#fav mercenary pair

[mt10lt20]

Trying something new - ACZ Galm Team in Frank Miller’s Sin City comic book style. Besides their livery fitting the neo-noir aesthetic, Cipher and Pixy are the most fitting duo for the Sin City thematic. 

A 2nd “cloudier”, Sin City movie aesthetic version is under the cut.

[annabelle-creart]

So...

...

Let's talk about the rest of my Au's

I told you about dinobot Boulder from SG a.k.a Torture Bots and Sol Prime (Heatwave) from Rescue Prime Au (one of my fav impossible ships), but I want to talk about the rest of the aus

Torture Bots (Shattered Glass)

Like the normal Shattered Glass, but the team weren't rescuers.

All started when Chase, a police autobot with a sense of law as strong as his empathy (he's a sociopath) and Heatwave, a firetruck decepticon obsessed with Chase and with clandestine fights, decided to steal a sigma, one of rescue bots exploration ships, by accident they brought to Earth with them a dinobot because they knew how to pilot the ship (Boulder) and an idiot with memory gap and a great strength (it was a terrorcon but didn't knew) (Blades).

They end up on Earth by accident but decide to stay because the decepticon vs autobot shit didn't reach them up

Hightide and Quickshadow were two of the many bots who were sended to mute the four fugitives, but by themselves and with the Burnses help, could stopped them all before getting into more trouble, even when they discovered a ship with two sleepy passangers, Blurr, a fast but shy try of a racer and Salvage, big, strong and brute as a wrecker, kept them anyway. Sissi's still with autobots.

Maybe the Burnses (except Cody) are not the best people on Earth but the bots cared a lot about Charlie when he was a kid, Charlie wanted to do the same for them

Dungeons and Dragons

With a mediaval but steampunk view and Middle Earth vibes in this weird planet with TONS of magic: Boulder and Graham, wizards, but at what coast, had to make a travel across the Earth to get a great magic, but can't do it alone:

Charlie, the chief Sherrif of Griffin Rock, a portuary island full of the best technology and merchandise companies of all Earth, and father of Graham, decided to keep them company and help them on their mission, leaving the island with his daughter and son, Dani, a great swordswoman and Kade, a barbarian, and with Charlie's best partner at work: Chase, one of the few transformers who landed on Earth after the civil war and sherrif bot just like Boulder.

After some missions the group became bigger, adding Heatwave, an ex mercenarie of the Wavey triplet, Blades, a bard with a bad voice but good hand at instruments, Blurr and Salvage, a pair of thieves who wanted to learn magic and Sissi, Heatwave's niece and great at magic and combat.

The travel will be long, and the lessons hard to take, but the team will serve, save and protect the ones who needed, while Boulder and Graham reach their dream of become Magus Primes.

As a fun fact: the bots don't transform into Vehicules like the normal ones, they transform into dinosaurs, so, yeah, all Transformers are dinobots.

Rescue Prime

Heatwave was only doing his job at an emergency on Iacon, but cause of that, he became a the leader of a revolution and a Prime. Definitely not his best day but the people needed someone, the war needed a leader, his brothers needed an older sibling, and he needs to end the horrible system that hurted him so much before and now.

Sol Prime is on town, even if the Autobot Commander Boulder and the Decepticon leaders Megatron and Optimus Pax don't like it.

Soundwave and Shockwave left the decepticons a lot ago to became a part of Sol Prime's new team, with Chase, Blades, Hence, Bridget and company, the rest of Sigmas and Rescue Bots and the predacons. All became part of the Sol Prime's resistance.

While the Wreckers and Cybertron forcers are with the autobots.

Dinobots, and seekers are with Decepticons

But something is sure: this is a war that Heatwave never wanted to battle, he's not a soldier, he's a rescuer, like all his teammates, is not fair for them to fight like this, and of they're doing is because Cybertron don't need rescuers, it needs saviors.

This is a war of three, just like the war between Primus, Unicron and The Fallen, who wanted the power to change. What a pity for story to repeat in such a way

Sometimes they go to Earth for provision

But they will never let the rest to reach Earth, only with their dead bodies

Swap Team

Heatwave changes with Optimus Prime (so, Orion Pax is the rescue team leader on Griffin Rock while Heatwave is Sol Prime, leader of autobots. Orion is kind, shy and anxious but do his best to keep the team together, Sol is a great Prime, but as one he had passed through more a bot can deserve)

The same like on the original show and aliegned continuity... wait, this is not the same people, they changed places!

Chase changes with Quickshadow (Chase is an autobot spy and Quickshadow is the a simple police bot. She is a great police bot, and to chase people is fun, Chase's work is not fun)

Blades changes with Bumblebee (while Bee is an hyperactive medbot, Blades is a talentous and non talking scout, better for both, Bumblebee likes to fly and do great stunts, Blades is more of a ground warrior, excepth when people is about to die...)

Boulder changes with Hightide (while Boulder fought side by side with Sol Prime, Hightide stayed with Orion at the sigma. Boulder is one of the kindest bots at Sol's side, but is a kill machine on battle as a soldier needs to be, on land and on sea, Hightide never saw any of that, he's more of an engineer who likes to listen the waves)

Blurr changes with Salvage (Blurr is a kind sparked racer and inventor while Salvage is a rebel who likes attention too much. The normal is to see Blurr sit down on a quiet place with pop music and fixing some metal garbage meanwhile Salvage's kicking a metal pile because Orion yelled at him again)

Charlie stayed the same (I like him like he is, and he's the pilar of the series, if he changes, the rest would be hard to deal, but this time is with Quickshadow, both have their problems but she is a great partner and so does he)

Graham changes with Dani (now Dani is geek AND nerdy, and due to that, is hard to deal with an old grumpy man like Hightide, while Graham is a great pilot, best at math and best hands on town, just as the best smile, unfortunately for him, Bee likes to take too much risk at flying. He's the security guy, Dani is the "I'll talk with Hightide so he can help me do this crazy thing I want to do")

Cody changes with Kade (like the big brother Cody is best, but as a partner of such a scaredy cat like Orion is the worst, no matter how much he tries, Orion listen to protocol instead of listen to Cody. Kade is a crazy kid who just like cars, if it wasn't because he wanted a friend so much, the bots wouldn't stay long, and yes, Kade's a lonely kid, nobody likes the fact he likes beetles and worms)

Doc Greene changes with Morrocco (yes, people, Morrocco is a good guy, too curious for his own good and too lonely to grow up like a normal person, he had been alive a while and his only friend was Charlie, the only one who knows his secret; but Doc Greene is everything but Green, is mischivious, always with big and dangerous ideas and only cares about his tech, and his daughter)

Frankie changes with Priscilla (Frankie is more mischivious and more smart than Priscilla, as Greene's daughter, but is also a lonely girl, to be the daughter of a bad man who travels a lot makes hard to do friends. Maybe Priscilla is not as smart as Frankie but is curious and have an eye for wonder, and her charisma also is a great hability to easily have friends)

Madeline changes with Ana (Madeline is a great scientist, and yes, likes money, but is capable of keep a secret and loves more her daughter Priscilla, prefering to have a quiet life living at her submarine house, meanwhile, Baranova made her money on her scientist skills but more on her empresarial skills, that's why she made team with Greene in first place. Madeline and Morrocco are great friends, Ana and Ezra Greene are not)

Sissi changes with Servo (all teams need their fixers, that why Sissi is Boulder's best friend in her capybara form, she's capable of become any kind of tool Boulder needs. Servo is a human-kid-like bot and is as hyperactive as Kade, best friends, Servo can transform into a dog and into a drone, but his hands can become any tool you'll need)

Humanfomers: Kingdom of Light

Once upon a time, a king of old age who lost his sons and daughters on battle didn't have a heir, he was incapable of let his dear kingdom, great at magic and techonology and winner of the war he had to stopped by his own hand, to the sons and daughters of his council who died on duty, all inexperts and useless, so, he asked a witch about his future, and asked who he had to let his throne, the witch led the man to an orphanage, where a triplet lived, three kids of the same age and the same blood but different brains, a tiny but brave one, with the heart of a knight and the mind of a strategist; a big but shy one, with the voice of a turtle and the hand of a god; and the normal but anormal, with the eyes of a predator and the imagination of an eternal kid. 'The three are perfect,' thought the king, 'and the three will share my throne, my possesions, and my knowledge, the three will be my new sons, and in three, like Sun, Moon and Star will share the Astral kingdom, my kingdom of Light...'

Hector (Heatwave), Santiago (Soundwave) and Shelwin (Shockwave) were three kids, adopted by a king to became princes and then kings. As orphans and graceless they had a hard life with the King's Council but later gained they're position as kings the day their dear father became one with the stars. The three of them are kings at the same time but directed different things, Hector is on charge of military operations and forces, Santiago deals with magic and tech regulations and administrations, Shelwin cares about money and culture, the three of them had made a great job evading the stupid council's indirect attacks and dealed to take the kingdom to a better future.

Compared to the others, I created this Au to be some kind of Slice-of-Life with Reign, Ehrengard and Pride and Prejudice's vibes with fairies, pixies, kingdoms and a cool magic system so nothing on this have sense or relates to real King's things, is just the Wave triplet fighting like siblings while having lifes with their fellows and kids while trying to deal with work like functional adults JAKSJSJ, but as a resume of the family tree:

Hector (human, king, homoromantic) is married with Boulder (earth fairy, queen, transmasc and homosexual), their biological kids are Elizabeth 'Sissi' (earth elf, princess, ???), Horace 'Hotshot' (earth elf, prince second in line, ???) And Samuel 'Soil' (earth elf, prince third in line, ???). Their adoptive sons are Winfred 'Wedge' (human, Hector's squire, ???) And Salvage (earth fairy, Boulder's biological son, magus apprentice, aroace).

Santiago (human, king, bisexual) is married with Madeline (human, queen, straight), their biological kids are Rita/Rumble (human, princess, Fran's twin) and Fran/Frenzy (human, prince second in line, Rita's twin). Madeline's biological daugther and Santiago's adoptive daughter is Priscilla (human, Sissi's damsel and administrator apprentice)

Shelwin (human, king, homosexual) is married with Hizel 'Hightide' (water elf, commander, homosexual), his first marriage, and Serina (human, knight, pansexual) his second marriage [of convenience]. Shelwin has a triplet of baby daughters with Serina: Agatha, Veronica and Serina Junior (humans, princesses)

The rest are part of the cast but not part of the family itself, as I said, is a slice of life so it can be sometimes a comedy like Friends, so, yes, it's pretty stupid, but cause of it, it's my favorite Au by far

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Ah, thank you for answering my silly ask!

Hmm, I think I might understand. I ship a lot of things where I feel strongly about one of the characters but don't really care about the other. But it sounds like you're more logical in your approach, thinking about actual dynamics and chemistry. I'm just like: Oh look, it's my fav. Who can he be cute with?

I like Pelleas, too. :)

Also, I saw your Tellius tier list too, and I have a bone to pick with you about Jarod x Micaiah! Hahaha, just kidding.

Unless-

Sometimes I just take ages to answer simple things lol, sorry about that!

I love pairing my faves when I find a good ship for them, and then there are some others that I don't ship or pair with anyone like Oscar. A favorite, but I have no romantic ships for him and see him as more of a family man with the GMs and not interested in romance. He has his brothers and extended family, and he even told Kieran in their PoR supports that he intended to stay with the GMs and continue to fight with them as a mercenary forever because that was what made him happy.

Typically for me ships pop up out of chemistry and that's when I find them cute. Take dmcl for instance. Dimitri was my fave when I started shipping them, but I've always liked Lorenz as a character and through his development more than Claude. I ended up liking Claude more after shipping him with my fave because it made me think deeper into his character and gave me more chances to interact with his characterization. It made me appreciate Claude as a character more, and I originally just shipped him with Dimitri because I enjoyed their chemistry and the possibilities it had. Prior to them I liked Dimileth, but Claude had my little ship brain gears going with Dimitri (and it doesn't help that like 90% of official Houses artwork sticks them together. Not my fault IS treats like them they're attached at the hip LOL).

Then you have the ones that sprout off of development via interaction, like Shinaff. Dumbasses basically threatened murder to each other when they first met! RD's supports are a combination of both impersonal and personal, but Shinon uses his generic lines for Janaff, indicating familiarity (versus Tibarn, Naesala and Caineghis as other laguz whom he actually has personal lines directed at and are people he couldn't interact with in PoR. In fact, most of his personal support lines are directed at laguz and are all positive). If you didn't get their supports, his first interaction with Janaff is wholly negative, but his first support line in RD is positive. Because of that I like to consider it the next step in their support chain, so post A support in PoR but C support in RD, rather than just no support in PoR and a brand new support chain for them in RD (and it helps that RD carries over supports, so they do get an internal bond that gets listed in their bios if they've carried their A support over). It feels more natural that way for me, especially since Shinon only has three supports in PoR. I also love how they were both originally racist and overcame that, and since Janaff overcame it first before meeting him, he helped Shinon overcome it by talking with him.

Tbh I'm a bit weird with ships I think because I even ship things for characters I just don't even care about much if at all, or I might ship something as "that's cute/that could work" when I don't actually care much for the ship itself? Sometimes I can explain it in depth depending on the ship (ex. Fogado/Yunaka is among the "I ship this because of what it could bring but I don't really care about it enough to make/request content for it), and sometimes it's like Bernadetta/Hubert where I'm like I ship this but I don't care at all if it's present or not. Mind you, I like Hubert as a character and Bernadetta is one of my most despised characters in the whole franchise, so... I'm weird when it comes to ship chemistry I guess LOL.

