#looks like a black and white bumblebee

[endlich-allein]

Rammstein, Olympic Sports Complex, Moscow, Russia, 28-11-2004 © Andreï Korioukhine

[venusstorm]

𝘽𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙃𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙨

The time in which you gifted Bucky Barnes an adorable little keychain for his motorcycle.

ෆ Warnings: 18+ – MINORS DNI, fluff, insecurity, Bucky can’t stop lifting you up

ෆ Bucky Barnes x Reader

ෆ w/c: 1.2k

̟ ෆ ‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿ ෆ ̟

"Isn't this yours, honeybee?" Bucky questions, dangling the bright yellow bumblebee with a pastel pink heart in his hand. He inspects it carefully, turning it around before offering it back to you.

You shake your head, "It was, yea...but..."

Bucky stares at you expectantly and suddenly the entire idea sounded foolish. You couldn't help but envision him laughing at you, snorting at how ridiculous he'd look flying down the highway with your dumb keychain flapping in the wind. It'd stick out like a sore thumb against his jet-black bike, the rev of his engine alone probably sending the poor bee soaring into the clouds.

"I put it in there by accident," you laugh nervously, reaching out for the tiny bee. But his hands clenched tightly around the keychain before you could grab it.

Almost tauntingly he lets it hang in front of your face, staring at you with a half smile.

"On accident?" He hums. "So the keychain that's been on your backpack since the day I met you just somehow found its way into my birthday present?"

You shrug. "I took it off and must've misplaced it."

His eyes glimmer with question but instead of pushing further, he lets it go. He shrugs, "Okay."

Your face falls as he hands the keychain back to you. You squeeze the poor ball of fluff, trying your best not to belittle yourself for being so nervous.

It's for the best, you told yourself. I'm sure he doesn't want some weird form of "staking claim" on his bike. His buddies would make fun of him for it anyway. It's better if it stays with me. Yea. Better.

Hurriedly you try to direct your attention away from your thoughts, shoving the keychain into your pocket.

Your solemn expression brightens into excitement. "I have another surprise!"

You take Bucky's hand, leading him towards your living room which noticeably had a different ambiance than usual. He happily trails behind you, watching your joyous face with adoration.

Every time he's with you his brain goes fuzzy. You allow him to decompress, relax, and think about nothing besides the moment he's in. He craves getting off of work and coming straight to your apartment, still sweaty and dirty from working at the bar, and yet you run up and give him the biggest hug. "Hang on, let me take a shower, honeybee." But you'd ignore him, smashing your lips against his until he gives up rationalizing and allows you to strip him bare.

"I know it's kind of corny and if you'd rather go out and celebrate I completely understand. I just thought this would..."

He can't focus on your words. Not as he's looking at what you had done. Candles lit around the room, the whole place smelling of warm vanilla and cinnamon. Fairy lights twinkled around the ceiling, draping over the windows. The coffee table has been shoved to the side and in its place is a bundle of blankets and floor pillows. Balloons and streamers are scattered across the room, and finally, he zones in on the blue and white cake.

"Happy Birthday James!" it reads. He could tell that you made it because of the bright red heart dotting the i.

He whispers your name in pure disbelief.

"Yes?" You stare up at him with admiration. You truly love this man and want to do everything in your power to show it.

"C'mere, baby." Bucky scoops you up into a hug, hiking you up until your legs are wrapped around his waist. He holds you close against his chest, kissing you sweetly. "You did all this for me?"

You nod, eyes wide as he stares at your lips. A look of pure hunger ravishes you. Bucky presses his forehead against yours, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

He couldn't recall a time before you when his heart felt as if it would beat out of his chest. Nor a time when his eyes became so glazed over with pure adoration that he swore he'd cry right then and there. He was hesitant about this future, the new world that he found himself forced to live in. But the moment he saw your sweet smile for the first time, all that faded away.

"Thank you, Princess." You whimper as he whispers into your ear, his hands traveling up the Henley that you stole from his drawer. He didn't mind you stealing his clothes. The first time he caught you he handed you a pile of his shirts, begging you to take them and wear them as your own.

He kisses your shoulder softly. "Thank you for being here for me."

"For taking the time to know me and care for me."

His lips press against your neck, a soft groan rumbling within his throat. "I still remember the day we met...felt like the universe was finally giving me my happy ending."

You state his name breathlessly. "I'm supposed to be celebrating you, not the other way around."

He ignores your remark, his eyes narrowing as his brain begins to churn. "Do you trust me, sweetheart?"

You respond without hesitation. "With everything."

"And you'll always tell me the truth, right?"

You nod reassuringly.

He releases his grip on your legs, setting you back onto the ground. "So tell me what this is about." His hand shoots into your pocket, pulling out the black and yellow bee. He squeezes it in his hand before laying it out in his palm.

"I told you–"

He raises an eyebrow, "The truth."

You didn't want to come off as too clingy and you didn't want to hear Bucky reject your gift. Thank you baby but...it's a little childish. You could hear the words flowing from his lips perfectly. He'd hate it.

"I–"

Bucky pulls you closer. His eyes flooded with warmth. "Please."

"It was for your bike," you whisper. "And before you say anything. I know it's dumb...that's why I took it back."

"My bike?"

You nod wordlessly. "I thought it'd be cute if you had a little piece of me wherever you go. But the more I thought about it the more I realized how stupid it'd probably look. I mean...none of the other guys have–"

Bucky cuts you off, lifting you off the ground and back into his arms. "Oh, baby...is this what you were hiding?"

You nod sheepishly. "It's stupid."

He shakes his head. "It's perfect. You're perfect. M'gonna tie this onto it right now, honeybee. The guys are going to be so fucking jealous when they see what you got me."

Your lips broaden into a smile. "Really?"

Bucky hugs you tightly, his hand caressing your head against his shoulder. "Gotta let the whole world know I've got the most thoughtful, gorgeous person by my side. M'never taking it off, baby. It goes where I go now."

You squeal as he races into the garage with you in his arms, flicking the lights on and heading towards his bike. He sets you down gently, making a show of the keychain in his hand before attaching it to his key ring. Happily, he throws his leg over the bike, twisting the ignition. The bike roars to life and the sight of your bright yellow bee against the black exterior makes you burst out into laughter.

Bucky grins. "See? It's perfect, baby. Told you."

[fukcnoplease]

Things Always Go Wrong Pt3

Pt1 Pt2 Pt4

Gotham was truly testing her abilities. Usually she could vibe check the building and be good but the vibes of Gotham were rancid everywhere she went. Every building and street had some varying level of unsafe and she could feel Danny slowing behind her. He wasn't going to stay on his feet for much longer. Thankfully there were plenty of alleys they could probably hide in and even though it was already midmorning the thick smog on the city made it look like the dawn had only just broken. The alleys were still dark and as soon as she paused at the back of the alley she felt Danny collapse into her. His breathing was ragged and he was slick with sweat. She tried vibrating her core at him and the response she got was uncoordinated and harsh. It was as if two things were trying to respond to her, attempting to drown each other out.

“Shit.” she said. Jazz would be mad for her language, you know, if she didn't kill her for killing her brother. 

“Found you, wretch.” A voice said and Dani shot up into a fighting stance. The entrance of the alley was blocked by five people, all dress head to toe in white and aiming several weapons at them. They were all men and significantly bigger than her. That would be fine in her ghost form but transforming in front of them was risky.

Danny groaned from the cold alley floor and Dani grimaced. She growled, inhumane and low, and punched her palm as she went ghost. Showing her transformation was a small price to pay to protect Danny and they probably had her, or Danny’s, ecto-signature if they had managed to follow them cross state lines so accurately. 

Their weapons hummed as they charged and Dani caught a glimpse of color above them. Praying she had seen right she took in a breath and shouted her words.

“I am the princess of the Infinite Realms. Any harm that comes to me is a direct attack on the entire dimension of the Infinite Realms and cause for a war between our worlds!” Internally she cringed at her words but she prayed they had the right effect. 

“Ha! Like you could fool us, you manipulative ecto-sum! You’re coming with us. If you're lucky you might even make it in one piece” The leader, she assumed as he was standing at the front of the group, said. She tensed in case her gamble went south and prepared for something to hit her. 

Thankfully she didn't feel anything and a yellow hero came crashing down on the agents with a ferocity she wasn't expecting. He used what she thought were escrima sticks but they were connected together with a long wire and looked modified. He downed the panicked agents in seconds and turned to Dani. Unconscious agents littered around him.

His sudden movements made her drop into a defensive stance and he froze. Gently putting away his weapons as he raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to help.” The man paused as he looked over the two disheveled siblings. The white haired girl was glaring at him but looked more wary than aggressive and the dark haired boy on the floor looked incredibly ill. “Would it be ok if I helped you? I can call some friends and we can get you to a safe space.”

Dani stared the man down. He could fight, and right now she wasn't confident she could take him. Not while protecting a very incapacitated Danny. He had a black bat symbol on his chest which was good but also bad. Good because Batman was a hero and helped those in need. Bad because Batman was famous for not liking metas and while she and Danny weren’t metas she doubted Batman would care enough to make the distinction. Hopefully if she played up the royalty bit she could get maybe some leeway.

“Ok, bumblebee, but I want you to promise you wont hurt me or my… ambassador,” Danny was going to be so mad when he woke up, “or I will bring the entire Infinite Realms down on this world.” She did her best to sound threatening and maybe using some energy to make herself scarier but she wouldn't admit it.

“Of course, your… highness?” Bumblebee asked. Dani frowned, she didn't like ‘your highness’ but she couldn't give her actual name…

“You can call me… Elle.” She felt her insides crumple up at how cringey that name felt and she was very glad Danny was out cold for this conversation. The bumblebee hero nodded and said something into what she assumed was an earpiece. After a few minutes of discussion he went quiet and began watching the roofs. Dani floated off the ground slightly, trying to see what he was looking for. She didn't notice the surprise that flitted across his face at her show of power or the silent black hero who landed gracefully beside Bumblebee. 

“Hey Black Bat. Can you help me gather these guys up? Batman should be en route but might take a minute to get here.” Bumblebee said. Dani whipped around to see the new hero, black bat apparently, silently working her way through the knocked out GIW.

“Batman is coming?” Dani asked, anxiety making her fidget with her hands. That wasn't good. She couldn't pretend to be a princess around him, he could practically smell lies, or fear, and maybe she could be the princess of the Infinite Realms but she wasn't officially! Not yet at least. And Danny definitely wasn't her ambassador. Shit, maybe if she played up with the sad little girl image? Batman was known to take pity on kids… or was that one of his allies. She should’ve listened in on the conversation the bumblebee had had earlier, maybe she would have had something to work with then.

Black bat and bumblebee worked together to tie up the GIW and leave them in an easily accessible spot for when the police came around. Black bat touched bumblebees bicep and he looked up to see the scary shadow of Batman looming over the alley. Dani notices him too and landed in front of Danny, spreading her arms to block him from Batman's view as he landed beside the other heroes.

“Report.” Was all he said as he looked over the scene. His gaze lingered on the unconscious boy and Dani had to resist growling at him, in case that ruined her case for receiving help. Bumblebee took a breath and nodded.

“I found these two as they were about to be attacked by a group of people,” he gestured to the tied up men in white, “it looked like meta trafficking and I stepped in. Elle,” he gave a smile to Dani who cringed internally, “gave the men fair warning about their attack being against royalty and at risk of ruining dimensional relations, they refused to back off.”

