#PLEASE the au is actually INCREDIBLY detailed omg

[spnfanficpond]

January 2023 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

WELCOME TO THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE (you don’t have to be a member) CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. Everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that this fun, thoughtful award will do just that.

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for Tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @rauko-is-a-free-elf

To Love And To Hold by @glygriffe

This whole thing is just so cute. I think my favorite part is how ye great and powerful eldritch angel of the lord Cas is so cute and adorable that both brothers are hopeless against it. Sam moves quickly from "we can't keep it" to "well maybe if we can't find an owner," and Dean goes almost immediately from "hell no I'm allergic" to "dammit Sam pick up some Allegra I guess." 😆💚

~*~*~

Nominated by @glygriffe

Hate or Love by @rauko-creates

I love the poetry of this piece. It's poignant and have a depth that I can't quite grasp, but it's beautiful none the less.

Not Alone by @mrswhozeewhatsis

A sweet little fic set during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring Sam x Reader. It's full of fluff and I like the type of narration, the author's voice in this fic. It makes me feel... grounded in the story, immerse in the universe.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Under The Mistletoe by @katbratsupernaturalwhore

This was very cute!!!

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

...And Then There Were Three (series) by @thoughtslikeaminefield

It's been a heck of a long time since I've really read smut without just skimming through it for the vital details. This series? I read every word. So freaking hot!! Both brothers? YES, PLEASE!!!!

Just Like Heaven by @redmyeyes

On the Destiel to Wincest spectrum, I definitely lean towards Destiel, but I do love an occasional Wincest fic, if it's got the right feel to it. This fic right here? It's got it. The angst. The brotherly way of communicating without talking. The brotherly way of doing something gross as a way of saying, "I love you." (It's so gross. But so brotherly.) This right here is the Goldilocks of Wincest fics for me!

Smoking Spirits on the Roof by @stusbunker

And now I'm off to the other end of the spectrum with a Destiel rec! This is a sweet (and smutty) college AU that explores a little bit of the paradox of being queer and having religious faith and an uber-religious family. It doesn't go too deep, so it's not a slog, it's just right for some light reading!

~*~*~

Nominated by @princessmisery666

Rainy Days and Mondays by @kellyn1604

OMG 😱 those last three sentence’s literally made me teary eyed 😢 a smidge of angst but all the fluffiness and it was beautiful 🤩

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AWESOME WORK AND GREAT FEEDBACK!

These are not actual awards, as in, there is no competition! This system is set up so everyone has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author in the Pond that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

#angel fish awards #angel fish awards masterlist #spnfanficpond #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic #fanfic #spn fan fiction #spn fanfiction #spn fan fic #spn fanfic #supernatural fan fiction #supernatural fan fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #fic rec #spn fic rec #supernatural fic rec

[spinningbagel]

Please 🙏 tell me abt all of your au’s omg omg pls, I wanna hear all abt them and the lore you got for them /gen

A,,all of them,,?? *stares at paper* I-,, okay,,??

So we’ll start with my main two since they’re the ones I’ve made known and will be easier to sum up first

Homeless!AU

Based on the ‘what if’ question of: “What if Vegan-Su didn’t help out Sheriff & defended him during the scene where their locked in a cage & Sheriff being a mutant has been revealed to the whole group”

Basically, I’m this Au, Vegan didn’t help out Sheriff in convincing the others that’s he’s still the same person regardless of being a half mutant. So once they’ve escaped & gotten the mushroom they just..kick him out. No real remorse or empathy. They don’t try to hear him out or anything. They just make him leave.

He does leave without a fight or anything, after all he’d unfortunately been expecting this outcome. And it’s not like he can really go back to the life he lived before so he hangs around the abandoned city.

Nothing is being done to prevent his mutation anymore aside from the occasional stealing vegetables from his old friends so it spreads (slowly) up his arm. He also ends up being able to understand the mutants unique language & speak it.

With a growing addiction to coffee beans, a hoodie that he found in the dumpster and no friends he lives his life in the city for a few months, at some point during that Shooter starts coming to the city to try and find Sheriff, feeling incredibly bad. Sheriff doesn’t particularly blame Shooter (though he still does partiality) he actively avoids Shooter and any potential interactions.

I’m a bit unsure on how to go about the group seeing Sheriff once more and the angst that will follow with, I’ve tried writing out some possible drafts but nothing seems to stick yet.

ZA!Au

My most recent in this list actually, it’s basically a post apocalyptic world filled with zombies and there’s no saving the world or anything like that, the story mainly just focuses on the group slowly building trust and a family they care about.

It starts off with just Sheriff, a 20 year old man who’s a known wanderer, never staying in one place for too long and never getting close to people, he stops at one town to stay the night and that’s where he meets Shooter where, against his will he enjoys the company of and quickly sees as a friend. He pushes those feeling down for the time being though.

The story (imo) truly kicks off once Shooter decides it’s a good idea to steal from this town. The townspeople are not fond of this at all and find stealing punishable by death because of scarce resources. So they’ve got Shooter at gunpoint, on his knees begging for some kind of mercy (it’s around the middle of the night I feel the need to add). Sheriff who was previously asleep sees this shit going down and it sets him off. I’ll spare most details but just know he gets his hands on a lighter, a car and a shitton of gasoline.

Shooter and Sheriff run (drive) off and end up at Brutux’s place, a guarded lighthouse. Going against anything they’ve ever heard about this guy they enter seeking refuge for the night, which they get. It’s pretty calm despite everything.

Until the next morning when the trio wake to yells of guards down below and a lot of crashing. Turns out two people (Vegan and BP) are stealing supplies and are getting away with it too. Brutux drags Sheriff & Shooter along to catch them to pay off him letting them stay the night.

They catch BP and Vegan at some point, probably when their in the fortress/lab thing. Surprisingly the sibling duo offer to let the trio stay with them since it’s high up and much safer. And despite the suspicion they agree.

There’s a lot of mistrust in the start but slowly. Like snail pace slowly they build up trust.

In this Au, Ryan and Dr. White are both dead fully, both being turned to zombies. With Ryan being killed by a 15 year old Sheriff but not before biting him, leading to Sheriff cutting his own arm off with an axe. And Dr. White being killed by Began & BP, having forced his children to kill him.

Time loop!Au

This one is a little under a year old.

It’s an AU where Sheriff is forced to repeatedly die during the final confrontation with the SM, the SM killing him each time (before the reveal of him being Ryan I should add) he’s got no idea why he’s being forced into this, at first being in denial, thinking he’s dreaming up until the fourth loop.

He keeps track of his deaths on a wall in his room in the ship, carving into it with a knife. There’s hundreds of marks, each signalling another death. There’s a small corner in amongst his tally’s. For when he ends the loop early.

Any scars that may’ve been obtained during a previous loop stay with him for all other loops and becomes normal in future timelines. How does he figure this out? When in one loop the SM fully takes his eye out before killing him. He wakes up and can only see out one eye. No one asks him about it.

Eventually he tries telling someone (I’m still not saying who 😈😈). He tells them everything, about the loops and his deaths. They think he’s crazy at first. At least until he shoots himself infront of them and they come running into his room, panicked he was dead. So now two people know.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten with this one, it’s been awhile since I’ve thought about it, might needa dust some cobwebs from my mind.

Hero!Au

The Au title speaks for itself. It’s a hero Au. In a world where powers exist, hero’s and villains do also.

Sheriff and Shooter are popular vigilantes, both being the laws nightmare and best friend. They help out with things though their method of doing so is sometimes questionable.

Sheriff has electricity based powers and pretty powerful ones at that, people with electricity powers are pretty high up on the danger scale given just how much they can do with their abilities, though it differs depending on the person.

For Sheriff he has to constantly have electricity in his system and so more often then not you may catch him sticking a fork in a socket and just,,absorbing the electricity. He’s capable of causing power outages if his powers are too much on the fritz. So yeah, not someone you want as an enemy.

Shooters abilities (if he truly has any) is unknown to the public, he’s Sheriffs partner in crime vigilante work and is responsible for all their tech and weaponry. Some people theorise that his ability lets him create almost absurd things from pretty much nothing (ima spoil it, it isn’t that)

Vegan Su, BP and Dr. White are all hero’s, top ones at that. Well less so Dr. White since he’s more focused on science and things rather than being out there actively saving lives. I’m yet to decide on hero names for the sibling duo and abilities for them.

Brutux is a villain but not your standard super villain, more so a criminal who deals with illegal things like drugs and certain weapons. He actually gets along quite nicely with our Vigilante duo and doesn’t tend to bother them as much.

Max and Jim are Sheriff and Shooter when their not out being vigilantes, the two work at a fairly small grocery shop (think IGA small- size wise I mean) and their manager is Brutux playing civilian (known as Alex to them) obviously Shooter, Sheriff & Brutux aren’t aware of each other’s double life identities since they do well to keep ‘em hidden. The truth may eventually come out though.

There’s a little bit of betrayal in this Au because at some point, Vegan pretends to be a vigilante to get close with Sheriff & Shooter- either to recruit them as hero’s or arrest them for several crimes.

That’s all I’ve got so far for this Au, like the time loop it’s been awhile.

Okay this is a very long post holy hell. And there’s one or two that I’m yet to talk about but currently my hand is cramping from typing this all up on my phone so I’ll do them tomorrow after school. This took like,, an hour to write ☠️☠️

Anyways though, hope you’ve enjoyed my insanely long ramble on my Au’s that I would never have shared if not asked to (I don’t really mind, the only reason I never shared them is because I came up with them all and thought it’d be too many & people would get annoyed at me for having so many but this fandom is starving, I don’t think people mind if I’m Au central™️/hj)

#mutant busters #bagels rambles #ramble request #query box answer #holy hell this is a long one #I enjoyed the ramble though #not every day I can freely ramble about my stuff #well I mean I can this so social media not real life #no one can stop me here #aaaaaaaa #mutant busters au #mutant busters za!au #mutant busters homeless au #mutant busters hero Au #mutant busters time loop Au

[hancydrewfan]

Reasons I Love SequinSmile-x, For Her Birthday

I occasionally can write a lil fic, but only when inspiration hits at exactly the right moment. So I have no gift fic for my bestie @sequinsmile-x. Instead, I offer a list of reasons I love her with my whole heart including several of my favourite fics of hers. (below the cut, because I got a lil carried away in her honour)

When Tomorrow Begins, the tragic and beautiful EPIC SAGA of one incredible AU with impeccable flashbacks. Vic had just posted chapter eight of the sequel, If Tomorrow Starts Without Me, when I discovered this series I think two years ago. It remains a favourite that I am always thinking about all the time, especially since its gutwrenching, tearjerking, perfect conclusion last year, and I have reread it at least twice.

