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the-blind-assassin-12 · 11 months

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Tidal Force

A MERMAY ONE SHOT

A/N: Here we are with yet another thing I had no intention of writing but that grabbed hold of my brain and wouldn’t let go - a mermaid au (sort of, you’ll see) featuring Din Djarin. Hence why I am posting this in the very middle of the night (which is actually kind of appropriate for this story... again, you’ll see). I had fun with it, and I hope that you will, too.

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: deep water, brief mention of injury, female reader who is for all purposes a mermaid, departure from canon because if we’re throwing mermaids in we can also throw some canon out. i have spoken.

Summary: You’ve always felt drawn to the moon, you just never really knew why. Until now.

As far back as you could remember, you had always felt the pull of the moon.

It would start in your chest - a slow swell of longing that eventually became impossible to ignore. Not that you ever wanted to. Equal parts ache and bliss, curiosity and apprehension, it would tug you towards the open water with just one thought echoing through your mind:

Maybe tonight. Maybe this time.

You knew it was improbable. Even as you cut through the current, the cool water gliding over your skin and the iridescent scales of your fins, you knew. Even as you rose up, up, up through the depths, and those thoughts repeated over and over again, you knew. Even as you swam with all of your speed and strength towards the source of the pull, you knew what you were most likely to find - nothing but the thick, glassy ceiling that separated your world from the surface, from the topside, from the silver-white glow of Concordia’s kiss.

But maybe.

Maybe it would be the night that the legends were proven true. Maybe you would finally see the sky, feel fresh air, be kissed by the moonlight. A rush of warmth would bubble through your bloodstream. Maybe it would be the night that you left the sunken, sealed depths of the Sundari Sea, shed your tail and stepped out on dry land.

Maybe tonight.

You tried, each time, not to let your hopes soar too high. But the lure of the moon was no match for your will, and each time you rose only to be disappointed by the press of your palm against the crystalized barrier between worlds. You would sigh, curling your fingertips against the semi-transparent ceiling. The swell in your chest would begin to recede as you gazed up through the glass and wondered if any of it was true. If there ever even was a topside. And if there wasn’t, you wondered if you would ever be free of the pull.

Not tonight.

You would return to your home, swimming back into the deep and down through the channels that connected the sea to the underground system of beskar caves and saltwater lakes, where the rest of your kind lived. It was safe there. Secluded, yes, but safe from attack or invasion. You would curl back up in your bed and remind yourself of that, and as the current settled around you again, you recalled the stories from your childhood, falling asleep with your favorites playing through your mind.

The kiss of Concordia. The one who lived in both worlds. The sea maiden who rescued the topside king.

According to the myths you were raised on, Mandalore had once been a very different planet than it was now - one with lush forests that were rich with natural resources, one that was home to the most skilled warriors in the galaxy. These topsiders encased themselves in armor made from the beskar that lined the underwater caves, the very same mineral that the shimmery, chain-link clothing your people wore on their top halves was made from, and an agreement was made between the two worlds of Mandalore - that those above, in their impenetrable suits of steel, would offer protection from outside enemies to those below in exchange for access to the beskar.

For centuries the agreement held, and relations between the Mandalorians of the Sundari Sea and those who lived on land continued to remain peaceful. The legends even told of a sea maiden named Cyare and the leader of the land dwellers who had fallen in love despite not being able to share the same world. The man had been shot down in some skirmish over the sea, and the weight of his armor had dragged him down, fast. Unconscious and injured, he surely would have died had the sea maiden not found him and pulled him back up to the surface.

She stayed with him for days until he woke, tended to his wounds for weeks and cared for him until he was healed. The bond that was formed between them was so pure and powerful, so full of love, that on the night before he was to return home to his people, as the light of the full moon touched her skin, she was transformed. Her scaled tailfin became two legs, and she rose from the water to stand beside her beloved, the final barrier between their worlds broken.

The stories almost always ended with the prophecy that one day, another sea maiden of Mandalore would be called to rescue another Mandalorian warrior, and that their moonlit union would signify another long and prosperous era of peace and protection between the two worlds.

But it was just a story.

You had been trying to tell yourself that for years. Others of your kind let go of those legends as they got older, moved on and accepted that they were nothing but tall tales spun to entertain imaginative children. None of them were pulled from their chambers in the middle of the night by some force of the tide each time the moon was full. None of them longed to have the chance to walk on land, none of them needed to know what the moonlight felt like.

Because it isn’t even possible.

There were other stories that you’d grown up with, but those weren’t ones you liked to remember. They told of war and destruction so brutal and violent that it had ravished the planet, left it stripped and scarred, decimated the oceans. Layers of crust and crystalized vapor overtook the entire surface, sealing the sea beneath them. Any topsiders who survived those wars had long since forgotten that the Sundari Sea had ever existed, and then they, too, had ceased to exist.

The legends told of an event known as the Great Purge - an attack on Mandalore that was meant to erase its people once and for all. That one, though the heaviest and most upsetting of them all, was unfortunately also the one that was most likely true. Afterall, no one had seen a topsider in close to a hundred years.

And that includes the moon. No one has seen the moon since before the Great Purge.

It was that thought that broke your heart the most. Because it meant that the stories and the prophecy were only just that - legends and fables. But even realizing this, you knew that the next time you felt the pull of the moon you would still follow it. Even knowing that it was impossible, you would still seek the open air and the silver light and the possibility that the land dwelling Mandalorians might return one day.

– – – –

“But the mines were destroyed in the Purge.”

How am I supposed to bathe in the Living Waters if I can’t even get to them?

He stood opposite the Armorer, the weight of her visor of her golden helm trained directly on him.

“This is the Way.”

Her reply was one he’d heard countless times before. But that had been the first time that it hadn’t felt like reassurance. Still, he returned the words and accepted the challenge. Because even if it was impossible, it was the only path he could take.

This is the Way.

When Bo-Katan had declined his invitation to join him on his journey to Mandalore, he had been further disheartened. She had once been the spearhead of the initiative to retake the ancestral homeworld of their people. To hear her say that Mandalore was lost, that she had no desire to return to it anymore didn’t make him feel any better about the chances of his mission being a success.

But I have to try. I have to.

“Then I will go alone.”

She glared at him from the throne in the great hall of her stronghold on Kalevala. “Then you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were, Din Djarin.” A mirthless laugh left her lips as she raised one hand towards the door. “Go on. Leave me in peace.”

He did as she asked then, but when he landed safely on the surface of Mandalore several days later and found that it wasn’t toxic or poisoned or blown to pieces like she and others had said it was, he felt far from foolish. For the first time since being told that he was no longer a Mandalorian, he felt something start to swell inside him. Hope. With help from R5 he was able to scan the surface and locate the ruins of the civic center in the city of Sundari, beneath which lay the mines and the Living Waters.

When he was attacked by a pack of Alamites along the way, he hadn’t noticed that one of them had managed to sink its tusk between his chest plate and shoulder pauldron. He’d dispatched them before the pain could register, and that had been further delayed as the last one fell with a thud, clearing his view and giving him his first glimpse at what he’d thought was impossible.

Redemption.

Instead of destroying them, the seismic activity of the Purge had actually deepened the waters, opening up underground aquifers that hadn’t been accessed in centuries. Stumbling forwards, he made his way into the shallows, reciting the words of the Creed aloud in the empty chamber. But halfway through, he lost his step and suddenly the weight of his armor and the pull of the water was too much for his battle-weakened body, and he was plummeting. Down, down, down to the depths.

– – – –

You woke with a jolt, gasping and clutching at your chest.

It had never been so strong. Where it normally began as a gentle pull, that night it was as though a hook had lodged itself in your heart and was dragging you into motion.

Tonight. You thought, and it was the first time that you felt so sure, the first time that there wasn’t a maybe attached. Tonight. Tonight.

You raced through the channels and rose towards the surface, but this time, instead of following the same path you always took, you felt the pull take you a different way.

But this doesn’t lead to the surface. This just leads to the old mines and the…

It was then that you remembered the last detail of the story about Cyare and the Mandalorian king. The pool of water where she was able to stay close to him after rescuing him had since been built around and used ceremoniously as a place of new life and fresh starts.

They called it the Living Waters. That’s… that’s where I’m going now.

You weren’t sure why, because you knew for a fact that the moon wouldn’t be visible from there. But the urgency you felt only grew with each beat of your heart, and you swam faster than ever to find out why. And you didn’t have to wait long.

As soon as you arrived, your eyes doubled in size as you saw him - the figure of a man from the world above, clad head to toe in shiny beskar armor just like in the myths, plunging through the dark, cold water to what would certainly be his demise.

I have to help him!

You couldn’t be sure if the thought came first, or if it was your grip beneath his arms, but once you had him securely in your hold, you darted straight up until you breached the water and were surrounded by the cathedral like cavern of the partially collapsed mines. With a powerful push of your tail, you lifted the man up onto the steps that led out of the water. For a few terrible seconds you waited, watching his chest for the rise and fall of breaths, wondering if you’d been too late. But just as you were about to reach out and touch him again, a cough came from under his helmet and relief flooded your whole being.

“You’re alive!” The rush of joy you felt over that simple statement was almost too much. Another round of coughing and sputtering came as his reply, and then you noticed the blood. Oh, no. Frowning, you looked down at him. “But you’re hurt. Don’t move, let me take a look.”

“Who…” He coughed again as you pressed both hands to the gap between the metal covering his body. “Who are you?”

You licked a few stray drops of water from your lips and told him your name. “I am a sea maiden of Mandalore.” Narrowing your eyes, you peered at his wound and sighed as you realized it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and that you’d be able to patch it up with paste made from the grasses that grew in the lakebed of these waters. “Who are you?”

He panted out a few uneven breaths and groaned as he sat up slightly. “My name is Din Djarin. I-” He sucked in a breath and you pulled your hands away, sinking further down into the water. When he spoke again, he did so with a small but noticeable shake of his head. “I didn’t know that there were sea folk on Mandalore.”

That actually made you smile. “And I didn’t know that there were any topsiders left on Mandalore.” He tilted his chin, the curve of his helmet catching a reflection from the water, but before he could speak again he flinched and grabbed for his injured shoulder. “Hold on,” you told him, lifting one finger. “I’ll be right back.”

With that you disappeared beneath the water in search of the grass you knew to have medicinal properties, snatching up a handful and rising back up. Crushing it between your fingers and mixing it with water in your palm, you turned it to a paste and held it up. “This will help with your shoulder.”

He didn’t protest, nodding instead, and you moved quickly to apply the treatment. As you drew your hand back again, he said your name. “Thank you. For saving me.”

You smiled at him again, still buzzing with adrenaline from what had happened. “You’re welcome, Din Djarin of Mandalore.”

“Actually…” He sighed and circled the shoulder you had just finished tending to, clearly surprised at how quickly the salve had gone to work. “This is my first time here on Mandalore. I was raised on the moon of Concordia.”

You felt the shock that you were sure he saw on your face, your thoughts beginning to race wildly.

Concordia. The moon. That’s why- He’s why… Why I felt the pull tonight. It wasn’t the moon it was… it was him. He was what I’ve been drawn to. And now he’s here and-

“Are you alright? Did I say something to-” He reached for your arm then, and you realized that one of his gloves must have been lost when he was dragged down, because you felt his skin brush yours, as light as a kiss.

Tonight. Tonight. Tonight.

As soon as he touched you it started - a tingling sensation throughout your body. Looking down at your lower half, you watched in awe as the scales of your tail transformed into the same chain link material of your shirt, lengthening into a dress that covered a pair of legs instead of a tail.

“What… what happened, are you…” He rose somewhat shakily to stand beside you.

You grasped onto him, unsure if it was for his stability or yours at that point, but it didn’t matter. It was all true. The myth. The prophecy. Concordia’s kiss. It was too soon to tell if the rest of the story would ring true - the part concerning the romance and the lifelong bond that Cyare and the Mandalorian in the myth would share - but there would be plenty of time to see how that would unfold now that your two worlds had been joined. Lifting your eyes to the darkened visor you imagined his must be behind, you took a deep breath.

“I have been waiting a very long time for this night.” You nodded and swallowed a thick knot of complicated emotions. “We have to talk. About the future of Mandalore.”

Returning your nod, and gently gripping your forearm, he responded. “This is the Way.”

Thank you for reading! If you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist, please feel free to let me know or you can fill out the form on my masterlist.

tags: @something-tofightfor @gollyderek @pheedraws @beautifuldesastre @alraedesigns @valkblue @commanderlola @cannedsoupsucks @dihra-vesa @marauderskeeper @disgruntledspacedad @littlemisspascal @mishasminion360 @stevie75 @nyctophiliiiiaaa @practicalghost @tanzthompson @harriedandharassed @woodlandmouth @swtaura @thescarletfang @trickstersp8 @princessxkenobi @imtryingmybeskar @wildmoonflower @mswarriorbabe80 @hp-hogwartsexpress @theredwritingwitch @silverstarsandsuns @competentpotato @pedro-pedrito-pascalito @pedrostories

#mermay 2023 #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x you #din djarin mermaid au #mando x female reader #mando x you #the mandalorian fic #the mandalorian mermaid au #mando mermaid au #this is the way #tidal force #din djarin one shot #pedrostories

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asimpforhotpixels · 2 years

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Title: The Creator's Guardian (Prologue)

Summary: a tale of teyvat's creator's adventure as she tries to retrieve what she lost and hopefully purge her world of the corruption that plagues it. a tale told by a very overworked guardian as they try to save their beloved creator from her own stupidity and flirtiness

Series Warnings: Spoilers probably, Blood, Violence (a lot less than most impostor fics) Overlooked trauma, Bottled up emotions. will add more as the series progress

Additional Tags: Semi-Canon compliant, Women-centric as hell, OOC characters, Self-Indulgent series, Kinda SAGAU, the more accurate tag would be semi-soft! impostor cult AU. Creator/Guardian!Reader/Genshin Women. A very flirty, stubborn, "humor is my coping mechanism" Divine God.

Reader Pronouns: They/Them

Word Count: 1171 words

Author’s Note: ah yes, here we are. this started as "why aren't there more women-centric sagau fics" and I realized I might be looking in the wrong places but fuck it I'll write one myself. There will be male characters in this fic however, they will serve as side characters. I also feel the need to disclose the fact that I'm still doing research on the whole Genshin lore which is why some parts of this might be inaccurate. La Signora is alive because it's a self-indulgent fic I do what I want. So if you dislike everything I've said in this note then I believe this fic isn't for you. But if you do like whatever I've said in this note, then I hope you enjoy reading beloved readers <3

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Taglist: @chocoenvy

[next]

The Twelveth Harbinger. The Guardian. Also known as the hidden Harbinger, for the people of Snezhnaya at least. For the rest of Teyvat? As far as they know, there are only eleven Harbingers under the Tsaritsa’s thumb.

Why is that? You may ask. Simply because… The Twelveth Harbinger never worked for the Empress of Ice, rather they worked with her.

Hushed whispers echoed throughout the pristine crystalized hallway as you walked alongside Damselette and The Knave, both engrossed in their own world while you simply walked beside them, quietly listening to Columbina’s hums and Arlecchino’s occasional murmurs of displeasure as she carries a stack of neatly piled paper. Suddenly as you turn the corner, you manage to bump into the marionette’s giant puppet that’s always carrying her.

“Oh, dear.” Columbina exclaims as the puppet’s hand holds you up.

“Are you alright?” Arlecchino questioned, the stack of papers she was previously holding pinned underneath her armpits as she assesses the damage done to you

The Marionette although quiet seems to fuss over the slowly forming bump on your head as she fixes your slightly messy hair.

“I’m feeling quite well, a little shook up but I am rather fine.” You reassured them with a smile

“What is with all this fuss so late into the night?” A sharp voice cut through the cheery atmosphere you’ve managed to create

“Rosalyne.” Arlecchino greets her with a cordial yet happy tone.