Batman responded with a noncommittal ‘hn’ and narrowed his eyes at Dani who prickled under the gaze.

“For the record,” Bumblebee added, a little hesitant, “I believe her.”

Batman nodded and took a step closer to Dani and this time she did growl. The man stopped and regarded her. She glared back. He wasnt coming near her or Danny. Not in his state.

“Would you like to come with us?” Was all batman said. Stern and quiet. Dani didn't move, she looked over Batman’s unmoving face and then back at the bumblebee and black bat. The bumblebee hero looked worried but more for Batman than Dani and the black bat seemed relaxed as she watched.

“Where are you going to take us?” Dani asked. Batman frowned slightly and Dani worried he would just try and grab them. 

“A place where we can keep you safe and confirm your royal status,” he said. Dani didn't really like the sound of that but she could feel Danny getting worse and she was running out of time to make a decision. When he chose that exact moment to let out a pained groan Dani almost smacked him. Batman’s frown deepened and Dani felt her throat bob.

“We might even be able to help your friend.” He offered.

“My ambassador,” She corrected, if she was gonna sell this she had to go all out, “And I don't want you to lay a hand on him.”

Batman gave her the slightest, stiffest nod she had ever seen and she relaxed. Batman nodded to the other heroes and black bat vanished, bumblebee paused before leaving himself. Dani felt her anxiety come back threefold at being left alone with the big bad bat but in a few seconds a fancy black bat shaped car skidded to a halt outside the alley. In the passenger seat was the familiar bumblebee, he grinned and waved at them. Batman stared at him in what Dani thought could be disapproval but said nothing. The doors to the suped up car popped open and bumblebee stepped out.

“You can get in the back seat. Do you need help with your ambassador?” He said as he stepped back into the alley. Dani shook her head and Batman made a grumbling sound.

“Signal.” he said. Bumblebee, signal apparently, shrugged and continued towards Dani until she stiffened.

“I just wanted them to have a familiar face so the journey wasn't too stressful. Black bat and Spoiler are covering me while I stick with them.” He said, smiling at Batman and then turning back to Dani. He moved to help her pick Danny up but she shook her head at him and he stepped back. Batman made another ‘hn’ sound before retreating to the driver seat of the car. 

Dani moved Danny around and picked him up by throwing him over her shoulder. He wasn't heavy but he was bigger than her and it made him difficult to carry. Signal, she preferred bumblebee, hovered around her but was careful not to touch Danny as she carried him to the car. They managed to get Danny securely in the back seat of the batcar and Dani slid in next to him. He looked worse. Maybe moving him wasn't the smartest idea but Dani didn't know what else to do. If the GIW had their ecto-signature there wasn't a safe place to hide. Maybe Batman would be able to protect them but it would only last so long. She pushed aside her fears and gripped Danny’s too warm hand. The scenery went passed too quickly for her to see and the drive was silent. She was starting to hate road trips.

~~

This is short but the next one is gonna be LONG I got distracted anyway I love that people are enjoying this, i like writing it :)

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Why We Need to Care About Insects

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/why-we-need-to-care-about-insects/

Some months back a study was released that demonstrates just how damaging climate change is to insects, particularly those in tropical areas. Warming temperatures cause insects to die from overheating and dehydration, kills off their food sources, and lowers their fertility rates to dangerous levels. Moreover, changes in climate affect insect phenology, the timing of when they hatch, migrate, breed, and so forth.

And because insects are so small, they’re often disproportionately affected by many of these problems. As ectotherms, they rely on the air around them to regulate their body temperatures; their small mass means they lose heat faster than larger animals, and can be overloaded with heat much more quickly. Tropical insects are especially at risk from major fluctuations in temperature because they are adapted to a relatively narrow temperature range.

Gray spruce looper moth (Caripeta divisata)

But the problem goes far beyond the tropics, and we are in the middle of an insect apocalypse. This problem often flies under the radar of those who are not already aware of invertebrate conservation. While a few insects, such as monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and domestic honey bees (Apis mellifera), find themselves in the press on a regular basis, most species don’t have large fan clubs. Some of my favorite insects include the white-tipped ctenucha moth (Ctenucha rubroscapus), the velvet snail-eating beetle (Scaphinotus velutinus), and the black-tailed bumblebee (Bombus melanopygus), none of which are insects you’re likely to find making the headlines.

To be fair, there are a lot of insect species out there, so it would be hard to feature every single one individually. But we already face the problem that many people simply just don’t see why we need to worry about fewer bugs around. Last year I wrote an article about how search engines tend to produce exterminator sites at the top of results for various insects, and while some of that is no doubt due to advertising-oriented algorithms, they do reflect a widespread demand for extermination services that isn’t matched by more positive attention to these little animals.

Much has been said among entomologists, ecologists, and other professionals about why we need to be concerned about the drastic drop in the numbers of many insect species, and I’ve written about it as well. I could reiterate what would happen if we lost our pollinators (and also how to save them!) or the crucial role insect detritivores play in reducing diseases and keeping the food web cycling along. And I am still a champion for mosquitoes and other unpopular insects.

Green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris)

But these things always bear repeating. It may be that nine out of every ten organisms on this planet is an insect. Insects play an incredible number of ecological roles, from ecosystem engineers to pollinators to food sources and much more. Without them, ecosystems around the planet would collapse entirely.

I could certainly take the self-interested route and emphasize that fully one-third of our food relies on insects and other pollinators. I might also point out that insect detritivores help nourish the soil needed for everything from food crops to timber. While terrestrial insects and other arthropods only make up about a fifth of the amount of global biomass as their marine counterparts, they still represent a natural sink that holds about 200 million tons of carbon at any given time.

But our anthropocentric worldview rarely considers the intrinsic value of insects simply for existing. We’re constantly weighing and measuring their worth based on our biases and values. We divide them into “good” or “bad” insects: good insects are those that do things we like, like pollination or looking pretty, while bad insects are the ones that chew on our homes and plants or which bite or sting us when threatened or seeking food. For a lot of people, any insect beyond maybe a butterfly is a reason to say “Ewww, gross!” I’ve even seen this widespread among self-professed nature lovers, whether they have a true entemophobia or not, though there may be an evolutionary reason for this seemingly disproportionate reaction.

So consider this yet another attempt to change opinions about insects. I can’t cure entemophobia, but I can at least get people thinking more critically about personal and societal attitudes toward insects. I hope to get people to realize that widespread use of pesticides and other garden/agricultural chemicals–which has increased fifty-fold in twenty-five years–is driving the loss of so many insects. I’ve mentioned before that habitat loss is the single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction, and that goes for insects, too. And, of course, the study mentioned at the start of this article is just one highlighting the increasing impact climate change has on insects worldwide.

Metric Paper Wasp (Polistes metricus)

Let me wrap this up on a bright note: word is getting out. There is a lot more awareness than there was twenty years ago, and there’s more nuance than we had in the early “save the (domesticated European honey) bees” campaigns. More people are ditching pesticides and other garden chemicals unless absolutely needed, and regenerative agricultural practices that use fewer chemicals overall are gaining ground. And while numerous organizations are increasing awareness of insect conservation, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation–the oldest organization dedicated solely to invertebrates–is still going strong.

And you can help spread the word, too. Share this article with others, and some of the resources and organizations linked throughout. Consider your own relationship to the native insects in the world around you, and whether you might make their lives a little easier. And remember that sometimes it is the smallest of things that have the greatest importance in such a massive system as an entire living planet.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[skeletonsgeorg]

Okay so here are my silly doodles for Earthspark: Shattered Glass

Musings below the cut

I love Earthspark in large part because of its narrative against black/white thinking and the idea that defining "good vs. evil" is easy. And in canon Earthspark even the worst Decepticons are portrayed as just kinda sillygoofy????? So I don't imagine the Autobots would be tooooo bad. Especially with Optronix defecting to the Decepticons because he just. Got bored with torturing and slaughtering his way across the galaxy and was like "You know what would be hilarious. What would just be really fucking funny. If I swapped sides, LMAO."

Anyway I thought about drawing a parole anklet on Optronix up there but I figured instead they would install a remote detonation device inside his spark chamber a la Suicide Squad in exchange for allowing him to keep the Matrix of Leadership in his chest. Optronix came up with the idea. He said it was his Act of Profference to Megatron and Megatron is just like "?????"

Speaking of Megatron he has deep entrenched eye bags because Optronix is his conjunx partner and because his handler is Agent Jon Schloder, who inherits his canon timeline sister's genocidal hatred of Cybertronians in this AU. Also he's busy managing all of the Decepticons and being a diplomat to Earth. He's still besties with Dot though, who in this AU is a cop because she prioritizes duty and the law and her work ahead of her family.

Also Optronix is besties with Karen Croft because Karen was really into True Crime shows as a youth and thinks him being a repentant serial killer is cool as heck, she owns all of his merchandise.

Breakdown is the teacher of the Terrans in this AU and he carries a deep sadness within him because he yearns to help his best friend Bumblebee recover from millions of years of enslavement under Optronix but Bumblebee is off being insane in the wilderness or something. Breakdown looks for him in his freetime.

The Terrans themselves are relatively unchanged, though perhaps a touch more anarchic/chaotic.

And now I'm out of time andweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee the cat is attacking the keyboard so let me know if I should keep musing???

[txfeline720]

Title: Chair cushion

Rating: G

Summary: In which Skyfire teaches Sideswipe a lesson.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skyfire stared at his reflection in the mirror with wide optics. His processor had stalled momentarily, trying to understand what exactly he was looking at.

Instead of the normal white paintjob with a dash of red and blue he normally sees when he wakes up from recharge, Bumblebee yellow with small black and white squares running up his sides has taken its place. On his front, written in bold letters, was "Taxi Bot."

It was those painted words that brought the answer to the mystery of who the culprit was. Someone red. Someone who loved pushing the buttons on anyone they deemed worthy of it. Someone who was about to learn why you don't light bombs that have fuses that stretch for miles on end. Because it's those bombs that cause the biggest explosions in the most unexpected of ways.

Thunder rumbled inside Skyfire's head as he muttered one word in a voice colder than the ice that had imprisoned him for millions of years.

"Sideswipe."

----

"Dang it, Skyfire, put me down!"

The said cherry goblin was squirming with all his might, trying to break free from the iron grip of the shuttle. To say Sideswipe was shocked when Skyfire stormed into the rec room while he was having his energon and being snatched up before he could do anything would be an understatement. The shock soon switched to determination to get out of the embrace and get back to his energon.

Skyfire was not having it. "I could tolerate somewhat being called a taxibot, Sideswipe. But painting me like one is one step too far," he said, staring down at the Lambo sternly.

"It was just a prank for Primus's sake," Sideswipe exclaimed. "Besides, you're not the only one to have that happen too. Just lighten up already." He tried biting into Skyfire's hands to make him let go, but to no avail.

"That's enough." The Shuttle changed his grip so Sideswipe wouldn't try biting again. "I believe a little punishment is in order for this." He scanned the room and spotted a large chair made for larger frames. With Sideswipe still in his grip, he walked over to it.

"You're going to sit right here until I'm ready to move as well."

That got Sideswipe to stop squirming and look up at Skyfire defiantly. "Oh yea? What's stopping me from getting up? And what do you mean when you're ready?

The shuttle brought the Lambo to eye level so he could see the smirk blooming on his faceplate. And what is that glint in Skyfire's optics? "Because I never said you'd be sitting by yourself."

