#also comics are hard.. idk how y'all do these
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somethin silly for a request
transcript under the cut! <3
don't repost!
(walking)
julian: say ...
julian: you don't really believe in all that "ghost" nonsense, ... do you?
asra: (mild surprise & mischief)
asra: i don't know. anything's possible really.
julian: !
asra: plus i mean, even so, what's the worst he could do?-
asra: -possess you or something?
julian: (julian stops walking, visibly nervous)
julian: i-i mean .. that's not possible, right-? surely you're just joking.
julian: ... you are kidding, aren't you?
julian: ... asra?
asra: (gone)
julian: ah.
#my art#request#just a little harmless teasing u know#no clue where this would fit in canon honestly but it's inspired by heart hunter interactions#also comics are hard.. idk how y'all do these#i've been looking at this way too long. please god have turned out ok#the arcana#the arcana game#the arcana fanart#the arcana asra#asra alnazar#asra#the arcana julian#julian devorak#julian#fan comic#comic#ilya devorak#the arcana ilya#ilya
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This yours?
[DP x DC fic]
[Love at first... murder? - part 12]
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Part 1
Ao3
---
Somewhere else, in a seemingly abandoned building on the outskirts of the city, a figure shrouded in darkness and wearing a dark cloak plots.
In front of them is a whiteboard. It’s covered in pictures, sticky notes, and illegible texts. Some of the notes thrown about that are legible are ‘fight…’, ‘draw blood.’, and ‘DEATH!!!’.
There’s a crude stick figure drawn in the corner of the board, it’s impaled. Other small doodles can also be found all around the board.
Most of the information and pictures are connected by red strings, like you see in movies.
In the middle is a picture of 2 people sitting on a motorcycle, the arms of the person sitting in the back are around the waist of the person sitting in the front. The picture has some arrows pointing towards it and the people in the picture are very obviously circled.
Though the face of the person driving the motorcycle is obscured by their helmet, the other person seems to be heavily blushing and grinning broadly.
“Yes… yes! That’s it! I know what to do…” They seem to be speaking to themselves.
Quickly, the person scribbles down a barely legible ‘sacrifice!!‘.
They start cackling.
“Mwuahaha!”
It’s an evil laugh they’ve been working on for quite a while now, and they’re pretty proud of it.
However, the effect is slightly ruined when a fly enters their mouth, cutting off their cackling with choking as they gasp for air, grasping at their throat.
A few good thumps against their chest, with some coughing out their lungs, helps them dislodge the fly from their throat and they spit it out on the ground. They take a few deep breaths before straightening up again.
“Curse you” the person exclaims, angrily waving their fist at the fly as it flies away.
---
Bruce’s face gives off nothing as he stares at the streets down below. He’s dressed as Batman, crouched at the edge of a building with Damian by his side as Robin. Spoiler, Black Bat, Nightwing, and Red Robin are further back on the rooftop.
They watch in silence as another group of the Joker’s goons passes by. They’ve been all over the city, wandering around, not doing anything obviously illegal.
They don’t stay in one place and they don’t seem to have much of a purpose. No attacks… No stealing… No smuggling or transport of goods… No, instead they’re inspecting every single inch of the city.
They don’t seem to have any weapons on them. All they’re carrying on them are some flashlights. While most don’t give anything away with their body language or expressions, some seem to give off a bit of anxious energy.
Spoiler claimed she even saw some of them climb down into the sewers earlier and then climbing out again sometime later somewhere else, but this time ‘dejected and stinky’.
One thing seems clear to the Bats.
They’re searching for something… or someone.
“This basically confirms that not even the Joker’s henchmen know where he is. He’s missing.”
“I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing”
“Good… thing?”
“It’s… something. That’s for sure.”
“We don’t know if he’s really missing. For all we know it could be a trap. What if the Joker is hiding, pretending to be missing to have us bring our guard down? Besides, how could he be missing? He’s the Joker. No one’s just gonna kidnap him”
“For all we know he could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere”
“I highly doubt that”
“Everyone, focus” Bruce speaks up, having them draw their attention to him.
“It’s unclear whether the Joker is simply hiding away or missing. Instead of focusing on the why, we need to focus on the where. Missing or not, we need to find him and get him back to Arkham. Oracle, have you managed to find out anything from the footage yet?”
“Nope, still nothing. All the files from the moment he enters Crime Alley are wiped and any attempt at recovering them only brings back corrupted files.”
“We need Red Hood. Where is he?” Bruce asks.
“He still has his phone on silent and he has removed the trackers and cams. We haven’t placed any new ones on him yet”
“Let’s visit him on his turf then. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious in the meantime. Oracle, try recovering the missing files. If that doesn’t work, go back to the breakout footage. Perhaps he left some kind of clues about his plans or whereabouts behind there.” Bruce states.
“Roger that.”
---
Red Hood has his arms by his sides as he gazes down upon the street below from the rooftop of a random apartment building in Crime Alley.
He’s lucky to have avoided the Bats so far. But he doubts his luck will last for long.
Red Hood stiffens as he suddenly feels something clamp down on his arm. As a reflex, his other hand has already drawn his gun.
He slowly raises the arm he felt something clamp down on and looks at it, only to make eye contact with a girl with black hair and blue eyes who has sunk her teeth into his arm and is now hanging off of it.
The teeth are sharp, as the girl seems to have some small fangs. They’ve gone through his jacket and sunken into his skin.
It doesn’t really hurt all that badly though, probably hasn’t even drawn much blood, and that’s one of the only reasons Jason hasn’t flung the kid off of him yet. Another reason is the fact that it’s a kid.
They both stare at each other for several seconds.
As Jason takes her appearance in, he notices that she seems rather familiar. In fact, she looks like a more feminine version of Danny, or if Danny had a twin.
The person hanging off of his arm looks younger than Danny though, probably a teenager around 13 or 14, if he had to make a guess.
Slowly, he puts his gun away and takes out his phone with his other hand, watching the random girl’s eyes follow his movements. He raises it level with her face and snaps a picture, quickly sending it to Danny and ignoring the girl’s curious gaze while she’s still hanging onto his arm by her fucking teeth.
---
Meanwhile, Danny checks his phone to see Red Hood sent him a message. He opens it and is greeted by a picture of Ellie in human form biting down on Red Hood’s arm with the caption ‘this yours???’
---
Taglist:
@i-always-say-yea @uraniumwizard @why-must-i-be-like-this @griffinthing
#dp x dc#dp x dc fic#dpxdc#dcxdp#dc x dp#dp x dc crossover#dead on main#dead on main ship#Im wondering how easy/hard it is to guess who the person is#and also yes its supposed to have stereotypically comedic 'evil'/'villain' vibes#the person did that on purpose because they are dramatic and have style#also i aged ellie down a little from how old she *should* be cause i felt like it fit better#If you need a reason maybe she like ages a little bit slower due to being a clone or something idk#oh and i have a question for you all#should i make a masterpost??#i have like the very first chapter pinned but i feel like a masterpost might be better#especially cause like i already have 12 chapters and the story is only getting longer#damn this story has gone further than expected from a oneshot lol#it all started with me just tinking it'd be funny if like#a character was basically in shock but was still like nah I cant just kiss someone without consent lol#also I said id post like 5-6 chapters and this is still only like 6k :( i really need to write more ;-;#and also if y'all haven't noticed already#all I know of dc is through fanfics and fandom posts#though I really want to start reading the comics#i just haven't really had the time nor do I really know what's good and where to start#so like if anyone has any recommendations for dc/batfam comics they are more than welcome!! ^-^
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I love your most recent Miguel fic! I do have a question tho for my hearts sake? Is Miguel actually fucking all those girls? Idk why but I don’t think I could ever look past someone doing that in my vicinity and then seeing potential romantic relationships with them… like I wouldn’t be able to look past how infatuated he seems with all of them in the moment and it would be hard not to compre myself to the tule of girl he brings in, my trust issues would be BUZZZIN lol.
If so, could I ask what made you characterize him as such? Was it like more a trope that caught your attention so you decided to explore it? Or does he really seem like the type to you? All are very genuine and curious questions by the way I love love your writing it’s incredible💕
Hey, happy to answer the question, so I'll spoil under the cut!
short answer: yes and no
long answer: he has a history of sleeping around, but isn't actively sleeping with them.
I do think this version of Miguel (combo of film and comics) sleeps around but not necessarily for the sake of it. his daughter died 3 years ago, a daughter he had young already, so he is emotionally stunted, and unable to deal with his loss. he's searching for intimacy and unable to commit due to both his grief and family history. I'm writing him loosely along the lines of comic Miguel's backstory: abusive (non-bio) dad, conchata's (his mum) behaviour towards that etc, etc - and how he's felt duty to take care of the people around him, and failed twice, in his eyes (his family, and then gabi).
it's more of a ploy to get reader riled up and potentially out of the house. I've attempted to set up that reader is very passive and avoidant, even when things go wrong around the house, so he is essentially escalating to see when she'll snap and react - bro is a scientist and is experimenting lmfao. the people he's faking sleeping around with he has slept with in the past / has a friendship with so they kinda go along with it cuz a) they think it's harmless and b) let him get away with it cuz he's had a rough few years. Reader is also an unreliable narrator: a lot of aggression and situations are exaggerated / perceived wrong; which also infuriates Miguel to no end, hence why he keeps escalating. this is still kind of insane, but it's a fic so who cares lmfao
I'm also trying to establish a reluctance to commit with reader due to last relationships - which us why they will (eventually) fall into a fwb situation. and then all the emotions and insecurity (on both ends) as y'all pretend the relationship is surface level.
anyways this is a long ass way to say people grieve in different ways, he hasn't really worked through his baggage, and it's affecting how he interacts with other people. I understand the emotional implications and there's no way in hell that I personally cld be with a straight up fuckboy - which is why I'm writing him more complicated than that.
thank you for the question anon and i hope this isn't too boring 😭
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So what was the thought process you and @twinanimatronics had for Moon and DJMM being besties?
Like I know that's a huge fanon thing (though i think y'all were one of the early ones) but is it something yall based on game data or character analysis?
Ohhh!!!
A pretty good question.
I think part of it had to do with @factual-fantasy's wonderful au and comics of the DJ being very close buds with Sun and Moon.
But I think there was a bit more to it then that.
I think I just wanted a fanfiction mostly centered around Moon and the DJ's friendship because they're both Security bots and are the only two animatronics in the Pizzaplex that go back to being "mainly chill" after their initial segment. (Moon showing up at every hourly recharge being super easy to avoid outside his initial Daycare Segment and Sun just stays in the slide all other times)
I also remember seeing the headcanon in @paper-lilypie's old comics that Moon had a music box, which was a popular hc, that Ceph and I have actually proved to be canon with our rabid exploring of the Pizzaplex map like its an archeological dig site.
Made me get to thinking if Moon used his music box often, what songs would he use?
Also got me thinking about how the DJ makes up his own songs on rotation to avoid copyright. He's essentially an AI generated song prompt, but far more endearing and self-aware. DJMM makes his own bouncer chase music to capture Gregory and that's pretty endearing to me.
Thought about Moon stealing DJ's songs to use in his music box. (and yes, I know real life music boxes are made with a set song in mind and he can't rotate them unless there are discs in there. But idk. lol don't think about the mechanics of this too hard of how a music box actually works)
Made me think that Moon would like relaxing Lofi beats that the DJ would make for him.
Lofi Beats to Capture Children to was initially planned to be five chapters. Just showing glimpses into the lives of DJMM and Moon interacting, from a more DJ-themed perspective, with the pov changing between Moon and the DJ...
But I kept adding more things into there.
Once I realized Sun had to be a character in this, the perspective strictly stayed with Sun and Moon.
Like an OC that was meant to just be a foil, and die for character development for the Daycare Attendant turned out to be more complex then I thought as he just became a worse version of myself and I wanted to see him get better so I made a spin-off entirely about him.
I realized I wanted to have Vanny in this, because I love Vanessa. I wanted to show the toxic but completely codependent relationship the DCA has with Vanessa. Because... Well, let's face it, Vanessa is a non-character in her own game. Many fans don't love her in the way I do. Even the most hard wired DCA fans don't really have anything to say about Vanny/Vanessa.... and either ignore she exists... or she's a meangirl background character not important to the plot. Despite the fact that Vanny and Moon's relationship is the driving force for so many things that happen in Security Breach. To the point where the Daycare Attendant is literally a thematic parallel to the Vanny/Vannessa relationship... Something I've been screaming about since Security Breach came out and no one listened.... But I was right. To the Point it's explicitly confirmed in Help Wanted 2.