“You’re back!” You exclaimed walking over to the woman who’s obviously still tired, clad in thick coats and her Fatui uniform

“Yes. It was quite a dreadful journey. The City of Bards was as suffocating as it was before.” She sneers as she fluffs up your newly fixed hair, much to Sandrone’s pouts

“Well, you can blame that on the Anemo Archon who seemed to have given his nation far too much freedom.” You huffed

“That rat could never pass off as an archon. The only true archon worthy of such praise is Her Majesty, The Tsaritsa.” She scoffs

“Ah! That reminds me, Rosalyne, I sincerely apologize, however…” Arlecchino hands Rosalyne a hefty stack of paper

“Verdammt.” She cusses as she sighs

Your eyes grow dark as you remember the memories that invaded your brain last night, of Rosalyne’s death and the funeral held at Zapolyarny Palace. If you remember correctly, the papers that Rosalyne is holding right now would be the details for Tartaglia’s assignment on Liyue. You were then thinking of taking the Inazuma assignment rather than Rosalyne under the guise of rest and letting The Balladeer square it off with his mother.

Truthfully, at first, you couldn’t care less about the Tsaritsa and her little minions. You didn’t even know them, not until they freed you from your cage, and even then you treated them as mere pawns to your ultimate goal.

You see, you were never born. No. You were created. By the one and only Divine Creator. Created from her own blood and various items she herself created, just for you. You were the first sentient creature she created once she had been satisfied with the world she has conjured up. “Teyvat” she called it. She soon created being similar to you, yet they don’t hold the same abilities and divine presence as you. She explained that these are called humans, mortals, beings who are extremely fragile and can easily die when the years pass by. You saw no use for them but they made the creator happy so you couldn’t care less.

You walked alongside her as she traveled through Teyvat, helping her creation flourish until she realized she could not keep up with all of her creation’s demands anymore, even with you acting as her “secretary” as she called you. So as much as you tried to stop her, she created the Gods, beings with a little less divinity than you but still much more powerful than humans. They are tasked with guiding humans in their everyday life with things that are inside their domain. She even created a floating nation just for them, Celestia as it is known now.

They were supposed to be loyal to our great Creator. They were supposed to protect her and her creations. You could feel your hand shake in anger yet again as you reminisce the past. You forced yourself to calm down, you are still in between 4 of your beloved friends after all. Besides, The Tsaritsa definitely wouldn’t appreciate you destroying the palace in which she resides.

And so with Columbina’s gentle humming, the gentle heavy thumps of Sandrone’s moving chair, and Arlecchino’s discussion with Rosalyne, you’ve arrived in front of Tsaritsa’s throne room. Moving aside so that Sandrone’s puppet could push open the extremely tall double door of the said throne room.

And inside sat Her Majesty, The Tsaritsa in all her icy glory. Her eyes opened up with a sharp glare as if threatening to smite those who dare disturb her peace, only for it to soften just a tad bit upon seeing the 5 of you. She motions you to stand beside her and so you did, quietly listening in to their reports as to what happened this week. In contrast to what a specific person would say, Tsaritsa, cares deeply about her subjects, enough that she would listen to reports from her Harbingers every week without fail.

As Columbina opened her mouth to deliver her news, a sudden ache pulsated throughout you, you winced slightly and clutched your chest right above where your heart is. A few seconds later, you feel a snap as if a rope was forcibly cut into two, snapping it in half with its threads desperately longing to be reunited once again, which is then followed by an excruciating pain spreading throughout your body starting from your head.

You couldn’t stop yourself from screaming in pain as you fell to your knees, squeezing your eyes shut, your face contorted in pain. The next time you managed to open your eyes, you were still in the throne room with The Tsaritsa kneeling beside you, worry etched deeply into her face as her hands gather elemental energy in hopes to cool down your burning temperature, Rosalyne was holding a tall glass of water with the same worried look on her face which can be seen in Sandrone, Columbina and Arlecchino’s faces as well. You thought that it felt odd and out of place considering that they always looked so cold and intimidating but you couldn’t care less about that right now as the pain intensified tenfold.

You could feel yourself losing your own consciousness as the dreadfully familiar feeling of helplessness wash over you. Right before you closed your eyes, however, you could see something rip through the room’s space as a disheveled Lumine rush through it.

There would be only one reason for this feeling. Only one reason that the Abyss Princess herself would seek you out like this.

The Creator’s body is missing from the Abyss.

The Creator is back.

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact women x reader #fatui harbinger women x reader #la signora x reader #arlecchino x reader #columbina x reader #sandrone x reader #rosalyne x reader #the knave x reader #marionette x reader #damselette x reader #tsaritsa x reader #why am i so nervous because of this fic hhhhhh #genshin sagau #sagau

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jess-the-vampire · 9 months

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I just came across your au, wonderful btw.

I was just wondering if there is a post with an explanation? I think I have a good idea of what is going on, but I just wanted to make sure

My idea is that there are mc switches, Hunter-Luz, Belos-Eda, Darius-Camilla, Amity-Willow, as well as Hunter-Caleb

The thing I am most confused about is time skips, there seems to be something where Caleb and Philip are from their time but in present day Boiling Isles, are they both doing the canon belos method to stay alive until now or is there weird time magic going on?

Ona last thing was I saw a post about Caleb and Luz being related, is Luz a bio Clawthorne in this AU, and the Caleb/Evelyn thing happened before the time skip?

Sorry for all the questions, I just got hooked on this in 2 seconds flat and didn’t know what else to do

i am working on an au guide actually, but it's currently not finished, when it is out it'll provide a basic idea of what's happening for new people.

You can check out the archive if you wanna learn more as you go : @areverseoffeathersandmud-archive

(still being updated)

or ask me for anything you want to know for the time being

Now as for your questions: There is an explanation for them being so old, it's uh...Philip's fault, he made a deal with collector to keep caleb from being hurt again after the fight and it's resulted in both of them semi being immortal.

Yes, this has consequences on both of them and others within the au, especially given philip did this and never told caleb.

I got a few comics addressing it, it's an emotional roller-coaster.

As for the second, she's an adopted one more accurately, she and king are both adopted.

and yes, caleb and evelyn are, or were, a thing.

The au is part canon divergence au, and it starts diverging basically at the fight, when caleb doesn't die, so the wittebane origin is pretty much the same as canon....or at least my interpretation of it is.

oh, don't apologize, i REALLY appreciate you like it and wanna see more, that makes me really happy.

#my art #the owl house #toh #a reverse of feathers and mud au #areverseoffeathersandmudau #a reverse of feathers and mud #emperor belos #philip wittebane #hunter #the owl house hunter #golden guard #the golden guard

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ask-ronndoll · 20 days

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OMGGG YOU BACK! I followed this Au a long time ago.... Has much changed since the last publication?

HIIIII yes well I am…semi-back!!! I’m still getting things sorted out and with my artblocked cured I’m still in recovery ig?

BUT lorewise, I have a lot of things going on. Big changes so far are only (4):

1.) Ronn and Mike are 26 years old at the start of this au (1990s in FNaF 1)

2.) William ≠ Vincent. Vincent Bishop is now a different character in my AU, William Afton remaining the same canon chara.

3.) Phone Guy is now Filipino; Fransisco “Scott” Rivera.

4.) Vincent Bishop is half-Filipino; and just got off parole. ( wonder why? )

More is coming soon!!! :)

#nadi mun #fnaf #five nights at freddys

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lemony-snickers · 5 months

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

thanks for the tag @razerathane - it was a nice suprise! <3

i'm going to answer these with combined stat data from both of my pseuds.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

127

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,237,244

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mostly naruto and bnha. also cowboy bebop and justified (lol). i have one-offs in fangirl and fruits basket.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

longfic (1638)

when life gives you aus, make lemony-ade (734)

ours (548)

a good match (519) - will never not be surprised this beats out helping hands by soooo much.

nice to meet you (506)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i try! i'm not great about it these days because i'm really trying to distance myself from stats/interactions, but i think if someone is kind enough to leave me the comments i so desperately hope for always, then i should be kind enough to say thank you.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably the whumptober piece i wrote once where ochaco is slowly crushed to death by rubble. oops.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most of the fics i publish have happy-ish endings, i think? i'm pretty allergic to sad or angsty ends, for the most part.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really. i've had some folks voice their dissatisfaction, but no real hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

lol, yes. the boring kind as;dflkasjdf

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

nope! never have and don't really have much desire to; there are very few cases where i think this works well & i'm not confident i'd be able to pull it off.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope, but i did participate in a big bang which included some collaboration with artists!

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

i am not overly attached to canon ships for the most part. i will say i adore izuocha & kiribaku, and am a big time spike/faye shipper even though it always ends in tragedy.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

scent of a camellia. someone commented on it recently and i remembered how excited i was when i started it (i was still semi-popular at the time and others seemed excited for it, too, but it all fizzled out and i just don't have the motivation for longform stuff anymore).

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think my descriptions are okay!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

not great with action and sometimes my character dialogue starts to all sound the same.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i try to do so very sparingly if at all, and make sure the dialogue is still understandable from context (ie. the answer the character receives or something). when i do this, will typically provide a direct translation in the author's note for anyone interested.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i posted the first chapter of my longfic (naruto) in early 2019.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

i'm very attached to my longfic. under this pseud, probably still the strength of vines. just really enjoy the concept and wish i'd been able to realize the original idea it sprang from. since i couldn't, the fic is a nice way for me to have written it out in some way.

i will tag a few folks in case they'd like to do this - @konohamaru-sensei @historicfailure @chemmerson

#tag you're it!#lemony snippets

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betchyboo · 3 months

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Jujutsu Kaisen Roleplay Search! =3= 18+ only

Yo! It's a teensy bit obvious, but this is my first Tumblr account -- hints lack of pretty much...anything on my blog (?), so please excuse any awkward fumbling around the technical side of Tumbler. Also I'm fairly removed from most fandom scenes, so common phrases I'll most likely not know either T.T That being said, I am fairly experienced when it comes to personally writing / roleplaying. Around ten years, give or take. I'm twenty (Yes, I started writing at 10. And yes, it was Warrior Cat Fanfic - we all have dark pasts) and have done many, and I do many, ocxoc roleplays. However, no matter high or low I searched, I could never find a place to for fandom roleplaying. In highsight, tumblr was a very obvious solution that did not hit me full force until today (hints, yknow. The new account / blog). So, here I am, desperately begging any kind morsel to take pity upon an rapid obsessed jjk fan that has not encountered any soul to talk that JJK talk to (I have a lot of pent up excitement after years of this slow torture of keeping my special interest to myself u,u)

🌸🌼🌸🌼🌸 Anyways, onto the actually important part: ME! 🌸 I'm a full adult woman, so please, be an adult yourself. I am looking for an NSFW roleplay, though the ratio of sex to plot is interchangeable. I can write pretty much anything thrown my way, so toss me an idea, and I'll most likely be down. 🌼 I am a semi-lit to lit writer; I like writing outside of roleplaying and I do appreciate the same enthusiasm back. The longest I've written is a response is 3k, but I usually keep it around 300-500 words. That being said, I am most picky about grammar: please only third person, idc about tense (I use present), but please. I beg. Third person only. 🌸 I prefer M/M ships only, with only canon characters. Trans, genderswap, or pussy-assigned-by-ABO is fine by me; all my favorite characters / ships just so happen to be male (though I am eyeing up Yuki / Choso for later fanfic indulgents <<). 🌼 Oh, and I'm super friendly and will OOC. It will happen, I'm sorry in advance. The characters I can play: 🌷Choso 🌷

🌷Megumi 🌷

🌷Satoru 🌷

🌷Yuuji 🌷

🌷Uraume 🌷

🌷Sukuna 🌷

🌷Toji 🌷 I am a versatile shipper, so throw a ship my way using one of these characters, and I'll prob be down. Though my favorite is anything that has to do with Sukuna -- I have a soft spot for Sukuna x Uraume >.< Au's / themes: - I love Au's! Everything from boring collage life to yakuza to a respin on canon. I eat me up anything under the sun that has to do with jjk, really. - I am also down for darker themes! I usually prefer my ships more toxic than not; I love me some good old red flags, what can I say :P -- that being said, I don't do Hurt!No comfort. No matter what happens, the main ship has to have a happy ending. - Ironically enough, I also love fluff. So, honestly just throw any Au with any themes my way, and like a dog after a ball, I'll be overly excited.

🌸🌼🌸🌼🌸 Oh my god, that was so long. Most likely, given how long I've had to ponder over my love for JJK, I'll most likely have (at least if not more) one plot idea for any ship tossed to me; or I'll be more than happy to ramble on until we find an idea that suits us both. Byes! - Betchy Boo

#jujutsu kaisen rp #jujutsu kaisen #roleplay #rp #writing #fandom ships #jjk #jjk roleplay #sukuna #uraume #itadori yuuji #gojo satoru #choso #rp partner search #roleplay blog #anime roleplay #smut roleplay

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wildglitch · 5 days

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A long Side tangent for the WIZ!Spidey x DCU AU

A longish post on what I think happened to the other dimension travelers. This is gonna be semi canon with the other heros! Timeline I sometimes mention. This means some of what I say is canon, some might be subject to change, while others I have decided to write total bs for.

And YK what the best part is? You get to figure out which one is which :D

Since this is gonna be focusing on a lot of other characters that aren't Peter, this is gonna be a bit longer so the characters can get at least one paragraph to them.

This is mostly gonna be off the top of my head since I only know what happens to Loki, T'challa and Bruce. The others I'm gonna figure out as we go, so we are doing this together

Anyways- let's start.

-Ok so lets break this into sections

Main canon: the one every post is talking about unless I say otherwise. Yk, the main au

Other Heros: the au where I add characters that didn't show up in the show, but canonically they do exist in the main MCU timeline so theoretically they could also survive. Yk, the Daredevil au I wrote a bit about where everyone dies, this is if they live

Absolut BS: Is there gonna be bs in the other sections? Yes. Is there gonna be anything serious in this one? Absolutely not. This is for those sweet non canon MCU characters. I try to stick to canon as much as possible, but sometimes I get an idea so good I wanna add it, but refuses cause I gotta lay in the bed I made for myself (it's fine lol). This is for stuff we know aren't canon or are very heavily implied not to be in the MCU. Yk, for funsies, (and cause team red is missing its degenerate, yes Im weak Im sorry! Deadpool you still aint canon to this until your movie comes out! You too Logan!)

With those out of the way, lets start of with the

Main Canon

-So, starting off simple are the people on the ship. T'achalla in my opinion, looking at the movies, is weaker than Peter. And since Peter dies in most of his crashes if there is no interference, the answer is clear to see. After all, the black guy always dies first :^

...MOVING ON-

No, uhh, to not just leave it like that cause, yes, it's sad- I like to think that if he dies then his ancestors and powers let him transcend a bit to the point of minor godhood. Meaning that if there were ever a godly meeting the avatars had to attend to, Peter would be in for a big surprise

-Scott, wtf happened to you bro-

He survives due to the fact he had the cloak of levitation, he has no clue what happened and due to his lower weight, gets blown away by the wind, never to be seen again. So sad

...anyways he ended up in a box-

No clue how he got there. He just knows that one minute he was disoriented as hell in the sky, the next he's stuck in some crate in some magic labyrinth with no hope of rescue. Long story short, he's stuck there for many, many months.

Scott: How Am I Still Alive!?

-Bruce is the Hulk when he gets chucked into the DCU, he's also at an old abandoned military base...why are there people here?

