#back then when tfa was still fresh

[buckyalpine]

LMAOO OKAY IMAGINE 40s!BUCKY (like tfa stark expo version) MAGICALLY TELEPORTING TO MODERN DAY, and Sharon’s bitch ass is hanging all over him, flirting hardcore, and is absolutely thrilled bc he’s actually giving her some attention. BUT THEN HE SEES THE READER AND IS LIKE “oh wow who is THAT” and leaves her alone to go woo the gorgeous dame. I can picture her face getting all red and embarrassed and upset. And Sam and Nat and Tony are in the background giggling.

GOD I LOOOVEEE THISSSS 40's heart has my heart cause this blushing soldier would be such a perfect mix of devilishly handsome and adorably shy.

-

"Shit" Tony huffed watching his time portal experiment start up and fail for the fourth time in a row while Bruce continued to medal with the dials, resetting the machine once more. "Why does it keep doing that"

"Give it a secondary power source, there's not enough juice with the first one"

Tony nodded, rummaging through a pile of knick knacks on his desk, grabbing a vial and adding it to the generator.

"Alright, set the timer to 19:00 hours and 40 in the past. Let's see if we can just travel to yesterday first before messing with going back years" He snorted, as Bruce punched in the time before hitting the start up button. The machine started to rumble before growing hot, the dials and buttons spinning and clicking on its own, parts starting to pop off.

"Oh shit!" Tony ducked under the table, shielding himself from getting knocked out as the portal grew more powerful, a force filed growing, knocking down things around the lab.

"What the hell did you use as a power source?!" Bruce yelled over the high pitched whizz the machine started to make, blinding light filling the room before disappearing, leaving a cloud of smoke in its place.

"I don't know, I just grabbed something that look like it'd fit" Toy shrugged between coughs as the smoke dissipated, squinting when he realized the platform wasn't empty.

Someone was standing there.

"What the hell..."

Blinking with bright blue eyes was a young soldier, dressed in a fresh, clean and pressed uniform, looking like a lost puppy while Tony and Bruce blinked in both confusion and amusement.

"Banner what the hell did you do with the timer?!"

"You're vial set everything into over drive, it must've recalibrated to 1940 instead of a couple of hours ago!" Bruce threw his hands up while the younger version of Bucky stared at the lab with child like wonder, his eyes twinkling as if it were Christmas day.

"Holy shit..." He breathed out seeing the vast technology, his mind still reeling over what was happening. One minute, he was on his way to see Steve and take some girls dancing and next thing he knew, he was sucked through a loop.

"Dear God-alright, uh-Barnes?" Tony waved the soldier over, mentally debating on what to tell him.

"Mr. Stark? It's-it's an honor, sir" Bucky shook Tony's hand before standing tall before him with his back straight, ever the bright eyed Sargent. Tony scratched his head before letting him take a seat, figuring honesty was the best police.

"Sargent. This may take a while"

-

Bucky understood bits and pieces of what Tony explained to him while getting a tour of the compound, the common room being the last place for him to check out. The team alternated between greeting and secretly cooing over the adorable young Bucky while also simultaneously laughing at Tony. At the very least, the billionaire was lucky the actual Bucky was away on a mission with you and Steve; there was only so much he could handle in a day. The soldier decided to hang back in the living room with the others, happily chatting away with Sam and Nat.

Then there was Sharon

"Hey Soldier" She winked, giving him a smirk causing the young Bucky to blush, throwing her a flirty smile right back.

"Nice to meet ya' doll" Bucky drawled out making her giggle, his lip catching between his teeth when she flipped her hair back.

"Aren't you sweet" She whispered, her heart beating a little faster when he moved towards her, his sweet baby blues gazing down at her intently. She'd tried a million times to get Bucky's attention before and he didn't look at her twice. She wasn't about to lose her chance with the new one.

"Look whose talking" Bucky chuckled back, his naturally flirty nature taking over with ease, after all it would be rude for him to ignore her.

"Someone's gotta protect him from this randy she goat" Sam whispered while Nat snorted, watching the two of them continuing to flirt, Sharon's hands toying with the buttons on Bucky's uniform, making her way up to brush his collar.

There was no way she was going to just let the gorgeous soldier go.

The machine wasn't fixed any time soon so Bucky was given a room to stay in. He loved the feeling of modern day sweats, looking cute as ever in some comfy joggers and a cotton tshirt, his fluffy cropped hair always neatly brushed and face shaven.

He was a Sargent after all. He always looked his best, even in lounge clothing.

There hadn't been a day where Sharon left Bucky alone. She clung onto his side, practically crawling up his leg day in and day out while the others side eyed the situation, keeping an eye out for the innocent Bucky.

"So, what's a soldier like you doin' without a girl, hm?" Sharon teased, pressing her hand to his chest, loving the way Bucky flirted back with her while the both of them sat in the common room with a movie playing in the background. Tony, Nat and Sam glanced at each other, quietly watching from their place in the kitchen while the blonde continued to giggle and blush, running her finger's through his hair.

"How do you keep your hair so soft, Sargent"

"Well, I- woah"

Sharon frowned when the soldier stopped talking half way after something- or someone- caught his attention. His eyes grew wide, a classic boyish smile appearing on his face when he saw the prettiest dame he'd ever laid his eyes on walk by the living room, making his heart flutter.

"who was THAT" Bucky stared in awe, seeing her stretch her arms up, still in some type of modern tactical suit, rubbing sleep from her eyes and yet she was still one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen.

"Uh-excuse me" Sharon's face twisted watching Bucky stare are you like a love struck puppy, nearly jumping over the sofa so he could run and talk to you. He didn't take his eyes off you, practically swooning when he saw you pack away the gun from you holster.

"Huh-yeah, sorry-" Bucky mumbled, still focused on you, unbothered by the way Sharon's face was now red with embarrassment, seething at what he was doing.

"Look at this guy, he's not even hiding the fact that he's staring at y/n" Sam snorted while Tony and Nat snickered, watching the young Bucky watch you with heart eyes, "Aw man, he's got it bad"

"Hey y/n, looks like someone's got a little crush on you" Nat whispered, discreetly nodding to the living room. You nearly squeaked in surprise, seeing a very very young version of your boyfriend sitting on the couch, taking peeks over at you whilst ignoring the blonde who was still fighting for his attention.

"Tony, you did this, didn't you" You sighed while Tony smiled proudly, now fully invested in how all this was going to play out.

"I'll explain later. Go wash and change and you can talk to him"

As soon as you were out of the kitchen, Bucky scrambled to the group, cheeks tinted pink, bashful as ever, looking at the three smirking faces, wiggling their eyebrows at him.

"See something you like, soldier?" Nat prodded while Bucky nearly giggled, nodding.

"Who was that" He asked in earnest, truly curious to at least get your name.

"That would be y/n. I'll introduce you once she's back down. You might be her type, y'know" Sam winked knowing damn well he was your type. After all you were technically already dating. Bucky bounced on his heels, waiting patiently while Sharon huffed, refusing to move from her spot on the couch. You made your way back down after a shower to see an exited Sam and a shy Bucky along with a smug Tony and Nat.

"Y/n, meet young Buck" Sam smiled while you held your hand out, swooning at the way he shook it gently, throwing you smile few got to see, one he had when he got butterflies in his belly.

"Nice to meet you Sarge"

"Pleasures all mine, angel" Bucky whispered, leading you off to the living room to talk to you more, offering you a seat, wondering if you wanted anything to snack on or drink, forgetting Sharon's existence entirely. Sharon nearly opened her mouth to say something, immediately shutting it with a satisfied smirk seeing the other Bucky walk in followed by Steve. Hopefully he'd see his girlfriend was a cheating whore, flirting with someone else even if it was him from the past. Her brain wracked itself in hopes that this would all crash and burn while Bucky frowned the closer he got.

"What the fuck Stark" Bucky scrunched his face walking in on some punk flirting with his girl, only to realize said punk was a younger version of him.

"Relax, I'll fuse you two together" Tony shrugged while Bucky's face twisted again, grumbling when his younger self kissed you hand again, pulling you up for a dance while fumbling with a phone he'd just managed to figure out.

"They're cute" Steve grinned, nudging Bucky playfully while Bucky rolled his eyes, smiling to himself a little while later when you caught his eyes, throwing him a wink. You laid your head against the young soldiers chest while he swayed with you, unaware that he was being watched by everyone else, in his own world with just you in it.

"You better fuse us together" Bucky hissed, narrowing his eyes when you giggled at something that was whispered in you ear; Tony snorted with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Why Barnes, scared of a little competition?"

Before Bucky could retort, Sharon was up and walking with purpose, stalking right towards Bucky.

"Y'know they're both flirting hard, right? Aren't you two dating?"

Bucky wordlessly stared at her while the others looked at her with confusion, the desperation becoming embarrassing.

"Sharon, shut up" Sam deadpanned while her mouth gaped open and shut before storming off.

"Back to what I was saying. Scared, Barnes?"

"You should be the scared one" Bucky sassed back, knowing exactly what his younger self was capable of; he knew that innocent boyish charm did wonders when it needed to. That being said, even his past self recognized real love, gravitating towards his one true soul mate after just seeing her once.

He watched the two of you continue to dance and whisper, the young soldier tipping your chin up, eyes flicking to your lips, his soft pouty pink lips so close to yours, leaning down so he could press a kiss so sweet-

"Alright that's it, punk get your hands off her!"

[in1-nutshell]

Hello again, this is the second part of TFA Bumblebee's twin sibling.

Buddy also become fascinated by earth and, because of that, Prowl invites them to come watch the animals with him and learn more about earth's nature.

During that time Prowl and Buddy get to know each other better, they end up getting closer to the point Buddy's crush on Prowl goes from tiny to big.

Buddy's ends up getting more quiet and shy around Prowl because they don't know what to with those feelings.

Unknow to them, Prowl also returns those feelings.

Bumblebee starts teasing Buddy the moment he finds out they have a crush on Prowl.

Because, come on, he is their brother, it's basically his duty to embarrass them.

.

Bumblebee: I can't believe it, your first crush and is on the most boring bot ever.

Buddy: Oh, shut up!

.

But when he finds out Prowl also has a crush on his twin?

He becomes the "what are your intentions with my sibling" protective brother real quick and gives Prowl the shovel talk.

Is it because he thinks Prowl isn't good enough for his sibling? Not really, is mostly because he feels that it's his responsibility as Buddy's brother to act like this.

In the end, Bumblebee gives Prowl his approval to date his sibling and Prowl promises to Bumblebee that he will protect Buddy.

All righty! Part 2 of the last request!

Hope you enjoy!

Bot Buddy who's Bumblebee's twin with a crush on Prowl

SFW, Platonic, Romance, Familial, Cybertronain reader

TFA

The longer the team stayed on Earth the more Buddy fell in love with the planet.

From its people.

To the animals

To the plants.

It was so new and fresh, defiantly nothing that was on Cybertron.

They did miss Cybertron every now and then, but Earth was slowly becoming their new home.

Buddy and Sari had especially gotten close.

Buddy felt that they did owe Sari a bit, but it was mostly because they really did like Sari.

Buddy and Sari coming back to the base.

“And where were you two?”--Bumblebee

“We went to go see the new duck pond in the park.”--Buddy

Sari nodding.

“Yeah, and we got to feed them too.”--Sari

Sari and Buddy laugh a bit.

“Remember when that duck flew straight into your chassis?”--Sari

Buddy smiling widely.

“Only because you forgot to take the feed out! I still got feathers in me.”--Buddy

“Anyways, Sari I got the game set up—”--Bumblebee

“Not now Bumblebee. I’m gonna help Buddy paint their room.”--Sari

“Why? I’m much more fun than pain—and they left. Great…”--Bumblebee

Bulkhead sat next to him, patting his helm.