Martha, the most perfect beautiful angel of a cat. I do not have a cat, but I have a collection of my friends’ cats that I consider my babies and I will one day meet Martha in person and officially give her all the pets she absolutely deserves.

Tequila Confessions, which I guess I accidentally gave some ideas for and then she kindly gifted it to me (the first of many, including two of three follow-ups to TC!). This fic never fails to make me laugh and cry from laughing and I cherish it for starting a long tradition of me being a doofus and Vic running with my doofusness to create magic. (Again, I apologize for Invasion. I was runnin’ my mouth, that’s on me.)

A shared love of Tim Hortons, despite us being located in different continents. I have had many text conversations with her while walking home from therapy with an iced cap or a french vanilla in my hands and Midnights playing in my ears. A truly comforting friend even though there are many thousands of miles between us. Also because she’s British she uses the beautiful U in favourite and colour and honour and it makes me SO HAPPY. (this entry is about Canada-UK relations lol)

Love You In The Dark, another iNcReDiBLe AU fic where our intrepid heroes find each other in 1963. I know she worked so hard to get the setting right, and it can be a challenge to nail the voice and actions of characters in an era so unlike their own, but she friggin’ nailed it with this one. And it was also completely terrorizing when chapters ended on horrific cliffhangers you absolute freak. Also the way she incorporates canon details in AU fics makes me weep every time!! AND when she makes little easter egg connections to her previous fics, omg. I love puzzles and consider myself to be the human embodiment of Nancy Drew, so these kind of connections and secrets thrill me to no end.

HAVE YOU SEEN HOW CREATIVE THIS GAL IS??????? Friggin. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve screamed at her for sending a header she’s designed for an upcoming fic. And the fake insta posts???? Like wtf. The way she captures their voices in FAKE SOCIAL MEDIA. Stop being so good at everything (please don’t stop you are my lifeblood).

The Way Home, which actually I can’t even speak about because I’m still upset about the last chapter, you evil little pillbug.

She is so fun and so funny and so kind and so giving to this little fandom! We have a rich collection of hotchniss reads thanks to an incredible amount of talented writers, but sorry this post is about Vic and she posts new chapters and one shots multiple times a week, totalling well over a million words on ao3, despite having like a job and friends and a life outside of the internet. I am in awe, always.

okay sorry i’ll stop embarrassing you. love you vic and happy birthday!!!!!!

#hancy recommends! #i guess this is a tag now #okay but for real happy birthday bestie #love you to the moon and to saturn #hotchniss #sequinsmile ✨ #i queued this for you! i am definitely still asleep ♡

[bookwyrminspiration]

hello my lovely loveliest dearest favorite quil <333 I have finally actually returned with a slight rebrand and many tales to tell.

How are you bestie!!! I missed you So SO much and it's literally so rude that I can't send you all of the things that make me think of you. Like I swear my partner is gonna be jealous at this point because I'm literally like omg I literally need to show this to quil. It is a necessity. (If you're wondering it was a hoodie that had the classic university logo and said Silly Goose University and I decided that we needed them to match with our friendship bracelets.)

Anyway I am eyeing your new writing up very very closely and am itching to go to Ao3 and read ALL of it. (The urge is quite strong now that I have started Thinking about it, however this ask is taking long enough bc I have to take Wiggle™ breaks because holy bestie I am SO happy to talk to you once again.)

Speaking of your writing I was struck with the most incredible fantastic amazing art idea after looking at some of my old wings AU doodles. However, my drawing tablet went through the shredder (<- Puppy) I have to WAIT. To give the full idea justice but trust me bestie I'm so excited to show it to you.

Anyway I've been extra ramble-y but HI HOW ARE YOU I MISSED YOU WHAT IS GOING ON WITH YOUR LIFE.

I'd love all of your thoughts and feelings and I miss you and ily and I'm so happy like I kid you not this ask has taken. So much effort because I cannot sit still writing this to you. I have. The Dumbest Smile on my face. <3333333

(Please note that this ask is meant to be read as if I am laying on your bed kicking my feet in the air while excitedly talking, thank you 😌)

TOBI!!!! I was just thinking about you the other day!! My dad and I were watching Labyrinth for the first time in a while, and when I realized the baby's name was Toby (i'd forgotten) I just went...ah..Tobi...I hope he's doing well...

I'm doing alright! I've been very busy this semester, and we are approaching finals so it's probably only going to get busier soon. But! This has been my first semester mostly in person in a very long time! And I'm officially fully in uni rather than dual credit, so I'm somewhere else now and have met SO many people. Actually am planning to meet up with one of them tomorrow to go to a restaurant/museum for class! And to watch a few movies with two others sometime soon.

lots of reflections on that because relationships of all kinds have been. rather difficult my whole life, so we'll see what happens here! also would 100% wear some silly goose university hoodies with you <3. move aside tobi's partner I need to glue BOTH of his hands to mine. forever

Also!! If you read my fics I'll love you forever and ever and ever even more. This new titz one has been sitting for several months, but I finally pulled it back out! And I am rather nervous about it because Fitz and Tam are both particular characters, and so combining them just makes them even harder to write. and THEN! throwing in Fitz's Alvar feelings makes that EVEN MORE difficult. but! it was also an absolute delight to work on so I hope you like it :)

and holy shit wings au art!!! i trust you so much I am so excited to see it--and don't worry about however long it takes! wings au is years in the writing, i've got experience with patience. wait btw, I don't know if you're aware, but I'm attempting to post the epilogue soon! I have the rough draft and the anniversary is coming up, so I'm hoping to have it edited to post on the ending's anniversary. it's a little over a week away, but also finals are descending AND its nano, so we'll see what happens. it WILL be out by the end of the year for certain though (and during october I went through and re-edited the whole thing for grammar and details--it's ridiculous how many its it's mistakes there were because i KNEW the difference. i'd just autopilot do one or the other and not catch it in my quick edits)

I keep pausing to do little claps and stim because. tobi!!! it's so so cruel we can't lay in bed kicking our feet together, i have missed you so so so much! what has been up with YOU? how has your life been? what's up with the blog migration--if you want to talk about it. also totally cool to simply accept it and move on. i just like talking to you and it's very nice to see you again :)

#quil's queries #xanadaus #tobi tobi tobi tobi tobi tobi tobi toboi toiobtoi toibtio!!! #i would say more but there's so many thoughts that they've kinda all turned into white noise and actually there's no more thoughts #just excitement #and also I am a little tired. because of the busy #but!! very very happy to see you!! #long post

[sparklingpax]

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.

///

#transformers #transformers super god masterforce #super god Masterforce #super god masterforce fanfiction #Masterforce #masterforce moment òwó 🥺💖✨ #tf #transformers stuff #maccadam #kuniwrites #<3 #fanfiction #writing #landmine #lander #waverider #diver #cloudburst #Phoenix #Metalhawk #hawk #Pretenders #transformers fanfiction #for fun #anime #transformers anime #edit: ive finally come up with a shipname for these two #landiver #vine boom sound effect #yea

[sailoryooons]

Hiiiiiiiii, I stumbled upon knocked the other day and it was such a good read, which lead me to your masterlist. I had a huge feeling I would like what I find but didn’t expect for your writing to be that good! Knocked was just a taste of what was to come!!. First of all I just want to say that, you have brought me to tears reading these two fics which is something because I rarely cry reading books/fic. You just have a way of describing what your characters are going through that feels so raw. Like when yn cried and felt embarrassed because Taehyung read her diary. I don’t know if that was your intention but yeah had me shedding a few tears here and there. My two faves are Mixtape and The Iron Ring. Which is so funny to me because I usually dont like reading these tropes and I especially avoid Soulmates tropes/au like the plague 😭😭

But the way you build it up was just chef kiss. When she felt the pull for the first time, I really thought it’s because her grandma was associated with the Fae world, my mind didn’t even go there. Tbh I went in reading TIR not thinking too much and was sucked into this world you created just like yn a bit. I was just blown away how you built this world and normally I have difficulty imagining fantasy beings, like its hard for me to visualize a mental image but Jimin was so clear in my mind. I could see/imagine the hair, the outfits and even his eyes and teeth. There’s so much I wanted to say, like how I think Dreadwolf/jungkook is actually really cool and bit scary at first tho. Also Khioneeeeeee omg I want to know more about her plssssss. When she was talking to yn before the battle you could tell she lived and witness so many things and wow your mind is incredible for writing all of this actually! I also thought yn wouldnt make it by the end of the fic with the amount of time she kept blacking out 💀💀

I just want to say that TIR!yn was so unserious at times, the way she started giggling because seokjin asked her to bow that was sooo 😭😭😭😭 and the amount of references to GOT and ATLA . No i like her so much. Also the “checkmate” “that’s what she said” were just soooo 😭😭😭 I’m sorry but I laughed so much at these parts! Honestly would not mind a drabble of yn making jokes from her world while jimin is just ???? Okay I’m sorry this ask is all over the place but just wanted to let you know you’re an AMAZING WRITER and IM REALLY HAPPY I FOUND YOUR BLOG!!!!!!!! 💜💜💜💜

Ahhhhhhhh okay well HIIIII welcome to the chaos. I am so glad you found me! Knocked is definitely not what I would consider my usual writing, I'm definitely more fantasy/supernatural leaning but I am so glad that you liked it and that it brought you to me!

Mixtape is probably my favorite, just because it was the first series that I did on here and I absolutely fell in love with the friendships that I wrote for it. Reader's friend group holds a very special place in my heart and I really enjoyed writing gentle and patient Yoongi.

The Iron Ring is another fun one! That took AGES to write and there is a ton wrong with it/it's far from perfect but it's the first big fantasy piece that I put together so I am suuuper fond of it. I'm so glad that you felt sucked into the world because honestly, that is the number one thing I want to happen when I write fantasy. I want people to feel immersed and like reading the details is easy yet wonderful? I might revisit that world one day but there are sooooo many things I want to write.