Ya so, apparently the abandoned base he was Hulking out at against a bunch of Zombies, wasn't so abandoned in the DCU. In Fact it's one of, if not the most top secret base there is in the U.S military. So imagine with me, this X foot tall green beast appears out of nowhere and is in some sort of rampage at this super secure military base. You're welcome, I just put Bruce on the Villains list. I can see a few JL members or maybe some YJ kids showing up and dealing with him. And since we know that Hulk is sentient enough to make friends and enemies, Hulk is sent to some top of the line prison while Bruce is unconscious in the back seat. The JL try to interrogate him, but they only get vage half formed sentences about being weak (not a good look) people (Valkyrie, his best bro, is very much missed) and a mission (protect spider...Batman filed that one away for later)

-Bucky...Ha! No

I've proven to myself that I like his character enough to make him important to Peter's Character and the Plot (since when is there plot-) so Ima save him for another post.

-Thor (+Rocket and Groot)

These 3 didn't get split up, Surprisingly. They end up traveling through Africa (yes, the whole thing) trying to find their way back. Thor in his depressive state, keeps fighting and trying to find a way to his brother, since he could tell that whatever happened to them, it happened because of Loki.

Rocket and Groot are just there, since they're aliens who have never been to Earth before, they are just treating it like that. Though they do know something happened and they aren't really in the same place as before, they aren't struggling as much as the Earth natives. Thor is also having an easier time, but he keeps forgetting he isn't well known here. It's actually a bit refreshing.

Think of it like a road trip DnD adventure as they travel through Africa then Europe then Asia, trying to find his brother but having no clue where to go. Saving people and gaining a sort of reputation as “That nice aussie that saves people'' alongside “The raccoon and Groot” (Everyone loves Groot)

Rocket Is a good dad and is just there protecting Groot and scamming people. And Groot discovers the internet. They continue to save people because that's what they did with their family, so they will continue to do that even if they can tell it's just the two of them again.

-Loki, my God…you sneaky shit-

When I tell you, Loki dropped in the middle of a league meeting. Im telling you, he dropped in the MIDDLE OF A LEAGUE MEETING! JL Light, JL Dark, YJ, the Titans, literally everyone was there! Why? 1. The league has a yearly meeting where they try to get every superhero team and hero esc people in the room so they can touch base. 2. Loki's magic…scared the hell out of them. The meeting was really soon and all of a sudden they get a really strong magic signature tearing reality apart? Yeah, they are gonna move the meeting up by a week to see what the heck is going on. Only for this British fuck to drop onto the table just ozzing out the energy they where Looking for. Yeah, you can bet all hell broke loose.

Loki gets locked in a cell on the tower as they try to figure out who he is, but they have absolutely no experience with his realitys magic so they can't get anything off of him. Some of the more godly inclined (Captain Marvel) can tell that he's a god from another universe, but comes to the conclusion that it's best to just let things play out.

Loki:...

CM:...

Loki: you’re quite the interesting child

CM: nOPE! You’re on your own. Good luck with that.

The hero's try interrogating him, trying to find out what he wants, and Loki is just like “nuh uh” and is just enjoying his time in his cell like the chaos god he is. Obviously he's playing all of them and getting info off of every single one of them, figuring out slowly where the other people could be and sending Peter to investigate the leads. Could he escape? Absolutely, he has walked to the kitchen more times than he cares to mention. Will he leave? No, he is in the most strategically useful place at the moment so he will stay there screwing with Batman until the League get bored of interrogating him. There are moments where they think he means no harm, and while that is true, it also means they might kick him from the tower, and he can't have that. Besides, scaring the Flash in front of everyone to keep his danger status is just so much fun.

And that everyone that should be in the Main Canon, onto

Canon Divergents: Other Heros.

Ok, so I like to think, personally, that everyone on this list died a horrible gruesome death before the episode started. But I can tell that some people like to keep them alive, and what is this if not just us having fun right? So this is a little “what if '' of the “what if ''. I don't know why they weren't in the episode, maybe they left, maybe they thought they were dead, maybe they were on another mission, who knows, you choose. But like I said, this is for fun so I’ll let you lil’ brains figure it out.

Lets start of with

-Kamala Khan. Ok so with this, Ima play with the timeline again. We never get confirmation if she blipped or not, but I don't think so(correct me if I'm wrong). So looking at her age I’d say she's around 16? In the year 2024 (holy shit thats this year-) so in 2018 when the blip/ the episode happened she would have been 10-11

You see my vision? Little 10 year old Kamala was possibly one of the youngest kids of the group, so her getting chucked into the DCU can only land her in one place. Foster care. You can make the argument that months of zombies made her jaded and able to survive the apocalypse and thus the streets considering I gave her the bangles. But I honestly think she was found right away and protected by everyone because of her age no matter the fact she has the bangle. She’s so small, it doesn't even fit her right. I think she's still a sweet, excitable little girl that is traumatized, but spent most of her time at the base being protected and cheering the others up.

So, her being this excitable and happy gets placed into many foster homes. But she also has trauma and issues so the family realizing she's not an “easy” kid sends her back, moving her around a lot. I can totally see Peter actually finding her but the only thing keeping him from getting to her is the constant address changes and his lack of funds.

-Darcy Lewis is truly in her 2 broke girls era as she takes the Identity of “Max” and starts working at a shitty Cafe.

-Moon Knight system

Remember how I said that only Jake was present for the Zombie Apocalypse? Well-

M: 8 MONTHS!?

S: Where are we!

M: 8 months!

S: What happened?

M: 8. Months.

S: Why weren't we here! Wait as second we- who are you 2?!

M: 8. Months…

S: Ahhhhhhhhh

J: *end me now* ( o_o)

Ya so instead of them trying to find the others, the 3 of them are actually trying to learn how to live with each other. The multiple Identities and accents are throwing Peter off

-Barton children

Ok Ima rapid fire this

Lila: somehow ends up with the arrows and being her fathers daughter, shows them up. Artimist likes her a lot

Cooper: He ends up in (you decide) city, and being his mothers son, starts doing some spy shit trying to find the others.

Nathen: lil’ baby somehow showed up at the Kents farm instead of his, and they sort of just …*adopt*. He's good friends with Jon.

Bonus points: Pizza dog is found as a Puppy by the kid and adopted as “emotional support” and “I must protect this poor dog, he doesn't have an eye for pete's sake!”

(These can not all happen, you gotta pick one kid for your hc cause I refuse to let all of the kids live no matter the au. The angst potential is the best part people)

-Last but not least Matt

He was found by a Church, the church sent him to the hospital, the hospital called him insane and sent by a psych ward, the psych ward said nope and sent him to arkham. He's pissed about it but like the reasonable guy he is, understands. Lots of the guys in there call him a “wanna be batman”.

He has no clue who that is but he is deeply offended.

I can totally see Peter finding him within a few days of looking and just going to visit him under the guise that he's his son.

Peter:...

Matt: …

Peter: *glare*

Matt: soooo, how have you been?

Peter: I Thought You Were Dead!

Peter cant get Matt out cause Matt keeps beating the other rouges up. Peter is so done with his shit and Matt regrets nothing. That 2 face piece of shit had it coming.

Bonus point for the Batfam finding out Peter’s “Father” is in arkham. Just Bruce and Matt having the most awkward silent meeting. Neither talk for like 15 minutes at first. It's glorious.

+Miles morales. Oh you thought I was done? Tf I am! He's canon to the MCU so I’m rolling with it. Timeline wise, I’d say he's about 6-8 years old give or take. He can either A: get the spider powers and survives just like Peter until they find him, and Peter taking him under his wing, or B: im being the only person Peter could save because…idk, maybe he was having a confrontation with Aaron at his apartment and it turns out Miles was there cause he wanted to go trick or treating with him and is wearing a spiderman custom, awww, and kinda awkward for the two (mostly Aaron). Zombies come in, and Aaron sends Miles with Peter because yk, good Uncle. Yeah that works-

Miles' face is planted right in the center of brooklyn and like the good boy he is, waits for someone he knows to find him, (if lost, wait at the spot you are until they find you). He tells people his guardian is Peter Parker, but since Peter is going under a different allies, they can't find him. But Miles is determined and decides that he needs to stay In Queens so that Peter can find him, he knows he will.

And that wraps up that part which leads us to

Total Bull Shit

Yep, this is for those sweet non MCU canon characters. (No other fandom ones though, I haven't fallen that far from grace) (with this au at leasts)

These are just for the sillies and won't be canon unless they somehow become canon to the MCU (*stares intensely at Deadpool and Wolverine* sooooon)

-Wade Wilson

We all have seen the trailers ok, I see him, he's coming, we have all waited for this. And not only is he coming to the MCU but his reasoning works really well with this fic. He's crossing dimensions to fix the timeline and shit and he somehow gets chucked into this storyline as he's doing it. With his awesome fourth wall breaks, I can just see him showing up in Gotham for a bit, causing shit, and breaking Matt out of Arkham because he wants to do the Team Red thing. I can totally see him being super excited about meeting his first spidey lol. And Peter and Matt are just in a constant state of “wtf” as they deal with this guy that is apparently from the same multiverse and Universe(?) as them. Also, apparently it shouldn't even be possible for them to be in this universe, so that's fun

They warm up to each other and end up having a bit of fun I swear. He wont stay for long cause I can see this as being like a quick side plot in both the AU and the movie as he tries to get back to whatever he's doing.

-Logan. He's there for like a Minute, he gets there trying to get wade back to whatever they are doing, and ends up getting stuck too. Peter and Matt help them get back to whatever they were doing and when they offer a way back to their home, they say no for a number of reasons. Logan still ends up giving them a dimension hopping thing just in case.

-Andrew!Spidey from the main timeline NWH. Techincally hes canon, but hes also kinda owned by Sony so ima let this slide. Hes there for like just a minunte ok- he gets pulled into Deadpools And Wolverings Shit and decides “Fuck it, we ball” and helps the out. He sees little WIZ!Peter and thinks, “Holy shit, I just saw you!” and tells Peter about the weird shit he just went through with the other version of him and Peter is just amazed. Like “wow, a world where my friends are alive, a world where no Zombies came and destroyed the lives of the people I love. A world where I got to have more time with aunt May….must be nice”

Sorry-

Also- *has flashbacks to Andrew Garfield and Ryan Renolds kissing and the canonical list of people Deadpool is allowed to cheat with. ( o_o)

DP: heya hot stuff

A!S: No.

DP: yes

Wiz!P: Wtf is happening

DD: Look away kid

*Deadpool and Spidey comic dynamic of full display*

-Harry Osborn.

Peter: Hey Harry, who are those guys?

Harry: idk, my dad is working with these biochemists for a company from Russia. I think the name was some Greek monster? I don't really care.

Peter: Oh ok, I'm gonna say hi to them

Harry: Sure, but be mindful of the creatures they’re working on

Peter: Got it!

Boom there’s your origin story. Peter just wanted to say hi to the nice looking Hydra agent and Harry let him.

Could we have him be hobgoblin alongside Peter when they are in gotham? Sure. Have it be like a nice spider that does no harm and his mean goblin bodyguard. Except it's the spider who can truly kick your ass. Also, just the absolut drama these 2 can have with each other is just *chefs kiss*

-Gwen Stacy

Just- just Gwen dude. Maybe she's from the DCU and they have a meet cute at a coffee shop. Maybe Peter Meets this super cute girl hiding out in a lab in the middle of the apocalypse. Maybe she's dead. Idk, idc, I love Gwen’s and Peter’s dynamic in TASM movies and I can see a traumatized dark humor version with these 2. Just give Peter his Girlfriend pls

-Johnny Storm is one of Peter's best superhero friends in the comics. Spidey's first appearance is also in a FF comic, so it just feels right. Just integrate that into the story and you're golden. I can see them having inside jokes and stuff no one will ever get cause “you had to be there”.

-Nova, because I'm pulling from my experience with the 2012 show. No, I bring him in because I think it could add not only to Peter's character but also rockets and groots, considering they just heard the Xandar was destroyed, and all of a sudden they find this kid with an old bucket. They’re gonna get some feels, small as they might be.

Also, the ultimate 2012 team may have treated Peter like shite, but with better writing and stuff, these 2 could have been good friends. Sadly that doesn't really translate that well in the show imo.

Uhhhhh, anyone else for this monster of a post? No. Ok cool-

Idk when I'm gonna post the next part of the main lore stuff, but I'm gonna post this and some DC p.o.v's to flesh out some stuff. I might also post a bit of art and another fic in between the posts.

This is too long- have fun with this while I go pass out for a bit lol

#peter parker #crossover #dcu #mcu #zombie au #au #im not tagging everyone #i dont hate myself that much #wiz!au #mcu x dc #what if #Im gonna figuer out the rest of the tags later #enjoy this word vomit ig #long post

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theserpentsadvocate · 7 months

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I am drowning in half-planned fic right now because I made the mistake of rewatching Veronica Mars (and seeing the new season) and then there was very very little of the stuff I wanted to make me feel better, so I am now writing it myself all at once??? (Yes, juggling like six AUs at once is a bad idea, no I did not do it on purpose.) And I know better than to post unfinished stuff, so give me some feedback, guys:

What are people interested in?

(Relevant information: I am here for Weevil, and I am decidedly not here for Logan. Also, these are mostly not the actual titles, I just don’t have one yet.)

Finish the short ones first!

*The long, sad, bittersweet Weevil/Jade reunion, where she runs into trouble post S4 and has no one else to call. (Pros: As a (long) oneshot, will probably be finished in the next millennium! I’ve also not only started it but made some decent progress. Has a likely sequel which is… maaaybe less sad. Kind of. Jade POV, which is, uh, scarce. Cons: Sequel is less well-planned-out and kind of self-indulgent, this is a ship that like two people are on. Also it’s sad.)

*Five Children Veronica Mars Never Had (Pros: Short enough it might get finished before the heat-death of the universe! I’ve also already started it. Takes a bit of a turn from the typical children-as-a-ship-exploration/validation these things often have (most of these children are not biologically Veronica’s). Novel canon is relevant! Some very solid V/W friendship in at least one. Cons: Tremendously, horrifically depressing; I literally just keep killing people to make the premise work. Very little shipping.)

*The Jade/Eli Chronicles (Pros: Related oneshots so, again, will probably be finished in a semi-reasonable time. Fluffy if you block S4 from your memory. Jade gets, like, lines. Cons: Not a ton of substance, only happy if you block S4 from your memory, this is a ship that two people are on.)

*Five (Or Some Number) Worlds Veronica Didn’t Grow Up In (Pros: Fun crossovers/fusions! All the chapters will be more standalone, so I might even post it serially. A BtVS where Veronica isn’t the Slayer (Lilly was). Animorphs!!! Cons: Fusions are automatically disinteresting if you don’t know the other canon. Some of them are not super well-developed yet. Also, how do you make Veronica Mars more upsetting? Cross it with Animorphs!)

I want longfic, because the literal problem is not enough V/W longfic!

*Veronica Mars, Intrepid Reporter

A Lilly lives AU where canon splits whenever Lilly (doesn’t) begin her affair with Aaron. Veronica copes with Duncan’s sudden cold shoulder by becoming an investigative high school journalist.

Pros: This is my first-concieved AU, and maybe the project I’m most proud of? (Pending completion.) Heavy focus on the death of Marisol Reyes. Features a not-irredeemably-awful high school experience for Veronica. Lilly is still flawed as per canon but she’s not evil and she loves her brother and her friends. Eventual (very eventual) Veronica/Weevil. Meg lives. Lots of Keith and Veronica’s relationship. Probably the most optimistic of all my AUs.

Cons: Spans a long time and will probably be gigantic (these things always get bigger once I’m writing them), so will take approximately forever to finish. Planned out to some extent but not started yet. Somewhat critical take on Logan (I almost put that in the ‘pros’ column but I know how the fandom is about him).

*The Lawsuit Story

An AU where Weevil doesn’t settle as soon as in canon (or maybe Lamb just panics quicker), and an attempted attack on him kills Jade instead.