Unless... Unless... you have a hate ship you like? LOL. My "what" list is a combination of "where on Tellius did this ship even get thought up and why is it here" and "I have no idea how you could ship this", but also "I think this is a hate ship" LOL.

[enne-uni]

Aaa i just realized i forgot to do this eariler whoopsies .. heres a 👀 :)

hallo and thank you!! no worries :] (comes from this post)

This has been plaguing my mind for so long. Also the ramble got pretty long so I put it under a cut. whoops…

SK8 the Infinity Cyberpunk AU:

Main pairing is Cherry/Joe and on the side we have Reki/Langa, as well as past Cherry/Adam.

I think I’ll make it so you don’t need to know Cyberpunk 2077 or Edgerunners to read this. Unfortunately that also means I have to explain everything.

Happens in Night City, which I guess is just a dystopian cyber New York? Anyway, capitalism is a thing, there are many big corporations, right now Arasaka is the only important one.

Joe is the leader of a gang of mercenaries (placeholder name the Skaters, it might stay if I decide it’s not cringe tho). Mercenaries are essentially people who do dirty work for whoever pays, so a lot of stealing things and information, killing people and enemies, being bodyguards. His gang consists of Shadow and Reki at the start, later on Langa and Miya join, and also maybe Cherry. He doesn’t tell his legal name to a lot of people, but it’s not difficult to find out if you’re familiar with hacking n stuff.

Shadow kinda just vibes and is a regular merc (idk lmao).

Reki is a techie (person who deals with tech n some other things [wow]) and learning ripperdoc (person who installs chrome to people, deals with viruses in their systems, sometimes tattoos or surgery). Oka is his mentor, another ripperdoc and also techie. Reki sometimes joins in for Joe's missions, but not always.

Langa is another merc, but he has very high capability for cyberware, so he doesn't go crazy as easily from the tons of chrome put in his body (like David in Edgerunners). Reki probably found him one day and brought him to Joe's gang or something (idk lmao).

Miya is a learning netrunner (person who can easily hack into other people's chrome and machinery and practically whatever) probably (idk what to do with him either lmao).

Cherryyy! My fav! He's the main character! His civilian persona, Kaoru Sakurayashiki, works for Arasaka and is considered a very high-ranking employee there. He's also Cherry Blossom, a solo netrunner who only does high-profile jobs for high pay, but he's very skilled, though no one knows who he actually is.

aaand I have no idea what I'm doing with Adam or Snake. Just that Adam, Joe, and Cherry had their own gang of mercs when they were younger (when Cherry and Adam were dating), but they broke up when Adam went too far in something. Joe kind of detests Cherry for becoming the corpo shit they hated when they were young, but he eventually learns that he has an ulterior motive for having such a job (what motive? idk yet).

I haven't come up with much plot yet, except that there will be a time when Joe saves Kaoru's life, who then pays it back as Cherry Blossom, and that's how Joe learns that they are the same person.

Literally this is problematic because I have the perfect roles for (most of) the characters, the perfect setting, some nice backstories and ideas I was too lazy to list, but no story to tell with them. I neeeed a plot to appear out of thin air (actually no because I have no time to write this rn).

okay I'ma stop the ramble byeee

[lonespektr]

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER FIRST HORROR WATCH 2023 DOUBLE FEATURE

Violent Night (2022) & Bones and All (2022)

Violent Night

Ok ok ok it took a while to get my Internet to cooperate

Oh shizz that's actually Santa, i thought it was about a thief Maybe??

Omg i been watching the righteous gemstones and she's playing the same character

911?

Love sis hair

Lol amazon packages

The sleigh is cool

Actual coal

Diligent santa presentation

Lol he forgot

You didn't write a letter? Well who's fault is that?

Lol one way radio

I mean not a bad ploy if you know your kid

Mean to ddeer

Okay solid magic

That's right booo skim

Where's the goat milk

I like the leather outfit over what's it usually like .. velour velvet?

The matriarch is good

Luguizamo!

Revlers

KRAMPUS!

Lovely code names

She's got perfect cheekbones and they are making sure we see em

I knew he was asleep

Outfits and everything

Lol damn she just left her kids

Even her favorite granddaughter

Babe u sneaking out use your magic

They shorted him out as a drunk, could have maybe referenced that earlier

Aggressive stitching

Lol they ditched him

Everybody can fight like fa real fa real

Serious icicle oh it's a display

Cookie addict more than drink

Ooo writing maybe not consistent

Omg shit decorative work 🤣

Look at that table

Having trouble with exposition

That's a long way round to implicate U.S. imperialism

Fancy safe good set

The thieves costumes are killing me he really made them get dressed up

Nice gimmick i hope they keep doing it

Russian tat santa okay Celtic tat makes more sense

Kinda annoyed he can't hear her

I choose to blame his magic

This is a creative Christmas kills montage

I know it was going to be that radio but I'm annoyed it's not magic

He's got a scroll database which absolves him from being a peeper

Shove it up the borderline

I forgot they managed to kill the black guy first horror check ✔️

He's kinda perfect weight for this

I just realized they paired him with another kid (stranger things)

The audacity of WOW people have wow

Lol that's her fav whiskey she's rich i have a bottle of that

The parents don't the helpless thing with kids bugs me

Should they be able to access the bag?

Oh 😂 villian sob story

Super campy

Lol he already confessed

Magic tied to belief had three temporary believers

Lol how long did that take, hour long did they expect to get into the safe?

Lol PLOT TWIST

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Damn couldn't just get a job

🤣🤣🤣 wait the kid is actually smart

The mercenaries are head to toe covered up but there are womens voices

That's right ladies equality

The main heist crew also has 1? 2 women?

Respect the home alone references with an absolutely plausible rationale

Great amount of blood

Lol he wants to kill Christmas fa real fa real

Some of the stuff is silly/ lazy for no reason

Cornier ending than i thought v cute

Bones and all (2022)

I didn't know it was a period piece

ANDRE!

Very sapphic

Okay right to erotic cannibalism

I looked down earlier, i thought she got kicked in

Oof

Bailed

Birth certificate?

Whoa! Like your mother did

Oh the other way nm

There's clearly some political era they are referencing but idk

Okay not even 100bucks

Thought there was two

First murder 3 omg

So much andre i love it

What a creeper

Omg it's full fantasy

I just thought she was an emotionally disturbed girl into cannibalism

It's full scale werewolf adjacent

Smell from miles off

Oh vinegar!

Does he have a discoloration too? Under his neck

No kill

The implication sites seem to be it's being on addiction

Aannd there's a serial killer trophies

The camera pan to the photos

Grandpa

That's smart

He can smell

3 then 8

I believed you had to

I watched to see if you looked sad

Hopefully she stole something from the house to sell

Typical boy shit

I hope he's a poser a wannabe but i don't think so

Nope

No one our age is new at this

That's quite young

The implication bring there are hella serial killers

Presumably this is supposed to be attractive and endearing

Another shower

No way she slept with the knife like that

No way he's a buck forty even

Itchy

Sympathy for the cows

No i think his is a scar

These kids are smart

Very romantic

Lol for a cop bit

Damn i wanted the poser to be the kid

What does she care

Creeping out again

The implications of that are clear

The future being a friend to yourself

Bailed

She came back

Day job

Creeper

Down

None of these people carry bleach

Kayla

Oh

Tasteful eating cut aways

Closer to sex addiction than drug addiction

I hate when films end on a cut of better times

Like ok but that's not what you just showed me

It feels like a cop out

I mean it reinforces the continued delusion

[radiotorn]

TF2 ASK MEME... THE EVENS

DAMN HOMIE‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ thank u ok under the cut bc it's a lot:)

2- Who is your favorite mercenary? Mmeehehhehehehe Demoman :] i kiss him and rotate him in my brain

4- Do you have a favorite tf2 pet? If so then who? oh my god ARISTOTLE!!!!!!! I don't care if it's not canon or whatever i love spys bird so much i want you to all look at this bird

6- If you are in the fandom, how did you get into the fandom? Im not really in the fandom besides occasionally drawing the mercs im just in my little bubble of mutuals who are the only right people about any of the characters. everyone else can stay quiet though

8- Did you find out about tf2 by the game, sfms or the comics first? None! i found out abt the game YEARS ago From this YouTube poop, used as a flipnote i cant find anymore. But from there, it was the "Meet The" videos i must of stumbled upon randomly???

10- Favorite quote from the Meet the… videos? engies "best hope…not pointed at you" bc i remember being like !!!! :OOO!!! FUCK!!! thats badass . when i first watched it

12- Favorite quote from the comics? okay it probably doesn't count but its one that sticks its the screen on admins monitors waayy back in the beginning that say "miss pauling. hide." sticks with me bc it is just a little haunting like…. :)

14- Do you have any OTP(s)? if so then what? hmm…i like a lot of pairings but ones that i find extra nice and awesome is swordvan, spy and heavy (idk their name but they r criminally underrated and i enjoy them together), engie and demo(i also dont know their name cries) and boots n bombs. sniperspy is fun sometimes tho

16- Do you have a BROTP? if so then what? i LOVE pyro and heavy ok i think they are the best like they. i cannot even put it into words they're everything to me. scout and sniper are also buddies too

18- Favorite headcanon? this is extremely self indulgent and like not backed by anything but pyro is hungarian and mexican. this is so true to me forever and ever. i also really like the hc that soldier enjoys painting

20- Do you have a favorite tf2 fanfiction? If so, what is it? Oh my god i will link it to you RIGHT MEOW!!! Tori u already know but to anyone else pls give it a read and check out this authors other works they fuck

22- Do you have any tf2 ocs? If so, then tell us about them!! IIII DO! I won't go into too much detail, but i have The Horticulturist(Horti) and The Pathfinder(PF). Both are Hungarian, Horti is involved with agriculture/plants/etc and PF is an ex-aperture employee with memory issues and menthal illness plaguing him all the time that makes sure battlegrounds r safe to fight on and that their base isn't falling apart they're strung together by spaghetti noodles

24- What is your favorite (official or unofficial) SFM? this, this or this

26- What is your favorite tf2 comic? i think blood in the water bc of just how much fking happens but also idk i like all of them a lot. especially 7 :')

28- Is there a character you hated at first but now you love? not particularly there is still hatred in my soul for c!heavy always

30- Which character is underrated? Demo, Heavy and Soldier. We all know this FAR too well :| it's a damn shame because i love all of them so so SO much especially demo he's my husband i kiss him every day and night

32- Who was your favorite character when you first got into the fandom? Did it change? Oh Yeah. My fav at the start was Medic, and then it shifted to Sniper, and now it's Demo/Heavy <3 though i frankly find myself loving all of tha mercs they all make me smile

34- Favorite moment from the comics? seeing admin all decrepit and dying bc she looks very gorgest to me. or when sniper gets shot because my god? or when we see engie at all. i love him. i always wished they did more with pyro in the comics tho :(

36- Do you have a favorite AU? What is it? I'm not sure??? I haven't seen too many AU's besides like monster or aquatic or freaks if they even count. though i guess technically qu/azies po/otis vids are an au so that for sure!!!!!!!

38- What is your favorite cosmetic? i would say Aristotle again but i mentioned it earlier soooo perhaps the seared sorcerer for pyro …but COMBINED with discovision!!! you wish you were me (me pictured below)

[fe3h-incorrectquotes]

Thoughts on my fav, Leonie?

How I feel about this character:

Loved her design when I saw her in the trailer before the game came out, didn’t like her for my first run so I had her benched pretty much the whole time, then gave her a proper chance and came to like her. She’s not one of my favourites, but I do like her. Not a huge fan of her Byleth supports, though. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

I actually headcanon her as aroace, but if I had to pick someone then Lysithea and Marianne. I would ship her with Felix if not for their very strange paired ending. 

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Pretty much all of the golden deer. She’s got some great supports with most if not all of them, I just don’t really see them as romantic. 

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Her personality is more than just talking about Jeralt all the time! She has goals and things she wants to accomplish, she’s incredibly dedicated and hardworking, and she always repays her debts. 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

While answering the last question, I realized that she’s actually kind of similar to Yuri, aside from the whole Yuri lives underground, has a gang, and is incredibly cunning part. In a lot of her endings, she ends up as the leader of a group of mercenaries, and Yuri always runs his gang in Abyss. Anyway my point is I want her and Yuri to interact. 

[lady-imperatrix]

late night rambling cuz why not

time to dive of what i remember of tf2 fandom over the years

tldr: fandom is alright. fandom also ruined a few things to me

---------

sort of luckily, it seems like the fandom itself didn’t ruin the franchise. i still love a lot of things about tf2. but oh man, the fandom...oh the fandom. it can turn into a dumpster fire sometimes. but also that’s fandoms in general

now to go to the point, this is my experience in general, most of the time it’s what I’ve witnessed mostly on tumblr

let’s start with the classes

Scout

oh boi there is a lot. i guess i could describe it as the fandom’s beloved fuckboi punching bag. i saw a fuck ton of people kinning scout. being very loud that scout is 110% trans. I’ve seen so many fanart of trans scout. and of course the fucking..popular ship that is speeding bullet. 😅 also saw many that sees scout as a soft uwu boi. there’s also the usual obnoxious (it’s on point though) scouts with the pink and green coloured cosmetics. Another on point thing is how dumb scout is

Soldier

first off, rest in peace rick may. i love that the fandom mourn for the beloved patriotic mercenary class. i did and do adore that people made him goofy in a lot of times. and i really love the fanart of him and zhanna. i also liked helmet party a bit. i sadly hardly saw brotp type of art of him and demo. overall i guess the overly patriotic is on point? i don’t get the stupidity part of soldier though

Pyro

😅 where to start, there is a lot of mixed stuffs that i’ve seen. firstly what i do like is that pyro is confirmed to be a man under that mysterious suit. although active players deny heavily and say it’s a woman or gender unknown. even though canon comics say it’s a guy. least fav is when people do pyro as oversized infant/toddler. but like you do you. idk if its to satisfy your fetishes. luckily i saw wonderful pyro ocs.

