#maybe the patch after... or maybe we will see him in the new planet and he will be playable then... haha... pls... i beg.... a....

[baeshijima]

MR RECA SPOTTED IN THE WILD (march 7ths room)

(+ spotted in the wild in the new event... the details of his clothes + design.... the film tape designed belt/straps go so hard btw i love it sm.... why is he so gorgeous.... playable when.... i will throw everything i have left after sundays banner at u.... pls.... ourhgg)

also him in the event lc....

sob sob...

[empressgeekt]

Transformers - TFO/Earthspark Time Travel fic summery - An Aged Reflection au (part 1...maybe)

Okay, so the recent movie (GO WATCH IT!) Transformers One, had reignited my hyper fixation for this franchise and as such I come barring a plot summery for a fic prompt. If anyone wants to use this plot in a fic, please just link me so i can read it!

Once more I'm assuming people have seen the movie and at least the first season of the EarthSpark cartoon.

On to the plot!

We start in the past. After getting thrown from the transport train, Orion, Dee, Elita and Bee, are stuck on cybertron's surface, and while a very beautiful place, it is also filled with unknown things, not all of them safe...though it doesn't stop Orion from being curious. What little vegetation the rust wastes have, is fascinating to him and it's only Dee holding him back from him faceplanting into his first patch of grass to "See what it feels like". There are abandoned buildings and some part of Orion wonders what they mean, likely there were some bots who lived on the surface long ago before the quintessions, and he wants to know what their lives were like. To live in a world underneath the sun, with stars to sing them to sleep.

Dee is the only one who actually entertains Orion's questions. Elita is too focused on her map, and Bee is rambling too much to pay attention to anyone else talking. And Dee has to admit, it does make him wonder too. Sure the surface is clearly dangerous, especially to some bots who don't have any survival instincts, but seeing all that was left behind before they were forced underground, there is a sense of loss. What would've been life if the Quintessions never invaded? It likely wouldn't have effect him being a no-cog, but would there be cities up here? The Primes would still be around, maybe they would've expanded globally. Some part of him imagines living a city built by Megatronus. It would've been grand, no question. Looking out on the horizon of his home planet, he hopes to come back here once it's all over. Maybe with the Matrix returned, Sentinel would start construction on a city on the surface. Maybe Dee could visit. He would like to see the sun rise again in his life.

However, Dee would later regret Orion influencing him with curiosity As half way through the journey, the ever shifting surface of Cybertron opens a fissure a head of them, and they can't cross until the landscape changes again. Deciding to camp out and try again in the morning. During the night a weird light comes from the fissure and long story short they all get sucked in...and blackout...

Orion wakes up in a pool of water, though he doesn't recognize the liquid. He's in an underground cave but the walls aren't made of the metallic stone he's used too, they are too soft and crumbly. The others are knocked out around him, but quickly come too. Thankfully the cave isn't too deep and they make there way back to a surface...but it's not the surface of Cybertron. The ground is too soft, the sky is blue, and the world is covered in "weird nature". First theory, the fissure transferred them to a new biome on Cybertron's surface, however that is quickly disproven when their map glitches out saying their location is not found. Much everyone's but Bee's frustration. Orion tries to keep the spirits up, saying they'll find help. If this is another planet they could be the first to make contact with aliens, to which Elita responds, "Oh great aliens, you mean like when the quintessions found us?"

His efforts are unappreciated...Especially when they were sudden surrounded by Arachnamechs.

All this is going down late season one of Earthspark, so Mandroid has already joined up with Croft, and once four unknown energon signatures showed up on their surveillance systems, they would be going after our no-cog crew. Especially since they don't read as a Con or a Bot.

Our youngling group have no weapons to defend themselves with, Miners weren't allowed to have any and they didn't have any built in, so they try to run. Dee making sure that the others have shielding from the laser fire, however the GHOST troops mistake him for a decepticon due to his Megatronus decal. So, they end up focusing most of their assault on him, eventually nailing with a T-cog disrupter. However, due to his lack of cog, the only thing the device can do is paralyze him. Which freaks Dee the frag out, like he already can't transform, moving is really the only control of his body that he has. These aliens are tiny, but they already have an effective way of taking them down. He sends one last comm to the others, to run, and find the matrix, the planet needs it more then him...even if he's scared out of his mind.

It takes a lot for Elita and Bee to pull Orion away from the sense but they can't help Dee if they captured too. They need to regroup, get more information.

Let's switch gears. Megatron had been sticking around the Malto home for the past day or two. Robby is supposedly cured from what ever was making him ill, but the big mech wants to stay close by just to be sure. He hadn't been able to be around while his Nephew was ill due to Croft sending him out on a useless assignment, but the moment it was over he demanded the time off he was in fact entitled too (all Ghost employees got two weeks of vacation a year). The only reason that the agents who did his release papers didn't die of fright was that he was more concerned for the children, and he was more pissed off at someone else. Quintus Prime. Fancy title or not, dead or not, Primus above you don't mess with his niblings. And as far as Megatron understood it, it was Quintus' cyber-sleeve that was making his nephew ill. Now he was grateful that the aliment was treated quickly, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Robby was a child, and didn't deserve what happened.

Though, maybe his frustrations with the whole situation came from his own personal experiences with Primes. Sentinel's betrayal against his people is something Megatron had never been able to forget, and the cyber-sleeve is sort of the same non-consensual body alternation that Sentinel pulled so long ago with the mining class's T-cogs. Don't get him wrong, Megatron cared about his niblings, all seven of them, but the other's lives shouldn't cost one of their siblings'. It's a good thing the little ones have him distracted with a game of dodge ball, otherwise he'd be researching how to hunt ghosts, despite him not believing in them.

Twitch gets him out and he's forced to sit on the sidelines with Dorothy. The human gripes about her signature scanner acting up again, and Megatron takes interest. Apparently for the last couple hour a few un-identifiable signals, popped up and three of them hadn't gone away. Seeing as the children were still far from done with their game, He decides to give the location a fly by before the next round started up. He doesn't notice Twitch sneaking off to follow him.

Meanwhile, with D-16, he's kept paralyzed during the transport and is eventually taken down to the brig. Which doesn't not make him feel better. Every decepticon inside of there is staring at him, and it makes him feel much smaller then he really is. The bots in the cells had cogs, weapons. They were taken down by what ever these aliens were, no wonder he didn't stand a chance. What were these little things, hopefully they couldn't get off world, if they invaded cybertron...Dee is uncermoniously thrown into a cell, where he curls up in the corner, trying vary hard not to be noticed.

Croft does however. The bitter human woman, when informed of the weird reaction that Dee had to the T-cog disrupter, is paranoid that the cons are finding a way to hack into their defense systems/weaponry. So, she clues Mandroid in on the new...specimen. She wants to know what makes this little con tick.

Soundwave, keeps his eye on the little new comer, for two reasons. One, no one had seen any cogless bots since before the fall of sentinel prime, and two, merely the age of this con. He's young far too young to be in a place like this. No way this little one committed any war crimes yet. And judging by the pity filled glances shared between him and his fellow decepticon's he's not the only one to notice. Heck, this kid wasn't even using a translation program, still speaking Iaconian and looking very confused whenever the humans spoke in English. Perhaps the little one was a recently activated protoform that was saved when they left Cybertron? Soundwave doesn't know and he doesn't get a chance to ask. The little con is paralyzed again and is taken to the room, where bots are broken.

The remaining miners are still wandering around aimlessly. Bee is now rendered silent after Dee was kidnapped. Elita is still trying to get the map to work, while Orion is just trying not to have a break down. He wanted to help his planet, not get his best friend abducted by aliens. They had stumbled onto what looked by a settlement, but even Orion's curiosity about these creatures was overridden by fear of getting captured. Clearly they weren't friendly. So needless to say when the Arachnamechs, track them down again. They run, and Orion tries to draw the attention of the drones away from Bee and Elita, and accidentally jumps off of a cliff. In the middle of his screaming as he watches the ground ever quickly rushing to meet him. and un-known voice calls out "grab on!" A rusty red colored drone flies over head and he latches on with all his might.

Twitch might have gotten lost, when she chased after he uncle, but in her defense his alt-mode was much fasters then hers, besides she wasn't really lost, mom had taught her all about navigating the woods. However, the weird bot that just leaped off of the water fall cliff, clearly didn't have the same training. Twitch immediately turns back and catches him, shooting the Arachnamechs with her emp, and then landing on the far river bank. It's only after she transforms that she realizes this guy is just a little bit taller than her and that's kind of surprising, after all, she's tiny compared to other transformers. Though his size is probably the only reason she could carry him.

She's not the only one surprised by the size similarities, Orion is as well. No bot with a cog was ever this small, or at least he hadn't seen one. Twitch as she introduces herself, is wonderful in his understanding, most cogged bots would've let him fall and Orion knows this, however she saved him and helped calm his panic ranting when he realized that only some of the Arachnamechs followed him when he broke off from the group. Twitch listens and is horrified to learn that Dee was kidnapped and offers to help, saying they need to find her "uncle" (whatever that word meant), and transforming to take off. Orion is baffled by her confusion over the fact that he's cogless. When he gestures to the empty slot in his chestplating, he wasn't expecting the heartbroken look on her faceplate, but thankfully Twitch doesn't dwell on it, and instead leads Orion through the forest on foot.

While running in the direction of where he, Eltia and Bee split off from each other, Orion just can't help but ask a number of questions on his mind. Like Where they were? How did a cybertronian get here? What were those little drone things

"Oh wow, lot's of questions. Okay first off, we're on earth, and I didn't get here I was born here. I guess you like call me a sub-species of cybertronian, created by Quintus prime."

"Quintus Prime? But he's been dead for cycles."

"Yeah I know, he once sent off little emberstones, to planets far out of reach to make new life on them, me and my family are the result of one of those stones."

"Oh, so, you're earthians???"

"*giggle* We call ourselves Terrons, thank very much."

Orion is fascinated to learn that Quintus had tried to make colony worlds before his demise, maybe it had been a last ditch effort to escape the quintessions, or some way to make new recruits for the high guard in secret. Either way it didn't matter, clearly Twitch or her "family" (what did that word mean?) hadn't been in contact with cybertron for a long time, likely meaning what ever Quintus was planning failed to happen. Still, this meant Orion could actually get help with a home team advantage, and Twitch did say she's help get Dee get back. Twitch had already proven she understood the weird planet around them when she pointed out that she was tracking Elita and Bee by following the footprints in the soft ground and broken nature surrounding them, two factors that Orion had completely missed. He'd have to meet this "Mom" to see if she'd teach him how to read an organic world like that.

Meanwhile with Megatron, tracking the signals had been easier then he thought, whoever these saps were they were not good at covering their tracks. When the signals split up he decided to go after the bigger group. One bot was easier to pin down then two. Besides one of them was screaming very loudly, and it was for a good reason as Megatron would soon find out. Two very small figures, one pink one yellow, were dashing away from a sizable snare of Arachnamechs. Later he could let himself ponder as to how Mandroid survived, and why he was still going after transformers, but first he needed to keep these little ones out of the madman's hands. He calls out for the bots to take cover as he swoops in to make quick word of the drones.

Elita wasn't expecting for a giant warframe to come flying out of nowhere, but she wasn't about to disobey someone of higher stature when they were helping them. She didn't recognize the grey mech, though Bee's quiet panic rambling through out the chase gave a couple of theories, a surviving member of the high guard, maybe one of the mechs sentinel trained, or maybe a rogue gladiator who decided to say frag it and go find real monsters to fight for the pit of it. By watching him fight it was clear that he was at least trained in combat. Then Bee mutters something that sends chills down Elita's nerve struts, "He's wearing the same sigil as the guys who took Dee!" Elita, in probably the most stupid thing she could do (she blames pax's influence), punches the unknown mech when he gets close.

Megatron was not upset at the pink bot for hitting him as soon as he turned, some bots just had lasting battle reflexes and would lash out against a stranger...or more likely a perceived enemy...it was actually a really good hit too. They wont come of the large rock they too cover behind, and the yellow one won't stop screaming, but eventually Megatron gets a good look at who he's dealing with and is suddenly struct with flashback galore. The first thing he notices is their cogless status and parts of him burn with rightous anger and need to protect them. Then he notices their faceplates, faceplates from a time before, a Bumblebee who was still slightly crazy from long term isloation, and an Elita who was young and brash before Optimus softened her drive for success with his love and dorkyness. Denial sets in rather then acceptance, no way was this happening now, then Megatron hears the voice of his young niece and with her is someone who makes it very clear THIS IS NOT A DREAM!!!

Orion was initally very concerned when he heard the sound of blasters in the woods, but Twitch recongized the sound, as her "uncle"s gun, so he tried not to panic. They end up catching the tail end of the scrummage, and wow, this Terron, as he was lead to believe, was huge! Big, silver, covered in weapons, and with red optics that burned with the fire of a great warrior. It was both awe inspiring and terrifiing to watch, sure Orion had seen violance in the mines, Darkwing was not a peaceful person, but it was nothing like this. Twitch wasn't shocked, clearly used to this, if Terrons had to deal with whatever those little creatures that took Dee were, maybe Terrons had to fight to stay alive. Twitch only added more to Orion's wondering when a lone Arachnamech leaped out of the trees, after the fight was seemingly over, and shot it point blank, ("Uncle Megatron! Look out!" "Well, done Little Bird").