Please never apologize for saying so many nice things I am kicking and screaminggggg you are so kind. I'm happy you found me!!!

#replies

[modernday-jay]

“i am free in all the ways you are not”

okay… hear me out. a fight club au starring an everyday man with really bad anger issues trying to figure out his sexuality in the mid 90s as different, eccentric men come into his life.

thank you to @alfredfjonesstan​ for developing this with me hehe, everyone better be excited for our directorial debut >:)

#hetalia #hws england #aph england #hws america #aph america #hws canada #aph canada #hws france #aph france #fight club au #my art #arthur kirkland #alfred f. jones #matthew williams #francis bonnefoy #PLEASE the au is actually INCREDIBLY detailed omg #i just didn't want to clog this post up with so much text lmao #but yeah kateys a genius and im just happy i could develop an au based on my fav movie #we changed up the plot a bit to suit arthur and its just AGHHHHHHHH #anyway i cant feel my hand n im about to collapse so #have it #take it #its a bit of an eyesore but thats the point hehe

[sunnyjae]

hey! im actually obsessed with your writing (its so good omg, youve got me going CRAZY) so maybe #34 & #44 with dom!jake x sub!reader and maybe it being like enemies but lowkey fwb? and well you can do wtv with nicknames (pretty girl and those along those lines has me going insane tho)

sorry if its too detailed! you can do whatever with this req !!

lmao me crying 😩 anything with pretty in front of it is a yes

i hope this one was a vibe lol i think i enjoyed writing this one a little too much

also thank you for reading! I’m super surprised i get you guys riled up like that haha ;)

prompts: #34 "get on your knees," + #44 "you want my cum?"

pretty girl [part one] ♡ sjy [req]

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT. I put my smut strictly under the smut tags on here to protect you guys so don't open anything with a warning like this one. Please.

pairing ♡ jake x fem!reader, strict-ish soft??dom!jake, sub!reader

genre ♡ non-idol!au, suggestive, smut, fluff

warnings ♡ dumbification, overuse of petnames, riding, lots of dialogue (bc i'm a whore for dirty talk but we all knew), low-key breeding kink, so much teasing oh my, finger sucking like twice??, dirty talk ofc, low-key ddlg, very unrealistic scenario lol

word count ♡ 2.9k

summary ♡ jake's a tease in your frenemies (sort of) relationship, little did you know he's a tease inside the bedroom too

You cursed yourself at the mental image of getting on your knees for Jake, his fingers gripping your chin as he fed you the tip of his hot, fat cock, desperate for some relief. The way you drooled, imagining him calling you filthy names, making you swallow his big load - one that he had been saving just for your pretty mouth.

Grumbling at the thought, you remembered the time he’d teased you in front of the guys, even going the extra mile and calling you in class several times just to say he found your spot cream in the fridge. The boy heckled you, embarrassed you and made fun of you whenever he could, and yet you were still so affected by his presence it made you want to swear aloud sometimes.

And when you were in the middle of washing the dishes, your brother's best friend lazily ambled in, taking notice of you in all your pajama-ed glory. Jake gritted out an internal ‘Shit.’, feeling his dick stiffen in his sweats (as if it wasn’t the first time you did that to him). He stalked around the kitchen island behind you, and his voice broke the silence.

"You look nice," he lilted, and with a clatter, you dropped the utensils you were holding.

Opting to leave them now that they were sinking into the water anyway, you mumbled a weak, "Go away,".

Jake only chuckled in response, letting his eyes graze you up and down shamelessly. He eyed the way your spaghetti top hugged your boobs, accentuating your waist and leading to the hem of your shorts, which clung deliciously to your ass as if they were made for you. You just looked so breakable yet so soft.

Jake couldn't help but groan internally. And by God did he want to absolutely fucking wreck you.

He found your diary around a week ago, in which you wrote your frustrations out (including your sexual ones), and Jake had noticed something incredibly interesting as he was casually flicking through - he noted it was for your own safety, not his mind-boggled curiosity.

You liked a lot of the same...niche...things he liked. Although Jake had never brought it up to his past girlfriends, the idea of you allowing him to take the role of the carer, you being his baby, in whatever silent feud-slash-lust thing you had going on, had his knees buckling under him.

"Calm down, I'm just giving you a compliment." he sidled up beside you, lips pushing outwards into a cute duck-like pout.

You had to gulp down your saliva, legs already trembling at his proximity. The way he leaned over you, deliberately making you feel tiny, had your head positively spinning.

"Please, give me some space." you yelped out, voice nearly breaking because of the tension in your lungs.

He raised his hands in defence and leaned against the kitchen counter, watching you finally wash and dry your hands - one of the cute things he noticed about you too, was that they were significantly smaller than his.

He smirked when he noticed you trembling with the bowl in your hand.

"You need help?"

Your fingers were white from how hard you were gripping the ceramic, and you couldn't help but whine under your breath from the intensity of his gaze. It was like he was actively trying to make you submit to him, but the power in that - without him having to say a word - was what made you wet.

"Uh, no. I'm fine." you replied unnecessarily sharply, feeling your cheeks warm with heat. Jake pushed himself away from the toaster and took a few tempting strides closer to you, watching you take out a can opener and a tin you needed to get some fruit out for the frozen yogurt you were tasked with making for tonight. Sunghoon had invited Jake to stay over for the night, since it was a Wednesday and your lectures were cancelled altogether - Jake Sim was thrilled at the information (for many reasons).

Leaning over your shoulder, his lip twitched at your struggle with the tool. "Dummy." he muttered, gently taking the items from you.

Your throat dried at his comment, but your pussy definitely wasn't close to being that. You chose not to pick up on it, for the sake of your own ego. Jake opened the tin with ease and poured the peach slices out into the bowl beside you, setting the tin down with a light thud.

What you didn’t expect, however, was when two of his fingers accidentally dipped into the syrup, and he lifted them to your lips expectantly. "Open." Jake muttered, eyeing your pretty mouth. He just knew you’d taste sweet.

You didn't know why you were following through, but it was like his words affected you more than you initially thought.

Watching your lips part, Jake smirked that same pretentious smirk he always did and waited for you to "Suck."

He found himself muttering “God, I wish you’d get on your knees for me.” with no real aim of having you hear it, but knowing your enfatuation with him, of course you'd perk up at anything he did.

You closed your eyes, lips eventually circling his digits without much thought. When your eyes opened again, Jake nearly swore aloud while feeling your tongue swipe at the pads of his fingers. Your eyes were wide and gazing into his with a deep longing that had him stirring in his pajama sweats.

He pulled his fingers out of your desperate mouth reluctantly, "Pretty." before stepping over to the fridge like he hadn't just caused you to nearly collapse onto the tiles your legs were trembling on.

The sweetness lingered on your lips, and you licked at them subtly, wishing it were Jake's tongue on them instead of your own. The way he would softly praise you, call you his, make you lie down all pretty for him like a gorgeous pillow princess.

"Making dessert?" he asked, casually taking out a banana milk bottle from one of the shelves inside. That question snapped you out of your reverie almost immediately.

You stared intensely at the bowl in front of you, not wanting to embarrass yourself any further by making any more unnecessary eye contact. Like this, you felt like dumb in front of Jake sometimes, and you knew he enjoyed seeing you in this way.

"Yeah." you breathed airily, swallowing hard to curb the whine that edged to escape from your throat - the reason being his eyes ; those dialated pupils roving over your tense body, coming up to meet your own every so often.

"Don't you uh- have anything better to get to?"

His lack of immediate response had you balking.

"You know," he took a sip of his milk, leaning back to set it aside - the action itself nonchalant, worryingly tempting. "If I asked you nicely to be kinder to me then you'd probably do it,"

"You're just dumb like that."

A soft gasp filled the air, and you realised it was you once his eyebrows raised in response. "Am I wrong?"

You watched as he pushed himself away from the freezer, edging a few steps forward to meet you next to the island. He was a whole foot taller than you, and somehow having your vision obscured by a certain Jake Sim gave you the dragon equivalent of butterflies in your tummy.

"Gonna be nice to me from now on?" he mocked, lip upturned. "Play on that goody-two-shoes personality for me? Be a good girl?"

"I-" you whined, words on the precipice of your tongue, teetering on the edge of a terrific, catastrophic plunge.

"Aw," he tutted, tilting his head back to take in your embarrassed, heated gaze. Your decreasing ability to speak, making him struggle to keep the (albeit tiny) space left between you. Jake felt the need to lean down to whisper in your ear, "When you decide to play nice, you come and find me."

And that was the end of your last anticipated conversation with Jake that evening, the air of tension in the kitchen merging with whatever Sunghoon's suspicious gaze brought with it as he strolled in. His sister and his best friend were polar opposites, so awkwardness didn't come as a surprise with two contrasting personality types, however Sunghoon sure had had enough of this bermuda triangle of fumbling words and strange energy.

Finishing rinsing with mouthwash after brushing your teeth was the highlight of your night time routine for sure. It was the very last thing you usually did before bed, other than applying some lip care and lotion to your skin. The bathroom door left slightly ajar opened a little more, closing behind the last person you'd expected to see. He leaned over the sink next to where you stood, his thumb barely brushing the material of your shorts over your hips as he gave his face a once-over in the mirror.

"I'm still using the bathroom."

"I know."

You mumbled, words coming out uncharacteristically pathetic to anyone who would have known you for you. "You um- could wait?"

His eyes caught yours, almost glinting in the mirror's LED light, glazing over at the mere sight of you. You curled into yourself, the drawer handle under the sink basin digging into your mid-thigh when he stepped behind you, arms caging you in further. The death grip you had on your vaseline tin had the metal warming in your palm, a discomfort settling in from the ridges indenting your skin.

Breath cool, heart pounding, knuckles white, your lips formed around his name in a whisper.

"Hm?"

Jake reached up to twist your head to face him, thumb just under your shiny bottom lip.

You just knew this was going to be a gruelling and difficult sleep.

Coming into Sunghoon's room (tonight, Jake's) was something you never thought you'd do. Duvet and pillow in hand, you stood at the door.