Demoman

overall very loved mercenary! :D least favourite is when demo is done that he is passed out drunk or so drunk that he is dumb. i like casual demo the most. most of the time i see positive stuffs about demo, and i seem to always miss the drama that seem to plague him. i also feel like he is easily a forgettable one

Heavy

fandom’s mascot and fandom’s fav big softy big bro. canon heavy he has a facade to protect his family. sadly or maybe on point? a handful of time he is portrayed dumb. but he is a big bro softy. there are many other things i could add but i feel like i’d start something really bad

Engineer

to describe what the fandom thinks of him: the one that takes care of everyone. i do like the fatherly figure the fandom does of him. although i feel like people forget that engineer can be very serious but choose not to. the edgy headcanon stories for his mechanic hand though is crazy lol

Medic

the slut for all of the team. from early days ive mostly seen medic smut. a lot of which involves with heavy. i did like the change of pace when classic heavy came into frame. smut aside, a lot of crazy experiments and his unruly nature of medical stuffs.

Sniper

a shit ton of smut and lovely art of sniperspy. a lot of piss jokes as well. not enough of him sleeping though. there was a lot of lovely art of him alone though. i adored the occasional bush medicine. when it came to commissioned art, there was a lot of edgy stuffs

Spy

people are horny for the french man­. the fanservice that valve does just fuels it. fandom has been supportive of dad!spy. a lot of what ive remember is handful seen spy as hoity toity and “mon dieu why me“ type of thing. and my god valve broke spy fandom with that proud of you scene.

---

onto other characters

Saxton Hale

so. much. bara. hyper. smut. I’ve only seen on occasion that it wasn’t like fetish based. it was when an update either comic or video came along. to meme about. i like the character but fandom kinda ruined him for me 😅

Miss Pauling

man i miss the days of the ship art of pauling and scout. or that miss pauling is ace. there was rare smut of her and administrator. i liked art of her with spy being casual friends. now these days is ship art of pauling and zhanna. and a lot of people are so fucking rabid of her being a lesbian (not confirmed by valve but you do you) that if you ship her with any man, you’re a homophobic trash. like god damn let people enjoy things

Classic Heavy

at some point it was a lot of people’s fav asshole. fav horrible person to love. the ship art with medic. I’m not sure what the hell happened for people to go silent on him.

next it’s the ships

oh the ships. ship wars, and rare pairs. so many possibilities. people kinda respected other people’s ships. and then as tumblr do, tf2 got plagued of “ZOMG IF YOU SHIP X AND Y THEN YOU’RE A HOMOPHOBIC PRICK! FUCK YOU AND I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL AND OH IF YOU SHIP THIS MERC WITH THIS MERC THEN YOU’RE A VILE PIECE OF SHIT FOR SHIPPING ABUSIVE THINGS“

...BOI...calm your tits down. if the content triggers you in any sort of way, why the flying fucks did you even look it up? why haven’t you blacklisted so you wouldn’t even see the ship? wouldn’t see the trigger content? why the fuck did you look it up? is it an excuse to bully an innocent person over fictional characters? because then you’re the asshole in this. they’re not harming anyone with smut art. unless it’s illegal things then, pretty harmless.

i’ll end it here. I miss some content creators cuz the fandom decided to go witch hunt on some of them. some of them never deserved the harassment and left traumatized.

I’ve been on the sidelines most of the time and seem to have dodged a handful of drama. but it’s unfortunate to witness some of it happen. and i think ill stay on the sidelines. cuz ive learned trying to interact with people would lead to unfortunate events. so i just want to enjoy things

[cavaliant]

Rath and his default ending still make me sad like 😔 he’s just happy to go back to his clan and never once thinks that there’s anything wrong with how his childhood went. Sure he says in several of his supports that he was lonely and starving but he seems to view it as an unfortunate necessity that he had a duty to go through starting from when he was a literal toddler VS something that absolutely no one should shove on a baby let alone their own child!

No wonder Rath isn’t talkative like...can you imagine spending your formative years utterly alone with no one but the winds to talk to? Being ridiculed every time you actually manage to stumble across other people? No wonder he learned that there was no point to him speaking unless he absolutely needed to. Honestly I don’t even know how he can speak so fluently because :/ you’re not exactly a master of language at age three.

I do like his supports showing that he’s getting broken out of his shell a little bit, though I wish he got a little more variety in who he speaks to since two of them are also from Sacae (Wil is my fav support :/). It would’ve been interesting for someone as stoic as him to have supports with some of the weirder and wilder people I think (Serra, Sain, etc.) but alas.

I know Rath is kind of randomly shoved into Lyn’s tale but I do think him latching onto her is a sad effect of him wanting to be near someone from the plains who finally treats him kindly 😔 Like he does feel some obligation to help his fellow plainsmen anyway regardless of how they treat him but Lyn in particular like...he works as a mercenary but twice he offers to aid her for free.

I know his only paired end is her but I would’ve liked to see him have some other endings that don’t involve him going back to the tribe that kicked him out :/ I would have to develop relationships with other charas to think about what other paired endings I could even see besides Wil lmao

[tmaliveblogyup]

TMA S2 E14/E54 - Still Life

Trophy rooms are naturally creepy, so I'm not ready

----

"aggressively open mind" why do i love this so much?

i actually don't have a strong bias against taxidermy. Sure, if you killed an animal only for that, it's kinda fucked up, but the idea of taxidermy itself doesn't seems that bad to me. Maybe a bit weird if done for your own enjoyment, but taxidermy for a natural science museum? yeah it's ok.

pretty sure chemicals don't smell like rotten flesh, dude

this place sounds freaky

I kinda like this guy

He just wants to geek over finances

"All in all he was a real pleasure to discuss money laundering with" I'm crying why do i find this sentence so funny

a pair of cockney voices.

what an awful idea

ok im scared

nice the owner is a fucking taxidermy human

daw he still cares for them

of course "Sasha" offered to investigate

using the hair of the daniel who disappeared, huh?

what the fuck gertrude

oh shit, it was the feeling of being watched, wasn't it?

----

oh yeah so daniel was from the anglerfish, and what was seen in the basement was certainly its lure

we got a cameo of our delivery bois from breekon&hope. I wonder what are their links with all these entities? following my 'war' idea, could they be neutral forces in it, like some kind of mercenaries? Or do they have their own agenda?

This episode might be one of my fav? I kinda love the tax guy, and it was both funny and really unsettling

[rueitae]

Hi, I'm the same person who asked about angst. XD I guess the kind of fics I enjoy the most are ones that have "kidnapping/rescue" angst. There are already hundreds of these with Lance, but I'm looking for more of these kinds of fics that feature Pidge as the one in distress. Maybe I've already read all of them, I dunno, but I was hoping maybe you could give me something new to be invested in. Thank you for responding and helping me out.

Sorry for the late response. Your question inspired me to dig deep into Ao3 to see if I could find even more of these than what I’d already bookmarked. I’m still only halfway through the Pidge tag (excluding as many irrelevant ships as I could) so this is by no means complete, but I hope you’ll find something you might not have read yet!

This is a list of fics in which Pidge is in peril. I’ve sorted them by romantic and platonic as well as a few that you’ll have to be mindful of the tags for at the very end. To narrow the focus a bit, I tried to make sure Pidge was the main or one of the main POV. This isn’t an all encompassing list. I’m sure there are some I’m missing. (If i’m missing one of your favs please tell me because I want to read it, I also just might have had a brain fart about it because I’ve been staring at the computer screen for too long)

With any rec list, I encourage you to leave a thoughtful comment for the writers if you enjoyed it! I know from experience they would be over the moon about it, and it encourages the creative process for all of us. If I know their tumblr, I’ve provided that as well! (i’m so sorry if I missed someone)

Full list under the cut.

Gen Fic (no romantic ships)

The Times They Remembered Pidge Was A Girl: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876368

Most of the chapters are separate stories, but one of the first ones includes some captured Pidge.

Each a Perfect Porcelain Doll: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114117

The entire premise is Pidge needing to pretend to be Allura for a night. Needless to say, the kidnappers get the wrong person.

The Smallest of These: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11476389/chapters/25734882

Pidge is the target of a number of assassinations and kidnappings, of which her Paladin family takes the hit for her. It culminates in BAMF Pidge doing the saving in return. Really cool storytelling stuff with the POV.

Triumph or Death: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123813

A Haxus survives the fall fic, and the repercussions.

Loss of Green: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14162199/chapters/32643132

A what if Lance didn’t wake from the coma to shoot Sendak.

The Cost of Winning: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975314

Pidge and Lance must protect each other in the Galra arena. This and the next three (and another towards the end) are courtesy of @icypantherwrites

Inches from Death: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16789768

Both are captured, Lance is dying.

Once More Time, With Feeling: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625668/chapters/37457147

Alone, captured, shock collar.

Rubbed Raw: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15625668/chapters/38547500

Pidge reflects on her capture and rescue. Muzzle

Strength of the Small: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9102247

They all get captured but its Pidge centric and she has to earn their freedom.

Take Me Away: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018982/chapters/32285463

Pidge bonds with Green while in captivity.

Deep Dark Sea: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17780633

Pidge torture plus rescue. Waterboarding, canon verse. This and the next are thanks to @bearly-writing

Reach for the Sky: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18760165

Standing cuffs, canon verse.

Hold a Grudge: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19788481

Pidge faces the bounty hunter after her brother with the other watching helplessly.

Caged: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18866572

Trapped in a room, psychological

Waiting: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18499240

Feet smashed

Leave them all alone: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972431

Sendak revenge, team watches. Begging, amputation

Kidnapped: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072084

Tied to a chair

You belong to me now: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17083700

Haggar tortures Pidge

Shopping for Disaster: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13164879

Pidge and Allura teamup! A shopping trip turns into a mission fic. First of many from @sp4c3-0ddity (including the first several in the plance section)

Loose Thread: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18923749

Can only move eyes, fantasy AU

Romantic Plance

Say the word, i’m yours: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910828

Fantasy au, Pidge and Lance are on opposite sides of a conflict. Childhood friends trope too.

Another vampire romance: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324023

Pidge is surrounded by vampires. One of them is Lance

The mercenary and the witch: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18263786

Fantasy au, Lance is undercover with Sendak’s mercenaries when Pidge is captured. 

Burial rites: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18080018

Assassin au, Pidge is caught. 

Seize your happy ending: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17575022

Reads like a fairy tale. Lance seeks to free Pidge after befriending her as children as he learns about her situation. 

Dueling Hearts: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16760344

Canon verse. Pidge catches the attention of a local ruler in talks to join the Coalition. 

Tidal Lockdown: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14801036

Canon verse mission fic gone wrong. 

Fakeout: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13558341

Canon verse. A diplomacy mission goes south quick when Lance and Pidge overhear something they shouldn’t. (and its a good thing they do)

Connections: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15686142

An Altean Pidge AU! Begins with her being captured and eventual meet up with the team. By @canadiantardis

The Fall: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16114103

A star wars AU! Jedi Knights Pidge and Lance are expected when they infiltrate Lotor’s ship…

All i love so dearly: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15715107

Pidge turns up suddenly after being missing for two weeks and she has no memory of what happened to her. She finds out she’s pregnant. First fic of the series is putting together the pieces of what happened and the second is some additional emotional healing. By @deadlydeviant

Defenders of Aurita: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15169268

Monsters and Mana. Dragons. Lots of whump. Plenty of scenes of duress. by @anchoredtetherart

The Cat and His Rat: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19871425

Monsters and Mana verse! Meklavar finds herself in a very bad spot right off the bat. By @starsonthursday

Where Sapphire Roses Grow: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19701508

You’ll want to keep an eye on this one since it’s a Beauty and the Beast AU.

The Boy Who waited: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19948924

A Doctor Who AU in which Pidge and Lance have Amy and Rory’s roles. By @cgf-kat

Harvest in Fire: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17806424

Whipping, s7 ish. 

Worth It: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15808878

An extension of the ‘Don’t you touch her’ scene.

Colors: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17966018

Everyone is in trouble, Pidge centric. Everyone has different powers/abilities that the government is trying to keep in check. The group is on the run to stay free. By @mistyhollowpro

Stronger with you: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17588981

mafia/assassin au. Directly after Lance saves Pidge, deals with tending her wounds and also trying to mend their emotional bond after being apart for a while. By @alwaysinsonder

Other Ships

The Boxer: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12309138

Lance only makes a cameo appearance (Hunk gets to be the main Paladin support friend) and the pairing itself is different shades of Lotor/Pidge. Starts with Pidge’s capture and there’s some great mind games going on. Enemies to reluctant partners to maybe friends to something that they don’t really define. Some great BAMF Pidge action and excellent story. Kind of related is their Space Mall shenanigans story:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12308814

feels like one of those classic cartoon chases and is also an excellent read, as are the other two one shots.

Mind the Tags

Kairos: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914550/chapters/42296588

Pidge has been missing for six years when the Paladins find her again… with a kid. Mind the tags for the implications.

