#i love the rescue bots so much and since it's canon that everyone who knows them does as well i've decided they have irresistible charm | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

silkling · 3 years

Note

Could you please write a crossover of Rescue Bots and TFP? Rather than dying on the Nemesis, a critically injured Dreadwing fleas and crash lands on Griffin Rock. The Rescue Bots find him and nurse him back to health, not realizing he’s a Decepticon because his markings got scratched up in the fight. Dreadwing wakes up while the Rescue Bots are trying to contact Team Prime, but can’t since, unbeknownst to them, they’re all on Cybertron, fighting the Cons for the Omega Keys and Omega Lock.

So, this one turned out to be much, much longer than I thought. So long, in fact, that I had to divide it into three posts. The second post will be linked at the bottom of this one, and the third will be linked at the bottom of the second. Dear god, apparently I had a lot of more thoughts about Rescue Bots than even I was aware of. Oh well. Either way, I hope everyone enjoys! (FYI: most prompt fills will not be this long. This one was just so long cause I have many emotions and ideas about this scenario.)

———————————————————————————————————

Dreadwing felt the betrayal of Lord Megatron as surely as if it were just as physical a wound as the hole blown through his chest. He had heard the weapon powering up, and his war-forged battle instincts had had him diving to the side just as the fusion canon had fired. It has still torn though his chest, but rather than destroy his spark chamber the blast had torn a hole straight through the right side of his chest near his shoulder. He lived yet, but if he could not escape the Nemesis that would not be the case for much longer.

He had served Lord Megatron with loyalty and honor for millennia, ever since he and his brother had joined the Decepticons after Vos had fallen. Dreadwing had sold his very spark to the Unmaker to act on the wishes and orders of his leader, and this is what his loyalty had earned him? Megatron attempting to offline him, and protecting the mech who had desecrated his brother? The same mech who had, countless times before, betrayed Megatron himself? Dreadwing could scarcely understand it. Why would Megatron spare Starscream, who had given the warlord no true loyalty, when Dreadwing himself had been nothing but loyal? Is this what his loyalty bought him, among the Decepticons? Dishonorably killed solely for attempting to avenge his brother by killing a traitorous coward?

If so, he wanted nothing to do with it.

He dragged himself down the halls, finally making it to the flight deck, and looked down to see the ship flying above the ocean. Rather than attempt a proper take off, he simply pitched his body forward off the edge and allowed himself to fall. As he neared the water, he forced a transformation, ignoring the agony of the action, and his engine roared to life. Lucid thought slipped away, then, as baser survival coding took over and guided him away from the warship, away from danger, away from what would have been his death.

Only one thing was certain, now.

In attacking Dreadwing to protect Starscream, Megatron had lost the loyalty of his most devoted frontline warrior.

Dreadwing simply refused to follow a mech who would protect the one who desecrated his brother.

And so, survival protocols overriding every other thought or higher system, the large Seeker allowed his higher processor functions to shut off. His mind quieted to blissful silence. Instinct alone drove him forward, flying towards a destination even he did not know. He could only hope it would be somewhere safe.

——————————

Blades didn’t know what he was expecting when he went on a walk along the beach, but it most certainly wasn’t a large Cybertronian lying in in the sand, looking like he’d crashed landed and resting lifeless on patch of sand soaked with energon. Technically, the copter wasn’t even supposed to be out here, as Sigma-17 had to maintain their cover, but everything at the firehouse had just been several kinds of too much that morning, so he had, for once, flown off on his own and landed on a beach he knew no humans ever really came to, intent to just take a walk and clear his head.

Except, upon coming around a bend, he’d found the aforementioned Cybertronian. For a moment, he’d simply frozen, but then the instinct ingrained by his training kicked in and he sprung into action. See, Blades was a trained and licensed triage medic. He couldn’t perform complex surgeries or anything on the level of a proper medic, but in the Rescue Academy on Cybertron he’d taken the courses for field level medical aid so that, if he’d ever run into someone during a rescue who’d been hurt, he could treat them and keep them alive until they could get to a medical facility. The training g had been fun, especially when he’d studied with-

He shook his head roughly before that thought could complete itself. He didn’t want to think about the time….Before. It hurt, remembering what and who he’d lost during his millennia of stasis. Before he could fall back into grief, training snapped back into place and his processor quieted. He knelt next to the fallen Cybertronian, noting that they were a Seeker frame, and carefully turned the bot over. His next thought was an observation that the bot was a mech, and that the energon soaking into the sand under his frame was spilling from a large hole torn straight through his chest. That meant the first thing he needed to do was seal the leaking lines to keep him from losing more energon. After that, he could call Heatwave. He didn’t have the skills to patch this wound up fully. Once he’d made sure this mech wouldn’t die here and now, he would need to get him to proper care. One of the stasis pods would certainly help, though if they wanted the wound healed fully he’d need to be in the pod for a while. The other alternative was contacting Optimus. Blades knew the Prime had a proper medic on his team, which might be the better option.

As his processor raced, trying to think of a plan, his hands worked on autopilot. He slipped the tools he needed from his subspace, cleaning and removing grime where it was needed to prevent infection, removing bits of sand and stone from the wound, and using a small welder to seal off the free-flowing energon lines. He covered loose, sparking wires and circuits, , rerouting a few of them in places where it was needed. Finally, after many long minutes, he finished and sat back on his heels.

It was then the helicopter realized his comm. was pinging with an alert for an incoming message, and had been for quite some time. In fact, it seemed he’d missed several messages. From Heatwave, Chase, Boulder, Dani, the Chief, Cody…Pit, even Graham had sent him a message. Embarrassment and guilt settled heavy in his chest, and he lifted his hand to his audial to accept the current call. As soon as his comm. clicked to life, Dani’s voice was coming through it.

“Blades! Finally! Where are you? We’ve all been worried sick, you know.” his partner scolded. Blades couldn’t help the small smile that twisted his lips upwards. It was nice knowing she cared. He loved Dani dearly. She was family, after all. “You know you’re not supposed to even be out of the firehouse on your own, you idiot bot!” she continued, her voice holding an undercurrent of worry despite the insult. Blades didn’t take it personally. “What if someone had seen you? You need to-“

And now that was enough. “Dani.” he interrupted her, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “I’m sorry for ignoring you and everyone else, but right now there’s a bigger emergency than me risking our cover. I found an inured bot on that small beach behind the mountain. You know, the one no one likes to go to because the hike is too long? He’s in a really bad way. I have triage training, and I’ve patched him up, but he needs either a stasis pod or a proper medic, as close to immediately as possible.”

There was silence on the other end, before-

“Alright. I’ll tell everyone to come to your location. I’m with Dad and Chase right now. We all split up to look for you, but we’ll meet you there. Don’t move, and keep the bot alive.” Dani instructed. Despite himself, Blades was smiling again. Yes, he really did love Dani. She knew when it was time to get serious. He had a feeling he’d be forgiven for his blunder today, given the circumstances.

“Will do. I’ll see you soon.”

“Just hang tight, partner. And stay out of trouble.”

“You too.” he chirped, hands still working over the bot to patch up his more minor wounds now that the life-threatening one was dealt with. “And Dani?”

“Yeah, Blades?”

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

There was a beat of silence, and then her voice came though, softer and fonder.

“Don’t worry about it. You did the right thing.”

Then the comm. line cut off, and Blades was left alone to in the silence. He let his processor drift, kneeling in the energon soaked sand as he worked on saving the life of a bot whose name he didn’t even know.

——————————

Chase was worried. He knew Blades was more capable than the others thought he was, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. He hadn’t been surprised when the copter bot had left the firehouse that morning. He’d seen the way he had held his rotors tight to his spinal strut, seen the way he’d fidgeted around the others, seen the way his optics had slipped and gone dull and distant. He knew today was not a good day for Blades, so his disappearance had not been a surprise. He’d been mildly concerned, simply because he did not know if Blades would be able to avoid being seen in his more distracted state, but he hadn’t been too worried. Still, when Heatwave had insisted on going to track down their rogue teammate, he hadn’t protested. He’d even offered to let Dani ride with him and the Chief to make things simpler.

But then Blades had finally picked up Dani’s comm. and that was when he started to worry. A strange bot, found injured on Griffin Rock? It raised many questions. Where had they come from? Who where they? How had they been injured? Chase wasn’t worried that the bot would die. He knew Blades had triage training, so he was confident his teammate would be able to keep his unexpected patient alive. Even so, this new development raised many questions that Chase did not have the answers to, and that was what worried him. There were not many Cybertronians on Earth, he knew. Aside from Sigma-17, there was Team Prime, and….the Decepticons. As far as Chase was aware, and he admittedly did not know as much as he would like, there were no unaligned bots on the planet.

Which meant this newcomer was either one of Prime’s team, a Decepticon, or he had crash landed on the island from space and wasn’t attached to either faction. It would be easy enough to confirm; they simply had to contact Prime and ask if he was missing a teammate, and if not ask if he recognized the bot in question. If this stranger was a neutral party or an Autobot, Chase knew there would be nothing to worry about. But if they were a Decepticon…well, that was the root of the police bot’s concerns. Sigma-17 was a rescue team. They knew rudimentary combat skills, enough to defend themselves or those they were rescuing in an emergency, but they were non-combatants. By the standards of the War, his team would be classified as civilians. If this new Cybertronian was a Decepticon…Chase wasn’t sure they’d be able to protect Griffin Rock, this time. He wasn’t sure they’d even be able to protect themselves.

Before he could slip even further into his own processor, they arrived at the coordinates Blades had sent. His snapped into focus, his doors popping open to allow his passengers out, and then he was transforming and walking over to where he could see Blades. As he approached his friend, he heard Boulder and Heatwave pull up behind him and transform. Blades looked up from his work when his three teammates stopped next to him, and Chase was mildly disconcerted to see the amount of energon soaking the sand and coating the copter’s hands.

“Blades, what happened?” Heatwave demanded, voice rough.

“I don’t know.” he shrugged helplessly. “I came out here for some space and to take a walk, cause I know this beach is practically abandoned, and I just found him like this.”

Indeed, this close, Chase could see that the mystery bot was in fact a mech. That answered one question, but none of the others. How irritating. It was also making him very nervous and queasy to see just how badly injured the very, very large bot was. Boulder too, seemed to feel ill at the sight of such horrible wounds and so much energon. Distantly, Chase noted that the bot might be even bigger than High Tide. He had no idea how they were supposed to get him back to the firehouse.

Heatave made a frustrated noise, clearly displeased with the lack of information though he knew Blades was not to blame. “Well can you tell how he got so injured?”

“A weapon of some sort, though not one I’ve ever seen the damage of before.” Blades said, frowning. His processor was clearly working hard, trying to turn over the facts he knew to figure out the bigger picture. “There’s also signs of older damage. I can’t be 100% sure, but I think this bot is, or maybe was, involved in the War.”

Heatwave paused, seeming more wary with this new information. “…can you tell which side?”

“No. Any faction identifier or badge has been destroyed or scraped off like most of his paint. I can only just figure out what his colors are supposed to be, and even them only barely.”

Chase could tell that Heatwave was annoyed, but the fire truck only grumbled his curses under his breath before sighing. “Alright. What do we need to do?”

Blades startled, looking surprised. “You’re asking me?”

“Of course.” Chase cut in before Heatwave could snap something rude and further stress the already clearly frazzled helicopter. “You are the triage medic here. Protocol dictates that, in the absence of a full medic, any medical decisions would fall to the next available medical expert. In this case, that would be you.”

Blades blinked a few times, before shaking himself and sitting up straighter. “Like I said earlier, he needs a stasis pod. Badly. I don’t have the ability to fix him completely, my training only covered keeping patients alive until they could get to someone who could repair them fully. The only one on planet I know who might be able to help is Optimus’s medic. He can also heal completely in one of our stasis pods, but it would take longer than just asking Optimus for help.”

Heatwave grunted. “Got it. He needs a stasis pod now, and a medic later. We can do that.”

That seemed to be enough to startle Boulder into awareness, and the bulldozer jumped before nodding and turning to Heatwave. “Graham and I can figure out a way to transport him safely. Though we’ll need your help, Blades. You have a better understanding of his condition than us.”

The copter nodded, and Chase let that be his que to retreat to back to where the humans were waiting. Apparently, they didn’t want to get too close in case their presence caused an issue with the unknown bot’s care.

“Well?” Chief asked. “How’s our newest guest?

“Unwell.” Chase said succinctly. “He is severely injured and appears to be involved in the War in some fashion, though it is impossible to tell for which side. We are going to transport him to the firehouse in order to put him into a stasis pod so that he may heal. Graham, I believe Boulder requires your assistance in that respect.” he said, directing the last part to the engineer.

Graham nodded, making no protest as he jogged forward towards his partner, Boulder already turning and crouching to begin discussing plans. Dani followed him quickly, though she split from his path to join Blades, clambering up onto his leg and patting his canopy as she shot him a reassuring smile.

It was here that Kade made his own opinion known. “Hey hey hey, let’s slow down!” he protested. “You just said you don’t know what side this guy’s on, and you want to bring him back home? We can’t do that! Why can’t Blades just fix him here and we can send him on his way?”

Chase tilted his head. “Blades is a licensed triage medic. He does not have the training necessary to fully repair him. Besides, even if he did, I do not believe it would be wise to simply ‘send him on his way’, and you said. If he truly is a Decepticon, then doing so would risk leading the entirety of the Decepticon army right here to Griffin Rock.”

Kade froze, seeming suddenly queasy. “Oh.”

Chief sighed. “Fair point, partner. I agree we can’t just leave him or let him die. It wouldn’t be right, even if he isn’t on our side. But for safety’s sake, would it be possible to keep him unconscious until we can confirm his identity with Optimus?”

Chase nodded. “Indeed, Chief. I believe that is the current plan. As soon as he is safely in a stasis pod, we will attempt to contact Optimus. With luck, we can have this matter sorted by the end of today.”

“Good.” Chief smiled. “Then let’s get to work.”

“Agreed.”

Chase returned to his team, Chief and Kade following at his heel, to find they had come up with a plan to transport the unknown Cybertronian. Working together, the rescue team was able to get the large flight-frame settled into a make-shift trailer the engineer duo had thrown together, and after hitching it to Boulder’s vehicle mode the whole group made their way to the firehouse using the tunnels in order to avoid being seen. Barring Blades, of course, who instead flew straight to base with Dani in order to prepare a stasis pod.

By the time Chase and the others arrived, the pod was set up and open to admit the unknown mech. It took all four of Sigma-17 working together to lift him into it, but then the glass door was sliding shut and frost soon hid the bot from view as the stasis function of the pod took affect. Now, all that was left was for Blades to clean himself up, and for Heatwave to contact Optimus about their guest.

Chase just hoped this development didn’t come back to bite them.

——————————

Dreadwing woke to the hiss of an unfamiliar system disengaging and onlined his optics to see icy mist billowing to the floor as a glass door slid up from in front of him. A stasis pod? That was odd. The Nemesis had no stasis pods and he knew the Autobots did not have the means to maintain or build one either. He was also not aware there were any other Cybertronians on the planet. So where was he, and how had he gotten into a stasis pod? The last thing he remembered was fleeing the Nemesis, although….he did have very vague, hazy memories of a crash. Had he been discovered and saved before he could offline? If so, he would have to thank his unexpected savior. Unless, of course, it was an Autobot and he had only been saved so he could be locked away. If that was the case, a bot was going to die here today and it would not be him.

The stasis pod fully disengaged from him, and he was able to step out and onto the floor. He glanced down at himself, humming idly. It seemed that he had been fully repaired either before or while in the pod. That was good for him. He looked around, frowning at his odd surroundings. The location he was in had medical supplies, but was clearly no full medical bay. Perhaps it was only set up for emergencies, then? His wings twitched when he picked up the sound of pede steps beyond the doorway, and his gaze turned towards the sound. After a moment, he realized whoever it was wasn’t coming towards him, but rather they seemed to be…pacing? Yes, that is what it sounded like. Curiosity piqued, Dreadwing strode towards the door, making sure his own steps were quiet so as not to alert the other to his presence. He stepped though, looking around…and his optics blew wide.

It was a youngling. A small, orange and white helicopter bot was pacing back and forth in tight circles in the center of the room. Dreadwing was willing to bet that this little flyer was even younger than the Autobot scout. As the mechling turned to pace in another circle, the Seeker caught sight of the emblem on his chest. At first, he saw only a badge similar to the Autobot brand and his frame began to stiffen. Then the rest of the badge processed in his mind and his vents froze.

The Rescue Bot insignia.

This tiny little flying mechling was a Rescue Bot. But how? Megatron had seen to the destruction of the Rescue Bot headquarters in the early days of the war, and had sent his soldiers to systematically hunt down and offline any who had survived the initial attack or had not been present during it. Dreadwing and his brother had joined the Decepticons after massacre, but it was one the only acts the Decepticons had committed that they had wholly disapproved off. The Rescue Bots had been unaffiliated with any faction. They took an oath of neutrality, a vow to save any and every life they could regardless who who or what that life was. Megatron had wanted them gone because he’d wanted to make a statement, but also because he wanted to deny the Autobots any potential allies or any aid that the Rescue Bots would have given them.

It had been a great loss, and had been one of the reasons Dreadwing had initially wished to avoid choosing one side or the other. The Decepticons, in his mind, took things too far. The Autobots, while more restrained, had initially risen from the regime in which he and his brother had suffered under. But then….Vos had fallen, and word had spread that his city’s destruction had been the doing of the Autobots. He and Skyquake had been forced to pick a side, then. He’d gotten over his hesitance at the Decepticon methods and given Lord Megatron his undying loyalty. And now…he was here, betrayed by the one who he as sworn himself to, watching a youngling Rescue Bot pace in nervous circles. It was something that should have been impossible.

Suddenly, the mechling froze, and wide amber optics turned to him. Idly, Dreadwing realized he must have made some noise, and then the little copter was yelping and scrabbling back. He paused, then hurried forward, his hands fluttering as if unsure what to do. Before the little one got too close, Dreadwing locked his own sharp, red optics onto him, and the bot froze in place with a startled yip.

For a long moment, there was only silent staring.

——————————

Blades was pacing. There wasn’t much else he could do. The day they had brought back the large Seeker, Heatwave had contacted Optimus. Only, the Prime had very quickly shut him down, explaining they were busy with an issue of “upmost importance” and that he would return their contact when he was able to. That had been three weeks ago, and he hadn’t called back. The Seeker was still in stasis, and Heatwave was once against attempting to make contact, for the 15th day in a row. Chase and the Chief were on patrol, and Boulder and the other humans were at Blossom Vale, having a picnic. Blades had opted to remain behind, wanting to keep an eye on the Seeker.

In the time since finding the large mech, Blades had done some research. He’d had to dig around the Sigma’s files, and dig through the files of the computer that connected them to Optimus, as well as dig through the various data-pads that had been left to them by High Tide and Optimus. It wasn’t much, but it was enough that he’d been able to piece together information about the War that the Prime hadn’t been telling them. Now, Blades understood why the War had started. The civil unrest had been a thing even before Sigma-17 had been formed, when he was still in the early days of training, it had been mild, then, but it had been there. So he wasn’t surprised that it had grown worse, especially if the root causes of the unrest hadn’t ever been addressed.

He also knew, from the information he’d dug up in his search, that after the fall of Vos, most Seekers had joined the Decepticons. Which meant that his patient was, in all likelihood, a Decepticon himself. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But he hadn’t told the others his suspicions. Mostly because…something about the situation was odd. Optimus didn’t strike him as the type of mech who would inflict or approve of that type of wound being inflicted on a mech. So unless he had someone on his team who was excessively violent and he couldn’t control, Blades didn’t see that wound coming from the Autobots. Which meant it had come from the Decepticons. Of course, that only raised more questions. Namely, why would they do that to one of their own, if the mech really was a ‘Con? He wanted to get answers before he shared his suspicions. He didn’t want to condemn the Seeker to anything bad if he was wrong.