Faster than Sideswipe could comprehend, he was quickly dumped into the chair, and the last thing he saw was a shuttle-sized aft coming down at him before the world went white.

----

"Hey, Prime."

Optimus looked up from the report he was writing to see Bumblebee standing outside his office. "What is it?" It didn't escape his notice that the minibot was trying and failing not to grin.

Bumblebee took a moment to compose himself. "I think you're needed in the rec room right now."

Optimus gave a weary sigh at that. "If it has to do with Sideswipe, Prowl is capable of taking care of it," he said, getting back to his writing.

"Actually, it also has to do with Skyfire as well," Bumblebee clarified.

That got Optimus's attention, and he looked back up at the minibot. "How?" As far as he remembered, Skyfire never gave anyone trouble.

Bumblebee merely waved for Optimus to follow. "I think you need to see this for yourself."

Abandoning the datapad for now, the two of them walked to the rec room to see what the problem was. They heard it before getting there.

"Get off of me, you slagging shuttle!"

They walked in, and Optimus had to reset his optics when he saw it.

Skyfire was sitting in a large chair, reading from a datapad. A cube of energon was standing on one of the arm rests. Normally, something like that would not be worth paying attention to. It was the red mech having a fit underneath said Shuttle that was making it worth it.

"Skyfire, I mean it. You're crushing me; get off!" Sideswipe tried once again to beg for deliverance from this crushing punishment.

A hum of acknowledgement was all the Lambo would get from Skyfire. More pressure was put on him when the shuttle shifted a bit to get more comfortable. Skyfire took a second to check his internal chromometer. "Ten more minutes, and then you can get up, Sideswipe. I hope I won't have to do this again. I don't really like punishing anyone, even you, believe it or not," he admitted with a small smile, moving a free hand underneath him to give a pat to the squished mech. "Even if you do get on my nerves."

Optimus and Bumblebee continued staring at the whole thing in silence. Bumblebee looked up at his leader and broke it. "So, are you going to do anything about this, Prime?"

Optimus kept staring at Skyfire, who took a break from reading for a sip of energon, and at Sideswipe, who had not yet resigned to being a chair cushion for ten more minutes.

"No."

Without another word, he turned around and walked in the direction of his office, leaving behind a confused Bumblebee. Sideswipe made his bed, and he will say good night, sleep in it tightly, and won't let the scraplets bite. Though by this time he'll take the scraplets over being sat on any day, thank you.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 59: Fukuzawa Yukichi vs. Optimus Prime

Submitted kids:

Fukuzawa Yukichi: The entire detective agency (in order of acquisition— Ranpo, Yosano, Kunikida, Dazai, the Tanizaki siblings, Kenji, Atsushi, Kyoka)

Optimus Prime: Bumblebee, then depending on continuity, Cliffjumper, Smokescreen, Arcee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, the Aerialbots, Sari Sumdac, Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, Raf Esquivel, and possibly others

Propaganda under the cut!

Fukuzawa Yukichi:

1. “At about 32 he used to be an bodyguard for hire who only works alone then he met this 14 year old (Ranpo) who had no parents and was kicked out of the police academy. He ended up feeding him (I think Ranpo was homeless at this point not 100% sure tho. He is also a genius estimated iq as high as 200) and said he would help him free of charge (bodyguard) if he called. He ended up getting called and investigated something with him. Ranpo saw the world very plainly and cried to Fukuzawa about how scary it is. Fukuzawa helped Ranpo realize that not everyone is pretending not to know things they literally don't know what he does (big issue with Ranpo partly what he was crying about too i think. They have an entire episode (i think it's the first one in the 4th season) devoted to their backstory together which is black, white, and gray when it's from Ranpo's perspective until Fukuzawa helps him realize this and it turns colored. Fukuzawa ends up deciding he wants to create a detective agency (working with others!) with Ranpo not yet tho we still have one more kid first. Later when Fukuzawa's doing a bodyguard job he along with Ranpo end up rescuing a girl (Yosano!) from the man he was guarding (future mafia boss currently a doctor). Yosano ends up becoming a doctor for the detective agency when it's created. After it's created he ends up taking in another 14 year old (Kenji).

He also loves cats and has shoujo anime-esque cherry blossom flashbacks with his old childhood friend who asked him if he wanted to go to fight in war with him, Fukuzawa denied his request. They also have a like 15 min soft-lighting conversation while watching their memories of their childhood together in the latest ep.”

2. “This man literally created a whole detective agency for this one really smart boy (Ranpo) and taught him that he wasn't the one in the wrong but everyone else when he couldn't understand people. Then, he saves Yosano from the trauma this other guy was inflicting on her and brings her to the Agency. The Agency basically becomes the place where all his kids are. His special ability lets those in the Agency control their abilities so Atsushi and Kyouka don't have to be afraid of their out of control abilities anymore. He cares so much for all of them and during the Cannibalism arc when his life is literally on the line, they do everything in their power to save him.”

3. “My guy just CANNOT stop adopting kids. He went from lone wolf assassin to Dad of Many. His first (adopted) child, Ranpo, basically forced him to adopt him (he was like “I’m a teenager with no family or home. You GOTTA adopt me. Because I say so.”) From there he kept accidentally adopting every orphan he came across. Honestly the detective agency is more like a glorified orphanage except they let their kids carry guns.”

4. “A former Goverment assassin who stopped once he realized he was starting to enjoy killing people, Fukuzawa is looking for a job when he bumps into Ranpo, a genius capable of figuring out any mystery, who can’t understand how the world works. Taking Ranpo under his wing Fukuzawa tries a white lie that Ranpo has a special ability and manages to let Ranpo interact with the world without fear for the first time in years since he can know understand the problem wasn’t everyone acting like they couldn’t figure out things but that no one was as smart as him. They found the Armed Detective Agency specifically to use Ranpo’s abilities to help people and to have jobs.

He then saves Yosano from Mori, his ex something who after using her special ability to heal any injury as long as the person is about to die during the War, wanted to use it take control of their local mafia. Instead Fukuzawa and Ranpo rescue her and let her recover from her trauma and come into herself.

He then goes on to provide a place for Kunikida to fulfill his ideals, Dazai a place to do good after his own past in the mafia, Kenji a place to help people, Tanizaki and Naomi (siblings that don’t seem to have any guardians) work to support them, and Atsushi a place to work on his own trauma by protecting people. Fukuzawa later let’s Kyouka, another defection from the mafia, stay and work at the agency so she can help people and not have to kill them anymore. The entire Armed Detective Agency live in dorms that Fukuzawa provided. He also is very protective, putting everything on the line to help members of the Agency escape any danger he knows of. Like when Atsushi is kidnapped he bribes Ranpo to find him and sends Kunikida to rescue him. He sees any danger to the agency and its members as something for him to stop.”

Optimus Prime:

“#VOTE OPTIMUS HE'S THE DAD OF ALL TIME AND HAS ISSUES”

[moonlight-tmd]

Continuing on Bee having chronic phantom pains.

So Bee has several medications to deal with this on top of his normal antidepressants and adhd meds. It kinda sucks for him, but it could've been worse...

The worst part about having those pains is that even tho he's taken meds he'll often get these sudden flare ups that'll leave him unable to do anything for an hour or so. When that happens (which is like 2-3 times a week), he has little bottle of medical grade on him to soothe the pain faster.

It definitelly limited his options to do fun stuff cuz if he goes somewhere alone there's more of a chance he'll become stuck in that place for a long while unable to do anything. He still can go skating or do donuts, exercise is good for him but it also sucks cuz most bots can't keep up with him or he can get the flare up during whatever he's doing and hurt himselft of accident.

After the accident, Bee has been mostly going out with other bots- Bulkhead most often gives up his free time to go somewhere with Bee, if he can't do that cuz of something important then Prowl will go.

In other post i said that Ratchet takes some of his medical supplies from Swindle bcuz the usual supplier either won't give certain stuff or doesn't have them. Therefore, the medication for Bumblebee's issues are being supplied by Swindle. And we know how this guy is- snooping into private information to find out what whoever needs so he can have them spend more money on him.

And this is exactly what he did with Ratchet. Old docbot made the supply orders with Swindle in secret. One time Swindle asked why he was getting so many medications, Ratchet declined to tell anything besides what he needs but Swindle's silver tongue turned the conversation in the right direction...

It was nearing christmas at that time and everyone tried to get gifts for one another. They had the usual family party and gift giving. At some point Optimus gave a look to Ratchet who nodded and slipped out to get something.

"Actually, there is one more gift for you, Bumblebee." Bossbot said with a smile. Bee was sitting on the floor with Sari and Prowl, trying out some board game they just unpacked.

"Really? What is it!?" Bee was excited.

"You need to close your optics first." Bee was quick to oblige and slap with servos on his faceplate, he loved surprises! Then Optimus gave Ratchet a signal to come into the room... what the others didn't expect was him leading a small-sized cyberhound in. Optimus quickly gave a signal for the others to stay quiet as Ratchet made it sit in front of Bee.

Bee was both very confused and excited when he was allowed to look. Ratchet explained that this was a service hound for him; her name was Murk and apparently she could sense when the flare ups are gonna start and help him get thru them. This was so cool! And it got confirmed rather quickly; while Bee was petting his new companion she suddenly pulled away and started pushing into him. Bee leaned back to sit on his aft instead of knees and Murk quickly climbed onto his lap and pressed herself into his chassis, she started making this quiet hum similar to a cat's purr. The vibrations and odd feeling seeped into Bee just as the sharp pain hit him. But it wasn't as bad as it was the other times- this time the pain was bearable and most of it was replaced with this odd numbness. He could actually speak and move some while it was happening. Both Sari and Prowl were trying their best to not pet this cute robot dog while it was working.

Swindle had prompted Ratchet into telling him Bee's condition and he gave him contacts to the places with Service Creatures. He also helped him get a hound that will be an good match for Bee. It was a lot of credits spend but definitelly worth it. Who knew Swindle could be actually kind and helpful.

Murk was a little above Bee's knee height and similar to a doberman, all black with red optics. She had a special blue paint on her chest armor- a painted-on jacket with white cybertronian writing "Service Hound". She looked quite intimidating... and for a reason.

Turns out, she was also a defence hound on top of being a service hound. Sentinel got to discover that when he came to close to Bee(despite the hound growling) and roughly poked him while arguing. Ratchet almost refused to put his ripped servo back in place, he asked for it.

Bee could once again go back to his usual stuff. Murk was very friendly and tolerated most of folks, she was also playful when it was time for it- although she never played catch with him, Ratchet explained cuz that her job to stay close to him.

She was also trained to bring him stuff like fuel or meds. If Bee can't get out of his berth in the morning then he'll tell Murk to bring him fuel (a can of oil). It sometimes ends up in her bringing Optimus with a tray of oil and freshly baked goods when he's doing his baking in the morning. (I imagine Murk has this thing where she can play back commands that were said to her when some other bot asks why she's alone. She played back Bee saying "Murk, bring me fuel." to OP and that's how he knew.)

Bee also has more leeway like before, he doesn't need another bot to come with him in case something happens. When he's driving somewhere, Murk sits in his backseat and barks when something is gonna happen so Bee has time to drive off the road and take a break.

Of course, Bee is not really allowed to go fighting anymore. But i suppose it won't be long until they catch Megs and put him in jail so they can live a peaceful life.

[minniethemoocherda]

The Heart

A/N: A short but sweet story to celebrate Father's Day here in the UK! Xxxxxxx

Ao3

“Congratulations!”