And I also realized that if Sun was going to be a character, I had to establish life for them for a good chunk of it and how fast things go down. I had to determine whether I wanted them to be their separate things, or one person with DID. And ... While I do think that DID is actually canon..... it's something I don't have experience with writing, and I feel that I would end up saying or portraying it offensively. Especially since the DCA already kinda has the "bad alter" archetype in canon. Plus, to coexist with Twins where they get seperated and they're learning to be their own people... It just makes more sense to have a level of miscommunication between the two. So we understand Sun's fear and need for control. (like in canon Sun has no reason to string up fairylights in his dark room... other then just to never have moon switch over and make him uncomfortable. There's no kids in their room to capture. The generators can stay on in the pizzaplex and their room could be dark and the children would be safe. Sun is making it so Moon can't switch at all... and while that is horrible for Moon, it's important to see where that level of distrust and anger and controlling behavior stems from, and why Moon might be afraid of him in twins)
And If I wanted the DJMM to be friends with Moon, I also needed excuses for Moon to go there. I also needed to consider his relationship with the other Glamrocks and animatronics in the pizzaplex. I had to show how isolated Sun was and how much Sun cared for the kids, genuinely.
So the whole thing snowballed and it sometimes becomes intimidating to work on.
I guess long story short... The DJ is cool. And Moon is cool. I love them both and they make a really great non-verbal pair.
I absolutely love Lofi. So thanks for sending this ask. I know I haven't updated in awhile. But you think being unemployed would give me more freetime... lol but I'm mostly depressed and stressed.
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more loonatics headcanons / shenanigans...
i've been on such a binge watch of lu that I just need to post abt it okay leave me alone
BUT I'VE NOTICED THINGS !!! (this is s2 ep4) !! you kind of get an insight of what they all like to do and things they enjoy with these bedroom stills.
ACE:
obviously: likes carrots, cute lil bunny.
HIS LIL DOORMAT DJSNGJSDNJK
i couldn't zoom in enough to see what's on his monitor but you know he likes to watch shows before bed. relatable content.
the fact he's got two side tables as well gives me eating in his bed vibes but also he'd be clean abt it. i also think he'd be a big comic book reader. not sure what, but he would be. I'll let y'all decide.
speaking on that, there's a shelf with books on the far right so yeah. i think he'd also read manga bc of his anime complex. he may also keep some sort of CDs ? maybe vinyls ???
i know this man keeps katanas and a dartboard in his room.
he's a snowboarder !!!! THAT'S SO COOL. he must be a god bc this man is AGILE.
he's got a skyline view PHEWWWWW rich ass mf
also. an aquarium on his right (our left) which is so fun I wonder what kinds of marine life they'd keep!!!
I'm also not sure what the compartment behind his head is for but I think its a closed-off bookshelf or space for his knick-knacks. i also see a fireplace too but idk how logical that is lol
LEXI:
NOW WHY SHE SLEEPING IN A HAMMOCK WHEN THE GIRLIE COULD HAVE A QUEEN SIZED BED ??? she's quirky like that ig. whatever makes her comfy. (I know she'd upgrade, I just know. just bc she can sleep anywhere doesn't mean she's always comfortable.)
a phone/pager by her bed is so real
THE WALLPAPER IS BEACHY IT'S SO CUTE
she's a SKIIER AND A SURFER. WHAT CAN'T SHE DO. (seasickness who)
cabinet obvi for storage, idk why she'd have anything important in there besides old childhood items it's so high up???
lower shelves are for books and things maybe. or video games.
AND DO YOU SEE THE AQUARIUM ??? THIS CONFIRMS THAT LEXI AND ACE HAVE NEIGHBOURING BEDROOMS AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE MY MIND. there has to be some type of barrier/wall between the two tanks for privacy reasons but I'M DEAD GNFDGNDJKFNJDFNKHK MY BABIES
opposing skyline views so iconic... i know she takes mad insta pictures (or duck takes them) to get good sunset shots
i believe the items on the table are her laptop, a makeup bag andddd maybe a clutch purse? just a guess bc they're so tiny.
laptop makes sense. it'd be hard but she could still try to get an education on the side??? lots of work for a girl but she's a boss like that.
makeup for obvious reasons
clutch purse for nights out
SLAM:
THE WAY I'D BE SO SCARED FOR THAT WEIGHT TO DROP ON MY HEAD. SLAM IS A TROOPER WTF
I remember sumth abt that cylinder thingy on the left but I can't remember what it's for yet. will update when the ep comes.
MANS IS AN INTELLECTUAL !! those are all comic books (like ace, they bond) and language workbooks.
the poster of pizza is SO REAL OF HIM
there's a teeny tiny chute beside his door and I wonder what it's for. maybe it's a scanner? idk
light above his head is also...a choice.
i'd like to think that the things at the end of his bed are air purifiers and that slam has some sort of breathing issue when he goes to sleep. maybe he grinds his jaw or is a mouth breather;;;
computer for gaming tings and other endeavours
A WHOLE ASS TREADMILL YEAH BUDDY U STAY IN SHAPE.
i know this man doesn't have a WHOLE ASS DRUMSTICK IN HIS BED. but makes sense. he totally eats in bed BUT IS MESSY ABT IT. duck and lexi HATE IT IT'S NASTY HAHAH they ask him to switch his sheets and vacuum almost everyday
DUCK:
THIS MAN IS SO CONCEITED I CAN'T Y'ALL.
but like ace, he also has a tv by his bed I know he and lexi would watch romcoms together
K-DRAMAS???? SPECIFICALLY SINGLES INFERNO (only bc s3 just came out, it's on the brain) duck just boasts abt how he's better looking than all of the other males while lexi is very much about the relationships/drama
his little peek-a-boo window behind his head is so cute :"))))
I have no god damn clue what that thing is beside him on the left but I'm sure it's important
but he wears headphones to sleep !!! must need white noise or rain to sleep
control panel for his lights and other digitally controlled shit in his room
THIS MAN HAS SO MANY MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT HIMSELF AND THE LOONATICS (but only bc he is in them, thank yew) I also think he'd carry a lot of fashion magazines too. things that are in. the second a fad ends he's done w it
I'm assuming this is an arcade game setup, but i think he'd love Mario kart :) him and tech love to battle on this but move it to the main room bc duck thinks tech is cheating bc "the screen is two small".
i know this man would sleep with mf silk sheets and a fleece comforter he's a bougie bitch
computer for obvious reasons
REV:
i had to include all four shots bc he is a sleepwalker/runner LOOK AT HOW CUTE HE IS ;U;
it looks like he sleeps in a casket-like bed (hence, the lid is open top centre) I believe he only has this open when he's awake so idk who forgot to close it. it needs to be closed so that when rev does actually get up and sleepwalks, he's contained. the last thing the loonatics want to wake up to is the house completely trashed bc rev had a dream he was running from something. so casket bed it was.
that's also why. he doesn't sleep with sheets. if he trips and falls oh lord. therefore he wears super warm pjs in the winter to not freeze to death
he's got a ton of books, rightfully so, I think he and tech would share this bookcase because it would have different manuals, blueprints and miscellaneous mechanical guides. robot guides. that too. i also think rev would be that person who re-reads his childhood books over and over again and not get sick of them ever
there is also a treadmill in this room I just know it
a tv as well. idk where, but I hc it's there.
TECH:
thanks for giving me nothing to work with here
I kind looked forward into the ep and there's a smidge of the bedroom in a frame but idk what the other shit could be
but I know his room is very clean. it's SPOTLESS. everything is organized and well put together.
I'm going to ignore the fact he suckles his thumb bc this man is 24 years old BYE
there's a whole bunch of ai robots in there to do anything he wants.
he is also the other loonatic who has their own bathroom. he only got it bc he won the straw draw. well, ace won technically, but gave it to tech bc he was the oldest and would keep it in the best shape. duck still hasn't forgiven him for it.
he shares it with lexi since she's the only lady in the house :) ain't no way she shares with the boys.
the others share the other bathroom. one more gets installed later but the other four are SOL
tech also has a nice walk-in closet
he needs to take melatonin b4 bed bc this man is noctournal
has drones scattered on shelves, ones he's built and ones he's collected from professors and other inventors
AAAAND THAT'S IT. THANKS FOR COMING TO ANOTHER TED TALK LOL I'MMA GO FINISH S2 XOXO
#faves: lu#loonatics unleashed#viv speaks#looney tunes#loonatics headcanons#nah i popped off#i love my kids to BITS IDC.#i have so many more hcs AAAAAA#my brain is a wormhole of knowledge#i hate hyperfixating on things but i love them at the same time lol#anywayyyys i'll be back most likely haha#xoxoxo
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can maybe do one w the riven where reader is sky's little sister (so obviously off limits... right?!) and riven starts bickering w her w his usual snark and when she replies with equal snark he's stunned/in awe like yep, she's the one
absolutely I can. I have so many drabbles where the reader is sky's sibling omg! I mean it's amazing I'm not complaining, but y'all really seem to see him as a good brother figure
um. this is long. like really long. lmao (for a drabble ofc. idk if it'd deserve the title oneshot tho)
ALSO!!!!! MENTIONS OF GIVING HEAD. LIKE. EXPLICITLY. NO SMUT I DONT WRITE SMUT BUT WE ALL KNOW RIVEN
"Cig?"
Riven held his cigarette out to you with one hand, the pack in his other. You looked up at him from where you sat cross-legged on the ground opposite him and raised your eyebrows.
"Cig?", you mocked. "So that I can get lung cancer and die? No, thank you."
Riven laughed, put the pack away and lit his cigarette anyway. Admittedly, it was attractive, yes. But still very very bad for his health and he should definitely have stopped doing it long ago.
God, even when he'd come over for the breaks, he'd been smoking like all the time. So this conversation wasn't rare. Back then, you'd at least forced him to smoke outside, not in the house. Which had kind of worked.
"You won't die from one cigarette", he said, grinning at you.
"One of us is definitely gonna die though if you don't stop offering your goddamn cigarettes to me", you snapped, scrunching up your nose. "And it'd be nice if you just stopped smoking in close proximity to me, like, at all."
Riven rolled his eyes and leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, to get on the same level as you. This, if possible, was even more infuriating than his smoking. Because he was generally taller than you. And always did it. He always, always, always leaned down - you would have said he had some problem if you didn't know very well why he did it.
Because the first time he had leaned down - god, the very first time you'd seen him, standing there in the doorway next to Sky in his leather jacket, a cigarette in one hand and his bag in the other - you had forgotten what you'd wanted to say to him about his annoying habit of smoking. Actually, you'd forgotten how speaking worked entirely, and breathing right along with it, and you'd swallowed so hard and gone so weak in the knees that you'd almost tripped.
Now he wouldn't let you live that down. Ever.
"Why?", he grinned, interrupting your thoughts, bringing you back to the present (of him hovering close to you, as always). "You wanna kill me?"
"Or myself", you snorted, shoving all your feelings deep down. You would definitely rather kill yourself than admit any of the things you felt. Or what you imagined whenever you looked at him. He was your brother's best friend, god! Someone help you.
"Anyway", you said, clearing your throat and deciding then and there that you'd just ignore him glancing down at your lips for the rest of eternity instead of commenting on it like you usually had. Just that usually Sky was in the room as well, which made it much, much easier to hide your obvious attraction to this asshole. "Where's Sissy? I thought he said he was gonna come back 'in a second'?"
Riven laughed and shook his head slightly, only to lean forward even more. You had to will yourself to keep staring into his eyes.
"We should make the best of the time he's gone", he said, glancing down at your lips as you gritted your teeth.
"Riven", you said warningly.
It wasn't that he hadn't tried flirting before. He had. Often. Like, every time he had seen you. At first, it had seemed like he'd just wanted to piss off Sky (which, obviously, had worked), but by now he did it whenever you were alone, too. Which somehow, coincidentally, happened more often the longer you knew him. Of course it had made sense, at first, because you'd started Alfea, but after a while, it had become almost comical. Not that you didn't like spending time with him though.
"What?", he asked, pretending he didn't know what you were talking about.
"Riven", you said again, - sadly - already much softer. Dear lord, why couldn't you pull yourself together?
"Yeah?"
You bit the insides of your cheek and closed your eyes. Could he be any more obvious? It had become so irritably obvious over the last week that you almost felt embarrassed. Sky'd noticed too. Of course
"Riv, don't", you whispered. At this point he'd learned forward as far as he could without falling off the edge of his bed, but he was already close enough so that if you just moved a bit, you could kiss him.
You didn't particularly know why you didn't.
Because he was Sky's best friend? Because he was an asshole? Because he smoked? Because.... oh, you didn't know. Maybe all of it. Maybe none. Maybe you were just scared that this was a game to him, as everything was, just to piss Sky off, or just to be able to say he won. Maybe you were scared, yes.
"Your brother won't come back for another hour", Riven muttered, as if to coax you into finally giving in. You were close to. But that had nothing to do with what he said.
"Another hour?", you asked, frowning and opening your eyes again.