Unfortunately, that hadn’t been all he had learned, in the past few weeks. In one of the data pads High Tide had left about the early days of the war, there had been a mention of the “end of the Rescue Force”. It had just been a mention, a reference to an event that was probably detailed in a separate data pad. But he hadn’t ever found that separate data pad. And when he remembered What Optimus had said, when he’d first found them..”

“I was not aware Rescue Teams were…still active.”

He’d said it slowly, haltingly, as if choosing the words carefully. He’d paused before saying the last part too. At the time, Blades hadn’t thought much of it. But with the information about the War Optimus had allowed them to have, and the mention of the “end of the Rescue Force” in that one data pad, well…Blades was starting to think that “active” had not been the word that the Prime had actually meant. Something had happened, something he didn’t have enough information to figure out yet, but the faint picture he was starting to get from the pieces of information he did have wasn’t one he liked. It was another reason he was hesitant to share what he suspected about the Seeker. Optimus was keeping vital information from Sigma-17. He didn’t care if the Prime didn’t want them fighting in the War. He agreed that it was a bad idea. But he was withholding information that Blades suspected his team would very much want, and they didn’t even know it.

So here he was, pacing restlessly as his processor turned over the information he got, unsure how or even if he should share it. Would his team even believe him? He doubted they would. He knew they thought he was silly and couldn’t understand complex ideas, but that was far from the truth. After all, of all the Rescue Bots he had the greatest understanding of human nature and culture. His understanding wasn’t always 100% accurate, and just because he understand the what didn’t mean he understand the why, but he still understood more than any of the others. And sure, he applied most of his ability to learn new information to pop culture rather than the things the others might consider more “worthwhile”, but that was only because pop culture was more fun. Plus, pop culture was where humanity really displayed they way they ticked. Did it really make him that much of an idiot if all that was the case?

He was startled from his spiraling thoughts by a sound from the direction of the make-shift medical bay. The copter glanced in that direction, thinking it was one of his teammates, only to yelp and leap back upon seeing the Seeker. He’d known the other bot was large, but seeing him awake and up just confirmed how large. The red optics too, made discomfort curl in Blade’s tanks. The data-pads had suggested that red optics were typical of Decepticons, though they shouldn’t be used as an identifier of such. Even so, it was another tick in favor of his theory. Then the scene caught up to him, and medical training overrode his temporary moment of panic.

This bot wasn’t supposed to be up yet. In fact, even if he had been fully healed by the pods it was supposed to keep him under until Optimus could arrive. Except….Blades must have put in the settings wrong. He was so used to setting the stasis pods to release once the healing process was complete that he must have input that setting without realizing it. Which…presented a problem. Is this mech was hostile, he didn’t think his team could handle it. Those thoughts circled in the back of his processor as he directed the bulk of his worry towards making sure his patient was alright. His hands flapped awkwardly as he approached the larger flyer, ready to skim over his frame to check out his condition, when piercing red optics locked onto him. He froze with a high pitched squeak, his own optics blown wide as that gaze pinned him in place.

For a long moment, the two Cybertronians merely stared at each other.

Then Blades, getting increasingly nervous, broke the silence. “Are you okay?” he asked, curling and tucking his hands against his canopy. “The stasis pod should have healed you completely, but you were hurt pretty bad. Even most of your paint was gone, though it looks like your color nanintes were able to fix that while you were healing.”

Indeed, the mech standing in front of him was now in full color, his purple and yellow paint bold and bright on his frame. It did seem, however, that he was still missing a faction brand. If he’d ever had one, of course, though the copter strongly suspected he did.

The Seeker seemed put off for a moment, as if he didn’t know why Blades was worried. “I am well.” he said carefully. “Are you the one who repaired me?”

“Well, sort of?” Blades’s rotors fluttered against his back. “I’m a triage medic, so I couldn’t fix you completely, but I kept you online until my team and I could get you into a pod.”

The Seeker narrowed his eyes. “Team?” he repeated, obviously suspicious.

Blades squeaked again, shoulders hunching. “We’re Rescue Bots.” he gestured at his insignia before his hands tucked back against his canopy. “Team Sigma-17. I’m Blades.”

The Seeker was silent for a long moment. “You may call me Dreadwing.” he said slowly. His gaze was still piercing.

Blades nodded, then took a few steps forward, and when Dreadwing made no move to stop him, he closed the gap between them. “Do you mind if I scan you over one last time? I just want to be sure all your systems are in order.”

The Seeker bowed his helm, and Blades lifted his hands to skim over plating, using his built in scanning systems he’d gotten in his triage training to check his patient over. Everything was coming back fine, but with a wound as serious as his had been Blades away taking no chances.

“You are a Rescue Bot.” Dreadwing spoke. His voice was low, and there was an odd note to it.

“Yep. Me, Boulder, Chase, and Heatwave. We crashed here a while ago and Prime stationed us on this island to act as a rescue team for the locals.” he explained distractedly.

Dreadwing made a soft hum. “Prime knows you are here? Are you Autobots, then?”

Blades frowned. “He knows. He visits, sometimes, but not often. We haven’t been able to contact him lately though.” He was too focused on his task to think about whether he should actually,be answering so freely. The second question gave him pause, though. “No? At least, not really? We’re a Rescue Team. Rescue Bots take oaths off non-affiliation. We can’t side with any particular group or individual since our job is to help any bot or being that needs it.” He was reading over the results of his scans, mouth turned down. “We’re more closely tied to the Autobots right now, but that mostly because we don’t know much of what happened with the war. We were in stasis until we crashed.” He let the readings flicker away, and froze when he realized how much he’d shared. “Uhhh….”

Dreadwing only snorted, actually looking fairly amused. “Yes, I think it is quite clear now that you are no warrior, little youngling.” he rumbled. His expression darkened. “I understand why Prime stationed you here, out of sight. Megatron would see you hunted and slaughtered if he knew a Rescue Team still functioned.”

This made Blades freeze, and as he recalled Optimus’s first words to them, and that data pad, dread began to build in his spark. “What?” he asked weakly.

Dreadwing stared. “You were not told?” he sounded…angry. “That is foolish. It is not a pleasant tale, but you should have been told if only to ensure you understand the importance of your existence remaining secret.”

Blades swallowed. “Optimus doesn’t really tell us much of anything about the War, and the data pads he leaves only really cover the basic and important bits, not the details.” he whispered. “Does…does Megatron wanting my team offlined have anything to do with the “end of the Rescue Force”? I read about it in one of the data pads, but it was just a mention. I couldn’t find any details other than that one phrase.”

Dreadwing’s gaze was solemn as the little bot lifted his optics to meet it. “Yes.” he said bluntly. “In the early days of the War, Megatron grew angry that the Rescue Bots aligned with no faction, and he wanted to deprive the Autobots of any who might aid or help them. He ordered the destruction of the Rescue Force. The Headquarters was destroyed, and all Rescue Bots present were massacred. Any who survived, and any who had not been present in the initial attack, were systematically hunted and slain.”

Blades’s knees felt weak. He pressed his hands to Dreadwing’s chest to steady himself, grateful that the larger flyer didn’t protest it. His rotors rattled madly against his back with his distress, and his optics were blown wide.

“But that would mean…”

“You and your team are the last Rescue Bots in existence. All the others are offline and have been for many, many millennia.”

The copter’s knees gave out, and Dreadwing was quick to grasp his frame to keep him from hitting the ground. A sharp keen left Blades’s vocalizer, and the Seeker blessedly said nothing and made no moves to push as the youngling processed the new information.

It was, of course, that moment that the others chose to return.

——————————

Part 2

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alexlabhont · 4 years

Text

I didn’t mean to fall in love with you

Chapter Three.

Book: Queen B - Choices (Universe)

Pairing: Poppy Min-Sinclair x Trans!Male MC (Beck Hughes)

Genre: Canon re-write (Because I can)

Rating: Anyone can read it, really

I´ll be posting this one over here because Tumblr, for some reason, thinks my secondary blog is a bot...

This is me trying to write by and for the Trans community, specially FTM community, meaning, trans guys, but I actually took the liberty to use They/them pronouns for everyone out there who´s interested (Also, the name Beck was the most neutral one I could find, trying to use the cannon Bea Hughes)

Now, about the PAIRING... I will be using choices style, kinda, because I want to give you choice at some point. If you have any comment, PLEASE BE RESPECTFULL and patient with me. This is also my first english fanfic and english is not my mother language, so... i’m sorry fo the grammar errors

CHAPTERS

The beginning

Chapter one

Chapter two

ONE-SHOTS

Just a dance (Zoey x MC)

——————————————————————

A truce.

That’s what she said she wanted and for a moment, all their fears disappeared.

“I really hate to admit this, but I personally asked for you to be my partner on this project. I'm familiar with your music, and I actually wanted to work with you.”

She also said. Beck didn't know how to feel, really. Poppy Min-Sinclair heard their songs, or, at least, she saw their videos.

And she liked them.

Or not? They never knew with her. She has been acting pretty weird these days. Giving them a “compliment”, smiling at them, asking for Beck to be project partners…

Open up with them.

That was beyond weird.

Beck couldn't stop thinking about what they saw back at the “Alpha-Zeta deluxe cabin” or whatever it’s called. Poppy really looked hurt… sad… like…

Like she has feelings.

“I don’t know, Beck. I don’t think is a good idea letting you guard down.” Zoey said, playing with their hair, both of them resting on the couch, Beck’s head laying on her thighs.

“Yeah, I get it. But…” Beck took a moment, remembering the sadness in her voice, the betrayal in her eyes… Did she really care about Chloe? “I wish you had been there to see it, Zo. It was so real my head exploded… Like... She was really hurt.”

“Babe, I know what you’re trying to say. And I believe you that she was in pain. But you have to remember she's still Poppy. And even if she’s a… uhm… human who feels, it doesn't mean she's not a bitch.”

Beck stood up, sitting properly while scratching their neck.

“Yeah, I know that.” They replied. Zoey had a point they couldn’t forget. From all people, Beck understood what it felt like to be judge by a cover, but as Megamind's Roxanne said once: Checking the content was what matters, and the inside of Poppy´s book was not so good.

The time on the wall clock pointed it was the moment to go, it was Saturday and Poppy and Beck agreed to meet her in front of an Animal Rescue from downtown around noon. He didn't want to be late, after all, Poppy was capable of start the project without them and argue that they didn't show up.

“Anyway, I have to go now. The sooner we end this, the better.” Beck put on their shoes and leather jacket, ready to impress thanks to Zoey fashion sense.

“I want you far~ away from trouble, Beck Hughes. Do you hear me?” The protector side of Zoey appeared and, again, they were confused by it.

Zoey always had that effect on Beck, she could warm their chest, sculpt a smile on their face. Honestly, after all these years in a toxic environment, bullying and harm, having Zoey´s concern on them was something new, something welcomed, something that made them happy. Laugh a little if Beck thought about it closely.

“I can take care of myself.” They said. After all of those fake friends, after all of the pain they went through, it was still hard to trust completely. However… Beck looked at Zoey, the only one who Beck felt relaxed with. Their best friend, the first one to treat them as what they were even after knowing the truth. Beck didn’t miss Farmsville at all. “See ya later, beautiful.”

“I´ll be waiting right here”

~~X~~

They won’t ever admit it, but after they heard Poppy saying that the project was in the Downtown Animal Rescue Beck was excited. Puppies, kitty cats, animals! Beck love them greatly, wholeheartedly. They were their weakness; their adoration was so much so Beck considered seriously taking the vet path almost all their life, if having not found music, their story would´ve been completely different right now. That´s why they couldn’t refrain themselves of stopping at each enclosure to coo over the animals, losing all sense of self-respect over them. Especially after a pup ugly, dummy looking like showed up with the most adorable face they ever seen.

“Oh boy, you’re so ugly I luv ya Tushie-face! Who’s a precious ugly-boy? Uhm? Who’s a precious ugly-boy~” The little pug barked happily, enjoying the attention. “You’re perfect! You’re…”

“… nice to see so many new additions.” Beck heard, stopping them at the moment. Beck was sure it was Poppy, but she sounded… “I guess that means a lot of these little guys are being adopted?” … different. Again.

“Yes, Ms. Min-Sinclair.” A young voice answered, without fear, with respect. A good kind of respect. “We have a ten percent higher adoption rate than last year” Uhh, that sounded good. For some random reason, Beck showed the thumbs up to the ugly pug, flashing him a stupid smile at which the pup moved his tail as if he understand what it meant and agreed.

But then… Poppy laughed.

A real laugh. A nice, non-threatening, actually kind of cute laugh. So honest that they felt terrible attracted to it.

“No… Oh, no, no, no… No. Don't you even think about…”

As if their body was its own person, Beck rounded the corner, wanted so badly to see how a laughter so sincere looked like in Poppy´s face, like some weird kind of siren song they had to see with their own eyes. Instead, Beck saw her talking to one of the shelter’s employees, hugging and stroking a bichon frise puppy´s tummy softly, lovingly. Their heart stopped just a second, running wild immediately after.

“God… she’s so…”

“DON´T!” And they slapped their self. Hard. Beck deserved it. They couldn't… they won’t… They refused to…

The sound where so loud it called the attention of both Poppy and the other guy, while Beck felt the stinging and burning on his now red cheek. Ok, maybe~ they didn't have to do that, actually, the expression on Poppy´s face the moment she saw them, a sour, angry one, was the only thing they needed to feel normal again towards her.

“You're late” Why, hello to you too.

“I´m sorry, it's just that I was playing with Tushie face and…”

“Tushie face?” Beck couldn’t tell if she was amused or making fun of how stupid they were. “That´s how you pet-name?” Poppy added, raising an eyebrow. Beck shrugged.

“If you have a tushie face, then you are a tushie face. Simple as that” Based on Poppy's smirk, they should’ve stay quiet.

“Uhm… Alright, tushie face.” Damn it! “Come with me.” She then gave them a wink, smiling as if they both had now a new secret, before walking toward the back of the kennels.

Fuck.

“So… how do you knew about this place?” Beck asked, very willing to replace the topic to literally anything.

“If you must know, my parents bought me this shelter when I was eight.”

“What?”

“Really? Why?”

“I wanted a dog. Mommy and Daddy didn't want pets in the house… Et, voila”

Beck looked around, the place had now a new light after what they just learned. All this place was Poppy's, just because her parents didn’t approve animals at home. Unintentionally, Beck chuckled, feeling Poppy’s gaze on them almost immediately.

“What’s so funny?” She asked, irritated.

“We’re really very different but the same at once” They said. “Ever since I was a kid, my parents taught me to work with every single farm animal. Cleaning them, feed them, love them… I even helped bring life into this world.” Beck told her, twisting their lips. “I had a lot of different pets back at home. So do you right here. You see?”

“You’re forgetting about the fact the whole point of a place like this isn't for the animals to stay forever…” She said, vulnerable. Beck did actually get that, the hollow feeling that comes after something like that.

“Well… at least they’re not dinner”

Surprisingly, that comment made her chuckle just a little and Beck felt so good to be the one to take away that fragile expression in Poppy’s face. She was definitely more beautiful when she was happy. When she was laughing.

“You are right, that's even worse.”

They both looked at each other for a moment, some complicity in their own way, as if they both shared something, a sentiment that almost nobody felt, both understood each other, at least in one little but significant thing: They both learned very young what it's like to love innocently and truly, to have an unconditional companion, just to lose it to the “greater purpose” again and again. Both learned to never get really attached to anyone.

“But whatever, it gets the humanitarians off our back.” Just as if the conversation never happened, Poppy went back to the factory mode. “Which is why we’re really here. I’m fully aware of your popularity in YouTube, especially after your little performance, so hopefully this project we’re doing will get some good press for us to get the adoption rate it to, at least, 20 percent this year.”

“So this is why you wanted to work with me…” Beck didn't know why, but a little part of themselves felt disappointed… what was them expecting anyway?

Soon they both reach the back of the room, and while Poppy walked in as if it was completely routine, Beck had to stop for a second. A whole crew was already set up, cameras, microphones, lights, everything. A lot of cute pups and cats of all ages were also there looking adorable, sure they were the real stars of all this, but Beck couldn't help but feeling intimidated.

However, it was Poppy’s attitude the one thing that took all Beck’s attention though all the day.

She was kind, professional, caring… making sure of one thing above it all: to have the best commercial of all times for an animal shelter. The way she treated the employees, the animals, people around her… it was like a completely different side of her they never seen before. Poppy even, against all odds, treated Beck as what they were: her project partner. Giving them a fair share of lines, taking care of capturing their best angle, how happy they looked between all those cute little animals. Directing Beck to make sure every detail was perfect, being polite and respectful while doing so.

She was acting as a selfless but powerful leader, and Beck couldn’t take her eyes off of her the whole time. She even managed to convince them to adopt that tushi faced puppy, pointed out that they both had choose each other right at the moment they meet.

“Just look at the way he's watching you!” She said playfully. “You two are really connected.”

“Do you really think so?” Beck asked, playing with the pup. They really wanted to take the little guy home, be able to give him a good life, having another friend in their life. One not farm related at least. Beck felt Poppy coming closer, resting her hand on Beck's shoulder while watching little tushi face with a soft smile.

“I know so. But the real question is: what do you think?”

And now, Beck had a dog named Pepes.

~~X~~

Once they knew every detail was taken care of, and the adoption paperwork were all right, Poppy, Beck and little Pepes walked out the shelter. Personally, they felt drained out, because although they were used to cameras, it was always under their own terms and time, their own edition, their own personal rhythm, but after that day, Beck was seriously considering the idea of being backstage musician, unlike Poppy, who actually looked as fresh as a cucumber.

“Damn, Pops. I have to admit it: you were awesome there.” They said, Pepes barking enthusiastic, agreeing.

“Were you expecting something less?” She said, some mischievous sparkle in her eyes Beck couldn't quite place. “Now, take me to lunch.”

“I'm sorry? Why would I do that?”

“Because…” She started to say, sassiness taking over her. “… I acted, arranged, produce and direct a fully perfect commercial to our project while you just played around with puppies and looked cute. The very least you can do is buy me lunch. I'm starving.”

“Oh, so you think I'm cute?” Beck flirted. It was impossible to let it pass by.

“Like it was a secret” Poppy smirked.

“… What?”

“I’m not blind, Hughes. You are actually very good-looking. It´s not a secret.” Beck was shocked, did they really just heard a compliment from the one Poppy Min-Sinclair that wasn’t commercial related? They looked at her, expecting some irony or double meaning, maybe some hint of a trap, but no… She was being completely sincere. Beck snorted, it was cool they guessed.

“Now, that's a compliment.” Poppy rolled her eyes evidently, pretending to be irked, but that little smile on her lips proved to be the opposite.

“Hello? My lunch?” Beck laughed, how can she be so rude and yet so cute at the same time? Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

Maybe.

“Whatever you want, bossy-ass”

----

#queen b choices #choices #trans #ftm #poppy x mc #malemc #poppy min sinclair #bea hughes #Beck Hughes #choices stories you play #choices poppy #choices queen b mc #mc x poppy

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gravityfallsgarbagecan · 3 years

Text

Waiting in the Shadows AU

In summary, Bill bides his time and waits to activate the portal, after all, what's a few decades to an immortal being? (this is kinda long so be prepared)

Everything that happened in Stan and Fords childhood is the same, Stan accidentally breaks Ford's project and he is kicked out. Ford goes to Backupsmore and meets Fiddleford and goes to Gravity Falls to study anomalies. He writes the journals and summons Bill honestly just to see if it was real. Ford still works with Bill but doesn't let him take over his body, he wants to be the one to make it, pride and stuff. After Fiddleford falls in, Ford decides the portal is (a bit) dangerous, puts it on pause, and calls Stan to help hide the journals.