Jazz bursting into Optimus Prime’s office unannounced, even though he had changed the passcode a million times at this point, wasn't a surprise. And his second in command’s good cheer was far from unusual. What was unusual though, was that for once, Optimus had no idea what he was so happy about.

“Thank you?” He replied as Jazz spun the chair in front of his desk around, stadling it so that his black and white chassis was resting against what should’ve been it’s back,

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Before Optimus could reply with, because I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jazz continued. “You know I throw the most banging sparkling showers!”

Ah so Jazz had finally learnt about the Terrans. As the Autobot’s highest ranking spy it didn’t shock Optimus that Jazz had somehow learnt of their existence. If anything he was surprised the spy hadn’t discovered them sooner.

“Well as you are no doubt aware, the knowledge of the Terrans are highly classified so it would have been unwise to throw a party announcing their birth.” Optimus said, looking over the rim of his glass as he took a poignant sip of energon from the cube on his desk.

“I know! I know!” Jazz replied, throwing his hands up in the air. “Still you know if it had been my sparklings I would've been singing from the rooftops! Man, I can’t imagine what it’s like for your sparkling to have little bitelets of their own! You must be so proud of Bumblebee!”

Optimus nearly choked on his drink.

It appeared Jazz’s information had gotten muddled in translation. Not for the first time considering how many rumours the mech was personally responsible for back on the Ark.

Although, now that Optimus thought about it, he supposed Jazz wasn’t exactly wrong. It might not have been pre-planned but Bumblebee was the mentor to those young bots (neither was the Prime’s own mentorship to the scout back in the days of the war) and yet Bumblebee had done an amazing job. Part of Optimus’ spark liked to think it was because he had taught the once young bot so well.

“Yes.” Optimus smiled. “I am.”

[h2llish]

assigning plants to twst character by meaning pt 2 octavinelle, scarabia, and pomefiore

azul ashengrotto -> okay i assign him the bumblebee orchid and, like riddle, aloe. the bumblebee orchid means hard work or persistence and aloe means grief. hard work, because azul worked hard to create his signature spell, and make a name for himself as the new man he became upon entering nrc. and grief, because grief comes in all forms, including the grief he feels after undergoing bullying and making it to nrc as a whole new person. (and then there was his overblot.) jade leech -> fungi buddy. he was so hard to assign actually. i assign him the yellow iris, which means passion. he's very passionate about his love for mushrooms (which can be a little weird ig). i also assign him the red clover, which, started in the victorian era, means success. he works at the mostro lounge and is the vice to azul, so success seems right to place with him. floyd leech -> floyd! i assign him pink hyacinths, because they mean joy and playfulness. he's very playful when he's in a good mood, and although his mood swings are sudden, and he can also be scary when he's happy. still, i think this flower was well picked for him. kalim al-asim -> i'm assigning him white lilies. he's not even a villain, he stands out in nrc and i love that about him. white lilies symbolize innocence and humility. he's from a wealthy family, but i've never seen him exaggerate that wealth or importance he holds with ill intentions. he's so sweet and doesn't see himself as better than anyone despite the power money can give. jamil viper -> fuck this guy. so, his plant right. yellow hyacinth and black rose. yellow hyacinth because it means jealousy. and black rose because it means hatred. i'm not explaining myself because you should know why. vil schoenheit -> vil <3 bites him. anyways, the dahlia. dahlias in general mean elegance, strength, and dignity. he's dedicated to becoming the fairest of all, and despite his insecurities, he's displayed his strength in not only a physical sense but a mental sense too. (like when he followed idia into the underworld to save him.) rook hunt -> rook, rook, rook. my fav creepo, weirdo, stalker. hat man (/aff). i assign him purple heather. purple heathers symbolize a lot, like admiration and love, for his dedication to pursuing beauty. it also means strength and respect, because he's never looked down on anyone despite his own strength. epel felmier -> my son, who's a pain in the ass (/aff). amaryllis. amaryllis means determination, they are also a symbol of strength. he's determined to prove to everyone he's strong (and masculine). amaryllis also mean beauty; for vil's influence on epel, hoping to build epel up and teach him (while also trying to get rid of the more toxic version of epel's proof in his strength.)

i decided to do more

[florencemtrash]

The Wisp Between Worlds

CHAPTER FOUR: THE FOX AND THE HIGH LORD

Acotar fanfic/rewrite. Inner Circle x OC. Eventual Azriel x OC.

Summary: Have you ever wondered what you would do (and do differently) if you found yourself trapped in the fantasy world of your dreams? For Nora, this fantasy of hers is about to play out when she finds herself portaled away to the Moral Lands south of Prythian. But all is not as it seems. Feyre Archeron is missing and the deadline to break Amarantha’s curse draws near. Who will save Prythian now?

Warnings: None for this chapter 

Masterlist

*Let me know if you would like to join the taglist*

________________

Nora had to endure horseback riding for another hour, sweat dripping down her back and clinging to her clothes, before she finally felt them slow down. The mask slipped off her face like water, dropping to the grass and immediately springing up into a rosebush. 

Nora gasped at the minor display of magic.

The ground was swollen with the blossoms of spring - marigolds, peonies, hydrangeas, lilies, and roses drifting along in a floral sea. Marble fountains of horned and hoofed creatures carrying instruments were carefully laid out in the garden, carved with such a careful hand that when she dismounted and crawled onto the fountain ledge she could make out their eyelashes. 

Nora dared to touch the wrist of a forest nymph who spilled crystal clear water from her jar. She was smoother than freshly waxed glass.

Tamlin’s estate was sprawled out comfortably amidst the vibrant rolling hills, as fat and happy as the bumblebees that drowsily floated from flower to flower. Blood red roses and emerald green vines dripped down the manor’s alabaster walls and turret roofs, pooling beneath the balconies and windows so that anyone who let the wind in would be greeted with their intoxicating scent.

Tamlin made his way towards the manor without a word. 

Nora hurried after him with awkward strides as her knees and thighs re-acquainted themselves with standing on solid ground. She was in desperate need of a bath and rest.

The faint click of Tamlin’s claws on the checkered floors echoed throughout the empty hall. Nora could hardly breathe, worried that the mere sound of her existence would disrupt the wonderment flooding her mind. The black and white marble tiles were polished so thoroughly she caught her reflection looking back at her, dirty and disheveled, and foxgloves hung in bundles from the gilded buttresses, swaying in the breeze like church bells. 

A manor of this size must have had at least one hundred servants to keep it in order, but when Nora strained her ears she was only rewarded with the lonely, echoing silence.

Left at the portrait with the golden bear, right at the next junction with the 6-foot tall elk horn, past the green stained glass windows, then- 

She traced their steps until they reached a set of oakwood doors as tall as the ceiling and thicker than the length of her hand. 

The doors swung open of their own accord, exposing a grand dining room with velvet curtains and a solitary table cut from a tree trunk. 

A fae male sat at the table, russet brown and golden mechanical eyes staring out from behind a fox mask. His hair was as vibrant and warm as a winter fire, offset by his handsome emerald suit jacket and honey-colored skin. The only imperfection he possessed - if it could even be called that - was the scar that dragged through his ruined eye and landed at the corner of his lip like a lightning strike.

Must be Lucien. 

He shot up from the table, golden eye flashing, “Tam, where the hell have you been?”

Tamlin ignored him and made his way around the table. With a flash of light and a groan he collapsed into his rose-engraved chair. Where there had once walked a beast now sat a very beautiful, and very exhausted fae. 

Nora tilted her head to look at him, carefully observing the gold mask that remained frozen in place as he dragged a hand down his face. 

“Tamlin.” Lucien said. He hadn’t noticed the human girl waiting by the dining room threshold, but he was alerted to her presence when Tamlin raised a single finger towards her.

Lucien’s gold eye whirred, the artificial pupil constricting as he turned around and looked at Nora.

“She’s the one that killed Andras?” Surprise and disdain flooded his voice. She was so… human - a poor credit to her species and thin as a reed. He crossed the floor in three strides and glared down at her. She found only disbelief and mild hatred in his face.

He sniffed the air around her and frowned. “She reeks.”

Color flooded into her cheeks, blood turning hot, “It’s almost like I’ve been traveling the last day and a half. Without a meal, might I add.” 

She scowled at Tamlin as he slunk into his seat further and rubbed his temples. Her hunger had flared up with a vengeance on the last leg of their journey and she felt it twist and tug within her. Just because she was used to an empty stomach didn’t mean it felt any more pleasant.

“Go bathe. You can eat after.” Tamiln said with a lazy wave of his hand like she was some dog to be dismissed.

Nora’s scowl deepened. She was hungry now, although she had to admit a bath also sounded heavenly. 

Before she could shoot back a reply a fae slipped into the room from a hidden hallway, bowing deeply to Tamlin before deigning to give Nora a curt nod. This fae was even shorter than her and a female from the looks of her wide hips and soft features, although the gnarled mask of woven branches made it difficult to make out her face. 

She walked to another set of open double doors and clicked her heels together, waiting expectantly for Nora to follow. 

When Nora glanced at Tamlin, it seemed that he’d already forgotten she existed, eyes roaming over the silverware.

You’re a real charmer. Asshole.

Still she followed the female out of the dining room without a fight. She’d save her energy for another day.

“Best to kill her now and be done with it.” She heard Lucien hiss beneath his breath as the doors shut behind them.

The female was ruthless when it came to bathing. Before the bathroom door was even fully shut, she was pulling away at Nora’s clothes with rough, strong hands as callous as tree bark. 

“Wait! No!” Nora grabbed at Dinah’s coat when it was pulled from her shoulders.

“It’s stiff with dust and sweat, child.” The female clicked her tongue, catching sight of the makeshift bandage on Nora’s arm, “And a good deal of blood,” Her voice held the same texture as her hands. “Best to get rid of it.” 

“No.” Nora said. The fae cast a narrow eye at the girl, ancient and impatient, “Please,” She tried again, softening her tone, “It’s the only thing I have from home.”

The girl in front of her could only be eighteen, nineteen at most - young for a human and absolutely fetal for a fae. 

She sighed, “I’ll wash it and return it tonight.” She said from between tight lips. 

The girl deflated with relief, holding onto the ruined fabric for one final moment before she let it pass from her hands.

“...Thank you….” She murmured beneath her breath, grasping for a name.

“Alis.” 

“...Thank you, Alis.” 

The human had more manners that she would have anticipated.

Nora’s face turned bright red when Alis stripped her of her clothes, but the female only clicked her tongue again like one might reprimand a child. 

With the promise that Dinah’s coat would be cared for, Nora let herself sink into the bathtub up to her neck, groaning as the hot water soaked into her skin and eased her aching legs. 

Alis scrubbed away at her skin with honey-scented soap until it turned red and prickled upon touching the air, as though that would remove her human deficiency. But Nora welcomed the faint pain and the sharp nails that scratched without mercy at her scalp and tore away months of hard living. No matter how long she remained in the bath, no matter how clean she became, the water remained clear.

Alis had no shame in nakedness when she pulled the girl from the bath and began rubbing her down in lavender oils and brushed rosewater through her hair. The girl continued to look down at her feet sheepishly, covering parts of herself as Alis went about her business. She had one duty and one duty only - to make the girl appealing enough for the High Lord to court and seduce. Maybe then they’d all be freed from this mess. 

She finished by wrapping up Nora’s arm in fresh linens the same shade as her skin so the wound would be nearly imperceptible beneath the sheer sleeves of her dress.