Riven must've realised that he'd killed the mood because he just sighed and fell back down on his bed. You were somehow both relieved and upset that he did.
"Look at your phone", he grunted, having gone back to smoking. You rolled your eyes but said nothing, only fished your phone from the bed behind you and unlocked it.
Sky had texted. He'd run into Bloom and would drive with her to your house, to get some old book.
Cool. So you'd waited here for him for nothing.
"Ass", you muttered and threw away the phone. You didn't have anything else to do anyway. So you just watched Riven smoke for a while.
Maybe you should just go and open the window. Maybe-
"I know I'm hot, but there's no need to stare", Riven said after a minute (which almost had you flinching, that's how immersed in your thoughts and watching him you'd been).
"I wasn't staring, you bastard", you argued, grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
"No?", he laughed, easily blocking your halfhearted attack.
"No. I just so... happened to be looking at you while I was zoned out. Idiot."
He put out his cigarette in the ashtray on his bedside table while you watched him with crossed arms, debating why you had not already left and pretending it was because there was nowhere you needed to be.
"Yeah?", he laughed. "And what were you thinking about? How good I looked?"
You snorted again. Not that it hadn't been like that, god, and how you had been thinking about that. But what were you gonna say? Yes? Definitely not. Sadly, just continuing to say no didn't work with Riven. He wouldn't let it go. So you sighed.
"How it'd feel to run my hands through your hair while you're eating me out", you said instead, trying your best to sound disinterested, not even looking at him.
He let out a breathy chuckle in surprise. You could barely conceal a grin. What was it again, that saying - honesty's the best lie? Something like that.
It wasn't even that you particularly had meant to say it. But with his constant jabbing and bickering and flirting, a retort like that had been looooong overdue.
"Were you?", Riven asked, grin apparent. You rolled your eyes at him.
"Of course not, dipshit", you snorted. "Like I'd ever let you eat me out."
He shook his head as he got out his pack of cigarettes, pulled one out and lit it.
"You should", he said, new smoke filling the room. Your nose scrunched up almost involuntarily. God, how many of those did he smoke in a day? Where did he even get the money? "I've been told I'm the best."
You rolled your eyes and finally got up, deciding you'd had enough of him for today.
"Sure", you said sarcastically. "And I've been told I'm the pope and just won the lottery. Get a new line."
You'd turned around, away from him, to collect your phone and your jacket from Sky's bed, and when you turned back, he'd stood up as well, pulling you close with his hands on your hips before you could even let out a sound of surprise. His lips were so close to yours that your gaze flickered down at them almost immediately. If you'd had the mental capacity, you would've scolded yourself.
"I could show you", he muttered, that damned grin on his face. You swallowed. And then again. And forced yourself to look into his eyes.
"Another time, maybe", you whispered, trying your hardest to make it sound ironic.
Riven leaned so far down that you could feel his breath on your skin. His fingers were digging into your hips firmly, but you were well aware that you could have moved. If you'd wanted to. Which you did not.
"Really?", he asked. "Now seems like the perfect time."
You closed your eyes as you tried to pick up the little pieces your mind had shattered into and puzzle them back together so that you could form a coherent sentence.
"Riv, we shouldn't", you whispered (it was the only thing you could think of).
"Why not?", he muttered. "Because you're Sky's little sister?"
You chuckled.
"That too."
For a second, he was silent. You dared to open your eyes again. He looked like he was searching your face for an indication of something.
"What else?", he asked, frowning.
You bit your lip. You weren't really going to tell him all the reasons why. You couldn't. How pathetic would it be if you started rambling about how you didn't think he was actually into you? God.
"Riv", you said instead, and trailed off. You just didn't know. You didn't know what to tell him.
"What else?", he repeated, now a little more forcefully. His fingertips digged harder into your hips. You took a deep breath.
No getting out now, was there?
"I just... It feels like you're not actually interested in me, you know? I'm scared you'll kiss me and I'll fall hopelessly in love with you while you move on with the next foolish idiot."
Here - your shovel, have fun starting to dig your own grave!
There should really be an advertisement that sold shovels like that.
Riven was so quiet for so long that you started worrying he'd somehow malfunctioned and turned off like a robot. Maybe the fact he hadn't yet dropped dead from all his cigarettes should have indicated that he actually was a robot.
Then he said your name, quietly, softly, almost, taking your chin in one hand and forcing you to look into his eyes again.
"I fucking despise those declarations of love", he said, somehow not sounding like he despised anything at all at the moment. "But you're basically forcing me to say it, so-" He took a deep breath. "You're not some game, okay? You're... I mean, you're funny, and you're stubborn, and you always have some retort to what I say. You're adorable when you try to resist getting close to me, like when your cheeks get red and your eyes blown wide like fucking Bambi. You're perfect, I just-"
He hadn't even finished when you'd suddenly leaned forward, surprising even yourself, and pressed your lips onto his.
He tasted of smoke. Which was disgusting. And if he wanted to kiss you in the future, he'd have to lay off the cigarettes, but for now, it was perfect. He was perfect.
"Riv", you muttered when you pulled back. He opened his eyes with a grunt. "Riv. If you compare me to Bambi one more time, I swear I'll drop you quicker than you can apologise."
Riven laughed, took one of his hands from your hips and put the cigarette back in between his lips. You raised your eyebrows. You hadn't even realised he'd still been holding it.
"Whatever you say, Bambi."
#winx riven x reader#fate riven#riven x reader#riven winx#ftws#fate series#fate winx saga#fate the winx saga#x reader
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Nimona appreciation post (Part 4 of idk how many there will be)
Sorry that took so long, I was a bit preoccupied with farming for Rizzley (Wriothesley in Genshin Impact)
I'm just drinking some Tea and watching Nimona for probably the 50th time lol Sooo… here you go: Part 4 (again: GIF for attention)
Bal waking up, noticing the blanket, looking around, seeing the tea and candles (completely ignoring the hilt of the morning star behind te cup) and just sighing kind of content as if he wakes up like this often is just precious and supptly highlights his relationship with Amb and I just kind of love it, I guess
also Bal being awake and alert right away even tho he was just about to relax cause he prob thought he's with Amb and all is good and stuff is also kind of competent again
Nimona just vibing
"Go" by Santigold is just so good, how did I never heard of that one before?
also how Bal looks at Nim (prob) destroying his kitchen is funny as hell, idk
her eyes reflecting the lightning is a neat lil detail
Nim never bats an eye while she lies like this
also Bals reaction is soooo good, Riz Ahmed nailed this roll (all of the VAs did, but honestly: without him the movie wouldn't be the same)
first time Nim tells him directly not to be so gullible, but he remains so gullible
Breakfast Tacos
She dragged him in what form tho? If his head bounced on the sidewalk it probably couldn't have been her Gorilla or Horse form, I guess. What do y'all think?
"Totally happened."
"Evil Larry" is a much better name than the german version ("Böser Tiger" = "evil tiger" because one wird for evil in german is "bösartiger" and well, they took the pun but it sounds so stupid, idk… it isn't even a name)
Nimonas lil handgesture when she says: "That's a great villain name." also her face when she gets the idea for Evil Larry
"Never gonna happen.", he says with a very much Nope-Face "Whatever, Larry", she says without a fruk to give
Sick murderwall
I will not go into much detail about the contents of the muderwall here, but damn, the really didn't need to go that hard on those details
One thing I'm gonna cram in here tho cause I just saw the portrait of the queen: I recently read somewhere that they wanted to get Dr. Blitzmeyer (I hope I remember her name correctly lol) in the movie but ultimately scrapped her buuut they kept the design/color scheme for the queen and I just… Blitzmeyer helped and supported Comic!Bal, the queen helped and supported Movie!Bal (even if it's a bit of a different relationship, I guess) and that's kinda cute ngl. I kinda missed Dr. Blitzmeyer, she was my fav character in the comic and I was a bit sad that she didn't make it into the movie
Bals face (and probably the camera movement) when he remembers what happened when they broke out of the institute reminds me of some anime protag who goes a bit insane, but I can't remember a particular anime I feel remembered of
Bal always the knight, trying to get his sword when he feels threatened, even tho he doesn't even have it on him
the hand gesture to "Meatball" lol and also: very nice line delivery by Chloe Grace Moretz, she's also a big part of why I liked the character of Nimona (even tho I also like her design and personality, without a good VA a character can be not that likeable, if you know what I mean)
again with the eyes reflecting lightning, I love the lighting in this movie so much
she is in fact a massive, fire-breathing something
Bals brain just overheated and he decided to just roll with it and ask
She's Nimona. (one of my fav lines ever and I love that she get's to say that in at least one other scene)
I have a feeling that Bals answer to "I'm Nimona." ("That is not an answer.") is maybe something trans/genderfluid people get more than me (and def shouldn't cause why do they need to even get that? Why can't everyone just accept stuff like that?)
Bal getting at least one question is actually very nice of Nim ngl
also him not asking something about her but why she's helping him is kinda neat, I think he felt that that maybe would be a bit to much in Nimonas personal space atm
Bals eyes widen for just a second when Nim answers him and he remembers what situation he is in is kinda sad (btw. much of this movie wouldn't worked for me if they weren't so damn much animated/if they wouldn't be so much little details in the gestures, mannerisms and whatnot of the people)
him straight going to thinking-mode when looking at the murder.. I mean innocence wall
Bal looking sad at Ambs portrait is kind of a mood ngl
also him kind of forcing himself to look away (down), breathing in and then looking at the complete wall again is so very human, those charcters just feel to real
best photo of Diego (the squire)
Love how Nim wants to say kill him and stops herself when Bal turns towards her, without a doubt with a look on his face that says: Noooooo, bad shapeshifter
His reaction to "Let's got get him. You and me." is priceless lol
Bals hesitation (and probably inner monolouge) is kinda fun to see but also very undertandable, I mean: he knows her how long now? And even tho he redeems himself fast enough, here he is very much and very heavy still under the brain washing of the Institute and knows now that Nim is not human, so I kinda understand why he's so hesitant but he's desperate and she can (and will) voluntarily help him
Nim just rubbing salt in the wound, cause she knows exactly that he doesn't have much of a choice
He clearly wondered how she got there so fast and I love these kind of little reactions throughout the movie, they show how vigilant the character are and it feels even more real, cause let's be honest: if you're talking to someone who is like 10 steps away, you blink and then they are right before you, you'd also not gloss over that without so much as a second glance, would you?
love that Nim already moved from Sidekick-for-a-evil-villain to clear-his-name-and-be-a-hero-sidekick
Bal still not really trusting her but debating it
the shark transformation is just nice: the fluidity, the sound effect, Nims look, the lighting, the fact that you probably didn't really expect it, just *chefs kiss*
her "I'm not a girl, I'm a shark." is also very iconic, even tho it's used just one time in the movie; still one of the best lines ngl also her face when she says "But I'm not a girl." and the lil bite animation and sound is very nice
"Hey. You ever put your head in the mouth of one of these?", that line delivery and the animation for that and Bal already being done with the convo lol
"Should've just stayed in jail." lol
That's it for this part, I hope y'all are ok with the length, it really feels a bit smoother to write ^^
Have a good one and until next time :)
#netflix nimona#nimona#appreciation#gay knights#nimona film#nimona spoilers#goldenheart#nimona ballister
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more JLI post dump! this'll be issues 6-10
6:
i know this reads different in 1987 but also i DO like it for dinah. also like of course she's friends with bruce
the rest of 6 is a lot of big-scale dr fate stuff which i know is DeMatteis' wheelhouse but which i also don't particularly care about.
7! we are now officially justice league international because the united nations choose to ratify the league. reagan is here! i warned you!
the fact that clark has to talk to reagan regularly, in the course of superhero comics, is so much for me to contemplate.
A) i think it's SO funny that bruce has a special earless cowl for going to space and wearing headphones. i realize this may just be an artistic mistake but i'm choosing to believe it's a deliberate costume choice
B) cold-war era comics!!!!!! really truly the geopolitics of superhero comics are fascinating to me. i have to do some digging to see what's been written on them
i capped this whole panel but i really just want everyone to focus on beetle. this is how you know he's queer is that in each issue he invents a new, gayer way to sit
LIKE
ok in issue 8 the league are moving into their NY and Paris embassies. as you might expect. shenanigans ensue!!
j'onn. ilu
J'ONN!!! ILU!!!!!
unfortunately for the next few issues the scans they put into hoopla are preeeetty rough in terms of quality (and so are the scans on the other website i sometimes use) so some of the dialogue is a little hard to read.
batman seems to have punched guy into a personality transplant. instead of a miserable he-man reaganite he's become like, pollyanna. it's extremely funny and frankly, as much as i enjoy him being a heel, nice to read him not sounding like clint eastwood.
booster and beetle (at the paris embassy) go out to hit on women. #justbrothings. booster strikes out very very badly with a woman he later learns is their local liaison. whoops!!
mister miracle crashes a helicopter through the NY building. also once again i love j'onn!!!!
we also learn about the (actually international) superteam the JLI are supplanting. sorry y'all. also very funny that we have this international superteam and then one year later we're going to get the wildly ill-fated new guardians. sometime i'll do a whole separate post on the new guardians except i don't really want to bc it would require me to reread that series,
9:
everyone is being mindcontrolled by the manhunters! i will admit that i do NOT know the difference between these manhunters and j'onn's manhunter situation. i will presumably learn this at some point.
guy is having a great time being personality-swapped and so am i
it is also time for feminism jokes. alas.
i DO love an ear joke though. more people should make fun of batman's ears they are objectively so so silly
we're also starting to get some good and ominous setup of a maxwell lord subplot. jli! it's not just jokes!