“It’s okay little buddy—”--Bulkhead

“I’m not that little!”--Bumblebee

Bee isn’t jealous.

He is very much.

He ends up nudging Buddy into hanging out with the team more so he can have more time to play with Sari.

This indirectly caused Buddy to start hanging out more with Prowl.

The two having a love for the organic nature of this planet often went outside of the plant to go look around.

It became their thing.

Buddy stumbled out of their room and running to the main room where Prowl was waiting for them.

“Sorry I’m late! I think Bumblebee mess up with my alarm’s.”--Buddy

Prowl chuckles a bit.

“No problem.”--Prowl

“I really thought you already left to the park by now. Why’d you wait?”--Buddy

Prowl stiffens a bit.

“You know more about the birds than I do.”--Prowl

“So that’s the only reason?”--Buddy

Prowl nervous sweats a bit before transforming.

“Shall we?”--Prowl

Buddy smiles at him and transforms.

“Ready when you are.”--Buddy

They never thought too hard about what was going on between them and Prowl. They were best friends, nothing more.

Right?

Best friends hung around each other all the time.

Best friends had sleepovers in each other’s rooms.

Best friends held servos sometimes.

Best friends sometimes felt a pounding in their chassis whenever the other was around.

Bets friends worried a lot about the others’ safety.

Best friends would take a blast to the chassis for the other.

Best friends would stare at each other for long periods of time.

Best friends often thought about each other when they slept—

Oh

Oh no…

They knew well this wasn’t some temporary thing.

They liked Prowl.

They really liked Prowl.

They needed to tell someone this.

And granted this was definitely not their best idea…

Buddy sitting with Bumblebee and Sari.

“So why do we have be here? Why not in the main room?”--Bumblebee

“Because I need to tell you guys something…”--Buddy

“And that’s something you can’t tell the team? Well, I’m all in for it! What is it?”--Bumblebee

“I…I…I like Prowl.”--Buddy

Buddy squints their optics shut not wanting to see their reactions.

Silence

“YYYYEEEEEEEE!”--Sari

Buddy quickly covers Sari’s mouth.

“Are trying to let the others know?!”--Buddy

“I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!”--Sari

“Wait what?”--Buddy

Sari giving them a smug look.

“I knew it from the first week you liked Prowl. I’ve been shipping you guys since.”-Sari

“Shipping? Never mind.”--Buddy

Buddy looks at their twin nervously.

“Well?”--Buddy

Bumblebee busts out laughing.

“Nice one Buddy! But leave the pranks to me. We both know I’m better.”--Bumblebee

“Bumblebee, they’re not kidding.”--Sari

Bumblebee looks at his twin and then realizes their seriousness.

“Really? Prowl? Out of all the bots—you just had to pick the most boring bot in this side of the system.”--Bumblebee

“Hey! He is not boring!”--Buddy

“Buddy’s right.”--Bulkhead

Bulkhead is leaning a bit on the doorframe.

“Thank you, Bulkhead.”--Buddy

Silence.

“Bulkhead! What are you doing here!?”--Buddy

“We heard Sari scream and came in and…”--Bulkhead

“Excuse me did you say ‘we’?”--Buddy

Bulkhead moves a bit revealing Ratchet and Optimus.

Buddy looks like they are going to faint.

“…How much did you hear?”--Buddy

“About the stuff we already knew?”--Ratchet

Buddy buries their face in their servos.

“At least Prowl did hear you.”--Bulkhead

“I didn’t hear about what?”--Prowl

CRASH!

THUD!

Buddy had sprung out of the window of their room and landed hard on the ground outside.

Everyone moved towards the window.

Buddy is laying eagle spread outside on the slightly cracked pavement.

“…Sari—”--Optimus

“On my way.”--Sari

Apparently, everyone knew, except about their crush except Prowl himself.

Observant their tailpipe.

The rest of the team managed to get Prowl out of the base for a bit to talk more to Buddy about their crush on the Cyberninja.

There are a lot of mix comments on how to woo or confess to Prowl.

Bee kind of doesn’t care too much about it.

He thinks that all of this is a bit much preparation for something that could fade away in a couple of weeks.

…That was until Bee found about Prowl’s little secret.

Bumblebee hiding behind Prowl’s tree ready to spook him for once.

Prowl comes in slightly pacing, clearly frustrated and nervous.

Bee stops a bit wondering what is happening to his friend.

“Come one Prowl! How hard is it to form a simple sentence. Why can’t you just say it.”--Prowl

Prowl stops a bit trying to regain his composure.

“Okay let’s see… Buddy, I like you. No that’s too straight forward. Buddy… ever since we met, I feel a special connection to you that I can only describe as affection. No… still not right. Hey Buddy, would you like to go out with me?”--Prowl

Bumblebee jumping from behind the tree.

“You like Buddy!”--Bumblebee

Prowl jumping already taking out his weapon when he realizes who it is.

“Bumblebee! What are you doing here!”--Prowl

“You. Like. Buddy.”--Bumblebee

Prowl freezes a bit.

“How much—”--Prowl

“I heard all of the horrible ways that your trying to ask them out.”--Bumblebee

“…”--Prowl

Prowl sits on his berth with both servos on his face groaning.

Bumblebee walks in front of him with both of his servos on his hips.

“Okay Prowl, do you really like them?”--Bumblebee

Prowl removes his servos from his face.

“Of course I do.”--Prowl

“Meaning that you want to make them happy. Like the happiest bot in this world.”--Bumblebee

Prowl nodding.

“And wanting to protect them from any danger or Decepticon we ever come across?”--Bumblebee

“Yes, I would protect them with my spark.”--Prowl

Bumblebee stands still like he is thinking.

“I guess I approve then.”--Bumblebee

Prowl looking at him dumbfounded.

“Wait what? What do you mean?”--Prowl

“It means I approve you and Buddy getting together, duh.”--Bumblebee

“I…I would have thought you wouldn’t like us being together, at all.”--Prowl

“I don’t like the idea of my twin dating anyone, but I guess if you do what you said you were going to do, then I’m fine with it.”--Bumblebee

Prowl looking a bit hopeful.

“Thank you.”--Prowl

Bumblebee waving his servo.

“Yeah, yeah, now go work on those pick-up lines and confessions. Only the Allspark knows why they like you.”--Bumblebee

“They what?”--Prowl

Bumblebee’s optics widen at the mistake, while Prowl’s widen in happiness.

“Ummm… what? I didn’t say anything!”--Bumblebee

“…”--Prowl

“Prowl?”--Bumblebee

“…”--Prowl

“Sari! I think I broke Prowl!”--Bumblebee

Prowl ended up confessing to Buddy later that week in front of the tree in his room under the full moon light.

He did think about doing it better in the park, but he didn’t want to risk something bad happening, and his room was the best place he could think of that also held significant value to the pair.

As a bonus, the team would be out on patrol while he would gather the nerves to confess.

The team returning from patrol.

“Remind me why Prowl couldn’t come today?”--Bumblebee

“He said he needed to do something and needed Buddy’s help with it.”--Optimus

“Hmmm. Wonder what that—”--Bulkhead

Bulkhead stops in the middle of the way.

“Bulkhead what are you—Oh.”--Ratchet

“What ‘oh’? What is—Oh. Oh!”--Optimus

“All right move it we can’t see!”--Bumblebee

Bumblebee and Sari move to the front to see what was going on.

On the sofa Prowl was sitting next to Buddy.

Buddy’s helm was resting on Prowl’s chassis as his arm went around their body, pulling them into a hug.

All while watching a nature documentary.

“HEY! NO KISSING!”--Bumblebee

Both bots jump up at the sudden noise.

“Bumblebee!”--Buddy

Buddy begins to chase their twin around the base feeling like their entire face was on fire.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”--Ratchet

Prowl sighs as Buddy manages to tackle Bee down.

“Wouldn’t have them any other way.”--Prowl

[rey-jake-therapist]

Oh. My. God. This last episode was SO GOOD! If Disney doesn't renew I give up on this franchise, I swear. At last some really fresh ideas about the Jedi! (Sorry but The Last Jedi was never as new and controversial as its fanbase claims it was: the consensus at the end was the same as usual: Jedi good, Dark siders bad, no complexity whatsoever!)

Most of what I expected happened 🤩 spoilers episode 8 below.

I wanted Koril (Osha and Mae's other mother) to be the Stranger's former master, but it seemed more likely that it would be Jedi Master Vernestra. And he's TERRIFIED of her?! My man had no problems facing a crowd of armed Jedi alone in episode 5, but as soon as she arrived he put on his helmet back and went hiding like a little child afraid of being punished hard 😳 I can't forget that the scar he had was in his BACK.... Meaning she thought she killed him by attacking him from behind. Not very Jedi, not at all....

Of course we could think he betrayed her, but considering his stance on loyalty, I find it hard to believe. Loyalty is very important to him, we saw it at the way he reacted to Mae's betrayal. And now we know that whatever happened, Vernestra probably lied about it.

Because yes she's a freaking liar! Instead of admitting that her former padawan is still alive and taking pupils, she puts all the blame on this poor Sol. I guess it's karma because that's exactly what he did with Mae. How not agreeing with this senator, who pointed that leaving too much liberty to the Jedi could be dangerous? How do you trust people who lie every time they need to cover their track? Nice foreshadowing of Anakin's betrayal, too... Yes sir, one day a Jedi will go rogue and destroy everything.

Osha thought she saw Mae kill Sol, but she saw herself in fact... she just probably didn't believe it could be her! Neither did Qimir. If he wasn't in love before, he's already naming the babies as we think lmao Poor Sol though, I'll miss him. I suspected it would happen, but still... It was painful to watch, almost as much as seeing Ben Solo kill Han in The Force Awakens. Except here at last, Osha had a good reason to kill him, while in TFA it was only done for shock value :/ I know Sol expressed remorse but it was definitely not enough to get forgiveness. He should have told the truth the Osha, to the Council. He had it coming....

Mae losing her memories of Osha was such a heart wrenching moment. Especially when Mae couldn't finish the song... 😭 in my predictions I saw Mae turn, but I didn't see *that* coming.... Reminds me of Revan! The Stranger agrees to let her go while he was obsessed with killing her, just because Osha asked him to.... That's love 😍

And they really had Osha and Qimir riding together in the sunset. They really did it!! After all this time spent trying to ship Reylo but never really getting it because these idiots just kept fighting with no conversation, my soul is healed at last... You know, the scene where they take the ship and argue like an old couple? I wanted a scene like that for episode IX. Or anything that would have been a scene together with no fighting 😔

[cuckoo-on-a-string]

The Moon's Lies (2)

Summary: Kylo Ren x named!Reader. It was never going to be black or white, Light or Dark, friend or foe. Who wouldn't let the galaxy burn to keep their loved ones safe?

Warnings: 18+, unspoken threat of bodily harm, twisted morals, Kylo Ren being himself, vehicle wreck

Masterlist

Canon Divergence Notes: There is no Rey. Finn is the destined Jedi, and he leaves the scar on Ren’s face during the climactic fight on Starkiller Base. The only original canon kept after TFA is the destined Jedi (Finn) leaving to find Luke and Snoke pushing Kylo Ren to the breaking point, continuing the student-kills-the-master cycle. Summary: No Rey. Finn is training to be a Jedi. Kylo Ren takes the throne from Snoke.

A/N: All hail the new alpha/beta reader! Three cheers for @aralezinspace! And thank you all for the support so far. <3 You make my galaxy spin.

2.

Years ticked by with battles fought, secrets found, and the rise of a new Supreme Leader to the throne of the First Order. Matters of life and death. To some.

Dyrrine judged the political upheaval like the weather. Rarely dangerous, but often an inconvenience. She couldn’t control it, and she worried more about sheltering her family from the rain than forming opinions about it.