You sniffled, feeling overwhelmed from just twenty minutes ago when you were sucking on his fingers. With the softness in his touches, yet a hardness in his eyes that could be mistaken for malice, you recalled the names he'd called you.

"What're you doing here pretty?" Jake asked, noticing your figure in the threshold to his room as he scrolled through his phone. You brought your shoulders to your ears and looked down shyly.

"Come here." he invited, glancing down at his lap for you to get the message, his bulge was still painfully straining from earlier.

You mewled, crawling over to his bed, watching him peel the duvet and settle you onto his hips, moving his hands to your face, he stroked over your cheeks and lips with his thumbs, sighing.

He was so warm you couldn't help but put your stuff aside and melt into his body, pressing your cheek against his chest and your hands on his pecs. "Jus' wan'ed to sit." you muttered, not even coherent at this point.

"Dumb little baby wanted to sit on my lap?" he asked, smoothing his palms down the skin of your plush thighs.

"Yeah," you nodded, now moving your head so you were face to face.

"I thought you didn't like me sweetheart," he sighed, not being able to stop the smirk from appearing again.

"Hm," you huffed, face hot.

"Are you gonna be good and answer me?" he thumbed at your lips, eyes gazing at them shining under the dim light of Sunghoon’s desk lamp.

“You’re annoying, Jake. I don’t like you.” you lied, feeling his cock press into your crotch, hot under his pajama pants.

Jake sighed teasingly. “Well, pretty girl,” hands moving down to your hips, he pressed you down onto his hardness more. “That’s a shame, isn’t it?”

Chest tight, your nipples hardened under your flimsy crop top. “W-why?”.

He hummed, pressing his face into your neck softly. “I’m in a very giving mood right now.” he sighed, lips dragging across your skin until they reached your ear. “But considering your dislike for me, I don’t think you’ll want what I have to offer.”

“W-what do you have to offer, Jakey?” you whispered, shuddering. He smirked into the side of your face.

A pause. “Are you going to tell me the truth?” he lilted, “I don’t like lying little girls - they don’t get rewards.”

You swallowed, a strained sound escaping your throat. “I-I wasn’t lying.”

“Oh, but I know you were.” he nodded, nosing at you as you melted into him. “C’mon baby, tell me what’s going on in that dumb little head of yours.”

“I’m sorry Jakey.” you whined, “I-”

He stroked at your head with one hand, lips pouting at your jaw to press a featherlight kiss to it.

“I-I think about you sometimes.” you mumbled, breath hitching when he let out an affirmative sigh. “I’m listening,” he replied with a coy smile.

“Dirty things,” you added.

Jake was thrilled, cock hard and swollen under the confines of his clothes. “What kind of dirty things, sweetheart?” The words could have been so so innocent if it weren't for the hot bulge pressing into you as you melted into his lap.

You had to gulp, and it was audible. “Like s-sitting on Jakey’s lap.”

“Like now?”

You reached his ear with your lips, the sweetness of your scent making Jake want to manhandle you flat on the pillows and make you scream and cry in pleasure. “Yeah- but- I sometimes think about Jakey’s cock in me. A-and Jakey’s cum.”

“Hm. Such a good girl for telling me the truth.” with his mouth at the shell of your ear again, his voice reverberated delectably closer to you.

“What did you want to offer?” you mumbled, soft fingers playing with the fabric of his t-shirt.

The next words Jake uttered make your cunt throb shamelessly.

“Dumb baby’s princess parts must be feeling achy, huh?”

You felt yourself nod fervently, “Jakey was going to offer you his cock to sit on - to make that special spot feel better again. How does that sound?” he added with a whisper.

“Please let me on your cock,” you begged, bouncing on his lap a little in anticipation, and Jake halted your movements with steady hands on your waist.

He pretended to think, thumbs reaching the band of your silk shorts to just snap the elastic back teasingly.

“I don’t think my dumb baby’s princess parts belong to Jakey, though.” his lips twitched, fingers letting go of the fabric and pressing his fingertips into your hot slit.

“They do! T-they belong to you.” you hiccuped, completely drunk on Jake's words and teasing actions alone. You were worried before that if he were to make you suck on his fingers once more, you'd really probably cum with one touch.

He smiled, amused at your pleading. “Jakey’s princess parts.” you affirmed innocently, whimpering at the feeling of relief where his fingers just pressed.

“You gonna let Jakey slide his big cock into his princess parts?” He bit his lip, "All creamy, huh?"

“Yeah.” and with that approval, he pushed the crotch of the material covering your pussy to the side and pulled himself out of his bottoms.

“You like my cock, sweetheart?” he asked, his length hard on his stomach. Your eyes were wide at the new image, not really managing to process the situation.

You smiled shyly, pressing your face into his cheek. “Yeah.”

lmao this is giving ‘warm’ vibes

Finally pressing his tip into you, your pussy lips parted at the stretch, the fullness something you’d been waiting for so patiently since he first started to have such an effect on you. “Oh fuck-”

“Stupid girl, Jakey doesn’t like swearing. Apologise.” when he was fully sheathed in you, balls deep, his voice slipped deliciously into a lower octave.

“‘M sorry,” you drooled, face nuzzled into his shoulder. “Deep.”

“Fucked dumb.” he sighed, “All pretty for me.”

“Cum.” you pawed at his shoulder, the hands he had on your hips lifting you up and pressing you down onto his cock again. “Want cum.”

“You want to cum?”

“No- I want Jakey’s cum. In Jakey’s princess parts.” your voice was shaky and wrecked, and your thighs trembled at the feeling of being so satiated and finally filled to the brim.

“You want my cum?” Jake used his fingers to tilt your head up to be level with his so he could gaze into your eyes.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll give you a big load, sweetheart, don’t you worry about that.” he groaned at your tightness. “You wanna leak my cum?”

“All the time,” you pouted, teary eyes reflecting need and desperation.

"Bounce on it then sweetie, just like this." he lifted you by the hips so he slipped out, the tip just stretching out your opening before he pressed you back down again. The sharp fullness made you almost sob.

Complying with his instruction, you sat up and began to move. Jake's cock slipped in and out of you with lewd quelches and a repeated pap pap pap that should have been something out of a porno, along with your cute sounds and Jake's heavy breathing.

You moved. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. And the way he gazed into your eyes as you moved had butterflies erupting in your tummy. 

"Such a pretty girl," he smiled at you, the genuinity taking you back a little, even in your wrecked and sensitive state. As you started getting tired, Jake pressed a few shushing kisses to your jaw. "Shhh, baby. Just sit, okay? I'll take care of you."

And he pressed you down into his lap, using his thumb to rub pretty circles onto your little clit. "Jakey's Princess feeling good?" he asked, cursing under his breath as he nearly felt himself cum when you clenched tight around him.

"Princess parts feel so good." you nodded, eyes half-lidded as you shuddered on top of him as your climax hit. "Hmmm."

"Coming around my cock so well," he shushed you with his lips, the mewling from your lips growing in volume at the stinging sensitivity. "You gonna let Jakey fuck his cum into you?"

"Please," breathless, you approved, and that's all it took for Jake to give you his load finally.

Wrapping his arms around you, he tiredly reached for the duvet and shuffled with you on top of him and him still inside you.

You were satisfied, and whatever you and Jake had to talk out would be saved for the morning when you were more coherent.

i'm so so sorry i've been away for this last week! i got a lot requests so it's been a matter of keeping up with that and schoolwork. because of something personal I am going through it will take me longer to complete all your requests. I'm really sorry once again lovelies ♡ i hope you guys enjoyed this piece 😊

#kpop smut #enhypen smut #enhypen jake smut #jake sim smut #jake smut #jake enhypen smut

[the-stove-is-divorced]

fics + fanart list :]

Hi!! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡ I’m shipwreckblues on ao3! Call me Sailing Ships, the one who doesn’t like shipping, ironic I know, ha! Or, Divorced! ♡ Anyways, I wanted a place to put down some of my fics/writing in one place AND make sure to show off the fanart I get for my fics!!! It’s the coolest thing in the world, and if you have, thank you so much!   (´꒳`)♡♡♡

Fics and fanart under the cut! (Not all my fics, ‘cause that’s a lot to list, but all the fanart is there! Tysm again!)

BEN 10

Metamorphosis - attempted comedy where the omnitrix gets sentience! - ONGOING

Fanart for Metamorphosis!!!  by mabbbish! Plz check it out it’s so lovely! 

More Fanart for Metamorphosis!!! by unorthodoxica! PLZ check it out it’s SO good! 

Fanart for Metamorphosis!!! :D by amar-art! Check it out it’s absolutely adorable

Fanart for Metamorphosis!!! :)) by greenfrogartist!! Please LOOKIE it’s incredible!

ben tennyson and the inherit antagonistic platonic relationship forged through mutual beneficial fake rivalries (enemy of my enemy of my enemy) - where Ben decides he needs an archenemy to keep bad guys off his back - COMPLETED

LMK/ LEGO MONKIE KID

how much can you fit under your skin? - angst heavy where MK’s sent back in time to s1 from the s2 finale, but with LBD stuck in his head! - COMPLETE, WITH AN EPILOGUE!

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by hecate!!! Check it out plz it’s so good and angsty!! 

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by celis22!!! PLZ check it out, it’s so wonderful!!! 

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by celis22!!! DONE IT AGAIN, AND TIS WONDERFUL

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by karlywantsand!!! PLZZZZ LOOK IT’S SO COOL!!

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? BY summer doddles !!! THE DETAILS ARE SO PERFECT IMMA SOB???

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by scarletbrownies!!! The beautiful butterfly boy!!! LOVE THE LIGHTING OMG!

Fanart for HMCYFUYS? by falsearrow!!! Legit adorable redraws!!! LOOKIE!!!

My art showing MK’s progression in HMCUFUYS

i’ve got no time to live (and i can’t say goodbye) - oneshot exploration of Inky!MK and MK’s mentality during their battle, and probably the most epic writing I’ve written so far. 

SUF / STEVEN UNIVERSE

it feels like we only go backwards - heavy angst, canon divergent SUF retelling where Steven unfuses after the end of Prickly Pair, getting so much worse, before the halves get better!

