocked on the door and the voices fell silent. Then the door opened and several hands grabbed Ahsoka. The girl sagged weakly against her other brothers and Wolffe withdrew a tiny bit when she suddenly grabbed him. „I forgive you, it wasn't your fault.“, she mumbled and the others froze again, Wolffe smiled. „And not yours either. It will be okay.“

*

„It will be okay.“, Ahsoka mumbled softly to the wriggling bundle in her arms. Little fingers reached out to her face and grabbed the tips of her lekku. The little girl was beautiful. The fact that Padme could already be seen in Leia after a few months only intensified the effect. But maybe that was just Ahsoka perspective...

No one had protested when she had come into the creche and picked up Leia. No one had stopped her when she had went out with the child and just stopped at the steps of the temple. Even the remaining guards avoided them. Leia patted Ahsoka's cheek with one hand and she blinked hastily, her cheeks were wet. But today was supposed to be a good day! Today Master Plo would come back. And even if she could do without a meeting with her father figure, she just didn't want to miss her brother! Since the battle in the temple, Plo Koon had been out with his men to track down Tamboa. Something Ahsoka would have liked to do herself, but the healers and her brothers found her to be too unstable. Pah...

Before her frustration could swell further and mix with her depressed mood, Leia turned her little head and Ahsoka followed her gaze, Plo Koons presence could already be felt before the speeder stopped and two figures emerged from it. The Jedi Master led the way, Wolffe followed. As they climbed the steps, Ahsoka cocked her head a little, they looked tired. Nevertheless, she decided her meeting with Wolffe would not be able to wait, and waited until the two of them had reached the top. „Ahsoka.“, Plo greeted with clear reluctance. Briefly he reached out his fingers to her arm, Ahsoka winced as he brushed her skin and Plo withdrew hastily. „Good evening Master.“, Ahsoka muttered and quickly averted her gaze, she didn't want to give her old friend a reason to linger any longer. He sighed. „I'll see you tomorrow, Wolffe.“, he said his goodbye. „Good night, General Plo.“, Wolffe replied and when Ahsoka looked up the clone was already looking at her. „You look tired.“, he stated and Ahsoka's lips curled into a small smile. „Have you ever looked in a mirror?“, she asked and Wolffe grinned. He seemed happy, his presence so much easier to take than the jedi. All clones were more welcome to Ahsoka than the Order at the time. The twins were the only exception.

The twins, whom Wolffe and many others of Ahsoka's brothers had never met! As if on command, Leia held out her hand, gurgling, and clenched a fist in Wolffe's direction. Hel eyed the little girl with a raised eyebrow. „I wanted to introduce you to Leia.“, Ahsoka smiled and Wolffe rolled his eyes, it was almost a loving gesture. „The girl from Skywalker?“, he asked quietly and hesitantly held out his hand, Leia immediately grabbed his index finger and cooed with satisfaction. A tiny smile appeared on his face and Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. The two seemed to be able to develop a positive bond, untroubled by the actions of the children's father. „Yes.“, Ahsoka grinned and held out Leia to Wolffe. „Oh no, keep it!“ „Don't be scared like that.“, she teased and gave the child to Wolffe. He held her a little clumsily and looked as if he was afraid of crushing her. And then suddenly she laughed. The little thing with the dark hair and open eyes looked at Wolffe and laughed. „She will be so much trouble.“, Wolffe muttered, but his grin belied him.

*

„Give it back!" Ahsoka grinned and turned her gaze forward, just fast enough to avoid a laughing Clone Commander. Rex was less fortunate, Cody practically ran him over. Leia threw herself at the two clones without hesitation, Luke next to Ahsoka hastily made a few steps of space between himself and the scramble on the ground. „Children, does this have to be in the hallway?“, Cutup teased, Jesse and Droidbait laughed softly when Rex threw them a less nice gesture. „Why don't we just go on, we have a hunt to prepare after all.“, Jesse grinned and Luke's eyes lit up, he nodded eagerly. „We can kidnap your padawan for now, right vod'ika?“, asked Droidbait and Ahsoka grinned and pushed her shoulder against his, she was a tiny bit taller than her brothers and had it not been for the first gray hairs, she would have been greatly amused. „Off with you, I'll see where Wolffe is. He will be able to save our brother.“

Satisfied, the others left and Ahsoka quickly left the curses in the hallway behind. She didn't have to look far, Wolffe came up one corridor to meet her. Like the other clones in the temple, he was civilly dressed, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his trousers. He didn't seem in a hurry. „Do you know why Leia is trying to kill her favorite brother?“, Ahsoka asked and Wolffe grinned broadly, he looked like he had just received the greates gift of all. „Cody snatched her belt while sparring.“ Oh dear. „The gray one?“, Ahsoka asked, she knew exactly which belt was talked about. Finely woven, light gray and embroidered with a wolf's head at the ends. Who would have thought that Boost had that much talent! Leia loved this belt, almost as much as the wolfpack and the 212th.

„Then maybe we should save Cody and Rex, because I still need my brother and Obi Wan comes back in-„ A quick look at the crono. „-three hours again. He's going to want Cody back in one piece and I'm not going to be the one covering up a murder for his padawan.“ Wolffe laughed, but quickened his pace. „We both know that you would be the first to cover up the murder.“, he grinned and set off to separate his siblings from each other.

[crashlanding-skywalker]

[The command batch chilling after a training session]

Rex: I wish I could control wasps and bees to sting my enemies.

Wolffe: Arent you too young to have enemies?