Nora was delivered back to Tamlin and Lucien like a trussed up turkey - her neat braids complete with green ribbons to match Tamlin’s eyes. She’d been forced into a similarly toned sage-green gown that swished around on the ground behind her.

She twisted her hands together, suppressing the rising disgust in her stomach. These were not clothes she would have picked for herself. These were not clothes that had been made for her - they’d been made for a fae. 

The gossamer sleeves hung past her hands, clearly intended for a creature with longer, more slender limbs. The neckline of the dress similarly dropped too low, exposing much of her chest and leaving her vulnerable and cold.

She wanted Dinah’s coat back. She wanted to sink into the material and slink off into memories of home. Home with Dinah and Jaskiel. Home with her parents. Perhaps Alis’s bath had been a curse - her hard won outer layer seemed to have fizzled away with the lavender bubbles.

The two males froze in their seats, whatever conversation they’d been indulging in forgotten as they took in the sight of her. 

Lucien knocked his elbow into Tamlin’s side, subtly coughing into a closed fist. Tamlin took the hint and stood up, opening his arm towards the empty seat next to him and across from Lucien. 

Nora didn’t want to move. She wanted to disappear into her room and dive into the satin bed sheets that had been calling her name ever since Alis showed her her quarters. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to run. But her eyes narrowed in on the feast laid out before them.

The table was laden with enough food for a holiday party: whole roasted quails smothered in butter with garlic and thyme, fresh baked bread that steamed from the decorative slits cut into the crust, candied oranges piled on a platter next to a moist chocolate walnut cake. 

Nora’s stomach clenched painfully and her hunger won out. 

She awkwardly slid into her seat, dragging layers of tulle behind her. 

When Tamlin leaned across the table and began piling sausages, creamed spinach, bread, and more onto her plate, Nora had to suppress the urge to cringe away.

The bewilderment on her face seemed to please him as he settled back into his seat and began serving himself. Lucien was left to his own devices.

The first bite of honey-roasted walnuts and potatoes hit her tongue, exploding with a taste so bright and powerful she wondered if she had died and gone to heaven. She’d never tasted food so pure and delicious.

Tamlin stared curiously, watching as she slowly lost all sense of propriety and began stuffing her face, but if he was judging her table manners he didn’t show it. 

Lucien coughed, eyes flashing between the pair and Tamlin caught the message, dropping his wine glass onto the table with enough force to grab her attention. 

Her silverware froze above the piece of chicken on her plate, stopping their planned assault. 

Tamlin clenched his jaw, “Your hair…” 

She could see the place where his brain should be trying to formulate a compliment.

“Is clean. And you smell… nice.” He growled out with difficulty.

It wasn’t a lie. Alis had sprayed her down with enough perfume that a blind man would mistake her for a rosebush.

Nora stifled a laugh and Lucien rolled his eyes, bowing his head so that his forehead rested on graceful fingertips.

If Tamlin actually believed she would fall for his half-brained compliment he was proven wrong. Silence settled over them, thick and uncomfortable. 

She didn’t want to speak to them. She didn’t even know how’d she respond. They expected her to be afraid - hell, she was afraid - but she also felt some minor thread of confidence. For the time being she was safe, and she had to make use of that time as best she could to try and prepare for what was coming. Courting a romantic relationship with Tamlin was secondary. For now the best thing she could do was learn everything there was to learn about Prythian and the Human Lands - things that couldn’t be gained by asking too many questions or staying too long at the dinner table.

They must have a library somewhere.

“I would have expected more questions from you.” Lucien commented lazily, pulling Nora abruptly from her thoughts. The wine swished around in his cup, getting dangerously close to spilling over the sides as he narrowed his eyes at the girl, “You’re the first human in decades to step foot in Prythian, and you’re dining with one of the most powerful Hi-”

Tamlin growled in warning, shooting Lucien a glare strong enough to slice through the end of his sentence. 

Lucien cleared his throat, unfazed by the rude interruption, “You’re dining with two powerful High Fae. Surely your little human brain is curious.” 

Nora tapped her foot impatiently beneath the table, mouth twisting to the side in thought. Every parcel of her being was exploding with questions, curiosity threatening to pour out of her skin, but she didn’t want to interrogate them. She didn’t want to play her hand too early if she slipped up and said something she wasn’t supposed to know.

Her silence was mistaken for a resounding no. Lucien sighed as though disappointed but unsurprised, “How typical of humans to think so small.” 

She bristled, her pride wounded and smarting. 

“Excuse my friend,” Tamlin jumped at the opportunity to come to her aid. “He’s not in the best mood right now.” 

“I suppose you know the reason why.” Lucien’s face soured. 

Andras. 

The name hung above their heads.

She had killed his friend. She knew this, but it was too early to apologize for it, as much as she wanted to. So she once again settled for the safe option of staying silent, letting the guilt pool in her stomach and steal away her appetite.

“What exactly am I doing here? What do you want from me?” Nora asked carefully. It was a safe question - an obvious question, “Shall I sweep the floors? Wash the laundry? Be a punching bag for your thinly veiled insults?” She aimed the last question at Lucien and he had the kindness to at least look ashamed of his comment. 

“You are not a prisoner here.” Tamlin said gruffly. Nora raised her eyebrow. “What I mean is, you are here to fulfill the Treaty’s exchange - a life for a life. Apart from that you have no duties. Walk the grounds, explore the manor, or leave my court entirely. I do not care.” 

You most certainly do care. I know you care. 

“But the moment you step foot outside Prythian the deal is off. There will be no protection for you or your family.” 

“Your court?”

Tamlin froze, teeth clamping down on his tongue until he tasted blood. Lucien simply wanted to crumple to the floor in exasperation. It hadn’t even been a full day and Tamlin had already let slip his identity. He saw her mind stir, eyes fidgeting around the room as she put the pieces together. If he wasn’t mistaken, he even saw laughter behind her eyes.

“That’s what you said, isn’t it? You’re not just some high fae, you’re a High Lord.” 

“Yes.” He gritted out. His knuckles had turned white.

She thought for a long while before hesitantly asking, “So I truly may do as I wish here? You won’t kill me?”

“Yes, and no.”

Tamlin sensed the hesitation in her body before her scent slowly shifted to hope and curiosity. She’d have the run of the manor and for the first time since coming to this world she’d have access to books and music and good food.

Images of Dinah and Jaskiel flashed through her mind: Jaskiel limping to his chair after a long day of scribbling out sums in exchange for pennies, Dinah coming home with raw hands after hours of lime washing a local lord’s floors. Older images that she had buried in her heart also rose to the surface: Mom and Dad setting up the table for three before realizing she wouldn’t be coming home, Mom and Dad taking the long drive around town so they wouldn’t have to pass by the boardwalk. 

This manor was but a beautiful prison, and Nora had so far been treated like a doll to be dressed up and seduced by an incompetent Tamlin. She was painfully aware of it… and yet… it was a better life than the one she’d left behind. At least here she would not starve. At least here she would no longer have to worry about when the money would run out. 

If she asked for books or jewelry or dresses or anything else her heart desired Tamlin would jump at the chance to make her fall in love with him. 

It made her feel guilty.

“And my family?” The weight of her words, the sincerity of them, tempered Lucien’s distaste for the girl who’d murdered his friend.

“I promised you before they’d be taken care of.” Tamlin said.

“But what does that mean?” Nora splayed her hands on the table, hating that her previous excitement over material things had outshone her longing for her home, “What does it mean that you’re taking care of them?” 

Lucien leaned back in his chair, watching her quietly. She wasn’t what he’d been expecting. He’d expected her to blaze through the manor like a hateful and seething flame. Instead she was more like a firefly in a jar - constantly buzzing and flickering with thoughts and emotions that she tried to trap within herself. He didn’t know how to make sense of her.

Tamlin sighed, hands gently folding in front of him. Something like sympathy peered out from behind the mask.

“Dinah and Jaskiel think your family - your real family - found you and sent for you to be brought back to the Continent. I crafted a final memory of them seeing you off on a carriage with your very wealthy aunt.” 

Nora stilled, tears beginning to gather in her eyes as Tamlin continued. 

“I’ll be sending money to them every month on behalf of your “real” family as thanks for protecting and caring for you. It will be more than enough for them to live comfortably without having to work.” 

“Did you… did you really?” She whispered softly.

“I swear on my life and my court.” Tamlin assured her.

She laughed without humor, brushing away the tears that had spilled onto her cheeks. Perhaps now the villagers would really believe that she was a foreign-born royal. 

“That’s a very good lie you came up with.” Nora muttered with disdain. The chair screeched along the floor when she stood up abruptly, and no one stopped her as she disappeared out the door.

“Well I think that went well.” Lucien said with a grimace. He downed the wine to its last bitter dregs.

Tamlin’s low growl followed Nora as she half-stumbled her way back to her room.

When she finished untangling herself from the wretched dress and sank beneath the covers, she finally allowed herself to cry. 

Tamlin had crafted such a perfect and necessary lie. Dinah and Jaskiel would be able to rest easy believing she was with her true family, but Nora would have to live with the truth. 

She was now utterly alone.

>>>

The chirping birds, obnoxious and hormonal, woke Nora up just in time to see the sun crest over the hills. The moment her heels hit the marble floor Alis snuck in, a pile of dresses stretched out in her hands.

“Good morning.” Alis said, her voice curt as she spread the dresses on the bed, “Which would you like to wear today?”

“I get to choose my dress?” Nora blinked the sleep out of her puffy eyes. 

“Yes, child. You get to choose your dress.” 

Nora said little as Alis fussed with her hair, tying it back in a simple braid before ushering her to the bathroom to deal with her tear-stained face. 

The dress Nora selected was simple - an ankle length riding gown paired with a deep blue vest and short boots. Alis tried not to display her displeasure as Nora dressed herself haphazardly. After a long, dreamless night she was ready to escape her room and find some secret corner of the manor to hide in - preferably in the library. 

Thoughts and plans for the day raced through her head as she followed Alis’s quick footsteps to the dining room, memorizing the path once more.

The frown was clear on her face when she saw Tamlin and Lucien crowding the breakfast table. Alis nudged her forward, unsticking her feet from the floor with a sharp jab to the center of her back. 

“How did you sleep?” Tamlin asked as she settled down and stabbed at a sausage. The faster she ate, the faster she could leave.

“Terribly.” 

“How unfortunate.” Lucien said, decked out in a riding uniform of his own. The deep green jacket was overlaid with gold-plated steel, as functional as it was beautiful. A pearl-handle knife the color of bleached bone was sheathed comfortably across his chest, a matching sword resting against the table as he ate.

Tamlin was similarly armed, but his weapons looked more decorative. After all, how much good were weapons when he could transform into a near unkillable beast at any moment. When the light hit his skin at certain angles, Nora could almost see the skin of the creature beneath, unyielding and impenetrable. 

He caught her staring at the glimmering badges pinned to his coat.

“Lucien and I have business to attend to today,” he said, answering her unspoken question, “You may do as you wish. If you require anything you may ask the servants.” 

Nora frowned at the word - servant, how archaic - and looked around the empty hall. They lurked about somewhere, moving through the estate unseen to her eyes. Were they watching her now? Were they waiting for a moment to report her odd behavior to Tamlin? 

That was the first thing she’d have to fix. There would be no way for her to sneak around undetected if she couldn’t even see who she should be hiding from. Thoughts of the Suriel flashed through her mind, her fingertips rubbing together as she flipped through the pages of a phantom book and imagined what information she might be able to sink her fingers into. 