At the moment, however, as mud sucked her boots down to the ankle and cold drops rode the wind to blast under her hood, she felt a lot of ways about the rain. Literally and figuratively.

Of course her responsibilities took her to Dantooine during the rainy season. And, of course, the First Order had no interest in accommodating the long line waiting for permits and passes.

Most of the year, Dantooine was lovely. Dry. Fairly temperate. Dyrrine would’ve enjoyed being off the ship and soaking in some sunshine while the rusty wheels of bureaucracy slowly groaned along. Instead, she dreamed of hot cups of tea and kept her hands stuffed deep in her wide sleeves as the queue inched forward, bowing under the storm’s onslaught. There were so many people still ahead of her, and she could barely see the service window through the downpour.

Good thing she’d reserved a seat on the next morning’s shuttle. She’d never make the evening flight. If things didn’t pick up, she might not reach the end of the line before the offices closed. Then she could do this all again at ass’o’clock in the morning, standing in a fresh downpour in day-old clothes without even the marginal warmth of the sun. What fun.

Off to the right, the depot’s primary doors slid open, spilling light into the miserable, sludgy afternoon. Stormtroopers in gleaming white armor stomped out, far too many for a patrol, and the eyes of every civilian turned their way. No one dared watch openly, but they peeped, and shrank, and waited. The ‘troopers formed two lines, facing each other to create a kind of path between the depot and the small collection of shuttles and TIEs left outside the hangar.

No wonder the administration was doing such a spectacular job that day. They had a VIP to entertain.

Dyrrine looked down at her feet, trying to work them free of the muck as the Adarian in front of her inched forward by half a pace. She had her priorities; keeping her place in line without losing a shoe was higher on her list than some First Order crony with extra polish on his boots.

One foot popped free with a noise like a belch, confirming Dyrrine’s belief the planet was trying to eat her. The second foot came loose by inches, and she was so consumed with keeping her balance she didn’t register the growing chill until the source stood in the open doorway.

Foot free, a step forward, and sinking into a new swatch of muck, she felt the menacing aura of a wildly powerful Force user. One didn’t need to be Force sensitive necessarily for animal instincts to register a threat, especially when said threat just loved to make a scene, to infect the very air with fear so every lesser creature would stay bowed low – where they belonged. She glanced back to the main entrance as the towering figure in black started down the ‘trooper-lined path, and her blood turned to ice.

She didn’t know his face – not this one, anyway. Last time they’d met, he’d hidden behind a chrome scowl, but his lightsaber was unmistakable, and kriffing hell if she didn’t remember that. It swung from his belt, bulky cross guard hilt on full display. The faint burn it once left along her neck took a week to heal, and this time there was no one to call him away before he introduced her to the blade properly. He was no one’s attack dog anymore. He’d slipped the chain and brutalized the fool holding the leash.

Kylo Ren. The new Supreme Leader.

The downpour suddenly didn’t feel like enough. Blinking away drops clinging to her lashes, she prayed for a flood, for the water to fall in sheets to curtain her from view, for the mud to gulp her down whole. Her gaze snapped back to the ground, hoping as she studied the trembling puddles that her spike of anxiety blended into the frightened crowd. What was one more terrified civilian in a sea of faces?

She resisted the urge to tug her hood lower. That would draw attention, tell anyone looking that she wanted to avoid being seen very, very badly. It took far too much attention to breathe, and she fought to release the mote of panic burning bright in her chest. No need to snuff it out. Just let it free. Like a firefly – still very real, but out and away from her thoughts. Drifting farther and farther, leaving a quiet void in its wake.

She was still. She was silent. She was invisible.

“I remember you.”

She was so kriffing screwed.

Drawn by the voice she would never have recognized without the helmet’s modulator, she looked between the shoulders of the nearest Stormtroopers to meet the Supreme Leader’s gaze. He towered over them, a wall of shadow behind their white armor. And there was no doubt he was speaking to her. He stepped forward, and the ‘troopers parted.

Too late to hide.

His presence crashed down like a wave, suffocating. Crushing.

She turned fully, facing him head-on as she reached deep to grasp the calm assurance that helped her through so many dangerous scrapes in the past.

“We never finished our conversation.” A playful edge sharpened his words, and she hunted through the flickers of expression that slipped past his guard. He wasn’t quite the same beast she met before. This time he was all confidence, secure in his position as the head of the First Order, free to stop, to take the time to pull her apart just for fun. His eyes traced her from dripping head to sodden feet, coming to stop on her pendant. “And you’re still wearing your protection charm. I thought you were going to leave it behind next time.”

With a dim smile that was entirely polite and not at all pleased, she repeated the short bow she’d offered on their first meeting, eyes dipping with her knees as she proved her respect. But she didn’t try to cower. When she rose, she resumed eye contact, letting her expression go placid in the face of her worst nightmare.

“Apologies.” Her voice came strong and steady. It didn’t even shake from the chill. “But as you said, we never finished our conversation, and I never heard whether it was offensive or just surprising.”

Humility, sometimes seasoned with feigned stupidity, could get a civilian far with the First Order. Sometimes officers appreciated the break from the usual hysterics of oppressed locals fighting for rights they no longer possessed. Sometimes a neutral attitude just made her forgettable, which was always the best outcome.

Unfortunately, she’d made a much deeper impression than she’d realized in this case, and she knew he wouldn’t let her fade into the mist like a ghost a second time. Even in the dreary weather, his eyes practically sparkled.

“We should fix that.”

She bowed again – quickly – and without looking away.

“It would be an honor, but I wouldn’t dare take any more of your valuable time, Supreme Leader.”

It was as close to begging as someone could get without yielding, and she knew she’d failed by the quirk of his lips.

“Then you can honor me aboard my shuttle.” He moved on, not in the least encumbered by the mud holding the rest of the planet hostage. “Bring her.”

Two ‘troopers who’d been following in his wake stepped up, but she moved. Springing forward as lithely as she could given her footing, she passed into the hall of white armored bodies of her own volition. It flummoxed the guards, and she offered a simple nod and smile as she continued after their leader. He hadn’t said to arrest her. Or bind her. Not even seize her. She still had some room to work, and so long as the ‘troopers didn’t know whether or not she was a prisoner, she could keep dancing.

So, she kept just ahead of the guards and well back from Kylo Ren, wading through Dantooine’s hateful sendoff to the waiting command shuttle.

The Supreme Leader’s thunderous steps echoed back down the ramp as she entered the hollow of the ship, following muddy tracks across the pristine floors. It felt like sacrilege. Like truth. The honest filth of the First Order’s dominion, and the inevitable tide beyond all illusions of control. Beneath her careful tranquility, a smug spark of emotion kindled. Not even the great First Order could stay polished in the face of a good storm.

But the spark faded as the Stormtroopers marched up after her, and the ramp groaned shut.

The ship was cold. A dead cold. Black with flashes of white and red lights that chilled her worse than the rain. She wondered if anyone in the Order – voluntarily or compelled – ever really saw their ships and bases as home. Something always seemed to draw them back, but she was willing to bet it was the blaster in the arms of the soldier beside them over duty or desire.

The passenger compartment opened directly into the cockpit, where four flight staff were prepping the shuttle for takeoff. There was only one other chair she could spy, and she knew better than to claim it. Guest or prisoner, she shouldn’t sit until her host offered, and she seriously doubted he would.

Leaning over the pilot and copilot, the Supreme Leader rattled off orders, checking his people’s work before it was even complete.

Was he a pilot, too? She knew that flavor of backseat driving. It was why they banned so many temporary residents from the Kuma Lisa’s cockpit. Once you’d had a ship’s controls in hand, most people struggled to accept them in someone else’s.

Ren’s low voice carried through the small space, disinterested in keeping secrets from the damned. “Set course for Ord Trasi. We’ll rendezvous as planned with the Steadfast.”

She closed her eyes and took a beat to breathe through the bubble of panic at the planet’s name. None of this was planned. He didn’t know she’d been on her way back for a rendezvous of her own. If she was careful, she’d remain the only one in danger. They’d know something was wrong when she didn’t return in the morning…

And right now, she needed to open her eyes and play the game. Or she’d never get to wade through a muddy queue ever again. She’d never touch solid ground, feel the rain on her face, or swear at a too-hot sun if she met her end on a damned star destroyer. Or on this shuttle, for that matter.

She got a reign on her fear and looked back to the cockpit just as Ren turned. His black ensemble maintained his regal air even with wet hair sticking to his forehead and ten inches of mud climbing his boots. His cape was no less ominous for the messy streaks on its hem as it flowed behind his long, determined stride. She doubted she’d weathered the rain so well. But that might work in her favor. Anything, given the right approach, could work in one’s favor. It was just a matter of strategy.

The ship lifted off from the mud, hard rain streaking down the viewport like it could drive them back to ground, and Kylo Ren left his flight staff to handle the voyage. While the craft was spacious for a shuttle, it was far from a cruiser, and he closed the distance like shadows rushing in after a light switched off. She held her ground. Waited like a good little subject until his boots came within inches of hers.

She knew this tactic.

Men like him loomed over their prey for one of two reasons. He wanted a fight, or he wanted a trembling victim to torture. He was waiting to see which she’d offer.

She’d deny him both. If it came back to bite her in the ass, at least she’d die satisfied with her decision.

He’d kill her in a heartbeat if she tried to fight – unarmed, trapped on his ship, surrounded by his lackeys. If she served up the fear he craved, he’d wring it out of her until she ran dry, and then she’d be just as dead and twice as grateful to expire.

With the board set against her, she must change the rules.

The ship’s low rumbling beneath her feet reminded her she was already in the belly of the beast, and she must be very clever to climb back out again.

“Who are you?” For all his casual intimidation, he didn’t hide the curiosity in his voice, and his anger didn’t singe the air like it did once upon a time on a planet far, far away.

He recognized a game when he saw one, and the moment he was humoring her. Or at least humoring himself.

She didn’t bow, though she dipped her eyes for the fraction of a second it took her to gather air for an answer. There was a fine line between a silly little stranger and an annoying fool. Too much bobbing would look anxious, anyway. But she held his eyes as she replied.

“Dyrrine Bairdne, sir.”

“And you’re from Lethe.” His eyes traced the strands of beads around her neck, the rings on her fingers, and bracelets on her wrists.

Slowly, mindful of the many guns and deadlier things on display, she raised her hands and lifted her hood. The Supreme Leader’s attention swung to the ornaments woven through her hair, and he scoffed.

“I see you’ve added more armor.” He stared her dead in the eye, daring her. “Expecting to meet a monster?”

She let her nebulous serenity grow warm. A blast from a cheap, old heater on a bitter winter night. Hardly the sun’s rays. But it wasn’t like he wanted that.

“Not at all, Supreme Leader.” She touched the longest strand of beads, keeping his focus on the Selenubis. “I’m training to be the next Naine of my family. Carrier of a thousand wishes, which is what these – ” She lifted a handful of necklaces, letting them rattle to draw both eye and ear. “ – represent.”

He plucked one from her grip, and his eyebrows furrowed. A frown bent his mouth as he rolled the smooth grey stones between gloved fingertips. He studied them like they had a secret script he might decipher in the fluid lines weaving over the face of each sphere.

“Take them off.”

She blinked, masking a busy mind with a face full of surprise. “Sir? They are offensive, then.”

“They’re a nuisance.” Though he didn’t let go of her jewelry, he did return his attention to her face. The amusement had waned. He wanted through her defenses.

Twisting his grip, he dragged her off-balance, and she jerked half a step forward.

Lips by her ear, he repeated, “Take them off.”

With his hulking shoulders out of the way, she could see through the viewport again. At some point, as she bantered for her life, they’d jumped to hyperspace. If he ran her through, right here, at least she’d have a familiar view.