10: we're chasing the manhunters to space!
i'm learning so much about hawkman, a character i know nothing about. for instance. he is a cop???
also arisia is here. i have heard of her and her plotline. 😬 this issue comes out also several months before the writers finally let her and hal break up, but it's not a big plot point in the issue aside from one panel. uhhh csa/grooming cw if you go digging into that plotline? idk it's bad
cut to the manhunters BIRTHING CHAMBER?? this is explicitly how it's described. clark burns up the baby manhunters with his heat rays (fine! normal!) and the parent gets pissed and leaves.
i forgot to mention that this is the intro of gnort, who is a green lantern nepo baby.
i love him.
cut back to earth, where scott and ted are having shenanigans!
even editorial is bullying ted for his japes and jokes... he's my special little clown
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Rant about Puritan fandom culture!
Well I typed it on twitter but then I had more to say so tumblr it is!
Under read more
WARNING: Long as fuck
Here's some pics
I know I basically said the author of Heartstopper "brought it on themselves" but yea they kinda did.
You can disagree with BL/Yaoi you can hate the shipping discourse or shipping in fandom in general but you cant frame it in a "i hate [that] bc it's sinful/fetishistic and I'M ABOVE THAT BC I'M WHOLESOME AND BETTER THAN THOSE DISGUSTING SHIPPERS"
bc that's gonna bite you in the ass...as it is doing now. The fucking image of their character's google history is so tame and normal, esp in LGBTQ+ spaces! Yet they are being called a pedo? Crazy. In the end, you only hurt yourself!
I never bothered with HS bc i just wasnt interested in it but thats just my preference. It's sad to see ppl, esp young ppl, turn on a series of LGBTQ+ representation just bc of the author's past (or current? idk) stance on the BL/Yaoi or MLM or whatever genre just bc their stance wavered a bit in a simple comic image. Something that is so fucking normal also! but they will grow up and realized how limiting it is to restrict themselves just to appear pure within a group.
Yet the artists/writers/creators are traumatized by the witchhunt. I know I said the author brought it on themselves for supporting anti but damn I don't want them being accused of being a pedo! Or ANYTHING! NO ONE DESERVES THAT. I dont know anything about the author other than surface knowledge but at the end of the day, all this online shit, doesnt matter. It doesnt! Me saying that is ironic bc im typing this post up right now!
but it's something we care about! I care about fandom spaces, I care that creators are getting attack for something as mild as this even if they invited these ppl into their circle. We're human and we change our views a million times a fucking day. I could agree with one thing and disagree with it another. That's why anti discourse pisses me the hell off! It's just a bunch of bullies looking to make themselves feel better by shaming others! I don't respect that type of behavior. And I hate that they just run around saying shit like "kys" over a two characters fucking?!? It amazes me beyond words.
Fandom has never been without its discourse. But the puritan bullshit is not even fandom discourse, it's just straight up bullying and harassment. It doesnt take much to tailor your fandom spaces to your preferences, i should know ive been in fandom spaces since I was fucking 13 years old. I didn't explore nsfw/porn/anything until I wanted to when I was 18. That is MY personal experience. I never put that on anyone else BUT MYSELF. If I saw nsfw and didnt want to see it I blocked the person. Not make a fucking witch hunt out of it. You are in charge of keeping YOURSELF in check not some person who shared nsfw art/fanfic. How fucking hard is it to turn the "don't show me nsfw" toggle on??? Bc it's not about that. Y'all just wanna be mad and be above someone so why not ppl minding their own business.
And guess what? There ARE ppl who are bad and support nsfw art/writing. They fucking suck. They are outliers and deserve to be called out when they get exposed. But many times, ppl always go "see i told you all the ppl in THAT fandom were pedos/freaks/etc" hmmm sounds like when conservatives go "see...that queer person turned out to be bad, SO all queer ppl are bad" DO YOU GET IT?? It never works out with that line of thinking. You are harming innocent ppl minding their own business. You are harming yourselves when you grow the fuck up and realize that "OH actually...I am curious about sex" and have ppl who you thought were your friends eat your face. PLS wake the fuck up.
If you're an anti:
I hope you recover from that
go fuck yourself
if you're offended by me saying "go fuck yourself", pls take that as a sign to log off the internet and go touch grass. As someone who has done that many of times, it's very refreshing.
#fandom#fandom culture#fandom discourse#purity culture#i might go touch some grass for the rest of the week/weekend holy shit#this is why i try not to be on twitter a lot bc tumblr im at least in my own spaces with minor breaches of stupidity#twitter it just throws it in on my tl and i get fucking triggered and angry#ill be taking a long break from twitter holy shit
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listen the nostalgia of it all carried me a good long way and maybe i'm grumpy bc i'm sick but i gotta be honest with y'all, my final impression of x-men '97 is that it is utterly incoherent
granted, my familiarity with most of the storylines they're pulling from here is low -- synopses and recaps, if i know anything at all, and my comics readership has always been spotty at best -- but... do bastion's motivations and actions make any sense in the books? and frankly i think they did my boy mister sinister dirty...
but i think the pacing was where it suffered the most. idk, i feel like each individual episode started slow and unfocused, yet still rushed to wrap up storylines, where tas might have just sprawled all over some multiparters. but in the current make-or-break tv environment, '97 can't afford to take its time, it has to throw all the big spaghetti at the wall right away, and it scrambles to too-fast, too-pat resolutions -- but because it's controlled by the mouse now, it also has to resolve with feel-good moral messages in a way that frankly clashes with the intentionally complex tradition of x-men. the three-part finale was some of the worst, pastede on storytelling i've seen since the last time i watched a steven binder episode of ncis. it also was unclear to me how much of tas was canon and how much has been retconned and how much was just, like, establishing the vibes but ditching the storylines. (then again, confusion is just the standard state of affairs re: x-men canon.)
which is not to say that everything was terrible -- this show loves a heroic monologue, and most of those were actually quite powerful. the art style works. the voice cast (returning and new) works. lenore zann is a standout for me; she's so much more mature as a performer now (obvi) and she brings so much more depth to rogue than she could 30 years ago. making our heroes more powerful, as you know, made me positively giddy (although i will say that cyclops's primal yells inspired laughter rather than awe). if "tolerance is extinction" 1–3 were the worst episodes, i think "remember it" and "bright eyes" were the best -- strongest plots and tightest character beats. and truly, they did my faves so good: gambit was perfect, rogue (incoherent retconned backstory aside) was perfect, nightcrawler was perfect, jubilee was perfect. all the homoerotically-charged wolverine-and-morph everything was perfect. jean and storm's friendship was perfect. beast rejecting trish tilby in the ruins of genosha was perfect. jubilee and roberto visiting his mom, and her nutball wealthy privilege -- perfect.
the storm-and-forge stuff unfortunately fell flat for me, mostly bc the "lifedeath" episodes suffered from so many weird racist overtones. and of course all the convoluted summers clan stuff was also a miss, because the only summers i give two shits about is rachel -- but this version of jean grey (and madelyne pryor) was more compelling than most.
i don't know, maybe this is the same cynicism that has led to my current stubborn resistance to popular media, that chased me away from the mcu*, that has had me keep my distance from the glut of remakes and reboots, and that has basically stopped me from getting into any new shows for literally years. but it's hard for me not to see this as an empty cash grab, just marvel and disney playing on millennial nostalgia to capture streaming subscriptions and sell merch -- which, frankly, is all they have done with any of their properties for the last 4-5 years anyway. and i have never paid disney plus a red cent and i never will (yo ho), but it also just. doesn't feel good to watch. makes me tired. throws me out of my suspension of disbelief. being able to see the forces of capitalism nakedly at work in a piece of media really takes the enjoyment out of it for me, you know?
#... but will i be coming back for s2 and death!gambit? yes obviously#thinky thoughts#sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them#*is it cynicism? or is it the same offputting decisions made by the same controlling interests?
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I know that listening to comic twitter is like a questionable choice, but in my defense, I'm really not. There's just this one thing that someone said that bothered me about batfam content.
They said something along the lines of hating them being nice to each other and basically supported any slight example of niceness as "Out of character fanon fanservice bs," and you know, to some extent, I get it. Some people lean too hard into the happy family dynamic with them when it doesn't really fit. On the other hand, referring to any amount of niceness as out-of-character just feels like an incorrect generalization.
I get that they are fucked up in so many ways. However, sometimes I question if any of y'all ever had siblings or if you somehow don't have major family problems (or maybe just too many).
Cause to me, family has always been something balancing between chaotic and painful and chaotic and pleasant. We can have deep conversations about the fucked up shit in our lives and be responsible for that same fucked up shit.
Like my mom could file several attempted murder charges against my aunt several times in her life, but they also took painting classes together on occasion. Every single one of my uncles is a criminal, and yet they call their siblings regularly, sometimes to ask for money, but they still ask how they're doing. My friend's brother once stabbed her, but it wasn't like fatal, so it's okay (physically). And honestly, I can go on.
I fully realize my experiences affect my perception of reality, but who's doesn't?
idk like I get that there are problems with how some people do it, but every instance isn't the most unbelievable thing. Platonic interactions can be nice and normal while awful shit happens. It's just how family is. Even when it's totally fucked up.
#also the idea of people who don't know how families act is gross batcest shippers thinking any deep conversation is romantic#no you people are weird stop#batcest shippers dni#batman#batfam#bruce wayne#dick grayson#nightwing#jason todd#red hood#tim drake#robin#damian wayne#cassandra cain#batgirl#barbara gordon#stephanie brown#spoiler#gotham knights#first tags basically come from things said about gotham knights#obviously again I'm not saying there aren't people that do what that twitter user said just that sometimes people exaggerate#some of the nice stuff isn't that bad in my opinion and some of it is terrible#I get why people don't like wfa for that (and other things) but admittedly I've never seen that as an 'this is how it always is' thing#wayne family adventures#I think I got everything but I can still clarify if something seems weird
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Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown, and Cassandra Cain for the character asks!
CASS
favorite thing: her STRENGTH. like. this girl grew up being taught to kill and hurt people. that was her entire purpose. but she had the strength to decide to forge her own path and become her own person despite everything being stacked against her. I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for her to turn her back on everything she knew and become something more. I just think she's neat <3
least favorite thing: her fanon personality tbh. she's not perfect. she's flawed and makes mistakes just like every other fucking human being. to write her as the perfect favorite child who never makes a mistake is a huge disservice to her character and all the mistakes she's made and learned from
brOTP: Duke. whenever they team up its just *chef's kiss*
nOTP: I HC her as a lesbian so anything that puts her with a guy. idk no hate to Kon but I just don't really see it, y'know?
OTP: y'all know I'm a stephcass truther <3 but if I'm being honest I also love them as friends, and I also love Cass not being in a relationship at all. I love Steph ofc but too often the girls are both reduced to the other's bestie. which...while they ARE friends, it's another disservice to both of them to just reduce them to "bffs who are joined at the hip at all times". that said: stephcass is really cute and really angsty. multitudes <3
random headcanon: she's ace. I'm right
unpopular opinion: once again: she ain't perfect. fandom (and dc too let's be real) needs to stop writing her as a flawless machine. she's human that's why we love her
favorite picture: I was too lazy to find it but that one WFA panel when she's releasing the puppy and laughing.....yeah <3
BABS
favorite thing: her STRENGTH ONCE AGAIN. she doesn't let anyone push her around and she's led hero teams and faced off with villains and she is my HERO
least favorite thing: whatever the hell tom taylor is doing with her. he needs to stop
favorite line: "you took nothing from me" UGH. UGGHHHHHHHHH <3
brOTP: Cass! I always love a good mentor/mentee relationship <3
nOTP: ......dickbabs. I'm sorry I just can't
OTP: idk? I don't have any strong feelings about her love life. I think she should get a cat <3
random headcanon: she lets damian paint the wheels on her chair. it chips off with time ofc and he just repaints it with a different design
unpopular opinion: she shouldn't be paired with any of the batfam. she's passed around the batboys like candy and I'm fairly certain she's been with just about all of them at this point. stoppppppppp
favorite picture of them: pretty much anything from WFA lol. she's so pretty <3
STEPH
favorite thing: her tenacity! she doesn't give up even when hell is being flung in her face <3
least favorite thing: fanon's tendency to reduce her to a goofy silly comic relief. she's so much more than that
favorite line: "there's room in our lives for hope"
brOTP: Tim. I love their bestie vibes <3
nOTP: no strong feelings
OTP: also no strong feelings. but yeah stephcass and timsteph are both cute!
random headcanon: she learned to play the drumset so she can play the bass and hi hat pedals with her feet while playing the piano
unpopular opinion: I think she'd either be a green lantern or blue if it came down to it. I'm right
favorite picture of them: i really love her costume design in young justice!