Trapped: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20219836

Momentarily caught during a mission, healing after. Mind tags. 

Remorse is a Dish Best Served Never: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14484018

The most recent one I’ve read! Mind the tags for this one and read the chapter one summary for additional information. Warnings are always given at the start of each chapter. Haxus and Sendak are successful and take Pidge, Lance, and Shiro to central command… where they spend the next three or so years. Every time you think its getting better for Pidge it gets ten times worse for her. 

Finding the Light: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1417435

Mind the tags. Post sexual assault recovery

[sickviking-fr]

Day 16: Share your favorite Gaoler(s) THIS ONE IS LONG

30 Day Dragon Share Challenge

ALL Gaolers are my favorite Gaolers and I take deep personal offense that you’d suggest otherwise. (this statement actually negates my previous statement that Coatls are in my top 2 fav breeds....) But because of this, you all now have to suffer listening to me gush about my good gay boys and my big crazy gal! CONGRATULATIONS!

In no particular order I’ll start off with Foxglove. Fox is the owner and bartender of the local bar, not connected with the Inn itself. He’s toying with the idea of turning the simple bar into a full on nightclub but isn’t sure he’s up to the challenge just yet. He’s also quite desperately in love with his waiter (who I haven’t named yet) Fox puts almost as much effort into not being obvious about his feelings but he kinda really sucks at it. He can make you a damn good drink though!

Raspberry(this is not his name but his unholy tert please someone help me name him!!!) is Foxgloves employee. He’s the waiter and also apprentice bartender. Despite being hopelessly shy and suffering from social anxiety (and dense as a brick) he encourages Foxglove to take the step forward and expand the small bar into a nightclub worthy of a Tourist destination and give patrons somewhere to have a more wholesome good time than Scorpios. He has no idea of Foxgloves feelings for him, literally the only one who doesn’t know. Even first time customers can see Fox’s affection but Raspberry is utterly blind to it, all while harboring a rather significant crush on his employer himself. The pair is a popular source of entertainment for the long time residents, waiting on baited breath for when?! When will they finally stop being a pair of goddamn idiots?!?

 Vineheart owns the mysterious Peacevine Gardens, which provide nearly all produce and meat to the town. Growing up being taught that the outside world was not welcoming to Gaolers and that he would be forced back into frozen servitude if the Icewarden ever learned of his existence outside the Ice Fields, Vineheart built his home deep in the Viridian Labyrinth, hidden away from prying eyes. He’s entrusted one dragon, a tundra named Axel to be the face of his business. While he has others in his employ, they do not actually know of him, instead believing they work for Axel. Since they have three young men who do deliveries and deal with clients, neither Vineheart or Axel know of the reappearance of Gaolers in Sornieth and their open acceptance in daily life.

Ragki doesn’t have nearly as well defined lore as the others. She travels with Kor’s mercenaries. She’s a witch who excels in Conjuration and Illusion magics. Her knowledge in herbalism leaves much to be desired, more capable of making a potent poison than a health potion. She thrives on violence.

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing (July 28-August 3, 2019)

GW Tumblr Fandom,

Here’s your weekly round-up from the folks at TWIGW!  Be sure to show your creators some love.  <333

–Mod LAM

Fanfiction

Successive Normal by @janaverse

Pairings: Heero x Duo

Characters: Heero, Duo

Rating: General

Tag / Warnings: post-mission fic, domestic, fluff

Summary: Heero returns home after a field assignment (Duo’s stickies on the refrigerator edit are available here)

Fanart

Heero and the Pineapple by @gundayum

Duo and Heero by @sahdah 

Other Fandom Works (Cosplay, Gunpla, Scans, etc.)

Quotes

@incorrectgundamwingquotes lightin’ up my life. Some favs: 

Heero and Wufei are dating

It was meant to be (Duo and Heero)

Biggest fear (with Heero, Duo, and Quatre)

Bad business model (Duo and Quatre)

‘Dibs!’ (Quatre and Trowa)

Headcanons and Discussions

Wanderlust Duo and Swimming by @disturbed02girl

Wanderlust Duo, Postcard #15 by @disturbed02girl

Trowa’s Bangs by @janaverse

What’s off-limits in the MC era by @peachandbetty

Cosplay

Metrocon 2019 cosplay crew with @ahsimwithsake, @laurathia, @tyrestgwa, and @manabingu

Tag Yourself

Part I, Part II, Part III

Headshot Recreation

Gunpla

3D models of Wing Titan and GN-X Mercenary Custom by @deadpan-deadman

GoL Altron sleeve notes by @disturbed02girl

Screencaps, GIFs, Scans, and Edits

Gundam Wing featured by @horseoftheday (I couldn’t not include this OMG...)

GoL scans by @disturbed02girl

Heero and Wing

Wing Zero

Heero and Epyon

3...2...1...let’s jam by @disturbed02girl

Lots and lots of Endless Waltz screencaps by @janaverse. Check ‘em out in their screencaps tag

There was only one cockpit by @janaverse

Show us your swag!

In case anyone forgot about it, a fan has created an entire series of Adagio Teas for Gundam Wing. Get yours today!

Figure set arrived for @bobo-is-tha-bomb

Fandom hoard update by @gundayum

Calendar Events

Cocktail Fridays with @gwcocktailfriday​ 

Post responses on Friday between 3-5PM! 

This week’s prompt is here

Congrats to everyone who participated on the Summer of Zechs 2019!  Reblogging will continue over at @seasons-of-gundamwing​​

Gundam Wing Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang 

Sign-ups are complete, and info is available here.

Be sure to follow @thisweekingundamevents​ for updates

Rhythm Generation: Shooting Stars - LAUNCH IS GO!

The anthology aims to showcase a wealth of fandom content in celebration of the show’s 25th anniversary: from fanfic and fanart to cosplay and gunpla to meta, tech specs, and fandom history.  

The project will include both a core zine with a generalized focused on the fandom and “milestones,” and a bonus zine with content centered around the crowd-sourced “Seasonal” theme. 

The anthology will be released on April 7, 2020.  Contributor Applications go live on September 1.

Be sure to follow @gundamzine​ for updates and check out the FAQ page for more info.

[scribeofmorpheus]

The Rebel Queen (ii)

Chapter Two: Scramble

Pairing: Poe Dameron x (OFC) Princess Calista Ordell

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | A03

Words: 7k | Warnings: More ramblings of a delusional fanfic writer…

A/N: The murderess who started this entire pandemonium of unrest is front and centre in this chapter. We have more Poe and fun-loving Paige Tico as well! And we get to see my two problematic favs get into some trouble (Ton-Ton and Watts).

Taglist is open

Epilogue | About Thesmora

 Karas, Thesmora...

Red on black. The taste of charred timber burning on the underside of her mouth. That was all that bled through as Maligma's polished boots traipsed over the razed courtyard. The once splendid land had been terraformed into a landscape worthy of a sonnet of death. All the bodies had been moved, leaving behind mounds of ash and the smell of fumes from the clouds of smoke that diffused upwards into the sky, polluting it, darkening it as far as the eye could see.

The Duchess nursed a look of stoic resignation, taking in the destruction she had caused through umber coloured eyes. Her feet crunching into the ground as though it were snow at her feet and not the remnants of a once lush and green landscape.

Ping!

Unexpectedly, her boot was obstructed by something hard. Reaching down she noticed the familiar silver and gold weaving of the delicate crown. She’d recognise it anywhere. It belonged to Calista.

Like a grieving widow, Maligma reminisced about the day she had helped her niece pick out that exact crown. Lenora had been away from the capital on that particular day and was unable to share in the experience of choosing ones first crown with her daughter. It had been a kind memory. One she had once thought would turn sweeter with the turning of time. Now it was but a reminder of what she lost… what she had destroyed.

A bitter aftertaste soured her mouth as she realised her sister would never again share any more experiences with her daughter. For once, Maligma was grateful she was without children of her own.

Heaving a weary sigh, she dusted off the blood muddied dirt from the crown, digging out the soot embedded in between the small cracks with her long fingernails. She knew Calista was out there, somewhere amongst the stars, hiding in the endless darkness of space.

"Where are you, little one?" Maligma sought to the sky for answers, her pupils expanding to take in more light. From here Thesmora’s two moons were still visible, even at noon. The shattered rock of the third moon resembling a dandelion gradually blowing away, scattering further and further in the wind.

She hovered close to the burnt-out funeral pyre, placing the crown to rest with the remaining bones of the late queen. Her fist closed around a mound of ash. "It didn't have to be this way..."

Wind blew the tears pooling in the corner of her eyes away in a level stream, a salty droplet falling into her ear, the liquid matter eliciting a shiver from her stiff body.

"Duchess?" the encroaching voice of Hazo O'Raka disturbed her from her solidarity –depriving her a moment of reticent bereavement.

Maligma steeled her nerves before addressing him with the new authority afforded to her, "Commander."

Despite his youth and unhinging beauty, Hazo was the embodiment of discipline; a perpetually straightened posture, an unwavering blank expression and hardened eyes the colour of swamp water branded him as one of the planet’s most revered warriors. His demeanour and gait resembled that of Mokk-Toh's, a comparison that always reminded Maligma to stay vigilant while in his presence.

The Commander handed over a data-pad displaying images of the Somnambulist –the ship Calista had escaped on– taken from the space station on Yotai. Her eye twitched ever so slightly when she read the report.

"We don't know where they're going?" Maligma asked, displeased by what she read.

Hazo shook his head, "We were unable to plant a transponder on their ship and it seems our scanners stopped picking up their signal once they jumped to hyperspeed. They have successfully managed to elude us." He sounded almost impressed.

"Careful, Commander," Maligma eyed him. "A tone like that and I might be inclined to assume you're actually relieved they got away."

No muscle or line on his face moved. He was an impregnable statue. His most inner thoughts would forever remain elusive, even from the most trained eye. "You need not worry, Duchess. My loyalties lie with Thesmora. Who sits on its throne is arbitrary so long as they have the people’s best interest."

Maligma's lips curled upwards, "Always the loyal soldier… Mokk-Toh trained you well. Though, I do wonder if he trained you a little too well."

He said nothing, too smart for Maligma's probing it would seem.

She eyed him through the corner of her eye while she absentmindedly scrolled through pages upon pages of data, "And what of the bounty hunter?"

He shook his head once more, it was the most distinguishable form of emotive language she had witnessed from him thus far. "He went radio silent. We believe he's somewhere in the Western Reaches, but have been unable to locate his ship. Should I send a tight-beam to our spies within that sector to keep an eye out for the Admiral in case the bounty hunter was unsuccessful in his mission?"

"Former admiral," Maligma corrected with a dark ring to her voice. She let out a huff in thought. "And no. Versengen is tenacious and vindictive, being a ghost is in his nature. If there's anyone I would bet on to see this bounty through, it would be him."

She handed the data-pad back to Hazo, feet kicking up dirt as she made her way from the courtyard. Her blood-red coat-tails dragging behind her.

"There is another thing," He informed her as she strode back to the palace. After she didn't reciprocate with any words, Hazo went forward and explained: "The Somnambulist was first spotted leaving the Shallow Pits."

Maligma sucked the air in through her gap teeth in annoyance, she knew instantly what that meant. "Murray, that two-faced bastard." Her words, though insulting, held a form of esteem.

"My soldiers believe that is where the princess and Koa initially secured passage off-world. We took him in for questioning earlier. He is currently under lock and key at the barracks."

She noticed the slight shift in Hazo's tone at the mention of Koa, and even though she was intrigued by his slip up, it didn’t warrant any further investigating given the circumstances. However, she did make a mental note to remember it for later.

"Good work Commander… Keep this up and you'll be on the fast track to admiral soon," she doused her words in honey, Hazo, on the other hand, remained unfazed.

"Promotions are of no consequence to me. Once we've secured Thesmora's safety, then we will let the people decide whom they wish to lead the Royal Guard... If there will be one left after your undertaking." Hazo bowed before taking a diverging path to the barracks, hand on his swords hilt the entire time.

She kept her eyes trained on him until his outline dissipated into nothing more than a shadow. "You trained him well..." Her words were lost in the wind, meant for ears that could not hear her.

 The cell door opened with a hiss as cold air washed over Maligma's body. Hot and cold clashed from the still radiating heat of the sun on her skin.

Banden was draped over the clinically white bunk placed in the corner of the equally clinically white room. He had on a bored as he twisted his wrists against the arm restraints in an effort to pass the time. When his eyes lifted to meet Maligma's a look of familiarity shone through them. The green of his eyes turning brighter from the imposing light once he shifted out from under the shade of the bunks canopy.

"Maligma, what a present surprise," his suave attitude rolling out in waves. "Gotta admit, I thought about how things would play out when you came traipsing back into my life…" He scoured the room and then looked to Maligma's furious glare, holding it until she made a move before he glanced back at his restraints. "And I have to admit, you got most of the details right. Except for the location."

She scoffed in disgust, "Keep your lascivious thoughts to yourself, Murray. No one wants to hear them."

"You used to sing a different tune once," Ever the audacious mobster, Banden smirked his famous bone-chilling smirk as if he were talking to one of his mercenary thugs.

Maligma's cheeks hollowed inwards as she stared him down with a scornful look, but there was a hidden lick of heat traded between them, it filled the air with tension, whether sexual or antagonistic was anyone’s guess.

"You know you committed treason by aiding my darling niece's escape?"

Banden shrugged like an aloof idiot, "All you Thessi look alike to an outsider like me. I couldn't tell you for certain if I aided the princess’s escape or not. I handle a lot of business deals at any time of day, it would be all too easy for anyone to fall through the cracks."