Rex: You don’t even know.

[eyayah-oya]

Carry You With Me Always

Buckle up everyone, because I have three prompts today!

Cloneship Week 2021 - Tattoos - @cloneshipweek

Rex/Echo

Rating: G

Warnings: very vague references to something bad happening to Tup and Dogma in the past

Ao3 link--Ao3 has some world building notes about Tup, Dogma, and Mom Echo if you want to check those out!

           Lazy days were Echo’s favorite.  They always had been.  Especially the days when Rex didn’t have to be a commander masquerading as a captain.  (Echo still didn’t understand how hard it was to sign off on a promotion for Rex. Skywalker knew how to sign his own name.)  It was the third day of leave on Coruscant, just when the duties required of the commanding officers tapered off to allow them time off just like their men.

           Rex entered the officer barracks with two cups of caf and a datapad tucked under his arm.  He must have recently taken a water shower, as he looked cleaner than the sonics were able to achieve.  For a moment, Echo mourned the opportunity to shower with Rex but they figured there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

           “Morning,” Echo called, their voice deep and raspy from sleep.

           He looked up, though Echo noted he didn’t actual startle. Rex only got that jumpy when he hadn’t been sleeping, so he at least got some rest since the 501st arrived on Coruscant.  That was good.  Echo had been worried when Rex hadn’t shown up the past two nights to the bunk they shared when not on the Resolute.

           A warm smile, reserved just for Echo, softened Rex’s face and filled Echo with happiness.  “Morning, Echo,” he responded.  With ease, he set the two caf cups down on his desk without spilling a drop, the datapad following immediately after.  Then, with slumped shoulders and tired eyes, he fell onto the bed beside Echo and nuzzled their shoulder.

           “Meetings go badly?” they mused as ran their fingers across the closely cropped blonde hair.

           “Eh, not too bad.  Just long.  General Mundi preached about the value of life again and Gree got into an argument with General Fisto over some obscure plant the 41st found on their last campaign.  I think if they’d been in the same room, it would have become a physical fight.”

           Echo snorted.  “That would definitely be interesting to watch.  What did General Unduli do?”

           “I’m 90% sure she was either sleeping standing up, or talking to General Kenobi telepathically.  Kenobi kept snickering every once in a while, so I wouldn’t put it past them.”  Rex shook his head as best as he could from where his face was smooshed against Echo’s shoulder.  “Anything big happen with the boys?”

           “Denal and Attie got arrested again.  I’m pretty sure they’re trying to court the intake officer in the Corrie’s brig.  I escorted Dogma and Tup around the city the first day and ended up taking them to Tatta. You know, the vod who gives the best tattoos?”

           Rex hummed in acknowledgment.  “Can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure, but I’ve heard he’s one of the best on Coruscant.  Did Tup and Dogma end up getting any tattoos?”

           “Tup got a little tear below his eye and Dogma got a really cool one over his face.  Kix is gonna have a conniption when he sees that; you know how he is with large facial tattoos,” Echo said with amusement.  “Dogma struggled a bit at first, but Tup talked him through his anxiety and held his hand.”

           “That’s good.  I’ll make sure to pair them up on campaigns.  Aren’t they twins?”

           Echo nodded.  While not numerous, there were several sets of twins in the GAR.  Commanders Thire and Thorn in the Corrie Guard, Kix and Captain Keeli, Tup and Dogma, Lupis and Canis in the Wolfpack, and of course Echo and their twin Fives. Commanding officers tried to keep twins together as much as possible, though it doesn’t always happen, like with Kix and Keeli.

           “You could have warned me they were former Corries,” Echo grumbled.  “Technically I was escorting them, but it was mostly them dragging me all over the city. Although, they did take me to this diner with the most amazing nerf burgers.  I’ll have to take you sometime.  They’re sweet kids, but they also could use a lot more support than the average vod. Something happened to them when they were with the Guard.”

           Rex sighed.  “I know. Fox briefed me on their situation. I won’t tell you what happened exactly—they should do that themselves—but it was bad.  We’ll take care of them, I promise.”

           “Good.”  Echo nodded once and wrapped their left arm around Rex’s shoulder and pulled him in closer. Rex flung his own arm back over Echo. Immediately they hissed as their right pec flared with a stinging pain.

           Immediately, Rex sat up in concern.  “Echo?  What’s wrong?”

           Echo grinned sheepishly.  “Well, Tup and Dogma were really nervous to get tattoos since the Guard isn’t allowed to have tattoos.  And I might have gotten a tattoo to help them be more comfortable.”

           “Really?” Rex grinned.  Without hesitation, he gently placed his hand over Echo’s pec, exactly in the same spot he had left a handprint on their first set of armor. He didn’t have to guess what tattoo they had decided to get.  Echo arched into the touch, the sting sharp and pointed and somehow exactly perfect.  “Can I see it?” Rex asked softly.

           “Help me get the shirt off, and yes,” Echo answered. They surged upwards, ignoring the pain from his tattoo, so they could press a heated and soft kiss to Rex’s lips.

With far more reverence than they usually have time for, Rex slid his fingers under the hem of their loose shirt, trailing over the firm muscles and warm skin. Echo shivered deliciously and lightly sucked on his lower lip, rather than help their boyfriend in any way. Inch by inch, more skin was revealed until Rex pulled away to tug the shirt over Echo’s head.  They helped, lifting their arms over their head to allow the shirt to slide free.