Megatron never thought he would see Orion Pax again. Yes, he saw Optimus on the daily, has for centuries but Optimus wasn't Pax. When Orion was given the matrix, when he shot Orion, some part of Megatron was convinced his friend was dead, gone with the allspark. That he had killed his brother...his grief and guilt coming out as unchecked rage...when Optimus ascended, Megatron rejected him, this wasn't his brother, this was a monster, the Primes were using his brother's corpse to hold power over all bots like him, puppetting him around with that matrix they held so dearly. When he had swore to kill Optimus all those stellar cycles ago, it wasn't for revenge, it was to put his brother to rest peacefully. It had taken a long time, bad blood, and many mistakes for Megatron to see the Pax in Prime again. Yet, here standing in front of him is a perfect re-creation of Orion Pax. However, Twitch pulls him out of his trance by rambling, about everything that happened to her and orion, and hearing that his niece met the young version of his brother after he fell from a cliff, only convinces him that this is a case of time travel.

Orion tries to ignore the look the bigger terron gave him in favor of talking to Elita and Bee, he starts rambling about how this planet also had transformers and everything else Twitch told him, however his excitement is dampered when Elita pointed out Bee observation about the big terron's sigil. He doesn't' want to believe it, looking at the mech, and how he is so gentle with Twitch getting down to her level and paying close attention to her flurry of words, but at the same time, he was still such a fearsome warrior,. Orion really wants to the trust Twitch, after all she had no reason to lie to him, and she did save him from the fall. So, Despite Bee and Elita 's hesitanece, when the big silver mech turns to them.

The mech introduces himself as Megatron (big fan of Megatrounus, obviously, Dee would like him) and seems to be questioning Orion about everything that he had told Twitch, the younger cybertronian was a bout to ask why, when this jem of a line left Megatron's mouth, "Of course, you are from right before everything went to the slag, Dang it, Pax I just had to forget your horrible timing."

Orion never told this mech his name, nor did twitch, which prompted the young terron to ask if her uncle knew Orion.

"I'd recognize the mech i woke up to every morning for the first cycles of my life."

"Dee...?"

"It's good to see you Pax."

Megatron is almost surprised that he can still read every single emotion, that rapidly washes over Orion. Denial, disbelief, and everything else. Thankfully though it only took Megatron mentioning the incident where Orion tired to transform with out a cog, for the group to believe him. Though he could've done without little bee sobbing and clinging to his leg, saying "What did those monsters do to you!" Which led to an explanation about how he was not their kidnapped friend, but rather who D-16 would become in the future. There's a lot of very fast questions from all the younger bots and eventually Megs has to tell them to go one at a time, And that he'll answer their question as they walk, because he needs to get them all out of the open and back to the Malto farm to keep them safe.

And boy do they ask questions..."How long has it been for you?" "Couple million cycles." "Why are you wearing that sigil." "to stay our of trouble." "You changed your name?" "D-16 doesn't really count as a name on earth." "What's an uncle?" "Earth functions differently socially then on Cybertron, the youth are given to older members of society to be cared for and taught, rather then being put to work right after the well. I am not one of Twitch's main caregivers, her "mom" and "Dad", however i am close to one of them, making me a secondary role model for her, an "uncle"." "How'd you end up on earth?" "A very long story." "How'd you get a cog?" "A very VERY long story."

Twitch is a little baffled through out the ride home like, it's weird enough to meet the younger version of the older bots in her life, but they are all so different then their older selves. Orion is so much more energetic and reckless then Mr. Optimus (Uncle Megatron had to talk him down from storming the Ghost headquarters at least twice in the same conversation), B-127 is constantly chattering and Twitch feels so bad he doesn't have an actual name either (she tells him he changes it, and he asks if it's "badassatron", which makes bother her and Megatron laugh), and young Miss Elita is such a stickler for rules!

Bumblebee is the one who first sees them at the the farm, seeing Megatron first ....

Megs: Bumblebee! Do you recall how we met?! before all the slag his the fan?!

Bumblebee: Do you mean back in sub-levels? Yeah why?

Megs: Do you ever remember taking an unplanned visit to the future after we reached the surface?!

Bumblebee: What?!

-----

I'll do a part two if people want to see it

[love-and-war-on-cybertron]

Teach a bot to kiss: Knock out New years kiss!

Seems this bot might actually have something to teach the reader~ Between work and holiday prep, this one is a bit short. But If anybot already knew about Kissing it would be the gorgeous Mech in red.

Some of- well really MOST of the humans still feared Knock Out in some way. Many of the bots seemed uncomfortable with him as well. He expected it. They were decent, if not friendly with him, but there were times he could tell they wondered if he would turn on them like he did the Cons. You however gave him a chance with every meeting. smiling and greeting him by name. You can Ratchet he liked the most. 

Tonight, while the bots and humans celebrate this planet's solar cycle, you deemed your place to be on the platform beside Knock Out, drinking things you would not share with the kids. He had his own high-grade, sipping away as he watched everyone while listening to you tell tales of new years gone wrong and occasionally right.

"And then he tried to kiss me thirty minuets before midnight. first of all, wrong tree my guy." You were buzzed and going on about some creep at a new years party. "If he was going for a new years kiss, he could of at least done it right."

Knock Out laughs at the pure disgust on your voice and the face you make, "You humans must be obsessed with kissing. What's the point of smooshing your faceplates together just because of a holiday?" He's seen it in nearly every movie at the drive in. At first it was off putting but he had gotten used to it. Maybe even a little curious with how obsessed your kind was. True loves first kiss, the kiss of death... New years kiss. 

"Do Cybertronians not kiss?" You give him a truly confused look. Almost one of shock. 

"No." He looks at you, then the others. "We have other ways of showing affection and care." He thinks about Breakdown and how he used to help buff the places he couldn't reach. How he would take extra care in patching the larger mech. Knock Out lets out a sigh. Wondering what he would have thought about "new years kiss".

There is a comfortable silence between you for the rest of the night. Content in people, or bot watching. The others getting into antics. Even Magnus smiled as he watched on the other side of the room. The kids start to pass out, Miko was surprisingly the first. Raf soon after. Bee joined them, though Knock Out wonders if it was for camaraderie rather than needing recharge. 

Miko's alarm goes of right as it got quite, startling the others.

"It's almost time!" She shoots up, running for the special bottles of sparkling cider she had gotten. 

You look at your bottle, frowning to see it empty. Knock Out watches as someone gets some bright shining ball on the big screen. It slowly starts to descend. 

"Ten!" The humans start the count down

Knock Out glances at you, seeing the melancholy in your eyes. He knows he has that same look. A loneliness that will never fully go away.

"Nine!"

Looking you over, head to toe, the red mech thinks you're not bad. He is a Mech of taste after all. and your lips do seem soft.

"Eight!" The bots join in

Never had that thought before. If any of the cons found out... Starscream already thought he was off for watching the zombie flicks. If he knew Knock Out considered kissing a human...

"Seven!"

Frag it. Why not. You looked so pathetically sad that it made you cute. He could always blame the high-grade if someone said anything.

"Six!" 

Knock Out turns to face you fully, looking down at you. Blocking your view of the screen.

"Five!"

You look up at him, at first to complain, he can see it in the furrow of your brow. When you meet his optics, your complaint falters and instead you step back. You're not scared but thrown off.

"Four!"

He puts his servo behind you, carefully pulling you closer. Pressed against the railing of the platform. You could scream if you thought you were in danger. Hands griping the metal pole.

"Three!"

Knock Out smirks and leans down to your level. You lean forward. Lips parted. Temperate rising. 

"Two!"

"Pucker up fleshie." His voice purrs

"One!"

Noise makers go off, voices cheer, and Knock Out somehow places a gentle kiss to your lips. You would have sworn he's kissed a human before. Too careful. Too precise. You pull away to question but he just smirks and leans close again.

Across the room, Wheeljack is wondering how much he drank to be seeing what he thinks he's seeing.

[tripleglitchwriting]

Kinesthesis 3

Jazz/Prowl/HumanReader first contact AU

Part 2

I am so sorry this took so long 😭 but I finally got something out! This was written over the course of multiple months so if it’s inconsistent that’s why. Over my impromptu hiatus I’ve grown as a writer and as a person so that will probably change the way this story goes, but not to worry! I still plan on carrying on with this fic.

Be aware that I may not remember things about that last two chapters before this because it’s been a while. If you find any mistakes, let me know!

Also, thank you to the anons that encouraged me to keep going! This one goes out to you.

So, now you have quite a few problems. Not only were the ‘robots’ alive, they were also obviously damaged and asking for your help. Your help. Of all people. You still didn’t know where they came from, if someone was piloting them, how they got here, what that blue liquid was, or why one of them only made weird metallic scratching sounds. That one in particular really freaked you out when it first started ‘speaking’. At the time, you immediately assumed there was a metal demon somewhere coming to eat you.

Instead of that, they were just giant robots asking for your help in the middle of asscrack nowhere. Very simple. Foolproof, even. Nothing wrong there.

“I’m… going to get to work.” You told the one apparently named ‘Prowl’. He didn’t make any sputtering noises at you this time, so you took that as your go-ahead.

He was huge. Well, you knew that, but it was still jarring. You had to literally climb him to get to his wounds. Delicately placing your rag to the injured spot on his neck, you could feel the pump of something akin to a heart under the metal. Now that was weird. Wait, maybe it was just a fuel pump of somesort. He couldn’t… it couldn't have an actual heartbeat, right? Robots don’t have heartbeats.

That isn’t possible.

After a bit of cleaning up blue liquid and trying not to cut yourself on shards of metal, a realization dawned on you. These guys were more complicated than you thought. Really, a robot shouldn’t have this much… everything. They shouldn’t have half of whatever parts are in them. What kind of coding was driving them anyway? What fuel did they even use? The blue stuff?

Oh, who are you kidding. They aren’t robots. They can’t be. They can’t just be robots. They fell from the sky, of course they can’t be robots! Your heart picked up its already erratic pace, yet even with shaky hands, your work took priority.

Soon after there wasn’t a hole in Prowl anymore. Not one on his neck, anyway. You counted that as a win. But seeing as there were way more lacerations, dents, and cuts all over both of them, you definitely had the rest of your work cut out for you.

Simple. Foolproof, even. Nothing wrong there.

—---------------------

Jazz, with his sight still mostly busted, anxiously awaited some sort of indicator that the person helping them was actually patching up Prowl. They seemed pretty stunned earlier. Scared. He had assumed they’d run away and get help. That would be a more reasonable reaction, right?

Obviously it was probably better that they didn’t, this was a completely new planet after all. They’d be scrap if it weren’t for this random person helping them out. This person that is native to this new planet. With… no knowledge of Cybertronian biology- oh scrap. This person had no idea what they were doing!

“W – it! Wa– a - i!” Staticy, barely understandable garble came out of his vocalizer. He heard a tiny peep out of the little guy and a kind of ‘hrmph’ from Prowl.

“What? What is it? Did I do something wrong?” They squeaked in a comically high-pitch tone. “I- I’m sorry, I- know mechanics but this is kind of different and I don’t want to hurt anybody I just-”

“Y- yo- u kno- me- c– nics?”

“Um, yeah, it’s what I do. For school.”

“S- – -ry f’r t--e frig–t, I’m j-st co– m– in’ to–my–sen s- s- ses, an’ rel-i’ed wher– we ar’... an’ I don’ kn- kn- kn- – -w… ca—n– ya- re- – -y fi- x us?”

“O- oh, n- now yo- -y questi- on it?” Prowl commented from the sidelines. Jazz deliberately ignored him.

“I mean, I can, I just need some time to figure everything out… i- it doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“W- Wha-t’s’t sayi- in- ing?”

“A- askin’ i- if it- it- it- hu- – -ts.”

“O- of co- rs’ it h-urts!”

“Wait, what’s he saying?”

Jazz cringed for a moment, realizing just how taxing it’s going to be on him to keep translating. Of course, he decided to use it to his advantage. Why not have some fun in the face of certain death?

“H- he s’ys h’s t—ckl’sh.”

“Oh, um, okay. Does that mean you guys can’t feel pain? Like, can I go harder with this? I have some power tools I can use back in—” Okay. Bad plan.

“N- N- N-O we C- – -N Fe’L It!”

“Oh, um, can or can’t?”

“C- C- C- C- CAAIIIEEEZZZZzzzt!” His vocalizer gave off a pointedly unpleasant sound just before shorting out.

“Is that… should I know what that means?” Jazz took a second to reset his vocalizer.

“N- n- n- o… b- b’t w– fe’l pa’n… i–t h- – -rts…”

“Can feel pain, got it. Um, is your voice okay? I can try fixing it… if that’s a thing I can fix…?” As much as he appreciated the gesture, Jazz wasn’t ready for that kind of operation.