When Stan comes he and Ford talk it out and Stan talks some sense into him. Not wanting the years of work to go to waste, Ford doesn't destroy the portal, but he does shut it down and hides his journals*. Stan and Ford repair their relationship for the most part, and it takes a while, close to 30 years (wow, would you look at that). The twins come and Ford lets Dipper look through his journal. Dipper wants to go on adventures so he uses the copier to have his own journal to go on monster hunts with (and add his own things). Him and Mabel hid it from their Grunkles and went on adventures themselves. The show mostly follows canon,(Gideon doesn't have a journal though, so no dreamscapers, but he does still try to steal the shack instead by working with Mcgucket to build a giant robot (to “promote the Tent O’ Telepathy”) and the twins stop him.

*He rewrites just the anomalies from all 3 books into one and destroys the original ones, most of his research is safe and the notes and blueprints of the portal are gone, win-win situation.. Mostly.

Dipper and Mabel decide to tell Stan and Ford about the copy of the journal after the zombie incident (BAMF Stan, Ford is still a lil nerd since he was never in the multiverse). Stan understands (he would have done the same thing, let's be honest) and Ford is a bit upset, but he saw how well the kids handled everything and let them hang onto it.

It's around here that Bill decides he’s waited long enough and wants to get Ford to complete the portal and turn it on. (at this point Ford doesn't think Bill is /evil/ but he is a little wary of trusting him, unlike at the beginning). Bill goes to Ford in the mindscape and tells him that after 30 years he still isn't famous, and that he knows it's his dream. Bill is SUPER manipulative and convinces Ford to make the deal to take over his body and complete the portal. Ford doesn't tell any of this to Stan, and instead sneaks down to the basement at night to work on it. After a few days of this, Ford is sleep deprived enough that Bill takes over at night to work on the portal.

Bill is less careful than Ford, and Stan figures out something is up, but doesn't know exactly what. He looked through the journal but all the pages about Bill were not added so he can't figure out what is happening, but he will still figure out how to stop… whatever it is.

Stan confronts Ford about it and Ford denies anything happening, he just has interesting research that's been keeping him up and Stan is worried about pushing Ford too much, especially in his sleep deprived state, so he tells Ford to just go sleep some. Bill knows he’s gotta hurry up before Stan puts a stop to him, so when Ford goes to nap Bill takes over and hurrys to start up the portal.

Later when Stan goes to check on Ford (to make sure he's actually sleeping) he finds Bill in the basement working on starting up the portal Stan thought had been destroyed. He gets upset at “Ford” for not destroying it earlier and trying to figure out wtf is going on. Bill tells him he is Ford's muse he summoned to help him become famous because Stan was “holding him back from greatness” and all the mean things Ford was thinking when Stan was kicked out. Stan gets pissed but doesn't want to hurt his brother. Bill chooses this moment to bounce, so Stan has to deal with an unconscious brother and a demon trying to start up the portal. (at this point Stan doesn't know why the portal is dangerous, just that it is, especially if that creep is trying to start it.)

When Ford wakes up Stan tries to talk to him but just ends in a huge fight between them. Ford goes to sulk in the basement, and Bill uses their fight to get Ford to finish starting the portal. The kids know something is wrong after the fight and try to get them to hug it out. Stan is stubborn and doesn't want to talk to Ford, at least for a bit, so they decided to try and talk to Ford themselves. Stan is a responsible grunkle and goes with them, not trusting Fo Bill. They find Ford starting the portal, and a scene very similar to NWHS happens. Stan is at the button and Ford is pleading with him to keep it on. Stan doesn't want to, but he still trusts his brother.

The portal causes weirdmageddon and everyone is too shocked to be pissed at first, but Stan is pissed that his trust resulted in this, and Ford is pissed that Bill lied to him (who'da thunk!) The younger twins have to deal with both the apocalypse and their grunkles fighting. There is no unicorn barrier around the shack, so it is no longer a safe place. Dipper and Mabel get Ford and Stan to stop fighting long enough to figure out how to stop Bill. He tells them of the zodiac so they have to work together to get everyone together. They split up into two teams, Mabel with Stan and Ford with Dipper. They go to find everyone in the zodiac, surviving in the throws of the apocalypse (similar to Dipper in canon). As soon as everyone from the zodiac are together Bill figures out he cannot leave Gravity Falls, and goes to kidnap Ford. He tries to just get the equation himself but since hsi deal was “Now till the end of time” and in weirdmageddon “time is dead” the deal is no longer in place and Bill can't get it.

Everyone else (zodiac members and survivors) are trying to come up with a plan and Mcgucket's idea is a giant robot. Gideon suggests using the Gideon Bot since it's only moderately destroyed rather than starting from scratch. Stan is very unenthusiastic to help (his brother kinda betrayed him and he's salty and stubborn) but he doesn't get in the way or anything, he knows he still cares, even if he doesn't want to.

The rescue mission goes well, they arrive faster than canon and see Ford being tortured for the equation. Stan feels a bit guilty at this point, the relization that if he pressed that stupid button none of this would have happened hit him and now he hates himself more (he could never hate Ford, no matter what he does). The Gideon Bot distracts Bill enough to free Ford and get the zodiac set up. Without a barrier protecting the robot it is defeated much quicker and Bill stops the zodiac before they can get Stan to join (he’s really salty at Ford, and Ford isn't exactly happy with Stan either. Ford doesn't want to blame himself so he blames Stan just a bit).

Bill captures them like in canon and the twins distract him while the grunkles come up with a plan to stop him. Since Ford doesn't have a plate in his head they don't switch, Stan just has to effectively kill his brother after he starts the apocalypse. Logically both of them know this is the only way to save the kids- and the world- but it doesn't make it any easier. Stan still suggests they switch, “Your mind is useful, Sixer, mine's never been good for nothing”. Ford pauses for a sec and actually considers it, everything Bill said, everything that happened, but Ford still cares about his brother, and will not let him take the fall for his mistakes. No matter what happens, Ford can't hate his brother, and he still cares about him regardless.

Ford makes the deal and Stan erases him, the pyramid falls and weirdmageddon is over. Stan feels even more guilty now, he enabled the apocalypse and then killed his brother to end it. They find Ford and he doesn't know who they are (this follows canon). Mabel and Dipper drag them back to the shack (which has been repaired since Weirdmageddon) and try to get his memories back. (“Remember when we played DD&D? Or going on monster hunts?” “Or when I showed you how to knit? The time I made your hand into a hand turkey?”) Stan is in the corner hating himself, but he doesn't want to show it to the kids.

Ford gets his memory back and offers to sail with Stan (I love sea grunks, okay? I want them to live out their childhood dreams like the sappy old men they are) and Stan of course says yes (it's the least he can do after erasing his brother).

On the boat Stan still feels bad about everything that happened, but he and Ford actually talk like functioning humans and Ford explains his deal with Bill better so Stan can better understand what happened. They get to live their dreams and get a happy end cause it's what they deserve!

#long post #gravity falls au #waiting in the shadows au #Stanley Pines #stanford pines #gravity falls #stangst #angst

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b-kitsune · 5 years

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Many ways to say I love you: Day One

Kidge-a-palooza 2019 Day One: Fickle Pairing: Kidge (VLD) Universe: Canon (Season 1) Status: Part 1/7

Pidge was used to finding the right answer to all her problems with the use of logic to her benefit.

When she was a little girl, having friends was something that always was difficult from her, she wasn't good at reading the environment and her sharp tongue inherited from her mother didn't help any moment. So, they always turned their backs on her when Pidge tried to be a little more sociable. One day, bored with jokes and bad treatment, she decided that it wasn't for her. Having her family and Bae Bae to keep her company was enough, building walls towards the rest of the world.

When she began to grow up, she didn't feel comfortable with the new curvature of her body, her dresses accentuated her waist and Pidge felt strangely uncomfortable with the use of a bra, so she decided to use jackets twice her size and cover her growth. Nobody noticed the difference; their development was slow anyway.

This was how all her problems were easily dismissed or, if it was possible, left aside. And if this weren't the case, Pidge took the reins of the situation without considering the consequences. It was like this when she infiltrated a government property, passed herself off as a boy and ended up in a lion of 10,000 years old alien technology.

Even then after all the catastrophes in recent months, she felt calm, everything was solvable with a few minutes of thorough analysis. And entering Voltron had helped her to generate flexibility that on earth she hadn't achieved through the traditional ways, Pidge was stubborn after all. And being right almost always worked in her favor.

But at that moment, while working in the green lion's hangar isolated from others coding the recent files of the Galra fleet, even for months of studying the situation carefully within all the possible variables, she couldn't find the correct answer to the fickle attitude of Keith Kogane.

When she met him in the rescue of Shiro in a turn of coincident events, Pidge immediately recognized the bad character made a person. Place she thought that she had naively earned it.

If Pidge had trouble relating to the rest and isolating himself from the world at the slightest problem, Keith far surpassed her. Many times, she saw herself recriminating him for attitudes that even to her seemed extremist, seeing the irony of who came to the comment. However, they understood each other quite well without talking too much, like Lance and Hunk, Pidge could understand where his bad temper often came from and did her best to help him overcome it.

There were situations that even Shiro had sent directly to talk to Keith as soon as there was friction in the team. And she was proud to have a unique space with her arm mate in which none of the other members, including Shiro, was welcome.

Or so she thought.

''Pidge, there you are!'' Allura entered the hangar with an enviable spirit, Pidge didn't even look up. ''Coran and I have scheduled training for all the paladins today, I need you to be in the training room in half varga.''

''I'm busy here.''

''But it's-''

''This is also important.'' Pidge interrupted her before she insisted.

''All right. I will not try to convince you.'' Allura returned to the exit, leaving Pidge somewhat confused by her complacent attitude. ''In ten ticks, I will deactivate the electricity of the hangar, I hope you aren't afraid of the darkness.''

''Are you serious?'' But when she looked up, only saw the determination on her face, the panic growing inside her when saw her count in reverse. ''Ok, ok, I'm going to get dressed, don't lock me in here!''

''I'm glad you understand!'' Allura patted her back once she ran to the door, closing the hangar until the end of the training. Pidge groaned disappointedly. ''Part of the paladins' job is to keep a constant training of physical activity and strengthening of the link even if they aren't in battle, to keep the body in shape. I expected no less from the green lion's paladin.''

''You threatened me.''

She objected dryly, but Allura ignored her when they both walked inside the castle.

She least wanted was to participate in the castle exercises, much less deal with Keith in the process.

During the last weeks, his attitude had changed strangely towards her, leaving her completely conflicted. It wasn't as if Keith had the same attitude every day, but Pidge had felt strangely uncomfortable with him.

He could converse peacefully with her during breakfast, annoy Lance together, help her with updates on the red lion, and discuss her interests as if they had been close friends for a long time in her room, in a unique and unparalleled closeness in which even she felt his breathing close enough to hit her in the face, often feeling that her heart would come out at any moment. The next day, she could be lucky if he greeted her or looked at her in the corridors. Many times in that order, other times he could spend days when he didn't even address a single word.

Sometimes Keith seemed really worried about her health during the training sessions, coming to give her deep hugs when nobody else looked them, she felt protected and taken care of by those moments where only the two existed. And other days, he could leave her alone to the point of being shot because of him.

There were moments when he stopped her in the corridors to try to say something important, but he only kept his mouth open and returned as quickly as he arrived. Then he commented that he only needed help on anything and had already solved it without problems.

Lately, she didn't understand what he wanted, sometimes he seemed to adore her, and at the second was a complete stranger. When she faced it, it didn't work at all, since he left her alone, alluding that she was only imagining things.

So Pidge decided that he simply had to ignore it.

''Pidge, you finally came!'' She approached Shiro quickly when he greeted her, being the last to appear. ''Now that we're all ready, can start this training.''

'' What will it be this time?'' Lance asked interested while stretching. ''A 2vs3? Race of lions? Battle of gunfire? Or will we have to sit in a circle and tell our secrets?''

''Actually, it's a shooting battle.'' Everyone looked at Shiro surprised at the simplicity of the training.

''How boring''. Pidge commented loudly. Taking a light laugh at the black paladin.

''Oh believe me Pidge, you'll enjoy it.''

...

The exercise was simple with rules similar to a traditional terrestrial MOBA, defeating the central points by going to any of the five roads, in which at the end of this, they would take control of the central command. They could recharge, change and stop whenever they wanted as long as they didn't shoot at themselves. Only, this time, it was the four versus Shiro, in a simulation with night vision, without special binoculars, and they were at a clear disadvantage.

The worst thing was that they had been classified by armament pairs, so Pidge was obliged to deal with Keith throughout the training.

As soon as they found one of the points, they shot it quickly to deactivate it.

''I haven't listened to Hunk for several minutes.'' Keith approached her side to avoid being attacked by the attack bots. But Pidge just grunted unguarded. ''Do you think they will be fine on the other side?''

''I don't know.'' He could see the bewilderment on her face when it was illuminated by a slight explosion.

''Are you angry?''

''No!''

Before being shot, Pidge pushed him behind some boxes they used as shields during the simulation. The noise suggested a group of more than five bots around them. For those who covered their backs to shoot them before being injured and eliminated.

They advanced for many minutes as they evaded and eliminated, but Pidge stumbled over an object and Keith quickly took it to place it on his shoulder, beginning to run to lose sight of them.

With the last reload of his weapon, he was able to annihilate the last one before being caught, feeling the overload on his body. Pidge was complaining about the pain in her foot, surely she had folded it as soon as she fell. Both couldn't follow the path, nor did they have ammunition to defend themselves, it was a matter of time for them to lose against the system.

Keith approached her to lightly touch her damaged foot.

''Are you okay?''

''Yeah ... '' It was barely a whisper. Keith sat beside her when he listened to the gunfire around him. And without avoiding it, he asked.

''Hey ... Is there something I did that bothered you?''

''What?'' Pidge was confused with his question, so Keith preferred to explain himself correctly.

''We were pretty good in the last time, and the next day, you started avoiding me like I had the plague. I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me something you don't want, but, I was happy, you know? You were the first friend I've had after Shiro, and I would feel bad knowing that maybe I did something that bothered you.''

''I thought I had done something to annoy you, Keith.'' Keith turned his head off, listening to her. ''Sometimes you talked to me, and the next second you started to ignore me, then you were days without talking to me and from one moment to another you acted as if nothing happens-

Pidge didn't calculate the exact moment when it happened, but from one second to the next she was strongly pressed to the wall, lips pressing on her and the light shots of the simulation around them as the only memory of reality.

It wasn't exactly sweet or soft, he savored her with fury, with a need incarnate of his own primitive desire. Pidge didn't know how to react, she wanted to take him away for mere instinct to be attacked so wildly, but it was that same feeling that was taking him to take the lapels of his uniform and push him closer to her, causing her hips hit each other.

It was the first time she was kissed by someone. It was the first time she felt a fire rising beneath her stomach as soon as his lips parted to give way to her tongue, tasting her painfully. Keith was relentless, demanding, leaving her with no air and caressing every contour inside her mouth. His hands trembled as approached her waist, letting Pidge know that all the strength he used before was the product of recent nerves.

Was being his first time too?

She could push him away, accept him and answer the kiss, do all that or just get carried away for the moment. But at any moment the illumination was turned on in lights of medium intensity giving when the simulation finished. Pidge and Keith walked away fearfully as if they had been aware of what had happened at that moment, and without another word, got up to go to the exit.

Pidge leaned on Keith's shoulder because of her ankle. There, Shiro, Coran, and Allura waited for them with a big smile.

''Congratulations, you two were closest to the victory, Lance and Hunk are still looking for the exit.'' Allura replied with happiness, both nodded defeated.

''Are you hurt Pidge?'' Shiro asked worriedly.

''I just bent my ankle during training.''

''At least it's not something serious, you have to be careful next time. Keith, can you take her to the infirmary?''

''Oh, yeah.''

They both went to the exit as soon as they heard the screams of Lance rumble on the walls about the difficulty of the exercise. When they walked a couple of meters away from the training room. Pidge approached Keith's face gently, to brush his lips in a delicate movement. Keith looked embarrassed.

''I'm sorry I lost control there, if you don't want to continue, I'll understand ...''

''Kiss me, Keith.'' She cut him, and Keith smiled relieved at his response, kissing her, over and over again being careful not to move on to take his injured foot.

''I wanted to do this for so long.''

''Is that why you were being so strange?'' Pidge could see the shame build up Keith's face with force, nodding nervously. ''Oh my god, you're so emo.''

''And you're very shorty, c' mere.''

Pidge laughed sarcastically when Keith took her into his arms to address the infirmary. Both could have an aggressive passive relationship on the surface, but deep down, they expected that new discovery in the simulation room to change things a bit between them.

#kidgefanfic #kidge #keithkogane #keith (voltron)#pidge holt #katieholt #monthofkidge #peith #kidgeapalooza #voltronfanfic #voltron #dayone #kidgeapalooza2019

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artemisegeria · 5 years

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Five Times Vision Saved Wanda and One Time She Saved Him

A/N: Inspired by @mximoffromanoff’s prompt for someone to write a fic where Wanda was a civilian that Vision saved during the Battle of Sokovia and fic based on that prompt. Also, numerous other liberties taken with canon, and everyone survives Endgame. This grew way longer than I initially intended (now at about 5K words).

Warnings: some language and innuendo, dehumanizing language used against Vision (which is roundly criticized)

Summary: Vision and Wanda save each other in ways big and small.

Vision rose higher so that he could scan the skies for any struggling civilians. Most of them were already safely loaded on the SHIELD lifeboats, but he saw one young woman aimlessly wandering through the streets, seemingly heedless of the commotion around her, moving away from the crowds running toward the boats.

Vision flew to her. “Please, come with me, miss.” The woman’s eyes remained blank and unseeing, but she did not protest as he pulled her along. When they reached the lifeboat, Vision left her with a SHIELD agent and flew away to confront the remaining Ultron bot.

When he had dispatched it, Vision returned to the boat where the Avengers were gathered. They still did not fully trust him. He could tell immediately from their eyes, despite fighting alongside them and lifting Thor’s hammer, which had initially impressed them. No one made any move to speak to him, so he monitored the passengers on the ship.

The young woman he had rescued was at the end of one row of seats, still not paying any attention to her surroundings. Vision drifted over to her. “Miss, may I offer you assistance?”

She did not even look up at him as she replied, “Not unless you can raise the dead.”

Vision frowned at her. He did not believe that was possible, even for a being such as himself. His understanding of physics and biology did not allow for such a concept. “No, I apologize. I cannot.”

The woman moved her eyes so that she was looking upward, and then her gaze shifted to the right. A quick search revealed that the expression was typically called an eye roll, an expression meant to show disbelief, skepticism, or displeasure. “That was sarcasm.” Merriam-Webster (ˈsär-ˌka-zəm): 1 : a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain.

“Oh. Apologies.” The woman’s response gave him a new feeling: uncertainty. He had been a bit confused when he had first come into the world, but he had quickly corrected himself. Since that moment, he had proceeded with the single-minded purpose of destroying Ultron and preserving the sentient life on this planet. But now that the task was accomplished, he was unmoored. “I’m very new to this world.”

She maintained the same expression. “You don’t look that new.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. I was only born yesterday.”