The instant she pulled the faintest comfort from the thought, the ship was spat out of hyperspace, and a planet filled the view.

“Sir,” the flight officer called. “We’ve reached Ord Trasi. On route to rendezvous with the Steadfast now.”

The ship must be hiding on the far side of the planet, away from the hyperspace lanes.

Ren shoved her away, and the two ‘troopers stepped up to flank her. While his intentions were still far from clear, she wasn’t the honored kind of guest. She caught herself before her guards had an excuse to put hands on her, and as the Supreme Leader stomped back to oversee the last leg of their journey, she folded her shaking hands back inside her wet sleeves.

She seized the opportunity to breathe. Still alive. Still in one piece. And another distraction had bought her another precious few minutes. What she’d do with that time she had no idea, but she had it anyway.

Three TIE fighters wheeled into view, streaking past in perfect formation. The first sign of a larger First Order presence.

“I didn’t order an honor guard,” the Supreme Leader snapped. “Order them back to the ship.”

Oh, he was definitely a pilot. He was practically twitching. Too much protection must insult his ego, especially when he wasn’t behind the controls.

The flight officer leaned into the comms and relayed the command, but the TIEs did not disperse. They roared past again, moving behind the shuttle, and she swore she could feel Kylo Ren’s oppressive attention physically lift from her to this new problem.

Doubtless, Ren had something to say. More orders. A good threat or three. But before he could express his wrath beyond the creaking of his glove around his fist, a series of blasts rocked the transport.

Alarms wailed, and the flight crew began shouting updates and alerts as every standing passenger – apart from Ren – lurched into the wall. Beyond the racket from the cockpit, she could hear the wheeze of a dying engine somewhere below.

Kriff.

“Where are our shields?” Ren demanded.

Frantically switching toggles, the pilot shouted over the cacophony. “The readout shows they’re online, sir, but the damage suggests – ”

“Sabotage.” The Supreme Leader all but spat the word.

Shrieking by for another pass, the TIEs sent a hail of green laser fire over the shuttle, and she listened to the hull groan. The wall under her face was warm, and she carefully worked her way to a line of emergency grip points above. She clung on for dear life, looping her arm through and preparing for the worst.

She would not go down with the ship.

And the ship was definitely going down. Hazy clouds blurred the stars, the dark of space fading into atmospheric blue as they lost altitude.

“Sir, we’ve lost too much power. The planet’s gravity is – ”

“Supreme Leader, they’re coming about! Brace for - !”

The side of the shuttle exploded.

The angle of the blast sent debris spearing into the cockpit, and from the corner of her eye she saw an arc of wet crimson splash across the view screen. Now entirely out of control, the ship rolled, and the two stormtroopers tumbled boots-over-helmet through the hole that used to be the other half of the passenger compartment. Their voice modulators warped their screams as they fell.

She screamed, too, lifted off her feet, thrown into wall-ceiling-floor in a dizzying cycle. Her belly leapt into her throat as the engine heaved its last breath and the craft dropped into freefall.

Smoke and sparks filled the air. She couldn’t see what had happened to the flight crew or their dread leader, but no one was doing anything to slow their descent. If there was sabotage though, who was to say the shields were the only system affected? Even if they were conscious, Ren was the only one with the power to do anything at this point.

Well. Not only Ren.

Moving from grip to grip, she worked her way closer to the damaged half of the ship. She needed perspective. She had to see what she was doing.

A blur of green and brown appeared between flashes of blue, and she cursed. All her wonderful protective charms kept flying up to smack in her face, tangle in her hair, and obscure her view. She had a choice to make, and she needed to make it quickly.

Regardless of whether or not Kylo Ren survived, she wasn’t ready to die, certainly not like this. So she’d just have to take her chances.

Letting go of her precious handhold with one hand, she set to work, tugging and tearing the necklaces from her throat. She ripped the rings off with her teeth, and half the bracelets snapped as she jerked them free.

Her senses blossomed, expanding beyond her skin, beyond her sight. She felt the distance between the ship and the planet below, teaming with life, and another dim pulse somewhere onboard. Another survivor. She’d worry about that later. She’d save herself first.

Reaching into the flow of energy and motion that kept the galaxy turning, she pulled. Just as she’d found the grip inside the ship to keep stable, she grappled with air currents, gravity, and space to stabilize the shattered craft’s descent.  

It had been a long, long time since she’d tried anything on this scale, and it tore through her the way too much exercise ripped fragile muscles. Something wet dripped down her neck as the spinning slowed. They were still dropping too fast, and she pushed down at the planet until her ears rang with the effort.

Gradually, painfully, she took control of the fall.

This wouldn’t be a pretty landing.

But they just might survive it.

[mmprviolet]

Why I love Earthspark

Spoilers ahead

Female characters treated like people and not weird or afterthoughts

The child characters act like children and not mini adults to please boomers

The Decepticons have more than just Card Carrying Evil

Starscream's abuse is finally taken seriously for once and without woobifying him

Megatron is Scottish

The terrans are cool

NB rep for both terran and human

The main human family are Black American and Filipino

Seriously when was the last tine we saw an interracial pair where both parties are nonwhite?

Dot is a badass, we learn about her as a person, disabled but treated with agency

Alex is also a badass and a bumblebee fanboy, yet we also learn a bit about him

Dot and Alex 🤝 Tom and Maddie = healthy relationships in classic kid properties

Elita is also a badass she's also closer to her personality than the weird trope of making her a villain or fridging her

Bumblebee is a struggling young adult and not a infantilized annoying caricature

Actually his arc seems to be one giant rebuttal against the trend of making him Kid Appeal by having him struggle with being a mentor and dealing with kids

Breakdown is Sonic the Hedgehog

The main human villain is a legitimate threat without being a villain sue or boring

The other main villain is literally named Karen (and also a legit threat)

Optimus Prime is back to being funny and not a overly serious messiah, angry old man, Nerd or cop

Soundwave's revenge bod

Skywarp and Nova Storm are girls and can put up a fight they also have more relevancy than u can say with TFA Blackarachnia

Scratch that Skywarp in animated media again and gets to use her powers

Dot and Mo have natural hair and even wear bonnets

If you look past Mo's rather uncanny design she's actually really cute and lovable

Robby is cool too

Thrash and Twitch hmmm love seeing two characters of both worlds embracing all their heritage

TWITCH'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT especially her dynamic with Megatron

He calls her little bird

Nigthshade. Just Nightshade. Cool altmode cool personality, doesn't sugarcoat their identity (it's not 5000% perfect but still very great to see)

Really good message about respecting history while also thinking for yourself and new generation not making those same mistakes

the old generation gets to learn and grow too, the only ones who don't refuses to

Bringing in characters like Tarantulas, Hardtop, basically characters we haven't seen much of

Love how the experiences characters go thru aren't easily wiped away a la Grimlock and Hashtag both experiencing PTSD from the harm inflicted on them and allowed to feel those emotions

Steve Blum is Starscream again but still sounds fresh and not rip Prime beat for best

The cultural details while not 5000% perfect are pretty great like league above past shows

Like you can tell more than one writer of color is in the room

More nonwhite VAs instead of the usual 3-4 max

Angered the ultra conservatives

Thrash is Hunter and Kid Andrias

Jawbreaker is funny as hell I also liked his abilities and dynamic with grimlock.

[mychlapci]

TFA Oppy breeding anon back.

Optimus is forced to go outside because he’s spent too long at the base and Bulk and Ratchet can take care of the bitties. Prowl and Bee drag him off to Dinobot Island because they won’t get disturbed by humans there. Grimlock, Swoop, and Snarl still don’t particularly like any other Cybertronians, but they notice that Optimus smells weird.

They wait until Bee is distracted by something else because of course he is and Prowl has to backtrack to get him. Optimus tries to follow but gets snatched by Swoop in dino form and dragged over to where Grimlock and Snarl are in root mode. Optimus is a bit confused, but knows these three are strong and kind if they want to be and his breeding kink is kicking up again and the dinobots could make for good sires…

Bee and Prowl realize they lost Oppy and find him getting pounded into by the dinobots. All three dinobots clearly taking turns and already had a few rounds and Oppy’s tanks are beginning to overflow with how much transfluid he’s getting. Whoever is not fucking Oppy is either licking/grooming at Oppy’s finials or “purring” near his full tank and chest plate. Prowl tries to approach them but get growled at by Grimlock, so they have to stay back.

Prowl says this might be a problem. Bee is just worried what Ratchet’s gonna say because there’s no way Oppy isn’t sparked after this.

oh come on guys, bringing a fresh carrier to the Dinobot island is a recipe for disaster. They can immediately smell that something about Optimus is different, that his body seems more plump and virile, so terribly attractive… you can't bypass a beast's instincts, after all. 

When they finally get their hands on Optimus he can't resist. He's been told to just wait a little longer before he can get sparked again for so long now that he's all pent up from his breeding kink. They're running their hands over his body, spreading his legs, offering potent transfluid. Those are some of the largest spikes he's taken and poor Optimus is drooling and squirting all over himself by the time Prowl and Bee find out where the Dinobots dragged him. the Dinobots are cradling him close, rubbing his stuffed belly and lapping the various fluids covering his frame, pumping him so full he can literally feel the transfluid filling his gestation tank…

By the time the Dinobots are done with him it's dark outside and Bee and Prowl are both just stumped about what they're gonna tell Ratchet, who insisted Optimus takes a longer break since that was his first litter and he might be exhausted. Well, apparently he wasn't exhausted at all.

Optimus is probably very apologetic but deep down, he's extremely happy to be pregnant again.

[clatterbane]

My first real appointment through orthopedics to finally try and get set up with an aftermarket leg is coming up on Monday.

The previous referral last year just didn't work out, for multiple reasons, and I was a bit bummed over that. I think part of the problem was it falling through the cracks because nobody really seems to be sure what to do with somebody showing up from completely outside their system already minus a leg.

But, we thought to ask that new endo for a fresh referral. So, I did get an intake appointment set up through ortho, with no schedule collisions this time.

In one way, I'm excited to hopefully get moving toward with the process of getting set up with a prosthetic. I would really like to be able to get around better again! And, you know, be able to take my sorry ass off paved surfaces and up steps and stuff again!

OTOH, due to the person I am? I am trying not to borrow too much trouble and drive myself crazy worrying in the meantime. Especially the closer that draws.

Frankly, not least that somebody is gonna just say, "Oops, it's been so long and this entire situation does not fit into any familiar procedures. We just can't/won't help you!”

Yeah, I know there is going to be an awful lot of PT ahead, likely before I even get to the point of any fitting. I have some other concerns about that, after some sufficiently unpleasant experiences as a troublesome-bendy individual, with rehab-focused PT after injuries/knee surgeries (directly coming from the probably-EDS) in the past. My knees are also pretty damned terrible, and also kinda further destabilized by said surgical tinkering.

But, I am much older and more confident now--and not nearly as eager to take any "no pain, no gain!" bullshit seriously. Much less push in ill-advised ways until I do my bendy self an injury.

But yeah, even right now? I would place good money if I had it on the likelihood that I am currently in better shape than 75% of the new patients they see much sooner than this after surgery. Who are statistically much older and otherwise in pretty damned bad health. Probably I've been staying more physically active over the past few years than a lot of that demographic have been able to, even under the current circumstances

Mean age at the time of the first registered amputation in our sample was 74 years (SD 14); women were older (78, SD 14, CI 77–79) than men (72, SD 14, CI 72–73). 43% of the patients were 80 years or older by the time of the primary amputation (Figure 3). The mortality rate of the registered patients was 19% within 6 months and 24% within the 1st year after the last registered amputation. The 1-year mortality rate after TFA was 40%, after KD 38%, and after TTA 24%.