“I assure you, you are safe here. My people won’t harm you in any way.” Nora snapped her head up, grateful that he’d mistaken her scheming for worry. 

“You promise?” a hint of surprise and hope slipped into her voice.

“I promise.” Tamlin said, nodding his head fervently. He ignored the dampness of his palms and pushed down the revulsion he felt at being reduced to this. He was one of the most powerful creatures in all of Prythian, perhaps in the entire world, and he needed to resort to courting a human to protect his people. The thought made him feel weak, lesser. He hadn’t wanted to send his men out to their deaths in the woods. With every friend he buried he could feel a bit of himself chipping away and landing beside their graces. 

He was desperate, and he would resort to this measure in his desperation.

“And I may go anywhere? Do anything?” 

Tamlin’s lips curled back in a feline grin, catching the light that sparked to life in her eyes. “Within reason.” 

Lucien snorted, “How much damage do you intend on doing, human?”

As much as possible.

“None.”

He snorted again, half-amused at her blatant lie.

“Where’s the library?” Nora stood up abruptly when she finished eating, not waiting to be dismissed from the breakfast table.

“The library?”

“Do you not have one?” She asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Tamlin’s anger flared up like a gasoline fire. Lucien shot him a warning glance, standing up lightly and tilting his head towards the left before his High Lord could say or do anything he might regret.

“We have the most beautiful library you will have ever seen. Tamlin can show you the way, can’t you Tamlin?” 

“I can find it myself.” Nora snapped. She didn’t want company, only to disappear for the day, “Just give me the directions.”

“It’s a very large manor. We wouldn’t want you getting lost.” Something told her Lucien wanted nothing more than for her to ride off into the woods and never come back.

“I’ll ask whoever is around if that happens.” She said quickly, itching to find her escape. 

Mercifully, Tamlin didn’t press her to accept his company. 

He’d barely finished giving her the directions before she was flying out the side door, skirts shifting in the spring breeze like a ghostly afterimage. 

There was work to be done and plans to be made.

________________

Taglist: @myheartfollower @impossibelle @chybay22 @lahoete

Author's note: I struggled writing this chapter so I apologize if it's slow, but I'm just going to post it anyway so I can continue on to chapters I have more fleshed out plans for. Who knows, maybe I'll actually write down an outline for this fic instead of holding it all in my brain 😅. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

[arceespinkgun]

I keep speculating about what Earthspark Prowl will be like after seeing the toy. Personally I feel like having Prowl in the show presents a huge quandary and it boggles my mind that he'll likely be in it. I'm not sure it's possible to even use this character effectively in any media after what he's become over time. If in Earthspark he's an antagonist like he's been recently, then it will have to grapple with his face literally being the Autobot logo. If he's heroic like older versions of the character, then it's sweeping the character's history of connections to police brutality and fascism under the rug. Considering the main characters are the Maltos it especially seems like a terrible place to try and explore Prowl to me. I think I actually commented while watching season one that he'd be the worst character to show up in the present time in the show!

That being said, I'm very morbidly curious and kind of excited since the show impressed me in so many ways in the first season. After the Shockwave Earthspark gave us ended up being the kind of guy who laughs maniacally, is Megatron's rival, and looks down on organic life—just like the Marvel comics iteration—I keep wondering if Prowl might end up being like the one of the Marvel comics, too.

Prowl in the Marvel comics was a really different character than more recent versions. Despite becoming an angry square over time, originally he was a competent, cool-headed commander (often very literal-minded) whose frustrations were largely understandable. He was both relied on heavily by Optimus and spoke of him in a worshipful way, but then also had to watch everyone bear the brunt of increasingly irrational decisions Optimus and later Grimlock were making. Prowl was guilty of black-and-white thinking, but ultimately, he wanted the Autobots and Decepticons to live in peace. He wanted to give the Decepticons second chances—he even let a Decepticon join the Autobots in the UK comics. And later, he feels forced to play nice with them because Grimlock keeps picking fights with them, and that causes Prowl to overplay his hand and get punished more for it. And despite the rigidity and exasperation and jealousy Prowl ended up developing, he always cared deeply about people, had close friends like Wheeljack and Jazz, and his flaws did not overshadow his heroic traits. He was a very sympathetic and complex character. And despite his alt-mode, he wasn't a cop or cop-adjacent in his role. His backstory as revealed in one of the UK annuals was that of the leader of a teams of freedom fighters.

Prowl was compelling because he swung hard in two directions. He would be like, "Let's just create super soldiers and crush the Decepticons and end the War instantly—what do you mean that's evil?" but then also like, "Of course I'll tell the Decepticons everything about our plans in the name of peace and unity—what do you mean they're using that to betray us?" Whereas the more current versions of the character are like only one half of this one. This panel sums up Marvel comics Prowl:

The thing is, I thought Bumblebee of all people in Earthspark is already a lot like Optimus's rigid, disillusioned beleaguered secretary in many ways? He already feels like this character! And that makes me even more curious about how Earthspark will execute Prowl. While I have so many misgivings it definitely got me thinking...

...but no matter what Earthspark does, if it gives us Prowl but not JAZZ I'm going to be furious!

[fictional-love-is-my-life]

Some people are very stylish in fashion and change their clothes to match the seasons. So can I get bay hotrod, Bee, Optimus, and wheelie and brains reacting hc's to their friend who changes their car color according to the seasons. Like for fall, they turn a leaf color, winter white, summer, red or orange or yellow, and spring pink or light colors?

Hot Rod:

He loves it, he thinks they are so stylish and pretty. He also gets excited at the end of the season, wondering what color his friend is going to choose next.

He starts suggesting colors and patterns, telling them what he thinks would look good on them. Suggesting stripes, flat color, matte paint or sparkles. He thinks they should try it all.

It kind of makes him want to change his paint, but he loves his colors too much. He knows he looks great in black and orange, and he doesn't want to risk switching to something that doesn't suit him.

Bumblebee:

He understands wanting to change colors. There are so many to choose from, it is hard to decide on one. He also really likes that they make it match Earth's seasons, he thinks it is very clever.

He has changed his paint before, but reverted back to his normal yellow just because it suited him better. He doesn't think he would change again, but he is glad his friend finds joy in changing their paint.

He thinks it makes things more fun and quirky. It can also be a great stealth advantage because the Decepticons will never know exactly who they are since they change their colors. It will make them harder to track.

Optimus:

He has no problem with them changing their paint color as long as it's not something excessive or extreme.

And as long as they don't try to convince him to change. He's quite happy with them doing it to their own paint, he just doesn't want them trying to convince him to change his colors. He's happy the way he is.

He has sometimes lost sight of them because they have switched their colors and not told him. Now he just expects them to look different each time he sees them.

Wheelie:

He thinks it's a bit excessive. Do they really need to change that many times?

He doesn't deny the fact they look good, because they do. But he just wonders if they spend too much thought on their paint. He thinks they should just stick to one, or maybe cut down to changing it twice a year.

Is it perhaps because he's jealous because he doesn't have a great flashy car where he can change his colors? Maybe. But he won't admit that.

Brains:

He wishes he could change color. He thinks he'd look great in other paint. He often asks them what they think he will look good in.

He tried to change his color once. He went to red instead of blue. But it didn't last, because his hair looked like it was on fire and people kept trying to put it out.

He likes living through his friend though. He suggests a color he would want, and his friend changes to it. That way Brains gets to enjoy the color still.

[celestiall0tus]

Into the Fire - Chapter 6 - Across the Universes

Beginning || Previous || Next

            Cicada stood in the center of the platform in Betterfly’s base. She glanced around at her friends and allies as they grouped around her. She took a breath before she addressed them.

            “Alright, before we charge in, here’s the plan. Louve, you will lead a small team to search for Hera and join the main team to take on the Supreme.”

            “You got it, girl!” Louve cheered.

            “Thank you. Tigre Rose and Senketsu, you join Louve in searching for Hera.”

            Tigre Rose and Senketsu nodded and joined Louve Grise.

            “Now for the last part. The reinforcements.”

            Bunella raised her hand. “Do you think we could, I dunno, get a different version of each of us? I’d like to see another version of me, if that’s ok.”

            The others murmured and buzzed in agreement.

            Cicada considered. “I suppose one for each of us then? Uh, who wants to be first?”

            Bunella moved, but Chevalier beat her over to Cicada. Cicada nodded and used Arsenal to acquire the power of portal creation. She opened a portal that allowed an Alix dressed in torn shark-themed clothes and roller blades to step out. This Alix flashed them a big, sharp-toothed grin.

            “What’s up, hoes? Megalodon at your service,” Megalodon introduced.

            Chevalier’s eyes lit up. “So cool!”

            “Of course, I am. I’m bad to the fucking bone, bitch. Say, nice blades you got there. Care to race?”

            “Yes! Let’s go!”

            “Chevalier, we don’t-!” Cicada started.

            Chevalier and Megalodon took off and headed out of the base. Cicada sighed and motioned for another person. Bunella hopped towards Cicada as she opened another portal. A moment passed before a pale-skinned Rose stepped through dressed in a fur shawl, corset, leggings, and open-toed, high-heeled boots. Her eyes darted around as she cowered before them.

            Bunella reached out a hand. “It’s ok. We won’t hurt you. What’s your name?”

            The Rose stared at Bunella, then hissed, scaring Bunella. She cackled before she lunged for Bunella.

            “Know me as Dread, little bunny. Run in fear. It makes this so much more fun.”

            Bunella yelped and retreated to White Mouse’s side where Dread joined her. Cicada watched Dread torment Bunella as Ladybug joined her.

            “But there’s already us,” Cicada said.

            “I know, but I would like to see others of us. Wouldn’t you?”

            Cicada slowly nodded and opened another portal. It flickered and grew to twice its size as a giant Marinette with golden skin, an extra set of arms, bee wings, and a massive bee-themed gown stepped out. Ladybug and Cicada gasped and jumped back.

            “Who are you?” Cicada asked.

            “Call me Bumblebee. It’s what my little hero name is. I suppose it works for this form, for now. Pleasure to see more mes.”

            Bumblebee moved and sat behind Cicada as she scooped up Cicada and Ladybug.

            “Uh, what are you doing?” Ladybug asked.

            “That’s not your concern little bees.”

            “Right, uh, who’s next?” Cicada asked.

            White Mouse stepped out along with Senketsu. Cicada opened a pair of portals. An older Juleka stepped out of the first with teal dyed tips instead of purple, teal eyes, and wore a dress decorated with rotted, decaying bones. A Kagami stepped out of the other portal with rosy pink skin with patches of dragon scales, long flowing ombre pink, red, and cream hair, draconic eyes, and wore a sloppily tied red robe with black bindings around her chest, gloves, short shorts, and boots.

            White Mouse squealed. “Oh. My. God! Look at me! Look at you.”

            The Snake Juleka smiled. “Look at you, little mouse. You are adorable.”

            “What’s your name?”

            “What? Don’t tell me you don’t know our name.”

            “No. Like, hero name.”

            “Hero name? Why would I need that?”

            “Don’t you care about your identity?”

            Snake Juleka raised a brow, then laughed. “Your universes are strange. That or mine is. Whichever, right? Well, if you need a name, call me Naga. Why? You’ll see soon.”

            White Mouse and Naga joined the others. Naga locked eyes with Viperion and hissed at him. He smiled and waved, but Naga kicked him away. Cicada flinched and looked at the Kagamis. Senketsu and Dragon Kagami circled each other, then nodded.