Maligma scoffed, flipping her rust coloured hair to the side. "Even a fugitive?"

"You forget my line of work."

She glowered, voice turning sharp, "I could have you executed for less."

Banden's smirk grew wider, "Yes, you could, but we both know you won't. Not if you want things to keep running smoothly. Imagine if all the mines dried up, who would feed all those soldiers keeping the people in order?"

Maligma's eyes narrowed at him, "You dare threaten me?"

"Threaten the Master of Spies? I'd be a fool..." He was leering at her now, his entire body bustling with exultant energy from the thrill of trading verbal blows.

She folded her arms, her eyes looking out through the open door, head bobbing to the side to call someone forth.

Hazo appeared from a blind spot with the keys to Banden's shackles. Begrudgingly, he kneeled close to free the mobster's hands with a snarl curling at his nostrils.

Banden searched Hazo's face, his smug disposition fading away instantly like he’d seen a phantom. Maligma careened her head at his unexpected reaction.

When they were alone again, Maligma patronized, "Acquaintance?"

Banden rubbed the skin on his wrists as he looked up, his brows drawn together like heavy drapes. "Only by reputation," he said through a set jaw.

“Since when were you one to care for reputation?” Maligma's eyebrow arched before setting her eyes on his tattoo written across his chest.

He stood from the bunk, stalking close to her until he towered over her, voice threatening, “I don’t.”

 D'Qar...

Poe had managed to get cleaned up, packed up and saddled up in record time. He had traded in his pilot jumpsuit and mechanic overalls for his trusty brown jacket, a tan shirt and a pair of red utility pants –holstering his blaster rifle to his thigh. After grabbing a pair of dog tags that hung off the side of his mirror, he picked up his duffle bag and turned off the lights to his sleeping quarters –giving it one last look before heading for the ship parked outside the base.

BB-8 rolled over to Poe’s side, concerned beeps sounding out as he bumped into his leg to get his attention. Poe crouched down, hand on the little droids round surface. "Sorry pal, not this time." The droid rolled to the side and back, bumping into his leg harder.

Poe couldn't help but laugh at his droids enthusiasm, "I need you to stay here, look after Finn for me while I'm away. Keep the General safe." He patted the round ball. BB-8 whistled and chimed but its tone was more downcast, almost disheartened. "I'll be back in no time," Poe reassured the droid, watching him roll away with a proud smile.

The hot-shot pilot got off his knee and walked out of the shade. Heat permeated off the dry, cracked ground in a mesmer. Burned by the brightness, he cupped his hand over his forehead in an effort to shield his eyes from the sun. Rays of light hitting his parent’s dog tags at a sharp angle, reflecting outward.

A woman standing in front of the banged-up star-ship blinked furiously as he walked closer. "By the stars, Poe, you trying to blind a girl?" Paige protested as she blocked the refracted rays with her arm.

Poe slipped his tags under his shirt's collar and patted Paige firmly on the shoulder, "Now that would be a disaster. It's a bit last minute for me to find a replacement co-pilot."

"Co-pilot?” Her bug eyes sparkled with excitement as she punched his chest playful, “You aren't messing with me?"

Poe handed his duffle to one of the men loading up the ship, "You gotta start somewhere right? Can't just jump straight into an X-Wing without chipping a little paint." His knuckles knocked on the ship's side and ironically, peeling sheets of paint fell off.

Paige giggled with excitement as she looked up at the old piece of junk. Regarding it with newfound enthusiasm as if it had turned into a fancy race pod, "Rose is gonna flip when she hears about this."

"Easy there, hotshot," Poe huffed to keep from laughing. "You have to get us to Takodana in one piece first."

"Done and done!" She said confidently. The smile on her face was full of promise.

Poe admired her spirit. She reminded him of how he used to be in his younger days, before all the politics and red tape caught up to him. Sometimes he wished he could simply be a pilot and only a pilot. Take to the stars. Feel the rush of soaring against the winds. Feel the pull of gravity growing and growing until it was cast aside all together whenever he broke through a planet’s atmosphere. He wanted to return to a time when he'd proudly, and solely, declare that flying was all he knew. But the resistance had many pilots, what they didn’t have in abundance were new heroes. And as Leia had told him: ‘As fighters, we have all to accept that people will always expect more of us if we keep rising to the occasion. You have to learn to rise up to the pedestal all these men and women have put you on. We all had to go through the growing pains of transitioning from rebel to hero.’

Silly him, he had kept rising to the occasion, no matter how perilous or impossible a situation got. Which also meant, he was no longer just a pilot, but a hero that others looked to for guidance. And the Force help him, he had no intentions of ever becoming an authority figure in this war.

"Come on," Poe started towards the ship's doors. "Let's get this bird up and running."

Paige jogged after him, her entire aura buzzing with excitement.

"So what's our mission?" Paige asked, already strapped into the co-pilot seat, headset fixed over her grey woolly hat. The blacks of her eyes reflecting back all the lights of the dials on the dash.

Poe rubbed at his chin, the prickly feeling of newly forming scruff scraping against his calloused fingertips, "No clue."

Paige looked at him in surprise, "So we're heading to Takodana with no intel? Talk about flying blind."

"Our orders are to reach Takodana and get in contact with Maz, the rest is all a coin’s toss."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, if the General chose you to oversee this mission it must be important," she reassured him with a big smile. "She's General Leia for crying out loud. There must be a good reason for our mission even if we can't see it yet."

Poe took Paige's words to heart, feeling slightly more at ease.

"We're all fuelled up and ready, Commander," one of his flight crew informed him.

"Ground control, we clear for take-off?" He spoke into his headset.

Through the windshield, a member of the landing party flagged him on with their glowing orange wands, "That's a copy. It’s all clear skies and open runway. You've got the green light."

"Mission Control, we've got green light. Fuelled up and ready for take-off," Poe spoke into the headset at a different frequency.

"That's a copy Black Leader. Mission Control requests a call sign for the log before you take off," Lieutenant Connix's voice spoke out through the headset.

He turned to Paige whose bewildered expression informed him she was still taking everything in, "Well, Number Two? How about it?"

Paige looked like she were about to suffer a stroke, her hand blocking off the mouthpiece so she could whisper to him conspiratorially, "You want me to name the ship?"

Poe chuckled with a friendly nod. She shook the startled look from her face, her hand closing around her pendant. Then, all of a sudden, that look of confidence returned and she punched in the new name into the transponder.

"That's a copy, Rose One. You are clear for take-off," Connix relayed as she spoke out the ships new name for the first time. "May the force be with you."

“And with you, Mission Control,” Poe turned to Paige. "Alright, Ensign Tico, take us away!"

Paige hit the thrusters, retracted the landing legs and turning the ship stern-side until they faced open land. With a deep breath and a kiss to her pendant, Paige set their course for Takodana. Poe helped her climb through the atmosphere like it was a piece of cake with his excellent piloting skills.

"Whoo-Hoo!" Paige cheered as the Rose One broke through several clouds and glided out of the ozone layer.

 Space-port Hanoi, 200 Million KM from Hoth...

Odhen sat at a booth in the back of the cantina next to a window just wide enough to see the tiny white planet of Hoth from this distance. His haul: the princess of Thesmora and her trusty, yet frighteningly serious bodyguard, were over by the bar, blending in with the riffraff as best they could.

Ton-Ton had remained with the Somnambulist to oversee its repairs. Docking at the port had been a last-minute decision after Odhen convinced the two Thessi women that a working hyperdrive was more valuable than a ship without a working hyperdrive.

He sipped from his cup, his attention drawn to the commotion at the bar where Koa held a man face down against the counter with a clenched jaw. Calista tapped on her arm and like a reflex, Koa instantly relaxed her grip and straightened her face, a duplicitous look of calm taking over her as the thug fanned his jacket as he made his way to the exit.

Odhen had never seen two people so attuned to the other that they rarely needed words to convey a thought. They worked like a pendulum. When one swung over to the edge the other would veer them back on course.

"Stirrin’ up trouble your first day here," he chugged the rest of his drink when the women returned to the booth, an impressed shrug pulling at his shoulders. "You blend right in. Ever thought of changin’ professions?" He joked.

Koa didn't find his jab amusing, deciding instead to fix her eyes on the pins stuck to his jacket. "Were you some sort of hero?"

Odhen shifted in his seat, "Is there any such thing these days?"

“Did you steal them then? Some twisted form of souvenir?”She arched a brow at him and he simply looked out the window, ignoring her questioning. "A deserter then?"

That got his attention.

The tired pilot chewed at the skin in his mouth. "That don’t say much, aren't you both deserters?"

"Perhaps, logically. But such things don’t matter if you still have your honour." She squared her jaw, nails tapping languidly on the table. “Or is that a foreign concept to you as well?”

He knew something about him rubbed Koa the wrong way, he figured it was her disdain for anyone who lived outside the comforts of lawful structures or orderly hierarchies. She struck him as someone who took her ideologies too seriously. From the prickly way she regarded everyone in this establishment, he could tell she was having a hard time reconciling the fact that she was now just like everyone else in this cantina: an outsider. A fugitive. Someone of little honour.

No matter her disposition, Odhen wasn't planning on pulling any punches. It wasn’t his style. "Honour’s just a fancy word for havin’ a code. And a code is just a set of rules we make to ensure we don't cross those lines we’re uncomfortable with. It’s a barrier we put up to try and distinguish between what goes for civilised and what goes for savage. It’s a delusional safety net, nothin’ more."

“Is that why you live like this? Taking odd jobs for scraps? Because you’re above it all. Above the need to distinguish between the two?”

Odhen pointed his finger to the table, tapping between each sentence to emphasise his point, “Your commission wasn’ for scraps. The two of you were quite the lucrative deal, in fact. And in my line of work, it is all about the credits. So stop tryin’ to analyse me as though there’s more to my story than what you see. If you can promise that, I’ll promise not to raise your expectations of me.”

Koa’s mouth opened, a rumble in her throat signifying she was about to rebuke his words when Calista interjected.

"I've always wanted to travel to Hoth," She said softly, shifting their attention to the small round dot in the distance. "It doesn't snow on Thesmora. Not unless you live among the mountain tribes –but even then it's not the same. In the academy during our history lessons, I'd spend hours staring at its hologram, imagining what it would feel like to be knee-deep in snow. Toes going numb and skin turning blue.” A smile danced over her face at the memory, the tension that had begun to climb between Odhen and Koa diffusing away. “To see nothing but pure white stretching on and on forever. This is the closest I've ever come to seeing it with my own eyes. It may be the closest I’ll ever get to it."

Odhen watched Calista's face change from impassive to cheerful and back again –a glimmer of passion slipping between the cracks every now and then. He saw that the same fire that Koa wore proudly, like a suit of armour, Calista kept hidden, like a concealed weapon. In some small way, she reminded him of his late wife. They both held a stubborn vibrancy, kept hidden behind soft smiles and poised etiquette.

"Who knows, maybe you'll get to do more than just see it one day," Odhen muttered as he stared at the white orb in the distance. Calista hummed into her drink while Koa looked out at the white orb.

He was startled from his thoughts by the sound of his holo-terminal beeping around his wrist. He connected the call once he read the transmission signature. A second later, a miniature hologram of Ton-Ton stood on top of a ring of moisture left behind by his cup. The Jawa was shouting and waving his arms as usual, but his tone was slightly more alarmed.

Odhen frowned, repeating what he heard with a hint of disbelief to his pitch, "They grounded our ship? Why?"

The Jawa explained how one of the smugglers who transported refugees off Thesmora recognised their ship and informed the security personnel expecting a reward. Watts had intercepted a tight-beam transmission sent to the base on Yotai. It became instantly apparent that they didn't have long before a group of Elites would mobilise to their position.

Odhen swore under his breath, ending the transmission with a heavy finger, the two women catching none of what Ton-Ton had just said. "You may need to secure another ride. The Somnambulist just got tagged," he swallowed the remainder of his drink and with a loud clink of his glass, he walked away.

 "You can't just leave us high and dry after you promised to get us to Takodana," Koa marched after him with a stern scowl on her face and just as stern of a tone. Calista hung back, the pendulum deprived its opposing force.

Odhen sped up his strides, but the young Thessi woman had no problems keeping up with him, her legs almost as long as his. "First of all, I didn't promise anythin’. We made a transaction, I took a job and now that jobs screwed. End of story."

She clicked her tongue, "Of course someone like you only cares about looking out for themselves."

He rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, "Listen, kid, I'm a smuggler, I take cargo no one wants to be caught dead with and deliver it to where it's supposed to go. I get paid and then I move on. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Sometimes the cargo gets compromised, sometimes I have to stash it, other times I have to space it. This time I'm giving it a heads up before cuttin’ it loose! Caring has nothing to do with it."

"Congratulations," she clapped sarcastically. "You just lived up my expectations." Koa marched off, going to stand beside Ton-Ton who was currently lost in a heated argument with the port authorities.

When Odhen thought he had the room to breathe, Calista finally walked up behind him, but she stayed silent. Simply using her presence to strong-arm a response out of him.

He pinched his nose with an airy snort filling the awkward silence, "Look, I can ask around the port, see if I can find someone I know. Maybe they can get yo--"

"Time isn't on my side and what little time I do have is too precious to waste on the possibility of finding an alternative,” she stated frankly. "I'll double the pay."

He ran a hand over his beard roughly, feeling slightly insulted, "This ain’t a matter of credits."