Pros: Hello to the novel canon! This is probably my favourite of all the universes I’m messing around with. The Weevil/Veronica friendship is so strong with this one that I am legitimately conflicted over whether to actually even have them get together. Valentina has an extremely strong presence and I love her. It's pretty charitable to Logan, considering I wrote it. Carmen makes a few appearances. Celeste Kane goes down.

Cons: This was originally just part of ‘Five Children…’ so the long version probably won’t be written until that’s finished. May or may not contain Weevil/Veronica, but if it does, it is a loooong wait. Does contain LoVe.

*High School Revenge Story

Another Lilly lives AU, where Lilly definitely IS having an affair with Aaron. And also Weevil, but not anymore. And also, Veronica’s (post-Troy) boyfriend. Anyway, Veronica finds out about the last point and decides to get revenge/prove she’s not some virginal innocent sidekick by hooking up with Lilly’s sidepiece, who she imagines wants to piss Lilly off as much as she does.

Pros: Not only is it Veronica/Weevil, but Veronica/Weevil is, like, eighty percent of the plot. There’s definitely smut (plot- and character-advancing, even!). There’s an unexpectedly touching strangers-with-benefits relationship even before the extremely unplanned pining. This one felt the most like the show when I was planning it out, especially with the nature and timing of the twists. Lilly is not evil, she’s just a teenager in over her head who doesn’t want to admit it and coping maladaptively.

Cons: I always feel weird touting porn as a selling point when I wrote it, because I have had zero sex in my entire life (although I am thirty, and I feel like life experience and general knowledgeableness about actual human anatomy count for something here). I have not started this one yet, although it’s more or less outlined. Logan also does not come off well (this is because he is a teenager having a Very Bad Time, but his actions are still not excusable). This was originally two different AUs before I realized they should probably be one (I cannot say what the other one was, because it’s a major spoiler), so there’s the possibility of disjointedness where they meet. Also, I’m not entirely sure I have the chops to pull this one off – there’s a lot of dark stuff going on under the surface (well, there’d have to be, for the plot to work, because otherwise it’s just very OOC), and it’s not the kind of thing that’s usually my forte, but I’m going to give it a shot anyway.

*Platonic Co-parents

AU where Veronica stays at Hearst. She and Weevil have a one-night stand in her third year and end up getting a child out of it.

Pros: It’s just a lot of fun! It’ll probably end up W/V but in the meantime they’ve got a solid, supportive friendship going on, to the aggravation of everyone either of them tries to date. (“What do you mean your daughter’s father is sleeping on your couch because the hot water broke in his apartment???”) I have a later scene planned out where they go to the high school reunion separately and deliberately show everyone the same picture of Mariana to see if anyone realizes it’s the same kid, which sums up the vibe pretty well. There is Keith+Weevil awkwardness and then probably some Keith+Weevil friendship later on. Lots of time given to Weevil’s family. Also, Veronica looks into Susan Knight’s suspicious drowning. I have also (technically) started it.

Cons: Listen, I know it’s a reach for Veronica to be willing to have a child at this point in her life, but I’ve done my best to justify it and I think I did okay. Plus, you know, the entire premise is a junk food trope – it’s not evil, but it’s trite. I love it anyway.

No, I want something else/FINISH YOUR OTHER STUFF

*[Earth’s Children] The story where an adult Durc and Brun’s former clan meet the post-Ayla Lion Camp!

Pros: Ambitious dual narrative I think I’m pulling off well (time divergent; one strand moving forward from the first encounter, one from Ayla’s departure), lots of screentime for supporting characters with wasted potential (Vorn, Frebec, Ura, Brac, not to mention Durc), several chapters already written.

Cons: Extremely ambitious so it will take me forever to finish, there’s basically no one in this fandom.

*[Earth’s Children] The Echozar/Joplaya fic

Pros: Actually develops their friendship into something that makes sense, development of Echozar’s childhood and of the Lanzadonii, I’ve got a rough outline and a few pages written.

Cons: Definitely chaptered so it will take some time, there are even less people in this part of the fandom.

*[The Old Guard] Give An Inch Fall A Mile (Joe and Nicky friendship-with-benefits their way into being Joe and Nicky)

Pros: Lots of sex scenes (obviously) on which I have had positive feedback, several chapters written (probably half-finished), I'm very proud of the writing quality on this one, and I absolutely should be writing this first.

Cons: I have been stalled out on it for more than a year, it may not be finished before the new movie comes out and possibly makes it incompatible with canon.

*[Veronica Mars] The Firebird AU… crossover… fusion… thing

Post-S4, Veronica travels through alternate universes and learns that she needs to get her shit together and apologize to Weevil.

Pros: Um, the Firebird Trilogy is cool but is not required knowledge for entry, alternate universes are neat, and even though this idea is probably dumb I can’t stop thinking about it. It would probably even technically comply with canon.

Cons: Half of the universes I have up my sleeve are from the AUs mentioned above, so it probably won’t get written (if it does) until they’re finished in like ten to twenty years. The actual plot is thin; I mostly have a bunch of scenes. There is a decent chance this idea is self-gratifying and pointless, but I also just cannot stop thinking about it.

*[Veronica Mars] Zombie Apocalypse

Post-S4 zombie apocalypse lands Veronica and Keith on a stolen yacht with a bunch of Weevil’s gang, Jade and her new boyfriend, and this one other guy.

Pros: There’s a lot of compelling (I think) personal drama, which is largely not rooted in anyone being an asshole (except Veronica, but that’s canon and I can’t do anything about it except try to fix it with zombies). Weevil finds out his kid is trans and does his best to speed-run the acceptance ladder despite his personal doubts because he’s extremely concerned about being killed by zombies (and thinks he's dying for a minute) and knows this is his only chance to make them feel supported. Eventual W/V, probably.

Cons: I do not know where I’m going with this. Author is not trans herself and might fuck up.

*[Veronica Mars] The Babysitter Effect

Valentina’s babysitter is still in the truck when Weevil stops to help Celeste, and she witnesses everything.

Pros: Teenage awkwardness, but in a fun way. Weevil gets the justice he fucking deserves. Beginning already written.

Cons: I have no plans at all for what happens after the inciting incident, and even if I did I don’t know how long this would be.

Soooo... if you're not in the Silm fandom you've probably never seen my writing before, but I'm happy to back it up with excerpts! Please ask me for excerpts.

If I keep up the volume of writing I've been doing I can probably get something substantial finished by the end of the year but I need input, please weigh in even if we're complete strangers and you found this post two years from now, best-case scenario I can link you to the completed fic. :)

#veronica mars #eli navarro #weevil navarro #fanfic #fandom misc #earth's children #i seriously keep bouncing between these ideas at the speed of light #give me some direction and i promise i will finish SOMETHING #i just want to keep my momentum up #yes i know this is going to look bizarre to 90% of my dash but hey you can veronica mars AND tolkien #so hopefully i am not screaming into the void #although that's not much different from talking loudly about weevil in my empty living room which i already do #so i'll be fine either way #revenge gambit fic #the jade/eli chronicles

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prpfs · 2 months

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🌻

Hello! I’m 19 ( about to be 20 in a few weeks ), I go by they/them and I’m a semi-adv lit roleplayer looking for someone to do an undertale or deltarune roleplay!

What I’m looking for in a partner

- I prefer those who can do rapid fire or daily responses. If you can’t respond, please just let me know! Please also be semi-adv lit. I don’t always write novella or even huge paragraphs, so you don’t have to do the same! ( That doesn’t mean you can just do constant one liners, though. )

- Someone who’s as enthusiastic as me. I loveee ooc talk, Pinterest boards, Spotify playlists, and basically building the plot together by just squealing and going insane about it. If you’re like this, PLEASEEEE hmu

- Someone who can communicate - this doesn’t only mean about when you’re busy, but also if you’re uncomfortable or displeased with the response/plot. I am always willing to rewrite for you! I expect the same courtesy as I’ll be communicating up front with you. Same if you lose interest or anything, just let me know you don’t wanna rp anymore, I won’t bite!

- I only RP on discord. Please don’t ask to rp on any other site! I will refuse.

RP info

Now, when it comes to the roleplay: I am looking to mainly play as one of the KFC crew ( kris, frisk, chara ). I typically play as Frisk, but I also can take up Kris or Chara if needed. I am able to play as other canons as well, but only if I get to play as one of the humans mainly! Don’t expect me to take up 5 canons and you only take 2, lets make things fair :-)

I am looking for our roleplay to have a fair share of NSFW as well! It won’t be the main plot, but it won’t be rare either. Dead dove is welcomed we’ll discuss limits and such in dms! Extreme 🍪 may be involved, depending on the plot we do.

I’m down for any ship that includes the humans, but my absolute favorite is Charisk - I will do anything for that ship, it is my life. But, again, I’m down for any! Literally. Ask me about any ship that includes one of the humans, and like 99% sure I’ll say yes to it. Even if I say no, I’m not gonna judge you, so don’t feel afraid to ask!

Plots

Excuse that these aren’t very fleshed out, as I like to help flesh them out with someone! These are just basic ideas to start off with, and my personal favs to think about.

- college deltarune au: you know all those art works with Asriel, Frisk and Chara being friends or roommates in college? I need me some of that.

- collega undertale au: same premise instead isn’t connected to deltarune, and any of the characters can be in college now!

- post pacifist: whats life now like on the surface? ( includes extreme 🍪 )

- An AU where Frisk decides to stay in the underground ( includes extreme 🍪 )

…and whatever else we come up with! If you have any of your own ideas, don’t be afraid to tell me! I love AUs and stuff :-]

If this interests you, please like so I can reach out! ty for reading!

Leave a like, and anon will get back to you!

#undertale roleplay #undertale rp #deltarune roleplay #deltarune rp #fandom roleplay #fandom rp #cc x cc #dead dove

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gallavich-headcanon · 1 year

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More chefs au details:

- Ian starts out as a fry cook at patsy's and soon discovers he's fantastic at cooking. He lip and Fiona decide to rebrand patsy's and sales skyrocket. They open two more diners before Ian meets Mickey again

- Mickey learned how to cook inside, got released super early bc he's amazing and the courts realized his case was bull, went to culinary school, and the minute his probation finished he was off starting restaurants around the country. He has 11 total, including one in London and one in Mexico- the one in London has two Michelin stars.

- from a "professional" standpoint, Mickey has more awards and is the "better" chef but Ian rules Chicago. They fall back together QUICKLY, right around when food network offers Ian a cooking show (he's very home cooking based, and he explains things really well) and Mickey is a guest for one of the episodes and food network snatches him up Immediately

- Mickey only hires ex-cons, Ian makes a point to hire mentally ill people

- food network has a bracket based competition called tournament of champions and by some twist of fate Ian and Mickey compete against one another to be the semi finalist for the eastern half of the country. Ian wins the season of toc because he's amazing and there's no one Mickey would've rather lost to

- Mickey is convinced to come on worst cooks in America as co host for one (1) season, he is so stressed he's used to working with irresponsible cooks but these people don't know anything AND ITS STRESSING HIM OUT E THAT LADY IS GONNA START A FUCKING FIRE

- Ian pops up on kitchen nightmares (called Emergency Rescue Kitchen in this universe) a few times

- they get married at some point, are well known as food networks darling couple

- Ian is a TikTok STAR he loves cooking on TikTok and posting dopey couple videos

- Mickey owns so many knives

- lip and Fiona are perfectly happy to let their brother shine while they run their diners they're really proud of how much they give back to the Southside. Debbie and Carl and Liam get involved too.

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT Alicia, who do I have to fuck to get you to post this asap???? This is incredible. are you kidding me?

- Mickey only hires ex-cons, Ian makes a point to hire mentally ill people -> my heartttt 🥲

- Ian is a TikTok STAR he loves cooking on TikTok and posting dopey couple videos -> yes oh my god he would be so cute. what if he starts posting before getting with Mickey and slowly his followers notice glimpses of Mickey / his stuff in the kitchen and they start shipping them? And after they reveal the relationship Ian has to bribe Mickey with bjs to get him in his cute Q&A videos

- Mickey owns so many knives -> I bet he does! I bet seeing him chop things up with so much skill is one of Ian's biggest turn ons

Okay okay. I need to catch up on food network shows because I need to get all the reverences. Mickey would be so mean to the stupid people who don't know how to fucking cook, I love this already. (I can see him doing the stupid sandwich bit hahahha)

What kind of kitchen is their specialties? Like what are Ian / Mickey known for? I bet Mickey really cared about how things are garnished! What are the names of Mickey's restaurants? Oh god I'm so excited!

How often do they cook together? How do they cook together, like does one of them take the lead or do they work as a team?

Is this AU just canon divergent or do they meet as adults? Is it more of friends to lovers or enemies to lovers? Do they get a meet cute? a meet ugly? Are they both out?

If you can't tell, I am freaking out!!!!

#alicia I fuckign love you #love love love #flamingbluepanda #gallavich au #gallavich fanfic #gallavich #chefs au #shameless #ian x mickey #chef Ian #chef Mickey

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positivelybeastly · 6 months

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Please, for the love of god, do not look at my blog.

Work in progress does not even begin to describe it.

For those of you who clicked on this blog after I followed you, wondering who the hell I am - hi, hello! This is me returning to Tumblr roleplay after about eight years out of the game.

My formatting is gonna be below par for a bit, I'm gonna be finding my feet; quite frankly, it's going to be a mess. But I hope that once it's all settled, you might want to start working something out with me. Hope springs eternal, right?

For a quick run down: yes, I play pretty much all versions of Hank, ranging from early Avengers all the way up to post-Krakoa, in an AU of my own creation. Yes, I am decidedly aware of what Beast has done in canon. No, I don't love it. Yes, I will write it if I believe that it's gonna be a good thread.

About the only thing semi up to date at the moment is my verses page, which details the generalities of which Beasts I play, but if there's a particular time period or version you want to play with, let me know and we'll see what we can do. It's the least I can do considering how atrocious my pages look right now.

Thank you for reading.

#outofmuffins #And if anyone can direct me to a decent source for custom Tumblr themes?#I would love you forever.#I also know that Xkit was all the rage to get the most out of Tumblr's formatting foibles when I was last here.#If there's an extension I should be looking into to make my work a little more up to code then please do let me know.

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necroneos · 1 year

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26F, looking for a jojo's bizarre adventure OC x canon rp. Timezone is GMT-8, MINORS DNI

I really don't expect much out of this but hey, worth a try anyway. I haven't rped in a while and am starting to miss it.

I've been obsessing over Jojo's Bizarre Adventure part 5 (Melone and Formaggio in particular). I don't really do canon x canon because I don't know how to play those kind of pairings and because I'm more of a OC/self-insert/self-ship x canon kind of person. I like doing romance plots and am open to AUs and canon.

I do doubles and prefer them so both parties get some enjoyment out of the rp. But I will do single if you really don't mind just playing a canon character. I'm looking for somebody to play Melone for my OC OR Formaggio for my self-insert (though an OC for him is in development if you are uncomfortable with self-inserts).

If you want to double, I'll do characters from other parts outside of 5 (I'm familiar with parts 1-8). If you want a character outside of part 5, give me a few days to re-watch or re-read the respective part to refresh my memory. I, myself, am just looking for someone to play Melone or Formaggio.

I'm semi-literate and literate with 14 years of experience (yes, I've been doing this since I was like, 11.). I write both SFW and spicy stuff (HA, try and block me now, Tumblr) so no worries if things get spicy (I like it when things get spicy ;)) haha).

I've had lots of experience with partners who've ghosted me, stopped rping period and just switched to talking with me, and some where they took over a week to reply. I understand that life happens, but at least let me know what's going on so I'm not pestering you while you're busy. If you just aren't interested anymore, tell me. I'd just prefer not having these scenarios again. I'm not expecting any traction on this post, nor am I expecting much period. But as I said, may as well put myself out there.

If anyone is interested, just DM me here on Tumblr.