“N- n - o thn’ks.”

“Alright… I’m gonna keep going here then.”

It was then, nearly offline, cut off from most forms of communication, on a completely alien planet, that Jazz realized this might be a little bit too much to handle.

“Y- y- you—re an ‘di—ot.”

“M- ay’e… bu— ‘least I c’n t- t- ta-k to ou- fr’nd ‘ere.”

“It’s Wh—lja’k, o- of c-cou’se I d- di—-nnooowoowOWW!” Jazz heard a loud crash followed by a tiny scream.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry, what did I do? I- I didn’t know, oh my god…”

“Wh—t? —at ‘appe— d?!”

“I- I’m sorry, I think I hit something, I’m so sorry!”

“Pr—ler? P—owl!?”

He got a groan in response. A groan and a new, distinct, clear sound.

“—bbzzzt —- bzzzt ——tobots! This is Optim— —ime. If yo- can hear thi-, heed my call. The Arc is inoperable. Most of you are scattered across an alien world. While I do not know where the Decepticons have landed, I can confirm they are on the planet with us. Do not lose hope here, my friends. For the fate of Cybertron and the remaining Autobots rests in your capable servos. Attached to this message are the coordinates to the Arc, I will be waiting for you there. Good luck—- bzzzt —— bzzzt—-!”

The three sat in silence. While he couldn’t see the hologram that was most likely coming from Prowl’s projector, he heard what the message contained. They were safe. Optimus was safe. And he once again had a goal to achieve.

“Wh- what the hell was that!?”

“Th’nk Pri—us…” Prowl whispered.

“It -as… a- a- f- fri—nd.”

“Oh, okay. What did your friend say?”

“Th— w- we ha— so—me-here t- be.” Jazz attempted to move his body, but was once again denied. “W- we n- n- ne—d to g—-!”

“Hey, woah woah woah! You are not well enough to get up yet! I haven’t even started patching you up!”

“Aau—augh! I- I- kn— Ratc— uh, I- I- I kno—“

“Settle down. I- I’ll be as fast as I can, alright?”

Jazz huffed in halfhearted agreement. Prowl, on the other hand…

—---------------------

He thought this was an incredible waste of their time. Oh, sure, he needed to be fixed, but he was doing just fine now and he did not need help from a mysterious stranger he couldn’t understand. How could he, Prowl of Petrex, need the help of a tiny little creature like this one? There was no such need. The only need he had was to get himself and Jazz functional again, report back to Optimus, and win the war.

He tried to get up. After about half a second of metal creaking, unconscious groaning, and a little squeak from his benefactor, his body gave out. His spark burned with a searing mixture of frustration and stress as he tried to clench a servo. But of course he couldn’t. Of course he was stuck. Injured, vulnerable, and useless. But still, Optimus needed him. Needed them. So he needed to get up!

“C- cal- m d- do— n Pr—‘er… ye’ sca- a- rin’ ‘em…” He could hear panicked chittering from somewhere on top of him. He had half a mind to shoo the thing away, but even if he could raise his servo, he knew this was his only hope. He would never admit that, obviously, but deep in his spark he knew.

He didn’t respond to Jazz. He didn’t need to. He just focused on the little twinge of pain somewhere atop his chassis and a wound being sealed. A familiar feeling. Not too familiar, not like this, but enough to be comforting.

He imagined the medbay in the Arc. That time when they defeated the enemy and no one had to die. They won, and everyone cheered and celebrated and did whatever people do to express joy during a war.

He was unconscious for cycles. Just because nobody died doesn’t mean nobody was hurt. And he was really, really hurt. But it didn’t matter, not even to him. Moments like that are rare, after all. When one could rejoice without mourning the loss of a friend. He’d only expected Ratchet or First Aid to stay with him during that time. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate the spoils of victory? No one is willing to give up a moment of solace like that. No one is stupid enough to pass up the opportunity for happiness. Except Jazz.

Jazz stayed with him the whole time. He stayed by his bedside, refusing to leave once the required surgery was over. He brought glasses of energon for both of them. To share.

Prowl didn’t wake up then. He missed the party and the congratulations and the relief. He missed Jazz telling him stories and about his day. He missed when the rest of the crew stopped by to check on him. When he did finally come out of stasis, Jazz wasn’t there. Not of his own volition, but because he passed out on the floor due to exhaustion. They both got a long lecture about taking care of themself from Ratchet when it was over.

And Jazz is there, now, still with him. Bleeding out and broken, but still there. And Prowl was powerless to help him. His HUD sang one final message in his head before it went suddenly silent, and he fell helplessly into the deep abyss of stasis.

[pixxiecup]

top header / paci icon link / dni banner by me

sam winchester regressor headcanons ✩彡(do not tag as kin/fo)

🌱 : regresses to a big kid ! probably 8-10 :) mostly self sufficient but will occasionally want a carer

☁️ : reads a ton , mostly fact books or history books . he also enjoys the tactile books , i definitely see him being a dino kiddo !!!

🌿 : will hum softly as he reads too , i also see him kicking his legs or tapping his fingers a lot .

🍵 : always wears comfy clothes or pajamas when regressing , he has a little "kit" tucked away with baby blankets , books , maybe even some worksheets .

🍀 : imaginative play is his favorite ! he works on his own dinosaur species and planets . maybe even creates whole ecosystems and carefully describes how it all works together ? i think he has an agere journal too , thats where he keeps all his work n coloring !

🍃 : loves going out in nature and exploring , give him a nice book and some apple juice under a nice big tree on a cool summer day and he will be set for HOURS ! might end up napping too . . .

🦖 : thats another thing ! very sleepy kiddo , mainly because he usually regresses at night once he gets some alone time and quiet .

🧃 : has never really told anyone about his regression , mainly keeps it to himself . it works well though because he doesnt exactly need a carer and he feels safer with it just being his own thing .

🍈 : when he involuntarily regresses or regresses without realizing dean will help him through it and be patient . he doesnt exactly know whats happening or why but hes figured out how to deal with it over time .

🏕️ : also really enjoys nature based activities , hiking , camping , long walks , maybe even some runs ! sometimes he will take pretty pictures to stick in his agere journal or just keep it nearby so he can look back at happy memories <3

🌲 : pet regresses to either a pup or a wolf !

🌳 : we all know sam is a dog person , so if he had a pet i definately think hed spend time with it when regressed . sleeping with it or building little forts ! even taking it with him when he adventures .

⛰️ : is also very clumsy and prone to minor injuries when regressed :( he can always patch himself up but he makes sure to give himself a treat after ! maybe a cookie or something similar

🍋‍🟩 : i think that if he and dean were to regress together that they would play swords !! if he ever had a carer i think hed want to play swords with them too

🧺 : when he does pet regress he is always super playful n excited n happy , very silly pup :3

🧩 : i also think hes more of a juice guy instead of a milk guy , uses a cool water bottle instead of a sippy or baby bottle . i think that he might use a paci but when he doesnt he uses chewlry !

🪵 : likes going to museums n parks , zoos n aquariums ! anywhere he can learn new things n see all sorts of cool stuff .

🍏 : fave regressed nick names : bug , bub / bubs / bubba , big guy , dog related ones (such as pup) , angel , munchkin .

[castellankurze]

ok but for real FF14 fans we gotta talk about the next 20 years in Eorzea cause it's gonna be wild

*There's gonna be some general Shadowbringers & Endwalker spoilers in this post.*

I'm making this now because something in 6.5 reminded me of this idea - no spoilers for 6.5 in particular though.

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

So first, quick refresher: the FF14 setting has a pretty standard for the genre afterlife wherein souls of the dead merge with the planet's lifestream, they beat about for awhile, maybe ruminate on their past life, and then they can either merge with the greater whole or be reborn as new people. This got outlined all the way back in the 2.x patch series and became a major part of the plot for the Shadowbringers expansion, wherein the Warrior of Light is revealed to be a reincarnation of the ancient soul of Azem, or how the character Gaia is also a reincarnation of one of the Ascians.

Also a major part of the Shadowbringers plot are the revelations about the secret history of the world. How in forgotten ancient times, civilization threatened by a calamity called the Final Days offered up hundreds or possibly thousands of souls to create the god that would be known as Zodiark who would preserve the world, and how in time the goddess Hydaelyn would be created as an opposition to Zodiark's power. And that she ultimately sundered him into 14 pieces - and because Zodiark's nature was fundamentally tied into the essence of the world, when he was broken so too was the very planet and every living soul upon it, divided into the singular 'Source' and thirteen 'shards.' As part of Shadowbringers' plot, the character of Ardbert is revealed to be the First-shard part of the soul of the Warrior of Light, reuniting near the end of 5.0, and to villain Emet-Selch, these sundered souls are a pitiful shadow of the powerful, vibrant beings they once were in ancient times, unworthy of life.

Now here's where things get interesting.

During the course of our Endwalker adventures, we reach the lunar prison where the body of Zodiark is held captive. Due to some villainous machinations, the ancient god's bonds have been partially broken and his essence is leaking out, taking the form of ancient shades wandering about. One in particular we speak to is named Hythlodaeus. We had previously met this character - sort of, in the form of a memory conjured by Emet-Selch. This is the true Hythlodaeus, an ancient soul sacrificed to bring Zodiark into being. Despite joining the multitude of souls and the long slumber in imprisonment, he's coherent and holds a conversation.

Unsurprisingly, as the main character of a Final Fantasy title we go on to kill our setting's oldest god, and in so doing get a good look at the effect of the sundering on Zodiark: namely that in his case it was pretty literal, splitting off pieces of his body. However the interesting part of the Endwalker's implications is that while Zodiark was sundered, the individual souls that made up his being were not - after this confrontation we see and speak to our old new friend Hythlodaeus again, and again, both in a journey to the distant past and as we call up his soul for aid at the climax of the story...and he's the same person every time.

This...strongly hints that the myriad of ancient, unsundered souls which made up the bulk of Zodiark's essence have returned to the lifestream, and while major characters like Hythlodaeus, Emet-Selch and Venat seem content to leave the cycle of reincarnation for good and pass the world on to us modern folk...is that going to be true for everyone?

Are there, in fact, dozens - hundreds - thousands of Ancient, unsundered souls milling about in the aetherial sea, contemplating a return to the living world? Will the world of Etheirys over the next few years see a sudden wave of children with incredible power as these souls start to be reborn? Will the Warrior of Light, a soul merely eight times rejoined, be eclipsed in sheer strength by the might of a new generation?

The story will probably never go to such a place - after all it would essentially undo the themes of its two biggest expansions, and besides which, the story of FF14 as a whole will probably not venture so many years down the timeline to explore such a possibility.

But still. They say everything old is someday new again.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Salivating (Dunmeshi Farcille Fic)

A new Marcille x Falin fic, snuck in just before this season's last episode. This one should be accessible to anime-onlies as it's an AU what if rather than being rooted in any part of the story. It's actually based off this fan animation, which makes ME salivate every time I see it. So this one gets a little horny, which is unusual for me, but this level of horny is probably nothing for anyone else on the planet.

cw for some violent deaths and ideas. I have an additional note on the bottom. Enjoy!

---

Marcille ran through the tunnel, gasping with every step. Falin’s—the chimera’s—footsteps thundered behind her, shaking loose soil off the walls.

Marcille had never been a fast runner. Rivers of sweat were pouring down her face, her heavy breathing turning to a desperate wheeze. But she kept going, pure adrenaline driving her on.

She wanted to curse her own stupidity, but she knew if it happened again, she would make the exact same choice.

They hadn’t expected to meet Falin so soon. They’d been eating a meal when she’d found them. Laios had been the quickest to react and the first to go down. He landed a few hits before Falin tore at his face and slammed him to the floor with her clawed foot. Marcille would never forget Laios trying to talk, to yell whatever his plan was this time, even as his bones snapped and blood bubbled out of his mouth

Marcille rushed forward. She had to get to Laios, she had to heal him. Not just because his spasms of agony were tearing through her like the pain was her own, but because of Falin. If Falin killed her brother and remembered that after they saved her, the guilt would crush her.

 But Chilchuck yanked her back behind some fallen rubble. “Don’t go charging in! You’re the only one who can heal and resurrect us! We need you, idiot!”  He hissed it at her, even as his hands shook, even as Falin smashed Senshi into a wall with a sweep of her tail. Izutsumi was nowhere to be found—maybe she’d run off.

“I can’t just—” Marcille snarled.

“You will!” Chilchuck snapped. “Look, I’m going to distract her, I’ll buy you time to do a big spell. If she kills me, get out of here and come back later to save us. That’s our only shot at surviving!”

“No!” she cried, but Chilchuck was already running. Falin snarled, trying to stomp on him, but he was too small and fast. He darted this way and that, and ran past where Senshi was lying prone.

“Senshi! Are you okay? Wake up!” he called. He only slowed down a fraction, but that fraction was enough.

Falin’s mouth twisted in rage. She started to mutter a spell.

No. No!