("Lucky" transtibial/TTA here. Those figures are from the Swedish national database, BTW. Because there is one. You see dire mortality rates after this sort of surgery come up? That's a lot of why. Those demographics and the occasional nasty accident requiring amputation seriously skew things.)

There were reasons they kept going on about how young and healthy my middle-aged ass that had just barely cheated death was when I was stuck in the hospital in Romford. And therefore considered a candidate for prosthetics at all under that system. Not going off on that rant right now.

Still, the majority of those elderly patients in otherwise not great shape DO get successfully set up on replacement legs here. Which is encouraging, that they are likely not looking hard for excuses to avoid spending the money. (We're talking the equivalent of a new not-cheap car, back in the US. Region Skåne is still set to lay out a fair chunk of change here. We are thankfully not directly.)

I do rationally doubt that I would get turned away just because I have been off that leg for several years now, and my knees were terrible even before that. And I fucking suck at trying to use forearm crutches, which I am not at all used to and have a very different feel than the type I do have too much experience on.

But yeah, my brain just won't leave things alone as usual. That's just one of the crappiest possibilities it's seized onto right now.

[rawmeknockout]

Pure fluff with reader and tfa bulkhead bonding over a shared interest in art and encouraging each others art endeavours

You swirl the hot pink gently, teeny tiny brush twirling and dancing over the still fresh baby blue acrylic. Bulkhead tries to match your delicate energy, spreading swathes of bright purple and teal with thick, clumsy digits. The rhythmic synths of your favorite shitty band plays from your phone, setting the tone for your mind to zone out to. You imagine these must be what Cybertron looks like, all types of electric colors and bright cool-tones. Ratchet has only shown you a few pictures of what their home used to look like, the colors on his personal datapads having lost their vibrancy after one too many tumbles.

Your elbow occasionally nudges into Bulkhead's arm at your side, smushed together like two half-used tubes of paint in the same box. With every sweeping motion of your arm, Bulkhead folds himself back to allow you space to move. When Bulkhead's paint-coated digits tread into your area, you change direction with your teeny detail brush. For every harsh geometric line you make, Bulkhead moves with opposing organic flow. The graphite you had previously laid down, in the form of an obscure face, is long since lost under the layers of paint, taking on a new form in the paints laid on top.

[sweetrevxnge]

Like Phantoms, Forever

Chapter Eighteen | The Devil In My Bloodstream

Pairing: Ben Solo x Reader

Summary: Your destiny had never been clear to you, only becoming so when it led you to leaving behind the life you knew to train with the galaxy's sole Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. His Jedi Academy became your new home, bringing with it the promise of someday becoming a Jedi Knight.While navigating the ways of the Force, an inexplicable connection forms between you and a fellow student—the heir to the legendary Skywalker bloodline, Ben Solo. Together, the two of you must face your destinies and forge the path to your true selves.

What to expect: fluff, violence, sexual content, general angst, mentions/descriptions of injury and death

Additional info: this story is set in 28 ABY, six years prior to the events of TFA

*concurrently being published on AO3 and Wattpad as well!

Masterlist

Spotify Playlist

Word count: 5.2k

Chapter-specific CW: NSFW, pharmaceutical drugs, mentions of death

A/N: let's all just pretend that this chapter didn't take me two months to write... anyways let's get into it yuh!

───────── ⋆ ☆ ⋆ ─────────

“So… Do you want to talk about it?”

Ben had made himself comfortable beside you on the small cot, the two of you laying back with your legs hanging off the edge. Well, at least your legs were—the same couldn’t be said for his exceptionally long limbs. His thumb rubbed soft circles on the back of your hand, and despite being left alone by 4-3B for nearly an hour now, you still feared being seen.

His question rolled around in your head. “It” was all you were thinking about—your father, your mother, the resurgence of the Empire. The relief you felt from the conversation with Master Skywalker was fleeting, now a daunting task once again. But a tiny voice in your head assured you that you were safe. Ben wasn’t just some acquaintance. He hadn’t shied away from discussing the dark side before, and after everything you had gone through, you couldn’t imagine him starting now. Although, you weren’t sure how much insight he would have on amatter this grim.

You sighed, twisting your neck to face him. “Not particularly.”

His eyes mapped your face, starting at your mouth before slowly moving up to your eyes. They were intense, filled with an indiscernible emotion.

“I know it’s still fresh, so if you don’t want to–”

“No,” you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose to soothe the headache building behind your eyes. “I probably should. Avoiding it will only make things worse.”

The blankets draped over your lap shifted as you pushed yourself up to a sitting position. Ben followed, his hand quickly finding yours again.

With a deep breath, you attempted to untangle your thoughts and wrap them into a tidy coil. After a moment, you realized that you didn’t know what to say, as if every word in all the galactic languages had escaped you.

“I don’t really know what to say. It’s all so much.” Heat rushed to your face, chased by adrenaline at the memory of the dart piercing your neck. Instinctively, you lifted your hand to touch the spot, finding a small bandage in its place.

Ben squeezed your hand. “Would it help if I went first?”

You nodded. Despite your earlier eavesdropping, you were completely attentive.

“Well, let’s see,” he started, running his free hand through his thick hair. “I was in bed, just about to fall asleep, when suddenly, I saw you.” He looked over at you with an amused smile. “Not how I usually picture you when I’m alone in bed, though.”

Your cheeks burned, a familiar heat blooming in your stomach. His comment derailed your thoughts, redirecting them to build an image of him: bare chest peeking out from his robes, messy hair, eyes squeezed shut in concentration as his hand crept lower, pulling down the waistband of his pants—

The drone of the monitor recording your pulse grew louder, and you cursed your heart for misbehaving. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see his satisfied smile.

“Threebee can hear us, you know,” you said in a hushed tone.

“Relax. Worst-case scenario, I’ll just pick apart his brain—or circuit board, I should say.” He winked at you, to which you rolled your eyes. “But as I was saying, I was just about to fall asleep, and for a moment I thought I had. Everything felt like a dream—until it didn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but in my dreams, I’m… sentient. Involved in the story in some way. This was different. It felt like I was an audience member watching a scene play out in front of me.”

Like a vision, you thought. “What exactly did you see?”

His brows creased. “Everything you didn’t.”

You were quiet, piecing the two conversations together. From what he told Master Skywalker, his vision began after you were unconscious, which would explain why he only saw you being taken away.

“I panicked. I tried to pull myself out of it to get to you, but it was like I was frozen in place, forced to watch it play out.” Heavy emotion filled his eyes. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there sooner.”

A pang struck your heart. “Don’t be,” you whispered, working up a small smile. Just like Master Skywalker, this wasn’t his burden to bear.

He ignored your request, rolling through to his next thought. “When the vision finally let go of me, I ran to your hut, hoping that it was only a nightmare. But when I found your bed completely empty, I felt…” He paused, his knuckles white as he squeezed his hands together, holding them up to his mouth. “Afraid. More than I’d ever been in my entire life.”

“That makes two of us,” you said, half-joking. The guilt from earlier was becoming heavier with each word he spoke, further proof that this entire ordeal had caused more anguish than you realized. In an effort to move past the sinking feeling in your gut, you asked, “How did you end up finding me?”

At that, Ben tensed. He must have known you would ask eventually, but you hadn’t expected him to be so hesitant when you did. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Up until yesterday, there were many things that you wouldn't believe. Certainly not that the Empire had been growing in the shadow of the New Republic for years, slowly spreading throughout the galaxy like a malignancy, or that your father was secretly a fascist who had spent his entire life serving that same institution. Nor would you believe that your peaceful childhood was a complete sham, or rather, a carefully crafted illusion of a picturesque family to hide the true nature of your father’s business. Least of all, you couldn't fathom the possibility that your connection to the Force was a precious commodity, precious enough to drive someone insane in the pursuit of exploiting it.

Master Skywalker was right. Perhaps some meditation would serve you well.

You scoffed. “Try me.”

When he finally spoke, his tone was low—enough to send a chill running down your spine. “I heard a voice. It felt familiar, but I can’t explain how—only that it was cold and harsh. In my panic, I trusted it, and it led me to Zeffo. To you.”

Your mouth parted in disbelief. What he described sounded like the voices you heard when you touched the dark stone. “Ben–”

“I promise that I’m not crazy–”

“No, you’re not.” Gently, you cupped his cheek and turned him to face you. His eyes were a storm, glassy and clouded with a familiar darkness. He needed to know that he wasn’t alone. “And if you are, then so am I. When I connect with the darkness, I hear it, too.”

He shook his head dismissively. “No. This is different. This has followed me for as long as I can remember.”

Unsure what to say, you remained quiet, trying to process what he was telling you. As curious as you were to know more about this mysterious voice, you also didn’t want to pry. “I didn’t mean to–”

A low laugh rumbled in his chest, barely audible over the thrum of blood rushing in your ears. “No, no, it’s okay. All that matters is that it helped me find you.”

The air felt heavy, settling uncomfortably between you. He was guarded, and despite his assurance, you could tell that there was much more to this story. The walls surrounding him were resilient, but they were no match for your persistence.

“What did it say?” you asked, inching closer to him as you rested your hand on his forearm. This had always worked in the past—whether it was draping a hand over his shoulder or winding your leg around his, albeit with much less significant topics. Just like most men, Ben wasn’t immune to a gentle touch.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, his lips pressed tight together. “I don’t remember.”

His answer reeked of bantha shit. You only hummed in response, knowing that any effort to extract the truth would likely be futile. As much as you would have liked to know more, you weren’t necessarily keen on starting an argument over it.

Neither of you spoke for a long moment. You couldn’t help but wonder why he chose to withhold the details of what he heard.

Ben broke the silence. “Look, we can talk about this another time if you’d like. Right now, I’m more concerned about you.”

“Do you trust me?” The question burst free from your chest, as if you would implode if you didn’t release it. Though, now that the question was hanging in the air, you weren’t sure you wanted to know the answer.

He was quiet again, dark eyes flitting between yours. With every second that passed, you could feel your heart cracking, ready to shatter at a moment’s notice.

“Of course I do,” he said finally. “In fact, you might be the only person I trust.”

You blinked. Of all the answers he could have given you, that was the last one you would have expected. And because of that, it felt genuine.

Before you could say anything, he posed a follow-up question. “Do you trust me?”

Shame burned your cheeks. This was the right thing to do. Ben was your person, the only person you had ever let in. Without hesitation, he had flown across the galaxy to find you and bring you to safety. So, why did you fear his judgment? Deep in your heart, you knew the truth. It had been there all along, and despite your efforts to bury it, it would remain there forever, floating at the surface until you acknowledged it.

“More than anything,” you whispered.

He planted a soft kiss on your cheek. “Then talk to me, princess.”

Like a layer of ice in the sunlight, you cracked. A lump rose in your throat as the words formed on your tongue. “My dad was the mastermind behind all of this. He used the Empire’s tracking technology to find the Academy, then sent a group of mercenaries to kidnap me.”

Ben’s eyes widened, but he remained silent. You weren’t sure what reaction you expected. Disappointment maybe—or worse, disgust—but found neither. With a sigh, you continued, “I didn’t know that he was capable of doing something like this. He kept his past hidden from my mom and I, using his agriculture business as a front for his work with the Empire—or what remained of it.”

He furrowed his brows, processing each word. “Wait—your dad works for the Empire?”

You nodded, staring at the torn skin around your fingernails from mindless picking. “Was,” you answered, ripping another strip of skin from your thumb, causing a small drop of blood to form on the exposed tissue.“He was working for the Empire. Not anymore.”

“So, what, he had a sudden change of heart?”

There was no coming back from this. No amount of backtracking or lies could undo a confession of this magnitude. But he had made a promise to you on his ship, a promise that everything would be okay. Now, with his hand resting on your knee, you placed your faith in his promise.