            “Senketsu.”

            “Delyphne.”

            The pair grunted and moved to stand with Louve Grise. Tigre Rose trotted out while Viperion joined after recovering from Naga’s attack. Tigre Rose glared at Viperion while Cicada opened new portals. A Ladybug Adrien stopped out of the first in a biker-themed hero suit.

            “Mister Bug?” Cicada and Tigre Rose asked.

            “Close. I’m Lord Bug! Has a nice ring, no? And it matches with my Lady Noire,” Lord Bug gushed.

            Cicada and Tigre Rose’s jaws dropped. Bumblebee squealed, dropped Ladybug and Cicada, and scooped up Lord Bug.

            “You are adorable! And devotion rolls off you in waves!”

            Lord Bug’s eyes widened. “Can I get a picture of you? I want to show my Lady. She’ll absolutely love your dress cause I know I do.”

            “Oh, what a charmer. Just like my Adrien. Honestly, Luka could learn a thing or two from the two of you.”

            “Excuse me?” Viperion, Cicada, and Tigre Rose asked.

            Lord Bug chuckled. “Right? Our Luka is learning. He’s been so stuck in his little shell, until me. Now that he’s also with my Lady, he’s really opening up more. Though Kagami isn’t helping matters much. She’s very, uh, what’s a good word?”

            “Aggressive? Assertive? Stuck in her ways and refusing to give them up, but also fighting against them?” Bumblebee asked.

            “Yeah, those! Though she’s not like that with our Lady or me, just Luka. I don’t understand it, but she’s, uh, trying,” Lord Bug remarked.

            “Excuse me?” Senketsu, Viperion, Cicada, and Tigre Rose asked.

            Louve Grise approached Bumblebee. “Hey, hi. Could I maybe get some details from both of you about this polycule you each have with your versions of Marinette, Adrien, and Kagami?”

            Bumblebee opened her mouth, then shut it when an older Luka stepped out from the remaining portal. He towered over them but didn’t rival Bumblebee in height. Bumblebee, Lord Bug, and Cicada all gawked and stared at this Luka’s long black hair with dyed lime green tips, large, toned muscles, and glittering, golden eyes. He wore a brown corset decorated with twin black snakes, a black cape lined with a fur trim that hung off his shoulders, black gloves, pants, twin brown belts with a golden cat buckle, and knee-high adventurer boots.

            “Hail, adventurers! I’m Luka Couffaine, Scion of the Snake and Black Cat. Allow me to extend my gratitude for inviting me to this party.”

            Viperion gawked at Scion Luka, Bumblebee and Cicada blushed as they stared, and Lord Bug took his phone out of his yo-yo and took a picture of Scion Luka. Bumblebee snapped out of it and looked at Lord Bug’s phone.

            “Send those to me. I want to show my Luka too.”

            “Can I? I mean, we are from different universes?” Lord Bug remarked.

            “Crap, you’re right. Dammit! I want those pictures.”

            “Well, maybe Tikki has a solution.”

            Bumblebee panicked. “No! No, no, no. There’s no need to include Creation in this. It’ll be fine.”

            “But-,” Lord Bug started.

            “I’m sure I can come up with a solution, but it’ll have to be later,” Cicada said.

            “Good. I want to stay in contact with a few of you, especially this precious little bug,” Bumblebee said as she nuzzled Lord Bug.

            “Right. So, uh, me, do you have a unique name to call you by? It’d be a little strange to call you Luka,” Viperion remarked.

            “Let’s see, my Juleka, bless her little frustrating heart, often refers to me as either pestilence or plague. I know she’s insulting me, but it means I’m doing my job right.”

            “So, how about Plague?”

            Plague grinned and clapped Viperion on the back, sending him into the floor. “Wonderful idea, little me!”

            Viperion groaned and gave a thumbs up. Plague snorted, threw Viperion over his shoulder and stood near White Mouse and Naga. White Mouse smiled sweetly while Naga hissed and flipped off Plague. Plague bristled and growled at Naga. Everyone eyed then and backed away. White Mouse grabbed Viperion and moved away.

            “Oh great. Another Juleka with an attitude problem.”

            “Oh, wonderful, another Luka with his head so far up his own ass he can’t see past himself and his growing collection of whores to sate his endless desire just like our worthless, whoreson, wash up hazbin of a father. Why don’t you crawl back through that portal of yours back to your little harems and leave this to the real heroes?”

            Plague snarled. “How dare you? I am no mere tasteless whore seeking their next night of empty pleasure. I am a warrior, a protector, and a guardian. You will show the proper respect to someone that keeps you safe from yourself and your fruitless pursuits.”

            “You are nothing, along with every other version of Luka out there. You are worth nothing more than the dirt under my boot you loud, pompous, egotistical, arrogant, blowhard of a meathead version of my whore brother!”

            Plague raged and lunged at Naga. Naga transformed into a Naga and dodged Plague’s attack. Cicada panicked and opened a pair of portals. Out stepped a pale-skinned Mylene with empty, soulless eyes, dark hair with strands of burgundy held back by a laurel crown, and wore a Grecian burgundy and black ombre dress. An older Alya stepped through the other as Rena Rouge, but dressed in baggy pants legs and sleeves, with a form-fitting romper, stockings, and gloves with the skin exposed on her thighs, sides of her torso, and under her arms.

            “Please, help if you can!” Cicada begged.

            “Oh, did you need help with them? Why didn’t you say so?” Bumblebee asked.

            “What’s going-?” Rena started.

            Bumblebee turned to Naga and Plague. “Cease your fighting now.”

            The command resonated in Naga and Plague as they stopped fighting. Bumblebee smiled and scooped up Plague, holding him with Lord Bug. She and Lord Bug shared a look and smile, then looked at Plague. Rena smirked as she looked at Bumblebee.

            “You’re a Marinette, aren’t you?” Rena asked.

            “How’d you know?”

            “I’ve seen that face before whenever I ask mine about her Luka. Her and Longg often have that look when talking about the rock star, or about Marinette and the rock star.”

            “Oh, c’mon! Is there any universe where Marinette isn’t with Luka?” Tigre Rose yelled.

            “Yes,” Delpyhne said.

            “Really? Is she with me?”

            “No. Me. You ended up with a fuckboy.”

            Naga laughed. “A fuckboy, eh? Is it another Luka?

            “Listen here you, we aren’t-!” Plague started.

            “Yes,” Delphyne said.

            “Ha! Looks like he is in every universe, meathead! What about you two newbies?” Naga asked Rena and Bat Mylene.

            “Nah, not in mine. He’s a flirt, sure, but his eyes and heart are with his bewitching knight in golden armor,” Rena said.

            “The one I know isn’t a whore, but he is a bitch,” Bat Mylene whispered.

            “Hey! He is not! And what are you doing here anyway, Dread Queen?” Lord Bug demanded.

            “I came to help. You all have been running circles trying to find me. I’ve no fear you’ll find your stolen miraculouses. Besides, I’ll happily help in the liberation of the oppressed.”

            “Then give back the miraculous you stole so we can stop my father!”

            “Don’t worry, I’ll be coming for his miraculous soon enough. Once I find him, I’ll finish what you guys started.”

            Dread Queen flipped off Lord Bug and stood with Drakon. Drakon gave a nervous smile and wave, but Dread Queen ignored her.

            “Let’s finish this up and get going before more fights break out,” Faerie said.

            “Yes, please. Let’s just get one for Faerie and me, and-,” Betterfly started.

            “We aren’t pulling any others of you with us, Betterfly. Cicada, pull forth an Emilie and me, then let’s get going.”

            Cicada nodded and opened two more portals. An Emilie stepped out of the first with golden skin, sharp black nails, multicolored fairy wings, and a pair of sashes that loosely covered her breasts and vulva.

            Everyone blushed and looked away. Tigre Rose, Lord Bug, and Paw Noir shielded their eyes and turned away. Delphyne stepped forward and bowed her head.

            “Echidna, welcome to the fight.”

            “Thank you, Delphyne. Before I help, I want-.”

            Delphyne turned and pointed to Tigre Rose, Paw Noir, and Lord Bug. “Them.”

            Echidna nodded and flew over to Paw Noir. He cautiously turned and immediately met her eyes. Her eyes misted over as she broke down in happy sobs.

            “Look at you. So healthy, so happy. Oh, my baby boy.”

            Paw Noir’s eyes lit up as Echidna kissed his cheeks and forehead, then hugged him, before she flew up to Lord Bug. She reached out to him as a Nathalie stepped out of the portal covered in Akumas with lilac skin, dark purple fairy wings, and wore deep purple stockings, gloves, boots, and leotard accented with magenta lines with a sheer ballgown skirt.

            Everyone panicked at the sight of the Akumas save for Naga, Echidna, Delphyne, and Plague. Lord Bug and Ladybug stood ready to fight. Bumblebee held out a hand as the dark Butterfly Nathalie raised her cane.

            “Obey and fall on your knees,” Bumblebee commanded.

            Dark Butterfly Nathalie grunted as she tried to resist but fell to her knees.

            “Speak your name.”

            “Papillon.”

            “Speak your purpose.”

            “To have a little fun and relax before I welcome my Ladybug… and punish her for making me wait so long.”

            Faerie gawked at Papillon in horror. Betterfly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She mouthed “I’m sorry,” to him.

            Bumblebee huffed. A golden thread extended from her and ensnared Papillon. “You are devoted to me now. You will carry out my will and order without question or fail. You will aid us in liberating this realm. You will not harm any of my allies. You will only be allowed to harm those I deem my enemy. Speak that you understand my orders.”

            “I… do.”

            Bumblebee relaxed and nodded to Cicada.

            “Thank you. Alright, the plan is simple. Tigre Rose, Lord Bug, Senketsu, Delphyne, Louve Grise, and Rena will find Hera. Everyone else, we’ll be going after the Supreme. Let’s show him what it means to mess with power he could never understand or hope to control.”

            Everyone muttered in agreement. Bunella used her powers to call back Chevalier and Megalodon, who returned within moments of the message. Cicada took a breath and opened a final portal.

            “Let’s fuck them up!”

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[lookwhatyoudidithasanxiety]

Solar Character Ref

He/him; 5'7; regresses as old as 7 and as young as 3 (tends to stick to the younger age range now), goes nonverbal when especially upset

All flat teeth, no fangs.

Has a crack in his faceplate over his left eye from where his Moon hit him. His left eye is also damaged from his Moon forcibly removing it once, he had to put it back in himself.

Right eye is white with black pupil, left eye has black sclera and a gold pupil. He has difficulty seeing clearly through his damaged eye, so he sometimes has to turn his head to see things better.

Body is covered in various dings and dents. Some from the kids, some from Midnight...

No paws or claws.

Practices witchcraft, identifies as pagan.

Poppy called him bumble, bumblebee, and honeybee. Sun calls him bug when he's regressed.

The body he was put into is a basic solar model. It's orange, but everything about it was initially simple and basic. He gave himself upgrades that allow him to run off of a single charge for days at a time.

Has arthritis in his hands. Not only due to past physical trauma, but also from working nonstop on various projects. He wears his gloves to not only increase his grip strength and protect his hands, but to also mitigate some of the sensory overload he experiences.

Head of maintenance and had to run the daycare all by himself while in his own dimension.

I haven't explicitly said if he has autism (I left that up to interpretation since I don't want to misrepresent it), but he does have sensory processing disorder. He can't stand loud noises, bright lights, or just general over-stimulation (Yeah. Running the daycare was not great...)