"From everything you said to Koa in the cantina, your own words would seem to indicate it has everything to do with credits. Unless you don’t believe any of what you said before."

“Look, I have nothin’, nothin’, to prove to you or your friend over there.”

“I never thought you did,” her tone was cold, detached.

Odhen was seeing a different side to her, a darker side –an entitled side. She didn't look at him while she spoke, instead, she kept her chin high and her face unreadable. She spoke at him rather than to him. She made him feel as though he were no different than a low-life willing to do anything for a scrap of credits.

Isn't that what you want everyone to believe? He laughed ironically. Isn't that what you've become?

“Double?” He asked looking for confirmation.

“Double.” She nodded.

"I'll speak to Ton-Ton, see what we can do," he grumbled as he walked away from her, away from the sickening feeling of being regarded as the very thing he had told them he was.

 "She's willin’ to double the pay," Odhen whispered to his number two while they conversed in a dark section of the hangar bay.

Ton-Ton spoke energetically, his feet bobbing at the prospect of an even larger payday.

"I agree, that's a lot of credits, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy."

The Jawa kicked his shin in annoyance as he muttered something else.

"By the stars!" Odhen rubbed at his leg. "Fine, but we'll need a distraction too so the port authorities don't send security after us while we disembark. Someone will also need to override the clamp controls in the station's main offices."

Ton-Ton's arms came together and then rapidly flew apart in a circular pattern as he sounded out an imitation of an explosion.

Odhen’s eyes went wide, "You want to set off an explosion in the port? Are you insane? You could rip a hole through the entire station and kill everyone, us included!" He whisper-shouted as he nervously rubbed at his neck. "Always the pyromaniac. Are you forgettin’ what happened the last time you dabbled in controlled explosives? I was deaf in one ear for a week!"

Ton-Ton brushed Odhen's annoyed complaints away with a whack of his wrench, clipping the large pilot in his shin this time.

"Oof! You measly dwarf, I oughta..." he swore under his breath, side-stepping away from the violent prone Jawa with a height complex.

Ton-Ton explained his reasoning’s for being eager to help the two stranded Thessi women and Odhen huffed, a tweak working at his cheek jowls.

"You like the mean one, eh?" his gaze fell on the two women standing by the Somnambulist. He clicked his tongue as he took a deep breath. "Well, I guess we're turnin’ out to be a pair of suckers after all… Grab your mouthy droid and get to work."

Ton-Ton waddled back to his droid while Odhen strutted towards Calista and Koa, hands picking at his scruffy beard, more silvering hairs falling out. "Once an old fool..."

Calista propped her elbow over her forearm, fingers drumming on her lips as she studied the body language of their pilot and his second mate arguing in a dark corner.

Koa twirled a sharp implement between agile fingers, her line of sight drawn up towards the sparks hailing from a construction site overhead. "Do you think they'll reconsider?"

"They're desperate, and so are we. Whether we want to admit it or not, we need each other," she hypothesized.

"What did you say to him? He was pretty adamant about not wanting to help us earlier," Koa shifted her eyes to look at something else.

"I said what I had to," Calista ran her tongue over her teeth in distaste of her previous actions. She didn’t like manipulating others, but Odhen wore his wounds more openly than he thought. Everything had become clear once he snapped at Koa’s questioning his honour.

From what she had deduced of Odhen’s character during their short time together, she could tell his weakness was somehow linked to all those neglected medals pinned to that ridiculously small jacket he never took off. Something from his past haunted him, so much so that he had to constantly keep on the run from whatever it was that he didn’t want to face. From his past.

Koa narrowed her eyes at her friend's nonchalant countenance, "I know it's been a trying time, but are you certain you're alright?" she motioned to place a comforting hand on Calista's shoulder but the princess narrowly avoided the contact by shifting her weight onto her other foot.

"I'm fine. Let's just focus on getting to Takodana."

Ton-Ton and Odhen made their way back to the Somnambulist at a slower pace than Calista would have liked, her legs and arms were on fire with riled up energy that needed an outlet.

"Well?" she asked the pilot while the Jawa waddled towards his droid, placing several pieces of junk equipment into the trolley before he wheeled Watts towards the scaffolding that held up the construction equipment a few yards away.

"That little daredevil over there seems to think your cause is worth aidin’, which doesn' mean much considerin’ he has the worst self-preservation instincts in all the galaxy," Odhen glanced at his second mate getting into an argument with a construction worker allowing Watts to discretely stash something under a support beam. "You know he set himself on fire one time just so he could--" 

"Odhen..." Calista brought him back on topic.

He fisted his hand and brought it to his mouth so he could clear his throat before continuing, "Right, we can help, but we'll need more than two hands if we expect to get off this station without being shot to stardust."

Koa expertly threw the sharp implement at an unsuspecting stranger’s crate, the sharp end lodging itself at the centre of a letter printed on its side. Her swift action had gone unnoticed as she straightened off the part of the ship she had been leaning against.

"What do you need?" she asked, hands itching for some action.

He kicked at the air with his weathered boots, hands on his hips as he rehashed the plan, "We'll need someone to get to the control deck and hijack the controls that are keepin’ the ship docked. You can also access the defence turrets from there too. Giving them a hard reboot will take them offline long enough for us to make our getaway. Ton-Ton will set off a distraction that will draw the security personnel away from their patrol stations allowin’ you two to access the service elevator." He pointed to a guarded elevator that led up to a glass structure in the distance.

Calista frowned, "How do we get back onto the ship once we're up in the control room."

"There's an aerial access panel responsible for sending long-distance tight-beam transmissions, it's accessible through a maintenance hatch. The station is one of the largest in this sector, the dome-like structure will allow 'ol girl over here to fit her fat ass up there with enough wiggle room for you to climb aboard before we leave."

Koa judged the distance between the antenna’s platform and open space wide enough for the ship to fit through, "That's no small jump..."

"We'll make it," Calista said confidently as she held out her blaster rifle for Koa –who in turn tilted her head to the side. "No blades, we just need to scare them."

Odhen unholstered his much larger rifle, "Here, somethin’ tells me you'll feel better handling this." he offered his weapon to Koa and she accepted it with a whistle of approval.

Calista tucked her blaster back in her holster and gave him a nod of gratitude.

Koa checked the weapons specs with a smile. "This bad boy can do some damage," she complimented. "It's still got nothing on trusty Mohara though."

"Mohara?" Odhen cocked his head.

"Her sword," Calista informed him.

"Oh," was all he said.

 Hunkered under the darkness of a shadow cast off a larger star-ship, Calista and Koa stayed vigilant, waiting for Ton-Ton to set off the signal so the guards blocking their pathway would move. The silence was so all-consuming that she could hear the grinding of her ribs when her chest rose and fell with each controlled breath. It was akin to the sound of sugar being ground in a mortar and pestle. Jarring and very distracting. She kept the time by counting her heartbeat, she was somewhere close to 300 now.

Koa had pulled up the sagging layer of material of her cloak’s collar up over the sharp point of her nose so it clung to her cheeks and hid everything but her eyes. In the dark, they almost seemed to glow the same shade as her blade. She hadn't moved by even a fraction.

What first appeared as a trick of the light, grew into a bright orange flame and then finally a magnificent show of pyrotechnic colour splashes culminating in an explosion that toppled half a section of the scaffolding absent of workers.

Calista's mouth was pried open by the wondrous beauty of the hazardous flames and all they’re eye-catching flamboyance. Koa smirked as she tapped on her shoulder. "That's our signal."

Ton-Ton had outdone himself. Though something told Calista that this wouldn't be last show of needless extravagance she'd witness at his hands. The guards scurried towards the demolition site, as did several workers and crew docked nearby. Eyes wide and voices filled with panic birthed a pandemonium rife with discord and panic.

"So it is," Calista replied as they snuck passed the unguarded post and high-jacked the express elevator with the scrambler, another one of Ton-Ton’s inventions.

"Don't ever tell him I said this, but that odd little Jawa is a genius," Koa admitted as the elevator doors hissed open.

"And rambunctious, don't forget that."

 The second time the elevator doors hissed open, Calista and Koa burst out with their weapons drawn at the engineers and technicians working in the control room.

"Don't move!" Koa shouted as she held the hefty rifle in a menacing manner with both hands.

Frightened faces filled the cramped space maintained by a skeleton crew. Calista quickly made her way to the docking clamp operator and pressed the barrel of her blaster onto the spaces between his spinal discs. "I need you to unlock all the docking clamps in the east bay."

The operator held up his hands, trembles travelling from his skittish body through to her rifle, "I- It's against policy." He stammered.

Koa pulled her trigger, a spark-filled tiny explosion devouring the soundboard in a show of forcefulness. The operator jumped in his seat.

"How about now?" Calista asked.

He flipped several switches and turned several more dials as he pleaded, "O-okay, just… please, don't hurt us."

The mechanical whirr of clamps unhooking and retracting throughout the eastern bay made the entire station sound like an ancient behemoth moving rusting joints for the first time.

Plasma rounds hailed around Koa originating from an adjacent hallway, she fired her rifle at a door panel to seal it shut and hinder their attacker's advances.

The commotion had startled Calista, drawing her attention away from a comms worker who tried to knock the blaster from her hand. Luckily, her training kicked in as soon as she felt foreign hands grip at her wrists. She flicked them upwards and elbowed the comms worker so hard his head knocked into an electrical panel rendering him unconscious. She exhaled and then turned back to the bulging eyes staring at her, "Where are the controls for the exterior defence turrets?"

Her audience all pointed towards a scrawny looking woman manning a large station. "How do I reboot the cannon's targeting system?" she asked her, gun pointing down.

The technician slunk into her neck, both hands raised in the air, "I- I don't know. We've never needed to reboot them before." Her voice trembled.

"Move," Calista tossed her head to the side and the technician pushed her chair away from the control panel, gliding without resistance on the scratched up floor. She aimed her blaster at the panel and fired at it several times until all the lights turned off and the wiring sparked.

The technician took a shaky breath, closing her eyes in relief that it wasn't her that was sporting blaster holes. All of a sudden, the previously sealed door was blown open and Koa was kicked back by the force into a terminal, her body pressing down on several buttons causing unplanned chaos to ensue in the docking bay as mechanical arms, shutters and levers started malfunctioning. A rain of bright plasma shots filled the room with a red glow and everyone hunkered down for cover.

Calista spotted the maintenance hatch and shouted over her shoulder, "Koa, I've found the hatch."

"Can you get to it?" her companion shouted back between a spray of gatling plasma rounds.

Her nails dug into her palm as she looked between her corner of cover and the very exposed hatch, "I can try!"

"Go! I'll lay down suppressing fire!"

"I won't leave without you!" She said stubbornly.

"You won't be, I'll be right behind you. And look, there's our ride, right on queue!"

Calista turned to look at the brightly coloured ship manoeuvring its way around tight spots in order to get to the aerial maintenance tower. Its bulky sides scraping against metal structures.

She cursed before bracing herself as she made a run for the hatch while Koa let out another spray of plasma rounds. The hatch refused to budge at first, its hinges unlubricated and stiff, then, without warning, it popped open with a terrifying screech. Calista climbed down the ladder shoot and balanced her footing on the very narrow walkway. The Somnambulist spinning round and blowing wind as the cargo bay door opened with a hydraulic whir.

Ton-Ton waved her over, his body anchored to the ship using a cable tie while Watt's -sporting some singes and new scrapes- was kept in place by a giant magnet pinning him to a wall. Calista gulped as she jumped the distance and landed with her hands bracing at a depression in the floors panelling. Ton-Ton placed his tiny hands around her arm and heaved until she was safely aboard.

She stared at the walkway with bated breath, waiting for Koa to follow suit. Ton-Ton yanked at her sleeve as he made a motion to pull her further inside.

"Wait," she barked out, chin starting to subtly quiver.

Security personnel started firing on the Somnambulist causing it to sway in the open trying to dodge the attacks.

"This bird's got a fat ass, I can't shake em all. We need to get gone and soon!" Odhen's words rippled out over Ton-Ton's headset. The Jawa spoke a reply of his own as he increased his efforts to drag Calista backwards.

"One more minute!" She begged, eyes rapidly scanning the space for any sign of Koa.

Another explosion broke through the glass of the control room, black smoke curdling outwards. Some seconds later, Koa jumped onto the walkway and discarded the large rifle over the side. She steadied herself before breaking out into a balanced sprint.

Just as Koa made her jump, a rocket hit into the side of the ship causing it to move slightly further. In a panic and fuelled by a rush of adrenaline, Calista grabbed onto the meshed tarp that held the ship’s cargo down and leaned over the edge, arm extended to catch her. Koa's fingers grabbed down on her arm, the weight of her swinging body causing something to pop in Calista’s elbow as she helped her up.

Ton-Ton shouted into his headpiece as he made for the cockpit, the cargo bay doors closing shut, sealing them off from the dizzying cacophony playing outside the walls of the ship.

Calista sighed as she rolled onto her back, her arms splayed out limply. She smiled, feeling like she could breathe again.

"Gahh," Koa groaned, a scorch mark burned into the side of her trousers. "Let's never do that again."

Suddenly both of them were laughing, the ship becoming a womb of safety as they caught their breaths and allowed themselves a respite from all the stresses they had faced.

Takodana…

Lush, bright, mossy greens rolled out forever. A panorama of flora and fauna growing wild and free, a green sea untouched by the poisons of war and strife. The smell of earth and pine and clean made its way into her lungs, clearing her mind and body, separating Calista from her worries. It reminded her of home. Of before.