“No. He's dead.” You let out a shaky breath to settle the nerves rolling through you. "I... killed him."

The silence that followed was suffocating, yet he didn’t pull his hand away from yours or stand up to leave. Instead, he just watched you, his eyes searching yours.

Hiding from his gaze, you continued. “I killed him after he told me that he executed my mom, all because she sent me to the Academy, to safety.” A warm tear rolled down your cheek at the memory. “He showed no remorse for what he did, even saying that killing her was like putting a sick animal out of its misery.”

At that, Ben's jaw clenched, his stoic expression morphing into something angry and cold, but you knew it wasn’t directed at you as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. “What a fucking bastard.”

“He was never like this before,” you mumbled, now pressed against the rough fabric of Ben’s robes. “But hearing him say that awakened something horrible inside me. It possessed me—a terrible, cold energy that wanted nothing more than to inflict pain.” You paused, pulling away from him. “I felt it, Ben—the dark side of the Force. It flowed through me, used me like a puppet of its will.” Your voice had softened to a whisper. An echo of the Force rang in your mind; the intensity of it, the power that claimed your father’s life. Your mouth went dry. “I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re not. Don’t say that,” he said, tightening his grip around you. “You did what you had to do to survive. That doesn’t make you a monster—that makes you human.”

You wanted to argue with him, tell him that allowing the darkness to consume you was weak and against everything the Jedi represent. But you didn’t. You were walking through quicksand, sinking further into grief as you told the story.

“If you say so.”

“Yes, I do say so. What he did to you and your mother was terrible and not something that anyone—let alone his child—should have to endure. You had every right to do what you did.”

Guilt, again. Each time he defended you, the lump lodged in your throat grew, slowly closing off your airway.

“You’re right,” you mumbled in the hopes that by agreeing, this discussion would conclude quickly. You sucked in a long breath to settle the acid churning in your stomach. “I’m just thankful that he didn’t hurt anyone else. It makes me sick to think about what could’ve happened if they had attacked the entire Academy.”

Ben hummed in agreement. “I think there are a few people here who could’ve benefitted from being thrown into a fight.”

“Like who?” you asked, suppressing a light laugh. His wit never failed to make you smile—even in a moment like this.

“I think you know who,” he said, cocking an eyebrow at you. “The same people who are dying to visit you.”

You rolled your eyes and shoved him playfully. “Well, too bad. You’re the only person I want to see.”

“Not even Tai?”

“Especially not Tai.” The thought of having to talk to anyone besides Ben right now made you nauseous. Who else could understand what you went through other than the person who pulled you out of it? All the sympathy in the world couldn’t compare to the fleeting peace you felt sitting next to him.

Another question crossed your mind. What did it mean? What did it mean that Ben was the only person you found comfort in? The only person that was able to calm and excite your heart at the same time. 

This was insane. No, worse than that—pure delusion. An amalgamation of chemicals designed to turn even the coldest hearts into an inferno. A fool’s curse to fall for it despite knowing the truth. Yet, here you were, flying through the air as you plummeted to the ground. You had known all along—before you kissed him in front of the fire or sat beside him as the stars bled through the night sky. There was no comfort in knowing, only profound heartache. The Jedi Code had deceived you. Under its rule, there was no affection—only devotion. A hollow devotion to the light.

You couldn’t sit with him in front of a hearth in a space leased to the two of you, one of the many rooms in the highrises overlooking the hyperlanes of Coruscant. You couldn’t wrap your arms around his neck and listen as he shared the details of his day. You couldn’t move with him to the grassy plains of Dantooine, or to the lake country of Naboo—a decision that would be determined by the number of credits you could scrape together. But most of all, you couldn’t grow old with him. Watch as the years warped your faces and grayed your hair. Until the day came that you were forced to face this same heartache once again.

It was a fantasy.

“Baby…” Ben’s voice floated through the air, pulling you from your reverie. He wiped his thumb over your cheek, smearing warm tears over your skin. “Talk to me.”

You looked up, searching his eyes until the image of him became blurry. Your heart rattled your ribs as you gathered the courage to say it—the three words that had been burning your tongue for months. But as you opened your mouth to speak, the machine dispensing your medicine beeped, singing a series of cheery notes to announce that the dose was complete.

As the faint squealing of 4-3B’s joints grew closer, you and Ben reflexively jumped away from each other. You cleared your throat, erasing any evidence of your confession as the droid came into view, its triangular eyes fixated on the empty medicine bag.

“This was the last infusion of the day, miss. I suggest you rest now,” 4-3B said as it powered down the machine before hobbling towards a control panel and turning off the overhead lights.

Moonlight poured in through the blinds, washing the marble floors in a cool white. What you wouldn’t give to go for a midnight walk right now. To breathe in the crisp air and listen to the hum of insects. But instead of ripping out the line in your arm and rushing out into the night, you yawned and folded your legs up to your chest. The darkness of the room illuminated just how exhausted you were—both physically and emotionally. 

Ben sighed, somehow immune to the contagious nature of yawns. “Sounds like the princess needs her beauty rest. I should probably let you sleep.”

Thankful that he didn’t return to the previous topic, you matched his tone and narrowed your eyes at him. “You don’t mean that.”

He smiled. “No, I don’t.”

From behind the curtain, 4-3B chimed in, “You are more than welcome to stay in the spare cot, Master Solo. I can gather a fresh set of sheets for you if you’d like.”

A devilish look flashed in his eyes. “Oh, really? That sounds wonderful, Threebee.”

“Don’t,” you mouthed. The last thing either of you needed was Master Skywalker to find out that Ben stayed overnight in the infirmary.

He pressed his finger against his lips as if to say shhh. “I have an idea,” he mouthed. A knot formed in your stomach.

“It would be my pleasure, Master Solo. I hardly see why I should separate two friends after such terrible events,” 4-3B answered earnestly.

“That’s very kind of you.” Ben reached forward, grabbing the near-empty water pitcher from the side table. “Oh and before you go, can you refill her water?”

You sank further into the pile of pillows at the head of the bed, watching in horrified awe as Ben’s brilliant plan played out.

“Of course,” the droid said, returning to the side of your bed with a stack of sheets balanced in one of its hands. As it turned and reached for the pitcher, Ben leaned forward, deftly unplugging a thin wire connecting to the base of the droid’s neck.

Immediately, its entire frame went slack. The bedding fell from its hands and onto the floor as the light drained from its eyes.

“Ben!” you gasped, scrambling towards the edge of the bed. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Possibly,” he said, pushing the rigid droid behind the curtain. “If anything happens, I’ll boot him back up. But for now…” He hoisted himself back onto the bed and squeezed next to you, making the already small space even tighter. “It’s just us.”

The tension in your shoulders dissipated. There was a hummingbird in your heart, its tiny wings beating harder than ever before. His fingers trailed down your spine, tracing over the thin material of your gown. Your skin burned under his touch.

“Unless you’d prefer to be alone,” he said, settling his hand on your lower back.

“No, not at all.” You moved closer to him and rested your head on his shoulder. “Especially since you deactivated my only other company.”

He chuckled. “Good. Because I don’t think I can ever sleep without you now.”

“Oh,” you said softly. You supposed you felt the same way. The only reason you had managed to sleep on the Grimtaash was because Ben was with you—even if he was in the pilot’s seat. As for the previous night, you had 4-3B’s drug cocktail to thank for your uninterrupted slumber.

Resting your head on his chest now, you wrapped your uninjured arm around his waist. His heart was steady and strong in your ear, a hypnotic rhythm that you could get lost in. “Neither can I.”

Ben’s hand crept around your waist, pulling you flush against him. Even through the layers of robes, he was radiating heat—like a furnace with too much coal. Glancing up, you noticed that his eyes were closed, and despite the dull ache in your arm being pinned against his body, you stayed there, counting the muffled beats in the hope that they would lull you to sleep.

The cool night air bled into the infirmary, and without a medical droid to bring you fresh, warmed blankets, you were beginning to lose what little heat your body had left. Then, a wicked thought crossed your mind. Just like the night under the stars, you slid your cold hands under Ben’s robes, holding them against his stomach. He sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation.

“A little warning would be nice,” he said, his eyes still closed.

You hummed, relishing in the warmth spreading through your fingers. “What did Threebee say about me staying warm?”

“Mmm, something about your body temperature being too low. I can’t imagine why—considering what you’re wearing.” He cracked his eyes open to look at you, appraising the sheer gown you were wearing.

“Hey! It’s not my fault that this is the only thing that Threebee’s letting me wear.”

He snickered. “I know. I’m just giving you a hard time.” At that, he sat up, effectively pushing you aside as he untied his robes, undressing until only his underwear remained. “There,” he said as he settled back into the bed, pulling the pile of blankets over you both in the process. “Now you can steal as much of my body heat as you’d like.”

"Don't mind if I do," you said as you turned to lie on your other side—the one that hadn't had a blaster bolt fire through it. Ben silently followed, snaking a hand around your stomach and pulling you against him. You squirmed a bit, trying to find a comfortable position in the small bed. After a few minutes of adjusting, you came to the realization that it wasn't the bed or the fact that you were sharing it with such a tall person that was preventing you from sleeping—it was the image of your dead father, seemingly burned into your eyes every time you closed them. Without the aid of medicine, you were wide awake.

For a moment, you considered jumping out of bed and fixing 4-3B’s wires, hoping that he could give you something to ease you to sleep. Unfortunately, Ben’s strong arms locked around you quashed those aspirations. You continued to wiggle in his grasp—as if doing so would magically make the bed more comfortable or erase the memory from your vision.

“You know, it would be easier to fall asleep if you weren’t moving so much,” Ben mumbled in your ear, his warm breath tickling your skin.

By the sound of it, he hadn’t fallen asleep either. You didn’t feel as guilty for squirming anymore. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind. Not to mention that this is the first night without a sleep aid.”

“Hmmm, I see,” he whispered as his hand inched down your stomach, stopping at the fabric of your underwear. “Would it help if I distracted you?”

Heat rushed to your cheeks, as well as between your legs. Was this wrong to do? The infirmary seemed like the last place in the galaxy you’d want to do something like this, but the feeling of Ben’s fingers sliding beneath your underwear effectively pushed aside your logic.

“There’s only one way to find out,” you answered, holding back the desperate breaths threatening to leave your throat as he began drawing circles over your clit.

“I’d be more than happy to,” he whispered. His other hand wrapped around your throat, tilting your jaw up to face him. “Just tell me what you want.”

Before you could answer, he captured your lips in a kiss as slow as honey. Gooseflesh erupted across your skin as his fingers continued to work. If there was one thing you were not expecting about surviving a near-death experience, it was this. The way your body ignited at the touch of someone you thought you would never see again. Being held in his arms made your head spin, dizzy on endorphins. Even more intoxicating was the feeling of his erection pressing into you.

“How’s that, baby?” he asked, his lips moving down your neck. 

It was splendid, incredible. But instead of detailing how his fingers were quickly pushing you towards release, all that came out was a string of soft moans. 

A low groan rumbled in his throat in return, his hips rolling into yours. The hand around your neck crept down your chest, gently squeezing your breast. The pressure building in your belly grew as he rolled your nipple between his fingers, erasing any thought from your mind that wasn’t about the pleasure wracking your body. This certainly cured your restless mind.

“Just like that. You feel so fucking good,” you panted, arching your back into his hips. The sensation of him against your ass was delicious, making you crave more.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm…” You were completely lost in his touch, a puddle of flesh and bones in his arms.

His lips grazed the shell of your ear as he whispered in a sinful, low tone, “Are you going to come for me?”

That alone was nearly enough to send you over the edge. You nodded, grinding into his hand, greedy for more. Slowly, one of his fingers teased your entrance, barely dipping into the warmth of your cunt.