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Hi, Dove! I saw that you’ve been doing ships, and I wanted to try it! I've never done this before, so I'm a little nervous, but this seemed like fun and I’ve had a tough week at work soooo yeah (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
I’m Amber, she/her, from Louisiana. I’m around 5’8 and I have brown eyes and curly brown hair.
I’m an introvert, and it takes a while for me to feel comfortable around people, but once I do I’m pretty talkative and full of sarcasm and pop culture references. I’m also a terrible procrastinator (even with things that I want to do??? Idk) and a perfectionist; if i don’t think I can do something perfectly I just don’t do it at all, which is something that I’m really trying to work on. My love language is words of affirmation. If someone pays me a genuine compliment I will think about it for days! I’m an Enneagram type 9 (Peacemaker). I have a VERY hard time telling people ‘no’ and sometimes agree to do things just to keep others happy, another thing that I’m trying to work on.
I spend my free time watching tv/movies, reading, and making gifs. I always carry a book with me, in case I have a spare minute to read. I’ve been told that I’m a dramatic reader, I can’t keep my reactions to myself and I end up with people asking me what’s happening in my book! However, I’ve mastered my poker face when I read fanfiction 😌 I love driving places because I can have concerts in my car, although I’d rather have someone drive me around and just let me sing… I buy new journals and planners every year, sometimes multiple a year, but I’m not the best at actually using them….I just love how pretty they are and how put together they make me feel when I do use them!
I’m a teacher of two year olds at a childcare center, so my day is full of loud/energetic toddlers! I love my job, and while I do hope to be a mom one day, I’m also very happy when I get to go home to the quiet and my cat! I attend church every Sunday, and I also teach children’s church on Wednesday nights.
Ok, that’s all I can think of to put about myself….I hope this rambling is somewhat coherent! Thank you for taking the time to do this and for sharing your writing!! 🥰
Hi Amber! Thank you so much, I'm so glad that you've enjoyed what I've shard so far 🥰 I love your gifs, so I feel like I'm talking to a celebrity rn hehe 🙈 I'm sorry that you've had a tough week, and I hope it gets better soon! Sending some positive vibes your way ✨
I ship you with . . .
Joseph Liebgott!
I am once again on my introverts with extroverts agenda because I stand by it! When y'all first meet, he would be so determined to see if he could bring you out of your shell. And when he does he would just immediately be so head over heals for you. You guys would have so many inside jokes, and he's thrilled that someone finally gets all his witty references
He would be so supportive of all your endeavors, especially if it's something that you want to do but keep putting off (as someone whose executive dysfunction constantly holds her back, I really feel your pain babe!) One of his main love languages is touch, so if you need it he'll just kind of hold you and softly tell you positive affirmations until you feel like you're at a good place to get going, or at least to start
And omgggg, this man would be throwing compliments at you left and right, especially when you first meet, just because he knows it gets to you and he loves the way you light up when he does it
No but Joe is actually pretty good at communicating what he wants and needs, and that's the hill I will die on. If he sees that you're having a hard time telling someone no, he would be so willing to step in for you and make sure that you don't agree to something that you don't want to do
We all know he likes to read comics, but when you get together his favorite hobby becomes reading comics while he holds you. (Actually, maybe just holding you is his favorite hobby) Either way, if you're lying together on the couch to read, he feels like he's on cloud nine, just because it's so peaceful and makes him feel content. Sometimes he doesn't even read -- he just watches you read because he loves watching how expressive you are
He's a great driver. Does he sometimes get a little angry at everyone else on the road? Yeah, but he drives for a living, so we'll let him have this. Sometimes he gets fed up with driving and wishes that he could just stay home instead, especially if he has to drive out of his way for something on one of his days off. But if you're in the car, he can't even get mad at anyone, because he's too busy trying to sing duets with you, or letting you put on your own personal concert for him. Those are the moments when he thinks he might actually like driving, just because he gets to have fun with you
Okay but I feel like one day you pick up a journal, determined to finally use it, and your heart just drops because omg there's writing in it? Did I accidentally buy a used one somehow? But then you realize it's Lieb's handwriting, and he's written down little notes and drawn little doodles/comics so that you can enjoy them while you're working
Omg he would love your job and how passionate you are about working with kids. After all, he knows that he wants to be a dad some day. He definitely listens to you tell stories about funny things your kids have said and done and it just kinda makes his heart glow because he knows that if you guys decide to have kids that you would be an amazing mom, and he would be so excited to go on that journey with you
Thank you so much for the request! I hope you liked this 💕🕊️
#me 🤝 Liebgott#🤝 = getting super angry while driving lol#I really hope this next week is kinder to you love!#band of brothers ships#band of brothers#band of brothers x reader#tumblr friends#joseph liebgott#joseph liebgott x reader#joe liebgott#joe liebgott x reader#band of brothers headcanon#my writing
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In Relativity
A/n:
-I could not, for the life of me, figure out a better title. You get that. Not even sure if that's what I mean and I'm so sorry. But I am also not taking suggestions
-being absolutely serious, a good 90% of this was written during my health class and/or lunch periods in which I wasn't hungry.
-i am so sorry for typos and grammar stuff I probably fucked up, please please try ignore it if you see it, I'll fix it eventually 😳
-this is so incredibly long, I'm realizing. It's like 30+ pages...sorry--
-a few specific details I'd like to point out:
no, this is not 110% accurate to Masterforce canon, tho I tried my darndest. Part of the reason is lack of clear answers about certain questions I have or limited access to sources that would help me figure out details of their pasts more accurately. The other reason is that I'm also actively choosing not to adhere to some details because I was ultimately writing for fun and experimenting with tone and how I perceive these characters so...do not lecture me about something I screwed up, I am literally just vibing ok
This is still set in Masterforce canon, however. This has nothing (I repeat, nothing) to do with any of the marvel stuff/American comic stuff that involved these characters. It's my understanding that the versions of these characters in Masterforce are their own separate entity to the comic stuff, I am trying to stick only to the anime and stuff connected to that. so....yea
It is my headcanon that I will absolutely keep that the Pretenders have in their files/any technical stuff their "full names" (e.g: "Cloudburst"), but refer to each other with their nicknames (going back to that example, "Phoenix"). It's like, they use both names whenever and don't mind either way. Hence......that.
I wanted to write something about Landmine, literally that was it. I guess overall I'd call it semi-Landmine-centric....Idk but I enjoyed it, he's a cool dude 👀
this is in fact, where i finally reveal myself as a person who also Lowkey ships Lander/Diver and also the idea that they have this...very complicated relationship with each other, which is why they've never really gotten together....I hc that they actually do finally get together at some point during the events of Masterforce (which I also, really want to write). Yes, this is very similar to them in my AU except it's not as complicated as the one in canon. If that makes sense 😳 Also, before you come for my head, it is a healthy relationship in the sense that there has never been any malice between them, and no instances of causing the other serious pain in any way. They like each other a lot, but both don't really know...how to go about it. Idk y'all but ykw I know what I mean.
I tried so hard with terminology here but my dumb ass doesn't know anything about tech or aircrafts or whatever so...deal with it but don't point it out I'll evaporate--
Upon much consideration, I decided to end it somewhere like, before events of masterforce. I'd say a couple years maybe?? Like 15?? (So tha puts us at 2005, which as I'm writing this omg that's my birth year oop--) So just. assume stuff happened and...following will be the other canon stuff....i guess o//o
So...yea, that should be everything I wanted to mention!
Enjoy (? Or don't? ;w;)....I wrote this for fun & I kinda liked it I guess, so here I am sharing it...lmk what you think if you want, please keep it positive, I get so extremely nervous sharing my writing sdjdsjsdj 😳
...um...so...t-thanks 🥰
That’s what Landmine had been told the first day of Cybertronian Military Academy.
///
Above all else, a good spark stands for justice, protects all life, and does what’s right.
It was a phrase taught and repeated every day without fail, quickly memorized well before the end of first semester in that first year.
And when he’d entered Autobot ranks within mere weeks of his graduation amidst the start of the war, it was a phrase shouted to his unit by their commanding officer, only slightly altered this time.
“Above all else, a good Autobot stands for justice, protects all life, and does what’s right.”
Yes, that was it. Just a slight change.
But he always wondered if it meant to subconsciously induce very particular thoughts.
‘And if we Autobots do good, then the ones who aren’t us must be doing evil.’
To name a few of the supposed many, that was the Decepticons, the rogues, and the subspecies of the planet who didn’t feel inclined to participate in such a “selfish conflict,” as one commentator had put it during a newscast. They were the evil ones, preached the drill sergeants and captains.
The logical conclusion, as it could be surmised. No one said anything about moral.
As for Landmine himself, he had no problem with “standing for justice,” however vague that was. Considering the lack of any attention, it seemed he was in line with that value, not standing out from the rest and all.
The case was the same with “protecting all life.” After all, that was a clearer command, and obviously, the noble thing to do. Landmine liked his friends, nature, animals. Of course he’d stand to protect them.
But for the last one, in the in-betweens to his drills and assignments, throughout all the years of his schooling and the time spent in the trenches of battles, he often wondered what it meant. To “do what’s right.”
What was a…‘good Autobot’ anyway?
He could recall the answers he’d received.
“It means you follow orders,” one older bot spat, laughing. He had then put the ratty cigar back in his mouth and turned away. Clearly, the conversation was over.
“A good Autobot?” Echoed a solemn youth, shining his shotgun. “Well its in the words you’ve just said! A good Autobot stands for justice, and they protect all–”
…you get the idea.
“There are none,” was all a small-framed purple bot croaked, taking another sip from his oil can. He’d died on the field, screaming in agony, about one week later.
And there were more answers, and Landmine still couldn’t figure out his own. But there were more pressing matters in his mind. Firstly, the matter of leaving this dull, doomed unit.
See, he was a bot who enjoyed adventure, thought himself particularly good in battle. He was known for good one-liners, for his looks, and his sharp shots. This wasn’t the place for him. At the risk of being prideful and conceited, he often thought to himself, that this was no place for him to die.
It was ugly, style-less, depressing, cold, damp…boring.
For years, he hoped for more, and finally one day, he got it.
“Hey!”
…
“Oh yeah? Well you can take your attitude, and shove it up your tailpipe, Xy.”
“‘Hey’ yourself, you're not part of this, so butt out you aft–”
“Aft? Excuse me? I’ve a good mind to report you for that kind of slander and harassment!”
“What?! I didn’t slander you!! I'm not even harassing you, I just insulted you, but--but that's subjective, a-and I didn’t say –”
“Shut up, you two! There’s someone knocking.”
Landmine lifted his gaze from the book he was reading when he heard Klint shout for everyone to quiet down.
As usual, it was another night in his section base–of the hot-head rookie Cinderflame being aggressive towards “two-word” Xy, and then somehow, getting into an argument with the self-important, self-declared “rulebook” of their subunit, Max.
But the knocking at their door continued, louder this time. Cinderflame started to protest, and was quickly silenced a quick cuff to the back of his head by Max.
Landmine closed his book very slowly and sat up in his bunk, watching as Klint quietly got up and headed to the door, activating his gun. Meanwhile, everyone else began to tense up, including Landmine.
It wasn’t unheard of for mutinies to happen, for somebot to snap and go on a killing rampage, or for the enemy to have infiltrated and quietly taken command of a base. Any number of things could be behind the door, as it wasn’t normal to get a knock on the door at this hour of the night.
But to their relief, the entity behind the door identified itself.
“14-E, I order you–open up! Right now!”
Klint lowered his gun and sighed, more an annoyed sigh than a relieved one. They all knew who’s voice that was, and Landmine wanted–and was sure he had–no part in whatever was happening.
‘Racker,’ mouthed Cinderflame in Xy’s direction, who rolled his optics and went back to organizing bullet shells.
The other “rulebook” bot, except Racker was official, not self-declared.
“I’ll mark you all for infractions!” He shouted in an attempt at an assertive tone, pounding unceasingly at the door.