"Welcome to Takodana," Odhen said, thumb hooked on his belt loop. A sense of discomfort resonating through him as he looked to the large structure suffering from recent damage. Flags of all colours blowing in the wind, contrasting with the green of the land. "I kept my end of the bargain… I expect you'll do the same."

Ton-Ton struggled to wheel Watts through the muddy terrain. Odhen, noticing this, pulled the lever away from the Jawa and into his own hands, his gait less confident than usual. “Oh, and uh… I expect to be reimbursed for that blaster you never returned.” He spoke over his shoulder.

The Jawa hitched a ride by sitting in the trolley while Odhen pulled it with him towards the structure. Faint music travelling with the winds.

Calista took a moment to just stand there and take everything in. To revel in the silence and lack of smoke or fire or ash.

"Bargain?" Koa asked.

"I promised him double."

"Can we afford it?"

"No," Calista's jaw muscle twitched. "But there's always Felix."

Koa took a limping step forward, eyes cast down, stray hairs running with the changing directions of the winds. "Do you think he knows?"

Calista sighed, palm pressed to her mouth as her eyes jumped from leaf to branch to tree and back again. Finally, after a stagnant pause, she spoke, "Lenora is his mother too… Was his mother. No matter how much he claimed to despise her, she was family. We still are."

Her answer wasn't a definitive yes or no, if anything it sounded more like an 'I hope so' than a 'maybe'.

To be continued...

Tags: @carolinamalo53 @everything-intertwined

Permatags: @gruffle1 @thechickvic @notawarriorjustyet @savethehoneeybees

[timeisacephalopod]

Nebula & Tony

I saw your post about ficlets and I don’t know if you accept non-slash requests. But I think it’d be cute to see Nebula and Tony bonding together about daddy issues and mutual lost post-IW.

**

I’m perfectly happy to take platonic pairings! This is a personal fav of mine too :) Also thanks for the happy birthday yesterday!

**

Nebula tries to reach out to him but Tony smacks her hand away. “I’m fine,” he all but growls at her. He’s not fine but there’s nothing she can do to help him either. What’s an alien know about human biology? Besides that he’d be happy to die about now, after Peter...

“You’re dying, you idiot. Are all humans this ignorant to their own biology?” Nebula snaps at him, angry. He hasn’t seen her look anything but angry in the short time they’ve known each other. 

“No. But there’s nothing here for me but death.” That’s fucking cruel after the snap. He lives just long enough to watch everyone he loves die, then he’s left to wonder about Pepper, Rhodey, the rest of the Avengers. And Strange just... how the hell could he just give up the stone? Whatever, what’s done is done. And now he dies and all for fucking nothing. Its not that he expected his death to be meaningful, loss rarely is, but he thought he’d at least die doing something good for the world. Instead he dies after failing to save half the fucking universe. Raw deal.

Nebula rolls her eyes, “you’re as dramatic as Quill. Lie back, I know the basics of human anatomy,” she tells him and he frowns.

“How and why would you even know that?” And how do aliens seem to know so much about humans when humans only just found out about them? That makes no sense and Tony refuses to believe all those bunk alien stories of the past. He’s sure a few have validity but most of them are obvious horse shit that all follow the same pattern. 

“It was part of my training, lie back or I’ll push you back and you won’t like that,” Nebula tells him, sounding like a bad villain out of an even shittier movie.

He rolls his eyes and carefully lowers his body onto a piece of ship, staring up at the orange, barren sky. The plants, when there used to be some, must have absorbed light differently than the plants on earth. Flora probably looked a lot like earth in the fall all year round. That would have looked cool. He also wonders what that’s doing to his system if anything and figures maybe Nebula will know the answer to that. “We should get off this planet soon. I don’t really want to know what a lack of a moon will do to it.”

Nebula makes a noncommittal noise as she returns to his side. “We’ll get off this hellplanet when I’ve fixed you,” she tells him.

Tony frowns, looking back up to the sky. “Why do you even care?” he asks. “You could fuck off and leave me to die, I probably wouldn’t even be that mad about it.” Truthfully if he wanted to he could probably get off this planet too. What was it Obie said once... that it wasn’t the suit that made him dangerous, it was his brain. That he could be dumped in the middle of the desert with nothing but cactus needles and sand and he’d still manage to fly out of there. There’s tech all over the place around him. He’d be able to leave no problem if Nebula left him to die.

His words bring a slight pause to Nebula’s actions- mostly her feeling around his wound and shit it hurts but he’s had worse. Finally she looks up. “I’m sorry about your son,” she says softly, blinking rapidly and it takes Tony a moment to realize she’s close to tears.

“He wasn’t my son, technically,” Tony murmurs.

“I was adopted too,” Nebula says. “Thanos was an awful father. I... I didn’t know a parent could care that much about their child. I watched Thanos throw a moon at you and you got back up seconds later but your son... I didn’t know people could make noises of pain like that and I’ve tortured my fair share of all sorts of species. You didn’t deserve any of this,” she murmurs softly. “This nanotech is impressive,” she adds.

Didn’t deserve- Nebula doesn’t even know the half of it. And May, fuck, if she survived this she’s going to lose her shit worse than he did. First her husband, then her nephew? And Peter’s parents when he was a kid- that woman has suffered more than anyone should. “I didn’t make for a very good father figure,” Tony tells her. “Not that I had a great role model myself. And thanks- took me time to figure out but a suit that responds to my thoughts and is instinctual means faster response times. Not that it helped,” he notes more to himself than her.

For a long while Nebula ignores his words, instead focusing on medicine that she does, in fact, seem to know a lot about. Including how to dose a human with foreign anesthetics. When she speaks again its as she’s stitching his wound, warning him that the nanobots are still in there because, for the moment, they can’t be removed from his system. Tony knew that already though, and Nebula is running low on resources. He’ll need more than the average post mission workup. He probably needs hours of surgery, which is a fucking shame since the damn doctor died. Not that this was his specialty but still.

“I don’t know a lot about good parents, but I know a lot about bad ones. Thanos shed a few tears for Gamora after he killed her. You sounded like you were dying after Peter faded away. At first I thought it was your wound, not emotional distress. When you show more pain at the loss of a child than you do at a stab wound that went clear through your body I know you care too much to be an awful parent. His suit was like yours, too. You made it,” she says and he nods. “Lots of defense strategies too- his first course of action is always to retreat, if I made a good analysis of his use of the tactical gear. And I know I did. You didn’t want him in a fight unless he needed to be there.”

Doesn’t matter if that’s all true, he still got the kid killed. He should have gotten Stephen himself, damnit. But that would have left Peter dealing with whatever the hell kind of alien that was and- there’s no easy way out of that and it doesn’t matter anyways. The past is the past unless you’re Thanos.

“So what’s the deal with Thanos and his ‘children’ anyways? Seems more like you were all his pawns more than anything,” he says to change the subject.

Nebula sits on the small piece of ship beside him. “That’s exactly what we were- mercenaries to do his bidding. He trained us, ‘loved’ us, sent us to do whatever he felt was necessary to do.” She pauses in her words for a moment before sighing. “I’ve done some... unspeakable things.”

“Because you were put in a position where you didn’t have much choice,” he tells her softly, resting a hand on her most-definitely-some-kind-of-metal arm.

She stares at it for a moment, confused, before shaking her head. “No. I wanted to do those things. Took pride in them. Something like that is unforgivable. I don’t know how Gamora lived with it- she had to do worse things than any of the rest of us. She was his favorite.”

Tony half smiles, “I know a thing or two about that. My father was a weapons developer- taught me to be one too and that’s no excuse for what I did, all the damage I caused with my bombs, guns, whatever. But I wasn’t really left with much of a choice either.” Howard would have killed him, and that being literal isn’t out of the question, had he not taken on the family business. He used to think it was a bad thing, when he was a kid, until Howard literally beat that out of him. Its an honor to serve your country, and all that. Never seemed to consider what happened when your country is wrong, or when the wrong people get ahold of the right weapons, or who got caught in the crossfire of a war they never wanted to be in and can’t move away from without money, luck, and a country willing to take them in.

“You seem to do okay. Like Gamora,” Nebula says and Tony can hear the sadness in her voice.

He shakes his head. “I’ve made too many mistakes to be anything like your sister. She sounds brave.”

Nebula blinks rapidly and nods. “When we were kids, all I wanted her to do was save me. She was always better than me, better than all of us, and I thought for some stupid reason she could help me with that skill. Stupid and childish, I know, but I guess children will think childish thoughts. Of course she chose to save me the one time I wished she wouldn’t have.” She describes Gamora, how she saved Nebula when she wished she hadn’t for the fate of the universe. How Nebula tracked them down to try and kill Thanos and save Gamora herself. How only Thanos left Vormir.

Tony listens because she needs someone to talk to, and because he needs the distraction from the look on Peter’s face when the fucking kid apologized like he was wrong somehow for dying. God, that hurts his heart more than the shrapnel and reactor ever had. “You did everything you could,” Tony tells her, giving her arm a gentle squeeze he isn’t sure she’ll feel. She does because she looks down at his hand in confusion for a moment before looking away, obviously still not clear on what that was.

Fuck, she must have lived a life that was some awful if she can’t even recognize comfort. At least Tony had Jarvis, Anna, and Peggy. Jarvis was always soft and sweet, Anna too. Peggy was a hard ass, always on him to do better but when he needed her she was always there. Once, when Howard got really bad, aunt Peggy beat the living hell out of him. Told him next time she’d kill him and make it look like an accident if he ever put his hands on his wife or kid again. He didn’t do that again either, but it left him to figure out ways of psychological torment that didn’t leave bruises and left Tony a lot more damaged than a slap.

“I didn’t do nearly enough,” she murmurs. “I should have done more.”

God, does Tony ever feel the same way. Carefully he lifts himself into a sitting position, conscious of his wound and the nanobots are conscious of it too, and he wraps his arms around a confused Nebula. “What’s this?” she asks, confused.

It’d be funny if not for the circumstances. “Its a hug. Humans do it for comfort.”

“Do you... need comfort?” she asks and Tony lets out a half a laugh before his stomach and the nanobots remind him that’s a bad idea.

“No, you do,” he says, leaning into her mostly because he’s tired, he’s only just feeling it now. HIs eyelids droop a little and Nebula sighs.

“You made a good point about the affects of the missing moon on this planet. That’s the fifth time I’ve seen that star in the last two hours and I know the planet doesn’t normally spin this fast. We need to go,” she says, extracting herself gently from Tony. He props himself up for a moment before Nebula picks him up and he lets out an indignant squawk. “This is called ‘carrying’ we do it when people are injured,” Nebula tells him and Tony lets out a small laugh that’s as bad an idea as the first one was.

“Usually humans give a little warning first. Just for future reference,” he says and Nebula shakes her head, walking towards a ship with him. 

[livelivefastfree]

100% need a masterpost of your fics cause you've been drawing them and I love everything. But recs would be appreciated too!!

ALRIGHTY THEN.  One……VERY large post of my fics and my Motorcity recs, coming up.  ^v^  50+ fics for y’all’s consumption.

Let’s start with my fics, because I know them better, haha.

–

Save A Horse, Ride A Dragon

One of my fav fics I’ve done to date in any fandom.  Mike is a mercenary dragon trapped in the shape of a human, wandering the Michigan wastes in post-apocalyptic magical America, when he and his Burners get an offer from the mysterious Lord Vanquisher.  T+ at this point for suggestive moments and makeouts. Polyburners/Muckles.  Warnings for the Duke being The Worst, and for Mike being the DUMBEST oblivious thirst-lizard.

The Officer Present//Director Absent series (AKA Live Free and Welcome To The Kane Co Family)

A love letter to the Season 2 that never was, co-written by me and my twin sister toastyhat/HeatedHeadwear!  :D  Live Free chronicles the appearance of a new, menacing super-soldier in Motorcity, the shadowy machinations that led to his appearance and an overarching plan from Kane that could destroy Motorcity–once and for all!!!!!!  Welcome to the Kane Co Family starts shortly after the fallout from the first, with both cities struggling to come to terms with their new reality–but the world is changing and there are new threats on all sides, and if they thought their status quo changed in the first fic, BOY THEY’VE GOT A BIG STORM COMING!! >8Dc  Also Julie punches multiple people and generally kicks ass, it’s fabulousBoth fics are gen, they’re both rated T+ for violence, Evil Science, angst, etc.  Warnings for copious Deluxe worldbuilding, egregious amounts of backstory, a couple OCs I’ve been reliably informed are extremely fun, and chapter titles in the style of anime episode titles, because why not.  :D

Supersynesthesiac

Originally created solely to fill a prompt from a sexy prompt generator, this fic and the world it’s set in both spiralled wildly out of control, and a much more plot-heavy sequel is in the works.  Supersynesthesiac follows Mike Chilton, a vigilante superhero in Detroit Of The Future, as he finally meets his elusive, telepathic partner Blonde Thunder under the most dramatic circumstances possible.  Rated M for psychic makeouts, mind-melding and also there’s sex happening, probably.  It’s not nearly as lovingly described as the mind-meld porn going on in the foreground.  Polyburners is happening in the background, but this fic is basically entirely Muckles.  Warnings for Red being awful.