           In the exact same placement as their armor, a handprint had been tattooed completely in a darker blue than they used for their armor. The dark blue color the Rishi eel’s blood had been.  The permanent mark on their skin was a bold proclamation of who Echo belonged to.  A way to inform everyone who they went home to and who they would always go back for.  That day on Rishi was life-changing for both of them for more than one reason. It was the day Echo had lost their batchmates, save for Fives, and the day they had both joined the 501st. It was the day Echo had first met Rex, a young shiny who was in awe of the legendary captain.  And it was the day that began Echo’s journey of falling completely in love with the man behind the legend.

           Rex traced the edges of the tattoo gently, barely ghosting over the skin.  It was still swollen and red from the needle, but that would go away in a couple more days. Echo didn’t mind a little bit of pain if it meant they could wear Rex’s mark in his skin as well as their armor.

           “Do you like it?” they asked cheekily, already knowing the answer.

           “I love it.  They did a really good job.  Does it hurt a lot?” Rex asked.

           Echo wobbled his head from side to side.  “A little, but it’s not bad.  Barely noticeable, really.”

           “Good.”  And with that, Rex pressed his hand against the mark and pushed Echo back onto the bed until he was leaning directly over them.  “Because I need to show you exactly how much I like it.”

           They eagerly reached up and wrapped their arms around Rex’s neck, pulling him down against them, though they both were careful not to dislodge his hand from its place on Echo’s chest.  Echo pressed their forehead against Rex’s, letting them bask in the peaceful moment instead of the hurried seconds they only managed to snatch while out on the front.  Eventually, the keldabe shifted to the more traditional type of kissing, their tongues tangling together languidly.  They had all day and the rest of the tenday to relax and enjoy.  They could take their time, and Echo couldn’t be happier.

           “I love you,” they whispered between kisses.

           “I love you, my eyayah.  My Echo with my mark,” Rex answered before diving back into their mouth and showing them exactly how much he needed and loved them.

           Echo shivered with delight, the intimacy of the moment barricading everything else from the Captain’s quarters.  For a time, they existed in a bubble, cut off from the galaxy and perfectly at peace together.

           Then, the bubble popped.

           “Does the Captain really have to know?  I mean, it’s not like he’d be surprised.”

           “Fives, don’t be an idiot.  You know he always needs to know when we brawl with the Wolfpack so he can keep Commander Wolffe from killing us.”

           “But if we go in there, Echo will kill us.”

           “I’d rather die by Echo’s hand than by Commander Wolffe’s! He’s scary!”

           “Oh, lighten up, Jesse!  I wouldn’t mind fighting with the Commander!”

           “ . . . Hardcase . . . “

           “What?  It’s true!”

           “I’m gonna tell him!”

           “Fives, don’t you dare!”

           With matching, heavy sighs, Echo and Rex broke apart and turned to the door.  Yes, Echo loved lazy days.  But those days never lasted long, and they loved their brothers just as much.

           “I’ll go deal with Hardcase’s unacknowledged romantic feelings for Commander Wolffe.  You need to get some sleep,” Echo said, giving Rex a soft kiss on the cheek as they grabbed their t-shirt.  “Think I can make Jesse prefer he’d faced the Commander?”

           Rex smirked and flopped down by Echo’s side instead of on top of them.  “I know you will.  I’ll be here when they’re all suitably punished.  Come back and we can finish what we started.”  His eyes were dark with hunger and love, sending a shiver through Echo.  That was a promise they wouldn’t pass up for anything.

           “I’ll be back after I finish wrangling the children.  I’ll probably drag Dogma and Tup along so they can laugh at Fives, Jesse, and Hardcase,” Echo said with a grin.  They pulled their shirt over their head and climbed over Rex to stand up.  “They could use the enrichment.”

           Rex only laughed.  Lazy days really were the best.

[drunkenoctopus]

Been discussing the clones as babies with some friends discord, and my mind went here.

(Some of this is based on my own kid and some on my nieces and nephews; Cody is based on my husband as a kid, the little shit that he was)

CODY: Quiet, looks like the perfect child, but pinches the babies when no one is looking just to make them cry.

REX: pretends to be a big boy but really loves cuddles. Sucks his thumb when he thinks no one is looking, or when he's tired. Hates naps.

WOLFFE: Biter(obviously). Puts everything is his mouth, teething toys, books, rocks, sticks, leaves, shoes, food, clothes anything he can get his hands on, ends up in his mouth. Including people, nom nom nom.

BLY: obsessed with this one stuffy and CAN NOT sleep or do anything without it. Its filthy, he absolutely hates if u wash it. You secretly have several stashed away in case its lost.

FOX: loves books, absolutely loves looking at the different pictures and turning the pages! Starts fights with cody when he pinches the younger ones, but ends up getting into trouble

Fives: climber. Climbs EVERYTHING. Always manages to climb out of his crib, mostly to climb INTO Echo's crib. Once he was found halfway up a solid wall, like how in the actual hell??

ECHO: giggles for absolutely everything. Loves playing peekaboo. Its the funniest thing for him. Seeing others smile makes him giggle. Esp loves seeing Fives climb, he claps and giggles like its the best magic show

HARDCASE throws everything. (Obviously lol) food is especially great to throw cuz it causes the big splat and is fun and yummy! Routinely chucks toys and random objects at all the others. Once he hit Tup with a book, and tup began to wail, then Hardcase began to cry and then soon everyone was crying. Tup was fine.

TUP: the littlest. Can't do much yet, but loves watching the antics of the others. Tries to run after them, but mostly ends up shuffling around on his butt.