The woman gaped at him in disbelief for a moment before her expression collapsed into a frown. “The same day my brother died.” Tears began to fall steadily from her eyes. “He didn’t tell me he was sick. He was just there, and then he wasn’t.”

Inexperienced though he was, Vision sensed that there were no words to give comfort in this situation. He nonetheless searched the internet for possible responses. The search took only seconds. The results revealed prayers for the dead from numerous religions and more secular notes of regret and well wishes for the family members dealing with their grief. But a common thread throughout these responses was that only time lessened such wounds.

The young woman had not pushed him away, so he took another suggestion and tentatively laid his hand over hers. She said nothing, but she did not protest. He remained there until he was called away for a conference with Director Fury, Deputy Director Hill, and the Avengers.

When they were finished, it was almost time to land. Since he had accepted Director Fury’s offer to join the Avengers on a provisional basis, he helped them organize the refugees into neat lines and direct them to the shelters that SHIELD had scrambled to set up ahead of their arrival. The young woman was the last person off the ship. She glanced up at him with an emotion he judged to be shame in her face. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“It is perfectly alright, miss. I understand that grief often makes humans lash out on those around them. I am sorry again for your loss.”

“Thank you.” She shook her head, but did not back down. “Still, you didn’t deserve that. And I never thanked you for saving me. So thank you.”

Vision wanted to say more or ask for her name, but Tony called to him. Vision indicated that he would be with him momentarily. When he turned around, the young woman was gone.

II.

The earth shook outside the Sanctum where Vision, Tony, Bruce, and the two sorcerers stood and the air started to vibrate. They all rushed into the streets where people were panicking. One of the spaceships hovered over the city, sending debris in all directions.

Some rubble crashed down, hitting a civilian’s car and blocking the front door. Vision flew to the rocks and lifted them away from the vehicle. As he pried the driver side door open, he was shocked to find the same woman that he had rescued three years earlier. He had sometimes wondered what had happened to her, but he did not want to presume to use his resources to find her.

The woman’s mouth fell open as she gazed at him. “You again! I’ve seen you on the news, Vision.”

“Yes, that is my name.” A small corner of his mind noted that she had omitted the “the” in his moniker, which was unusual coming from anyone but the Avengers. “Are you alright?” He reached into the car to help her out. She unfastened her seatbelt, which had probably saved her life, as well as numerous injuries. Her car appeared to have protected her well; she was only shaken and possibly a bit bruised. She accepted his hands with a weak smile.

“I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse.” He led her to the sidewalk, dodging around the panicking crowds to help her lean against a building. “I’m okay. Don’t you have some fighting to do?”

Vision looked up to the alien invaders approaching his friends. “Yes, thank you for the much-needed reminder,” he replied drily. “Please get inside as soon as possible.”

“I will. Good luck.” He had no time to reply as he refocused his entire being on fighting the invaders. He returned to the others just as Tony was challenging the aliens to leave. The aliens tired of the banter and started sending cars hurtling toward them. A blast from Vision’s Mind Stone destroyed the larger of the two aliens. The two sorcerers and Tony were then able to focus their full attention on the smaller alien, dispatching him quickly.

Tony clapped his hands together, saying, “Piece of cake. Not bad for a day’s work.”

Stephen silenced him with a look. “That will not be the end of them. We have to get the situation under control here and then find the others as soon as possible.” They immediately started triaging injured civilians and directing emergency personnel. The other Avengers soon moved on to other tasks, but they thought it best that Vision stay behind to keep the Mind Stone farther from the front lines.

Vision was in the middle of helping to clear some debris to make room for ambulances to travel through when the woman he had rescued ran up to him. “I have EMT training. I can help.” He directed her to a tent where those who were not serious enough to be transported to a hospital, but too serious to be released to go home.

Once the road was clear, Vision participated in search and rescue efforts. He carried people to the tent and surrounding areas. Both he and the young woman worked into the early hours of the morning. Eventually, she ended up slumped against a wall, and Vision draped a spare blanket over her.

A call from Tony came through shortly thereafter, alerting Vision that he was needed in Wakanda because Princess Shuri thought she could remove the Stone. The news threw almost all other thoughts out of his head, only a potent mixture of hope and dread remaining. He gave the woman, whose name he still did not know, a brief glance, but duty called him away as always.

III.

The widespread aftermath of the second Snap that returned half the world’s population absorbed all the Avengers’ energies, much as it did the rest of the world. Those who had disappeared tried to return to their homes only to find them occupied by new families. Others lost all their loved ones in the Snap or returned only to find they had died during their absence. Others regained them only after they had formed new families. People throughout the world were desperate and confused.

Vision took his shift outside one of the help centers where all the Avengers took turns to maintain order, act as a symbol of stability, and offer advice. When Natasha relieved him, instead of flying directly to the compound, he decided to take a short walk around the city.

“Let go of that!” Vision started flying in the direction of the shout. In a dark alley, three men were tossing a sleeping bag back and forth over the head of a young woman. They dodged out of the way of each of her blows. She finally landed a kick on one of them, only succeeding in enraging him. The man barreled toward her, but she dodged out of the way, and he fell to the ground.

This only enraged his friends. They bore down on the woman, who moved into a defensive stance. Vision felt that she could handle herself, but decided it was time to intervene before events grew too ugly. Vision moved out of the shadows and made his presence known, staring hard at the bullies. The attackers recognized him and fled immediately, pulling their struggling friend with them.

The woman’s belongings had spilled across the ground. Vision bent to help her retrieve them after her tormentors ran away. She looked up suspiciously until she saw his face. He in turn recognized the Sokovian woman he had aided twice before.

“You saved me again.” She blew a piece of hair out of her face, tucking a small packet of pictures into her jacket pocket. She and Vision finished gathering up a small amount of clothes, toiletries, and knickknacks. Vision offered to tie the bundle up in the most secure and efficient way. “Thanks. You’re a good bodyguard; you scared those guys away easily.”

“I believe you were doing quite well on your own.”

She shrugged. “I still feel like I ought to buy you dinner. I owe you.”

Vision wished to deny the assertion, but he was more focused on the hopeful look in her eyes. He did want to know her better. “Well, I do not eat, but if you would prefer not to eat alone, I would be happy to accompany you.”

“Great.” She smiled. “There’s a good diner down the street. They’ve been doing specials since everybody returned.” He followed her. She greeted the proprietor warmly and sat in a booth with an air of familiarity.

The man came over a minute later. “The usual, Wanda?” Vision felt a sense of exultation at finally having this question answered. He tried to study the woman in the booth across from him surreptitiously in light of this new information. He thought the name suited her.

“Yeah, Virgil.”

“And who’s your- You’re The Vision!”

“Yes, I am,” Vision replied tightly. He waited for the invasive or inane questions about his abilities and origins. Or the claim that he should not be in an establishment meant for humans.

“What can I get you? It’s on the house.” Vision had not anticipated such a friendly, straightforward response, but this was a pleasant surprise.

“Just a glass of water, please.” The man looked vaguely disappointed but nodded right away.

Vision said, “You have a lovely name, Wanda.”

“Thanks. I forgot we haven’t introduced ourselves.”

“Yes, the opportunity has not presented itself during our previous encounters.” Wanda’s meal arrived at that point, and she ate with relish. While she was taking a break to take a sip of water, Vision asked, “What have you been doing all this time?”

“Well, after Sokovia I completed my GED, and then I earned a college scholarship that SHIELD and some other groups were giving out to eligible refugees. I was planning to become a therapist. I’d like to work with children. Then, I got Snapped. Since then I’ve just been trying to get back on my feet. I was able to get back in an accelerated program because there’s so much demand right now. And I’m near the top of the list for a new apartment. What about you? Where’d you go after the aliens came to New York?”

“I was called away to a battle with other alien forces. I too was affected when Thanos came to earth. He took the stone that used to power me. Two years after the first Snap Bruce, Tony, and Helen were able to revive me using my consciousness that Princess Shuri saved onto Wakanda’s computers.”

“I’m glad she was able to save you.”

“As am I.”

Wanda began to eat much more slowly. Then, she ordered a piece of pie and a cup of tea. Vision knew that he ought to at least alert the others that he would be late, but he had no wish to. Their conversation lingered through a second and third cup of tea. Vision found himself laughing more than he could ever remember in the span of a few short hours. Virgil finally indicated that it was closing time. Vision thanked him for his hospitality, and he said that any Avenger was welcome there any time since they had saved his niece during the first Battle of New York.

“May I walk with you to your destination?”

“Sure. The hostel I’ve been staying in at night is just around the corner.”

When they reached the entrance, Vision quickly calculated that this was perhaps his last best chance to connect with Wanda with greater certainty. They paused in the doorway and smiled at each other. “Perhaps the next time we meet we can do so by prior arrangement instead of under exigent circumstances?”

“Is that your way of asking me on a date, Vision?”

He felt a moment of panic, but she did not seem averse to the idea. “If you would like to think of my proposal that way.”

Wanda grinned up at him. “I would.”

IV.

After two months of dating, spending most of their evenings in the compound surrounded by his teammates or communicating electronically, Vision invited Wanda on a picnic. Wanda accepted with alacrity and offered a park near her new apartment as the location. Upon hearing his plans, Natasha joked that one of them should go with them as a chaperone. The other Avengers picked up on that thread and spent the rest of the day teasing Vision about his date as he was still technically a minor. Vision simply ignored them all, focusing on cooking what he intended to bring that night.

That did not stop Vision from growing increasingly nervous throughout the day. He was well aware that there was a societal expectation of greater intimacy by this point in a romantic relationship, but he trusted his own mind and Wanda enough that they could come to their own decision on the matter. Nevertheless, when he flew to Wanda’s new apartment to pick her up, he was struggling to maintain his usual composure. Especially when he saw Wanda’s shirt, which bared far more of her décolletage than most of her tops, and dark jeans that hugged her legs like a second skin.

They strolled along the city streets on the way to their destination. Wanda eagerly stared at the window displays of the nearby shops and drew Vision’s attention to certain features. Vision admired the aesthetics of a particular display with her.

Once they reached the park, Vision headed toward the shadow of a large tree at the edge of the park. He started to lay out the blanket, but he paused when he noticed Wanda regarding him with a raised brow. “Ashamed to be seen with me?”

“No, of course not!” Vision hurried to reassure her, but she put a placating hand on his arm.

“Just teasing, Vizh.”

“Oh.” He still struggled with her humor sometimes, though it was quite similar to that of all his teammates and friends.

“This is nice and private.” She took the blanket from him and finished laying it out, settling cross-legged on the ground and patting the space beside her. Putting a hand on his knee, Wanda continued, “I know you’re just being discreet. But I knew what I was getting into when I started dating an Avenger. I’ll have to deal with the paparazzi eventually.”

“You anticipate being together long enough for that to become an issue?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Vision could think of numerous reasons why not, but Wanda, apparently sensing his mood, put a finger to his lips and said, “Show me what you brought!” He happily allowed her to change the subject, bringing out the dishes that he had painstakingly prepared for her. Wanda ate with a flattering level of enjoyment, and he tasted bits of each food as well.

They spent their meal observing the passersby together. Comments flowed between them. There were several other couples in view that they watched. Then, there were the young children playing. Some people pulled dogs of various sizes on leashes, trying to keep them away from the squirrels. Vision and Wanda laughed at their antics. As people started to leave the park, they decided it was time to leave as well.

On their way back to Wanda’s apartment, she slipped her hand into his. Vision squeezed it lightly. She glanced up at him and away. He almost fancied that she looked shy. Odd. She remained unusually quiet during their stroll until she said, “Would you like to come in for a while when we get back to my apartment?”

Vision did not answer immediately. He wanted to join her, no matter they happened to do, but doubts about the possibilities slowed down his decision-making processes. He returned to the present when Wanda was looking up at him questioningly, clearly wondering why it was taking so long for him to answer a simple inquiry. There was truly only one reply to give; the desire to spend more time with Wanda outweighed his slight uncertainty. “I would.” Her glorious smile vindicated his choice.

They had reached the front door of Wanda’s building when a family with two identical dark-haired children, a boy and a girl, exited. Vision held the door for them while Wanda froze beside him, staring at the children with an acute mixture of longing, envy, and wistfulness. She finally moved inside. They began to climb the stairs to her room until Wanda stumbled.

Vision noted that tears were pouring down her cheeks. She tried to speak, but no words emerged from her mouth. He supported her with an arm around her waist and tried to lead her upward. After a few steps, Vision realized that was insufficient, so he picked Wanda up, floating into her room.

He laid her on her bed and knelt beside her. “Wanda.” No response. “Wanda,” he said more insistently. She turned eyes that were glossy with the tears she had shed toward him. “Is there anything I can do for you?” She shook her head.

He remained by her side for several more minutes. Finally, she choked out through hiccups, “I’m sorry.” Wanda paused to take a breath, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. “You can go.”

“It’s alright, Wanda.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” She then turned around and curled in on herself, clutching her knees to her chest. Despite her clear dismissal, Vision did not wish to leave her in such obvious distress, so he left her room, but not the apartment.

He did not want to disturb her rest, so he simply sat on her small sofa and considered the concept of loss. Vision knew that the death of her brother still weighed on Wanda. They had been so close since birth, that she struggled sometimes. Since they had started dating and communicating more frequently, Wanda had told him many stories of Pietro’s daring and cheekiness. Vision always enjoyed the way her eyes lit up during these stories, but he still lacked part of the essential experience of grief. He had not truly lost anyone in the eight years that he had been alive, six of which he had been conscious, since he had first tried to comfort Wanda. All the poems and hymns and psychological studies on grief could only show him so much.

When he realized that several hours had passed during his contemplation, he peeked his head in her doorway to check on Wanda. She was awake, her eyes red but clearer, staring straight ahead. He knocked lightly on the door frame. She turned to him with surprise. “You’re still here.”

“Yes, I did not want to leave you alone while you were so upset. May I get you anything now?”

“A cup of tea? But you don’t have to.” Vision prepared it for her and returned with a tray. “Thanks,” she whispered, giving him an unnervingly grateful look for such a small gesture. When she finished, Wanda gestured for him to sit beside her. He gingerly sat next to her, unsure how much space he should leave between them. His concerns were assuaged when she curled up against him and drew his arm around her. “Stay with me?” Her eyes were wide and imploring.

“I would be happy to.”

Morning came far more quickly than he anticipated with Wanda finally sleeping peacefully while partially resting on top of him. Vision had done nothing more than listen to her breathing, but the novelty of resting next to another was entertainment enough.

When she rose to begin her day, Wanda was looking far calmer and more refreshed than she had just a few hours earlier. She gave him a quick hug before bounding into the bathroom, saying that she would be right back.

Vision took the liberty of exploring her kitchen. He knew that Wanda typically had to be at her externship at eight, and she did not have an abundance of time. He felt that breakfast was crucial to function properly throughout the day, so he made her a quick omelet using some odds and ends she had in her refrigerator.

Wanda’s face was a study in surprise when she emerged from her room to find the place setting he had prepared. “Saving my life and cooking for me multiple times? My hero.” Though her words were said in a teasing fashion, he ducked his head at the genuine appreciation in her eyes.

“Think nothing of it.”

“I absolutely will.” She tucked into the omelet. Soon, she had practically inhaled it all. “Are you doing anything on Saturday?”

“No, barring emergencies.”

“Then, let me plan a whole day for you.” He opened his mouth, but Wanda tugged on his hand. “Before you say anything else, I want to.”

“I would love to spend Saturday with you.” He wished her a good day at work and flew off to the compound, dreaming of the weekend.

Vision let his hands drift along Wanda’s back. Even after six months of waking up with her in his arms at least three or four times a week, he was still astonished by the way the early morning light played across her skin, casting a golden glow around her.

Eventually, her eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at him, and he tangled his fingers in her hair to draw her mouth to his. They kissed leisurely for several minutes. When she finally broke away, she nestled back into his chest. Vision’s fingers stroked along her shoulders, up her neck, and across her cheeks.

As she lifted her head, Wanda exclaimed, “Oh, shit!” Vision was alarmed that he had done something wrong, but she quickly continued, “I forgot to tell you that I had to get up early this morning. I have to be at the office in thirty minutes.” The traffic would never allow her to travel from the compound to the city in time. She groaned when she saw how her dress from the previous night was crumpled in a corner of the room. It was a good thing that she had started to keep some of her work clothes at the compound.

Wanda pushed herself upright, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Vision rubbed her back to ease her. “I can fly you there if you’d like.”

She turned back over his shoulder to give him a blinding smile. “Would you? I’d be forever grateful.”

“No gratitude necessary.” With a quick peck on his cheek, Wanda leapt from the bed and rushed to the bathroom to perform her morning ablutions and throw on some clothes. Within minutes, they were in the air. Vision enjoyed the opportunity to hold her for a little longer and watch the exhilaration of flight transform her features.

He landed in front of her building with only a couple of minutes to spare and was about to leave before he drew too much attention to them when Wanda pulled him into a deep goodbye kiss. Vision could never resist her embrace, happily returning her sentiments with all the passion he carried for her. “Thanks, Vizh. I’ll see you tomorrow night. I can’t wait to try that new recipe with you.”

He watched her walk inside before rising into the air. Vision was so lost in memories of their previous evening and thoughts of what they would do the next night that he did not notice the flashes go off from across the street.

Vision stood among the crowd that was gathered outside the compound, wearing the disguise of a typical human. The others would certainly chide him for subjecting himself to the folly of these people’s baseless prejudice. Where trite signs proclaimed, “Adam and Eve Not Robot and Eve” and “Circuits Belong in a Circus.”

He listened to their angry shouts despite himself. Though he wanted to see what the protest was about, he could not bring himself to actually participate in order to blend in with the crowd better. He merely stood at the fringes. An unconscious shiver went through him when someone pulled on his arm. He looked down only to find Wanda staring up at him, clear anger written on her features.

Vision felt the urge to apologize until her face softened when she slid her hands down to grip one of his. “Why are you doing this to yourself, Vizh?”

“How did you know who I was?” He had not anticipated her coming today, nonetheless finding him at the protest. He had sent her a message saying that he understood if she wanted to take some time to consider their relationship status, given the new media attention.

“Well, there aren’t too many people who are as tall as you, and I could feel the despair radiating off of you.”

“Ah.” He ducked his head away from her to avoid her gaze. He could not think of what else to say. He knew that his presence here was illogical, but the urge to see the protest up close was powerful.

Wanda lifted his hand to her lips. “These people don’t deserve a moment of your time.”

“They are entitled to their opinions.”

“Maybe, but they don’t have to come to your home and spew their bullshit.”

“Technically, they are on public property.”

Wanda gave him a look. He was about to explain himself further when a particularly loud shout about how Wanda was just a poor disturbed girl being taken advantage of by the offspring of an evil robot, said in far less polite terms, reignited her angry scowl. “That’s enough.”

She walked up to the nearest man with a loudspeaker and grabbed it unceremoniously from his hands. “Listen up, мудаки́. Vision is a better person than you all will ever be. He’s kind and selfless and forgiving. He’s a hero who has saved countless lives without any expectation of a word of thanks. He’s brave and persistent and strategic. Not to mention amazing in bed.”

Vision felt himself heat up at her words. “And for your information, I am a grown woman and I know my own mind. I’m lucky to have Vision as my boyfriend. We were lucky to find each other again and again.” She shoved the loudspeaker back into the man’s hands with more force than necessary. “Come on, Vizh. Let’s get out of here.”

He nodded, lifting her in his arms. The crowd seemed quite perplexed that the object of their scorn was in their midst the entire time, but Vision was too engrossed by the woman he was carrying to pay them any more mind.

When they arrived in his room, Wanda immediately took out his favorite jazz record and set it to play softly. She climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly.”