Marcille didn’t care what Chilchuck wanted or what the best plan was. How dare he ask her stand there and watch him suffer. He couldn’t force her to sacrifice her friends, to watch the woman she loved tear them to pieces. He couldn’t make her murder Falin and be left alone, surrounded by everyone’s dead bodies. She wouldn’t do it!

Chilchuck looked up at Falin looming above him, his face pale.

Marcille swung her staff, setting off an explosion right next to Falin. Falin turned, her eyes wide. “Come and get me!” Marcille screamed, setting off another one. And then she turned and ran. She could hear Chilchuck cursing her out distantly, but it didn’t matter. She knew Falin would come after her. She was the biggest threat right now.

 She ran for her life, even as her legs shook with exhaustion. Sometimes when she took sharp turns, she banged into walls, stone scraping her skin. But she never slowed down. She knew the only reason Falin hadn’t caught up to her was because it was hard for her to move in these narrow tunnels. But Marcille would have to face her at some point.  I need to come up with a plan, I need a plan, I need a plan!

Then she found the thing she’d been dreading all along. A huge cavern. A brick wall. A dead end.

She couldn’t double back, so she ran for the wall, pressing her hands against it, trying to find an opening, a patch of dungeon cleaners, anything. But there was no time. A roar exploded behind her. Marcille whipped around. Falin was squeezing herself out of the tunnel. She landed on the cavern floor with a thud and the whole place shuddered.

Marcille’s staff shook as she tightened her grip on it. She had to do something…something…another explosion, maybe…

Falin towered above her now. She cocked her head, studying Marcille curiously. The rage and snarling from earlier was gone. She didn’t seem to care that Marcille was pointing a weapon at her, as if she knew the threat was empty. Marcille opened her mouth, searching for a spell, but nothing came.

Falin bent down, down, down until her face was level with Marcille’s.

And that was what undid her.

This was the face of the woman she loved. Her golden eyes alight with curiosity, her wheat colored hair that fell in soft wisps around her chin, her apple red cheeks…it was all just as Marcille remembered. Even with blood dripping from her mouth, Falin was so stunningly, achingly beautiful.

And in Falin’s searching eyes, Marcille saw an echo of the exquisite, inquisitive woman who gazed wonderingly at bugs, who explored new places, who discovered strange magic…who gently coaxed out every feeling Marcille tried to bury.

“Falin,” Marcille’s voice cracked. “I know you’re in there. Please, come back to me.”

 Falin leaned forward. Marcille jerked in fear as Falin's hand shot out, but it wasn't the blow she expected. Instead, Falin's fingertips trailed down Marcille's face, soft as whisper. It was the touch she'd been craving for so long. She could even feel Falin's calluses, the ones she'd studied like a map. Marcille wanted to lean into it, let Falin cup her chin like she used to. Her hand felt so right, so perfect, even covered in red.

Her scent enveloped Marcille, that smell of new soil and raspberries …now mixed with the sharp tang of blood. Falin’s hot breath tickled Marcille’s face. Goosebumps raised on her arms. Falin was so close, Marcille could count the faint freckles on her nose. Her lips were pink, soft, parted…

Could she be…?

She’s dangerous, she’s dangerous, it’s really Falin, don’t be an idiot, now’s not the time…!

But even as she thought this, even as she pressed her back against the wall, Marcille’s lips parted too.

Falin grabbed Marcille hard around the chin and jerked her forward. Marcille cried out, but Falin ignored her. She dragged her tongue slowly up Marcille’s cheek, lapping up the blood leaking from the cuts on her face.

A strange shiver raced through Marcille, hot and electric. Her chest heaved.

Seriously?  Some distant part of her mind scolded. What are you doing right now? She’s a MONSTER. She's going to kill you! Where are your priorities?

But then Falin licked her again, and she melted. Falin’s warm tongue traveled up curve of her face, smearing blood everywhere, leaving her skin tingling. Marcille let out a strangled squeak. A flush crawled up her neck.

But even as her knees got weaker with each stroke of Falin’s tongue, even as the blush spread through her entire body, even as ecstasy bloomed, the fear grew in Marcille. With numb horror, she realized that it was Laios’ blood that Falin was dribbling onto her face. She was next. Falin had gotten her taste now. She wasn’t going to stop. Her hand was clamping tighter and tighter around Marcille’s chin.

She had to act. At this range, if she used explosion magic, she’d blow Falin’s head off. The thought made her sick. She could imagine Falin’s scream, being drenched in her blood and brains. She could never hurt Falin like that. But blinding her temporarily with a flash spell…that could work. It would at least give Marcille a chance to run.

Hoarsely, she started to mutter the spell.

The second she did, Falin reared back, lifting her into the air by her throat. Marcille screamed, choked, writhed, and her staff fell to the floor with a clatter. Falin grabbed her around the waist to keep her still, letting go of her neck.

Marcille coughed, eyes streaming. She was pressed against Falin now, with silky feathers brushing her arms.

Falin licked her lips, tongue gliding along her teeth, wetting the blood around her mouth. She was salivating.

Marcille went limp, weighed down by exhaustion. It was over. If Falin wanted to kill her, rip out her throat, even eat her…didn’t she have the right? Marcille was the one who turned her into this, after all. It was what she deserved.

There was something almost freeing about the thought of Falin devouring her, tearing at her flesh, swallowing her bit by bit, finding pleasure in the meal. At least this way, she could do something for Falin. She’d could fill her up, become part of her, if only for a moment.

Marcille closed her eyes. It was better this way. At least now she wouldn’t have to live in a world without Falin…she wouldn’t have to outlive Falin or any of her friends…

Her friends.

Laios lying broken on the floor. Senshi covered in rubble.

Chilchuck’s desperate voice. “You’re the only one who can heal and resurrect us! We need you, idiot!”

Would she abandon them? Would she leave them there to die?

Would she give up on getting Falin back? On hearing her laugh again, on being by her side?

Would she give up on her dream, after all her endless work and struggle?

No. Never.

She opened her eyes. Falin was already nearly at her throat, fangs bared. Marcille struggled, yanking desperately at Falin's hair, pulling out her feathers. Falin simply smiled, as if she was enjoying Marcille's feeble attempts. Her sharp teeth closed around Marcille’s neck, slowly sinking in...

A feral yell tore through the air. Izutsumi leaped out of the tunnel, slashing at Falin’s leg with her claws. It didn’t do much damage, but it was enough to distract Falin. She swiped at Izutsumi, holding Marcille aloft. The catgirl dodged easily.

“Izutsumi!” Marcille shouted, wanting to cry with happiness. She hadn’t abandoned them after all.

Izutsumi grabbed the staff from the floor and tossed it up at Marcille. “You better not blow this!”

Marcille caught it.

Falin’s head turned. Marcille took in her lovely face one last time. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll save you.”

She pressed her staff against Falin’s ribs. And this time, she didn’t hesitate.

---

(Notes: I know Chimera Falin can't digest raw meat and blood, but Marcille doesn't. She does really like the taste of Marcille's blood (romantic), but she's just planning to kill her so she can slurp it up in small amounts at her leisure, without too much tummy trouble. If you need to know.)

[brandwhorestarscream]

so for your repop au, I think you said that starscream was going to meet skyfire, so how did that go? as in a one on one chat.

also

because I like rereading this AU, three more things,

what happened to reborn shockwave, because you said he got taken away but in a way that makes me think he will come back? maybe?

will the main three meet devastator.

how did the meetup between laserbeak2 and soundwave go?

Omg I havent touched on Repop in awhile!! Let's tackle these point for point:

1. The first time little Starscream meets Skyfire, it's after the main trio has escaped from their farm and are hiding out in an old subterranean insecticon hive. Skyfire was called in by Optimus, hoping he might help settle the bitties and get them to listen. It doesn't go well, and while Skyfire and Ratchet are busy ripping him a new one, Starscream escapes with his brothers. They don't see each other again for several, until after the poor kiddos have been picked up by the Rainmakers. They aren't as extinct as everyone thought, and are using the kids (mostly Starscream), as a bargaining chip for their own freedom.

After aaaall that, Skyfire is eventually the one who rescues the three of them from the Rainmakers', and only then do the two of them get to talk. Skyfire helps them evacuate, and runs off into space with them, hoping to find a safe place they can hide. The whole planet is looking for them, and by now it's interplanetary news that Megatron, Soundwave, and Starscream are back from the dead. The Senate's orders are to kill them on sight. Skyfire has to get them away from here. He helps patch up their injuries, feeds them, and his alt mode is more than roomy enough for a comfy bed. While the younger two sleep, Starscream finally gets a chance to speak to Skyfire.

Back in the cave, Starscream had remarked that Skyfire looks familiar. He has no memories of his first life, but he saw Skyfire in the history books. A pivotal role in winning the age-old war. The first thing he asks is, "Why are you helping us?"

Skyfire explains that he hates, hates, hates the entire farm system. "It's evil," he says. "Pure evil. You kids don't deserve this."

Next thing Starscream asks. "...you knew me before, huh? I saw it in your face... were we friends?"

"...yes. Y- Yes, we were."

The youngling hums thoughtfully. "Is that why you're so mad at Optimus?"

"Ye- n-" he sighs heavily. "That's not the only reason I'm upset with him, though that is part of it."

"Do you think he should've left us dead?"

Skyfire doesn't know how to answer that question. It's not a matter of should have or shouldn't have... now, it's a matter of doing what's right for the poor sparklings victimized for this madness. At this point, all he cares about is getting these three children somewhere safe. Somewhere they'll be undisturbed and free to grow up. He needs to hide them exceptionally well, and until then... he'll protect them with his life. "I promise you that, Starscream. I will protect you this time."

2. Shockwave was another clone placed into the system by OP: Optimus used to work with Senator Shockwave. Same with the trio, he had a down payment that guaranteed he'd recieve Shockwave alive, and did just that. Optimus had him pulled from the system when he was roughly 16-ish. He was originally planning to take him out once he was fully grown, but something on his end (no spoilers, but someone important died) forced him to remove Shockwave early. He has important plans for him, so yes! Shockwave is still alive and will come back into play later

3. I'm not planning for the main 3 to meet Devestator as a whole, tho they will later have some sparse interaction with Prowl

4. Chaotic! Soundwave didn't even realize Laserbeak-2 had stowed away with him til it was too late to do anything about it 🤭 kiddo broke a bunch of cassette-mill prisoners out of their cages and pandemonium ensued. As he was running off, teeny tiny cyberhawk chick hitched a ride and just like that? Best buddies

[oracleofdelphie]

bakuiida coffee shop soulmate immortality au

     If everything was written in the stars then the stars hated Katsuki Bakugo. They’d cursed his immortal existence with a soulmate so dreadful he went out of his way to avoid him for millennia. Unfortunately this was a life time he’d been cursed to share. He thought it’d be a simple matter of showing up in an American city with a new name (Leo Amarillo) and working in a coffee shop, but one day a business suit of a man walked in baring the name Theodore Christian entered Denver Bean and Brew. 

     “Hello…Leo,” he said jovially, reading the barista’s name tag. Tenya Iida’s bore the same smile that had once traveled the Silk Road, and the eyes that had met Katsuki’s as Rome was set ablaze. No horrible plague or great war could change that. 

     “Hello annoying man in my place of work, what’ll it be?” Sighing, Katsuki tried to not run his nails over the patch on his wrist, no matter how little he could stand the guy, his soulmate did get his omega more wound up than a bobbin of thread. 

     Letting out a light chuckle, the alpha eyed the menu,”let’s see, is the matcha any good here, I haven’t had a good one since I left Japan.”

     “I’m half Japanese, will it taste more authentic if I spit in it?” Katsuki had yet to decide if he’d actually spit in the drink, surely it was deserved after that debacle in Babylon. 

     There it was, the laugh that had been making Katsuki shiver since before the pyramids were built. Maybe if they spent more time together the blonde would always be trying to coax it from the man. “Now does it cost more with your saliva?” He seemed entirely unopposed to the idea. 

     “Since you’ve been so kind, I’ll spit in your drink for free~” giggling…no. Not giggling, Katsuki didn’t giggle. To distract himself he started typing the the order,”one matcha latte, that’ll be $5.47.”

     “Yeowch, that’s what I get getting a beverage by my work,” taking out a fancy looking debit card, he paid and typed in his name for the order. 

     “Theodore Christian?” He asked in a teasing tone, though it wasn’t the worst name Tenya had ever come up with for himself. 

     Scrunching his nose, the man shook his head,”Hey, at least my name isn’t a zodiac sign followed by a color in Spanish,” he really was much sassier than he let on. 

      Starting to make the drink, Katsuki pummeled the man mentally, but kept up his customer service face plastered on, humming as he worked. “Where does a suit like you earn a living these days?” He knew Tenya had always liked an office job since the invention of offices. 

     “I’m a projects manager for the Colorado Renewable Energy Corporation,” the alpha followed from behind the counter, watching as milk was steaming and a bag of matcha procured. 

     “Now don’t hiss at me, we only have this powder, probably not the most authentic,” there was a faint smile on his face as Katsuki used the bamboo whisk to stir powder into boiled water. His eyes on his task, he tried not to notice the eyes on his back. 