BOBA: tantrums. So much tantrums. First favorite word is Mine! Second favorite word is No! Regular target of Cody’s pinches. Only shares with Tup and Fox (sometimes)

WOOLEY: THE most energetic. One sip of juice gets him charged up for *hours* Literally runs in circles babbling

Dogma: tattletale(who's surprised lol) is usually the one to get Cody in trouble. Esp if Cody pinches Tup (no one bullys tup on Dogmas watch) also loves to wait for Fives to get high up before he runs to tattle on him

Kix: falls alseep anywhere. Fell alseep face first into his food once. First to fall alseep for nap time, last to wake up.

Boost: absolutely hates bath time. Will scream and shout and run away and hide and scramble, *anything* to get away from bath time, no matter how many toys or how warm the water is

[pro-fangirls-unsocial-life]

The Dark Side of the Full Moon (1/9) Were!Rex x Reader

A/N: Aaaaahhhhh! Its finally here! After all the hype and buildup and WORK its finally finished!! I really hope that you guys like it. I will say that the reader does use she/her because this was super self indulgent but I hope you guys like it nonetheless!! I’m also going to say that because this was super self indulgent, the terminology and technology of the time period may not always be 100% accurate but I did my best lol. Also if you want to be tagged in this series, feel free to message me to let me know! Enjoy!!

Tags: @captainrexisboo​ @writer1​

Length: ~2000 words

Warnings: none this time :) but I will warn you now that its gonna get ANGSTY in later chapters. 

Also there is one instance of Mando’a in this chapter that is not commonly used so: ner burc’ya = my friend

Next

As the wind of autumn began to cool with each passing day, and the harvest came to an end, everyone in the large town of Coruscant was preparing for the festival that was to come. Although it happened every year at the end of the harvest season, everyone was especially looking forward to this one. The last few months of the war had taken their toll on everyone and the Kingdom of the Republic was at a stalemate. Neither side was gaining any ground and the fatigue from constant conflict was pushing the people to the edge.

 The Chancellor had made a decree that the government would help to supply the festival for the kingdom this year to show that it still has faith in the citizens and the war effort. Most common folk bought into his façade of wellbeing, but Marshall Commander Cody and the rest of the army saw right through it. He knew that the Chancellor just wanted to buy himself more time to be in charge, but it was not his place to say anything to the contrary. The Fett clan had been “hired” to do a job, and he was going to do it. Besides, they did not have much of a choice after the Republic had paid the lords of the House of Kamino for the service of their citizens.

 Cody was looking forward to the festival. He couldn’t wait to let himself rest. One thing that the Chancellor said that Cody had actually cared about was the fact that the members of the army would be allowed to join in on the festival this year. Cody knew that it was just because two days after it ended, they were all being sent back out to join the rest of his family on the front lines. But it was a break, nonetheless. 

He also was excited to be helping his little brother, Rex, with his plan for you.

 Rex had been planning this night for months now and Cody was happy to see his brother be in such high spirits considering the current situation with the war.  

 As Cody walked down the main road of the town, he passed by villagers who were setting up tables and areas for the games that would take place during the festival. He walked past the huge area in the town square where a bonfire would be lit as soon as the sun went down up until it came back up again the next day. Turing his eyes toward the sky, he saw the clouds rolling in from way on the horizon.

 “Cody!” He looked down to see you walking toward him wearing your apron with flour covering your face and hair. You had just finished bringing many loafs of bread to the tavern so they could be distributed the next day. “I didn’t expect to see you until tonight. I thought that all of you were still on duty today?”

 A smug smile crept its way onto Cody’s face. “No. I thought that I would skip duty today and come steal one of your famous pies. I mean, Rex just goes on and on about how amazing his girlfriend’s pies are, I just couldn’t wait for the festival to try one.” His voice was laced with sarcasm as he leaned toward you sticking his tongue out.

 You put your hand to your chest, feigning surprise as you gasped. “Well,” you said breathily, “I guess you wasted yourself a trip then. I’m sorry to tell you that you’ll just have to wait.” You scrunched up your face and began to giggle as you wiped the remainder of the flour on your hands onto your apron.

 Cody chuckled. “Damn. I really thought I had you.” He crossed his arms and began to slowly continue walking. “In all seriousness though, I am still technically on duty. Fox is drowning in work from the Chancellor so while the other commanders of the guard help him, I volunteered to take their patrol duty.”

 “You should think about getting some rest too you know. Every time I come over to see Rex, I only ever see you working.” You stop and turn to look at him. “You look tired. Have for a few months now.”

 Cody slouched a bit and thought of all of the work that he still had to do in preparation for the day after the festival. How he needed to make sure that everything else was done so that he could focus on bigger issues. He reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. “I am. But being a high-ranking officer comes with extra work. Especially when my and Rex’s generals are constantly doing things that have only been a quarter of the way thought out.”

 “Oh yeah,” you said, “Rex had told me all about those missions.” You look up at Cody and put your right hand on his cheek. “You should still get some rest though,” you said as you inspected the dark circles under his eyes. “You wouldn’t want General Kenobi to think you don’t enjoy having tea with him anymore because you’re falling asleep.” You smiled at the annoyed look on his face.

 “Ha ha. Very funny Y/N,” he said as he pulled his face away and rolled his eyes.

 You proudly looked back at him. “I know,” you smiled. “I do have to get going though if I am going to finish all of my baking before the festival starts tomorrow morning.” You turned and began walking back towards your bakery as you waved bye to him. “Make sure you get some rest tonight so that you can enjoy tomorrow,” you said as you smiled at him.