“Okay. If you change your mind…”

“Thank you.” Vision lay back on the bed, taking Wanda with him. They curled up together happily. Outside there was hatred and pain, but here in their own little world there was only love and hope.

A/N2: The Russian insult Wanda uses against the protestors is found here if you’re curious. Apologies if it’s used incorrectly.

#alternateuniversescarletvision #fanfiction #scarlet vision #wanda x vision #vision #wanda maximoff

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needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves · 5 years

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Character review!! (3/5)

Kagero!!;

Shadowmaru's late brother, as well as his prototype. Can transform into a car and a giant bird, which feels minimal compared to his brother. Kagero has a more pessimistic view of life, in a rather optimistic way. He was under the assumption he was going to be replaced and scrapped, in favor of his brother, and therefore went on a rampage. Before he could realize how much life he actually had ahead of him, his a.i was taken and put into another machine, soon ending his life.

Verdict:we didn't know him for long, so imma have to go 7/10. Take him on a date if youd like, but i have a sinking feeling it won't work out.

Power joe!!;

Uh...uhm....*literally has to fan myself for a second* hoo. Boy. Power joe is uh...something special. First of all. He is...just drop dead fucking handsome. Good god. I wanna put more pictures (but i won't, i promise, its not fair) because he's so many good angles, but I'll settle for these. Hes big, he's dumb, he's brass, immature, but he loves fucking HARD. He's just?? The one guy you can hang out with, and pull some pranks on Drillboy with. Hes just good, honest, and fucking dumb. Oh my god he's so fucking dumb. Hes SO goddamn dumb and i wanna kiss him all night long. So dumb and pure.

Verdict:10/10. I adore him, completely. Oh god is he a catch. Take him home, hes absolutely great with kids, and makes EVERYONE know how head over heels he is for you.

Mccrane!!;

The team's pacifist. Mccrane is considered the mature, almost mother hen of the team. He hates resorting to fighting, but when he DOES fight, he fights with the intent to get it over with as quickly as possible, and with his shotgun, hes usually able. Seina's boyfriend, he cares for her and the team immensely, learning from them, and teaching them simultaneously. All these bots recieved personality traits from Deckerd, and McCrane gained his calm, and patient personality. Deckered often had Mccrane restrain him from impulsice choices.

Verdict:10/10. He's adorable. He tries very hard to achieve peace, and wants this possibly more than anyone on the team. He honestly just wants to sit around at the zoo, and look at pandas with Seina. Which he's GREAT with.

Dumpson!!;

If there was one thing he inherited from Deckerd, it was his need to serve the law. He may look like a big meathead, but he's actually one of the ones who thinks more than other members of the team. He's also VERY passionate about the law, and being timely about things. This isn't to say he doesn't have a bit of a temper though. If i had to explain him, he'd essentially the lovechild of rescue bots Heatwave and Chase. That said, hes also INCREDIBLY passionate about his loved ones, i.e, his girlfriend Ayako.

Verdict:10/10. He's adorable! A bit of a stiff, and kind of a bit of a dork when it comes to dating, but he's got SUCH a big heart, and tries very hard. A very embarrassed boy to boot, and not that great with his feelings.

Drillboy!!;

Drillboy! Introduced as the 6th member of the team, Drillboy is annoying, immature, and often self centered, wrapped up in a big adorable package. He also CANNOT stay still to save his life, much to the annoyance of the team. Don't be fooled, he's not some spoiled kid. He actually very much cares for his team, particularly Dumpson, Yuuta, and even Power joe, who's essentially his older, teasing brother. This guy just wants to play some soccer with his mates, and show just how good he is. And deep down, way down, he holds much respect for his boss, Yuuta. He's also a tough little cookie! With limitless spiked soccer balls at his disposal, as well as a flying power drill for an alt mode, Drillboy kicks butt on and off the soccer field.

Verdict:10/10. Drillboy is cute, surprisingly caring, and is the comedic relief character of the series, being as facially expressive as he is. Take him home, especially if you have siblings, he can tire any little kiddy out.

Build tiger!!;

You guys liked the combiners? Well this show has them too!! Introducing, Build tiger! Combining McCrane, Power joe, Dumpson, AND Drillboy into one big, beefy meal. This form, ever since it was perfected via Drillboy's addition, has been used in pretty much every episode since, and for good reason too! With its super strength and tiger canon, it can decimate opponents. Even though build tiger was essentially the first one yeeted in every episode after. Seriously hes the first one to get his shit fucked. Hes a total trooper though.

Verdict:10/10. Its ALL the boys, in one? ALWAYS having the himbo pose? Whats not to love?

#reasons i like #bpjd #reviews #kagero #power joe #mccrane #dumpson #drillboy #build tiger

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

Text

RWBY Musings #72: A Farm Boy and his Bot. What if…Oscar gains his very own robot companion for the Atlas Arc?

So lately, I’m beginning to adore the concept of Oscar eventually gaining some kind of magical or rather unusual companion inspired by another known character from the Wizard of Oz. In my last musing post, I mentioned Oscar assuming control of Salem’s winged Beringels so that he may control them as the RWBY-verse’s equivalent of the Golden Cap.

Now I’m here to present another Oz-inspired possibility. What if…while in Atlas, Oscar either builds and/or gains the friendship of an Atlesian robot and this character will draw reference from the Oz character: Jack Pumpkinhead.

Oscar’s Robot

For those of you who might not know:

According to Wikipedia, in the second Oz book, the Marvellous Land of Oz, Jack Pumpkinhead is an animated homunculus. Jack is described as being incredibly tall with a skinny figure made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs. He has a large carved jack-o’-lantern for a head which is where his name is derived from. Although, unlike most jack-o-lanterns, the seeds and other pumpkin guts were not removed from Jack so it substitutes for his brain.

Jack was originally made by a little boy named Tip (the male persona of Princess Ozma before she ultimately regained her true form) to scare his guardian, an old witch named Mombi. When Mombi saw Jack, she nearly smashed him to pieces but instead, decided to test out her new Powder of Life on him. The powder worked and made Jack come to life.

Jack has been noted to not be known for his intelligence which varies depending on the quality and number of seeds in his pumpkin-head at the time. Despite this, Jack manages to come up with random bits of wisdom and common sense often. That is the character of Jack Pumpkinhead.

As we know, Oscar Pine is alluded to Princess Ozma. Since Ozma is the original creator and parent of Jack Pumpkinhead, what if…Oscar will build his own Pumpkinhead in reference to how Tip made Jack Pumpkinhead or…perhaps Pumpkinhead is an Atlas Academy practice droid designed by Atlas for its students to gain hands on training during their combat simulation drills by fighting sentient machines

Perhaps…Pumpkinhead was an out-dated model that the school failed to maintain over the years. The bot had taken so many hits that it was due for decommissioning before being sent on its way to the junkyard scrap heap to be salvaged for it parts along with the others in its outdated series since Atlas was due to upgrade to newer, more efficient models in coming time.

Or…at least that was the plan before Oscar more or less rescues (technically steals) the machine---keeping it stored away where he and the other heroes were housed in Atlas---a full house suite organized for them courtesy of Winter Schnee and the General and overseen by Weiss who basically acts as landlady making sure nobody wrecks the place her sister generously helped organize for them. So Oscar keeps Pumpkinhead secured in his room while doing his best to repair the bot piece by piece with as limited resources as he had on his own time.

At first the former farm hand kept Pumpkinhead a secret away from the other heroes. But ultimately Oscar had no choice but to come clean about the tall, pumpkin-headed secret he’s been hoarding in his bedroom.

I’m kind of amused at the idea of Oscar being the type to pick up a stray robot without question. I think if done in the canon it could be a reference to Oz while providing a call back to Fullmetal Alchemist. After all, in FMA, Oscar’s VA--Aaron Dismuke played Alphonse Elricand us ole school FMA fans know how Alphonse was notorious for picking up stray cats.

Picture…Oscar pulling an Alphonse just with picking up a stray sentient robot he was trying to patch-up. One of my favourite Pinehead headcanons is that Oscar has a natural born talent for mechanical engineering as a testament to his upbringing back on his family farm.

In the V6 opening, Oscar could be spotted reading an Atlas Mechanics magazine during his shot with JNR and Qrow. A throwaway detail or conceivably a foreshadowing nod to what’s to be seen of this farm boy’s hidden talents during the Atlas Arc?

I’d absolutely love it if Oscar is good at repairing machinery with robots being no exception. I think that could be a really interesting skill for him to have. Plus picture the look on everyone’s faces to learn that our veteran farm boy’s got a knack for tinkering with them mechanical thingamabobbles and gadgets.

Remember how back in V2, Ruby snuck Zwei onto Team RWBY’s off-campus field trip to Mountain Glenn with Oobleck and we got that funny bit where Oobleck calls Ruby out only for Zwei to unceremoniously pop out of Ruby’s backpack; barking defiantly at her when she hisses for him to get back in the bag.

RWBY Squiggle Script #016: Pumpkinhead

Picture it. A similar scenario like that with Oscar where an online, Pumpkinhead is unceremoniously uncovered in Oscar’s bedroom closet and the farm boy is awkwardly put on the spot to explain himself; all the while standing between his profoundly stupefied comrades and teammates (at least Jaune, Nora, Ruby and Weiss for the sake of this scene. Let’s say the others were away on other errands or something) and a spooked Pumpkinhead who sat curled up in a ball behind Oscar, frightened by the unfamiliar non-Oscar faces.

Jaune: ….Oscar, is that a… 8ft robot standing in your bedroom?

Oscar: Actually he’s 7ft 11 inches tall to be exact. But…yeah…it’s---it’s a robot.

Jaune: Okay, let me try asking again. Oscar, why is there a 7ft 11 inches tall robot in your bedroom?

Oscar: *chuckling nervously with a shrug* Would you believe me if I said he followed me home?

Weiss: *incredulously* Oscar, be serious. Did you steal that Atlesian Practice droid?

Oscar: *awkward laughing intensifies* Psssh no, of course not. I told you. He followed me...sort of. Look I’ll explain everything just promise me you won’t freak out if I tell you.

Despite their equally doubting expressions, the others settled down to listen to Oscar’s explanation.

Oscar: It started a while back. It was the first Battle Sim class for us first years and our professor wanted us to practice combat against a moving target. For that class we were each paired up with a practice droid to spar with. I got this fella. *pats Pumpkinhead* For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to…hurt him. The minute I raised my weapon, he just looked at me and curled up all frightened and shaken. I know that sounds really, really crazy but… it did happen. Even my teacher took notice and started yelling at me to take it down. Show no mercy against the enemy, he said. Even if that enemy is a defenceless practice droid who was more scared of you and…refused to fight. So naturally, I refused to fight too.

I won’t attack an opponent who isn’t trying to harm me. So I ended up not fighting at all and…as you’d expect, the teacher sent me straight to Ironwood.

Jaune: *incredulously* So that’s why you were in trouble before? For refusing to beat up one practice droid?

Oscar: *nods* Yeah. Turns out you can get a full month’s detention for anything at Atlas Academy. As punishment, I was put in charge of helping with droid maintenance. The robo-tech guy supervising me is a real piece of work, to say the least, but other than that, it wasn’t half bad. I didn’t mind looking after the droids. From there, I noticed this guy following me around a lot. Even when he was supposed to be offline, everywhere I turned, he was there just…staring at me. I guess you could say he took a weird shine to me after our forfeit fight. It was really weird and really uncomfortable, at first.

But after a while I got use to the stares and actually started to appreciate the company. *chuckles* You can say he’s been my fateful companion during the more boring detention days and he’s a surprisingly good listener. Doesn’t say much…or…do much except stare but I think we became friends.

Weiss: *dubiously*…You befriended…a robot?

Oscar: *defensively* It can happen.

Ruby: He’s right. It can.

Weiss: *exasperated* Please don’t encourage him.

Nora: Can you guys quit interrupting? I wanna know what happens next? Go on Oscar.

Oscar: *frowning* Well…what happened next is actually the worst part. One detention, I didn’t find him with the other bods. Some first years from my class had rented him out for some extracurricular target practice.

Ruby: What… happened?

Oscar: *exasperated; fist clenching* What’d you think? They broke him! Wrecked him up really bad. Students are allowed to fight the droids after school but these students overdid it. And what’s worst is that after they were done, they just…left him. The robo-tech will clean up the mess for us, they said. They didn’t even bother returning him. Just left him in pieces. I tried to tell them off but I was useless. They just pushed me aside.

Nora: *annoyed* Please tell me you reported those jerks!

Ruby: Did you tell someone? Ironwood? The robo-tech?

Oscar: I tried but…it just made things worse. I told the robo-tech about what happened but… he didn’t care. I asked him if he could repair him but he said… *scoffs* He said fixing damaged goods isn’t in his payroll. It’s not in his job requirements to fix the bots, he’s just supposed to polish them up and make them look pretty. Who cares if a couple of them get ruined in a few rough sparring matches? Atlas’ got the funds so why bother fixing the broken bots when they could just as easily replace them with newer models. If I had left him as is, he would’ve been scrapped! I…couldn't just…leave him like that. I had to do something so…

Ruby: …So…you saved him?

Weiss: He stole it!

Oscar: I…*head handing guiltily* Yeah, I stole him, yes.

Weiss: I can’t believe it. We’ve been hoarding a felon.

Ruby: Weiss, quit being so overdramatic.

Weiss: I am not!

Nora: So…exactly how long have you been hiding this bot here under our noses?

Oscar: Let’s see, one…two weeks so probably…about a month.

Groans all around, the most audible being Weiss’. Ruby being Ruby appeared more sympathetic.

Ruby: Well… he seems to be up and running now. Why didn’t you try taking him back to the school again?

Oscar: He’s not completely fixed yet. There’s still more work to be done but I can only do some much with such little tools and with such a little workspace. Besides I already tried that but...he won't let me. I think he's too scared to go back there after what those kids did to him.

Weiss: He’s scared? He's a machine!

Ruby: Weiss, even machines can have feelings too.

Weiss: But---

Oscar: *wearily* Do you guys mind lowering your voices please? He doesn't like it when you yell. He hates loud noises.

At this, Oscar gently pats the tall robot behind him.

Oscar: It's okay big guy. We won't yell anymore. It's okay, Pumpkin.

Ruby: *snorts* Pumpkin?

Oscar:*embarassed* Uhh…yeah. It’s short for Pumpkinhead.

Nora: Aww. That's kind of sweet.

Weiss: *arms crossed with an incredulous expression* You named it!

Jaune: *reasonably* Oscar, I understand you want to help this bot but you do realize he's Atlas Academy property. You can't just keep him in the house. He's not a pet.

Oscar: *pouting* I know I can’t keep him but he's still pretty messed up. If I take him back to the school as he is now, they'll throw him away for sure. At least let me try and fix him first. Please.

Jaune: Oscar...

Oscar: *imploringly* Please.

Jaune and Nora exchanged unsure looks. Weiss huffed but in the end it was Ruby who spoke up.

Ruby: Okay.

Weiss: What! Ruby you're not serious!

Ruby: It's like Oscar said, we can’t send him back to the school broken. The least we can do is let him finish fixing him.

Weiss: Unbelievable.

Ruby: Weiss...

Ruby plants a firm hand on Weiss’ shoulder, looking at her squarely so she’s certain the Schnee girl could see her serious expression.

Ruby: Please.

Weiss stares at Ruby blankly for a few beats before finally sighing, admitting defeat.

Weiss: Fine. But it's not staying in here. *indicates to the bedroom* There’s an empty storage room downstairs in the basement. It's not much but it’s definitely more appropriate to house your...Pumpkin friend than a small bedroom closet. It’s yours till the bot is fixed and…I’ll see if I can get you some better tools to speed up the process. While I detest lying to my sister and the General, I guess I could always say it’s for a school project or something. Not making any promises.

Oscar beams.

Oscar: Thank you Weiss-cream.

Weiss: *eye twitching* Call me that again and you and your bot will be sleeping in the streets tonight.

Oscar: *nervously* Y---Yes ma’am. I promise I’ll move Pumpkin as soon as the storage room opens up.

Weiss: Good. Just…hurry up and fix it. The last thing we need is trouble with Atlas Academy.

---

As promised, Oscar moved Pumpkinhead immediately into the storage room after Weiss gave him access. In this next concocted scene, Pumpkin is safely secured with Oscar now standing behind him on a chair for added height while he worked diligently on repairing some of the remaining damages done to its head.

Oscar: Alright big guy. You’ll only feel a slight tickle but I promise it won’t hurt.

Pumpkinhead voices his disapproval with incoherent robot noises but otherwise stays trustingly cooperative while Oscar patches him. When Oscar was done, he patted the top of Pumpkinhead’s head with a proud grin, happy with his handiwork.

Oscar: There you go. Now that part’s all done for today. See. Not as bad as you thought, right bud? Nothing to be scared about.

Ruby: Didn't realize you were such a robot whisperer.

Oscar nearly falls off his chair as he zips around to find Ruby standing at the top of the staircase leading down into the storage room. She wore an amused smile; arms crossed as she came down.

Oscar: *embarrassed* Ru---Ruby? How---How long have you been standing there?

Ruby: *giggling* Not too long but long enough to see you sweet talk, Mr. Pumpkinhead over there. Are you sure you don’t need any help fixing him? Yang’s pretty handy; no pun intended and…I might know a thing or two that could help out too just so you know. I did built my weapon from scratch after all.

Oscar: Thanks but…as much as I’d love the extra hands, I don’t want to distress Pumpkin too much. He’s not really open to new people right now. Besides I used to help my uncle fix the machinery back on the farm. Fixing a giant robot, surprisingly not that different from fixing a tractor. I mean it is different but my Uncle Henry was the best mechanic I know. Taught me everything he knew and I've always loved a good pet project.

Wiping his grease stained hands on a handkerchief he kept in his back pocket, Oscar smiled broadly as he patted the top of Pumpkinhead’s exposed top once life time before closing it shut. After that, the young boy jumped down from his perch to stand next to Ruby, admiring the work he was able to get done that evening.

Oscar: *smiles at Ruby* It's a slow hurdle but at least we’re getting somewhere, y’know?

Ruby: *nods; smiling back* Well uh...you seem to be doing a pretty great job so far on your own. I'm actually really impressed.

Oscar: *blushing* For real?

Oscar tried leaning against a small table that was next to him; absently neglecting the table had wheels. Immediately Oscar scrambled to regain his balance and make sure the tools on top the table didn’t clatter to the floor and startle Pumpkinhead. While he was victorious in keeping the giant bot at ease, that didn’t stop him from momentarily making a spectacle of himself in front of Ruby who eyed him closely, hand covering her mouth to supress another giggle.

Oscar: *cheekily* I meant to do that.

For the sake of Oscar’s pride, Ruby ignored his last blunder as she slowly approached Pumpkinhead. Instantly, the bots beady white eyes swivelled around inside their socket to focus in on Ruby.

Ruby: He's looking a lot better from earlier.

Oscar: *rubbing the back of his neck bashfully; cheeks slightly flushed* Thanks. I owe Weiss big time for letting me use the storage room. It’s amazing how much more work I can get done when I’m not trying to hide a giant robot in my closet anymore.

Ruby nods wordlessly as she slowly edged closer to Pumpkinhead, eyes wide with curious wonder. Now Ruby was standing close to the robot’s legs. The instant she made an attempt to move further, that’s when the uproar started. Incoherent static mechanical noises echoed throughout the garage as Pumpkinhead made a fuss trying to move as far away from Ruby as possible.

Immediately, Oscar pulled Ruby back making sure to gently move her as far away from the robot as possible. After he did that, he ran to the robot’s side, doing his best to silence its distressed signals.