Fanart for iflwogb by ozrbbit!!! ITS SO CUTE AND PRETTY AND PINK!!! plz go check it out!!! :D

YOUNG JUSTICE/DC

so blue, so true - AU where instead Khaji Da bonding with Jaime Reyes, they become fused instead, exploring their navigation through identity - hiatus :( !

green lantern adopts possibly homicidal alien invader for the fate of the world and is in denial about it more at 11 - basically what the title says! Hal stumbles upon Blue Beetle, and ends up mentoring the kid/trying to make sure the kid wasn’t secretly with the Reach - hiatus :( ! 

who am i without you? (yourself) - because of magic, Khaji Da suddenly gains a human body. he’s not exactly pleased about it, but it does give him opportunities he didn’t have before - ONGOING

BNHA/MY HERO ACADEMIA 

seriously, whose quirk is this?! - where Yagi gives Izuku OFA without telling him, which ends up snowballing into a feral, sleep deprived Izuku on the haunt for AFO to figure out how he’s accidentally stolen a quirk - hiatus :( ! 

INVADER ZIM

Zim and the Weirdly Affectionate Parental Units He Totally Doesn’t Care About - In which ZIm gets adopted by human verisons of the Roboparents! Fluff, Found family! - ONGOING SERIES, kinda on hiatus for the moment tho 

SPIDER-MAN

Hello Fellow Warrior - a series exploring the idea around What If Peter Parker actually kept the symbiote, and it wasn’t as malicious as series typically depict? ft. cultural differences, mother-hen! Venom, and a peter trying his best - ONGOING!

#my fics #my writing #morg rambles #morg speaks #still insane to me that i have fanart for some of my fics #i have two whole fanarts #thats so insane #thank u so much oh my god i could cry #fanart for me

[amporella]

GODD hollys fics are so good!! her portrayal of stan/kyle is so accurate. which one are ur favourite ones?? i obv like the og ones but after the specials i became rlly fond of toward the end of time (: very underrated

OMG... I'm going to try and limit this list to like fifteen fics most? But honestly no promises, because I am an insane person. And her fics legitimately are extremely accurate, and still remain extremely accurate after Post-Covid was released? It's incredible. I kno you've probably read most of them, but I'm going to give the list and my brief take on each of them just for anyone who sees this and hasn't.

ANYWAY, here's the list:

The Scenic Route - An absolute CLASSIC, and probably had the most influence on my stan/kyle portrayal out of any other fic I've ever read. @ anyone who's reading this, PLEASE read this fic right now and then come to my inbox and vomit out all your thoughts in as many asks as it takes.

Amalgamation - Totally underrated and totally beloved by me </3

Other People's Tupperware - When I read this fic, I actually didn't even like crenny? But it was still up on my favs because of how much I liked the details and the stanky, and now that I've come to love and cherish crenny, I love it even more.

Leave The Pieces - Absolutely insane and so SO good. I don't even know how to describe this fic? I haven't read it fully in a few years because doing so is... an undertaking but it still had a HUGE emotional impact on me so I have to recommend it. I will never understand how she managed to tie so many storylines together into one coherent incredible work.

South Park Fairy Tales - I'm cheating here because this is actually three fics in one collection, but they're all really good, so read all of them? I honestly don't think I could pick one that I like more than the others, because they're just all so nice lmao. I love fairy tale aus.

A Lifetime Supply of Crab Wontons - Weirdly enough, I think this fic is one of the first fics that always enters my head when I think stanky. It's just very tender!! I saw some fanart of this a while ago that I may now try and track down.

Herbert Garrison's Night School For Unwed Fathers - I have nothing to say in my defense, lmao

From The Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell - Read this and then stop at the second to last chapter if you don't want to be irrevocably shattered. Please trust me on this.

Honorable mentions of ones that I like (and/or ones that may be underrated) are Worst Christmas Ever, Books That Did And Didn't Burn, Holiday Hair Removal, Flipside, The Ascent of Stan, and Toward The End Of Time, along with everything else she's ever written. I got into Star Wars just so I could read her fics. Pls elaborate on any other hollycomb related thoughts you have anon!!! i love you!!!

#there are a few fics of hers that i don't love but those are just shipping preferences #all of the stanky fics.... obsessed #asks

[agoodpersonrose]

July 2021 Schitt’s Creek Fic Recs

Happy August!! This month has gone so quickly and yet we got so much wonderful fic being published almost every day! As always I’m not including any fics from the recent fests but I HIGHLY encourage you go and read them all! Elevate! 2021 was incredible with such a diverse mix of couplings, and the Passions and Pastimes fest will also begin posting soon!

1. he makes me feel like by @hullomoon

It was my birthday this month!!! And the LOVELY hullomoon posted this absolutely incredible first kiss barbecue fic for me!! It’s so incredibly sweet, I love canon diversions like this and this filled every possible wish I could have!! Thank you so much for this wonderful gift and if you haven’t read it PLEASE do for you own sake!

2. Tell Me When You Know by @maxbegone

Another addition to the Sweet Caffeine series! This is all about Patrick’s proposal which, from the previous fic, has been one of my very favourite proposals I have read. It’s so so lovely and sweet and the perfect addition to an already incredible series!

3. Everyday Magic (series) by @mostlyinthemorning (@houdini74)

I have been living for these magic fics! Magical realism is in my top three tropes and these have consistently been super fun and really really sweet! I was especially fond of the cat!David one, (unsurprisingly considering I also wrote one for the tropefest a few months ago) which is SO PERFECT, I love it when people get the characteristics so right even with something so far away from canon, and we ALWAYS deserve more catvid fics in the world.

4. a simple complication by @LFTPD

THEY’RE SUCH IDIOTS, I devoured this fic so fast. Patrick is such a dumb gay, letting everyone believe he and David are dating, while David ACTUALLY begins to believe it despite never having kissed Patrick. Incredible, hilarious, and sweet as hell!

5. Vampires Are People Too!: Season 1 by @petrodobreva

This fic has NOT gotten enough attention. It’s so incredibly detailed, with an incredibly developed storyline, and one of the sweetest explorations of David/Patrick as a high school relationship I have read. Like seriously run don’t walk to go and read this, you will thank me after.

6. got no sway on my destiny by @5ambreakdown

We love an AU with some trauma mixed in. This is a super short little exploration of alternate timelines which will leave you wanting more but also needing a solid week to recover. 

7. PDA: Public Displays of Anxiety by @delilah-mcmuffin

Nobody understands Patrick’s character intricacies like this fic does. It felt so very in character for him to overthink his and David’s PDA, and I loved the slight angst combined with mutual pining even though they’re already together.

8. Can You Help Me by @trueillusion82​

The Queen of Hurt/Comfort back at it with this very soft fic. It’s early relationship and has a lot of caretaker David which I adore, and as always the overthinking and tentative caring for each other is done just perfectly!!

9. The Dude Ranch by @alldaydream

Not much to say about this one except OMG COWBOY PATRICK, this one made me laugh so much, I loved the silly nature of it, I loved the immediate interest in each other, and of course I loved the teasing! Just the perfect combination of every meet-cute trope.

10. Before I Met You by @dinnfameron​

Incredible as always, this fic considers what if David and Patrick had met long before Schitt’s Creek, and been passing figures in each other’s lives. I love the concept that there was some fate or cosmic intervention in their meeting and I love how sweet they are with each other even before they know how important they will be!

+1. [art] booths and bleachers by @sparklesmagiclightlove for Molten Glass Hearts by  @januarium​

This is some of my favourite art I’ve seen in a long time! It’s beautiful as always and perfectly encapsulates the slight changes made to the characters in the story (see: Patrick’s undercut). Go and leave a lovely comment if you get the chance, as fanart very rarely gets the attention it deserves!

#agoodpersonrose fic recs #justwaiting23 #July Fic Recs #schitt's creek #schitt’s creek fic #schitts creek #patrick/david #David Rose #patrickanddavid #Patrick Brewer #david x patrick #fan fiction #fic recs

[parseisflat]

@parvuls​ made this post! and then @ivecarvedawoodenheart​ made one based on it so now i’m copying both of you <3

1) a fic that made you cry actual tears

Ice Crew Please! by @petals42​ (t, 61.4k, zimbits)

this is probably one of those obvious fic recs because everyone has read this fic but... oh my god. it’s so incredibly touching and cathartic to read. this fic beautifully encapsulated everything i love about found family hhhhh

2) a comfort fic

The Decision to Act by @potrix-the-queerschlaeger​ (t, 2.1k, nurseydex)

i initially bookmarked this fic because it put me in a good mood! it starts off with drunk, tactile nurse and nursey patrol and it combines some of my favorite tropes (mostly hinging on their stupidity, of course). it’s a nice, short read and definitely something i would turn to to cheer up

3) free space

And Miles to Go (Before I Wake) by CoffeeStars (t, 6.5k, patater)

this one is a coraline au! it’s so insanely good, i vividly remember reading it and just being so entranced. it’s the best mix of heartbreaking, unsettling and even funny at times. it was also incredibly romantic.

4) a fic with a trope you don’t normally read but still loved

Inertia by @foryouandbits​ (t, 62.5k, zimbits)

not sure if this counts as a trope but this fic is an inter-dimensional travel au which is just, so creative? the worldbuilding in this one is so well done. i read so much fic it tends to blur together but i remember little details about this one, it’s so good

5) a fic that is angst but hurts so good

stones through stained glass windows by @omgpoindexter​ (t, 14.2k, nurseydex)

this fic is one of the best explorations of dex’s character growth/relationship with his sexuality that i have ever read. and the found family? this fic looked me in the eyes, x-rayed me and said hey, i know your pain because i’ve felt it too. this fic is a fucking lifestyle.

6) a fic that convinced you on a ship you didn’t ship before

The Dream of Having No Room by @omg-whiskey​ (e, 110.8k, whiskent)

there’s no way whiskey x kent would’ve ever crossed my mind had it not been for this author. this fic explores the intricacies of both of their characterizations with such detail and care.