 “I’ll be fine Y/N.” He waved as you began turning your head back forward. “Oh, and you might want to bundle up tonight! It looks like there is a snowstorm on its way.”

 You looked up at the sky and then back down to meet his eyes. You gave him a warm smile and nodded before continuing on your way.

 Cody continued walking his patrol route and smiled to himself. Ha. Rex is lucky to have someone sweet like her. He turned a corner and thought about how he would not have to do anything tomorrow except relax and have fun.

 Cody smiled. He really could not wait for the festival to begin.

 *******************************************************************************************

 Cody and Rex laughed as they watched their little brothers playing in the snow that had blanketed the town the night before. Fives was chasing after Echo after he had just stuffed a snowball down the back of Fives’ shirt. The two of them were standing next to one of the smaller fires that had been lit as they drank the hot apple citer that Generals Kenobi and Plo had made in celebration.

 Wolffe had opted to stay in bed and sleep longer into the day so that he would be more rested for the games that would take place once the sun went down. His legion had been the last to arrive out of the three that had been selected for leave and he had been exhausted when he got back just three days prior. The 212th and 501st had been back for a couple of months now due to some trouble that they had faced on their last mission to the outer territories.

 You had just walked up to where Rex and Cody stood and could see the happiness and relief on their faces from being able to take time off. The sun had started to go down and it was casting a beautiful pink and orange glow on their faces. The clouds had begun moving out toward mid-day and it looked like there would be a clear sky during the nighttime portion of the festival.

 You walked up to Rex’s side and pressed yourself into him, laying your head on his shoulder. He looked at you and placed a soft kiss to the top of your head as you pushed your hands toward the fire to heat them up.

 “I’m glad to see you two having a good time.” You smiled and lifted your head to look at Cody. “Was my pie worth waiting one more day for Cody?” You smiled smugly at him as you felt Rex lightly chuckle from watching your teasing.

 Cody shot an annoyed look at Rex and then smiled at you. “I would say so ner burc’ya. Rex really wasn’t exaggerating when he said that you made the best.”

 Rex beamed proudly and then gave a curt nod to Cody, a serious look briefly washing over his face. He then turned to face you as his face softened once again. “Would you care to take a walk with me cyar’ika?” He held his arm out for you to take and looked at you lovingly.

 You took his arm and gave him a mischievous and adoring smile. “Why of course my Captain. How could I ever say no to you when you look at me like that?” The two of you began walking toward the other end of town where your bakery is. It would be quieter there and Rex wanted to make sure that everything was perfect.

 Cody smiled as he watched the two of you huddle together as you walked, glad that his brother had found someone so loving. He continued to watch his little brothers play in the snow while he drank his cider. He sat there for what felt like forever, happy that his brothers got a chance to act like kids for once.

 As the sun finished setting, Cody looked up at the sky. He saw the clouds parting and could see the first few stars start to already peak out through the sky.

 ���Ah! Enjoying your night off Commander?” Cody looked down to address the booming voice.

 “Admiral Yularen sir.” Cody gave him a nod. “I am. It is nice to have a break from everything.”

 The Admiral nodded in agreement. “Indeed.” He looked up toward the sky just like Cody was when he approached him. “It sure will be nice once the clouds finally dissipate all of the way. It shouldn’t be long now until we are able to see the full moon.”

 Cody whipped his head to face the Admiral, dread quickly creeping onto his face. “Excuse me sir?” He felt himself start to panic as the Admiral brought his face to look back at Cody.

 “The full moon Commander. It will give the festival a nice atmosphere don’t you think?”

 Cody swallowed nervously. “But sir, the full moon isn’t until tomorrow.” Cody could hear the fear rising in his voice as he silently begged for the Admiral to be wrong.

 Admiral Yularen looked at him confused. “I’m afraid that you are a day behind Commander.” He shrugged. “I can’t say that I blame you though. Never-ending battles tend to make one lose track of time.”

 Cody felt like everything around him had just shattered. He looked up to the sky and saw that the sun had finally sunken below the horizon and that the clouds had finally parted to begin to reveal the slivery moon in the sky. “Sir,” he said while trying to keep his voice firm, “will you please excuse me?”

 “Of course, Commander.”

 Before the Admiral could finish his sentence, Cody had turned around and was sprinting in the direction of your bakery. As he ran, he heard the sound of his footsteps echoing off of the cobblestone streets and the houses that lined it. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mouth had gone completely dry.

 “No no no no no. This can’t be happening. It was tomorrow.”

 He looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds had completely uncovered the bright moon. His breathing was ragged, and his muscles ached from how hard he was trying to get himself to move faster. Your bakery was completely on the other side of the huge town from the festival and having to run on the icy road was slowing him down.

 “Please,” he said as he breathed heavily. “Please let them be alright.”

 The Commanders desperate pleas and pounding footsteps echoed through the freezing night air as he ran down the dark road, frantically hoping that he would reach you before it was too late.

[soclonely]

Clones as some controversial or unpopular opinions you have, serious or funny ones!