Oscar: Whoa! WHOA! Easy Pumpkin. She's a friend. She’s not going to hurt you. Easy bud, easy.

A few gentle words and reassuring pats later, Oscar managed to tame the robot yet again and Pumpkinhead settled silent once more. However its optical eye never left Ruby who now stood far, a bit shaken herself. Now it was her turn to be comforted by Oscar who returned to her side with a reassuring smile.

Oscar: … I should have warned you. Pumpkin doesn’t really like anyone coming near him except me. Sorry about that.

Ruby: No it’s….okay. Is he better now?

Oscar: Yeah, he should be good so long as you stay over here.

Ruby nodded. Rubbing her shoulder nervously, she made an attempt to break the awkwardness of her blunder.

Ruby: …So ......Pumpkinhead, huh?

Oscar: *chuckling* Name of the year, right?

Ruby: *smirking wryly* I guess. Why that name though?

Oscar: It’s an old boring farm boy story you probably wouldn’t want to here.

Ruby: *smiling* Oh yeah? Try me.

Her answer made Oscar smile.

Oscar: Well; when I was a little kid growing up on the farm, we had this old neighbour. I never learned what her real name was. I just used to call her Ms. M for mean because she was the meanest old lady in the world, at least to 10-year-old Oscar. Although she had her own farm with her own cornfields, she’d always let her pigs and her weird four horned cow wander onto our side of the land and destroy our crops before they could harvest.

Ruby: *disbelievingly* I’m sorry. A four-horned cow?

Oscar: *nods* Yep. And each time my family complained, she’d just laugh at us and still leave her animals to mess up our crops while hers remained perfectly fine. Not that it helped much. She was actually a really bad farmer and all her former farmhands couldn’t stand working for her.

Ruby: She sounds like quite the handful.

Oscar: She was. I hated that old lady. Aunt Em taught me that it’s not good to hate people but that lady was a real witch. She was never nice to me and she was even worst to my aunt. Reminds me a lot of that Mombi kid from school actually. Both are a bunch of bullies.

Anyways, one harvest, 10 year old me figured he had enough of Ms M and wanted to teach her a lesson. So I picked the biggest pumpkin I can carry and built this giant scare---er---pumpkin hoping he would scare Ms M and her animals off our land. You can probably guess what I named him.

Ruby: *drumming her finger against her chin, pretending to ponder* Hmm, think, think, think. *snaps fingers and grins* Pumpkinhead?

Oscar: *laughs* You've been paying attention.

Ruby: *giggles* So what happened? Did the OG Pumpkinhead scare away the old wicked witch next door?

Oscar: Nope. Didn't even phase her at all. Actually it was the ten shot gun bullets through the window from Aunt Em that did the trick. Never dared bother us again after that.

Ruby: *jaw hanging in a mix of shock and amusement* No way!

Oscar: *grinning wide* Yes way! I can still hear my Aunt Em now. Oscar, fetch me my gun! No, not that one! The bigger one with the bigger bullets.

At this point, Ruby was in stitches, hardly able to contain her laughter and Oscar joined her.

Ruby: *though laughter* I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time picturing your dainty old aunt firing a gun.

Oscar: *chuckling* There's an old Mistralian saying back home. You don’t mess with the west and if it hails from the south, get out. West and South Anima are mostly farming lands. If there are two things you don't play with in my neck of the woods, it's family and produce and that old witch had it coming big time.

I'd never forget the look on her face when my aunt marched straight up to her house and blew out all her windows. All ten of them on all sides. Not a single piece of glass was spared that day. Em even took out Ms. M’s glass eye. But for that she used a teeny, tiny pistol.

Ruby: *wheezing* You are making this up!

Oscar: *sarcastically* Would I lie?

Ruby gave Oscar a knowing look, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

Oscar: *chuckling* Okay, okay, you got me. That last part about the glass eye is made up but everything else is full proof. Farm boy's honour on my uncle’s grave.

Oscar grinned cheekily and Ruby only shook her head in amusement at the former farm hand.

Ruby: Wow. And I guess this Pumpkinhead reminds you of home.

Oscar: Yeah. Y'know he's not too different from the one on the farm. He's bright orange. Got two beady eyes and a crooked moon smile. Big ole pumpkin-sized head and skinny arms and legs---

At Oscar’s comments, Pumpkinhead made a noise from behind as if to show his displeasure of Oscar’s remarks about its physique. Oscar backpedals, turning to flash the robot a kind-hearted smile.

Oscar: *chuckles* I don't mean that in a bad way Pumpkin. You're a good boy. Yes you are, Whose the best Pumpkinhead in the world? You are!

At Oscar’s affectionate comments, the colour on Pumpkinhead’s eyes turned neon pink as if to reflect its delight of being coddled by Oscar and its robot legs even wiggled, as if mimicking a dog wagging its tails happily at its owner. It is a unexpectedly adorable moment that even makes Ruby gush. So much so that she forgets herself.

Ruby: *cooing; heart-eyes; clapping her hands excitedly* Awww, he is a sweet guy!

This time, Pumpkinhead sprung up suddenly; bursting through the cables that Oscar was partially using before in his current stage of repairing the bot as it shuffled behind whatever giant piece of infrastructure within the storage room was big enough to shield the bot from Ruby. From there Pumpkinhead remained.

Oscar groaned, rubbing his forehead. Ruby, in turn, looked to him guiltily.

Ruby: *apologetically* I am so, sorry. Things were getting so cheery, I forgot about…before. I’m really sorry Oscar. I guess Pumpkin really doesn’t like me now, huh?

Oscar: *exasperated but assuring* Don't…*sighs*…Don’t take it personally. It's not really you. Pumpkin’s scared of everyone. He's alright with me because I think I'm the first person who hasn't tried to hurt him before. Kind of a bad thing to say, isn’t it?

Ruby: Well...isn't he a practice droid? Aren't they built specifically for combat? To take a hit whenever on the battlefield?

Oscar: Yeah but...that doesn't necessarily mean he liked being used that way. What if all the other practice droids are like Pumpkin?

Ruby: I think your guy is a special case, Oscar.

Oscar: You’re probably right. But it makes you wonder doesn't it? I know you guys must think I'm being silly for caring about something that's technically not alive but...he feels alive to me. When he's scared...I feel his fear. I understand it as if it's my own. It's not his fault he was born to be this. He never asked to be made into a practice droid for others to beat up on him whenever they liked. It wasn't his choice. He just had to accept the role he was dealt with but just because this is his life now doesn’t mean he has to like it. He's free to feel scared and not be okay with everything.

Ruby eyed Oscar weirdly. Even though she knew he was speaking from the heart in defence of Pumpkinhead, she couldn’t help but get the impression that his words felt oddly off. As if there was more to them between the lines.

Ruby: *concernedly* Oscar, is everything...okay? With you?

Now it was Oscar’s turn to eye Ruby strangely.

Oscar: *surprised* Yeah I'm good. Why wouldn't I be?

Ruby: I---

Ruby opens her mouth to continue but instead decides against it; claiming it wasn’t the right time to pry.

Ruby: Nevermind.

Oscar looks over Ruby once more, waiting to see if she might say something else but when she doesn’t, he shrugs casually.

Oscar: I'm...going to go check up on Pumpkin. Did you need me for something?

Just like that, Ruby remembers why she came down to the storage room in the first place. She blushes, a bit embarrassed that she had gotten so distracted before.

Ruby: *awkwardly* Oh right! No, no, I just...came down to let you know dinner's almost ready.

Oscar: *smiles* Ooh good I'm starving actually. Let me just clean up here and I’ll join you up upstairs.

Ruby nods. As Oscar makes a move to tidy up to leave, that’s when Pumpkinhead peep its head out, eyes fixed on Oscar.

Oscar: Hey buddy, I'm going up to eat now. I won’t be gone for long but I need you to be on your best behaviour, okay?

Oscar had meant to sound more assuring but his attempt was met with distressed robotic chatter. At the noise, Oscar’s expressed dropped shamefacedly.

Oscar: …Look, I know you don't like it when I leave but…I’ll just be upstairs. I’ll only be gone for like four minutes. Three if I eat really fast.

The robotic distressed signals only intensified and Oscar slumps, face in hand.

Ruby: What's wrong?

Oscar: *sighing* He's…in one of his clingy moods, tonight. Must've been all the excitement from today. When he's stressed like this he doesn't like me to leave. Doesn't want to be left alone. *groans loudly* Guess I'm missing dinner.

Ruby: No you don't. I'll bring your plate down for you. I'll just let the others know we'll be having dinner in the garage tonight.

Oscar: Wait… we?

Ruby: Yeah. You, Pumpkinhead and me. *smiles brightly* You can keep Pumpkin company so he doesn’t stress out and I can keep you company. But…that's only if you---y’know, want my---

Oscar: No, no it’s cool. I---Pumpkin's not much of a talker anyways and...

Oscar flashes Ruby a smile.

Oscar: I'd like your company.

Ruby: *beaming* Great! I promise I won't overstep again this time. Besides…

Ruby turns her attention on Pumpkinhead who was still peeping out at them.

Ruby: *perkily*We may have had a rough start but don't worry Pumpkin, you and I will be bestest of friends in no time too.

Ruby flashes Pumpkinhead a big toothy smile, hitting him with a big ole Ruby Rose thumbs up only for Pumpkin to jolt and zip his head right back behind his hiding spot.

Oscar: *sweatdrops* Sorry.

Ruby: Playing hard to get I see. Not to worry, I've befriended your type before. You're not getting me to give up that easy.

With a determined huff that earns a chuckle from Oscar, Ruby turns on her heals to head back upstairs.

Oscar: Hey Ruby?

Ruby looks back.

Oscar: Thank you. From me and Pumpkin. *cheeks reddening* Mostly me.

Ruby says nothing. Instead she just smiles brightly, pleased with herself to see her friend smiling at her. With that, she leaves to go grab their food.

And scene.

What do you guys think? Now this squiggle meister has shared quite a bit of Oscar- themed theories and Pinehead headcanons before but I think this one has become one of my personal favourites especially as we’re going into the Atlas Arc.

I already got my wish last season with the introduction of flying monkey Grimm in the series. Now what I’d love to see next is Oscar awakening his inner mechanic and creating Pumpkinhead. And after Pumpkinhead, perhaps even Sawhorse will be integrated into RWBY as well as both characters were signature in Princess Ozma’s side of the story.

Words cannot fathom how much I really, really dig this idea. I really want Pumpkinhead to become a canon character in Oscar’s story now because I think it could be pretty cute for Oscar to have his very own robotic companion who he becomes attached to. Ruby had Penny but unlike Oscar, Penny wasn’t canonically invented by Ruby. Pinocchio wasn’t made by either Little Red Riding Hood or Dorothy Gale.

However Princess Ozma did create Jack Pumpkinhead and eventually Sawhorse.

Who knows? If my Pinehead theory comes true, perhaps Oscar will invent his own Pumpkinhead while in Atlas. Atlas is the most technologically advanced kingdom in Remnant so it is a huge possibility. Plus as I’ll point out again, this fits into the Wizard of Oz. If Oscar becomes an inventor on top of being a great and powerful wizard, I don’t think anyone can really complain because it comes with the source material he was influenced by.

Plus Oscar becoming an inventor could be something worth exploring as part of his individual story outside of his story with Ozpin. The whole Ozma reincarnation cycle and magic and longstanding battle with Salem to protect humanity became part of Oscar’s story via his connection with Ozpin who is essentially the Wizard of Oz.

But Oscar inventing Pumpkinhead is more connected to Princess Ozma who he draws reference from. So therefore, this is an opportunity to develop Oscar as his own character outside of Ozpin. Right now, most of Oscar’s story has primary been focused the part he shares with Ozpin.

That’s fine but… ya’ll know how much I have been advocating for Oscar to get his own fair share of development, right? And I think this is an idea on how RWBY can do that while drawing reference from the fairy-tale character Oscar was based off of. This is something the CRWBY Writers can do with Oscar while in Atlas as a means of fleshing him out. I’m just saying.

But y’know. For now, it’s only just another theory to add to the rest as always.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#rwby #oscar pine #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #ruby rose #rwby musings #rwby volume 7 #rwby v7 theories #squiggles scripts: rwby

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afterspark-podcast · 5 years

Text

Intro: Transcript

Episode Show Notes

[This can also be found on AO3!]

O: Welcome to the AfterSpark Podcast, an episode by episode recap of the original G1 Transformers cartoon. I’m Owls!

S: And I’m Specs!

O: And we’re here to talk to you about giant robots. Or at least, we will be! This is actually our intro. What we’d like to do is recap all of generation 1 because it is full of glorious, glorious cheese. Delightful, cheesy goodness and honestly we just want to talk about it, because it’s fun.

S: Yeah

O: And we just wanted to introduce ourselves and kind of our experience with fandom and what things we like before we got into actually talking about the episodes. You should be able to check out our actual first episode the same time we post this. So if you’re like, “Hey, I don’t really care about any of this stuff,” it’s cool, I get it. The other episode’s over there. It’s fine, we’ll see you in a few minutes. For the rest of you that are sticking around, allow us to introduce ourselves. We’ve been friends for nine (9) years.

S: Mm-hmm.

O: Uhh, we went to college together. We were both in art degrees so we like art and comics and media and all that junk.

S: Yep, yep.

O: We’re also neighbors that live in the same building, so one day I was like, “Hey, hey, Specs, want to talk about giant robots?”

S: And I’m like, “Yes!”

O: So here we are, getting ready to talk to you about giant robots, hopefully. We are both first time podcasters, and a shoutout to my husband Chezni for helping us out with sound, so hopefully we don’t sound like complete shit while you’re listening to us. Hopefully it’s a little bit slightly, well, cultured shit -

S: [Laughter]

O: -Or at least our sound quality doesn’t sound awful, because that’s a big deal in podcasting. One of my biggest inspirations was the Jem Jam, which is another podcast that does episode by episode recaps of Jem and the Holograms, which is another Eighties (80’s) Hasbro-

S: -Franchise.

O: Thank you. That is equally ridiculous in vastly different ways. Mostly involving the Eighties (80’s) and music and hair and fashion and all these lovely things.

S: And Soap Opera Drama~!

O: And Soap Opera level of drama. It was also delightful. Go was the show or listen to the podcast because it is completely ridiculous and highly entertaining. But! Something I noticed when I was trying to kind of look around at Transformers podcasts was that I didn’t see anything that quite had that same vibe of just a bunch of friends talking about something ridiculous and I really wanted that and realized it wasn't there and thought, “Eh, maybe we can do that?”

O: And yeah, that’s what we’re trying to do.

S: So. Hi, I’m Specs. I’m been, uhm. Oh, this feels- [sigh] - This feels like I’m in a support group.

O: [Laughter] Welcome! Tell us how Transformers has affected your life. Tell us, Specs! Tell us!

S: Eh, I got into Transformers in like 2002-2003 and I got into it with fanfic. Because of course I did. So much fanfic over the last, like, sixteen (16) years. Oh my god. [huff of laughter]

O: She has quite a collection downloaded.

S: I save things. Habitually. After, uh, there was the great ezboard wipeout of, like, 2005. So, I got into fanfic. Or got into Transformers through fanfic basically I’d been poking through the Medabots thing [category] on fanfiction.net and oh. This person who wrote this thing that I read has also written about these other robots. And I was like, “Ok, let me check this out,” and I had no idea what was going on, so I was like, “I’m going to read through this entire category or at least look through, find whatever the heck looks interesting and then read it,” and that was like 4000 things [fics/works] in the category at that point.

O: Which is significantly less than what’s in there now, I do feel the need to point out. But!

S: I still went through that, and yeah there was a lot of stuff. Yeah, there’s actually still things I really like that I read way back when but basically that was my first exposure to transformers. My first complete canon experience was the G1 [Marvel] comics, but US and UK runs. So I’ve read the entirety of that and I think I read that before 2003 was done, so before 2004. I’ve still got it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read it. Basically, my dad bought a CD, two CD’s actually that had scan of the comics and that’s how I read it and that’s my complete G1 comic experience.

O: So accidentally pirating. [Laughter]

S: [Laughter] Kind of, yeah.

O: Not intentional, but, uh, y’know.

S: Yeah, and then I ended up on the Padded Cell, which was like the- the major sort of transformative fandom hub at the time? A lot of the stuff you see in fanfic now came from people who were on that forum from like 2000-2008. It wasn’t really the hub of anything anymore as things shifted to Lifejournal and [later] Tumblr, People moved away from forums and into, y’know-

O: Other social media accounts.

S: Yeah

O: That were easier and, y’know, they didn’t have to keep servers up and all that junk.

S: Yeah, but it was- it was neat, because I got to see a lot of the fandom stuff, like evolving firsthand, but, uh, so yeah. My fave G1 characters are Ratchet, because I really thought that he was the main character-

O: [Stifled laughter]

S: - in the comics for awhile, because, like, everyone is frigging, like all the Autobots are frigging out.[Laughter] LIke really quickly after they wake up and Ratchet’s just off doing whatever with Buster and then he has to do like a blood-fuel? Pact with Megatron-

O: [Laughing]

S: [Laughing] -and it’s weird. Yeah.

O: I have no frame of reference for any of this.

S: Well, maybe you will soon.

O: She’s lending them to me. Oh no.

S: And then there’s Dead End because like the first DVD’s that I got- I got the second half of season two, and was like, “I like lIke Dead End’s voice, oh no, he’s depressed. Let me hug this- hug this poor robot and so I got the entire. I have an entire, like, complete original G1 Stunticon toys. Set of the G1 toys with all of their combiner stuff. Never actually got around to combining them because I’m lazy and I was more interested in the characters themselves than in Menasor. So yeah, I’ve got those and I’ll bring them up to show them to you and I’ll bring the Alternator Dead End up, too

O: Yes, show me more toys!

S: And- And Wheeljack., which I don’t have an original Wheeljack toy, but I do have a Wheeljack Alternator. Basically G1 sort of got me on the kick for medics and scientists. I like most of the medics that pop up in various series. And yeah, so, favorite overall character is Ratchet and Rescue Bot Blades, who is coincidentally, the Rescue Bots medic. [Laughter]

O: He was before he got turned into a helicopter [laughter]

S: Yeah

O: Which is a great out of context thing to say.

S: Yes, it is.

O: Blade’s is adorable!

S: Like all of the Rescue Bots characters are adorable and you should watch that right now. Go watch it.

O: It is better than it has any right to be. I know, you’re sitting here going- if you haven’t seen it already- why would I watch something that was made for preschoolers? It is written better than it has any right to be. I do not know why, I don’t care why. It is actually quite good and very entertaining even if you’re an adult and you like transformers.

S: It’s got some of the most consistent writing out of any of the shows, like they knew what they had to do, they worked well within the guidelines they had to work with. Like, no one can die, no one can be seriously injured.

O: Right. Because preschoolers. Right.

S: And so it doesn’t have any of the weird tonal inconsistencies that sometimes Prime could get and it wasn’t, like, canceled like Animated was.

O: [softly] Yeah.

S: [sighs] And then Rewind. He’s basically kind of a librarian, and I think. Just Rewind and Chromedome are really neat. I like them both. I like most of the IDW characters.

O: They’re very, very good.

S: Mm-hmm. Favorite series: IDW G1, especially phase two. My favorites are Lost Light and More Than Meets The Eye. I still have a really soft spot for the original G1 comics, cuz they’re the first things that I read.

O: That makes sense.

S: Mm-hmm. And so, let’s - let’s go over to Owls.