“I’ll mark you with my fist,” muttered Klint, trudging over. As he did so, Cinderflame snickered, then looked to Max, who was trying his best to keep a serious expression. Even he had no respect for the elected section head, but didn’t want to admit that.
Well, I’m out, thought Landmine as he fell against his berth and opened his book again, hoping to get back to the story, detaching from the group.
He had no such luck, of course.
The door opened at last with a high-pitched squeal of old metal, and the section head marched in, shouting for them to stand at attention. Below, Cinderflame gave the beginning of a groan, but it was cut short with the sound of someone elbowing him.
See, there was no such procedure in the rulebook, Landmine had discovered a while ago. But, there was also no point in raising that argument now. Begrudgingly, the group all followed the order and lined up at the door.
Marching in stiffly, the grey-plated bot looked them up and down, a sharp look in his eyes. Then, he stated his business.
Landmine was wanted in the unit Commander’s quarters.
For a moment, he considered it was some sort of elaborate prank, but that thought was quite fleeting. Jokes of that kind weren’t common around this sector, if at all.
And if Racker was involved, well…
Doubt he knows what a joke is.
“Well don’t stand there, move your metal hide!”
“Yes, sir!”
He felt side-eyed gazes of pity on him as he left the line. He felt them follow him as he walked out the door closely behind Racker, and into the barren, darkened clearing. But he was far more curious than worried. He could have easily run ahead to those quarters himself.
Leaving Racker in the dust was quite easy, anyway.
…
Racker, expression solemn and blank as ever, stopped at the white door and jerked his helm in the direction of the entrance, then folded his arms and turned forward, as if Landmine was no longer there.
Go in. Alright.
Landmine smirked to himself, then reached over and pushed the door open.
Well. If I’m court-martialed or something, at least I’ll finally be put out of my misery.
“Good evening, sir,” Landmine said, striding into the room. “You asked for me?”
He’d never been in a commander’s quarters, and just taking one look at the state of it, he could infer why.
Something to do with the cleanliness of it, the quality of the tools in it…lower-ranking officers certainly had no place here, he could guess.
We belong in our cramped spaces, eating stale oil in our shared, low-rank misery.
And finally, his optics had fallen on the commander himself, Swipecatch.
Come to think of it, Landmine was sure he’d only seen the bot once. Or maybe he had a new paintjob?
I’d like a new paintjob.
He saluted and straightened his posture before the silver-blue-plated bot finally looked up from a manila-colored folder with messy scrawling and red stamps. It looked like it was important.
It also looked like a processor-ache to decipher.
“I did. You’re Landmine, right?” The commander spoke a medium tone, reaching for another paper on the side of the desk and picking up a slim, red pen.
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re a Pretender, are you not?”
"Alright," he murmured, beginning to write something, before glancing back up at the younger bot. “At ease,” he finally added, and Landmine was glad for it.
His gaze was immediately back on the paper as he started to write something into the blank lines. Some more silence followed, broken only by the sound of the pen against the paper, and Landmine watched as he swiftly filled out every blank space, signed his name, then looked back up again.
“I am told I have such capabilities, sir.”
“And have you been to training for it?”
“Only at a minimum level, as per my curriculum at the academy, sir.”
“Have you yet attained your third form?”
“I have not been provided any such opportunity up to this point, sir.”
“Uh-huh…”
Swipecatch nodded, seeming to come to some kind of internal conclusion and writing something in the corner of the paper, before stamping the paper and folding it in half. Landmine began to wonder if he was being disciplined.
“Soldier, you have been requested to join a special dispatch team made only of three other Pretenders like yourself.”
Or…this.
“Now, I can’t imagine you love this place enough to do this, but you do have the option to decline and remain at your post here, as it will be a very dangerous, long-term assignment, far from Cybertron and even this very sector.
“You four will only be provided one ship and instructions to report to us when asked, as we are not able to provide further resources. You will be sent into space to track Decepticon ships anywhere deemed fit to assign your team.”
He eyed Landmine up and down, who stood motionless, staring unwaveringly at his commander as he waited for him to continue. So he did.
“Your...commander will be a recent academy graduate, Metalhawk. I am not at liberty to share anything more about him than this.”
He shifted back in his chair, tapping his pen against the table.
“Since I take your…silence…to be an acceptance of this offer…” he said slowly, holding out the folded paper and letting Landmine take it. “I am giving you this now, so that you may board the next transport ship that comes in tomorrow, at first light.”
Landmine unfolded the paper a bit, catching sight of the orders written in fine print above the uneven writing of his commander.
Previous commander, actually.
“This is not a promotion, merely a new assignment that my higher-ups feel you are equipped for. There will also be a training period with your peers starting the moment you are all gathered at your launch site. Do you understand?”
“Fully, sir!”
“Alright, then. Dismissed.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He vaguely wondered if the sound the commander made after that was a laugh or a scoff.
Landmine saluted again, and left the room, clutching the paper in his digits, which had begun to vibrate with excitement.
Suddenly, all the years of stale oil and bleak death around him, putting up with various groupings that never seemed to work out–with this doomed unit–seemed worth it. They’d been part of some plan, something Landmine had to go through for a while before this, before…
Destiny. It has finally called my name.
…
“Mighty lucky, aren’t you?” Klint remarked, leaning against the wall and watching Landmine stacking a couple books.
Landmine simply looked up and grinned.
“Stay alive,” Xy mumbled from his bunk, not even shifting position to look at the team as they gathered in the center of the space.
His inspirational capacities truly sway the spark.
“Thank you, Xy. I’ll do my best.”
The mech raised a thumbs-up, making no further comment.
“This is favoritism!”
“It is not. It’s the will of our higher command.”
“Well, don’t you think it’s unfair?”
“Shut your trap!” Max made a fist and took a step towards Cinderflame. “Questioning high command could be treason!”
“Oh shove off, you annoying glitch.”
"I beg your pardon?!"
"Yeah, I said it!"
Klint groaned, facepalming slowly. Xy, in his bunk, put on some headphones and inched closer to the wall.
As usual, not even an hour after wakeup calls, and the two were at it again. But while Landmine conceded he wouldn't miss the unwarranted noise, he knew he would miss being able to laugh internally at their stupidity.
Cinderflame kicked at the ground and glared at Landmine, who was closing his bag and picking it up.
“We have to stay in the scrap," he muttered, "but he gets to be special! He gets to–”
Knocking at the door quieted the room.
In the brief silence, Landmine wondered how pompous he'd sound telling Cinderflame that he was, in fact, a special bot.
He decided it wasn't worth the breath.
"It's time to go!" Came the voice from behind the steel.
Landmine stood tall, strapping the bag to his back and heading outside, without a second look to his scrappy unit, who no doubt would forget his existence quite soon.
“Landmine?” The gruff, unfamiliar mech asked, looking at the Pretender.
“That’s me.” Landmine then noticed the markings on the sides of his Autobot insignia, certifying him as a higher-ranking officer. “That’s me, sir,” he revised evenly.
The officer narrowed his yellow-green optics, almost skeptically. Then he spoke again. “We’re driving a while, two hours at longest. You fueled yet?”
Landmine nodded, feeling his excitement start to build.
Naturally, the place where any transports or supply ships landed would be miles and miles from any camp, for security reasons. Only superior officers would know supply drop-off locations. One could imagine such things were carefully coordinated long before a ship's arrival.
It was then that Landmine recalled he’d never once been on a supply run.
And, he guessed, he'd never find out what it was like. But he was cool with that.
“Right. Let’s move out, then. And stay close to me.”
That won’t be a problem, sir, Landmine thought, excited for the opportunity to spin his wheels.
He also thought himself quite proficient in the art of speeding in style.
They both transformed, then sped to the entrance of the barracks. The drive took about an hour, quickly clearing miles of dry, uneven land, until at last, coming upon a ridge, the tip of a large, grey mass could be seen.
He could feel the vibrations of anticipation–of excitement!–growing as the mass became more and more like the shape of a transport ship–his ticket out of this forsaken place.
Briefly, he began to wonder what the new team was like, what the ship and its resources provided would be, where they'd be assigned first…
Will I see my new commander’s face more than once or twice, whoever it is?
And at last, they rolled down the sandy-brown rocks and onto the clearing, below the massive overhang of the ship. Landmine could hardly contain himself, and transformed as soon as his wheels came to a smooth halt.
His superior officer also transformed, drawing up next to him, folding his arms again.
"Well. Off you go."
He offered a brisk pat on the shoulder pad before trudging off to the left and calling out to one of the smaller mechs in the distance. Landmine reached into the bag strapped to him and fished out the paper before marching up the boarding plate.
Landmine made it through the security check easily, papers identified, baggage approved, and he found the area in the cargo hold where he was to remain for the duration of the ride.
“You will not leave this area until we have reached the designated location. We will use force if you cause any trouble. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
A cargo hold…
Well…it was a free ship ride during a war.
Landmine waited for the guard to leave, then walked over and sat down against the wall, well within the space he’d been told to occupy. He held his bag close to his chestplates, wondered if a full power-off would be a good idea, or if the ride would be too short for that.
It seemed they weren’t going to allow him that information, either.
Ah, well, they’ll just have to wake me, then. Who knows if I’ll get a moment’s rest where we’re going anyway?
And with a quiet whirring, his systems slowed and he leaned his helm against the wall, slipping into a peaceful powerdown.
…
It seemed the guard wouldn’t have to come and wake Landmine after all, as the ship came to a halt at its destination with a large thump that shook the ship down to the nails in the wallplates.
Landmine was instantly ripped from his powerdown, jolted awake as he was thrown forward and then smacked back against the wall again when the vehicle finally halted. Rubbing his helm rather drowsily, he gave a small pout.
Whoever’s driving should have their piloting license revoked.
But he immediately recalled where he was and what he was doing, and the excitement returned, grasping his entire body in its hold. Quickly, he grabbed his bag and scrambled to his feet, waiting for someone to come and let him out.
Be cool, be calm, you’re acting like a giddy sparkling.
Right. Steady motions, smooth words. Just as usual.
And finally, someone did come. Actually, Landmine realized upon listening closer, there were…two sets of footfalls. He wondered if they were maintenance bots, or maybe a pair of workers come to unload the cargo hold, not permit Landmine to leave yet.
But he remained still, listening to the footsteps, coming closer and closer until–
“He’s in here. You’re…assuming responsibility before he reaches the camp, sir?”
It was the same guard from before. But then, the other bot with him spoke.
“Of course. You know higher-ups don’t give information about assignments, leading to accidents and the like.”
Odd. Was it one of his new teammates?
He must be higher-ranking than me to have that guard call him “sir.” Or maybe I’m being moved up a few–no, wait. Swipecatch said this isn’t a promotion. But then, why–
Suddenly, the door opened with a weighty hissing noise, and the yellow light from the halls fell upon Landmine, who’d been getting used to the blue shadows of this cargo area. He immediately turned and saluted, watching as the guard walked in first, looked around, then stepped aside.
In walked a yellow-plated bot, who took one look around, then put a servo on the shoulder pad of the guard.
“You can go if you like. I gather you’ve more important things to get to, and I know the way off the ship.”
With a small smile and a salute, the guard turned and headed out the door.
Landmine watched, somewhat amused, as the yellow mech leaned his head out the doorway, calling a thanks to the guard before turning back to Landmine with an awkward kind of smile.
He actually thanked that guard. How interesting.
Landmine returned the smile, a little more confidently.
“Right. Um,” the bot took a deep breath and walked up to Landmine, offering his servo for a handshake.
“My name is Metalhawk. I will be your new commander. Your other teammates are already aboard the ship.”
Optics flitting from the outstretched servo to the earnest, blue optics staring back at him, Landmine was beginning to realize something.
“I understand any previous commanders you’ve served under might have made a point on formalities, but I’m more interested in forming a good team than being addressed as ‘sir’ and the like. So, if you don’t mind, I hope we’ll get to know one another better with time.”
And that realization, was that this had been the right decision indeed, accepting this mission.
To be fair, anything would have been better than staying to fight in the scrapheap of a place he’d previously been.
With that…team of characters to live or die beside.
But Metalhawk seemed to be normal, perhaps even kind.
Plus, if his intuition wasn’t off, most captains, generals, and commanders were on the older side, but this bot…
He must be good to be a commander this young.
Landmine took his servo and shook it firmly.
“Glad to be serving with you, Hawk. I’m Landmine.”
At the nickname, Metalhawk gave a little grin, seeming to like it.
“Alright then, follow me.”
With a friendly chuckle, he headed for the door and immediately started to describe the other two bots Landmine was soon to meet. As they headed down the halls and out of the ship, he quickly learned that an he'd be in the company of two fliers–including his commander–and one sea-faring bot.
An interesting and even balance of alt-modes.
“...and this is our ship.”