I'll do a little mix of both, as a treat! **These are all my personal opinions**

Rex- Butter belongs at room temperature Echo- Steak should be served rare or medium rare Fives- All businesses should have employee only bathrooms that the manager is in charge of cleaning. The workers clean the customers, so its only fair the manager cleans theirs. Jesse- Dogs Rule, Cats Drool (metaphorically ofc. Duke soaks my floor after coming in from his walk) Kix- Pineapple belongs on pizza Tup- In high school, Gym should not be mandatory, however cooking and classic home ec or basic life skills classes should be. Dogma- Stop pressuring women into getting married and having kids because society deems it necessary. Let them choose their own paths Hardcase- The only good cup of tea is one with a lot of ice and a lot of sugar added (just kidding i like all but nothing beats sweet iced tea) Coric-Vegetables are better than dessert Bly- Some people are chasing love so much right now, that they forgt to learn to love and "date" themselves 99- State testing is a fucking sham way for schools to get money. Literally all you work on in elementary on is StAtE tEsTiNg PrEp and "oh do your best because this tests results is a grade for your teachers performance AND the schools!" How about you use a students overall grades at the end of the year and success rate over time? I come from Oklahoma City School districts where currently 60-70% of our schools are scab teachers because of protesting. This means that the current teachers teaching in their place are not fully qualified to teach them long term. My nephew has had 4 teachers this year! What about students with testing anxiety? What about them? Cody- Also teacher should be paid more. TF is this $22,000 a year my best friend is paid, with 7 years of experience? Waxer/Boil- Also everyone deserves a right to an education Wolffe- Trade school should be encouraged more. I am so tired of seeing as a society of people feeling pressured to go to college. Trade school is a fantastic alternative if there is nothing interesting for you at college. A majority of people who I know that dropped out after the first year said they only went for the experience. Its over glorified in movies and in school and we need to start admitting its not for everyone and thats okay! Boost/Sinker- The best music you will hear are the opening and closing songs for nearly any anime. Hunter- JarJar is hella sexy Wrecker- If you can't respect someone else's religion, beliefs (minus asshole nazi, terfs, and any other clearly toxic scenarios), life style choices, or existence than YOU are the problem. Tech- The biggest waste of money in my life was every school dance I went to and bought a dress for. I barely remember any details from prom, homecoming, or any of that. Crosshair- I love drinking pickle juice, love it iced, and love it in alcohol. Omega- There should be a mandatory retirement age for people working in the government, especially representatives of the people. Howzer- A woman shouldn't have to have her husband present in the room when talking to her doctor about birth control. My friend had to have her husband sign off a paper with his "knowledge" that she was getting a hysterectomy. Fucking bullshit no one has a say about my body but ME. Fox- Imperialism sucks so why are we still fucking doing it guys? Gregor- I can never give up on human kind no matter how shitty some people are. Earth has beauty, different cultures to explore, people to meet, and many amazing discoveries to uncover. There is more good than bad and we need to start embracing that.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 20

Hi, I’m tired. Actually, my friend Celeste created a piece of art that puts the emphasis needed on that sentiment:

I’m very tired. November felt like it was three years and also felt like it went by in a blink and also I’m not sure where October ended and November began—how does time work like that? (I’ve yet to see Tenet, but maybe that will explain it.) But like Michael Scott, somehow I manage, and lately it’s been like this:

Late-night Etsy scrolling. Browsing beautiful, non-big-box-store artwork is very calming just before I go to bed. I’d recommend Etsy stores like Celeste’s chr paperie shop, which I know from experience is full of great Christmas gift ideas. 

Taking a day off of work to do laundry. I’m not sure if it’s more #adulting that I did that or that I was excited to do that.

Eating Ghiradelli chocolate chips straight from the bag. I actually don’t recommend this as a healthy option, but this is also not a health blog.

Watching lots and lots of ‘80s movies. One day I’ll ask a therapist why this decade of films is so comforting for me despite its many flaws, but for now I’m just rolling with it.

Reading. Have you heard of this? It’s a form of entertainment but doesn’t require screens—wild!

Memes. All good Pippin “Fool of a” Took jokes are welcome here.

Leaning into the Christmas spirit by ordering that Starbucks peppermint mocha, making plans to watch everything in that TCM Christmas book I haven’t seen, and keeping the lights on my hot pink tinsel tree on all day as I work from home.

This month’s Round Up is full of stuff that made me smile and stuff that sucked me into its world—I think they’ll do the same for you, too.

November Crowd-Pleasers

Sister Act (1992)

If in four years you aren’t in an emotional state to watch election results roll in, I recommend watching Whoopi Goldberg pretend to be a nun for 100 minutes. (Though, incidentally, if you want to watch that clip edited to specifically depict how the results came in this year, you’ll need to watch Sister Act 2.) This musical-comedy is about as feel-good as it gets, meaning there’s no reason you should wait four more years to watch it. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

Nevada Memes

Speaking of election results, Nevada memes. That’s it—that’s the tweet. Vulture has a round up of some of the best.

SNL Round Up

Laugh and enjoy!