     A faint tapping came from the counter as Tenya fingers played across the wooden surface, a little Mozart about the place. “However will I live?” He said in a bit of drama that would put Shakespeare to shame. 

     “If necessary I can take you out back and put you down, but who would project manage nuclear energy or whatever it is you do?” Transferring the matcha and milk to a medium sized to go cup. 

     “It’s renewable energy, and despite what some say, nuclear energy is not renewable. Besides those spent fuel rods are a horrible pollutant on our planet,” little rant out of the way, Tenya looked down at his drink,”is it done?” 

     After looking at him for a moment and checking that every other patron of the sparsely populated cafe was distracted with their own lives, Katsuki made good on his earlier threats before placing the lid on the cup and handing it to him. “Enjoy!”

     “Tastes like home,” was all Tenya responded with before heading towards the door, slipping something into the tip jar that would later turn out to be a fifty dollar bill and a lovers eye brooch, the exact one Katsuki had worn throughout his adventure in Victorian England. Not to mention the part where he’d stabbed the other man with it, and told him to never speak to him again. Apparently never was about 138 years. 

[raccoonfallsharder]

✩࿐࿔ do your frickin' homework. [new 2/20]

✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist | NEW: take what you need queue fanfiction masterlist | navigation

fluff | gn reader | no use of y/n | drabble | word count: 2,1,21. read ✩࿐࿔ do your frickin' homework on ao3

homework sucks ~ especially when you're already exhausted by all the other things on your plate. unfortunately, it's also something that most of us need to do in order to reach our longer-term goals. luckily for you, the captain cares about your longer-term goals. so find a comfy place to settle in, bring some snacks and some water and maybe some friends, and see if you can learn something cool and interesting while you're doing it. you got this, babe.

nonnie-bby thank you for your patience! i wasn't sure exactly what challenges you were facing with the homework motivation (i feel like there's a lot of different things that could get in the way?) so i hope i was able to write something that was useful to you. i hope you are able to find little things about doing your homework that can be rewarding, whether it's actually wringing something interesting and useful out of the content, remembering that it will take you a step closer to the rest of your life, or just good vibes and good people while you're actually working on it. i wish you all the very best, many high grades, and classwork that is the perfect blend of interesting, easy, and challenging for you.

“On the Arête, we just ran on wheels,” Phyla tells you from where she’s laying on her belly in a patch of manufactured sunlight. She stares down at her datapad, completely immersed in whatever she’s doing. You crouch down and peer over her shoulder, and blink in surprise. It’s a line-drawing: something akin to what you would have seen in an old coloring book back home. She’s tapping a gradient-wheel, then filling the image in with bright hues and patterns. “Mister Drax says the High Evolutionary was demanding creativity from us without giving us the opportunity to explore creative things. He says our curiosity was stunted, so our homework for today is to color any drawing we want, any way that we want, as long as it doesn’t look real.” You sigh and slump down next to her on the rooftop, then sprawl beside her on your belly. Your arms pillow your head. “That sounds like fun homework,” you tell her, wishing — not for the first time — that you were in Drax’s class, instead of trying to keep up with your classes back on Earth. When you’d first drawn the Guardians’ attention, their cranky Captain had offered to “have someone return you” to your home planet — like an overdue library book. When you’d told him you’d wanted to stay on the skull, though, he’d sent a transmission to Pete, or Star-Lord, or whatever-his-name is. The former captain. Gotta figure out how the fuck I’m s’posed to take care of a Terran now, he’d groused. He hadn’t seemed willing to believe you could manage just fine on your own. I been on my own before, and it frickin’ sucks, he’d told you in clipped, harsh tones. And based on what I saw from Pete, you Terran humies are particularly bad at flying solo. One of the terms he’d insisted on after talking to Pete — a condition of your stay on the skull — had been thay you continue to earn, quote: whatever passes for credentials on Terra.

read more on ao3 ✩࿐࿔ for nonnie ♡ ✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist | NEW: take what you need queue

need more reminders from rocket?

the world is hard, and sometimes it's difficult to complete daily tasks & take care of yourself (aka rocket bullies you for your own damn good).

feel free to ✩ request reminders ✩ via reblogs, asks, and tumblr or ao3 comments if they would be helpful for you. it may take me a hot minute to get to them depending on life n stuff, but i will do my best. ♡ view the take what you need queue to see upcoming installations & the current backlog.

this is about as wholesome as it gets (for me) i think. can be read platonically or romantically. mcu-based anthology, meant to take place post-volume-3, but headcanon however you want ♡

✩࿐࿔ take what you need masterlist

eat somethin. (wc: 576)

go to frickin bed already. (wc: 737)

get outta bed & get your shit done.(wc: 925)

take a damn bath. (wc: 1,375)

leave your frickin skin alone. (wc: 1,579)

take a fuckin study break.(wc: 1,020)

drink some goddamn water. (wc: 1,209)

stop destroying your frickin clothes. (wc: 1,609)

just buy the damn thing already. (wc: 1,271)

it's frickin laundry day. (wc: 1,923)

get some sunshine, sunshine. (wc: 1,614)

did you take your damn meds today? (wc: 1,288)

schedule your fuckin' appointments.(wc: 1,222)

do your goddamn dishes. (wc: 994)

brush your frickin' teeth. (wc: 1,774)

nobody fuckin hates you (wc: 1,231)

stop biting your goddamn nails (wc: 2,920)

take a frickin' shower (wc: 1,359 )

take care of your fuckin injury (wc: 2,102)

cook some goddamn food. (wc: 2,707)

clean your frickin room. (wc: 2,465)

stop hittin shit. (wc: 1,862)

do your frickin homework. (wc: 2,121 )

if you find any of these at all helpful, they're meant for you.

teacup and teal line dividers by @/saradika-graphics | support banner by @/saradika-graphics | raccoon divider by @/thecutestgrotto. total wordcount: 35,924.

[bodybeyondstories]

Just ignore it - 6

After things get heated, David finds himself back at the gas station. Then again. And again.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (Previous)

Male TF // Dick Growth // Growth // Butt Growth // nsfw

4604 words

This is sort of a non-conclusion to this story arc with a weird idea that I had that I wasn't sure how to execute well (the usual lol). Had a lot of fun with this series, lot of threads yet to play with, eventually, maybe...

---

“That you?”

The Mystery Machine. Lee lazily scrounging around in the bag of cheese puffs. The gas station attendant power walking away, bubble butt jiggling uncontrollably. Me sitting in the passenger seat, staring into space. And not unleashing a higher dimensional being through some magic portal and eating out a giant-size Blake. 

I had never had a dream that vivid. He had grown to monstrous proportions, I was awash in his thick musk, his deep, almost subsonic groans shaking me to my core, body lengthening and muscles inflating, his ass like two planets trying to fill up the entire dome–

“We’ll assume yes,” said Lee. “Looks like he didn’t see that coming,” he continued, long fingers reaching into the bag.

“Be careful with those, I heard they go straight to your…” I’ve said this before. 

“Ass? Allegedly,” Lee chuckled. “Apparently dudes mix these into their protein shakes on leg day or crush them and down entire family size bags on a dare or whatever and see what happens. It’s an urban legend, but I guess urban legends keep us employed. We’ll have to look into it right after all the other magical calamities spawning off around you.” He gave a cheese dusted smile, leaning lazily over the window, reaching back to adjust the seat of his pants.

Armand plopped himself back into the driver's seat and grabbed the aux cord, began scrolling through podcasts as he started the van. “There’s a great episode I think we should listen to, it’s on…let me find it…”

“Spectral informatics?” I offered, confused as to how I’d come up with that.

“Yeah! I didn’t know you were a fan,” said Armand, excitedly snatching a few cheese puffs from the bag. I squirreled it away before we had to deal with any further snack-based complications.

“Um, sure,” I said, as we pulled off onto the road.

It was actually a pretty interesting episode, and settled into the background of the muted scenery rolling by. Lee was asking lazy but helpful questions in the back, and before I knew it we were engaged in a deep side conversation that complemented the soft radio voices of the podcast hosts. Armand seemed genuinely pleased. This was maybe the longest actual discussion I’d had with him. I was present in a way that the right jolt of caffeine makes the world feel crisp and new.

Because Synt wasn’t there.

I don’t know why it had taken me this long to realize, but Synt’s overbearing metaphysical residence in my mind was nowhere to be found. It was like a weight had been lifted, but I felt the absence of agonistic tension that I had gotten so used to. I involuntarily reached out for that itch of power and possibility, the wild tangle of transdimensional multisensory perception and found only the walls of my own psyche. What happened? I thought, with growing suspicion. Where had they gone?

As county roads turned to back roads and we passed the vine covered “Marshlands State Park” sign, the trees in the landscape seemed to stretch up and yawn in the breeze. I felt small among this ancient, imperceptible community, had the feeling of a convening that I had once been privy to but was no longer. I had a brief impression of a figure strolling through the forest, towering over us as they stretched with them, like an overexposure or an afterimage. Here and then gone.

The episode was wrapping up as the van turned off the small forest road onto a poorly maintained gravel path that led to a patch of dirt currently occupied by a shiny new park ranger truck. Armand pulled up next to it as Lee and I scanned the area for our collaborators, seeing only a path through the trees that led down to an expanse of shallow water. As I stepped out of the van, a shiver went down my spine. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been there before. Not just in this landscape, but this exact point in space and time.

“What’s up?” asked Lee, as he emerged and let his hand briefly scratch my lower back.

“Nothing,” I answered. “Just…deja vu.”

“Happens out here a lot,” came a voice from nowhere.

It felt like I had perceived Blake speaking before registering him as a physical presence making sound. I turned to see him walking up toward us and couldn’t look away. He looked…big. Not just bigger since the last time we met, which for some reason didn’t come as a surprise. The hems of his sleeves fraying at the edges against his biceps, the small tears along the sides of his quads, his shirt fully unbuttoned to reveal a shelf of pectorals that seemed to fill any available space, the sides of his glutes visible from the front. That I had seen coming. 

But there was something else that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. He looked at me briefly as if picking up on the force of my attention, moved as if to say something, then quickly turned away, lips pursed in concentration as he continued to unload gear from the truck bed and waddle back down the path.

“He is getting bigger,” came another voice suddenly in our vicinity.

“How are you both so good at that?” asked Lee, turning to see Logan walking up. 

“I actually needed to talk to you about–”

“And what’s with the waders?”

“Oh. I, well–”

“Only thing that fits?” offered Armand with uncharacteristic sincerity.

“No, well yeah, well they’re–”

“Airboat,” I said, unaware of how I knew that beyond a crisp image in my head of the five of us gliding across the water. “Blake’s piloting an airboat.”

“I’m piloting a–yeah,” said Blake, emerging from the path. “Water’s still high, so the island is still an island.” He gazed off, staring intently at the cluster of trees in the distance as the rest of us began hauling stuff onto the Swamp Hag.

Under the roar of the propeller, we cruised over golden brown fields of late season wetland grasses, and there it was again. The feeling that this configuration of people, in this airboat, moving through this scene was a repetition with a slight difference. I had the sudden image of a massive eye on the landscape, energy crackling, something coming through. I looked up to see Blake behind and above us in the pilot seat, eyes locked intently ahead towards our destination, left hand nimbly controlling the rudder stick.

I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination, but his pipe in his shorts seemed to creep slowly down his left leg, leaving dark spots of precum and even pulsing with an occasional lurch further and increase in girth. With his meaty quads looking ready to burst through his pants, he looked like, felt like, a concentration of size and weight. I let my mind wander, imagining what would happen if that prodigious bulge–

One side of his face scrunched in a grimace of concentration, his eyes briefly making contact with mine, a fleeting look of warning–or pleading–before returning to the task at hand.

As we landed on the island, Blake looked stressed, almost flighty, as he lifted the apparatus with the artifact with ease and started following the winding trail towards the center. I followed him along the vein of the iris of this landscape-scale eye as the others got their bearings. He was difficult to keep up with, his tree trunk thighs pumping powerfully as they moved around each other, his form giving the impression of an elephant about to clear a forest path.

“This site feels pretty weird, right?” I said, thinking of his earlier comment about deja vu.

He whipped around in surprise upon hearing my voice. Thrown off balance by the apparatus sitting on one shoulder, he grabbed one of the nearby trees and crushed half the trunk in his hand. He stammered for words as the unsuspecting cypress continued to crack, tipping away from the path and falling into the surrounding woods, leaving a gap of heavy silence.

“I, um, didn’t see you there…” he muttered, his eyes straining under droplets of sweat across his brow.

“Let’s deal with that later,” I said with a helpful smile as I heard the others catching up in the distance.

—

“This is where you found it?” asked Armand, eyes scanning the uncannily circular clearing. “It looks untouched.”

“It’s where it found us,” Blake quipped, his voice level. “And yeah, it just sort of appeared. Right there in the middle.”