O: Hi! My name is Owls. Uh, so in contrast to my friend, I’ve been in the fandom for three months, maybe. It all started a fateful day when I watched someone on YouTube talk about Beast Wars. I had the sneaking suspicion of I vaguely liked Beast Machine’s growing up? Didn’t remember anything else and thought, “Hey! I should watch Beast Wars!” This was my first mistake. At which point I, ah, messaged Specs and I was like, “Hey! You’ve got a copy of Beast Wars, right?”

S: Yep, mm-hmm.

O: And she did, and I watched it and then I rapidly ascended into Transformers madness. And I now lie at the bottom of a ravine getting buried by toys, comics, and various amounts of DVD’s.

S: Yep. Ones [Comics and DVD’s] that I’ve mostly lent you, but… [Laughter]

O: Mostly. I did buy Beast Machines, because she didn’t have it and I wanted to watch it and I have Opinions™. I have Opinions that I won’t get into right now. But I have opinions.

S: You also have Beast Wars.

O: I also bought Beast Wars, but that’s because it is my favorite Transformers thing. SO I’ve probably watched about six different animated series, uh, and the Bay movies and now I know enough to hate the Bay movies. Oh my god! I didn’t know before but now I do. [Laughter] Now I do.

S: Now you know the pain.

O: Now I do, yes. My desk is rapidly accumulating Transformers. Help.

S: [Laughter]

O: We’ve got Grumpy Desk Raptor, and we’ve got 99.9% Done-With-Your-Shit-Rodimus-Grandpa, and smaller, more murderous Desk Raptor. I’ll leave it you to figure out who those three are. [Laughter]

S: I like your desk raptors-

O: My desk-

S: and grumpy grandpa.

O: I-I-I collect grumpy, grumpy characters. This is going to become a theme. Ah, my favorite characters are Dinobot from Beast Wars, who is AWESOME! And I’m so mad he doesn’t show up in anything else! But I guess I should be happy he’s alive in the IDW comics and presumably in a good place?!

S: He’s in the Christmas ep- He’s in the Christmas episode, basically.

O: There’s an adorable panel, it is my life. Ahem. Anyway, so Dinobot from Beast Wars, Lost Light Megatron, which, if you’ve not read the comics, I won’t tell you we’re going to be spoiler free here, but I also don’t want to like be blatant about it so, he’s really well written and I really enjoy him and there’s a very, very obvious reason for that if you’ve read the comics. I also really like Transformers Prime Ratchet, who is just a serious Mood. Uh, he, y’know, is trying to do his job and then he’s like “What the hell are all these human children doing here? And you’re breaking my shit,” And honestly, that’s kind of how I feel most days if I’m around children, yeah.

S: And then he takes over their science projects, because of course he does.

O: Transformers Prime, though I love it, has some weird tonal issues.

S: It does.

O: We’ll get to that eventually.

S: [Softly] It does.

O: I-I feel like I have to do some honorable mentions for pretty much any version of Soundwave, Grimlock, and Starscream in existence. Except for Grimlock from Car Robots or the 2001 Robots in Disguise, because he doesn’t really act like Grimlock. Regardless, they’re all delightful and I love them. And that basically sums up the characters I like for G1 pretty well, which is Soundwave and Grimlock are probably my favorites. Uh, I also rather enjoy Perceptor and I enjoy Megatron for the pure, pure delightful camp factor. [Laughter] He has no redeeming qualities and I love him.

Both: [Laughter]

O: None. So obviously, I have been here for, oh, three months. I know nothing about fandom. I really wanted to do something to get involved, and was like, “Oh dear gog, I can’t draw robots, I don’t really think I feel competent enough to post fanfic,” and I thought, ‘By god , my executive function must surely be worth something.’ And then I decided to put together a podcast, because through the powers of organization, anything is possible.

S: It is, it is. [laughter]

O: And here we are. Through the power of organization. That being said, ah, with us doing this podcast we really wanted to try to put some emphasis on fanworks and fanart and so what we would like to do with the episodes we release is recommend a fanfic and maybe some fanart with our episodes because Specs has been in the fandom for so long she;s got this great stash of ~vintage~ transformers work. Not all of it we can share because some of it’s been taken down and we don’t want to post something without the original authors’ permission or it being posted somewhere, but basically we’re hoping we can give you some good fanfics to kinda go with the theme of the episode . So, should be fun. That being said, if you’re got recommendations for fanart or fanworks-

S: Or questions, or complaints. I’m our complaints department for the record.

O: You can shoot us a message. You can find us on Tumblr. We are AfterSpark-Podcast on Tumblr and you can find other methods in which to contact us there. All that being said, I think we’ve kind of come to the end of our intro here. Hopefully you’ll come join us on our delight ride

through generation 1 and the waves of pure cheesiness we are about to embark on, because trust me, we are.

S: Our delightful ride on jousting jets.

O: A delightful ride on jousting jets. Just wait for it. Um, well, this is Owls!

S: And Specs!

O: Signing off. Thanks for listening to AfterSpark Podcast.

S: Toodles!

#transcript #afterspark podcast #G1 Intro

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themadcapmathematician · 7 years

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all i know abt transformers is the shia movie and the fact that darren criss plays one in the cartoons i think? should i get into transformers is what i'm asking

Oh god this is my favorite question. I’m not sure how to answer it but its my fave. Pull up a chair. I hope you’ve got some time on your hands.

The short answer: yes. You should at least give it a try. Transformers is a 30+ year old muti-media franchise that gets rebooted almost every 3 years so it basically has something interesting to offer almost any fan. If you end up not liking it that’s cool but there’s a lot to try before you decide.

The long answer is: yes you should and here’s why and here’s a rough idea of all the options you have to sample. I’m about to go on a long rant anon so you can check it out now or later or whatever but I’m just warning you ahead of time.

The basic Transformers plot (which I’m sure you know but I’m gonna go more in depth in a minute) is that a race of giant robot aliens who can turn into vehicles and other things have been engaged in a civil war that has lasted millions of years. This is the basic plot that all tf franchises spawn from although some explore slightly different subject matters. If that doesn’t appeal to you I mean there /might/ be a few other things you might find worth sticking around for because there’s just so fucking much of it, but you’re welcome to turn back now because that’s the basic things tf has to offer: giant robot aliens, cars and planes, fighting, some drama. Those are what tf is best at, with some variation.

It has a very active and long lived fan base and each section of the fan base is interested in different stuff with some crossover. There are people who literally only care about collecting the toys, people who wont try any other series except g1, people who only like the comics, etc. Etc. You’ll probably find people who like what you do pretty readily. If you like the toys there are toy forums and blogs. If you like the cartoons there are forums and blogs made for that too. If you like the comics, same. There’s a pretty active following of the comics and cartoon series on Tumblr alone; I would try searching the #maccadam tag since most tf activity has been moved there since the bay movies came out. Id also use the tf wiki liberally because it has pm all the information you’ll need to know about the fandom and the canon lore. There’s also plenty of fan fiction on Ao3 and ff.net if you’re into that and pm anyplace that hosts fan art has tf fan art.

Now there are several series, including comics, cartoons, the Michael bay films, the cartoon movie, spin off books, and video games. I’m gonna go over my personal favorites because I like and know them best but there are more than these if you’re interested in digging deeper.

(More under the cut)

G1: there are a lot of forms of what fans refer to as Generation 1 or G1 but if you live in the US its likely they’re talking about the very first cartoon series.

Summary: the autobots and the decepticons stripped their planet of resources and went looking for a new planet to continue surviving on. They both crashlanded on earth where they lay dormant for millions of years until conveniently awakened somewhere during the 1980s, where they continue their war all over again

Why you should try it: listen its cheesy as hell and full of nonsense plotlines and animation errors but not only is it good fun but at least watching an episode or two might give you a decent grasp on what spawned this enormous franchise in the first place.

G1 movie: this movie was a game changer. Its technically right in the middle of the g1 cartoon but it works as a standalone film too. while it has many trappings of the cartoon its better animated and has a more consistent and dramatic story.

Summary: Optimus Prime and Megatron fight, OP dies (yes he fucking DIES for the very first time. thousands of 10 year olds bawl their eyes out), Megatron gets mortally wounded, and the Matrix of Leadership (aka an autobot holy item/macguffin [this is the proto-cube btw]) has to choose a new leader.

Why you should try it: decent animation, classics lines, tons of 80s rock music, and it establishes a lot of tf conventions that would be carried over to all series that come after it.

Beast Wars: haha the 90s couldn’t be left out of the transformers fun, now could it? This was one of the first all-cg cartoon series in history and while its not much to look at nowadays, it was a big step in the 90s.

Summary: the series doesn’t center on Optimus Prime and Megatron but their decendants. The war is long over but some factions are starting to clash once again. Several members of these factions do the whole “crash land on earth while fighting” thing except they wake up during times before humans and instead of taking vehicle modes, they take animal forms, thus the name.

Why you should give it a try: it establishes the idea of Sparks for the first time, it has historical significance in the cgi realm, and it has a decent storyline with interesting characters. If you can muscle through the 90s-computer-animation look it might be the show for you!

Transformers: Animated: I dont think its a secret that this is one of my favorite tf series of all times. It was the first cartoon series I ever watched of tf and it also features my favorite toy line.

Summary: Optimus Prime is much less a war hero and more of a ..janitor really. He flunked out of the academy and spends his time repairing space bridges. One time during repairs though, they stumble across the Cube and just their luck, Megatron and some nearby cons are looking for it. They portal away to earth where they, you guessed it, crashland, until they’re awoken sometime in the future and go on adventures in futuristic Detroit.

Why you should give it a try: I like tfa’s art style and story and characterisation best tbh; Optimus is younger and more unsure of himself but also more earnest, with more visible baggage. The rest of his team feel like a ragtag band of misfits (which I have a weakness for no lie lmfao) who are still trying to find their place in this conflict and the future ahead of them. Sari is also one of the more beloved human companions and the show’s take on classics characters feels fresh and interesting, and the interpretation of the autobots and decepticons themselves is surprisingly nuanced.

Transformers: Prime: remember that 90s animation? Kiss that shit good bye my friend. This cgi is some beautiful shit. More than a few fans wish tfp is the art direction the movies had taken, storyline aside.

Summary: the autobots are already on earth, staking it out and fighting a more subdued sort of conflict with the cons. One day they get some human kids involved and stumble across some conspiracy shit and it all spirals out of control from there.

Why you should give it a try: great animation and atmosphere, gorgeous character designs, a solid interpretation go the characters, and it offers a more serious take on the story over all.

Rescue Bots: I’ve noticed this show doesn’t make the list a lot which is a shame? It has a much younger audience than any of then other series but its still quality and one of my fave tf series.

Summary: the ship of four non-combatants who were left in stasis before the war detect a transmission telling autobots to go to earth, so it…goes to earth. There they wake up on some island and are told they’ve gotta start building a repatoire with the native species…but they can’t reveal that they’re sentient aliens yet.

Why you should give it a try: ok ok, most of the series are made for 7-12 year olds with the teen and adult fans sort of in mind, this show…is a show made for pre-K kids, no joke. Its a lot less…murder-y, and this is especially saying something because it came out at the same time TFP did and in fact is supposed to take place in the same universe!

BUT, but it has a consistently well-written story and characterization, it addresses stuff I never thought it would, and its a nice break from the ridiculously high stakes of the other series. Honestly Rescue Bots is great and I wish more people talked about it because its a series totally worth watching, certainly as much as any of the others.

More Than Meets the Eye comics: there are a lot of comic series but so far this is my favorite one lol

Summary: the war is over, Optimus is done with everyone’s shit and splits the matrix in half, giving one to rodimus and they other to bumblebee. And what does roddy do with his newfound matrix half? Decide he’s going on a quest of course! And who better to go with than literally every unqualified misfit the autobot and neutral factions have to offer?

Why you should give it a try: ridiculous shenanigans, horror, drama, intrigue, strong characterisation, and a killer aesthetic. Damn it may not always give me what I want but its got a lot of exactly what I’m always looking for.

There are some video games (Fall of Cybertron, War For Cybertron, Transformers: Devastation), other comic series (Robots in Disguise, G1/UK comics), and the Robots in Disguise cartoon, however I don’t have a decent enough grasp on them to describe them super well I just know they’re pretty good and have had people recommend them to me. You’re welcome to try those as well of course.

Also if you’re into toy collecting or want to get into it there’s a lot of materials you can read and such but my personal advice is pretty simple:

1) go to walmart, target, a store that sells collectibles, a convention, or a garage sale

2) buy a cheap toy that you like. Don’t spend over like $20

3) decide if that was a fun experience or not and if you like having this toy or not

If you liked it enough to keep buying, then congrats, toy collecting might be right for you! Do your research, Don’t blow too much money too quickly, take it easy, have fun.

But yeah sorry this is really long but I do hope you consider giving transformers a try since I know I love it a lot and it really has a lot to offer. I hope this wasn’t like…a crazy response. That a crazy person might give. And that I didn’t scare you away or anything XS

the key is to try some stuff and have fun and if its not your thing that’s cool too! Have a chill night anon

#transformers #maccadam #anon #madcap rants #madcap replies #tf #info

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maychorian · 7 years

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Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #20

Rules: You can find past rec lists here. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

I’m going to be busy this weekend with friend and family stuff, so I wanted to get this done tonight. I was going to try to make a separate list for the fics with spoilers, but there are just too many of them, so press J to skip this post if you haven’t finished Season 2 yet and don’t want to see major revelations about it.

This is a very long list. It’s been almost two weeks since the last one, and there’s been an explosion of fics with the new season.

Here Stands a Man by awkwardCerberus Words: 2,568 (WIP 1 / 4) Author’s Summary: Following his disappearance after defeating Zarkon, Shiro is found floating through space and picked up by a Galran transport delivering a hold full of prisoners to a construction colony. Back at the Castle, the remains of Team Voltron are doing whatever they can to get Shiro back and trying hard not to fall apart in the process. My Comments: Heartwrenching Post S2 fic where Shiro gets pulled back into basically his worst nighmare once again. Can’t wait for him to get rescued, please.

A Couple of Ticks by easternCriminal Words: 1,533 (WIP 1/?) Author’s Summary: After an unaccounted for variable does their best to assist Voltron during their final battle with Zarkon, Hunk and Lance wake up in the Galaxy Garrison... a few months before Shiro crash landed back on Earth. My Comments: I am a sucker for time-travel AUs where a character comes back with knowledge of the future and tries to change the past. Plus this is my two faves, so you can understand why I’m excited about it. And they have a psychic connection, which is also fun. I’m really looking forward to more.

pull out your heart by valkyriered Words: 1,965 Author’s Summary: After two weeks aboard a Galra ship, Shiro is rescued by his team. My Comments: Really nice hurt/comfort focused on Shiro and Allura. I want Shiro to get all the hugs, please.

Spar Session by theoncomingwolf Words: 3,025 Author’s Summary: In which Allura takes the training bot's place as sparring opponent for the day. Set after s2, all paladins present. My Comments: Really fun action fic in which Allura is a badass, but everyone gets a moment. It’s cool to see her leadership qualities come out and her reflections on the paladins’ skills.

Pause and Wait by the_authors_exploits Words: 1,319 Author’s Summary: Keith and Shiro are stranded for the night, and Keith watches over Shiro while he gets some much needed rest My Comments: Season 2 was great, but it sure seemed to skip over a lot of stuff we would have liked to see. This is a nice missing moment from Episode 1.

For Your Actions are Mine by wolfsan11 Words: 1,368 Author’s Summary: The Red Lion has awaited her Paladin for years, but the figure who fights to reach her is neither what she expects nor wants. Yet, after her imprisonment, perhaps this little one is simply what she needs. My Comments: FANTASTIC Red pov. I love this view of her and her view of Keith. Lovely.

Insomnia by GriffinRose Words: 15,278 Author’s Summary: They reunite after the Wormhole Incident all in one piece. Mostly. But some scars can't be seen. Keith can't sleep, no matter how hard he tries. Luckily he's got the best team/family ever who are not about to let this go. No, seriously, they won't let it go. My Comments: Absolutely wonderful, subtle hurt/comfort and teamy goodness. What was really wrong and how to fix it was obvious to me early on, but it was fun to watch the team slowly figure it out.

Bromances in Space by ptw30 Words: 2,540 (WIP 4/?) Author’s Summary: Various drabbles for Voltron: Legendary Defender - mainly Keith and Shiro Story One: Hug It Out (Episode Nine - The Belly of Weblum) Story Two: Castle in the Sky (after Episode Thirteen - Blackout) Story Three: How Shiro Became a Dad (Domestic AU) Story Four: Dad Duties (Domestic AU) My Comments: Each chapter is a separate story. The first two have S2 spoilers, but the others are just fluff. They’re all excellent.

Okay I can't just go to bed with Season 2 ending like that I mean really... by Rangergirl3 for 4_angsty_zukos, PrincessMnMz, Zenthisoror Words: 3,590 Author’s Summary: Literally what I thought after binge watching the incredible, fantastic, and all around phenomenal S2.Goes without saying: Spoiler Alert for VLD Season 2 (especially the finale) Hell of a cliffhanger, and I couldn't rest without writing something for it, because it's going to be AWHILE before we know what happens. So, here you all are. I had to write this for myself because otherwise, I wasn't getting to sleep. :-) My Comments: What it says! I love reading all these fics and seeing the various ideas people have for what that Big Dumb Cliffhanger meant. No two so far that I’ve seen have been alike.

But a Scratch by manunulat Words: 1,052 Author’s Summary: This is a brief vignette set after s2ep2. Some things can't be fixed by healing pods. My Comments: Would you like some Hunk and Lance being funny, loving bros, with just a touch of angst? I always like it. I like this one, too.

for every bird there is a stone by lacking Words: 15,954 (4/?) Author’s Summary: Shiro walks away from his confrontation with Haggar injured and shaken. After falling through the corrupted wormhole and finding himself stranded alongside Keith on a solitary planet, Shiro begins doubting his bond with the black lion and his place among the other paladins. As the team is reunited and his health continues to decline, Shiro is forced to confront parts of himself he thought were long buried, and everyone is left questioning just how far he’s willing to go in order to survive. My Comments: This is excellent. Fantastic characterization and interaction, especially for Shiro and Keith. We can always use more post-wormhole fics when they’re this good.

your sacred stars won't be guiding you by contagionangel Words: 3,233 Author’s Summary: In one reality, a major change in long-past history means that, among other things, Shiro never crash-lands on Earth. Hunk still gets attached to the people he'll end up going to space with. A story of friendship, alien coverup conspiracies, and starting to grow courage without noticing. My Comments: I ADORE this. I love the Garrison Trio Plus, and all the ways things change and don’t change with their closer, more involved friendship here. And Hunk’s POV is perfect. I really want more, and the author has promised there will be some more. Like, a lot more, eventually. I am waiting with open hands.

The Core of Him by nightwalker for MusicalLuna Words: 2,072 Author’s Summary: Shiro wasn't afraid of doing what the Olkari king had done – he knew he'd choke on the words if he even tried. My Comments: Absolutely amazing Shiro character study, his view of the team and how important they are and what they mean to him. The other paladins are all adorable and well-characterized too, of course. There were a couple of lines in here that made me breathless with their vivid imagery and strong emotion.

White Hallways by Fernandidilly_yo Words: 3,159 Author’s Summary: (Set right after season 2 episode 13) Keith's reaction to finding that the black lion it empty, and Shiro is gone. My Comments: Utterly heartbreaking, but this also feels so necessary. Lance is a good kid.

Entanglement by story_monger Words: 1,910 Author’s Summary: Pidge has a major revelation about the castle ship's technology and absolutely has to tell someone about it. In which Hunk and Pidge yell at one another about quantum entanglement and Lance simultaneously is confused by and loves his uber nerdy friends. My Comments: ADORABLE. The Garrison Trio is so, so good, in both happiness and grief.