“Cinema Classics: The Birds” (4605 with John Mulaney)

“Uncle Ben” (4606 with Dave Chappelle)

RoboCop (1987)

I’m not surprised I liked RoboCop, but I am surprised at why I liked RoboCop. Not only is this a boss action blockbuster, it’s an investigation into consumerism and the commodification of the human body. It’s also a critique of institutions that treat crime like statistics instead of actions done by people that impact people. That said, it’s also movie about a guy who’s fused with a robot and melts another guy’s face off with toxic sludge, so there’s a reason I’m not listing this under the Critic section. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Double Feature – ‘80s Comedies: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) + Major League (1989)

The ‘80s-palooza is in full swing! In Vacation (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Chevy Chase just wants to spend time with his family on a vacation to Wally World, but wouldn’t you know it, Murphy’s Law kicks into gear as soon as the Griswold family shifts from out of Park. The brilliance of the movie is that every one of these terrible things is plausible, but the Griswolds create the biggest problems themselves. In Major League (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Wesley Snipes are Cleveland’s last hope for a winning baseball team. Like the Griswolds, mishaps and hijinks ensue in their attempt to prevent their greedy owner from moving the Indians to Miami, but the real win is this movie totally gets baseball fans. Like most ‘80s movies, not everything in this pair has aged well, but they brought some laughs when I needed them most.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (2020)

They’re born a minute apart in the same hospital, but they don’t meet until their 30th birthday on New Year’s Day. So, yes, it’s a little bit Serendipity, and it’s a little bit sappy, but those are both marks in this book’s favor. This Time Next Year is a time-hopping rom-com with lots of almost-meet-cutes that will have you laughing, believing in romantic twists of fate, and finding hope for the new year.

Double Feature – ‘80s Angsty Teens: Teen Wolf (1985) + Uncle Buck (1989)

In the ‘80s, Hollywood finally understood the angsty teen, and this pair of comedies isn’t interested in the melodrama earlier movies like Rebel Without a Cause were depicting. (I’d recommend Rebel, but not if you want to look back on your teen years with any sense of humor.) In Teen Wolf (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5/10), Michael J. Fox discovers he’s a werewolf.one that looks more like the kid in Jumanji than any other portrayal of a werewolf you’ve seen. It’s a plot so ‘80s and so bizarre you won’t believe this movie was greenlit.

In Uncle Buck (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), John Candy is attempting to connect with the nieces and nephew he hasn’t seen in years, including one moody high schooler. (Plus, baby Gaby Hoffman and pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin!) This is my second pick from one of my all-time fave filmmakers, John Hughes (along with National Lampoon’s Vacation, above), and it’s one more entry that balances heart and humor in a way only he could do. You can see where I rank this movie in Hughes’s pantheon on Letterboxd.

Lord of the Rings memes

This month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I revisited The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy we love almost as much as we love Gilmore Girls. You can listen to our episode about the series on your fave podcast app, and you can laugh through hundreds of memes like I did for “research” on Twitter.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (2019)

Most adults are afraid of children’s temper tantrums, but can you imagine how terrified you’d be if they caught on fire in their fits of rage? That’s the premise of this novel, which begins when an aimless twentysomething becomes the nanny of a Tennessee politician’s twins who burst into flames when they get emotional. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments but never leaves behind the human emotion you need to make a magical realistic story.

An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982)

Speaking of aimless twentysomethings and emotion, feel free to laugh, cry, and swoon through this melodrama in the ‘80s canon. Richard Gere meanders his way into the Navy when he has nowhere else to go, and he tries to survive basic training, work through his family issues, and figure out his future as he also falls in love with Debra Winger. So, yeah, it’s a schamltzier version of Top Gun, but it’s schmaltz at its finest. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

November Critic Picks

Double Feature – ‘40s Amensia Romances: Random Harvest (1942) + The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Speaking of schmaltz at its finest, let me share a few more titles fitting that description. In Random Harvest (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Greer Garson falls in love with a veteran who can’t remember his life before he left for war. In The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Gene Tierney discovers a ghost played by a crotchety Rex Harrison in her new home. Mild spoiler: Both feature amnesiac plot developments, and while amnesia has become a cliché in the long history of romance films, Harvest is moving enough and Mr. Muir is charming enough that you won’t roll your eyes. You can see these and more romances complicated by forced forgetfulness in this Letterboxd round up.

The African Queen (1951)

It’s Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn directed by John Huston—I mean, I don’t feel like I need to explain why this is a winner. Bogart (in his Oscar-winning role) and Hepburn star in a two-hander script, dominating the screen time except for a select few scenes with supporting cast. The pair fight for survival while cruising on a small boat called The African Queen during World War I (in Africa, natch), and the two make this small story feel grand and epic. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A young man’s (Dennis Price) mother is disowned from their wealthy family because she marries for love. After her death, he seeks vengeance by killing all of the family members ahead of him in line to be the Duke D'Ascoyne. The twist? All of his victims are played by Sir Alec Guinness! Almost every character in this black comedy is a terrible person, so you won’t be too sorry to see them go—you can just enjoy the creative “accidents” he stages and stay in suspense on whether our “hero” gets his comeuppance. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1937)

What would you do if you found out you were to be someone’s eighth wife? Well, it’s probably not what Claudette Colbert does in this screwball comedy that reminds me a bit of Love Crazy. This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended Colbert, Gary Cooper, or Ernst Lubitsch films, so it’s no surprise these stars and this director can make magic together in this hilarious battle of the wills. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Red Shoes (1948)

I love stories about the competition between your life and your art, and The Red Shoes makes that competition literal. Moira Shearer plays a ballerina who feels life is meaningless without dancing—then she falls in love. That’s an oversimplification of a rich character study and some of the most beautiful ballet on film, but I can’t do it justice in a short paragraph. Just watch (perhaps while you’re putting up your hot pink tinsel tree?) and soak in all the goodness. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 10/10

The Third Man (1949)

Everybody loves to talk about Citizen Kane, and with the release of Mank on Netflix, it’s newsworthy again. But don’t miss this other ‘40s team up of Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. Cotten is a writer digging for the truth of his friend’s (Welles) death in a mysterious car accident. Eyewitness accounts differ on what happened, and who was the third man at the scene only one witness remembers? 71 years later, this movie is still tense, and this actor pairing is still electric. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