That feeling again. I felt with ghostly certainty that I had been there. That I had never left. That I was standing here across an unknowable set of timeframes converging on this temporal point. Beneath that, I felt something deep and subsonic, something I hadn’t picked up on since I was an unsuspecting subject of one of Synt’s energetic outbursts. I could feel an energy seeping into local space, something crescendoing to some sort of threshold, before– 

I snapped back to reality. While Armand and Lee had set to work setting up a makeshift cleanroom, Blake had opened the apparatus to remove the artifact and move it to the center of the clearing, complex linework of lavender and gold forming and reforming across its surface. As he let his hands slip away, it remained stationary, rotating slowly in the air.

“Now that’s cool,” I said, walking up to it, entranced. Its motion was flawless, like it wasn’t so much moving of its own accord but the rest of the world was rotating around it. Like if I stopped it with my hand, the celestial motion of the solar system might gracefully fall apart. 

Blake, possibly with a similar idea, lifted a finger and brought it to the surface.

“Wait,” I warned, apprehensive but unclear as to exactly why. “Maybe don’t–” 

In a fraction of a second, the curls, diagrams, and fractals covering the sphere converged around Blake’s fingertip in a multicolored spiral and sent a jolt of electricity across the short distance.

“Are you okay?” I asked, as Blake winced, bracing his palms against his forehead.

“I…can’t…”

“Remember what we practiced,” said Logan, looking at him with intention.

“What do you mean what you practiced?” I asked.

Before he could answer, a pulse of iridescent energy shot out from the artifact, passing through us and stopping a few feet before the perimeter, forming a dome that resembled a giant soap bubble.

“Oh, hmm,” said Lee, lightly touching the whirls of energy a few feet in front of him as Armand scrambled to adjust their instrumentation. “It’s like a, um–”

“Forcefield,” I said with acute certainty. “It’s a forcefield. I’ve…seen this before. Where have I seen this before?”

“Take a wild guess,” Blake eked through what looked like a head-splitting migraine.

“We’ve been debating whether we should mention…” said Logan.

“Mention what?” I cut in. “And Blake, really, are you okay?”

“It’s Synt,” said Logan. “They took up residence in Blake’s head. I’ve been trying to guide him through it.”

Ah, fuck. Well that explains that.

“Ah, fuck. He’s not trained for this. Blake, you’re not trained for this.”

“I…realize…” muttered Blake, carefully delivering each word, “...that now.” He grimaced, doubling over in pain and intense concentration, actively trying to hold himself together, every vein and sinew along his over muscled body seeming to glow with ethereal light.

“You got this,” coached Logan, moving closer toward him. “Just breathe.” He reached out a hand to steady Blake as he stumbled again.

“No, wait!” I yelled, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

But it was too late. Logan caught Blake’s meaty forearm and was thrown into a full body spasm, every muscle pumping slowly with the power flooding into him. But there was one in particular that was thrown into hyperdrive, the bulge in his waders inflating to even wilder proportions, and showing no sign of slowing down. He managed to let go of Blake’s arm, gasping for breath through beads of sweat.

“You guys alright?” asked Lee. “Looks like it’s gettin’ pretty weird in there.”

“Really incredible readings, though,” added Armand. “You’ve gotta see this.”

“Maybe not the time, dude,” I said, more concerned about Logan’s exhausted whimpers. “You doing okay?”

“It’s not…” Logan looked at me in terror. “It’s not stopping. I–augghhh…” The straps of his waders finally gave up, snapping off his corded shoulders as the mass in his crotch continued to expand. He fell onto his butt, frantically peeling what was left of the fabric off, enjoying a moment of relief as the beast inside was finally freed, before his precum-smothered cockhead landed solidly on his face, covering his entire head and continuing to grow along the ground, before lifting itself, miraculously, into the air. His shaft was thicker than his waist and showed no signs of lessening as his mega dick began to approach at 90 degree angle, swaying gently as it continued to pulse and lurch with mass. 

With his legs pushed apart by his beach ball sized nuts, Logan was rendered immobile, powerless to do anything except lose himself in a deluge of orgasmic bliss, his face a contortion of pleasure and panic. As it touched the upper edge of the dome, it stopped, crackling against the force field, allowing Logan to briefly return to lucidity.

“This feels…unbelievable,” he whispered as I approached, hypnotized by the tower of cock before me. I could barely wrap my body around it, pushing myself into the intense heat of his flesh, quickly covered by the constant stream of precum gushing from the tip that was at least 15 feet in the air, pressed against the dome. Whatever I was doing, he seemed to be enjoying it, his breathing quickening as his massive balls contracted and his cock pulsed with additional girth, shoving my arms apart, patterns of fractal static appearing across the force field as his unbelievable trunk pushed angrily against it, cracks appearing and deepening in the framework as it finally pushed through, shattering the bubble into a multitude of iridescent shards.

And then–

—

“That you?” asked Lee.

The Mystery Machine. Lee lazily scrounging around in the bag of cheese puffs. The gas station attendant power walking away, bubble butt jiggling uncontrollably. Me sitting in the passenger seat, staring into space. And not using my entire body to jerk off the monolith of cock attached to Logan.

Ah, I thought, my face scrunching in annoyance. A time loop.

“We’ll assume yes,” he continued. “Looks–”

“Like he didn’t see that coming,” I finished. I looked at him standing in the car window, pausing in surprise with cheese puffs halfway to his mouth. “It’s a time loop.”

His eyes widened in thought for a weighty few seconds, twitching back and forth as if doing quick calculations in the air between us, brows furrowed in concentration.

“Well that’s fun,” Lee said, returning to nonchalant snacking. “How many iterations?”

“I think this is the third.”

“Oh that’s fine. Time loop protocol doesn't start until at least the fifth or sixth.”

“Well I don’t feel like waiting that long.”

“Waiting for what?” asked Armand, hopping back into the driver's seat. “By the way, is there a new style I’m not aware of or was that you’re handiwork with the station attendant? It’s less than professional is all I’m saying.”

“Dave’s stuck in a time loop,” said Lee.

“Of course,” groaned Armand, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Time loops are so much paperwork. How many iterations?”

“This is probably the third,” I offered. “At least the third.”

“Last update on time loop protocol says to wait until the sixth.”

“See that’s what I said,” Lee interjected, easing into the back seat, leaning his lanky self conspiratorially forward.

“And I don’t think we have time for that,” I retorted.

“Well technically we do,” said Armand, a helpful, oblivious smile as he started the car.

We cruised through the rolling landscape, discussing the same podcast (at this point, I was really coming around to spectral informatics). We pulled into the Marshlands. We greeted the pair of Blake and Logan who had a consistent, but slightly different dynamic of weird and antsy.

Protocol called for as few people as possible being informed of a potential time loop, even if both of them, Armand stressed, had been possessed–and were possibly currently possessed–by a cross-temporal trickster deity.

We take the airboat. We get to the island. We fall, somehow unsuspecting, into some wacky bullshit. And then–

—

“That you?”

I sighed into the mist of ass enhancing cheese dust kicked up by Lee’s questing fingers. “Fourth iteration.”

“Oh a time loop! The plot thickens.”

“Yes. And yes, that was my handiwork. And yes, the cheese puffs are causing more than the plot to thiccen.”

Lee paused in brief trepidation, then shrugged and grabbed one last handful before easing into the backseat. “What’s this one like? I don’t think time loop protocol starts until at least the fifth or sixth.”

“The sixth, according to Armand’s last memo.”

“You read Armand’s memos?” asked Lee, incredulous.

“No, he just–”

“You read my memos?” asked Armand, hopping into the driver's seat and taking a minute to nonchalantly wrestle with his bulge into a slightly more comfortable sitting position. 

“No, you mentioned it earlier. Earlier for me, meaning you haven’t actually mentioned it yet.”

“Dave’s in a time loop,” Lee offered. “Fourth iteration!”

Armand paused, his eyes shifting around the middle distance just passed the hood of the van, looking like he was very carefully piecing his next words together. “You know I really shouldn’t eat these,” he muttered, reaching into the bag of cheese puffs. 

The podcast. The Marshlands. The airboat. The clearing. The great watery eye in the landscape on the verge of winking at me in jest. The artifact, hovering.

“What could possibly happen this time?” I asked myself. “Maybe aliens touch down and retrieve their toy.”

“No, I don’t think that would happen again,” came a voice from just out of sight, but not out of earshot.

I turned my head slowly, making eye contact with the oh shit look painted across Logan’s face.

“What do you mean again?” I asked, eyes narrowing.

“Well, we were trying to tell you, or, debating whether to tell you yet,” he stammered, before catching himself. “Wait, what do you mean this time?”

We stared at each other, waiting to see who would break first.

“Tenth iteration,” he said.

“Fourth iter–tenth iteration?! You never thought to mention this?”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to tell anyone until like iteration twelve,” said Blake.

“Iteration twelve…” Armand seemed to deflate.

“No, no, they changed it,” said Lee.

“Does no one read my emails?” asked Armand, a vision of exasperation.

“Oh buddy,” said Lee, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Of course not.”

“You’ve been through this nine times?” I asked. “And every time, what, something weird and catastrophic happens?”

“And then we reset,” Logan confirmed.

“I’ve been thinking,” Armand mused, “maybe this whole ritual with the artifact is a strategy for Synt to fully enter this plane of existence, but maybe it fails every time, essentially short circuiting this local timestream and resetting it.”

“So Synt keeps breaking the rules and the game restarts?” said Lee.

“There are…rules?” asked Blake, heading tilted slightly in wonder.

“There are laws,” said Armand, “for this corner of multidimensional existence. There must also be for higher planes and more complex configurations. At least guidelines. Maybe some sort of natural adaptive system, or even a higher dimensional defense mechanism.”

“A higher dimensional defense mechanism,” I began, “that reins in the higher dimensional being that we can already barely fathom?”

“I mean…possibly?”

We sat in the soft moss for a while, contemplating our shared existence as specks of cosmic static. We bounced around half baked ideas and speculations about quantum field theory, supernatural entanglement, simulated realities, clockwork universes. We waited for some ridiculous happening to send us back to start over again. We debated why it was or wasn’t. 

“One time Dave turned into a giant and started throwing trees around,” Blake said, perking up with enthusiasm.

“Oh hell yeah,” said Lee. “Can’t believe we missed that one.”

“I think you died in that one, actually,” said Logan, with a quick, sympathetic smile.

“Oh dude, c’mon,” said Lee, turning towards me.

“I’ll buy you a beer when we get this figured out,” I said, throwing my hands up. “A whole round!”

The Sun moved to the tips of the trees along the western edge of the clearing. The sphere spun smoothly on its axis.

—

[Meanwhile, at the gas station…]

Okay, sharp inhale, hold it, hold it…cinch your entire body inwards, and pull. I yanked up the waistband of my khakis, giving it a few jumps to get gravity on my side, and gasped in delight as my backup pants miraculously made it over my glutes. Not all the way, I turned to see them riding low in the back, but good enough to make it through the rest of my shift. They were my last pair, the others laying in tatters, strewn around in frustration. 

I still couldn’t believe that three of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen rolled into this little gas station in the middle of nowhere and I actually ripped my pants. And then the backup pair. And then the backup pair to the backup pair. They had fit just that morning. Not well, but well enough, considering the shelf I was dragging behind me. I didn’t think it had gotten that much bigger since the last time I had had everything adjusted. I had always been proud of my bubble butt, but it seemed like any weight I put on went to one place and one place only, and it was getting ridiculous. And expensive. I had just been joking when I mentioned the cheese puffs, but maybe I should cut back. At least I had this final pair, practically painted on to my backside, but stable so long as I made no sudden–

“Hey Kes!” I wheeled around to see what Zac wanted, grimacing as I realized far too late what I had done. The sound of seams ripping, the touch of cool air across my butt cheeks, the look of unbridled glee on Zac’s face.

“...Fuck,” I said, hanging my head in resignation. “What is it?”

“I was going to ask if you did inventory yet, but I see you got some bigger fish to fry.” The easy smile, the lean against the side of the doorframe. The bulge in his pants that I knew from personal experience was a 7” softie–and that I knew from personal experience was a serious grower. “Is that, like, a harness?”

Ugh. “It’s a, ah, support system,” I corrected, glancing back at the array of straps and elastic bands holding my round cheeks in place, now fully visible to Zac from the doorway. “I found it online, they’re made special for guys with unique, uh, proportions. Didn’t think I would need it, yet, but I had one on hand just in case.”

“Hmm,” his eyes settled closed as he nodded, putting on his active listening face. “So like a bra.”

“It’s not a…” I sighed, giving up mid sentence.

“Okay, okay, sorry,” his palms out in acquiescence. “You know I’m a big fan of your unique proportions.”

That was putting it lightly. Zac’s one of my oldest friends, a very endearing stoner type who always manages to stay cool as a summer breeze. He’s had a habit of bouncing from one scheme to another, the latest of which is this run down gas station he acquired a few years ago and has somehow managed to keep operational. He lets me pick up part time work in the offseason, and most days it’s just the two of us looking after things and managing the slow drip of business, allowing ample time for the benefits of our friendship. He had always been a big fan of my assets, and my now constant wardrobe struggles only worsened his enthusiasm.