7) a different meeting au

Real Gone by Moransroar (g, 11.3k, zimbits)

it’s a greasers au! something about the tone of this piece and the images it painted in my mind just really hit for me. the characterizations are really interesting, i was just really immersed in this one :)

8) a fic that made you laugh out loud

Say my name, say my name by @omgchyeahplease​ (t, 4.5k, zimbits)

a really hilarious fic focusing on the falconers and jack. it has some really great oc’s! the idea was that a very tired jack doesn’t register that “bittle”=“eric” and he’s like “who the fuck is eric” which elicits the obvious conclusion that they broke up and jack is now pretending his ex doesn’t exist :’( hilarious miscommunication, please go read it

9) a wip you read as it was updated

Baking with the Stars by sweetsoutherncuisine (g, 7.6k as of now, zimbits)

i rarely ever read wips, which should tell you something. i found it on its first or second chapter, it’s currently at 7/8. it’s a baking competition show au! and it’s so well done! the dynamic between jack and bits was so fun, but i really am enjoying the storyline, plus there were a few moments where i was so proud of the characters :)

10) a fic with a ship that isn’t your main ship

(the use of) nostalgia (for what didn’t happen) by @someobscurereference​ (t, 3.3k, jenny/mandy and holsom)

this fic is incredible. there was so many little funny moments (and sad ones as well), and i just fell in love with all of the characters. i will definitely be rereading this one. it’s an au where jenny and mandy are alive and ransom is the ghost. i’m not good at this just go read it trust me

#omgcp fic recs bingo #this card was so cute #omgcp #fanfic #fic rec #annie recs shit #annie original #zimbits #patater #jenny x mandy #holsom #nurseydex #whiskent

[thatfeanorian]

I was tagged to do this writer game by @arofili! thank you!!

how many works do you have on AO3?

33 (counting my two unrevealed TSRBs)!

what’s your total AO3 word count?

177758 (wow somehow thats only a third of what I’ve written)

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I’ve written for.... literally one fandom published and 5 unpublished. We’ll stick with published since I don’t want to expose myself lmao: Just Silmarillion because I’m a high key nerd. That and the whole fandom and work facinates me to the extreme because it is so open ended and nearly any interpritation of the text can be canon!

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All The Ways To Love - 198 (a longfic about Maedhros and Fingon in an arranged marriage finding exactly what they need in each other, side appearances by baby feanorians)

Make You Mine (the way you should be) - 99 (a short Kidnap Family fic featuring prophetic dreams E&E who have known Maedhros and Maglor would always be coming for them and loved them for it)

Fëanor Finds Out Sort Of But Not Really - 78 (another Russingon fic about Maedhros and Fingon’s secret relationship being found out at the consequences that go along with that)

From The Ashes, Rising - 69 (a 13k four chapter fic-- medium length?-- about Maedhros and Fingon growing up and falling in love, a Modern AU.)

the difference between you and I - 69 (a kidnap dads fic about E&E’s first night with Maedhros and Maglor and how they began to understand that their first impressions might not have been right.)

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Always. Comments are one of the best things I, as an author, can receive and I adore each and every person who takes time to put their thoughts and appreciation into words. Thank you so much to all of you who have done that for me!!

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hooooo boy that’s a hard one. So many of mine have angsty endings on purpose because pain is always fun. Still if I had to pick one, I would choose Learn Your Place, another fic in my Modern AU “To Build the Bonds That Tie,” featuring middle school age Maedhros questioning his sexuality and being told that he doesn’t belong.

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Very rarely, and I almost never publish them. The only one I have published as of right now is very old and embarrassing so I won’t link it but it was about Finrod, Turgon, and a self-insert OC being tossed into The Hobbit to try to retrieve the silmaril-arkenstone.

have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes I actually got my first bit very recently and I laughed so hard I almost threw up. I just don’t understand why people keep reading my fics if they know from the first few sentences they don’t like them. I’ve read my fair share of fics that weren’t my style and somehow I’ve never left a single piece of hate on any of them.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

Absolutely. I write everything from very kinky sex to soft aftercare and all the variations in between. The one thing I absolutely refuse to do is non-con although I am okay with sex used as a method of torture. I love love love writing LGBTQ+ themes and do my best to incorporate as much diversity as I can into all my pieces NSFW and otherwise just because they’re not realistic if I don’t.

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

have you ever had a fic translated?

 I’ve gotten one request but the person who asked dropped it and never got back to me :(

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! A few of my fics are based off of an old RP server I was in with a couple friends and so as such the ideas are theirs as well as mine and I at least consider the fics co-written.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

.....if you can’t guess.... go take a look at my AO3 (I’ll give you a hint 90% of my fics contain this ship)

(it’s russingon)

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My (first) Modern AU. I have it two thirds finished and only a third published but the entire idea is so enormous that I don’t think I will possibly be able to finish it. I adore my baby and I’ll do my best but I think I made the right decision splitting it into seperate fics so that we all can enjoy the parts I do get out instead of waiting ages for things to go in chronological order.

what are your writing strengths?

I adore writing emotion and description! I feel most comfortable writing long winding explanations of the scenery and people that put you (as people have told me) right in the scene.

what are your writing weaknesses?

oh my god smooth dialogue. I struggle so much it’s painful. That’s the part of any fic that takes me the longest because I sit there saying each part out loud to myself like it’s a play and trying to decide if it’s at all reasonable.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Yes! Absolutely. I love including in-verse languages in my writing in both names, pet names, and even small sentances, but it really really bothers me when people will go on a winding speech or a chunk of dialogue in another language and then have to translate the whole thing at the bottom. Another huge pet peeve of mine is when people use words in other languages and then *don’t* translate them at the bottom. I can’t at all get the full vibe of the fic if there’s words I don’t understand!

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh.... I wrote a self insert fic when I was 10 about this one elf statue at the Santa’s Village Amusement Park in NH (please don’t ask)

but if that doesn’t count --please tell me it doesn’t-- then PJO and I still write the occasional fic for them now because PJO is just iconic.

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Omg that’s a hard one. I really struggled picking just one because there’s so many that I’m proud of but if I had to pick a genuine favorite I’d say... Inure, a fic I wrote a couple months ago detailing one of the darkest experiences of my life from Maedhros’s perspective. It was both incredibly hard to write and extremely cathartic for me and will remain one of the most terrifying things that I have ever had the courage to publish.

Mind the tags though, it is quite dark and can be triggering if you’ve had an experience similar to mine!

I’ll tag.... @findrahil, @sianascera, @admirablemonster and @secretlythranduil if any of y’all feel up to it!

#fey speaks #tag game #my writing #fic recs

[wackatoshi]

winter’s fanfic recs

last updated: 5 July 2020

ok so you want good fanfics?? emotional rollercoasters?? gut wrenching angst?? toe curling fluff???  well listen I have you covered. keeping this pinned (maybe) and ill try update whenever i can!

listen i consume so much fanfiction per day it tends to all get blurred in my head, plus life lol. so these fics are truly standouts because they resonated that much with me that i have reread them countless times, and will continue to do so!!!

below the cut are links to the fic and some brief comments where i tried to encapsulate as much as I could, as concisely as possible LMAO but it was really hard okay

anyone who follows me knows i am Rain’s Biggest Fan lMAOOOO so it comes as no surprise that i recommend everything by @/revasserium

but here are a handful...that, you know, if the world ended and all the libraries burnt to crisps and the internet emptied itself...these r the ones i’d salvage:

found among the ruins - kageyama x reader all time favourite, nothing will change this from being my #1. this has lines you won’t forget!! fantastic historical references just woven into this story, ties in amazingly with kageyama like. damn. “when they lose to seijoh, he doesn’t cry” is just such an iconic line, it randomly comes back at me and i HAVE to go and reread this. brilliant. brilliant. brilliant.

universal truths - kageyama x reader ok this fic is barely a day old and it’s pinned on my blog so go and read it now. just read the author’s note at the beginning and tell me you’re not immediately enticed lmao. i can't say anymore about this bc words just don’t do it justice so just read rain’s tags:

and tell me this isn’t poetry 

love as dead as one of the languages - oikawa x reader (assassin au) LIKE...THIS IS NOT A STORY THIS IS A WHOLE MOVIE. oikawa n iwaizumi duo as assassins and yes it’s just as sexy as u think. perfect undertones of angst, oikawa angst by rain is the Best thing ever. man read this so you can talk to me about it, im obsessed w spy aus and this comes rlly close

so this is how summer ends - oikawa x reader

first paragraph in this is probably singlehandedly the most phenomenal metaphor i have ever come across. it just sets the tone for the story incredibly well and i have no words, this really, really, really hurt me but i Always come back to it, because there’s a hopeful part of me that thinks it might be different each time lMAO

hate - tsukki x reader this is AWESOME. the pacing of this fic is just to die for, you’ll know what i mean when you read. the cold open, but then the way it just develops throughout the story and you finally get the full picture - phew. absolutely a masterpiece, yet again, and it’s so so perfect. don’t be shy read it

stolen kisses - sakusa x reader imsidjakjdha this is awesome, great reading of sakusa, so fluffy and adorable and toe curlingly sweet. i love this, really adore this and it’ll make you feel so much better if you’re having a bad day, trust me on this. fricking adorable

those who make sandcastles - kakashi x reader

so I’ve never watched naruto ever lmao (except two episodes rain generously linked me which...I still never recovered from) but this is so so unspeakably beautiful to me. I don’t think you understand...like from a person who didn’t know who this guy was, god reading this was a raw experience and I just. it’s gorgeous please talk to me about this fic. I’m sure it’ll hit way different when u actually know his character. but omg I just. 😭 so many gorgeous lines in this fic in PARTICULAR I am never gonna be over this one

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next we have the iconic @/bleedinqhearts and you’ve probably come across her work at some point or another, so good!!!! well i have more to show you!!!!!!!

what we owe to each other - oikawa x reader (spy au) THIS is the fic that inspired me to write no sound like silence lmao so go and read this one bc it’s infinitely more superb and snappy and WOW. it honestly takes a lot for me to EVER reread fanfics, but this one is One i easily, easily come back to because it’s so addictively well-written. the cliffhanger at the beginning tho ooooffff ;)

we were thieves - kuroo x reader (heist?au) one of the most criminally underrated fics if i’m honest!! so great so great, kuroo is just OOOF in this like, just WAIT til he comes in. honestly sad this is the only part but hey there’s just so much description that you can easily insert this as ur emotional support daydream and enjoy ur own spin-off in ur head

with time - ushijima x reader yeah like, this has 1000+ notes for GOOD reason. fricking amazing, absolutely tore me apart but the ending is so endearing, so sweet, you’ll probably shed a couple tears. ushijima being a big oaf is all i live for and UGH this will literally make you squeal, it is SO helplessly adorable and sweet and i just want to be in love so bad