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo's bizarre adventure rp #la squadra #neo text #jojo's bizarre adventure roleplay #jjba oc x canon rp #jjba oc x canon #oc x canon rp #oc x canon

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ice-and-starlight · 1 year

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It's been a few days, but if you were still interested in that ask meme....

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

=D Yeay! An ask!

Hooooo, okay, so, I have a LOT of fanfic that I'm theoretically working on/daydreaming about that doesn't get shared, but, uh, lets see what's not too horrifying to share...

I spent a couple of weeks a few months ago binge-watching Criminal Minds, and got infected by a plotbunny of Dean Winchester/Aaron Hotchner(/Haley Brooks) as a sort of... fix it crossover where, because they're both protagonists from rather different genres, their different approach manages to fix things in the other 'verse.

As in, Dean kills Foyet in proper I'm-fresh-out-of-hell-and-you-did-WHAT-to-my-boyfriend?! style. With added bonus 'you think you're good with a knife? Boy, have I got some things to show you. Say hello to Alastair for me when you get down there'.

And Hotch (and the team) profile the fucking devil so well they manage to talk him down from trying to wipe out humanity. (He goes off to fuck up heaven instead.)

I've gotten bits and pieces of, well, backstory written up, plus some 'Dean meets the BAU' and 'Hotch meets hunters' scenes that I love, but I've gotten stuck on something really stupid and just haven't managed to get my brain to move past it, so I haven't actually written the parts I started writing the story for yet ^^" (this happens to me a lot).

What else?

I have been working, on and off, on a Critical Role Time Travel AU that's actually kind of a spin-off of my very first Critical Role fic which is 'Molly lives rent-free in Caleb's head for the entire rest of the campaign' because as I was watching it I was constantly thinking 'but how would Molly react to this?!' so I wrote it (some of it).

And then I thought 'okay, but what if, okay, I know time-travel is supposed to be semi-impossible, but what if it is technically POSSIBLE, it's just that going backwards through time essentially destroys the soul/spirit/whatever, EXCEPT, of course, that when Caleb does it, he has a BONUS SOUL coming along for the ride, and it's basically enough for Molly to get through more or less intact?'

And then the Moonweaver is like 'fuck, you are my Most Troublesome Worshipper, what am I going to do with you?' and Molly is, you know, themself, so the Moonweaver, also being a goddess of lovers trysts, nudges things until Lucien ends up with twin baby brothers (Molly and Kingsley are both Aspects of the same being, and thus inextricably linked, so bits and pieces of Kingsley got dragged along for the ride, only not enough for him to have more than Weird Instincts) and a bonus Moonweaver Cleric mum.

Was this an excuse to write canon!verse Tealeaf triplets? Yes. Yes it was.

Did it turn into a Ridiculous Epic Saga of the Tea Leaves (Molly, Kingsley, Caduceus, Keg, and Ophelia Mardun) treking across all of Wildmount trying to save people from the future and stumbling into messes along the way? Yes. Yes it did.

Did I actually manage to write any of the actual story? No. I wrote backstory instead, and ended up mostly writing about the adventures of two separate Parent Squads that are probably... 40-60% OCs? doing a tiny little Molly's bidding. It very much became a And You Get A Parent And You Get A Parent And You Get Three Parents story.

I have Such Plans for this AU (including, importantly, a Shadowidomauk endgame), but, alas, actually writing it is proving... difficult.

One more for luck?

Hmm... I have Ideas for a Peaky Blinders AU based on my Little Sallyanne fic? It's not very well fleshed out yet, but it definitely results in Sally murdering the shit out of her brother's terrible wife, adopting her nibling, and going on to severely fuck up nazis when WWII rolls around.

This one is Percolating, and I'm really not sure what I want to do with it, exactly. Just general Vibes of Tommy being the feral gremlin mentor to my beloved feral gremlin child. (Also, Sally getting semi-adopted by Alfie Solomons, maybe, because here's this child going around claiming to be Jewish when she's not, and Alfie's like 'no, either you fucking Stop That, or you commit to the fucking bit' and Sally's like '-starry eyes- Okay Dad'. I would have to do a lot of research to do this justice because I'm aware that I don't know enough to know how to write this properly ^^" Basically, I just want everyone adopting her like a starving feral cat who will absolutely bite the hand that feeds her)

Technically, I think you can say that things like Never Simple, Not All Who Wander, and the various other unfinished things on my writing blog are all on a backburner right now? As well as the next instalments in my Somewhere Just Beyond My Reach and Gramarye and Trapped In The Amber series also count. I am Thinking About Them a lot, but there's either not enough for me to get my teeth stuck into, or my teeth are stuck and I can't chew on them properly =P

#Ask meme response #Supernatural #Criminal Minds #Critical Role #Peaky Blinders #Dean Winchester #Aaron Hotchner #Mollymauk Tealeaf #Alfie Solomons

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sparklingpax · 1 year

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In Relativity

A/n:

-I could not, for the life of me, figure out a better title. You get that. Not even sure if that's what I mean and I'm so sorry. But I am also not taking suggestions

-being absolutely serious, a good 90% of this was written during my health class and/or lunch periods in which I wasn't hungry.

-i am so sorry for typos and grammar stuff I probably fucked up, please please try ignore it if you see it, I'll fix it eventually 😳

-this is so incredibly long, I'm realizing. It's like 30+ pages...sorry--

-a few specific details I'd like to point out:

no, this is not 110% accurate to Masterforce canon, tho I tried my darndest. Part of the reason is lack of clear answers about certain questions I have or limited access to sources that would help me figure out details of their pasts more accurately. The other reason is that I'm also actively choosing not to adhere to some details because I was ultimately writing for fun and experimenting with tone and how I perceive these characters so...do not lecture me about something I screwed up, I am literally just vibing ok

This is still set in Masterforce canon, however. This has nothing (I repeat, nothing) to do with any of the marvel stuff/American comic stuff that involved these characters. It's my understanding that the versions of these characters in Masterforce are their own separate entity to the comic stuff, I am trying to stick only to the anime and stuff connected to that. so....yea

It is my headcanon that I will absolutely keep that the Pretenders have in their files/any technical stuff their "full names" (e.g: "Cloudburst"), but refer to each other with their nicknames (going back to that example, "Phoenix"). It's like, they use both names whenever and don't mind either way. Hence......that.

I wanted to write something about Landmine, literally that was it. I guess overall I'd call it semi-Landmine-centric....Idk but I enjoyed it, he's a cool dude 👀

this is in fact, where i finally reveal myself as a person who also Lowkey ships Lander/Diver and also the idea that they have this...very complicated relationship with each other, which is why they've never really gotten together....I hc that they actually do finally get together at some point during the events of Masterforce (which I also, really want to write). Yes, this is very similar to them in my AU except it's not as complicated as the one in canon. If that makes sense 😳 Also, before you come for my head, it is a healthy relationship in the sense that there has never been any malice between them, and no instances of causing the other serious pain in any way. They like each other a lot, but both don't really know...how to go about it. Idk y'all but ykw I know what I mean.

I tried so hard with terminology here but my dumb ass doesn't know anything about tech or aircrafts or whatever so...deal with it but don't point it out I'll evaporate--

Upon much consideration, I decided to end it somewhere like, before events of masterforce. I'd say a couple years maybe?? Like 15?? (So tha puts us at 2005, which as I'm writing this omg that's my birth year oop--) So just. assume stuff happened and...following will be the other canon stuff....i guess o//o

So...yea, that should be everything I wanted to mention!

Enjoy (? Or don't? ;w;)....I wrote this for fun & I kinda liked it I guess, so here I am sharing it...lmk what you think if you want, please keep it positive, I get so extremely nervous sharing my writing sdjdsjsdj 😳

...um...so...t-thanks 🥰

That’s what Landmine had been told the first day of Cybertronian Military Academy.

///

Above all else, a good spark stands for justice, protects all life, and does what’s right.

It was a phrase taught and repeated every day without fail, quickly memorized well before the end of first semester in that first year.

And when he’d entered Autobot ranks within mere weeks of his graduation amidst the start of the war, it was a phrase shouted to his unit by their commanding officer, only slightly altered this time.

“Above all else, a good Autobot stands for justice, protects all life, and does what’s right.”

Yes, that was it. Just a slight change.

But he always wondered if it meant to subconsciously induce very particular thoughts.

‘And if we Autobots do good, then the ones who aren’t us must be doing evil.’

To name a few of the supposed many, that was the Decepticons, the rogues, and the subspecies of the planet who didn’t feel inclined to participate in such a “selfish conflict,” as one commentator had put it during a newscast. They were the evil ones, preached the drill sergeants and captains.

The logical conclusion, as it could be surmised. No one said anything about moral.

As for Landmine himself, he had no problem with “standing for justice,” however vague that was. Considering the lack of any attention, it seemed he was in line with that value, not standing out from the rest and all.

The case was the same with “protecting all life.” After all, that was a clearer command, and obviously, the noble thing to do. Landmine liked his friends, nature, animals. Of course he’d stand to protect them.

But for the last one, in the in-betweens to his drills and assignments, throughout all the years of his schooling and the time spent in the trenches of battles, he often wondered what it meant. To “do what’s right.”

What was a…‘good Autobot’ anyway?

He could recall the answers he’d received.

“It means you follow orders,” one older bot spat, laughing. He had then put the ratty cigar back in his mouth and turned away. Clearly, the conversation was over.

“A good Autobot?” Echoed a solemn youth, shining his shotgun. “Well its in the words you’ve just said! A good Autobot stands for justice, and they protect all–”

…you get the idea.

“There are none,” was all a small-framed purple bot croaked, taking another sip from his oil can. He’d died on the field, screaming in agony, about one week later.

And there were more answers, and Landmine still couldn’t figure out his own. But there were more pressing matters in his mind. Firstly, the matter of leaving this dull, doomed unit.

See, he was a bot who enjoyed adventure, thought himself particularly good in battle. He was known for good one-liners, for his looks, and his sharp shots. This wasn’t the place for him. At the risk of being prideful and conceited, he often thought to himself, that this was no place for him to die.

It was ugly, style-less, depressing, cold, damp…boring.

For years, he hoped for more, and finally one day, he got it.

“Hey!”

…

“Oh yeah? Well you can take your attitude, and shove it up your tailpipe, Xy.”

“‘Hey’ yourself, you're not part of this, so butt out you aft–”

“Aft? Excuse me? I’ve a good mind to report you for that kind of slander and harassment!”

“What?! I didn’t slander you!! I'm not even harassing you, I just insulted you, but--but that's subjective, a-and I didn’t say –”

“Shut up, you two! There’s someone knocking.”

Landmine lifted his gaze from the book he was reading when he heard Klint shout for everyone to quiet down.

As usual, it was another night in his section base–of the hot-head rookie Cinderflame being aggressive towards “two-word” Xy, and then somehow, getting into an argument with the self-important, self-declared “rulebook” of their subunit, Max.

But the knocking at their door continued, louder this time. Cinderflame started to protest, and was quickly silenced a quick cuff to the back of his head by Max.

Landmine closed his book very slowly and sat up in his bunk, watching as Klint quietly got up and headed to the door, activating his gun. Meanwhile, everyone else began to tense up, including Landmine.

It wasn’t unheard of for mutinies to happen, for somebot to snap and go on a killing rampage, or for the enemy to have infiltrated and quietly taken command of a base. Any number of things could be behind the door, as it wasn’t normal to get a knock on the door at this hour of the night.

But to their relief, the entity behind the door identified itself.

“14-E, I order you–open up! Right now!”

Klint lowered his gun and sighed, more an annoyed sigh than a relieved one. They all knew who’s voice that was, and Landmine wanted–and was sure he had–no part in whatever was happening.

‘Racker,’ mouthed Cinderflame in Xy’s direction, who rolled his optics and went back to organizing bullet shells.

The other “rulebook” bot, except Racker was official, not self-declared.

“I’ll mark you all for infractions!” He shouted in an attempt at an assertive tone, pounding unceasingly at the door.

“I’ll mark you with my fist,” muttered Klint, trudging over. As he did so, Cinderflame snickered, then looked to Max, who was trying his best to keep a serious expression. Even he had no respect for the elected section head, but didn’t want to admit that.

Well, I’m out, thought Landmine as he fell against his berth and opened his book again, hoping to get back to the story, detaching from the group.

He had no such luck, of course.

The door opened at last with a high-pitched squeal of old metal, and the section head marched in, shouting for them to stand at attention. Below, Cinderflame gave the beginning of a groan, but it was cut short with the sound of someone elbowing him.

See, there was no such procedure in the rulebook, Landmine had discovered a while ago. But, there was also no point in raising that argument now. Begrudgingly, the group all followed the order and lined up at the door.

Marching in stiffly, the grey-plated bot looked them up and down, a sharp look in his eyes. Then, he stated his business.

Landmine was wanted in the unit Commander’s quarters.

For a moment, he considered it was some sort of elaborate prank, but that thought was quite fleeting. Jokes of that kind weren’t common around this sector, if at all.

And if Racker was involved, well…

Doubt he knows what a joke is.

“Well don’t stand there, move your metal hide!”

“Yes, sir!”

He felt side-eyed gazes of pity on him as he left the line. He felt them follow him as he walked out the door closely behind Racker, and into the barren, darkened clearing. But he was far more curious than worried. He could have easily run ahead to those quarters himself.

Leaving Racker in the dust was quite easy, anyway.

…

Racker, expression solemn and blank as ever, stopped at the white door and jerked his helm in the direction of the entrance, then folded his arms and turned forward, as if Landmine was no longer there.

Go in. Alright.

Landmine smirked to himself, then reached over and pushed the door open.

Well. If I’m court-martialed or something, at least I’ll finally be put out of my misery.

“Good evening, sir,” Landmine said, striding into the room. “You asked for me?”

He’d never been in a commander’s quarters, and just taking one look at the state of it, he could infer why.

Something to do with the cleanliness of it, the quality of the tools in it…lower-ranking officers certainly had no place here, he could guess.

We belong in our cramped spaces, eating stale oil in our shared, low-rank misery.

And finally, his optics had fallen on the commander himself, Swipecatch.

Come to think of it, Landmine was sure he’d only seen the bot once. Or maybe he had a new paintjob?

I’d like a new paintjob.

He saluted and straightened his posture before the silver-blue-plated bot finally looked up from a manila-colored folder with messy scrawling and red stamps. It looked like it was important.

It also looked like a processor-ache to decipher.

“I did. You’re Landmine, right?” The commander spoke a medium tone, reaching for another paper on the side of the desk and picking up a slim, red pen.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re a Pretender, are you not?”

"Alright," he murmured, beginning to write something, before glancing back up at the younger bot. “At ease,” he finally added, and Landmine was glad for it.

His gaze was immediately back on the paper as he started to write something into the blank lines. Some more silence followed, broken only by the sound of the pen against the paper, and Landmine watched as he swiftly filled out every blank space, signed his name, then looked back up again.

“I am told I have such capabilities, sir.”

“And have you been to training for it?”

“Only at a minimum level, as per my curriculum at the academy, sir.”

“Have you yet attained your third form?”

“I have not been provided any such opportunity up to this point, sir.”

“Uh-huh…”

Swipecatch nodded, seeming to come to some kind of internal conclusion and writing something in the corner of the paper, before stamping the paper and folding it in half. Landmine began to wonder if he was being disciplined.

“Soldier, you have been requested to join a special dispatch team made only of three other Pretenders like yourself.”

Or…this.

“Now, I can’t imagine you love this place enough to do this, but you do have the option to decline and remain at your post here, as it will be a very dangerous, long-term assignment, far from Cybertron and even this very sector.

“You four will only be provided one ship and instructions to report to us when asked, as we are not able to provide further resources. You will be sent into space to track Decepticon ships anywhere deemed fit to assign your team.”

He eyed Landmine up and down, who stood motionless, staring unwaveringly at his commander as he waited for him to continue. So he did.