Stating the Obvious by nightwalker Words: 1,947 Author’s Summary: It occurred to Keith like a punch to the gut that they were talking about Allura now, Lance was going to try to talk about this. My Comments: Another scene I really wanted in the show and didn’t get. Lance is a good kid.

Between by Silverkleptofox Words: 2,086 Author’s Summary: Between the biggest revelation of his life and his whole world changing, there is no time for Keith to rest and recover. His teammates make sure he does anyway. Tag to Season 2 Episode 8. My Comments: Almost unnecessarily detailed hurt/comfort based on canon injuries, haha. I love it.

Casserole by genericfanatic Words: 1,922 Author’s Summary: After Shiro "dies" on the Kerberos mission, Keith is all alone. Some days are harder than others. My Comments: This author really excels at sharp, almost harsh depictions of pain and grief that are so realistic that you can feel it yourself. So good.

Nought but Grief and Pain (for Promis'd Joy) by Hedgi Words: 1,353 Author’s Summary: Keith has always been many things. Stupid has never been one of them. Impulsive, sure. Reckless, yes. Intense, quiet, alone—check, check, check. But not stupid. What’s the point in looking for another way, another plan, when all they need is another person on board Zarkon's ship? Introspection reaction to "The Best laid Plans" My Comments: Really painful Keith POV on a pivotal moment in the season. I was glad it ended the way it did.

Basic Chemistry by 15Strawberries Words: 1,211 Author’s Summary: Hunk has some down time in between battles. He tries to make the most of it. My Comments: The PERFECT Hunk. This is exactly how I see him. Adorable and beautiful.

Water Vaper and Earthquakes by boredomsMuse Words: 3,445 Author’s Summary: Hunk is generally a chill guy, well not in the matter that he's never scared or anything but in the sense that Lance has only ever seen the guy angry like once. Until Pidge gets hurt during an ambush, and Lance is really glad this isn't the first time he's seen Hunk angry or things might just have been a lot worse for the paladins of Voltron. My Comments: Really cool magic AU. I’m a big fan of berserker Hunk, and the sense of history with Lance is really fascinating. I would read a lot more of this concept.

Just What You Want by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 3,265 (WIP 2/5) Author’s Summary: 5 times Shiro got hugged by the team.Written pre-Season 2 but I think we need it more now. Also, nominally takes place in the Spectrum verse, but that only matters in chapter five. Updates Saturday and Wednesday. My Comments: Yes good. All the hugs for Shiro. Hunk and Pidge so far, and they were both perfect and adorable and genuine and sweet and made me super happy.

The Melting Milky Way by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 1,827 Author’s Summary: Shiro returns, but he has questions. How well did the team manage while he was gone? He doesn't get the answer he wanted. My Comments: Perfect Finale tag. Just read it. I don’t want to spoil it.

the currents you create by theoddoodisnude Words: 18,501 Author’s Summary: Some days, he woke up even more tired than he’d been when he’d gone to sleep, and willing his body to go through the motions was just—tough. Like wading through thigh-high water or running on soft sand that gave under the soles of his feet. My Comments: Here’s my obligatory Klance hurt/comfort for the week. I think there’s always one. Anyway, this one is very good. Very realistic depiction of depression, and I liked how supportive everyone was, and how hard Lance tried to deal with everything even when he just wanted to give up. Also some wonderful Hunk and Lance and team bonding in there.

Knowledge or Death (And Ignorance is Bliss) by squirenonny Words: 2,189 Author’s Summary: Keith tells the rest of the team what he learned in the Trials of Marmora. [Season Two spoilers! Set between "The Blade of Marmora" and "The Belly of the Weblum"] My Comments: PERFECT missing scene from S2 that we really should have gotten, omg. Unless disproven later by canon, this is how it went for me. Headcanon accepted, stamped, cosigned, and engraved in stone.

Lion's Call by Wolfie_Dragon Words: 2,948 Author’s Summary: After nearly getting killed during battle, Lance is confined to a healing pod. However, he seems to disagree with the severity of the situation, especially when he senses a cry of pain. And it's up to Keith to get him back to the infirmary. Angst/Whump oneshot. Written for the Whumpaween exchange on tumblr. My Comments: Aww, ouch. This is painful and sweet at the same time. Keith is exasperated, but he does his best.

Silence is Golden by VelkynKarma for BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 10,291 Author’s Summary: It's just a sore throat. It's really not that big a deal. But the rest of team Voltron doesn't really see it that way—and Shiro's taking a day off whether he likes it or not. My Comments: Aww, everyone tries so hard. What a good team. ::pats them::

Dark Necessities by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) for VelkynKarma Words: 9,564 Author’s Summary: Sometimes, the choices are easy. This is not one of those times. Shiro knew what he was agreeing to when he became their leader. It doesn't make those calls easier. My Comments: This was a rough read, but it was really well done. Being a leader is hard. I liked the way they talked it out at the end, even if nothing felt fully resolved. It can’t with things like this, sometimes.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Mini Lions by earthstar Where No One Goes by earthstar One Week to Say Goodbye by squirenonny Beautiful Minds by PotatoBender (really gorgeous worldbuilding this chap) Aid by Haurvatat Someplace Like Home by squirenonny Coming Undone by Emerald_Ashes Light Up the Dark by BajillionKittens Love and Other Questions by squirenonny He Sleeps in the Sky of Ice by jadencross (now complete! read read read!) Engine Won't Turn by yet_intrepid (now complete! READ READ READ!) Trials Before the Dead by birdzilla (now complete! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS) The Final Act of Mercy by ptw30 (now complete!) Parasite Knight by VelkynKarma (NOW COMPLETE) Beast You've Made of Me by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) (now complete)

#voltron legendary defender #fic rec #vld2 #yeah this took me an hour #and yep definitely a new record #28 new fics and 15 wip updates #now to make those comments #weekly voltron fic recs #vldgen

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shineyma · 7 years

Text

Amy’s note: I’ve chosen to respond to your comments in-text; my commentary is in bold. It’s just easier to keep track of that way. Plus I added a read more for obvious reasons! ;D

Alright. I’m going to start with your post regarding Daisy’s “you and Fitz belong together” to Jemma.

I honestly can’t even consider it a thing Daisy canonically told Jemma because her overall characterization is far too good for this sort of thing. I don’t think this is something S4 Daisy would tell Jemma. It’s just a joke, another instance of bad and inconsistent writing, right up there with Jemma’s “I can’t think without Fitz.” Three and a half seasons of Jemma finding herself in much direr, more desperate and far more apocalyptic situations – where she’s had her short break-downs/freak-outs to relieve some of the tension, then went right back to work using her genius brain to provide solutions – all of that cast aside so the writers can cater to their obsession with FS. Jemma’s break-down here wasn’t consistent with her previous characterization, and to try and pin it on the trauma of what had just happened with the Fitz-bot would be a form of retconning. *sigh*

I both agree and disagree, nonnie! I liked that Jemma had a mini-breakdown, because she has been through a lot over the last few years and that piles up. Plus, as dire as things have been for her...killing one’s own boyfriend (regardless of the fact that it’s a robot version) is pretty traumatic. So I don’t think we can really dismiss this situation as “she’s been through worse”, especially considering that it’s not just that she killed LMD Fitz, but also he attacked her. That’s gonna (or should, if not for the writers’ dislike of consequences in fs-land) leave some scars.

So I liked that she had a momentary breakdown and had trouble thinking and gave up hope. Hope hurts, Jemma knows that more than anyone, and while she’s chosen before to hold on to it and find it in bad places, well...things are looking really bad there.

That said, I would’ve liked it better if she’d just stuck to “I can’t think” and left Fitz out of it. If it’d been a breakdown about her and not a breakdown about fs, it would’ve been much better. And less jarring.

And this thing where we find two women amidst a crisis having an exchanging and most of it focusing on the one’s male love interest – all the while these women have so many traumatic and otherwise experiences in common that they could talk about – is The Flash’s Iris and Caitlin all over again. But it’s even more inexcusable and unforgivable here because it’s out of character for both Daisy and Jemma in this situation and they have they kind of long and rich and complex history together and Caitlin and Iris don’t. And on this note, nyxelestia reblogged your post and made a truly excellent and well-though addition about AOS and the treatment of Daisy/Jemma. (Oh, I’m getting angry.)

Actually, I think the saddest part is that the exchange didn’t mostly focus on Fitz. They made a plan and Jemma referenced Daisy’s need to atone and said she couldn’t lose her and they argued about what to do and so on and so forth, and then Daisy dropped that destiny crap in out of nowhere and that’s what we’re remembering. Without it, it was a really great scene. Minus the aforementioned “I can’t think without Fitz” stuff.

Anyway. Re: Brett and Ward’s return, Jed Whedon said that they wanted to bring Brett and Ward back without negating what they’ve already done with the character, and that sounds to me a lot like Brett/Ward is only going to be a temporary Framework thing – but hey, of course dream on! (Not going to lie here; this is me crushing your Ward hopes in a sort of, kind of, maybe revenge for making me do all those calculations and consider the dates and get my hopes crushed that November 8 isn’t related to F.Z.Z.T and FS. Although I’m honestly grounding my own excitement too because I also want Brett and Ward back so badly.) By the way, “I have MISSED HIS FACE and I want him to stay FOREVER” is precisely what I’m feeling about Brett and Ward’s absence. You’ve put it into words!

XD I admit that I am deserving of having my hopes crushed. But I will live in hope anyway because I like this show better when Brett’s on it. (Not to say I haven’t been enjoying s4 thus far!! I’ve actually really loved it! I just would’ve loved it even more with added Brett.)

About Framework!fic: it should definitely be the new rock!fic. That was my own immediate thought once the episode ended. The two cliffhangers are so much similar in nature, in all the possibilities they open up, that it only makes sense. So get on that! You only have, like, a month or so (…she says as if she wouldn’t read a Framework!fic a whole decade from now). Daaaazzle me as you always do! (Side note: this is just an expression of my pure and unbridled excitement over Framework!fic. No one is in no way ever to feel rushed or pressured to write anything.) Also, please never stop being a #terrible and predictable raccoon. Your #terrible and predictable raccoon…iness gives me life. This is the kind of #terrible-and-predictable-raccoon-produced content I signed up for. :3

<3 <3 <3 Thanks, nonnie!! That’s so lovely to hear! :D

And finally, onto the Framework theories!

I was personally never worried that Jemma would die because she appears to be dead in the Framework, and for a number of reasons. Firstly, there’s Elizabeth’s status as a core cast member and one half of FS. I think that if she were to be killed off, we’d strongly suspect it slash feel it coming, like with Brett. And we know how much the writers love FS. One of them dying is, I think, pretty much the only kind of drama they would not create with those two. Then there’s Jemma’s “but dying in there will definitely kill you” to Daisy. Maybe it was just me but the minute we saw Jemma’s grave in the Framework and we were thus “told” that Jemma is dead in the reality of the Framework, my brain immediately went down the path that said Jemma was dead in the Framework before her consciousness was uploaded to it, and that what she’d told Daisy about dying in the Framework resulting in death in the actual reality, only pertained to people who were uploaded in the Framework, no the made-up replicas that existed in it (e.g. Mack’s daughter, Coulson’s students, perhaps Ward etc.). So unless a time jump happened (highly unlikely considering how the Framework sequence was presented) where Jemma’s uploaded consciousness died inside the Framework, the supposedly dead Jemma is merely her replica.

See, I guess everyone else saw it coming, but Ward’s death came out of nowhere for me---and while I knew they’d kill off Hive (because aos has something against multi-season arcs, even when it means wasting amazing villains), I honestly thought they’d find some way of keeping Brett around. Maybe it was denial, I don’t know; point is, Brett being gone for good came TOTALLY out of left field for me. It left scars. So I was absolutely worried that they’d do the same with Liz. XD

Plus, I sadly don’t share your assurance that they wouldn’t kill one of fs for drama. They have a clear preference for Fitz and imagine how many episodes of him blaming himself and missing her and angsting and angsting and angsting they could squeeze out of Jemma’s death? Oh, not to mention everyone else’s lives revolving around him while never addressing that they might mourn Jemma in her own right. The writers love that stuff.

Now, re: a potential resurrection if she’s truly dead and buried there, I honestly can’t tell if the writers would go as far as to pull a Buffy or Dean with Jemma. Buffy is Joss Whedon’s show. And I think her middle name’s Anne, like Jemma’s? And her first name is Elizabeth? Also, Dean is named after his grandmother, Deanna. And he hooked up with that angle turned human turned angel again, Anna Milton, a few episodes into S4 i.e. his resurrection season, and all that about the first thing Anna heard on the “angel radio” was “Dean Winchester is saved.” (Maaaan, it’s truly dark down here in this hole. How do rabbits see? Do they have night vision? :3)

Re: the November 8 and deliberately hidden year of Jemma’s date of death, JD’s red herring theory is likely and it gives me hope and I love it. Again, I wouldn’t put it past the writers to have made the calculations necessary to connect it to F.Z.Z.T. and make it another FS-related thing instead of Let. Jemma. Have. Her. Own. Non. Fitz-related. Storyline. But there are other things to consider here before we talk about old episodes and how the date might connect to them.

First of all, we have no idea if Jemma really is dead. (Side note: we’re always talking about the Framework replica of Jemma. We’re assuming the gravestone is there at least a whole moment before our Jemma is successfully uploaded or whatever else on Earth happens.) Jemma could have faked her death for one reason or another. Or some people have theorized that the gravestone is actually the rendezvous point for Daisy and Jemma i.e. the backdoor that Jemma programmed in the Framework so she and Daisy can get out of there once their mission is complete.

Ooooooooooo, I hadn’t heard the theory that the gravestone was the backdoor! I like that one. Faking one’s death is always a classic, so I’ve loved that one since I heard it, too. (Spoiler alert: I actually have a little gifset re: that possibility scheduled for tomorrow.)

Another theory I read is that Framework Jemma is indeed dead, and that the real Jemma will simply not be uploaded and wake up to coordinate the rescue of the others with Elena from wherever Radcliffe and Aida are keeping them. I find this one highly unlikely if I’ve being honest – not dramatic enough, especially considering all the other far more spectacularly dramatic possibilities.

But in the end, before we can really work on any of the individual characters inside the Framework, we have to figure out the overall reality of the Framework. Coulson being a teacher and teaching children to fear Inhumans, May ascending in the elevator at a Triskelion with the HYDRA logo plastered on its side, Fitz as a – theorized – Tony-Stark-esque version of himself… None of that means anything unless we know the details – indeed, the World History of Framework!Earth. Is HYDRA the same evil organization that they are in reality? Certainly, the logo remains the same stupid, menacing, evil-looking octopus. But that could be for the viewers’ benefit or some other practical reason. And then, building on that, did S.H.I.E.L.D. fall? When did it fall? When did the uprising happen? Did S.H.I.E.L.D. ever exist at all? Did Captain America? Were there any World Wars at all? Is it a Nazi dystopia? The Inhumans clearly happened. But how did they happen? And is Daisy even one of them in the Framework? And so on and so forth.

My own personal theory for why May’s HYDRA: she saved that little girl in Bahrain, which we saw. So say the little girl then used her power to get May under her control....and then Hive came back and swayed the little girl, thereby getting indirect control of May. Now Hive is ruling HYDRA, Coulson fears Inhumans because they’re all swayed and doing Hive’s dirty work, and so on.

(I will freely admit that 50-60% of this theory is just grounded in me wanting Hive back. Getting Ward is amazing enough, but I’m greedy.)

Anyway, really there are way too many possibilities. We can’t even begin to guess what happened and what didn’t.

Except kind of we can, because the idea was each person plugged into the framework had a single regret changed. So anything that happened before the oldest of them (Coulson or May?) was born in the real world probably happened there too. There would need to be some kind of consistency between the worlds, otherwise the circumstances that created their regrets might never have happened, thereby denying Aida the chance to fix them, right?

So probably the World Wars happened, probably Cap existed, probably HYDRA was evil. Whether Cap’s still around, HYDRA’s still evil, etc....that’s harder to say.

Assuming we answer the above, we can work on individuals. “We are being called in,” as seen on Daisy’s phone, is a pretty good indicator of what she and Ward might be doing for a living. Could be misdirection. If it’s not, do they work for HYDRA? And again, if we don’t know what kind of organization HYDRA is and what the form of government is in general, we can’t speculate on May and her working at HYDRA – maybe even heading it.

And then we also have to decide whether Aida was immediately alerted when Daisy and Jemma uploaded themselves into the Framework, and if she made any adjustments – and to what ends. Did Aida kill Framework Jemma on purpose, to stop the real Jemma? Did she put Ward in there instead of Lincoln to do the same to Daisy? Because I could buy that some part of Daisy might have thought about Ward might have turned out like if he hadn’t been found by Garrett – if he had been found by Coulson or some other good, loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Or if his family had never been abusive. So, a good Ward could have been her boyfriend of choice in the Framework, but only if Lincoln had never existed in reality. I sincerely think Daisy’s true desire is Lincoln, not Ward. And not just because she called his name and thought she would find him in her and Ward’s bed. Lincoln just makes sense, emotionally and mentally.

Re: Daisy’s boyfriend of choice, it’s been pointed out that Ward makes sense as her boyfriend in the framework because of the lack of choice. Aida mentioned in the episode that she had to keep resetting the framework when they added someone new; if Daisy had been caught and plugged in the way the others were, Aida would have adjusted things to address what ever Great Regret she thought Daisy needed fixed. But because Daisy wasn’t planned for, she just got slotted into the life her double was living as a consequence of all those other large changes. Whatever rippled out from the others’ regrets being fixed led to Daisy being with Ward; her own choice had nothing to do with it.

Because I agree, she absolutely would’ve chosen Lincoln.

So, to circle back to an earlier point, making a connection between Jemma’s date of death as seen on her gravestone and one of the old episodes is a very messy, all-over-the-place thing, because it would require this and that and the other for the circumstances that led to F.Z.Z.T. to have happened in the reality of the Framework as well.

See, as much as I like all the theories that have Jemma not dying in FZZT...I think you’re giving the writers a liiiiiiiiiittle too much credit there. I don’t know that they’d actually consider all the possible ripple effect and technicalities, not when they have the opportunity to turn it into a “I’d be dead without you!!” shipper moment.

Alright, I’m done. That’s about all I can remember that I wanted to say. Thanks, again, terribly, for letting me send this to you this way. It made the text much easier and less stressful to produce and handle (I absolutely cannot guarantee the absence of all sorts of mistakes). You’re an angel. And you can also edit it however you want, you know. Go wild! Write comments in between if you want. Delete stuff. Add jokes.

You’re welcome, nonnie! <3

P.S. Yes, I have indeed made the submission essentially anonymous. In the words of Steve Rogers: “Internet. So helpful.” Especially when you suffer from crippling shyness. Which I hate. Because it makes my life unnecessarily difficult and impossible.

I totally feel you, nonnie. I have horrible social anxiety and 99% of the messages I send to non-mutual blogs (and, honestly, even them sometimes) are sent on anon. I don’t blame you at all!

Thanks again so much. ❤ ❤ ❤

And also, yay for the Framework!fic you’re making progress on!

My excuse for posting this at 1AM: I finished and posted the fic! Yay?

#amy communicates #anonymous #my nonnies are the best nonnies #i'm way too tired to reread everything i've written here so fingers crossed that it's coherent!#and also friendly because i disagreed with a couple of your points #i hope i don't sound rude and/or condescending #if i do it was NOT my intention #just my exhaustion getting the better of me #aos spoilers #submission

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