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ok next writer is @/xuyue who you all know i Stan. just go and read all of her works please i beg of you, she’s got some incredible lines and fricking gorgeous pacing, i feel like im on cloud nine with every one of her fics. but you ALL know which one my favourite is:

asteria - yamaguchi x reader I WILL GO TO THE GRAVE WITH THIS FIC I SWEAR ITS AMAZING...i fell head over heels in love with yamaguchi after reading this lmao like wow. and the last line will haunt you forever and ever...just go to the reblogs of this fic and you’ll see the trail of my comments and delirious ramblings lmao

between us - iwaizumi x reader (historical au)

HI LMAO THIS SERIES WILL ABSOLUTELY RUIN YOU ITS THE FRIKCIRHH BEST historical aus have NEVER been done better yue clearly put in a ton of effort to research this and FIRCK Japanese edo period just...comes to LIFE before your eyes like GOD...but this fic encapsulates forbidden love, mutual pining but 100x angstier, and I think you’ll just be overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness all the way through. goddd iwaizumi is just SO noble in this and part 6 will fricking obliterate you also please read if it’s you which is oikawa x reader (historical au) ahahaah ahaha

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ok ok. are u ready for the kicker coz yes its the amazing @/krystallisert my blog is currently named after two of her fics because i am but a Shrine to god tier writing. so check out the link in my description box (god who am i) and browse throughhhh <3 NOT my masterlist do NOT interact

da capo - oikawa x reader x iwaizumi (soulmate au, unrequited love) THE FACT WE STANNED THIS SO HARD THAT NIGHT LMAOAOOA I LOVE IT. i even have a tag for this fic, that’s how bad it got me. honestly my hands are shaking as i type this bc i really don't know how to explain how incredible this fic is..how much it means to me. i CRIED so hard, i screamed and cursed like this GOT me. i said it once before, but this story EVOLVES before your eyes - each chapter is in a new perspective and you collect all these new details, you see things in a new light, and iwaizumi’s chapter will properly break your heart...but also oikawa’s chapter shook me to the core n i really LOVE the characterisation here. 

bitter/sweet - ushijima x reader (fake dating au, billionaire au) uMMMMM THE FACT I ALSO HAVE A TAG FOR THIS WHY DIDNT ANY OF YALL MESSAGE ME ABOUT THIS ??? i had a TIME reading this fic. i had the best time of my life. god when you find people who can write ushijima it’s the best fricking thing ever. like...he is so amazing in this oh my god. this fic in particular brings the characters and the scenes to LIFE. it just feels so real, so tangible, and you...you just know what i mean if you read it ok. i was blushing all throughout this fic, tingles up my spine...the LOT

highways: in defiance - oikawa x reader (dystopian au)

oh my god. ok I am really not coherent right now as I type this bc my emotions have seriously been sucked dry...THIS fic is absolutely stunning. please read it. the relationship building is so gorgeously executed, you will fall in love with ever-observant, rebellious oikawa, he is just a DREAM in this. I am so in love oh my gosh it’s so beautiful, I love them, I’m in love, it hurt in a lot of places but the ending will just make you so soft for the universe 🥺

highways: in colour - akaashi x reader (dystopian au)

HEY THIS FIC BROKE ME LMAOOOO GODDDD this is the first instalment of the highways series that I read and yeah it’s GORGEOUS. the language is so vivid and colourful, you’ve got smuggler/painter akaashi vibes whose creativity has been repressed because of this totalitarian regime, and this secret lil relationship is just doomed from the start but it makes you hope, so desperately, it just makes you hope and hope and hope because that’s what dystopian stories are all about right? the ending will BREAK you

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a new addition bc this writer is so brilliant, so big-brained, I am genuinely in love with everything she’s ever written MUAH I LOVE @/wander-lu5t

underwater — ushijima x reader

this basically follows canon post timeskip so WOW it’s amazing and so beautiful. a long fic but seriously not to be missed, every chapter is so engaging and beautiful and you will just feel so so so much. the characterisation is absolutely impeccable!!! I love it so much...I have so many feelings...ahhhh

into the new world - atsumu x reader, ushijima x reader, kita x reader (soulmate au)

HAHAHAHA FRICK THIS SERIES IS ACTUALLY JUTST BLOODY INCREDIBLE WOULD PAY FOR A WHOLE BOOK FILLED WITH EVERY CHARACTER FROM HQ IN THIS SETTING!!! so it’s a three part series featuring diff characters in which reader is thrown into a new world and meets her soulmate, discovering their name is written somewhere on their body. it’s just amazing. I do not know which one is my favourite truly. they’re all so incredibly good in their own right and of course the characterisation is amazing. to summarise the way I feel:

atsumu: HILARIOUS. you will be laughing from start to end, I swear. he is such a drama baby but it’s so funny lmao. the dynamics are seriously to die for, everything is just brilliant!!! if you need a pick me up, read this!! and the ending is just AGHHH IT TIES THE FIC TOGETHER IN SUCH A LOVELY MANNER

ushijima: THIS WAS SOOO INTERESTING OMG. reader is low key so dodgy LMAO we love to see that scoundrel energy contrast against prim and perfect ushijima. another gorgeous one, there’s one line in here that especially broke my heart and you will know which one it is. sigh...OH AND TENDOU IN THIS LMAO

kita: ok this is possibly my favourite one of the three...I’m so??!?! it’s especially magical ahhh and romantic, you will swoon so much. if you want to feel particularly swept off your feet, kita’s your man, and this fic is the one for you. I am so in love with him after this LMAO like to an unhealthy degree. I just want to move into the countryside on a farm and live my best life with that man <3 and his grandma LMAO

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here’s a RANDOM RANDOM rec bc it’s not haikyuu, it’s star wars, it’s reylo aka one of the most controversial ships in the world yes, i know -

crossroads trilogy - reylo YEPPP this series absolutely ruined me and it will ruin you too. the plot in this is like crazy good and the fact it was written pre-the last jedi always kinda freaks me out bc of how many parallels it had to the movie. wow. yeah i should reread this bc it was absolutely incredible 

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in conclusion please go and tell your favourite writers that you enjoyed what they wrote! it’s a simple gesture of appreciation & it really does mean a lot, so don’t forget to say thank you!! they work hard ya know!!

#fanfic recs #fanfiction #honestly this was done very poorly by me but i don't want you to get bogged down by my fluctuating emotions #just read the damn fics ok and come into my arms as we sob together #all of u #im so floored by this writing and it just inspires me so so so much but #mostly just makes me rlly appreciative #these fics in particular are just gonna stay w me forever... #stannable fics

[dl4draws]

hi there!

lil' preface so i don't come off as a weirdo: i'm somewhat new to tumblr shenanigans™ so idk if it's just normal that awesome writers and artists share a bit of their progress for creating something, but you're the only blog i've witnessed doing it so you're getting this ask.

i absolutely love it here. getting to listen to (or read about?) someone's projects in the works feels like such an awesome thing! you're sharing this passion of yours with us and letting us experience this joy with you?? you're letting us see little doodles and headcanons and even a playlisy?? OMG

again, idk if that's normal on here but to me (someone who does everything on their own because who would care about my silly little craft?) this is absolute pure generosity and kindness on your part and i will never not praise that. i can't really put into words what i'm trying to say here because as much as i love the english language, it's not my first language and i just don't know how to express this properly. i guess what i want to say is thank you? thank you for all the happiness you share, thank you for letting us come on this journey with you and thank you for talking about your passion. that's a scary thing to do but whenever i see someone doing that i will 100% always sit there and listen to them talk about something they care about a lot (even if i don't understand a single thing about the topic) and try to interact and let them know that someone always cares about their thoughts and projects, even if it's just a stranger on the internet, because i know what it's like to run against a wall of indifference and i don't want anyone to feel like that.

keep talking about things that bring you joy and keep sharing them, someone's always going to support you and cheer you on and get excited with you!

this got a lot longer than i wanted it to be but my point is you're amazing and keep doing what you do, no matter how much you want to share of it or how long it takes! there's always going to be support and someone who appreciates you and your work.

idk if this should be anon or not because i don't want to seem so incredibly weird and out of place with my long stupid ask here-- this feels so uncalled for

take this virtual hug

hi hi hi good morning, I am throwing my reputation away and say I’m about to cry

Okay so I’m answering this bit by bit! I don’t think it’s that rare to see a content creator share stuff about their writing/art! At least with the people I’ve surrounded myself, there’s always sneaky posts here, reblogs with tags and stuff about their characters! It’s always so much fun to see those, see people share little details about their work is always fascinating to me! Personally I adore sharing the process because I am having Too Much fun and being extremely chaotic and I think it’s cool to share me having only half a braincell with you all lol

I’m so glad you like it here in my little corner of tumblr!!! I’m not an oversharer in any aspect of my life usually but with aus i go full beast mode and start talking and good luck shutting me up lmao as of right now I don’t really have time for full drawings (which is exactly why the hanahaki au isn’t already finished). Getting to doodle for this au has helped me with wanting to draw but not being exactly able to, and with getting stuff off my mind! I’m not very forgetful but with ideas I usually think about them, have a Good Laugh tm, proceed to think about it for half an hour and then forget about it, unless I scream about it to someone (or just make a post and announce it to you all).

One thing u might not know about me is that I make playlists for everything. If u go through my spotify playlist you’ll see many playlist, but I have so many secret ones bakshssk making a playlist for an au or for a fic (sometimes I make playlists for fics I read!)