“Your...commander will be a recent academy graduate, Metalhawk. I am not at liberty to share anything more about him than this.”

He shifted back in his chair, tapping his pen against the table.

“Since I take your…silence…to be an acceptance of this offer…” he said slowly, holding out the folded paper and letting Landmine take it. “I am giving you this now, so that you may board the next transport ship that comes in tomorrow, at first light.”

Landmine unfolded the paper a bit, catching sight of the orders written in fine print above the uneven writing of his commander.

Previous commander, actually.

“This is not a promotion, merely a new assignment that my higher-ups feel you are equipped for. There will also be a training period with your peers starting the moment you are all gathered at your launch site. Do you understand?”

“Fully, sir!”

“Alright, then. Dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He vaguely wondered if the sound the commander made after that was a laugh or a scoff.

Landmine saluted again, and left the room, clutching the paper in his digits, which had begun to vibrate with excitement.

Suddenly, all the years of stale oil and bleak death around him, putting up with various groupings that never seemed to work out–with this doomed unit–seemed worth it. They’d been part of some plan, something Landmine had to go through for a while before this, before…

Destiny. It has finally called my name.

…

“Mighty lucky, aren’t you?” Klint remarked, leaning against the wall and watching Landmine stacking a couple books.

Landmine simply looked up and grinned.

“Stay alive,” Xy mumbled from his bunk, not even shifting position to look at the team as they gathered in the center of the space.

His inspirational capacities truly sway the spark.

“Thank you, Xy. I’ll do my best.”

The mech raised a thumbs-up, making no further comment.

“This is favoritism!”

“It is not. It’s the will of our higher command.”

“Well, don’t you think it’s unfair?”

“Shut your trap!” Max made a fist and took a step towards Cinderflame. “Questioning high command could be treason!”

“Oh shove off, you annoying glitch.”

"I beg your pardon?!"

"Yeah, I said it!"

Klint groaned, facepalming slowly. Xy, in his bunk, put on some headphones and inched closer to the wall.

As usual, not even an hour after wakeup calls, and the two were at it again. But while Landmine conceded he wouldn't miss the unwarranted noise, he knew he would miss being able to laugh internally at their stupidity.

Cinderflame kicked at the ground and glared at Landmine, who was closing his bag and picking it up.

“We have to stay in the scrap," he muttered, "but he gets to be special! He gets to–”

Knocking at the door quieted the room.

In the brief silence, Landmine wondered how pompous he'd sound telling Cinderflame that he was, in fact, a special bot.

He decided it wasn't worth the breath.

"It's time to go!" Came the voice from behind the steel.

Landmine stood tall, strapping the bag to his back and heading outside, without a second look to his scrappy unit, who no doubt would forget his existence quite soon.

“Landmine?” The gruff, unfamiliar mech asked, looking at the Pretender.

“That’s me.” Landmine then noticed the markings on the sides of his Autobot insignia, certifying him as a higher-ranking officer. “That’s me, sir,” he revised evenly.

The officer narrowed his yellow-green optics, almost skeptically. Then he spoke again. “We’re driving a while, two hours at longest. You fueled yet?”

Landmine nodded, feeling his excitement start to build.

Naturally, the place where any transports or supply ships landed would be miles and miles from any camp, for security reasons. Only superior officers would know supply drop-off locations. One could imagine such things were carefully coordinated long before a ship's arrival.

It was then that Landmine recalled he’d never once been on a supply run.

And, he guessed, he'd never find out what it was like. But he was cool with that.

“Right. Let’s move out, then. And stay close to me.”

That won’t be a problem, sir, Landmine thought, excited for the opportunity to spin his wheels.

He also thought himself quite proficient in the art of speeding in style.

They both transformed, then sped to the entrance of the barracks. The drive took about an hour, quickly clearing miles of dry, uneven land, until at last, coming upon a ridge, the tip of a large, grey mass could be seen.

He could feel the vibrations of anticipation–of excitement!–growing as the mass became more and more like the shape of a transport ship–his ticket out of this forsaken place.

Briefly, he began to wonder what the new team was like, what the ship and its resources provided would be, where they'd be assigned first…

Will I see my new commander’s face more than once or twice, whoever it is?

And at last, they rolled down the sandy-brown rocks and onto the clearing, below the massive overhang of the ship. Landmine could hardly contain himself, and transformed as soon as his wheels came to a smooth halt.

His superior officer also transformed, drawing up next to him, folding his arms again.

"Well. Off you go."

He offered a brisk pat on the shoulder pad before trudging off to the left and calling out to one of the smaller mechs in the distance. Landmine reached into the bag strapped to him and fished out the paper before marching up the boarding plate.

Landmine made it through the security check easily, papers identified, baggage approved, and he found the area in the cargo hold where he was to remain for the duration of the ride.

“You will not leave this area until we have reached the designated location. We will use force if you cause any trouble. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

A cargo hold…

Well…it was a free ship ride during a war.

Landmine waited for the guard to leave, then walked over and sat down against the wall, well within the space he’d been told to occupy. He held his bag close to his chestplates, wondered if a full power-off would be a good idea, or if the ride would be too short for that.

It seemed they weren’t going to allow him that information, either.

Ah, well, they’ll just have to wake me, then. Who knows if I’ll get a moment’s rest where we’re going anyway?

And with a quiet whirring, his systems slowed and he leaned his helm against the wall, slipping into a peaceful powerdown.

…

It seemed the guard wouldn’t have to come and wake Landmine after all, as the ship came to a halt at its destination with a large thump that shook the ship down to the nails in the wallplates.

Landmine was instantly ripped from his powerdown, jolted awake as he was thrown forward and then smacked back against the wall again when the vehicle finally halted. Rubbing his helm rather drowsily, he gave a small pout.

Whoever’s driving should have their piloting license revoked.

But he immediately recalled where he was and what he was doing, and the excitement returned, grasping his entire body in its hold. Quickly, he grabbed his bag and scrambled to his feet, waiting for someone to come and let him out.

Be cool, be calm, you’re acting like a giddy sparkling.

Right. Steady motions, smooth words. Just as usual.

And finally, someone did come. Actually, Landmine realized upon listening closer, there were…two sets of footfalls. He wondered if they were maintenance bots, or maybe a pair of workers come to unload the cargo hold, not permit Landmine to leave yet.

But he remained still, listening to the footsteps, coming closer and closer until–

“He’s in here. You’re…assuming responsibility before he reaches the camp, sir?”

It was the same guard from before. But then, the other bot with him spoke.

“Of course. You know higher-ups don’t give information about assignments, leading to accidents and the like.”

Odd. Was it one of his new teammates?

He must be higher-ranking than me to have that guard call him “sir.” Or maybe I’m being moved up a few–no, wait. Swipecatch said this isn’t a promotion. But then, why–

Suddenly, the door opened with a weighty hissing noise, and the yellow light from the halls fell upon Landmine, who’d been getting used to the blue shadows of this cargo area. He immediately turned and saluted, watching as the guard walked in first, looked around, then stepped aside.

In walked a yellow-plated bot, who took one look around, then put a servo on the shoulder pad of the guard.

“You can go if you like. I gather you’ve more important things to get to, and I know the way off the ship.”

With a small smile and a salute, the guard turned and headed out the door.

Landmine watched, somewhat amused, as the yellow mech leaned his head out the doorway, calling a thanks to the guard before turning back to Landmine with an awkward kind of smile.

He actually thanked that guard. How interesting.

Landmine returned the smile, a little more confidently.

“Right. Um,” the bot took a deep breath and walked up to Landmine, offering his servo for a handshake.

“My name is Metalhawk. I will be your new commander. Your other teammates are already aboard the ship.”

Optics flitting from the outstretched servo to the earnest, blue optics staring back at him, Landmine was beginning to realize something.

“I understand any previous commanders you’ve served under might have made a point on formalities, but I’m more interested in forming a good team than being addressed as ‘sir’ and the like. So, if you don’t mind, I hope we’ll get to know one another better with time.”

And that realization, was that this had been the right decision indeed, accepting this mission.

To be fair, anything would have been better than staying to fight in the scrapheap of a place he’d previously been.

With that…team of characters to live or die beside.

But Metalhawk seemed to be normal, perhaps even kind.

Plus, if his intuition wasn’t off, most captains, generals, and commanders were on the older side, but this bot…

He must be good to be a commander this young.

Landmine took his servo and shook it firmly.

“Glad to be serving with you, Hawk. I’m Landmine.”

At the nickname, Metalhawk gave a little grin, seeming to like it.

“Alright then, follow me.”

With a friendly chuckle, he headed for the door and immediately started to describe the other two bots Landmine was soon to meet. As they headed down the halls and out of the ship, he quickly learned that an he'd be in the company of two fliers–including his commander–and one sea-faring bot.

An interesting and even balance of alt-modes.

“...and this is our ship.”

They stopped, and Landmine found himself before a huge mass of shining, silver and white metal. The daylight bounced off it gorgeously, edging the ship in glittery light. The green-blue windows looked as jewels, without a weathering mark or scratch in sight.

The softer-toned blue highlights on the side plating of the vessel led his eye to the elegantly-painted Autobot symbol on the front hood.

They might have been given the one ship only, but by Primus, was it a beauty.

Perhaps those old generals weren't all so selfish.

It could have been some old prison ship with extra canons strapped to it, after all.

This guy's lucky to be commander and score a ship like this. Something tells me Swipecatch wouldn't know what this is like, and he's been in the game longer.

He almost chuckled aloud before remembering where he was.

A platform began to lower from the ship’s underside, which hung a little higher than their helms. Standing on it was a familiar face, and Landmine couldn’t help but perk up and exclaim–

“Diver!”

“Lander!!”

He felt a warmth surge through him. At last, he was seeing a familiar face again.

Someone he'd really thought, he'd never see again.

“‘Lander’?” Metalhawk echoed, taking a step up to the platform.

The machinery gave a smooth whirring noise and the platform began to rise off the ground and back into the ship. Landmine could only laugh, letting Waverider answer for him.

“We were arguing once,” the dark-plated mech said, leaning closer to Landmine. He spoke as if telling a weighty secret. “So I started calling him ‘Lander,’ like for his land-based vehicle mode. He retaliated, calling me ‘Diver.’”

“Because you have a water-based alt.”

“Exactly!”

“‘Diver’ is infinitely more creative, you have to give me that,” Landmine cut in.

“But ‘Lander’ is more direct!” Waverider protested.

“It’s the most obvious kind of name!”

The three of them shared a laugh.

That was most of the story, anyway.

As the three headed down the dimly-lit hallway, Waverider kept talking. He started to tell their commander about their shared academy days, about the classes they took, the things they trained for.

After a point, he couldn’t quite hear what the mech was talking about, as his mind began to wander.

Landmine recalled in flashes of memory, the moments he'd left out of the story...the days following that ‘argument,’ when they’d made up, and both their ‘insult names’ became somewhat like…pet names.

Calling in the hallways, covertly shifting places during inspections or exercises to stand with one another, sneaking into each other’s dorms, speaking in hushed tones as heat rushed through their systems, as if finally realizing all these feelings which had been for so long already there…

His spark skipped a beat as he gazed at the back of Waverider’s helm.

You never apologized for the way you left.

He tried to push those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to stir that up.

But it never matters what the mind wants, the heart will always have its way. Guilt, too. Such a persistent thing, guilt–bent on collection of time spent contemplating the past.

Sharp like a knife, hidden in shadows of daily happenings, its steely glint appearing every now and then, its blade cutting deep into a wound time has slowly tried to mend.

Tried to mend.

But I tried…

Landmine began to wonder again about the truest meaning of “do what’s right” was. If it meant for the other bot or for oneself. If being a “good autobot” carried over into matters of the mind and spark, hidden from the public eye, intimate and…

This is not the time.

Right. Not the time.

Rounding the bend, Landmine was surprised to find how quickly they’d made their way to the command center. Considering the direction they’d been going, he guessed it was somewhere near the center of the ship.

Landmine watched as Metalhawk stepped in front of Waverider and reached out to a smooth, blue panel next to the door.

“In addition to the defaults being set up–which I need to fix–I’m the only one scanned for access right now,” Hawk said with a little smile. The door hissed and started to open. “But by tonight you’ll be scanned to the system as well.”

“And the door will open in seconds, not hours!”

“Yes, Waverider, it will,” Hawk said, rolling his optics.

Landmine watched as the door finally slid to the side, revealing a polished room with pristine, white floors and walls. Along the sides were blocks of machinery he could only guess was what higher-ups meant when they referred to something as ‘state-of-the-art.’

Except this stuff is state-of-the-art.

The front of the room had grooves that shaped a large window, wrapping around about half the side walls. Landmine guessed they were retractable for direct visibility during flight.

We don’t even need the windows open to fly the ship. Magnificent.

“During your pre-mission training together, you’ll be introduced on a basic level to all the machinery aboard this ship, and I will designate you to certain roles when the need arises.”

Everything sparkled in its modern, symmetrical beauty. It was all new, untouched, and would ideally provide the team with advantages in conflicts to come. At least, far greater than the shabby resources given to camps like the one from which Landmine had just departed.

Far less could die…

“Yo!”

Three helms turned as a red-plated mech rose from behind one of the monitor stations near the back of the room. He clapped his servos together to dust them off and stepped out from the station, waving.

“That was quick,” Metalhawk commented, looking the walls up and down. It was hard to tell what was manually modified and what had been unchanged, but Landmine decided it was best to simply trust that all the devices in the room would preform well when they were needed.

“Well...this is Cloudburst,” he said, gesturing at the mech.

Cloudburst gave a big grin.

“He’s just fixed our door problem, and most of the settings on the ship’s machinery,” the commander continued, looking somewhat pleased.

"He did!!" Waverider called from the open door. He'd immediately run back to test it out.

A mechanic of sorts, Landmine surmised.

And, after a few minutes of talking passed, he found his hypothesis correct.

Cloudburst had gone to university for a bit, before the war, but it was cut short. He was lucky enough to be selected for a special team of machinery developers, but then, unfortunate to have been placed in a camp that was quickly overpowered by Decepticon forces.

“And I made my escape before my section was done in,” he said. “In the days following, I made my way to…”

As he was talking, Waverider leaned over to Landmine.

“Phoenix,” he whispered behind a servo.

Immediately, he caught on, smirking.

“Flier?”

He watched with some satisfaction through his peripheral as Waverider nodded.

“Well, I guess it isn’t that exciting, but…that’s about it from me!” Cloudburst finished with a huff and another smile. “So what about you?”

Landmine felt put on the spot for a moment, then he shrugged.

“It’s not much compared to your novel of a tale,” he remarked. The others gave a chuckle. He looked to Metalhawk.

“But first…any chance we have drinks aboard?”

…

Landmine was incredibly amused to discover the lack of tolerance to high-grade his commander had.

Of course, he’d never been drinking with a commander before, but he’d expected himself to get drunk first.

Or…am I drunk, too?

Truth be told, he was feeling a bit sleepy…and warm.

Music played faintly from a speaker near the ceiling. Some song from a couple centuries back, the tune registering itself in subconscious memory. He knew the tune, but didn’t know the song.

As it was, with many things.

Yawning, Landmine tilted his helm, which was resting in the palm of his hand, and looked to his holopad. It was laid at the edge of the table, screen open with a striking, blue light.

The sudden blue glow against the dim, pinkish lighting of the room hurt his optics a bit, so he looked away again.

Drunk or sober, I think I’m gonna fall over.

“Commander?” He gently poked the yellow mech. Metalhawk had his head down at the flat, white tabletop.

Landmine guessed he was asleep. He took another sip of his drink, then put it down, giggling.

Perhaps this’ll rouse him…

“Hawk! Report status, soldier!” He deepened his voice to resemble the barking of a drill sergeant, tapping the yellow-plated mech as he spoke.