“You know it’s hard for me to find pants that fit, let alone get alterations out here,” I said. “I almost asked one of the guys in that van just now before I had to run back in, you should’ve seen…” I trailed off, holding an invisible beach ball between my hands.

“You’re more than enough for me,” Zac said with a smirk. “I think there are still those stretchy purple shorts in the office, from back when we did the Incredible Hulk promotion.”

“Don’t remind me.” My cheeks blushed as I thought back to the comical sight of my ass stuffed into that spandex costume, going viral on social media.

“How ‘bout you stay behind the counter and I’ll handle the pumps. You only have to be presentable from the waist up,” he added with a wink.

“Deal,” I said, my eyes lingering for a few seconds as he meandered off.

The stretchy purple shorts–with tattered fringes and cosmetic tears, of course–weren’t exactly my style, but they were at least comfortable. And chances of catastrophic failure were minimal with me perched on the stool behind the counter, ringing up the occasional customer and flirtatiously shooting the shit with Zac as the hours ticked by.

It was a normal enough day, but I couldn’t get my mind off that trio who came through earlier. I could feel, I don’t know, an energy about them, like the air around them was shimmering but not in a way you could see, if that makes sense. I guess it doesn’t. I would’ve written it off as the usual weirdness out in the boonies, but it lingered all day. Felt deeper and deeper. Like a presence had stayed behind after they left, some sort of gravitational pull hovering in the back of my mind, making my skin tingle and my hips flex with the feeling of phantom touches. Like a cosmic pressure growing. The opaque, dream-like impression of a trickster smile.

Not that I much cared. I grew up around these parts, there’s all manner of haints and spirits and cryptids, or whatever you want to call ‘em. You learn to deal. Pay attention to the hot/cold patchiness in the woods, watch out for fairy circles in suspiciously quiet clearings, don’t stare too long at the crotches of trees that look too much like doorways. Not that I had a habit of putting my nose where it didn’t belong, but I paid attention to the stories and had done plenty of reading of my own. I knew enough to know that sometimes a being that may or may not be of this world decides to spend some time with you, and sometimes that being may or may not want to have some fun with the fabric of our mundane everyday reality. Didn’t mean you had to take ‘em all that serious.

Pretty sure the park rangers out in the Marshlands get paid to deal with that kind of stuff. Seems like a fun job. Apparently you just have to take some classes at the university. I’d been considering it off and on but maybe this is some kind of sign. In the meantime I thought maybe I was craving some quality time with Zac that evening. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I had a sneaking suspicion that maybe his seven inch softie was looking more like eight.

I had the impression of tectonic plates in the back of my mind moving in agreement.

[randomized-sims24]

This Life I Made (fic for my Astral Family AU)

A soft flutter of wings just behind him caught his attention. Solar glanced over his shoulder, dropping his right wing slightly, just enough to see who had come along to him.

It was merely Sun, glowing and radiant and emanating warmth. Solar shielded himself slightly with his wing, the Astral's brightness mildly agitating his eyes.

"Hey Sun. Do you need something?" Solar turned back to whatever had his attention before, gloved hands moving deftly as he worked on molding a ball of energy.

"Nothing really, just a bit bored. Watching the mortals all day gets old after a while, only so many times I can watch Earth and Monty too as cute as they are. But she doesn't like when I spy on her too often." Sun leaned over his shoulder, Solar muttering as he pulled his goggles down to protect his eyes from the closer shine. "What're you making?"

"I'm not sure really. I got bored and just started working." He showed Sun the little form he was sculpting. It somewhat resembled Moon, with a little shaped head, formed after an earth fruit, a pumpkin, Earth had said they were called.

"Whatever it is it's a little cutie. Are you going to let him live? If you don't keep him here maybe Earth would like a new friend. I think the little thing would like earth...assuming he doesn't have Moon's snark and sassy attitude."

Solar smiled slightly as he formed a little hat from light and placed it on the form, then added some eyes and clothing shapes. "There. Maybe? I'm not sure where he'll stay. But...I want him to find himself out I think."

"He's the first thing I think you've actually made isn't he? What are you gonna name him?"

Solar stared down at the form, vibrating with energy as he placed a small orb of power into its chest, smiling slightly as he pushed his goggles up, gently cradling the small thing like it could break any second with even a slight twitch.

"I like Jack."

"Seems to fit pretty well. Let's take him down somewhere and get him up and about, yeah? Let him know his creator." Sun's wings fluttered and spread before he was taking off to the planet.

Solar's shifted before he was following, the small form cradled to his chest. In almost no time to them they were landing in a clearing, surrounded by flowers for miles all around, the sky already darkening and stars beginning to shine through.

Solar gently placed the form among some tulips, and with a slow circling of his finger, light orange magic flowed from his being into the form. After a few moments, it began to move, the energy and light covering its body falling away and revealing a more detailed outfit, gold star detailing on a long cloak, a star at the end of the hat, patchwork pants and patched overalls.

The form slowly opened its eyes, black and piercing orange with a faint glow in them. He sat up slow and looked around, then down to his hands, flexing his fingers as he seemed to realize he had them. Then he tried to stand, stumbling and wobbly like a newborn deer.

Solar and Sun watched, Sun smiling wide and grabbing onto Solar with a little shake. "Oh my stars, Solar! You did it! You created life! And for your first one it came out so good!"

Solar watched as Jack stumbled and fell, and he instinctively reached out to help him back up. "Easy now, your legs are brand new, but we can help you learn. My name is Solar, and this is my brother Sun. You should be able to talk and understand me. Your name is Jack, do you understand?"

Jack gazed up at the two far taller beings who, even though they were shrunken down to a more human height, still towered over Jack. But he simply smiled and nodded, holding onto Solar's arms for some stability.

"I do. Are you my creator? Or father?"

Sun quietly cooed beside him, and Solar nodded a bit. "I am. And I guess calling me your father isn't that wrong. We'll stay for a while, help you discover some things and introduce you to our sister. Later on you can meet more of your family but they're busy right now."

Jack nodded again and started pulling on Solar, trying to climb up his frame but obviously didn't know how. Sun smiled a bit and picked Jack up, handing him to Solar who immediately put his arms around and under him so he wouldn't fall.

"I'll help you learn everything, Jack. Don't worry. I'm glad I ended up creating you."

"Really?" Jack lay his head against Solar's shoulder, staring up at his creator and occasionally at Sun.

"I am. You're my first creation and you turned out so wonderful already. I can only hope you continue to be wonderful in your life. And before I forget. You have a very strong power inside you, but you likely can't access it yet since you're brand new," Solar said as Jack curiously played with his wings where he could reach.

"What are these?"

"Those are my wings. We all have them, except you. But don't worry, yours will grow in once you start using and improving your powers. My friends and I can help with that as well."

"Ok father. I can't wait to learn everything."

"And I can't wait to teach you everything too."

-end-

[l30n-m00ns70n3]

Solarchanged || Book 1

A Solarballs AU || Prologue || My Bodies Looking Wrong

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Earth isn't quite sure how they got here, on his surface with their moon, but they're here now. The whole moon revolution had just been disbanded and all the moons returned to their planets in their proper orbits, and then he was waking up in an alleyway, next to what he thought was one of his earthlings. At first glance he hadn't recognized the figure next to him - the humanoid appearance throwing him off - but it didn't take them long to recognize her as their moon. Her hair mimicked her celestial surface and the lighter patches on her skin - which Earth remembered is called vitiligo - matches the craters upon her surface. As a human she looked young, maybe five, six years old, adorned in simple black shorts and a blue-hued t-shirt that seemed to be a size too big for her.

Their first instinct had been, of course, to panic - wouldn't you, if you had woken up on your surface, in a form you just barely know, and in a place that's literally a part of you? It shouldn't be possible, yet here he was. An earthling on Earth's surface, despite being Earth itself. It was completely illogical. Absolutely unfathomable. Impossible. Reality-shattering, even.

After a mild panic attack, Earth forced himself to calm down. As strange and scary as this is, he needs to stay calm - he still has Luna, who has yet to wake up, to take care of. He wouldn't let her down, not his moon who was so loyal to him despite how terrible he treated her. Looking up he noticed the sky, which was bathing the land in red and orange hue. The shifting hues of the skies told Earth that a new day had begun and as early sunlight shone between the two buildings a reflection caught the corner of his eye. Upon closer inspection it would seem a shattered mirror had been abandoned in the alleyway. Earth went to get a closer look at the mirror and caught a glimpse of himself. Much like Luna his hair matched his celestial body and he too had vitiligo, though his matched his landmasses. He had a similar outfit to Luna, though the shirt was a pale sage, and he had scars covering his arms and legs, no doubt as a reminder of the abuse his earthlings have put him through.

Seemingly in some kind of trance he picked up a mirror shard only to cut himself on it "Ack-"

"Earth?! Are you okay?!" A voice sounded behind him and soon he felt a body stumble into him. "What happened to us?" questioned his moon, "Why are we earthlings?!"

"I-I don't know, Luna," the Earth said, hoping to calm his moon as he helped steady him, "we're on my surface but I don't know..." he trailed off when a black strap, coming from behind the mirror, caught his eye, "Huh? What's that?"

"What's, what?"

Earth stayed silent. Making no noise as he moved the mirror, barely letting out a hiss when he cut himself on the shards, "It's a satchel! It seems to be in pretty good condition, too!"

As Luna peered over his planet's shoulder with an inquisitive look, he muttered out the simple question: "What's in it?"

"Let's see..." Earth unzipped the backpack and peered in, "There's a tarp, a blanket, an electric lantern, some rope, and a few clothes.." They said as they pulled out the items in turn.

Each item was usable but damaged in some way; the lantern's top was cracked and chipped and the tarp had some holes in it, the rope was short and frayed and the blanket looked like it had been ripped and sewn back together several times. All the clothes had stains and they were several sizes too big for the celestial objects, still, "It's better to have something rather than nothing," reasoned Earth as they shoved the items back into the bag, "Now, let's see if we can find a shelter of some kind. Who knows how long we'll be stuck like this."

"Okay..." Luna said with an uneasy look on his face and anxiety bubbling in his stomach. He grabbed the Earth's hand, keeping close to him; he didn't know why this happened, but he was determined to stay by Earth's side. They only have each other now...

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

Venus wants to know what the sol is happening. One moment he was a planet and the next he was an earthling. He was just in his orbit.

"Venus, maybe you should calm down-"

"SHUT IT PIPSQUEAK! I AM STUCK ON EARTH, WITH YOU IDIOTS!!" Venus supposes that it was a harsh reaction, but a fair one, all things considered. He really doesn't want to be here

"Hey we're all stuck here together! Chill out!" Mars tried to reason with the other celestial bodies turned human, "We need to focus on trying to, I don't know, survive?" He stressed the last word, he knows the most about being human after all, but he is still rather clueless. Earth wasn't one to talk about the day to day life of his earthlings, he'd rather focus on the new developments and other major achievements they've made.

The Sun was strangely quiet as he observed the three planets' argument. "We need to find a way to learn about the day to day lives of humans," he stated simply, "Or we should see if any other planets are here now. We need to stay together. For now we only have each other."

"Sun?" Mercury asked gently, "Is everything alright?" Mercury may find the Sun to be a bit clingy and annoying, he still was a good friend of his. This strange attitude was very disconcerting.

"Everythings fine, don't worry Mercury!"

"What-" the smallest planet started before-

"VENUS! MARS! COME ON!!" The sun roared at his planets; he doesn't want anything to happen to them. Don't they know that? Why do they think he is - was(?) - so strict on them about staying in their orbits?

"Right!" Mars said, grabbing Venus and dragging him over to Sun and Mercury, "We should try to find a library!"

"Wha-" Started Venus momentarily startled before he realized what was happening, "HEY! STOP DRAGGING ME!"

"THEN HURRY UP!"

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

"This doesn't make any sense-" The massive celestial body known as Jupiter was currently ranting about their current situation for the eighth time, "How are we human?! This shouldn't be possible! What-"

"Jupiter, maybe you should calm down," Saturn started from where he was sitting, "We need you to be level headed. You're the smartest one of us, I'm sure we'll figure this out eventually, but right now we need you."

"Right. Sorry."

"It's okay, mate," Uranus said from beside Saturn, "This situation is stressful for us all."

"Hehehe... I feel funny!"

"Well, almost all of us," Corrected Saturn, who was currently looking at Neptune with slight worry, "Is... Is he always like this?"

"Yeah," Uranus begrudgingly admitted, "He's kind of isolated in his orbit, y'know?"

"Right.." the famously ringed planet nodded, "SO! What should we do, Jupiter?"

"Well.. First we should probably figure out where we are, then we should-"

[leffee]

Sunil x Russell ..kinda

On a warm summer evening, the sky unfurled like a vast canvas, dotted with countless stars that twinkled against the deepening blue. Sunil and Russell made their way to a secluded hill on the outskirts of town, a place they often visited to escape the noise of their daily lives. Tonight, however, there was an electric undercurrent to the air, one that Sunil couldn’t ignore.