I absolutely adore hearing about everyone’s ideas, like you said, listening to someone talk about something they’re passionate about is always so fascinating!! And it makes me so happy to see that someone trusts me enough to open their mind and share their ideas with me, even if (again like you said) I understand nothing of the topic! Honestly I am extremely thankful for you, and everyone who has ever interacted with me or my silly ideas. It hypes me up so much to see you all liking and sending me stuff about it (every time I get a random ask about something I said, or a headcanon or anything 25 years are added to my life ngl). I never thought people would enjoy my aus, be it the hanahaki one or the street racing one (or the beauty and the beast one!!!) You guys really are amazing!! And I totally get what you mean with running with a wall of indifference, I’ve been there and it’s not fun, but I’ve learned who to share with and who not to share with, and that’s okay (for me). I’m not a very good talker but I’ve been told I’m good listener, so if anyone ever has any problems, anything they’d like to talk about please never hesitate on sending me an ask or a message!! (zukka wingfic anon I’m still thinking about you)

Nooooo, please I didn’t find this weird at all!!!! I actually feel so flattered I haven’t been able to stop smiling :D it makes me so happy to see you enjoy my silly content, and that makes me want to create more of it!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day/night, and know that I’ll be thinking about this all month hakahaksb

#thank you so much for taking the time to send this #it truly makes me so very happy to see people enjoy what I do #call it doodles call it little silly hc #i haven’t been this happy in a while and it’s starting to show in my everyday life #making content for u all is making me so incredibly happy #thank you so so so much #really #batcavewitch #🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[lilacslovers]

💎 Lilac x Gordie {Royalty + Royal Guard AU Fic} Chapter One | The Meeting 💎

aaa i’m so happy! i’ve finished a fic of the first meeting of my s/i and gordie in the royalty au <3

yes it does say chapter one but. idk if this a proper series, its possibly a figurative ‘lets start from chapter one !’ its also just. omg it’s just a chapter like. not even a drabble. just a whole chapter HSJSND

but i truly hope you guys enjoy this! :0 (fic is in the keep reading !! ^^)

•••

The dark oak-stained carriage rattled around Lilac with every prance of Rapidash transporting it, the tight space and cool, pillowy seats barely making up for the sheer cold she was moving into.

In her gloved hands lied a handwritten letter from the Royals in Circhester; a neat cursive paragraph requesting her and her other guard apprentices to protect their home. After all, they would need good protection to hide their most precious jewels in the family, and they required the best of the best. In a way, it flattered Lilac to know they wanted her to assist them.

She folded the letter back into her sac tied at her waist, cuddling into her cape in shock from the sudden Circhesterian chill; she wasn’t too far from the castle now, and wished that they could’ve made her Royal Guard uniform more cozy inside. Perhaps they considered this weather late spring or summer temperatures...

Off guard, the shrill of Rapidash’s cry as it finally came to a halt nearly catapulted her into the rock-hard wood in front of her. She gasped in relief to have caught herself in time, straightening herself to correct such unawareness.

A crunch came from the snow as she dropped down from her carriage, a bag with her necessities slinged over her armoured shoulder. Walking to the near entrance, she turned to the coachman.

“Brr, it’s quite cold around here! You better stay safe in that house, Lilac!” he said, smiling cheerfully.

“Thank you, coachman.” she replied, turning next to the Rapidash, stroking its soft mane.

“And thank you, Rapidash.” she grinned at the Pokémon, in which it whinnied gleefully in response.

Walking across the tiled road to Circhester Castle, the snowy bushes brushed up against her, gorgeously grown flowers to withstand the eternal cold peeked their heads out of the fluffy hedges. Already employed guards outside were gossiping to each other about the family; perhaps they were new guards, like herself. Lilac halted, gaining the attention of the two guards at the grand door they stood up against.

Lilac decided to break the tension between them.

“I am incredibly sorry to interrupt. I am Lilac. I am here to sign myself into the occupation of Guard. I have a letter from the castle itself if you were to want it-“

Before her quiet voice were to finish her sentence, the doors loudly creaked open, revealing the Queen herself; the entrance surprised all three of the guards, yet they all retained the same serious face to show their composure. The Queen gave Lilac a stern look...

“Oh!” came the cheery exclamation of the Queen Melony, holding her hand to her face. “Welcome, dear! I suppose you must be the new Indoor Guard, correct?”

“I- um,” Lilac mumbled, clearing her throat to free the words she had before being surprised. “Yes, your Majesty. I have brought your letter. It is an honour to work with you.”

“Come inside!” invited the Queen. “‘Tis warmer in here, after all! I’ll show you to your position here in the castle.”

“Ah, thank you, your Majesty.”

•••

The warmth of the castle quickly defrosted Lilac’s freezing arms, and the sudden relaxation couldn’t help but make her stare in wonder at the details within: the castle walls were extremely high, regal tapestries hung. Across the tapestries came multiple family portraits from popular artists, and looking closely at the painting would reveal details drawn ever so to-the-point, it made Lilac ponder how someone could even make such a realistic piece in a time limit...

“Oh, I must say,” the Queen began to state. “My children can be quite the troublemakers, hoho... My youngest, a daughter and three sons, I believe they sometimes choose whom they like to see more often, more with my sons, I think. But... my oldest...”

She stopped in her tracks, and so did Lilac.

“... Well, he’s heir to the Throne, now. He possibly cannot choose who he works with, hoho!”

“I see, your Majesty.” Lilac lightly smiled to match the emotion of the Queen’s conversation. “I shall wish the Prince congratulations on being first to the Throne.”

“Oh, he would simply love that,” the Queen chortled. “He is quite the sensible man. I do hope he is excited to rule... I’ve had quite the years around here.”

It was hard for Lilac to decipher who this Prince was; after all, the long generations of family portraits across the wall couldn’t help Lilac’s imagination at all.

Queen Melony pointed to a space by a door, where Lilac stationed herself onto.

“Perfect! Your routine will to be to guard at this area, as well as to watch the household members around here if needed.

You will also patrol around here with other guards around 12 to 1 o’clock PM. Is that understood?”

“Yes, your Majesty.” Lilac agreed, straightening herself stoically. The Queen promptly smiled, and as she went out of sight, another guard poked their head out from the corner.

“Psst, hey. New guard.” they squeaked.

Lilac made eye contact with the other new guard.

“Have you seen Prince Gordie yet?”

“Who?”

“Prince Gordie!” another guard peeped. “C’mon, ‘who?’ Like, the Prince that is, like, constantly just... around? And cool?”

“I really don’t mean to be out of the loop, but...” Lilac held her chin to think. “I haven’t heard anything about any Prince Gordie... All I heard back from my town was when the Queen of Circhester came to visit, and when she did, it was never a ‘visit’ visit, only a ‘come to check out the best carriages’ visit.”

“Oh my Arceus, the Prince...!” yet another guard joined the conversation. “He looked shortly at me once. I just... I felt so seen...”

Oh, brother. Lilac looked away, until the commotion of the group caught her attention once again.

“Ah, look, there he comes...!”

A man came from the depths of the hallway, and suddenly it felt like everything was going slower - or perhaps Lilac was imagining things...

The man had his soft hair tied into a well-kept short ponytatail, as well as his soft and cute lapis eyes kept relaxed and sensual.

He walked with such confidence only a prince could ever have, his cape drifting gently across the satin carpets below. A slight jingling sound came from his minimalistic, yet beautiful necklace around his collar, the pendant resting on his chest where his relaxed blouse shaped the area around such jewellery.

His shoes lightly skipped across the satin carpets to not make even one noise, yet his heels made an dull tap that satisfyingly echoed across the area.

Whatever decent vision Lilac had of the Prince completely went from her mind; the Prince of Circhester, in her eyes, was indeed quite more handsome than she thought.

The guards squealed in delight, making all sorts of gestures to make Prince Gordie look over.

“Gordie! Could you please have a quick discussion with us? We need to talk to you about something?”

... And suddenly, all light the Prince had in his eyes disappeared as soon as he looked at them.

“... Gordie?” his deep, muttering voice repeated, his eyebrows furrowed. Lilac could see the optimism drain from the group, herself shivering along with them even if not involved.

“Never, in all my life, have I heard a stranger call me only by my first name. From what I recall, my title here is ‘Prince Gordie of Circhester’. Is that correct?” his angered voice paused for a while to let the guards rapidly nod their heads, truly attempting to not get into trouble.

“Yes. Now, all I want to hear from you few now is to refer to me as ‘Prince Gordie’. If you cannot, then ‘your Highness’, but if you can’t even manage a formal tone with a prince, you shall expect to be evicted from this castle. Is that understood?”

The guards nodded once again, mumbling out a few ‘Understood, Prince Gordie’s out from their held breath.

“Now. Don’t you have some patrolling to do? It is, after all, 12 o’clock. Go.”

The guards scurried away slowly, cowering from the unfortunate interaction.

Lilac, afraid herself of getting into an altercation, began to steadily inch her way around one corner.

“Please wait.” the Prince interrupted in a much normal, albeit naturally deep tone. Lilac hastily straightened her back once again, turned to face him.

“I did not mean you, I apologise for any confusion.” he stated, grinning. “It’s not actually 12, I just wanted them to leave, hehe.”

“My complete mistake, your Highness.” Lilac replied. “That is quite a tactic to make somebody leave, it’s certainly impressive, your Highness.”

“Hm,” Prince Gordie hummed, taking his chin with one hand. “Tell me, what is your name?”

Lilac paused, finding herself quite confounded at his question; oftentimes, asking for a guard’s name would be informal, as was taught in training.

“Ah, um, if you want it, It’s Lilac, your Highness.”

“Lilac, eh?” Prince Gordie grinned to himself. “A fitting, lovely name for a lovely guard.”

Lilac’s heart struck from the compliment, trying not to show any emotion upon her face, but the Prince began to speak again.

“I must go. I have quite a lot of errands to do.” he sighed, flicking his hair away from his vision.

“But, I do hope to see you again... Lilac.”

Prince Gordie gave a wave as he walked back out of the corridor, Lilac waving goodbye at the same time. As soon as he went completely, she faced the brick wall, intensely pondering the peculiar conversation she had had...

Surely...? Surely, he wasn’t trying to get her into trouble...? But, why would he take interest of only getting her name? Perhaps he was... No, absolutely not, Princes don’t form relationships with their servants...!

Unless, Prince Gordie wanted to?

Nevertheless, Lilac herself had duties to do. But, as she began to walk away, she couldn’t help but think as she rested her palm on her blushing cheek...

#also all those guards r in fact. me FDGFGJLKGDGH #well not mE but. gordie is v cool <3 #aupril 2021 #au april 2021 #lilakuwa #self ship au #self ship community #self ship fic #self ship aus #self ship royalty au #self ship writing #s/i x f/o #s/i x canon #romantic f/o #romantic fictional other #pokemon self ship #pokemon swsh self ship #pokemon self shipping #pokemon self shipper #pokemon self ship au