They stopped, and Landmine found himself before a huge mass of shining, silver and white metal. The daylight bounced off it gorgeously, edging the ship in glittery light. The green-blue windows looked as jewels, without a weathering mark or scratch in sight.
The softer-toned blue highlights on the side plating of the vessel led his eye to the elegantly-painted Autobot symbol on the front hood.
They might have been given the one ship only, but by Primus, was it a beauty.
Perhaps those old generals weren't all so selfish.
It could have been some old prison ship with extra canons strapped to it, after all.
This guy's lucky to be commander and score a ship like this. Something tells me Swipecatch wouldn't know what this is like, and he's been in the game longer.
He almost chuckled aloud before remembering where he was.
A platform began to lower from the ship’s underside, which hung a little higher than their helms. Standing on it was a familiar face, and Landmine couldn’t help but perk up and exclaim–
“Diver!”
“Lander!!”
He felt a warmth surge through him. At last, he was seeing a familiar face again.
Someone he'd really thought, he'd never see again.
“‘Lander’?” Metalhawk echoed, taking a step up to the platform.
The machinery gave a smooth whirring noise and the platform began to rise off the ground and back into the ship. Landmine could only laugh, letting Waverider answer for him.
“We were arguing once,” the dark-plated mech said, leaning closer to Landmine. He spoke as if telling a weighty secret. “So I started calling him ‘Lander,’ like for his land-based vehicle mode. He retaliated, calling me ‘Diver.’”
“Because you have a water-based alt.”
“Exactly!”
“‘Diver’ is infinitely more creative, you have to give me that,” Landmine cut in.
“But ‘Lander’ is more direct!” Waverider protested.
“It’s the most obvious kind of name!”
The three of them shared a laugh.
That was most of the story, anyway.
As the three headed down the dimly-lit hallway, Waverider kept talking. He started to tell their commander about their shared academy days, about the classes they took, the things they trained for.
After a point, he couldn’t quite hear what the mech was talking about, as his mind began to wander.
Landmine recalled in flashes of memory, the moments he'd left out of the story...the days following that ‘argument,’ when they’d made up, and both their ‘insult names’ became somewhat like…pet names.
Calling in the hallways, covertly shifting places during inspections or exercises to stand with one another, sneaking into each other’s dorms, speaking in hushed tones as heat rushed through their systems, as if finally realizing all these feelings which had been for so long already there…
His spark skipped a beat as he gazed at the back of Waverider’s helm.
You never apologized for the way you left.
He tried to push those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to stir that up.
But it never matters what the mind wants, the heart will always have its way. Guilt, too. Such a persistent thing, guilt–bent on collection of time spent contemplating the past.
Sharp like a knife, hidden in shadows of daily happenings, its steely glint appearing every now and then, its blade cutting deep into a wound time has slowly tried to mend.
Tried to mend.
But I tried…
Landmine began to wonder again about the truest meaning of “do what’s right” was. If it meant for the other bot or for oneself. If being a “good autobot” carried over into matters of the mind and spark, hidden from the public eye, intimate and…
This is not the time.
Right. Not the time.
Rounding the bend, Landmine was surprised to find how quickly they’d made their way to the command center. Considering the direction they’d been going, he guessed it was somewhere near the center of the ship.
Landmine watched as Metalhawk stepped in front of Waverider and reached out to a smooth, blue panel next to the door.
“In addition to the defaults being set up–which I need to fix–I’m the only one scanned for access right now,” Hawk said with a little smile. The door hissed and started to open. “But by tonight you’ll be scanned to the system as well.”
“And the door will open in seconds, not hours!”
“Yes, Waverider, it will,” Hawk said, rolling his optics.
Landmine watched as the door finally slid to the side, revealing a polished room with pristine, white floors and walls. Along the sides were blocks of machinery he could only guess was what higher-ups meant when they referred to something as ‘state-of-the-art.’
Except this stuff is state-of-the-art.
The front of the room had grooves that shaped a large window, wrapping around about half the side walls. Landmine guessed they were retractable for direct visibility during flight.
We don’t even need the windows open to fly the ship. Magnificent.
“During your pre-mission training together, you’ll be introduced on a basic level to all the machinery aboard this ship, and I will designate you to certain roles when the need arises.”
Everything sparkled in its modern, symmetrical beauty. It was all new, untouched, and would ideally provide the team with advantages in conflicts to come. At least, far greater than the shabby resources given to camps like the one from which Landmine had just departed.
Far less could die…
“Yo!”
Three helms turned as a red-plated mech rose from behind one of the monitor stations near the back of the room. He clapped his servos together to dust them off and stepped out from the station, waving.
“That was quick,” Metalhawk commented, looking the walls up and down. It was hard to tell what was manually modified and what had been unchanged, but Landmine decided it was best to simply trust that all the devices in the room would preform well when they were needed.
“Well...this is Cloudburst,” he said, gesturing at the mech.
Cloudburst gave a big grin.
“He’s just fixed our door problem, and most of the settings on the ship’s machinery,” the commander continued, looking somewhat pleased.
"He did!!" Waverider called from the open door. He'd immediately run back to test it out.
A mechanic of sorts, Landmine surmised.
And, after a few minutes of talking passed, he found his hypothesis correct.
Cloudburst had gone to university for a bit, before the war, but it was cut short. He was lucky enough to be selected for a special team of machinery developers, but then, unfortunate to have been placed in a camp that was quickly overpowered by Decepticon forces.
“And I made my escape before my section was done in,” he said. “In the days following, I made my way to…”
As he was talking, Waverider leaned over to Landmine.
“Phoenix,” he whispered behind a servo.
Immediately, he caught on, smirking.
“Flier?”
He watched with some satisfaction through his peripheral as Waverider nodded.
“Well, I guess it isn’t that exciting, but…that’s about it from me!” Cloudburst finished with a huff and another smile. “So what about you?”
Landmine felt put on the spot for a moment, then he shrugged.
“It’s not much compared to your novel of a tale,” he remarked. The others gave a chuckle. He looked to Metalhawk.
“But first…any chance we have drinks aboard?”
…
Landmine was incredibly amused to discover the lack of tolerance to high-grade his commander had.
Of course, he’d never been drinking with a commander before, but he’d expected himself to get drunk first.
Or…am I drunk, too?
Truth be told, he was feeling a bit sleepy…and warm.
Music played faintly from a speaker near the ceiling. Some song from a couple centuries back, the tune registering itself in subconscious memory. He knew the tune, but didn’t know the song.
As it was, with many things.
Yawning, Landmine tilted his helm, which was resting in the palm of his hand, and looked to his holopad. It was laid at the edge of the table, screen open with a striking, blue light.
The sudden blue glow against the dim, pinkish lighting of the room hurt his optics a bit, so he looked away again.
Drunk or sober, I think I’m gonna fall over.
“Commander?” He gently poked the yellow mech. Metalhawk had his head down at the flat, white tabletop.
Landmine guessed he was asleep. He took another sip of his drink, then put it down, giggling.
Perhaps this’ll rouse him…
“Hawk! Report status, soldier!” He deepened his voice to resemble the barking of a drill sergeant, tapping the yellow-plated mech as he spoke.
Metalhawk gave a short jolt.
“Whaz’t?” He slurred, raising his helm sharply, looking around a bit. He seemed to realize Landmine was talking to him and turned his gaze to him, squinting.
“Hawk, I was wondering–”
“Comman’er here,” he murmured suddenly, yet still quietly, cutting Landmine off. He gave what looked like the very definition of an ‘improper salute’ as he spoke.
“Yes, soldier?” He deepened his voice again, smirking. Hawk seemed partially unaware it was Landmine speaking to him, as if he was only half-awake.
“I report…I’m reporting for…my absence reports…I’ll go to class t’morrow, sir!!”
Oh jeez. He’s so out of it–
Landmine tightened his jaw, trying not to burst into laughter.
He promptly failed after a couple seconds more, but Metalhawk didn’t seem to really notice. And of course, this just made it funnier.
He watched as Metalhawk shook his head, looking rather drowsily at the empty cup sitting in front of him, then back at Landmine. Was he aware enough to want another drink?
Perhaps he’d suddenly have some of that energy from a couple hours ago if he had that other drink.
The image of his Commander stumbling around and laughing in a mildly uncharacteristic manner returned to his thoughts. Landmine waited in anticipation as Hawk continued to stare at the cup.
But then, he gave a long exhale and put his head back down, mumbling something else.
Landmine concluded with a small chuckle to himself that, Hawk was probably down for the night–for good this time.
“We come bearing–”
“Shush! He’ll know we’re here!!”
“He already does, you nut–”
He looked to the door as made a hissing noise and opened to reveal Cloudburst and Waverider, having a mild argument.
“Oh, you’re back,” He said, raising his glass with a small grin. Waverider set the crate down. “I definitely didn’t hear you coming down the hall.”
He watched Waverider snap around and issue a light whack to Cloudburst. It was likely in place of a triumphant ‘I told you so.’
This time, Landmine didn’t let himself laugh out loud. He did allow a quiet chuckle.
Cloudburst walked over and grabbed a bottle, popping it open and taking a drink.
“You and the boss’re still around, I see!”
Landmine nodded, moving to take another sip, but he found his cup empty.
“I’d stay, but I’m so drunk right now, I can’t stand up straight,” he said, taking another swig. Landmine nodded again, reaching over and sliding a bottle of his own out of its slot.
“Oh you’re drunk,” Waverider agreed shoving him playfully.
And so are you, Landmine thought. So am I, probably.
Pouring the bottle’s contents into his cup, he found his gaze fixating on the liquid as it sparkled mid-air. He liked the small sound it made as it refilled the cup.
He did not wish to heed how many drinks he’d already had, or was giving himself.
“Well then, begone with you,” Waverider said. With a smirk, he suddenly reached over and swiped the open bottle from Cloudburst and took a sip. The mech didn’t seem to mind, just watching him with an amused grin.
“See you, Phoenix,” Landmine said, taking his eyes off his glass for a moment. He set his now-half-empty bottle next to Metalhawk’s sleeping figure.
That was definitely too many drinks, considering the size of his cup.
“I’ll be here for a while, I think.”
Cloudburst nodded acknowledgement and made what Landmine classified as: an improper salute: exhibit B.
“Then–until the morning shines!” He said, almost a little too loudly. “Cloudburst, signing off my duty–I mean–for my duty! I will bring you–”
“Shut up, you lugnut!” Waverider shoved him out of the room, laughing so hard he lost his footing a bit. The two toppled over, landing outside of the room.
Landmine just watched, sipping at his cup. The door hissed shut on the sight of the two drunken mechs trying to unentangle themselves and stand up again, amidst their giddy, tipsy laughter.
“Until the morning shines,” he echoed to himself absentmindedly, shifting his cup from side to side.
The bubbly feeling he’d been harboring the whole evening was, inevitably and suddenly, starting to fade.
There was something starting to well up inside. Something another couple glasses wouldn’t fix, even though he had as much left in the bottle he’d just taken.
Something rather cold and dark.
To think I was among the dying in some forsaken frontlines camp. Now, here I am, drunk, with drunken fools. Look at me, one of them.
He wasn’t feeling so warm anymore.
Excitement awaits, or is it crueler death?
Another sip, and he felt a twinge of unease. Or was it nausea? His fuel tanks remained in slight discomfort, but not enough that he’d be inclined to obey its silent will.
So, he tilted his helm upwards to finish off the glass. Now he was ready to go.
Landmine rose unsteadily, swaying a bit, gripped the tableside. He felt his fuel tanks lurch with the movement, and took a second to breathe slowly.
He glanced at Hawk, still sleeping in his spot. He wondered when Waverider had planned to come back in, looking to the door. But everything had gone quiet.
Probably went back to his quarters with Phoenix.
Ah, well. It was about time he stopped drinking for the night, anyway. With a huff, he hauled himself upright and started towards the door.
Don’t know where mine is…
He figured he’d just go back to the command center. Perhaps no one would mind if he passed out there.
…
Three weeks later, the team was almost through with their pre-mission training requirements, with only days to go before they were certified to move out.
It hadn’t been easy, but Landmine found himself feeling more confident in the mission to come, and in his Pretender abilities, which had until this point, meant next to nothing to him.
It was funny to think how the higher-ups had tried to convince every bot that their only purpose was a soldier, who should hold their gun and shoot–the only exception being if they were elite by caste or class, or simply higher-ranked.
Day after day of military academy–especially after the war really got started–Landmine knew he was no elite. He was trained in how to use his gun, how to survive without proper resources for periods of time, to be a strategist–with the all the smarts a bot might need but would forget when a blade shoved itself against their throat.
Yet still, only twice had he ever been spoken to about being a Pretender. About fighting as a Pretender and not as simply another Autobot soldier.
Perhaps it was trivial in the bigger picture–after all, dead is dead.