As they settled down on a soft patch of grass, Russell’s eyes immediately turned upward, alight with fascination. He had always been captivated by the cosmos, his passion evident in the way he spoke about constellations and planets. Sunil admired this about him; it was one of the many things that drew him to Russell.

“Look over there!” Russell exclaimed, pointing at a cluster of stars. “That’s Orion. You can see the belt right there.” His enthusiasm was contagious, and Sunil found himself smiling despite the fluttering in his stomach.

“Yeah, I see it,” Sunil replied, his gaze shifting from the stars to Russell’s animated face. The way the starlight illuminated Russell’s features made Sunil’s heart race. He wanted to tell Russell how he felt, but the words tangled in his throat. Instead, he leaned back, letting the cool grass cradle him as he tried to focus on the constellations.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to travel among the stars?” Russell mused, his eyes sparkling with wonder. “To see new worlds, meet new civilizations?”

Sunil nodded, trying to ignore the way his heart ached with longing. “Yeah, it would be amazing. But I think I’d miss Earth. It’s home.”

“True, but think of all the things we could learn!” Russell said, his voice rising with excitement. “Imagine discovering a new star system. We could name it anything we wanted!”

Sunil chuckled, picturing the two of them as intergalactic explorers. “We’d probably name it after our favorite snacks.”

Russell laughed, the sound bright and joyful, but soon turned his attention back to the sky. Sunil watched him, his heart full. He admired the way Russell’s passion shone, like the very stars they were gazing at. It made Sunil wish even more that he could express how he felt.

As they lay in comfortable silence, Sunil stole glances at Russell, memorizing the way the starlight danced in his eyes. “You know,” Sunil finally said, hesitating before continuing, “you really light up when you talk about this stuff.”

Russell turned his head, surprise flickering across his face. “Really? I guess I just love it so much. It’s like… each star has a story.”

“Do you have a favorite story?” Sunil asked, hoping to keep the conversation going and to somehow reveal his own feelings through shared interests.

“Definitely. The story of Cassiopeia is fascinating,” Russell began, his voice filled with enthusiasm. He recounted the myth of the vain queen who was punished for her arrogance, drawing Sunil deeper into the narrative. As Russell spoke, Sunil felt a sense of warmth envelop him—a blend of admiration and affection that he could no longer ignore.

As the story wound down, a moment of silence enveloped them, punctuated only by the rustling leaves and distant sounds of the night. Sunil’s heart pounded. Maybe this was the moment. He took a breath, summoning all his courage. “Russell, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

Before he could finish, a shooting star streaked across the sky, bright and fleeting. Russell gasped, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “Did you see that? It was incredible!”

Sunil smiled, feeling the moment slip away. “Yeah, I saw it. It was beautiful.”

“Let’s make a wish!” Russell said, closing his eyes for a moment, his expression serious. Sunil followed suit, but instead of a wish, he simply thought about how much he cared for Russell.

As they opened their eyes, Russell looked over at Sunil, the glow of the stars reflecting in his gaze. “What did you wish for?”

Sunil hesitated, then decided to embrace honesty. “I wished for more nights like this—together, just us.”

Russell smiled softly, and for a heartbeat, Sunil thought he saw something flicker in Russell’s eyes—understanding, perhaps, or a shared longing. But before he could dive deeper, Russell shifted his gaze back to the stars.

“I love nights like this,” he said quietly. “There’s something about the universe that makes me feel… connected.”

Sunil felt a mix of hope and uncertainty. Maybe tonight wasn’t the right time, but it was a start. As they lay back on the grass, the weight of unsaid words lingered between them, but the warmth of companionship wrapped around them like a comforting blanket. Under the vast expanse of the cosmos, Sunil held onto the hope that one day, he’d find the courage to share his heart with Russell. Until then, he was grateful for the stars—and for the moments they shared together.

:O Russunil fans are eating tonight! Straight up consuming 🔥🔥🔥

“Imagine discovering a new star system. We could name it anything we wanted!”

“We’d probably name it after our favorite snacks.”

Guy has the right idea, yes.

Vinnie wasn't mentioned but he was there, I know it

[revserrayyu]

2.1 Penacony thoughts [part5]

**BIG STORY SPOILERS** Chatting up until the end of the current story so if you haven’t finished it yet then I’d encourage you to do so before reading any further.

Before all the big reveals happen, I appreciate these few dialogue options we get right after the Aventurine fight. It sounds like they’re all asked in rapid succession and the last one is completely valid considering how often we actually switched viewpoints during this update.

Once Sam appeared, I knew it was finally going to be the moment where we learn who he truly is. As they list out the other hunter’s specialties and his own lack of one, he mentions “there is only one method that I use,” and I wanna say it’s deception..

..because lo and behold, everyone was completely right and the person beneath the armored suit is indeed Firefly herself. I’m not surprised, just interested in learning about her reasons. Was that death of hers planned and why? Has she always been Sam, even way back during the Jepella Rebellion trailer? Or does that device in her hand allow her to appear as Sam? Because didn’t we hear to talking to a “mecha” in that one dreamscape last patch? She just seems so out of place among the other Stellaron Hunters but I’m eager to learn more about her once we pick up here next update.

Also, I’m just gonna say it.. I wasn’t truly upset over her “death.” I feel like we were kinda forced to care for her after she gave us a tour of Penacony, but that alone wasn’t enough for me to get properly attached. That time was real brief and only took up a small section of the previous update. Not to mention the many weeks in between updates where I spent much time thinking about almost everyone else aside from her. Most other characters we’ve met on this planet received trailers, drip marketing and so much more to get me invested into learning about them while Firefly’s presence was short lived. I would genuinely be upset if anything bad happened to Black Swan, Acheron or Sparkle and I’m already emotional over Robin, Aventurine and maybe even Sunday. There’s stuff going on with Gallagher and Misha that I’m still curious about and we haven’t even properly met Boothill yet but I’m so excited to see him. Maybe my opinion on Firefly will change during the next update, but for now I really don’t have any strong feelings about her other than simple curiosity. I am pleased to see her still alive for the Trailblazer’s sake, but if she somehow survives this entire story and Aventurine doesn’t..hmpf.

All that aside, the scene with Gallagher and Sunday was.. a lot to take in, but once again we have someone else calling Sunday crazy. Perhaps he should go to therapy.

The framing of this scene is nice and sorta confirms those purple nightingales do in fact see everything happening on Penacony, acting as Sunday’s eyes and reporting back to him. At least that’s the vibe I’m getting.

This is quite unexpected? Honestly I feel like every time Sunday is involved there’s a new plot point that’s introduced into this giant story. Both sides definitely have it out for each other, that’s for sure.

What in the hell is this twist??

Sunday thinks Gallagher is in disguise, but after the hound tells him to take a closer look, Sunday starts to notices all these little details about him that seem reminiscent to 52 other members of the Family.

I wish I could say this idea is foreign to me, but it actually reminds me of Kamui from the second season of Psycho Pass and how his body is made up of 184 different people and 7 personalities. Kamui was also unable to be detected by any scanners and that also reminds me of Gallagher and how almost no other Bloodhound knows who he is.

And I haven’t the faintest idea on what Sunday means here but I noticed the voice over doesn’t even say “minion of the Enigmata” no matter how many times I tried to replay this line over.

It’s at this moment where I started to waiver with my distrust towards Sunday and actually start to feel bad for him a little bit solely because of the strong emotion in his voice when he questions why Robin had to be killed. It at least prevents me from thinking he had any part of it.

Then we head into a cutscene and dear god, things happen quick. This one shot of Gallagher reminds me of his light cone just because of the lighter.

This frame of Sunday looking down on him feels so intense and I kinda love it with both the intense shadows and harsh light.

And then..? Our angelic and handsome man gets killed?? Presumably by another memory zone meme I guess I dunno it happened in an instant and all I have to show for it is splatters of goo??

Oohhh my goodness.. this story took such a turn. Many of them actually. Seeing how Sunday is a puddle on the floor similar to what happened to Firefly, I wanna believe that he’s gonna be okay? If she could survive, surely he can too. Maybe? I’m still not to sure about Robin’s condition and I’m being so darn hopeful that Aventurine is alive somehow. That’s definitely the death that hurts most for me if true. Anyways, I’ll end it here and just say there’s many answers to look forward to with the next update. As always, I’m not trusting anyone! Astral Express family only!

(originally written on 3/30)

[bagog]

N7 Month, 2023 - Day 14: Shore

The sound of waves, and in the distance, the heat of the tropical zone colliding with the temperate band of the planet, stoking up a colossal lightning storm too far away to hear. Just the waves, then.

“Hey,” Kaidan’s voice was soft, but jarring compared to the noise of the surf lapping in against Shepard’s shoes. His best shoes were soaked and sinking into the sand. Kaidan looked down and had to notice, noticed the way that the hem of Shepard’s slacks was soaked, the dark patch siphoning up the cotton almost to his knee. He didn’t say anything about it. “Debated giving you some time to yourself, but then I figured maybe you could use some company.”

The sun passed behind a cloud, and a warm breeze stirred the tropical leaves. It was a picturesque evening on Virmire.

“Thanks,” Shepard said stiffly. “Just wanted to clear my head before everything starts.” He let Kaidan guide him a few paces back from the edge of the water, and he turned to look back where they had walked from.

A hundred paces away, the beach met the far edge of a sizable crater. The crater itself had become a new shallow bay along the shoreline, and the forest had begun to reclaim the sandy walls that tumbled into the water below. Hovering over the beach was a shimmer in the air: a salarian stealth drop ship, chameleon with the color of the sky. It barely made a sound as it floated three meters off the sand.

Six salarians had stepped down out of the air, each of them in their planet’s equivalent of formal wear.

“We would be legends!” Kirrahe had said, “But the records are sealed.”

And so they were, even once the Reaper War had ended and a newer, friendlier Council had been established. There was no record of Saran’s cloning base on Virmire, or of the teams that had destroyed it. To be a covert operative meant no one could call you ‘hero’, but more so it meant nobody could see you mourn your dead.

And so, as was special tactics’ custom, 6 years after the mission, the surviving members of Mannovai and Jaeto teams had returned to Virmire to pay their respects to the members of Aeghor team, who did not survive.

“I asked about building a little cairn for her or something,” Kaidan said softly into Shepard’s ear, letting their shoulders bump. “You know just something small, couple rocks or something. They told me even that is too much… evidence, or whatever. Apparently, according to custom, they’re not even going to leave their footprints in the sand.”

“Ah I see,” Shepard let the corner of his mouth curl just a little. “So I’m making it harder by walking off alone down the beach, huh?”

“I think they see the need for isolation as a pretty human quirk,” Kaidan took Shepard’s arm and turned them towards the salarians who had gathered. Major Kirrahe was just emerging from the drop ship. “I don’t think anybody’s going to complain today.”

“I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be standing. I know there’s some ceremonial significance.” Shepard whispered as they walked closer.

“I got it, just stand next to me.” He reached down and squeezed Shepard’s hand.

“…can’t even leave her a cross made out of sticks, or?” Shepard whispered at last. He only received another hand squeeze from Kaidan.

Kirrahe began the ceremony without fanfare or preamble a few moments later. It was a rousing speech Shepard couldn’t pay attention to. He’d have to ask Kaidan to give him the notes on it later. Kirrahe stood with the backdrop of the crater. You really couldn’t tell a facility had been here. If it weren’t for the conspicuous roundness of the bay itself, it’d be easy to believe it was natural with how much the jungle had claimed it in the past 6 years.

“Ito Modrin, Aeghor Team.” Kirrahe intoned. The salarians chanted a brief syllable, something between a shush and a shout. Kaidan and Shepard joined with them as the names rolled on. A dozen or more.

“Voran Loenerz, Jaeto Team.”

It was beautiful, as far as final resting places went. He’d left his first soldier behind here. Somewhere else in the galaxy, he’d left others floating in space above an icy alien world. At least he’d been allowed to erect a monument there.

“Ridenza Clao, Jaeto Team Leader.”

The invitation had been a surprise. And it had loosened something that had been lodged inside him. About Ash, about Alchera, about everything. He wasn’t sure if the ceremony today was the beginning or the ending of something inside him, something that had been more comfortable stuck, irritating but out of mind.

“Williams Ashley, Aeghor Team Leader.”

The company chanted, and then there was a moment of silence. Only the sound of the waves, and of alien birds. Then, as if they all understood it was over, the members of the salarian team turned and began to board the drop ship once again. A few exchanged terse pleasantries with Shepard and Kaidan before they boarded, but even Kirrahe only said a few words before boarding the drop pod:

“Please take a moment if you need.”

Kaidan and Shepard stood alone on the beach.

“Tell me what you’ve been thinking about?” Kaidan took Shepard’s hand again.

“I’ll tell you everything when we get back, if you tell me Kirrahe’s speech.” Kaidan laughed, but turned Shepard to face him.

“I’m glad you were here with me today. And… I’m glad I was here with you.” He leaned forward and softly kissed Shepard, putting his arms around him.

They listened to the sound of the waves for another moment, then they cleared their footprints and boarded the ship—flew away.