Metalhawk gave a short jolt.

“Whaz’t?” He slurred, raising his helm sharply, looking around a bit. He seemed to realize Landmine was talking to him and turned his gaze to him, squinting.

“Hawk, I was wondering–”

“Comman’er here,” he murmured suddenly, yet still quietly, cutting Landmine off. He gave what looked like the very definition of an ‘improper salute’ as he spoke.

“Yes, soldier?” He deepened his voice again, smirking. Hawk seemed partially unaware it was Landmine speaking to him, as if he was only half-awake.

“I report…I’m reporting for…my absence reports…I’ll go to class t’morrow, sir!!”

Oh jeez. He’s so out of it–

Landmine tightened his jaw, trying not to burst into laughter.

He promptly failed after a couple seconds more, but Metalhawk didn’t seem to really notice. And of course, this just made it funnier.

He watched as Metalhawk shook his head, looking rather drowsily at the empty cup sitting in front of him, then back at Landmine. Was he aware enough to want another drink?

Perhaps he’d suddenly have some of that energy from a couple hours ago if he had that other drink.

The image of his Commander stumbling around and laughing in a mildly uncharacteristic manner returned to his thoughts. Landmine waited in anticipation as Hawk continued to stare at the cup.

But then, he gave a long exhale and put his head back down, mumbling something else.

Landmine concluded with a small chuckle to himself that, Hawk was probably down for the night–for good this time.

“We come bearing–”

“Shush! He’ll know we’re here!!”

“He already does, you nut–”

He looked to the door as made a hissing noise and opened to reveal Cloudburst and Waverider, having a mild argument.

“Oh, you’re back,” He said, raising his glass with a small grin. Waverider set the crate down. “I definitely didn’t hear you coming down the hall.”

He watched Waverider snap around and issue a light whack to Cloudburst. It was likely in place of a triumphant ‘I told you so.’

This time, Landmine didn’t let himself laugh out loud. He did allow a quiet chuckle.

Cloudburst walked over and grabbed a bottle, popping it open and taking a drink.

“You and the boss’re still around, I see!”

Landmine nodded, moving to take another sip, but he found his cup empty.

“I’d stay, but I’m so drunk right now, I can’t stand up straight,” he said, taking another swig. Landmine nodded again, reaching over and sliding a bottle of his own out of its slot.

“Oh you’re drunk,” Waverider agreed shoving him playfully.

And so are you, Landmine thought. So am I, probably.

Pouring the bottle’s contents into his cup, he found his gaze fixating on the liquid as it sparkled mid-air. He liked the small sound it made as it refilled the cup.

He did not wish to heed how many drinks he’d already had, or was giving himself.

“Well then, begone with you,” Waverider said. With a smirk, he suddenly reached over and swiped the open bottle from Cloudburst and took a sip. The mech didn’t seem to mind, just watching him with an amused grin.

“See you, Phoenix,” Landmine said, taking his eyes off his glass for a moment. He set his now-half-empty bottle next to Metalhawk’s sleeping figure.

That was definitely too many drinks, considering the size of his cup.

“I’ll be here for a while, I think.”

Cloudburst nodded acknowledgement and made what Landmine classified as: an improper salute: exhibit B.

“Then–until the morning shines!” He said, almost a little too loudly. “Cloudburst, signing off my duty–I mean–for my duty! I will bring you–”

“Shut up, you lugnut!” Waverider shoved him out of the room, laughing so hard he lost his footing a bit. The two toppled over, landing outside of the room.

Landmine just watched, sipping at his cup. The door hissed shut on the sight of the two drunken mechs trying to unentangle themselves and stand up again, amidst their giddy, tipsy laughter.

“Until the morning shines,” he echoed to himself absentmindedly, shifting his cup from side to side.

The bubbly feeling he’d been harboring the whole evening was, inevitably and suddenly, starting to fade.

There was something starting to well up inside. Something another couple glasses wouldn’t fix, even though he had as much left in the bottle he’d just taken.

Something rather cold and dark.

To think I was among the dying in some forsaken frontlines camp. Now, here I am, drunk, with drunken fools. Look at me, one of them.

He wasn’t feeling so warm anymore.

Excitement awaits, or is it crueler death?

Another sip, and he felt a twinge of unease. Or was it nausea? His fuel tanks remained in slight discomfort, but not enough that he’d be inclined to obey its silent will.

So, he tilted his helm upwards to finish off the glass. Now he was ready to go.

Landmine rose unsteadily, swaying a bit, gripped the tableside. He felt his fuel tanks lurch with the movement, and took a second to breathe slowly.

He glanced at Hawk, still sleeping in his spot. He wondered when Waverider had planned to come back in, looking to the door. But everything had gone quiet.

Probably went back to his quarters with Phoenix.

Ah, well. It was about time he stopped drinking for the night, anyway. With a huff, he hauled himself upright and started towards the door.

Don’t know where mine is…

He figured he’d just go back to the command center. Perhaps no one would mind if he passed out there.

…

Three weeks later, the team was almost through with their pre-mission training requirements, with only days to go before they were certified to move out.

It hadn’t been easy, but Landmine found himself feeling more confident in the mission to come, and in his Pretender abilities, which had until this point, meant next to nothing to him.

It was funny to think how the higher-ups had tried to convince every bot that their only purpose was a soldier, who should hold their gun and shoot–the only exception being if they were elite by caste or class, or simply higher-ranked.

Day after day of military academy–especially after the war really got started–Landmine knew he was no elite. He was trained in how to use his gun, how to survive without proper resources for periods of time, to be a strategist–with the all the smarts a bot might need but would forget when a blade shoved itself against their throat.

Yet still, only twice had he ever been spoken to about being a Pretender. About fighting as a Pretender and not as simply another Autobot soldier.

Perhaps it was trivial in the bigger picture–after all, dead is dead.

4-edge, 3-edge, length sticks, no not those…

Landmine’s optics flicked to the different boxes lined up in the shelf. Some of them had labels, some of those labels had faded to white.

He’d gone to fetch some repair supplies for Cloudburst. And as usual, the silence invited the chatter of his own thoughts.

How many were there like himself, with unacknowledged potential–who would likely die in battle, the intricate stories of their lives forced shut in an anticlimactic conclusion. No adventure, no life lived before their time?

And how odd, he remarked internally, to still have the fortunate and the unfortunate, in the midst of a war–one being fought namely for the end of the class divide in Cybertronian society.

Will we accomplish anything when we end this, other than the destruction of cities and lives? Be it violent tyranny and oppression, or the will of corrupt and almighty governmental bodies–who below them would come away with anything other than what has always been?

Head down, staring at the contents of the open box, Landmine felt a familiar ache, a sinking feeling of dread and despair.

Our lives lie in the hands of others. If we like it or not, if we wage a war for it or not. How fair is that?

“Lander! Where are you, buddy? We’re doing another simulation soon, but Hawk wants us in the main hall first!”

Waverider.

He looked up, staring at the wall outside the open door. He felt guilty as silence followed, likely for his own lack of response. But he couldn’t say anything back right now. He gripped the box more tightly and started down the hall.

Memories began to awaken. Things he wanted to remember that made his chest hurt, reminding him why he also…didn’t want to remember.

I'm just as bad a spark, aren't I?

He wondered…how fair it was to break someone’s heart, and then, act like nothing had happened at all.

…

On the day for liftoff–when training was complete and all certifications to move out had been met–Landmine found himself exiting powerdown before daylight had emerged in the sky. He was not a late-riser by any means, but not usually quite so early either.

He stared at the faint rays of daylight, reaching through his window and lighting the edge of his room walls.

He thought about the vacuum of space ahead. Something like a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

I’ll remember this for a while, won’t I?

The mech paced his room a couple times, rolling his shoulder joints and stretching a little. He'd found many benefits to morning exercises.

Optics ticking to an empty glass bottle lying near the window, his mind drifted back to the evening before.

To the impromptu speech Metalhawk had made last night over some drinks in the bar room.

The dimly-lit room carried a quiet murmuring, a laugh here and there. Landmine had come a bit late, taking his seat while Waverider waved a hello and handed him a glass. Cloudburst was, of course, talking.

After a little while, Landmine glanced over the table and saw that Metalhawk had a distant sort of smile on his faceplate.

He ran a finger against his rounded glass, gently. Then, as if deciding something, he flicked the edge softly.

The soft cling caught the attention of their group, quieting them. And, without moving his optics from the sight of the rippling liquid in his cup, he’d begun to speak.

“As we prepare to liftoff tomorrow, I wanted to…say a few things.”

He looked now, to each one of them.

“I…cannot guarantee we will make it back to Cybertron, that we will always have what we need, or that we will…survive this. I don’t know if we’ll succeed or fail in our mission, end up as prisoners of war on some Decepticon ship or not, or die as just a handful more nameless, faceless faction of the Autobot army. But, there is one thing of which, I do ask you to be certain.”

He smiled a smile that no longer seemed distant, but very much real. Present.

A look shimmered in his optics that Landmine knew well, yet not of his own experience.

It was a look that belonged only to those who had somehow, not been tainted at their very core–who had somehow learned to love all things as they were, and to always love.

Someone, he mused the thought, who had perhaps, not yet learned to hate from the pits of his being. Or maybe…

Made a choice, he'd thought.

“I am your commander in name only. More importantly, however, know I am your teammate, and I will not abandon you at any cost. Our destinies are uncertain–I only hope for many good centuries together. Not as mere soldiers of the Autobot faction, but instead as warriors of Cybertron, and of justice. Though imperfect as all beings are, we have, and always will have, a duty to protect life, and to strive to do good. And that mission, above all others, I do believe we can accomplish.”

Landmine gave a shout of approval and raised his glass high in the air. Nodding, the others raised theirs. They gazed back at Metalhawk, who gave a small chuckle, then raised his own glass.

“For peace!” He offered the toast. Clinking of glass and overlapping shouts followed.

“For Cybertron!!”

“Let’s get ‘em!!”

“YEAA!!!”

Landmine blinked again, realizing he’d begun to stare at that bottle a little too long.

The memory left him in the silence of his room in the early hours of day.

Today’s the day.

He slipped his new blaster to its holster and cast one more look at his room, then headed down to the main room to start course-planning, as a favor for the others on the ship, of course.

…

Many years had passed since the Pretenders’ liftoff. Missions had been carried out, ships tracked and ambushed, prisoners transported to warships that arrived quickly after battles. The three weeks of training hadn’t done much to show them what they’d learn firsthand on every mission.

Many hours were spent behind piles of mission reports and other writeups for record-keeping. No one had been seriously wounded up till this point, just some scratches here and there.

When it was time to close in on their target, there’d be tense silence in the command room, darkened save for the computer display of what lay outside their ship’s windows. It was the unspoken group decision that pursuing targets would mean windows were closed, for maximum stealth effect in addition to the cloaking technology their ship possessed.

The panel walls were littered with an array of maps and charts (digital or tacked on rather hastily) that either had to do with their ship or the one the team was chasing. All optics and servos were locked to their task, relaying commands and requests between stations, ready for almost anything.

And at present, that was kind of the team’s situation…with one slight change.

“Phoenix, give me the numbers on our bottom left central thruster. Will it hold?”

Having tracked their target to a very distant quadrant, the computer didn’t have much information about the area or its conditions.

“Ah…we’re at 42% power and dropping. The damage report indicates the shielding was torn off and it’s leaking fuel. The secondary power source cables are damaged as well, so once all the power’s gone, that’s it.”

“Are the damage control systems online?”

“Negative. We have to go manual,” He pulled up the video feed of their rear camera to show the damage. “We are traveling at full speed in space, so manual repairs are not doable–”

“–without the cost of a life, alright. And if we continue pursuit as we are?”

“Without repair? The…system says about 20 minutes until it starts sucking power from the other ones, and then we’ll enter float stage, pre-free-fall.”

So…they were trapped.

Landmine watched as he ducked his head, dealing a restrained punch to the wall next to him before returning to his command station and furiously typing away at the controls. He cast his eyes back to his own task, repeating to himself that he must stay focused.

“I’m going to try to reroute the power from the damaged thruster to the functional ones and shut off its power. We need to land now, or we’ll be forced to land,” he said quickly, not looking up.

The tremor in his voice was audible, ambiguously a tone of either urgency or fear.

Landmine looked up from his station, where he had been managing their travel course since no one was piloting manually.

“Should I analyze the properties of our current sector and any stable landforms?” He offered, already pulling up another screen.

“Yes, make sure–”

Suddenly, the vessel jolted downwards and shook with such force that everyone was knocked to their feet. A blaring alarm sounded as the ship shook again, an automated voice announcing in smooth Cybertronian that their back two thrusters were out of power.

The lights shut off for a second, while the ship swayed unevenly before a loud whirring started up and it moved back up again.

When it returned to a somewhat stable position, the lights remained flickering, and everyone remained gripping their stations tightly so as to not fall over.

Metalhawk straightened and immediately dashed to the front of the ship, smacking a panel on the front computer and grabbing the steering wheel. As he twisted it, he turned back around for a moment.

“Lander–something within the current firing range of this ship–we need a landing place now!!”

“We’re abandoning target pursuit?”

He felt a small spark of hope as Metalhawk, gave a silent nod in response. He had the feeling most other commanders would have sacrificed themselves and their ship, preaching the nobility of dying for this cause without abandoning the mission.

“With any luck, one of our last stray shots hit their ship too–which was already on its last leg from the looks of it,” Waverider piped up. “So they won’t be too far ahead, I’ll bet.”

“Okay, then,” Landmine switched off his station’s input to the course control and focused his efforts on scanning the nearby planets. “I’ll get something.”

The ship was vibrating now, but not with its usual even-toned hum.

It was the kind of uneven vibrating a machine made before it finally gave out and powered down for good.

Meanwhile, all the planets in their current sector weren’t looking too appealing.

Not many with life or long-term livable conditions…Hm…

“Balance function is starting to–”

As if on cue, the ship began to tilt downwards again, the metallic whirring noise growing louder and louder. A small explosion could be heard before the lights shut off for good and the alarm system abruptly stopped. Everyone was tossed violently to the ground.

The automated voice struggled to tell the room–

“We lost the third one!!” Cloudburst called over the halting monotone speech from the ship’s speakers. He shook his head picked himself off the ground, then rushed for the door.

“I’ll shut off the power transfer so it doesn’t fry the rest of the ship and us in it!” The door hissed open and he disappeared down the hall.

Then, the sound of…something blowing out, sounded in the room.

“Oh, sweet fraggin–” Waverider muttered the beginnings of a swear before whipping his gaze to the side to watch as the left half of the ship went completely dark, the computer panels clearly destroyed past functioning point.

He slammed his station with a balled first.

“We’re blind on the left side!”

Metalhawk made a noise of frustration and worry, just barely audible above the roaring engine as it struggled to stay active. He was grappling with the somewhat functional manual steering system, trying to keep the ship at a steady angle.

“Can we open the–ngh!!”

He was cut off as the ship as the ship lost control again, throwing him off the wheel and slamming him against the wall and then the floor. As he stumbled to his feet and back to the steering wheel, he gasped as he saw the other side of the ship’s display panels begin to flicker ominously.

Landmine swallowed, doing his best to quickly surf through all the information presented.

“We’re almost out of power–we can’t deactivate the panels!”

It was now or never, they needed a place to–

'Sol System Entry 7625 - Life: detected.’

Landmine blinked twice at the screen in front of him. He scrolled back to the planet that had read the one positive result among the sea of negative ones.

It that…?

With a quick tap, the image of a blue orb with wispy, white clouds tracing its edge, floating gently in its place, appeared on his display screen. His optics flicked to the planetary report, intrigued to find that this place had even been previously logged into Autobot travel records.

‘Atmospheric makeup: Non-toxic. Resource profile: Varied, Non-toxic. Cycle End Date: Undetected. Motion Cycle: Rotation.’