Rest In Pieces (Come Apart)

Mike is getting entirely out of control, and needs to burn off energy before he can get himself (and everybody else) in trouble again.  Fortunately his gang has a Plan.Rated M for sweet, loving and totally relentless polyburners gangbang.  Warnings for everybody being absolute dorks.  Also bondage and edging, if that’s not your thing. UoU

Werewolves Of Detroit

A series of vignettes exploring the world of Mike Chilton, rogue ex-commander werewolf, his vampire best friend, his highly unconventional pack, and the world they live in. EVERY section is illustrated and I’m very proud.Rated T+, mostly gen with mentions of Dutch/Tennie.  Warnings for Kane being a huge bigot, mentions of KaneCo-mandated surgery, and Texas being an asshole about vampires.   

Exposure Therapy 

Mike has a cool idea for a cool present for his cool boyfriend to totally cure Chuck’s fear of going fast in Mutt.  Rated M for dumb, fluffy smut and implied sex toys.  Warnings for unsafe driving practices.

Kiss And Tell

Somebody came into my askbox and suggested polyburners–but the rest of the city doesn’t know that’s their relationship, just that SOME configuration of Burners is together, and it seems to change CONSTANTLY.   Rated T+ for vaguely-implied possible sex at some point off-screen.  Warnings for nothing, this fic is a perfect warm fluffy representation of my poly-burner feelings and I love it.

Wreck

A little snapshot from an AU I’m not really planning to flesh out–I mostly wanted to capture a certain kind of bittersweet emotional conflict.  Chuck’s doing his best to keep his head down and live through college when a face he hasn’t seen since The Accident shows up at his door.  Vaguely Muckles-ish.  Rated T+ for reference to a nasty car accident and the aftermath, warnings for Kane being, just, Not A Good Dad.  

Override 0

Not exactly an AU, more of a speculative fic about the Burners finding out that Chuck’s enhancements go a lot further than just the weapons systems in his arms.  A realization prompted, of course, by the Duke of Detroit’s thirst for drama.  T+, no pairings.  Warnings for, in the words of AO3′s tag system, “#Loss Of Limbs”, mind control via brain-hacking, and mentions of unethical scientific/surgical procedures.

So Real In The Dark

I challenged myself to write people pining for each other while simultaneously being in a relationship, and a sci-fi AU with an artificial amnesia hookup service turned out to be the solution.  Half a fic about boys being incredibly dumb, and half a fic about trauma, bigotry, coping mechanisms and communication, and how you can love somebody and know them incredibly well and still not really understand them.  Explicit, Muckles, background Dutch/Tennie and Claire/Julie.  Warnings for brief stranger danger, aphrodisiacs, more poor treatment of cyborgs, and emotional gut-punch.

 –Stuff I Post About That Isn’t Posted/Finished Yet–

Burnerswap

A universe where the Burners are grown-up villains, and the former villains of the canon series are our new teenage heroes.  They’re dysfunctional and weird, but they’re doing their best to protect the clean, orderly, shining city of Deluxe from the gangs and bots and nasty, climbing bots that Ms. Kane sends up from the city below.  UoU  Likely to be rated T+ if I ever post it. Not much in the way of pairings except Ms. Kane’s right and left-hand man are VERY married and VERY tragic because you know I gotta fit Muckles in there.  

–Collab Fic / Gift Fic–

Chilton 2.0 by me and LaughingStones

The Kane Co. super-soldier program needs a volunteer, and who better to be superhumanly enhanced than the rising star of the Security program, Commander Chilton?  He’d never betray Kane Co, or need to have his brain overridden!  There’s no way this project can possibly go wrong!  Rated M for some pretty fucked-up treatment of cyborgs, and also for sexy future reasons. Warnings for Mike getting really messed up physically, emotionally and psychologically by bad programming and free-will overrides, and also for dumb boys stumbling awkwardly through impromptu sex-ed together.  Muckles.

i’m not the same kid from your memory by roachpatrol and also I helped

Kane Co. captures Chuck and manages to do some nasty shit to his brain before the Burners come and re-capture him.  Chuck does NOT appreciate being held captive by Burner Scum.  Emotions!!! Angst!!!!!  …it’s rated T+ on AO3 but there’s sex so just, be aware of that.  UoU  Muckles!

Experiments In Cross-Species Makeouts by LaughingStones

This one is very hard to explain, because Jem and I like to bounce of each other’s AUs and fics and write derivative fics of fics–there’s an OC in the Live Free/Welcome To The Kane Co Family universe who has what is essentially a nasty brainy kismessisitude/hate-love relationship (not fully explored in the fic, but very fleshed out in my mind, haha) with Chuck.  And this is….those two, but with the races/species from Werewolves of Detroit.  So…supernatural AU Chuck/OC hate-sex.  M, obviously.  Warnings for vampires getting drunk on siren blood and Live Free/WttKCF spoilers.

Recalibration Nation by HeatedHeadwear

!!!! A fic for my picture of Chuck as the Duke’s cyborg bodyguard, because toasty is great.  A+ hurt/comfort and recovery and bittersweet life-goes-on vibe, aslkfjsadf I love it.  T+, no pairings, warnings for anxiety/panic attacks, ear trauma, violence, emotions.

Proper Disposal Of Project Materials by LaughingStones

A scene in Chilton 2.0 I didn’t get to write; Chuck is a Failed Project, and Kane Co. has no used for Failed Projects.  Fortunately, the techs he grew up working with have his back.  T+ for (yet again) unethical treatment of cyborgs.  

Making Friends The Superhero Way by LaughingStones

Set before Supersynesthesiac; Mike’s good at his superhero job, but sometimes everybody needs help.  In this case, help just happens to have cat ears.  Gen, rated G.  Warnings for trouble breathing and also Mike being a doofus.

The Space Shenanigans series by LaughingStones and roachpatrol 

Loosely related to/based on the Forget Me Not, but set much later.  I’m not sure FMN is going to be poly or not, but these fics are inspired-by, so they go in this section. :D  The various sexy shenanigans of space-captain Mike, cyborg Chuck and Julie the terrifying space princess.  M for sexy shenanigans.  Warnings for (acted/fake) dubcon for the benefit of an asshole, and…..just various sexual shenanigans, I would check the warnings on the fics, haha.  :D

–Aaaaaand some non-me recs!–

(((I’m going to have to speed through these a little bit more, but I love them also, this post is just getting VERY long)))

All Steamed Up by Gumbridge 

Gen, G: coffeeshop AU, technically. Chuck would REALLY like a new espresso machine, he has done the MATH, it’s GOOD BUSINESS, MIKE!!!!!

Artificial Nocturne by Icka M. Chif (mischif)

Gen, T+: Mike accidentally trespasses on the territory of a mysterious guy who calls himself “Hound”.  Mike immediately sets about pushing past the emotional barrier of standoffishness and the physical barrier of giant, repurposed KaneCo HOUNDbots, and ends up with two awesome new friends out of the deal.  (The “Chuck is a constantly-terrified badass with an army of bots” AU)

Atlas and Copernicus by charcoalmink

Gen, G: A piece about how Kane can think of Mike and Julie both as his children, but feel so completely different about them.  Hurts so good, ahhh ToT

Behind The Throne by intravenusann

Duke/No. 2, Explicit: Number 2 would never really leave.  But sometimes it’s nice to be reminded why she stays.  

Bittersweet by EnsignCelery

Gen, G: Sometimes they get stressed.  Sometimes you just gotta lie down and cuddle.

Chicken Soup For The Burner Soul by renquise

Gen, G: Mike’s immunity boosters start to wear off and he goes down like a tree.  Good old-fashioned soft sickfic hurt/comfort.

Constantinople And Timbuktu / By(zantine) Any Other Name by (orphan_account)

Mike/Chuck, G: oh my god, this fic is strange to explain but so fun?? Historical AU–Chuck’s an orphan who ended up a body-double for russian royalty in like 1500, until he ends up kind of ambiguously kidnapped by a Tatar horseman who doesn’t speak his language but has a really nice smile and a fun come-and-go family of other riders from other countries.  In the words of the author, “ [the Russian nomad!au] “

Degreaser by Gumbridge

Claire/Julie, T+: Claire can tolerate getting dirty down in Motorcity, but it has to be under the right circumstances. Julie provides those circumstances.

I Thought You Were Dead by Caligraphunky

Gen, G: Jacob thought all the androids he created for KaneCo were scrapped.  But here’s unit CHUCK, back again.

In The Lost Age Where The Jewels Hide by roachpatrol and LaughingStones

Chuck (Lord Vanquisher)/Mike (Smiling Dragon), Explicit:  The LARPing group plays WAY crazier games than Mike is used to, but he could really get used to in-character Never Have I Ever if it always ends with stuff like this.  WOW.  Sex is GREAT.

Loaded Up And Truckin’ by RaccoonDoom 

Gen, T+: Smokey And The Bandit AU–AKA Jacob has a truck and uses it to run illegal goods; Mike and Chuck run interference and keep the cops off his tail.  Trucker AU, heyyyy. :D

Love Free by Prim_the_Amazing 

Multi/Polyburners, G: KaneCo has the algorithms, the expertise, they determine the most perfect possible partner.  So what do you do when the person KaneCo chooses isn’t the person you wanted?

Never Quite Thought We Could Lose It All by LaughingStones

Mike/Chuck, Explicit: It’s not weird for a KaneCo tech to have a huge blank spot in their memory, but it is unusual for one of their childhood friends to show up at their cubicle dressed as a physical relief technician, looking stressed and desperate and acting like Chuck should know him.  Warning for implied/referenced noncon.

The Obligatory Fantasy AU series by LaughingStones 

Mike/Chuck, G/T: Chuck’s a Mage On A Mission, and he’s not going to be derailed by the fact that his bodyguard is definitely a dragon who definitely considers Chuck his beautiful, golden-haired treasure.

our guts can’t be reworked by roachpatrol

Mike/Julie, Chuck/Mike, T+: Mike finds out he’s bisexual in the most confusing possible way: BODY-SWITCHING.  

Pyrrhic Victory by Clementine

Mike/Chuck, G: I live for Mike and Chuck LARPing dramatic emotional scenes and being dumb, dorky boys and that’s what this is, and I LOVE it. 

Quiet by deanon

Mike/Chuck, Explicit:  Mike makes the mistake of wondering about Chuck and sex and being noisy, and get catapulted abruptly into terrible, flustered pining.

Quit or Retry by Caligraphunky

Gen, T+: a really short but really nicely done piece that slowly illuminates more and more of a single scene until you get the full picture.  fear. android Chuck.

Riding Shotgun by Oisiflaneur

Polyburners, T+: I’ve never smoked pot but I’m all for the Burners hanging around being chill and kissing and occasionally also Mike does shotguns and people make out.

rise if you’re sleeping (stay awake) by RaccoonDoom 

Gen, T+: Another cyborg fic, this time about Mike and Chuck and insomnia and nightmares.  Sweet hurt-comfort. UwU

Rule Number Eight by drown (teii) 

Chuck/Texas, Chuck->Mike, T+:  the fic that got me into Chuxas–starting with the aftermath of one-sided Chuck/Mike and chronicling Chuck’s descent into weird, Texas-related madness. 

Scars by corelton

Claire/Julie, G:  Julie’s line of work puts her in enough danger for her to actually have scars, like, old-fashioned scars from actual injuries.  Claire is fascinated by them.

searchlights in the parking lots of hell by roachpatrol

Gen, T+: I don’t know if it sounds like a compliment to say this is one of the most subtly, gorgeously horrifying fics I’ve ever read, but that’s basically how I feel.  Mike is a kid in a cyborg program, and he keeps ending up in sparring matches with the same kid, over and over again; it’s a different kind of unsettling every time.  There’s something about seeing a scenario that’s obviously intensely messed up, through the point of view of a character who thinks it’s normal and good.  It gives it a special, extra punch.  

Sex Level: Texas! by LaughingStones

Texas->Mike, Texas->Burners, Explicit: Texas has some totally cool and sexy thoughts–mostly about Mike.  WHAT?  It’s not like it's weird.   

Spend Life Fighting For Your Sanity by roachpatrol 

Dutch/Tennie, T+: Deluxe has no patience for rebel scum, free-thinkers or artists.  Unfortunately for Dutch’s continued health and well-being, he’s all of those things.  Even if he can’t really remember what he did.  AKA: Deluxe re-captures Dutch and comprehensively fucks him up, but SUCK IT you can’t take away the colors in his SOUL.  

Sprouts by renquise

Gen, G:  a fic about Dutch finding ROTH, and Dutch and Chuck becoming ROTH’s weird programmer dads.  ROTH is adorable and the characterization is great, A++ 

Test Drive by renquise 

Mike/Julie, Explicit: Julie and Mike have a fun adventure in pegging together. 

thursday’s child has far to go (and they go so very, very quickly) by thinkingCAPSLOCK

Gen, G:  Kane loses one child, but at least he still has the other.

Walls Twice As Strong by deanon

Mike/Chuck, T+:  in the words of the original summary: “When Mike and Chuck fight, everybody knows.“ 

We Are Golden by renquise

Polyburners, T+:  Mike kisses everybody, and it’s soft and good and makes my heart feel all happy. 

We Can’t Punch Good: A Love Story by heartsinhay

Dutch/Texas, T+: Texas is pretty sure Dutch has just gotten immune to Texas’s sweet Texas Moves, but that’s okay.  Texas has got more than one trick up his sleeve, and he knows what Dutch likes.  Probably

yellow highway lines (that you’re relying on to lead you home) by renquis

Gen, G:  A delicious exploration of the world that might exist outside the dome, and also THE BURNER ROADTRIP FIC YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR.  The kids take a package from Rayon and go on the road, headed for San Fran come hell or nuclear superstorm.This is one of the first Motorcity fics I read, and It’s a big part of why I started making things for this fandom in the first place. :D  Very recommend, A++