“Okay, next question,” he said, his lips curling into a smile against your skin. “Do you want to come now or wait until I’m fucking you?”

“The… second… one…” You pushed the words out between shallow breaths, focused on the inferno blazing in your core. The string was about to snap, sending you towards pure bliss, but before you could chase it, Ben pulled his hand away to free his cock from his underwear. 

“Pull your panties down,” he growled as he fumbled with his shorts. 

Head spinning, you obeyed, biting down on your lip as you willed your injured arm to cooperate. You managed to kick the fabric off and returned to your former position, sticking your ass out for him. The ache between your legs was becoming vicious—nearly painful. You were half-tempted to finish with your own hand, but before you could, Ben aligned himself with you, dragging his cock back and forth over your cunt before pushing inside.

A low groan rumbled in his throat as he rocked his hips slowly, his hand migrating to grab your hip. His lips seared your skin as they moved down your neck, leaving behind a trail of wet kisses. “Fuck, I missed you.” His words were soft but powerful—like butterfly wings beating through the air. Coupled with his steady thrusts, you couldn’t help but wonder what meaning he had assigned to them.

“I missed you, too,” you said, twisting your neck to see him. With eyes squeezed shut and lips parted, he looked like an incarnation of divinity. Your heart flipped in your chest.

Mustering up all of your strength, you reached up and cupped his face, fingers grazing his cheekbone. A familiar feeling clawed its way to the forefront of your mind, a feeling you didn’t dare say aloud—let alone right now.

Just then, Ben’s eyes fluttered open. You shoved the thought back into the depths of your mind. Darkness consumed his brown irises, but his gaze was soft. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” he muttered before pressing his lips against yours.

As he kissed you, his fingers returned to their previous work, igniting the fire in your belly once more. You moaned into his mouth at the sensation, relishing how your skin buzzed as he fucked you slowly.

Long, soft breaths left your lips, and as he added pressure to your desperate clit, the blinding white light of ecstasy pierced your vision—distant, but clear. You chased it, your heart hammering against your ribs as it drew closer. “Don’t stop, I’m so close–”

Ben’s pace quickened as he neared his own high, pinning you against his chest. “I won’t baby—shit, you’re so fucking tight.”

Within you, the coil snapped. Your body was alight with pleasure, head rolling back into Ben’s chest as waves of bliss rolled through you. Endorphins flooded the blank space of your mind, staining your vision with vibrant colors. His breath grew ragged as he continued to fuck you, his thrusts becoming uneven as you clenched around his cock, sending him over the edge.

He buried his face in your neck as he came, obscenities tumbling from his lips as ecstasy ripped through him. Still riding the aftershocks of euphoria, your body pulsed as he peppered kisses along your shoulder, his cock twitching inside you. Your ragged breaths mixed with his as the two of you laid there, swimming in pure satisfaction.

You wrapped your fingers around his hand that was resting on your chest, squeezing it as you whispered, “I don’t know what I would do without you, either.”

“Hmm?” By the tone of his response, it didn’t seem like he had misheard you, but rather that he didn’t understand what you meant. 

As he tucked himself back into his underwear, you rolled onto your other side, wincing as you crushed your arm into the mattress. “I mean, I wouldn’t be here still if it weren’t for you.”

He chuckled. Through the darkness, you could make out the small smile on his lips. “Don’t give me all the credit. All I did was break you out.”

You scoffed. “Let’s not act like I would’ve been able to find a way off of that planet alone.”

“Fine, I’ll give you that much,” he said with a sigh. “All the more reason for me to teach you the basics of flying.”

Excitement and trepidation bubbled in your stomach at the thought of piloting a ship. A massive hunk of metal with the ability to take you anywhere you wanted, completely at your will. There was no denying the allure of possessing those skills.

“Are you sure you want to take on a student like me?”

He sighed. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

Like clockwork, Ben wrapped his arms around your back, pinning you against his chest. Finally, between the feeling of being in his arms and the steady thump of his heart, sleep carried you away.

[velvetwyrme]

Welcome back! I love transformers! Which continuity are you interested in? Any favorite characters in particular? Do you have any oc’s? (No pressure if you don’t I’m just curious) <3

Thank you, it's good to be back abfjdbdk! and HECK YEAH TRANSFORMERS 🤝!!!

Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to Talk About Transformers, I will take it graciously and with extreme amounts of vigour and rambling!

Under the cut because of the aforementioned vigour and rambling.

To answer your first question: I'm largely into the IDW (2005) comics, Animated, and Aligned (TFP) continuities! I've also started watching the original G1 cartoon and Cyberverse which has been really fun!! (I'm absorbing so much information. I'm also idly keeping up with the new Skybound comics, which have me yelling screaming crying etc.)

As for characters... I would say I have no favourite/s except I do also own 1 (one) Transformer and well. for something that basically turns into a brick, he gives me immense amounts of joy.

But yes, other than Soundwave, (who has charmed me in every continuity I've seen so far!!) it's a constantly rotating roster because there are SO many characters to think about (which differ from continuity to continuity!!) and I am having the time of my LIIIIFE!!!

It's so funny going from UT/UTMV to TF because UT fans have a lot of focus on Versions of Literally The Same Two Guys, whereas TF has an overabundance of options to pick and choose from (I love both!!! I just think it's very funny in comparison whfjfbek)

Anyway, I am a big fan of a lot of characters from IDW and particularly MTMTE because they're all a bunch of little FREAKS and I love them. But! If I had to pick a few from there, I'm particularly fond of (in no particular order) Drift, Whirl, First Aid, Ratchet, Swerve, Brainstorm, ALSO NAUTICA I love her dearly!!!!

I'm also a Tarn girlie at heart u_u I am not immune to "big bad dude with a mask and a sexy voice just so many problems". Also I have a special place in my heart for Spinister and Pipes rhfjfbejfbk (I love the Scavengers [similarly, a bunch of little freaks] and Pipes makes me SO SAD. WAIT- ANOTHER CHARACTER THAT MAKES ME VERY SAD: IDW SUNSTREAKER. (He was my first taste of the Horrors of the IDW comics and that STUCK with me)

Similarly, I think the Constructicons (+Prowl in IDW) and Combaticons have SUCH fascinating dynamics hjsjkhksjdfh,, combiners got me going crazy... I NEED to find out more about the other combiner teams. It's a fascinating concept.

As for other continuities... Animated has me sick over Blurr, Shockwave and Swindle, and... well, Optimus has intensely kissable lips in this series. Why did they make him like that. I'm also very fond of TFA!Starscream- he was my favorite back when I watched the series as a kid and it was very fun seeing him with fresh eyes LMAO

Fun fact: TFP was a large part of what got me to actually sit down and check out Transformers but... I actually still haven't watched the series itself (つω⊂* ) I just saw TFP!Soundwave and went "OH okay, I love him and need to find out more" which quickly expanded into me going on a deep dive into Transformers, and resurfacing about a month later having read all the IDW 2005 comics and about an equal amount of fanfic for various continuities whfjgbjrbfk,, BUT even though I haven't watched it yet- TFP already has me hooked on Knockout, Ratchet (and Soundwave ofc LMAO)

And the last answer; unfortunately I don't have any TF OCs (ᴗ_ ᴗ。)........

.........YET.

I have many Thoughts but haven't put together any designs because I want to get better at drawin mechs before I jump into making my own! Hopefully that way I have a better idea of how to put em together LMAO. That being said, I Am in fact plagued with ideas!! Like!!! I'd loooove to take a crack at trying to put together a sailplane/glider OC!

(LOOK AT THEM STUPID LONG WINGS...)

Or!! A pair of mechs, one whos an imaging satellite and the other a telescope! (Real starcrossed lovers type deal... both meant to only watch from afar, both longing to be in the other's place/by their side)

I also have a tradition of making sonas that have wings but can't fly, so I kinda want to make a TF sona with a similar concept- either just with good ol doorwings, or maybe a flier with a messed up gyro which causes problems staying upright in the air 🤔

Anyway!!! This is really long again! Oops but not oops because we all knew this would happen. Thank you again for the ask!! (and the excuse to yell about Transformers shfngbekbgm) Now I will return to my daily schedule of listening to. eurobeat and the Transformers Devastation soundtrack. Bye

[lostywrites]

Summary: Knock Out wanders off from battle and finds himself in an unlikely place where its residents are known to live like kings.

Warnings: Implied Torture/Abuse

Swindle/Knock Out. TFA/TFP hybrid verse.

Chapter 1 - Subjugation

"I want you," Swindle said.

Those were the first three words the merchant had said to him while they were seated facing each other across the desk in his office. Datapads had been neatly placed aside, along with a glass of medium grade perspiring in the cool and fresh glow of pure energy.

Two large seekers stood on either side with their arms crossed and narrowed optics fixed on the shiny, crimson mech who was still in the midst of regaining full consciousness.

"I can't afford to waste anymore of my precious time scouring the galaxy for medical help," the merchant continued. "I've been thinking about getting one on board. So imagine my surprise when my guards brought you in to me…"

"H-how did I get here?" Knock Out murmured groggily.

Swindle slid the cold glass across and gestured at the medic to take his drink.

"I got a little curious and started doing a background check on you to, oh you know, make sure that you hadn't been sent here to, ah, kill me?" The merchant smiled. "That's when I realised we've caught ourselves a Decepticon medic. And you certainly have quite the reputation. I must say I am truly impressed, Dr. Knock Out."

With his talons wrapped around the glass, Knock Out slowly lifted it to his mouth, revelling in the velvety texture lubricating his parched throat. This was energon at its finest. The best he had tasted in eons. Still—something, somewhere felt amiss.

"You're mistaken," he told Swindle. "I didn't come here for a job. I—I don't even know how I ended up here. My troops and I were under attack when I—"

The merchant leaned forward and interjected, "You'd been in stasis for a week. Must have been quite the battle you fought out there, huh. How did you even manage to get out unscathed, hm? There's not a scratch on you to suggest you've been engaged in a skirmish. So let's not waste time and tell me why you are really here."

"I don't know."

The merchant cleared his throat. "That's…not exactly the answer I was looking for."

"You can't keep me here. They'll find me. No one leaves a medic behind."

Swindle snorted. "Don't flatter yourself, doctor. As valuable as you are, I doubt Megatron would waste his time looking for you. Unless…I had you returned—for a price of course."

Knock Out heard a clink and glanced down, noticing the cuffs around his wrists. "How dare you," he said, scowling at the merchant. "Just who do you think you are? Treating me like a commodity waiting to be sold." Anger simmered inside him, urging the medic to rise and slam both servos on the merchant's desk. "I am a doctor. Not a slave!"

"Stay down!" bellowed one of Swindle's guards.

The merchant nonchalantly leaned back in his chair. "Let him be," he said to Thrust before turning his attention to the medic again. "I'm just a click away from activating those shock bands on your wrists. So I suggest you calm the frag down and drink your energon, doctor."

Impatient, Thrust stepped forward to subdue the medic with a single shove. "When Swindleboss tells you to sit your aft down, you sit!" he growled, seizing the medic by the shoulder and forcing him to remain seated.

"Knock Out…I'm sorry to say but the Decepticons have abandoned you. Megatron—has abandoned you. As far as your troops are concerned, you are gone. Dead. I've tampered with your survival beacon so you'll remain undetected. In other words, you don't exist beyond my ship. And no one—leaves my ship. Ever."

Knock Out trembled with rage, his gaze piercing through the merchant's. "I will kill you," he said. "And bring your ugly head on the platter to Megatron."

Swindle laughed. "Dirge, take care of this for me, will you?" he said before leaving his desk. "I'm taking Thrust along with me to attend a meeting off planet. I'll be counting on you to keep watch and make the doctor feel right at home."