He checking one last thing, anticipation building–

Landing conditions: Optimal; follow procedure 41F-52.’

That was it.

“We need to prepare the ship to enter foreign atmosphere!!”

Waverider and Metalhawk snapped their gazes in his direction.

“Yes, I found us a landing spot, you can thank me later. The profiles of the surrounding planets are virtually uninhabitable–this is our only option right now!”

Waverider exchanged looks with their commander, who gave him a sharp nod. Then, he ran over to Landmine’s screen. After a moment, he chuckled a little.

When he turned to look at Landmine, a smile had cracked onto his face through the solemn, controlled panic that had been previously. The soft, turquoise light from the only control panels still working in the room bounced off the curves of his face, shimmering off his blue visor.

And even though there was such a high chance they’d die in the next few minutes, Landmine found himself frozen, simply staring back.

No. We can’t die today. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.

“Hey! Um, a little help here–did we find something?!”

Landmine let out a little laugh and slid back into his seat as Waverider seemed to snap back to seriousness and leaned over to speak for him.

“Hawk, it also checks out as habitable to carbon-based life forms!” He called, gripping the his station as the ship jerked to the side again. “We’ll be fine as long as we land safely!”

Just then, Cloudburst came rushing into the room.

“The core engine isn’t looking good, guys! We need to get the ship out of full thrust mode or we’ll overheat, and our power sources will mix and explode!!”

Oh. Wonderful.

So, the options had been expanded beyond: 1.) drifting aimlessly, trapped inside a non-functioning ship until energon-depletion or some other cause killed them, or 2.) losing power completely and burning up upon entry to the nearest atmosphere.

Now, they had a third option: sitting and waiting for their ship to simply overheat and explode.

The reddish mech ran up next to Metalhawk and started pushing buttons on the control panel.

“Someone needs to prepare the stasis pods and program them to ejection mode, I’ll set an altitude point!”

“Got it!” Waverider called, jumping up and sprinting out of the room. Landmine started inputting the coordinates of destination to the navigation system–one of the only undamaged things thus far–and deprogramming the space travel controls.

A couple minutes of silence passed before he flashed a thumb-up in the air.

“We’re ready for atmospheric entry in approximately 40 seconds and counting!”

“Brace for a drop, everyone!” Metalhawk shouted, planting his feet and gripping the wheel with all the force he could give.

“Stasis pods are ready to go!” Waverider reentered the room, sliding back into his station.

“Engines to 15%!”

“Roger!”

“Everyone get down!!”

There was a loud noise from the engine, then an abrupt silence as it cut down to about 15% power, and then the ship dipped so far downwards that Landmine felt himself grimace.

Part of him even wondered if this was really procedure, and that they weren’t all about to die now.

As if we weren’t before, he scoffed at himself.

He dug his digits into the side of his seat and shut his optics as the ship began to pick up speed.

The eerie silence endured for what felt like an eternity before the ship moved again, this time to right itself and return to a normal angle. At least, normal enough that Landmine opened his eyes to look around and see that the others were slowly standing up.

Metalhawk let out a shuddering breath and pressed a couple buttons with shaking digits before stepping back and regarding his crew. He’d probably switched the ship back to autopilot, so that they could all–

“Everyone to the stasis pods,” he ordered solemnly, quietly.

No one else spoke a word, ducking their helms and filing out of the room and into the hall.

Landmine walked out last.

He cast one last look at the nearly pitch-black command room, catching sight of the last couple working display panels struggling to function before the door hissed shut behind him.

He felt a twinge of sadness at the idea that they were saying goodbye to this ship so soon. Admittedly, it had been one nice vessel, with a gorgeous design and plenty of capabilities.

Then, there was the stark realization that once they entered stasis, they might not make it back out alive.

We can’t die today. We won’t.

Since the ship was barely working, the lighting in the halls was…nonexistent. However, they knew exactly where they were going, and walked quietly in the darkness until they reached their destination.

With a quiet whirring noise, the door slid open. The darkness was abruptly luminated with a soft, greenish glow, emanating from the center of each stasis pod lying in its place.

There were six of them, more than enough for every member on this team.

Landmine had been there to help Cloudburst put in the other three.

He walked in and watched as Metalhawk entered his verification to the panel on the wall, deactivating the locks on each one so they hissed and snapped open simultaneously. The greenish glow faded to a blue, as if softening, to invite them in.

“Whatever the outcome, remember what I said to you all on our liftoff day,” Metalhawk said as evenly as he could, turning and regarding each mech slowly, kindly. He had that smile on his face again, which seemed to ease the tension in the room.

“If we make it out alive or if this is the day on which Primus welcomes us home, I am honored to have had such a good team of friends. I am honored to die, not for this cause, but surrounded by you.”

"And we're honored to remain with you in this moment, sir."

"It was an honor indeed."

"Frag yeah."

Their commander nodded, then swiveled to gaze down at the stasis pods.

“Then…until we meet again,” he said, soft enough that he almost wasn't audible.

He then walked to the back of the room and took a step into the pod. Cloudburst followed, taking the one next to him.

Landmine stepped towards his pod, then stopped, frozen in place again.

It wasn’t quite hesitation or fear, but something was stopping him from going forward. He could feel the quaking beneath him, as the ship was no doubt somewhat falling apart, reaching closer and closer to the ground.

He heard the doors to the other pods seal themselves shut, administering the stasis lock.

But something was…

“Hey.”

He looked to his side and found himself millimeters away from Waverider. His spark skipped a beat. But, he wasn’t afraid.

He found himself reaching out and gripping Waverider’s servos, firmly, yet gently. He traced his thumb along the palm of his hand, smiling with a deep emotion he couldn’t quite place.

Waverider’s visor glittered, a smile twisting the corners of his mouth upwards. He let his helm fall against Landmine’s.

He spoke so softly, so gently, in his easy-going way that almost made it seem like he didn't even fear death itself.

“I want to see you again.”

“Me too.”

“Then see me again!”

“Alright, I will,” Landmine chuckled, letting go of one hand and bringing it up to caress Waverider’s face for a moment. “I won’t leave you again.”

“Oh, Lander…”

“I’m sorry for everything, I’m sorry for the things I said back in Academy, I'm sorry for never contacting you, I’m sorry for–”

“Shh…”

The black-plated mech drew away, his hand sliding slowly out of Landmine’s grip. He gave a soft smile and climbed into his pod, still watching him.

Landmine found himself to be shaking, unable to speak as he watched Waverider lean back and close his optics. He didn’t know how to describe this feeling, that seemed to break his facade, to suddenly force him to realize of the gravity of everything happening in this moment.

The possibility of the unwanted outcome, which no one would mourn, and no one would remember, until long after the war was over. Or perhaps, not even then.

He watched, motionless, as the glass panel slid over his body, the blue shining off it in wavy lines.

He mouthed something just before the glass fogged over and he could no longer be seen.

Until we meet again.

He could still felt the touch on his hand, the weight against his forehead, heard the softly-whispered utterances ringing in the recesses of his mind as he finally forced himself to move.

Stepping into his own pod, he felt a strange relief wash over him. Perhaps it was closer to sudden resignation, but he wanted to believe it was relief.

A sheet of clear glass moved over his body, another, thicker one sliding over from the side.

It was a very small space, this container.

He found himself smiling.

Maybe now he could finally say he’d been a good Autobot.

Had the past been fixed? Had he done anything right or...just? Had he truly strove for the protection of all life, as Hawk had put it?

Perhaps. Or not. But maybe I did my best. And maybe…that’s good enough.

And then, the nothingness of stasis wrapped its grip around him, and everything went dark.

…

“No, you need a new tie–where’s your sense of style?!” Landmine took a long drink from his glass before shaking his head. “Oh, wait I forgot–you don’t have one.”

“Says the guy in the ugliest jacket I have ever laid eyes on–”

“That's my favorite one, shut up!”

“You!!”

“You!!!”

But the both of them were laughing.

Though tipsy, they hadn’t thought to call it a night yet, especially not on their drinks. So they remained, sitting near the window of a high-rise, fancy restaurant in the middle Manhattan.

It had so happened, Waverider was in the city for a bit, so Landmine decided to take him to one of his favorite restaurants.

It was times like this he was happy to be not just a human, but one with a very decent salary.

The lights of the city twinkled like a sea of stars tied to the ground, canceling out the vast number of stars that both of them knew hung high in the sky…out in space…

“It’s been too long for you, hasn’t it?”

Landmine jolted a bit a he heard Waverider’s voice, gaze snapping back to him and away from the city below. He watched him reach out and pick up his glass, tracing the edge of it with a finger.

“Me too, Lander,” Waverider said, so quietly it could have been to himself, “Me too.”

Yes, he agreed, internally, looking back out the window.

It’d been quite literally ages since they’d been able to resume their missions, flying around the galaxy…they’d been in human bodies for so many years, it almost felt like a distant memory–the war, or that they belonged to a whole other world.

Considering how long they'd been forced to remain on earth so far–as their superiors felt it best to just station the team on earth rather than provide or allow them a means to come back to Cybertron–he was fairly open to that notion. Perhaps it was better it all remained a vague memory, put behind him for good.

Life on earth wasn't perfect, but it had a lot of its own good moments. In some ways, it was better than Cybertron, he'd concluded.

And despite what he knew many of his kind would think, he didn't feel guilty at all for feeling that way.

He remembered the day their stasis pods reactivated, opening his optics to a bright light floating in a crystal blue sky, and realizing he was unharmed, and still alive.

The flood of hope like no other, that had caused him to remain motionless for quite a while before he finally left his pod.

But what had felt like such a distant memory wasn’t just the war itself.

“Hey,” he said taking another sip of the sparkling white liquid in his glass. “I’ve missed talking to you like this. Just sitting together...”

He watched Waverider lean back to down the rest of his glass before responding.

“You said it.”

“We should…get together more often,” he found himself saying. The music playing faintly on the speakers stopped for a moment as he spoke.

He watched Waverider smile, but felt his heart tighten as it registered what kind of smile it was. This was familiar. Quite familiar.

Another song started to play overhead. Something about romance.

“I’d…be open to that,” he said at last, looking out the window. Even amidst the medium-level noise of the restaurant, his sudden silence seemed to shout at Landmine.

Should I not have...?

Landmine sighed and reached out a hand, letting his fingers rest on his friend’s.

The warm, semi-dim lighting of the restaurant painted the strangers at the tables behind them in orange shadows. The yellow of the overhead lighting shimmered faintly in the depths of Waverider's soft blue eyes.

He looked out the window again, too, eyes caught by the sight of a skyscraper flashing a bright yellow light in some practiced sequence.

He found it wonderful and intriguing that even after all these years watching civilization build itself into the modern day, there were still some things he’d never know about daily life.

Or it might be a broken light.

Another memory suddenly greeted him.

The one where he went to check Waverider’s pod first, instinctively, and moment he realized how afraid he’d been when Waverider finally opened his eyes, the glass sliding away immediately, letting him sit up.

“We’re up first! How wild is that?” He’d said, dropping down to a kneeling position to be eye-level with him. Waverider blinked once, twice, then chuckled.

“Pretty wild.” He leaned forward and touched foreheads with Landmine. “So, hey.”

“Hey.”

“I’m seeing you again. I told you we’d see each other soon…”

“I know…”

Suddenly, the hand beneath his shifted to grip back, pulling him from his memory and into the present again. The smile that he saw across the table was different again, looking happier than before.

I just don’t know how to tell you...

“Can I come to your office tomorrow, then?”

Landmine smirked, feeling his own playful nature return in full.

“Only if you let me pick out your outfit–and you throw out that awful tie!”

“By the Primes, Lander–”

“No, I'll even buy the stuff for you. It’ll be my treat,” He insisted, starting to laugh. “The people at my office will kick you out if you walk in with that uncoordinated kind of style!”

“Oh, then you must have experience in that field,” Waverider joked back, motioning at Landmine’s signature burgundy jacket.

He had the most smug grin on his face.

“My good sir, I’ll have you know that–”

But he didn’t finish his sentence.

He’d broken off abruptly, just staring at Waverider for a moment. The clamor of people around them seemed to fade out.

Unsure as to whether it was the wine he'd been drinking or something else entirely, he felt like something was...pulling at him, and he found himself leaning closer and closer until…

Another memory flashed through his mind’s eye. It was of his first experience with a kiss.

Landmine was sitting in his office, typing away at his laptop. He'd been working at a paper company while he looked for a better job, having set his sights on moving to New York.

He was filling out his application for a position as head of sales at an automotive dealer when he felt a tap on the shoulder.

In the reflection of his computer screen, he could see Waverider's figure before he felt him lean over and rest his head on his shoulder.

"Hey," he murmured, grinning. "Shouldn't you be in a meeting?"

His partner didn't respond, instead leaning over and pressing his lips gently against Landmine's cheek. The blonde froze, obviously startled by the gesture.

Then at last, he cleared his throat, looking up at Waverider, who still had a large smile on his face. He was sure he was flushed, but tried to play it cool.

"And you did that…why?”

“It’s a human custom,” Waverider explained, laughing. “Its called kissing. Saw someone in my office do it with their partner, and I've seen it hundreds of times before that, but didn't know what it was."

"And that is?" He watched Waverider draw back a bit, tapping his chin in thought.

"How do I say...well, it's like...it means affection, or that you care for someone.”

"Alright..." Landmine was still confused, however. “But, I mean...is it platonic or romantic?”

Waverider shrugged. Then, leaned over to kiss Landmine's cheek again.

"That's...up to us, I guess..."

Whatever you wanted it to be, a kiss was.

Well, he didn't know what this kiss was, but...he knew it felt right. It was better than any word he could speak, or gesture he could make.

And after a moment, he and Waverider leaned back, sat back down, quiet again. But, not an uncomfortable silence.

He watched his companion smile, start to blush. The dimples in his face showed themselves as he smiled back at him. He ruffled his brownish-blonde hair with one hand, starting to giggle a little.

Landmine knew it wasn’t going to be long before Waverider would have to return to his job, leaving New York again. They’d be lonely again, even if they called and messaged…

But maybe what they had...didn't need some kind of label, or name. A commitment or a friendship or...something deeper than that...whatever this was.

This still felt alright. As it always had. Something told him Waverider felt that, too.

He and Waverider had since had many long talks about their academy days. Everything had been laid out, brought up, acknowledged and forgiven.

They had come to understand one another so deeply in all their years since coming to Earth, but especially now, as humans in this current time of peace.

“No matter what you do, or who you’re with," Waverider murmured, beaming, "I’ll always be here for you. I know I've said that before, but...eh, it's worth saying again.”

"I know."

"I'm glad!" He laughed again.

He was certainly a little drunk, sure but, he was always like this, Landmine thought.

Waverider had always been a relaxed and fun-loving soul.

“Connected sparks...always find their way back together no matter what, don’t they?” Landmine remarked, flicking a fingertip against his plate.

He felt warm, all the way inside himself, not from the meal or the heater, but...from something else.

Waverider blinked in some surprise for a moment, seeming to take in the words, processing them, before the smile returned to his features.

“Yeah...they really do.”

And, suddenly Landmine took notice of the speaker overhead, as it had started playing something else while they spoke.

It was a song about humanity–something he and the other Pretenders had learned slowly but surely, was quite relative to what they’d known all their lives.

The truth of existence, which Landmine had found and continued to find with every passing day.

That it's alright, to be as one is–imperfect, yet persevering.

Bringing what one can to the table of life, giving, speaking, loving and experiencing it all.

That in that imperfection, life itself was good–contrary of course, to what he’d learned in the Cybertronian Military Academy, which had been wrong about many other things as well.

Life in many forms, which seeks friendships and connections between others, in its funny, social nature.

Nothing quite in idealistic purity, and often happy in that manner of existing.

That, which altogether, made it truly beautiful to be alive, especially on this Earth.

///

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