"Ya weren't supposed to see that..." "He's...he's gone? Don't we have a backup? Or maybe we can restore his systems!" "No, come on. You don't have time to be sick right now. You're just tired. You're just tired." "Watch over these toys fer Papa, they're really special to 'im. An' I need someone big an' strong ta watch 'em and keep 'em safe. Can ya do that?"

Relationships with:

Sun: Solar still has days where he looks at Sun and sees his own Sun. In fact, when he crashes into regression (because this guy almost never willingly does), he still sees Sun as his Poppy. Not being able to see well out of one eye doesn't help things. But him and Sun get along well! He and Solar have mandated self-care days together, Harvest sometimes joins, and they all have tea together and unwind.

Moon: He and Moon get along really well. They spend a lot of time together engineering and working on tech. But every once in a while, Solar has to remind himself of where he is and who he's with. This isn't his Moon. He knows it.... When he regresses, he sometimes can't be anywhere near Moon. Other times, he wants 'Mama' (and who is Moon to deny him?).

Harvest: Like Harvest and Moon, Solar and Moon spend time together just sitting and watching the chaos. Harvest is trying to teach him how to knit, and he's slowly starting to pick it up.

Bloody: You would think that Solar wouldn't get along well with Bloody because of how high energy he is. On the contrary, Solar is drawn to it and you can find him tossing balls of yarn for him (much to Sun's chagrin, those are his 100% WOOL SKEINS-). Bloody is on the opposite end of the sensory spectrum; where Solar tends to be overstimulated, Bloody seeks out stimulation. But that means that Bloody has plenty of stim toys and things he can share with Solar. Bloody also likes to curl up on Solar's lap for head scratches.

Lunar: Solar tends to either be getting Lunar out of trouble or encouraging the chaos. Solar saw him when they first met and immediately adopted him. Yeah, no, he'll gladly take over watching Lunar every time he's regressed from now on, thanks. Solar is like an older brother to Lunar, and they regularly play Minecraft together.

Kill Code: Solar isn't really sure what to think of Kill Code. He's honestly still confused how he exists, but he doesn't question it too much. As long as he doesn't hurt his family friends, he'll just keep an eye on him...

Past Relationships:

Poppy: Poppy was immediately accepting of him when he first came to be. They worked out a system that allowed both of them to have control of the body at different times. They were also Solar's primary caregiver, especially when Midnight and Poppy had their disagreement. They did their very best to keep Solar from seeing Midnight's true colors and their frequent arguments, but they weren't able to. Poppy was the one to teach Solar witchcraft and herbalism, and Solar still strives to make them proud of him...

Midnight: Solar learned a lot of what he knows about mechanics and engineering from his Moon. He didn't realize his true colors for a long time because Poppy kept it hidden from him so well. Until that point, Midnight was his other caregiver and Solar even called him Mama.

Midnight is the one that caused the majority of Solar's damage. He sometimes didn't even state a reason for when he'd 'punish' him, he'd just grab him and hurt him. Solar prefers to do his own repairs, he doesn't trust anyone else to really do them.

[witchofthesouls]

Can we pretty please have a little snippet featuring Unfathomable-humanformer!June who was once Megatronus, the Fallen Star? Who dreams the endless dream but ever so slowly is starting to wake up?

They who were of Primus but have dug down deep and found a place to belong in a wild, chaotic and savage world?

Can we hear of Jack, the last gift Solus ever gave?

(Ohhh, Unfathomable!June that was once Megatronus Prime would fuck up the bayverse, and it wouldn't be surprising if a child of Solus had a gift of prescience.)

_____

“They don’t like them,” Mikaela murmurs low in his ear, hiding it as a kiss. They’re pressed side-to-side and no one comments on the teenage lovebirds. “Watch close. Don’t be obvious.”

After the initial panicking and screaming, the company picnic is in full swing as the entire base was transported Elsewhere. There’s no difference between the sky and the leaves of the trees: so enormous that they dwarfed the aliens, the inky-black foliage is dotted by lanterns of starlight.

Mrs. Darby and Pilar are present along with the Foundation personnel. Some are human. Some are humanoid. Shadows not matching and shifting features, the subtle flicker of limbs in the corners of his eyes. Sam’s wholeheartedly sure that the other contractor’s cloth face is not a mask. The stitched smile and gleaming buttoned eyes are too unnerving with the yarn hair piled high.

A few of the personnel don’t care. A speaker that rivals the Optimuses’ height that moves as if gravity has no hold on their body, layers and layers of beautiful, rich robes with a veiled face, and the smell of license and decaying flowers. A living automaton, a self-declared Clockwork, taller than humans but shorter than Bumblebee, with several sets of multi-jointed arms and a gilded bird cage for a torso with live birds, gears clicking and chimes softly twinkling with birdsong from every movement.

Sam sees it, or he feels it. The lines are drawn in the sand. The tension beneath the calm picture. He thinks Agent Fowler knows it, too. 

(They’re so careful, Pilar and Mrs. Darby with a more human, softer face upon their metal bodies, but neither of them leaves the area, nor lets the kids out of sight.)

To a future of cooperation and security, the Head Speaker had said, and the buffet tables appeared without warning. Food for everyone, regardless of species.

But to secure what, he thinks.

________

Sam jumps out of his skin when he sees a sparkling -dark-framed and dark wings, it can only be Jack -in his designated space in the base. 

Blackbirds tilt their heads in his direction and there's an uncanny awareness in those beady eyes. The sparkling whistles and clicks like a bird and a few flap over to perch on his shoulders, chittering and croaking with affectionate pecks on the metal. 

"I like how you sound," answers Jack. “I like the songs.”

Sam has no idea what he’s talking about, but he isn’t surprised at this point. Their “new” arrivals aren’t as straightforward 

He peeks over a wing to see what the kid is drawing and it’s a mashup of things. Serpentine bodies and massive tentacles from a half-unfinished page with massive hands, different ones, rising between them. Bright armor with a burning sword. A black dog with burning coal for eyes. White trees full of eyes and porcelain masks upon feathered faces and bejeweled beaks. A girl set aflame in a yellow-red wash with a white-blue heart. A cross between monster and man, spider body taking several pages with limp hair pooling on piles of skulls and a wide jaw dripping venomously green.

“Jeez… You’ve been seeking to watch horror movies, haven’t you?”

The boy doesn’t answer for a beat, humming a tuneless song and those birds stare too closely at Sam. Jack sighs and turns to look at him with a mild expression, audials flicking.

"One day," Jack intones slow and sure, and Sam sees strange shapes flickering across his optics. "They will all wake up."

His hair raises and he's beyond unsettled, but the sparkling goes back to coloring the fantastical creatures and makes no mention of Sam leaving him.

__________

“Why are you here?” He asks Mrs. Darby, who’s puttering around in his kitchen.

“Visiting,” she replies airily. A pot boils on the stove and it smells delicious. His stomach growls, and her optics soften as she turns to ladle him a bowl. “Besides, your Bumblebee is getting worried. You haven’t returned for some time.”

It’s a stew and it’s brightly purple. He tucks into it because the Foundation will immune anyone to stranger things. “I’ve been busy with school.”

It’s not a lie. The words don’t sound hollow.

“Of course,” she hums and her words are gentle. “Education is very important.”

_____

“Parents worry. It’s their nature to fret over their children.” Mrs. Darby says, looming over his shoulder as he does math homework. “And they’re afraid.”

His skin pricks with goosebumps and he can hear his parents through the open window with their usual arguments over the garden. Sam looks up and stares into that knowing face for a long moment.

She hums and he feels rattled by her words, “That answer is wrong, Sam. Look here…”

His heart stops racing as she goes over formulas in an easier method to understand and she stays until he nearly finishes the last question.

“Are you afraid, too?” She breathes.

__________

(Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky have reasons why the Autobots should stay away. Some legacies are far too heavy to carry down.)

__________

(Some things change, but some remain the same.)

__________

Hanging in his peripheral vision is the indistinct form of Mrs. Darby. Her gaze is heavy and pitiless as he writhes in agony and terror beneath Megatron's and Scapel's hands.

< Here lies a choice. > The words vibrant in his head clearly, rattling his bones and his organs quiver. < What will you give to the fire to change this? >

He chokes on his tongue, words faltering, as the probe slithers its way down his throat and up his sinuses. The sinuous, metal feelers leave an icy-hot trail of its pathway within his body. Sam watches the very same sigils that haunted his waking moments flicker and sear over her frame and time simply stops-

Her jaw drops to the floor and within the chasm of her throat is the sharp cold of the ocean, the massive pressure squeezing his chest. Sam's plunged into the fathomless abyss and down in its depths, he sees life-

He sees the inevitable shifts of the world: the byplay between magma and lava on the mantle and forming the new crust, ocean currents cycling and cycling as it breathes and breaks across landmasses, and he's swept away in the flow of water, carried away and submerged into the patient rivers that carved down mountains. He seeps into the sand, melts across a hot sidewalk, and freezes in the massive hailstorm. He's the clouds and the rain and the steam that condenses on a mirror plane during a hot shower, the snowfall that sublimes in the desert, the nourishment of root systems, the glide over gills, the vapor on a living creature's exhale, the blood that pumps through hearts and muscles and sinew and coats teeth when a maw breaks flesh, and the groundwater that finds its way to geysers and hot springs.

Sam is everywhere and nowhere, and he can only drift farther  a-way  f-

              rom       him-      

self

-and he's cast into the ocean of deep space, the void entwined in the very fabric of the cosmos. He's the ice and gas and clay and dust and dust and dust and dust-

(-and the cycle restarts.)

He sees the death of countless stars, beyond beautiful in dying throes, and the birth of new galaxies between breaths; consuming black holes, the return to nothingness, and the ignition of raw power that sparks life; undiscovered, distant constellations so far, yet so close, their entire stories played in front of him in a bittersweet symphony; the origin of them all spanning across eons and the bizarre, untold connection between Cybertron and Earth, even in this dimension-

Sam is suddenly slammed back into his body, small and definite and contained in a physical form, weeping between the return of bodily agony as the music of the universe croons in his head and beckons him back into its never-ending dance of Eternity. A cool voice weaves into the tattered, leaking edges of his mind, buffering it against the cosmos, the sporadic jumps of the Allspark are made far tamer-

< I am the Shadow to the Light. The Void that walks upon this earth. The Madness that is within All. I touch everyone and everything and none can deny me and mine own. >

(and through his eyes, the Ancient Primes watch the alternative counterpart of their brother, the Fallen- a twice-fold god in another universe, the Shadow of the Thirteen and closest to the Unmaker by Primus; the Tempest, Typhoon, and Tsunami by Earth, champions a mortal with the bloody blessings of Daughter).

&lt; Behold, little fragment, an act of sacrifice and salvation. >

Sam witnesses a firestorm bloom before him, raging bright and furiously consuming, and he knows nothing else but the songs of the Allspark.

______

(Mikaela Banes screams to an uncaring world and a Primordial beyond her universe is the one that listens.

Mikaela Banes dies as she swallows the storm of a starseed and is reborn to match the soft fury burning in her mouth, the star-forge of her bruised, aching heart, and the brutality of a god that was hailed as the Undefeated.

Fate sunders and the future falls apart and resets.)

_______

Far away on a sandy beach, a boy hums a new song as birds whisper at his feet that a new Dragon walks upon this Earth once more.