The Untouchables (1987)

At the end of October, we lost Sean Connery. I looked back on his career first by writing a remembrance for ZekeFilm and then by watching The Untouchables. (In a perfect world I would’ve reversed that order, but c’est la vie.) In my last selection from the ‘80s, Connery and Kevin Costner attempt to convict Robert De Niro’s Al Capone of anything that will stick and end his reign of crime in Chicago. Directed by Brian De Palma and set to an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, this film is both an exciting action flick and an artistic achievement that we literally discussed in one of my college film classes. Connery won his Oscar, and K. Cos is giving one of the best of his career, too. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

Remember the Night (1940)

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in my favorite team up yet! Double Indemnity may be the bona fide classic in the canon, but this Christmas story—with MacMurray as a district attorney prosecuting shoplifter Stanwyck— is a charmer. I’ve added it to my list of must-watch Christmas movies—watch for some holiday cheer and rom-com feels. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Photo credits: chr paperie. Books my own. All others IMDb.com.

[coruscantguard]

Witching Hour in Galactic City

Commander Fox & Rafa Martez

(Ao3 Link)

*

"I hate you," the kid hisses, and her nails press into his arm, hard enough that Fox can actually feel them through his blacks. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you."

Fox does not say join the team, kid, but it's a close catch. The exhaustion is wearing down the edges of his carefully cultivated self-control, blurring the line between Commander Fox and whoever the kriff he is when that cover is pulled away. That line, that divide, shouldn't exist, and it wouldn't exist if he could just drop the part of him that isn't the Commander, but... he hasn’t managed to do that yet.

Anyway, the line is certainly not one he can afford to have blur, but sleep deprivation doesn't care about should have, would have, could have. Sleep deprivation only cares for two things, and those things are:

1. Causing general misery to both the victim and the people around them.

2. Causing yawning in the victim, that then spreads to the people around them, and makes it impossible to hide said sleep deprivation from the medics.

In short, sleep deprivation is a kriffing shabuir.

"Is there a specific reason for your hatred, besides the obvious?" Fox asks once the kid finishes her string of I hate yous, then clarifies. "The obvious being that Commander Fox caught you attempting to steal a Guard speeder's engine, and didn't let you finish stealing it."

"If you have to clarify what the obvious is, it's not that obvious," the kid snarks back, then pauses. "Wait, did you just refer to yourself in third person?"

The kid briefly ceases her attempts to rip his arm out of it's socket, and/or use her nails to make him more vulnerable to infections by tearing his arm to shreds, after she asks that question. Thankfully, the kid is 5'6 at most, maybe 120 pounds, and has short nails, so she hadn't been making much progress with either technique regardless. Still, its nice of her to give his arm a break. "Kriff, that's sad as hell."

"Language," Fox snaps, like he's talking to a cadet instead of a natborn. Like he's on Kamino, and Cody just brought back a runt of a brother to their bunk, a runt of a brother who'd told him to go kriff himself the moment he asked what charity case they were supporting now. Ah, that first year with Rex on their squad had really been a time.

Then Fox actually processes what he just said, who he just said it to, and freezes.

The kid freezes with him, even as she's already running her mouth again. "Kriff you," she spits, and it's lacking none of her usual venom, but... her offense seems to be directed at him treating her like a kid, not the fact that a clone dared to talk back to her. Which is good, if unexpected. Natborns, even the kids who you catch trying to steal government property, can cause a serious problem if they complain about the Guard to the right people. Especially if what they say has any measure of truth to it.

Kark, he's tired.

"Listen, kid," he says, "I don't want to write you up. I'm not planning on writing you up. The Guard has more pressing concerns than a twelve—"

"Sixteen!"

"—sixteen year-old kid trying and failing to steal a speeder's engine. That said, a sixteen year-old kid should not be on Level 1313 at 3am on a Centaxday morning. They definitely shouldn't be unarmed and alone when there. So, you can give me your name and address, and I can safely get you home, or you can keep resisting, and I can get you in touch with the Coruscant Security Force, who are the ones that are actually paid to deal with this osik."

"Osik?"

"Shit. It's a Mandalorian word. Although the technical translation to Basic is dung. Are we going to take a nice little trip to the CSF building, or...?"

A minute of silence, then—

"...332 Gar'lida Way. Apartment 4528. It's right off of Von Gesal Street, in the Uscru District." The kid lifts her right hand from it's death grip on his arm to rub at her eyes, averting her gaze downward. Underneath all the rage and fury, she looks positively miserable. "And my name is Rafa Martez. Can I have my bag back now?"

"Can I trust you not to run off with it, Lady Martez?"

"...Yes."

"You sure about that?"

"Ugh," the kid‐ Rafa grumbles, and she finally fully lets go of his arm, proceeding to cross her own and scoff. "Whatever. I hope you trip on a rock and my calc textbook breaks your back."

"Why the calc textbook specifically?"

"Oh, that was just the first subject that came to mind. Believe me, I'd be totally fine if it was my History of the Galactic Republic textbook that took you down instead. Kark, I'd be impressed if my economics textbook managed it, cause that thing is way too skinny to be considered a textbook."

"...Thank you for sharing, Lady Martez."

"I can go on."

"Believe me, I'm sure you can."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

*

Mando’a Translations (Courtesy of mandoa.org!)

Shabuir: extreme insult - *jerk*, but much stronger

Osik: dung (impolite)