And the last thing Knock Out saw that night was Swindle exiting the office without so much as a backward glance. It was as though he had left with an air of satisfaction, knowing his captive would never be able to find his way out of his ship.

Knock Out found himself scanning through his memory banks for traces of information but had found nothing.

He sensed Dirge behind him, and with a swift blow to the head, darkness followed suit, pulling the medic into the depths of oblivion once again.

[brandwhorestarscream]

TFA Invasive back and ready for more!

I'm gonna address it back point for point so here goes!

First, yes, the lil guy is their eldest from a litter; there were three others in it. The others are in the back with Ratchet, enjoying nap time, their eldest is just a little spoiled and prefers napping to the sound of his sire's or carrier's spark thrum. Optimus and Megatron have had a couple of broods by now, at least three and they're working on a fourth. An abandoned airfield outside of Detroit has been fully taken over as a nursery/playground area for the flight frame babies.

The cross pairings are so fun! I love the concept too in the invasive AU and it also works with how I like to smash things together. As for Bulkhead, he's got two of his own, one from Prowl and one from Bee; he carried both. Both bitties are grounder types, with one patting jeep pictures and the other staring with interest at work vans and trucks. Otherwise, he's just not that interested in producing more and is more content with being a teacher and big brother figure to the various broods. And yes, the Blitzbee babies were twins; Bee got his horns a little twisted for that but Blitz forgave him after enough pampering.

Lockdown is totally interested in another sparkling or two from Prowl, once he gets a little more settled down and has his work orders handled. Prowl and Bee only had enough interest for the one bittie but coparent rather well otherwise.

Once it's known that they're alive and on a budding colony world, Drift totally shows up to their base with a Cyberrose in his teeth (or whatever the romantic equivalent is for Cybertronians). He and Ratchet disappear for a while and eventually show up with just the one tiny little bittie. He's already got Ratchet's annoyed face down pat and with Drift's colors so there's no question about his parents at all. Ratchet also makes it very clear this is the *last one Drift*, he's serious!

Can't find Wreck-Gar? Follow the sounds of excited laughter, 9/10 you'll find him either being a bittie jungle gym or in the middle of an art class (planned or random) with a small herd of excited bitties copying what he does with random stuff.

For the Constructicons, it's a little of both? The Earth made ones are kinda just, there, helping out and eventually the Decepticon ones make their way over and like, adopt in the two newest brothers. Now, time to get to *work* on establishing a more proper base!

And actually, yeah, with Archa 7, ish. It was still Sentinel's idea to go to it, following the old reports of a downed Decepticon exploration ship that was supposed to still be full of supplies and materials for possible colonization. He had convinced the other two to come with him on the idea to see if they couldn't get a colony world started since Archa 7 sounded perfect for it. They didn't know about the spiders until they basically fell into the main nest and the events sort of still follow canon from there. Sentinel's also not so much of an asshole here; when he finds out Optimus is still alive, he commandeers the Steelhaven to go to him; he might be panic puking into a bag the whole time at the idea of going to another organic world but he's still on his way!

Oh actually, to me Sumdac still does have his tech empire. Instead of harvesting Megatron's ruined body for tech, here he came across one of the energon convertors and pulled it apart out of curiosity. Prowl caught him at it and chased him away, but Isaac still kept coming back and eventually, slowly they built up something of a friendship between himself and the team. Especially when he helped them get supplies in exchange for examples of their tech or being allowed to examine it under careful watch. This allowed him to still become a tech giant, just in a different way. Coin flip on if Sari is here though, I'm honestly not decided on that.

Oh Starscream has both. The mountain nest is for when the bitties are still in eggs or fresh hatched, so they can be kept safe and hidden. When they're big enough to be able to start defending themselves, he moves them to the tower nest so they can start adapting to the outside world more.

Yes to all of that with Strika and Lugnut. Just, yes to all of it.

OOooh yes, they're here and ready to mingle! Megatron might have also put the call out to any interested Decepticons about the new colony world and who would be the first to answer? Why, no other than the DJD of course!

Answers and responses again under the cut because it’s a long one!

1. I love that for them. I love them having 3-eventually-4 broods of little babies. Megatron’s got a whole ass helicopter flock and it’s all his own bitties :’)

2. I love all of this, all of it. Coparenting is so good—I love that Cybertronian colonies, at least in the early stages, everyone kinda helps out with the babies. Make for a much more an enriching, safe life for the little ones. I wanna name and develop every single one of them 🥺 Bulkhead is probably such a warm, sweet carrier

3. Yes. Good. Lockdown looks terrifying and that’s why no one messes with him or his kids XD we could also throw in Fracture from rid2015 👀 purple bounty hunter con. Swinlock baby? 👀👀

4. PFFFFFFFFFT- just. Drift sliding in with a spotlight and a rose like Hiiiiii Ratchet~ 😏 and the medic just SIGHS because ‘I told you, last time was the last time!’ To which Drift responds with, ‘uh huh uh huh sure, now get over here and spike me 👀’. Ratchet doesn’t protest, obviously

5. Wreck-Gar is too good for this world 🥺🥺 he’s such a sweetie! There’s not a single kid in the colony he hasn’t won over, even the grumpy Dratchet bitty

6. Ohhhh, ok. So there’s like, the original Devestator gestalt (constructiprowl, anyone? 👀 I’ve never really thought about them for TFA, but if any Prowl deserves a harem it’s probably TFA Prowl, lbr) and also the earthborn constructicons? How did that happen? The Allspark is still where it belongs within the Well, since there’s no reason they ever would have yeeted it into deepspace, so 👀 mysterious!

7. F in chat for Sentinel please. Never thought I’d say those words, but hey, if he’s not a total jerkwad here maybe he’ll be bearable. I like to imagine he comes to check in Optimus, lectures him for not checking in and being reckless and for Primus Sake don’t scare me like that, then immediately holes himself back up in his ship like 😶 cuz organics are Scary. Does he actually stick around on this colony? Probably not, but maybe one of the neighboring planets might be useful. Perhaps he’ll just go scout those out, yeah, yeah…

8. Hmmmm yeah, I can work with that. Cybertronians are usually super protective and aggressive if they think their young are in danger, so Sunday is definitely flirting with death while he’s actively robbing them 😂 as for Sari, absolutely not. There is no way I’m making Megatron suffer having one of his unborn protocol stolen and then mutated into a techno-organic. There is no room for angst in this AU

9. EVEN BETTR :D is he still a lone seeker, or can we twist it and say his trine is still alive and well? He deserves to be loved 🥺

10. Listen. LISTEN. Cyberverse gave us the perfect candidates. Remember when Clobber was revealed and everyone thought she was a gender bent Lugnut? And we were all cheering for lesbian cons because Alpha Strike is literally just cyberverse Strika? But then they changed their names on us because we can’t have nice things? Yeah, same. So Clobber and Alpha Strike are their twin daughters because this is how I’m coping

11. THE DJD? HELLO???? One, I love the DJD so, Kaon is my favorite. But why is there a DJD in this AU? There’s no war and Megatron doesn’t really need a team of handpicked assassins. Are they more colony scouts/early settlers to put down roots? Traveling merchants? Megatron’s harem (don’t look at me like that, Tarn is completely obsessed with him)? So many options!

Side note anon idk if you’ll read this but I’ve genuinely been enjoying this so much I kinda really wanna write fic about it 👉👈 idk if you’d be interested, but I’d love to collaborate and talk about it more in depth. Rn we’ve got so many good ideas flowing but they’re all crammed together so developing individual little pieces is difficult. If you’d ever wanna collab and work on more story development together, please do me! You can reach me on tumblr or on discord 💖

[deadlysoupy]

I'm gonna be honest I can't actually remember if I already sent in an ask BUT: 📽🤖

you're all good dw babygirl!!! also haii 🙂

📽- What was your first TF series?

tfa! watched it back in... 2020 possibly? back when i still had access to instagram an edit dragged me into it (it was about bumblebee. who could have guessed lmao). i really liked the show for implementing this self-made man idea instead of starting from the top of the Earth team. the bond they have with each other is still one of the most tight-knitted in my opinion and i love remembering it, i save it when i really miss it so it doesn't get boring or old

🤖- What got you into TF?

in a more recent sense - Earthspark. i was never exposed to transformers in my youth (except for Bayverse movies but i could barely remember them and didn't care enough. not many bright colours scoff), so i'm very fresh to them in general. but Earthspark intrigued me a lot and i really needed a soft show to replace some i've lost that year, so it came in at the perfect time and i've never regretted watching it

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Chris looks amazing as always in that fresh baked still from TFA but all I can think about is how dehydrated he must have been for that whole scene… one of the reasons why I love the tank top scene with Natasha in TWS and Chris’s whole look in Red Sea Diving Resort, he doesn’t look like someone put him in an air fryer. I want him hydrated!!!!

I totally feel you! Like, he looks great in both, but I know one is perfectly constructed and unrealistic, while the other is more realistic (not perfectly realistic though, of course, he's still a celebrity with all the time and resources available to him to get into that shape.) That thought is always in the back of my mind.

Chris looks way closer to Ari every day as opposed to Steve because, exactly, he has to drink water and eat and be a human being! The Steve physique--while very delicious--isn't maintainable. To each their own though. Whatever floats your boat lol

Anyway, when you sent this in and I read it, this is all I could picture 💀💀

[deewithani]

So, the Ahsoka trailer...

How much of the OG Thrawn trilogy do you think they're adapting?

Thrawn trilogy spoilers and ST theory below.

This is a 🦇💩 theory that I've had for a while that I put on the back burner until I read the Thrawn trilogy (and until today when the new trailer seemed to confirm a loose connection with it).

Specifically, how much of the clone storyline?

I should note here that I read the trilogy a few months ago and didn't know much about it going in, so much of it is still fresh.

I'm not specifically talking about cloned Jedi (although I'm throwing my 🦇💩 theory out here right now that the blonde woman with the orange lightsaber is a Luke clone).

What I'm really wondering about is the cloning of a new army, and how that relates to the rise of the First Order.

Something always stuck out to me as odd in the ST. In TFA, Finn is admonished by Captain Phasma when she sees that he's removed his helmet. "Who gave you permission to remove that helmet?"

I didn't think too much of it at the time, there was a question hanging in the air about how the First Order had risen so quickly. One thing that stood out to me in the movies was the size of the Final Order fleet on Exegol. One of the comics explained how those ships came to be built, but nothing about who staffed them.

That was an awful lot of ships. They would have required a lot of people to man them.

We also know that Exegol had cloning facilities, prior to the fall of the Empire.

Finn was abducted as a child. As far as we know, most of the rest of the First Order was, too. Lando Calrissian's daughter Kadara was abducted, as well (although currently we don't know if her abduction is related to Finn's, there's apparently a deleted scene that references abductions of Rebel leaders' children, including Kadara, by the First Order).

So we know the First Order kidnapped kids, but that's an awful lot of kids for no one to sound the alarm.

The answer? Cloning.

We have to forget what we know about cloning in Star Wars. That was the Kaminoan's process. The Empire wasn't trying to clone millions of Palpatine clones. They weren't limited to the agreement with Kamino. They had the hardware and knowledge to make as many different clones of as many different people as they wanted.

In the Thrawn trilogy, there is a mix of clones for military purposes and clones who were one-offs of their template.

I think the majority the First Order is clones. Maybe it was 100, or 1,000 clones of each kidnapped child, but it's enough that removing their helmets is a big no-no.

So is Finn a clone? He apparently has memories of being abducted, but so do all the others. What's not clear in current canon, however is in Legends is that quickly grown clones (~1 year to adulthood) are trained by memory imprints from their template. Additionally, when he was a cadet he was a member of "Batch Eight" during his training.

Things that make you go 🤔

[talagalaxies]