4-edge, 3-edge, length sticks, no not those…
Landmine’s optics flicked to the different boxes lined up in the shelf. Some of them had labels, some of those labels had faded to white.
He’d gone to fetch some repair supplies for Cloudburst. And as usual, the silence invited the chatter of his own thoughts.
How many were there like himself, with unacknowledged potential–who would likely die in battle, the intricate stories of their lives forced shut in an anticlimactic conclusion. No adventure, no life lived before their time?
And how odd, he remarked internally, to still have the fortunate and the unfortunate, in the midst of a war–one being fought namely for the end of the class divide in Cybertronian society.
Will we accomplish anything when we end this, other than the destruction of cities and lives? Be it violent tyranny and oppression, or the will of corrupt and almighty governmental bodies–who below them would come away with anything other than what has always been?
Head down, staring at the contents of the open box, Landmine felt a familiar ache, a sinking feeling of dread and despair.
Our lives lie in the hands of others. If we like it or not, if we wage a war for it or not. How fair is that?
“Lander! Where are you, buddy? We’re doing another simulation soon, but Hawk wants us in the main hall first!”
Waverider.
He looked up, staring at the wall outside the open door. He felt guilty as silence followed, likely for his own lack of response. But he couldn’t say anything back right now. He gripped the box more tightly and started down the hall.
Memories began to awaken. Things he wanted to remember that made his chest hurt, reminding him why he also…didn’t want to remember.
I'm just as bad a spark, aren't I?
He wondered…how fair it was to break someone’s heart, and then, act like nothing had happened at all.
…
On the day for liftoff–when training was complete and all certifications to move out had been met–Landmine found himself exiting powerdown before daylight had emerged in the sky. He was not a late-riser by any means, but not usually quite so early either.
He stared at the faint rays of daylight, reaching through his window and lighting the edge of his room walls.
He thought about the vacuum of space ahead. Something like a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
I’ll remember this for a while, won’t I?
The mech paced his room a couple times, rolling his shoulder joints and stretching a little. He'd found many benefits to morning exercises.
Optics ticking to an empty glass bottle lying near the window, his mind drifted back to the evening before.
To the impromptu speech Metalhawk had made last night over some drinks in the bar room.
The dimly-lit room carried a quiet murmuring, a laugh here and there. Landmine had come a bit late, taking his seat while Waverider waved a hello and handed him a glass. Cloudburst was, of course, talking.
After a little while, Landmine glanced over the table and saw that Metalhawk had a distant sort of smile on his faceplate.
He ran a finger against his rounded glass, gently. Then, as if deciding something, he flicked the edge softly.
The soft cling caught the attention of their group, quieting them. And, without moving his optics from the sight of the rippling liquid in his cup, he’d begun to speak.
“As we prepare to liftoff tomorrow, I wanted to…say a few things.”
He looked now, to each one of them.
“I…cannot guarantee we will make it back to Cybertron, that we will always have what we need, or that we will…survive this. I don’t know if we’ll succeed or fail in our mission, end up as prisoners of war on some Decepticon ship or not, or die as just a handful more nameless, faceless faction of the Autobot army. But, there is one thing of which, I do ask you to be certain.”
He smiled a smile that no longer seemed distant, but very much real. Present.
A look shimmered in his optics that Landmine knew well, yet not of his own experience.
It was a look that belonged only to those who had somehow, not been tainted at their very core–who had somehow learned to love all things as they were, and to always love.
Someone, he mused the thought, who had perhaps, not yet learned to hate from the pits of his being. Or maybe…
Made a choice, he'd thought.
“I am your commander in name only. More importantly, however, know I am your teammate, and I will not abandon you at any cost. Our destinies are uncertain–I only hope for many good centuries together. Not as mere soldiers of the Autobot faction, but instead as warriors of Cybertron, and of justice. Though imperfect as all beings are, we have, and always will have, a duty to protect life, and to strive to do good. And that mission, above all others, I do believe we can accomplish.”
Landmine gave a shout of approval and raised his glass high in the air. Nodding, the others raised theirs. They gazed back at Metalhawk, who gave a small chuckle, then raised his own glass.
“For peace!” He offered the toast. Clinking of glass and overlapping shouts followed.
“For Cybertron!!”
“Let’s get ‘em!!”
“YEAA!!!”
Landmine blinked again, realizing he’d begun to stare at that bottle a little too long.
The memory left him in the silence of his room in the early hours of day.
Today’s the day.
He slipped his new blaster to its holster and cast one more look at his room, then headed down to the main room to start course-planning, as a favor for the others on the ship, of course.
…
Many years had passed since the Pretenders’ liftoff. Missions had been carried out, ships tracked and ambushed, prisoners transported to warships that arrived quickly after battles. The three weeks of training hadn’t done much to show them what they’d learn firsthand on every mission.
Many hours were spent behind piles of mission reports and other writeups for record-keeping. No one had been seriously wounded up till this point, just some scratches here and there.
When it was time to close in on their target, there’d be tense silence in the command room, darkened save for the computer display of what lay outside their ship’s windows. It was the unspoken group decision that pursuing targets would mean windows were closed, for maximum stealth effect in addition to the cloaking technology their ship possessed.
The panel walls were littered with an array of maps and charts (digital or tacked on rather hastily) that either had to do with their ship or the one the team was chasing. All optics and servos were locked to their task, relaying commands and requests between stations, ready for almost anything.
And at present, that was kind of the team’s situation…with one slight change.
“Phoenix, give me the numbers on our bottom left central thruster. Will it hold?”
Having tracked their target to a very distant quadrant, the computer didn’t have much information about the area or its conditions.
“Ah…we’re at 42% power and dropping. The damage report indicates the shielding was torn off and it’s leaking fuel. The secondary power source cables are damaged as well, so once all the power’s gone, that’s it.”
“Are the damage control systems online?”
“Negative. We have to go manual,” He pulled up the video feed of their rear camera to show the damage. “We are traveling at full speed in space, so manual repairs are not doable–”
“–without the cost of a life, alright. And if we continue pursuit as we are?”
“Without repair? The…system says about 20 minutes until it starts sucking power from the other ones, and then we’ll enter float stage, pre-free-fall.”
So…they were trapped.
Landmine watched as he ducked his head, dealing a restrained punch to the wall next to him before returning to his command station and furiously typing away at the controls. He cast his eyes back to his own task, repeating to himself that he must stay focused.
“I’m going to try to reroute the power from the damaged thruster to the functional ones and shut off its power. We need to land now, or we’ll be forced to land,” he said quickly, not looking up.
The tremor in his voice was audible, ambiguously a tone of either urgency or fear.
Landmine looked up from his station, where he had been managing their travel course since no one was piloting manually.
“Should I analyze the properties of our current sector and any stable landforms?” He offered, already pulling up another screen.
“Yes, make sure–”
Suddenly, the vessel jolted downwards and shook with such force that everyone was knocked to their feet. A blaring alarm sounded as the ship shook again, an automated voice announcing in smooth Cybertronian that their back two thrusters were out of power.
The lights shut off for a second, while the ship swayed unevenly before a loud whirring started up and it moved back up again.
When it returned to a somewhat stable position, the lights remained flickering, and everyone remained gripping their stations tightly so as to not fall over.
Metalhawk straightened and immediately dashed to the front of the ship, smacking a panel on the front computer and grabbing the steering wheel. As he twisted it, he turned back around for a moment.
“Lander–something within the current firing range of this ship–we need a landing place now!!”
“We’re abandoning target pursuit?”
He felt a small spark of hope as Metalhawk, gave a silent nod in response. He had the feeling most other commanders would have sacrificed themselves and their ship, preaching the nobility of dying for this cause without abandoning the mission.
“With any luck, one of our last stray shots hit their ship too–which was already on its last leg from the looks of it,” Waverider piped up. “So they won’t be too far ahead, I’ll bet.”
“Okay, then,” Landmine switched off his station’s input to the course control and focused his efforts on scanning the nearby planets. “I’ll get something.”
The ship was vibrating now, but not with its usual even-toned hum.
It was the kind of uneven vibrating a machine made before it finally gave out and powered down for good.
Meanwhile, all the planets in their current sector weren’t looking too appealing.
Not many with life or long-term livable conditions…Hm…
“Balance function is starting to–”
As if on cue, the ship began to tilt downwards again, the metallic whirring noise growing louder and louder. A small explosion could be heard before the lights shut off for good and the alarm system abruptly stopped. Everyone was tossed violently to the ground.
The automated voice struggled to tell the room–
“We lost the third one!!” Cloudburst called over the halting monotone speech from the ship’s speakers. He shook his head picked himself off the ground, then rushed for the door.
“I’ll shut off the power transfer so it doesn’t fry the rest of the ship and us in it!” The door hissed open and he disappeared down the hall.
Then, the sound of…something blowing out, sounded in the room.
“Oh, sweet fraggin–” Waverider muttered the beginnings of a swear before whipping his gaze to the side to watch as the left half of the ship went completely dark, the computer panels clearly destroyed past functioning point.
He slammed his station with a balled first.
“We’re blind on the left side!”
Metalhawk made a noise of frustration and worry, just barely audible above the roaring engine as it struggled to stay active. He was grappling with the somewhat functional manual steering system, trying to keep the ship at a steady angle.
“Can we open the–ngh!!”
He was cut off as the ship as the ship lost control again, throwing him off the wheel and slamming him against the wall and then the floor. As he stumbled to his feet and back to the steering wheel, he gasped as he saw the other side of the ship’s display panels begin to flicker ominously.
Landmine swallowed, doing his best to quickly surf through all the information presented.
“We’re almost out of power–we can’t deactivate the panels!”
It was now or never, they needed a place to–
'Sol System Entry 7625 - Life: detected.’
Landmine blinked twice at the screen in front of him. He scrolled back to the planet that had read the one positive result among the sea of negative ones.
It that…?
With a quick tap, the image of a blue orb with wispy, white clouds tracing its edge, floating gently in its place, appeared on his display screen. His optics flicked to the planetary report, intrigued to find that this place had even been previously logged into Autobot travel records.
‘Atmospheric makeup: Non-toxic. Resource profile: Varied, Non-toxic. Cycle End Date: Undetected. Motion Cycle: Rotation.’
He checking one last thing, anticipation building–
Landing conditions: Optimal; follow procedure 41F-52.’
That was it.
“We need to prepare the ship to enter foreign atmosphere!!”
Waverider and Metalhawk snapped their gazes in his direction.
“Yes, I found us a landing spot, you can thank me later. The profiles of the surrounding planets are virtually uninhabitable–this is our only option right now!”
Waverider exchanged looks with their commander, who gave him a sharp nod. Then, he ran over to Landmine’s screen. After a moment, he chuckled a little.
When he turned to look at Landmine, a smile had cracked onto his face through the solemn, controlled panic that had been previously. The soft, turquoise light from the only control panels still working in the room bounced off the curves of his face, shimmering off his blue visor.
And even though there was such a high chance they’d die in the next few minutes, Landmine found himself frozen, simply staring back.
No. We can’t die today. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.
“Hey! Um, a little help here–did we find something?!”
Landmine let out a little laugh and slid back into his seat as Waverider seemed to snap back to seriousness and leaned over to speak for him.
“Hawk, it also checks out as habitable to carbon-based life forms!” He called, gripping the his station as the ship jerked to the side again. “We’ll be fine as long as we land safely!”
Just then, Cloudburst came rushing into the room.
“The core engine isn’t looking good, guys! We need to get the ship out of full thrust mode or we’ll overheat, and our power sources will mix and explode!!”
Oh. Wonderful.
So, the options had been expanded beyond: 1.) drifting aimlessly, trapped inside a non-functioning ship until energon-depletion or some other cause killed them, or 2.) losing power completely and burning up upon entry to the nearest atmosphere.
Now, they had a third option: sitting and waiting for their ship to simply overheat and explode.
The reddish mech ran up next to Metalhawk and started pushing buttons on the control panel.
“Someone needs to prepare the stasis pods and program them to ejection mode, I’ll set an altitude point!”
“Got it!” Waverider called, jumping up and sprinting out of the room. Landmine started inputting the coordinates of destination to the navigation system–one of the only undamaged things thus far–and deprogramming the space travel controls.
A couple minutes of silence passed before he flashed a thumb-up in the air.
“We’re ready for atmospheric entry in approximately 40 seconds and counting!”
“Brace for a drop, everyone!” Metalhawk shouted, planting his feet and gripping the wheel with all the force he could give.
“Stasis pods are ready to go!” Waverider reentered the room, sliding back into his station.
“Engines to 15%!”
“Roger!”
“Everyone get down!!”
There was a loud noise from the engine, then an abrupt silence as it cut down to about 15% power, and then the ship dipped so far downwards that Landmine felt himself grimace.
Part of him even wondered if this was really procedure, and that they weren’t all about to die now.
As if we weren’t before, he scoffed at himself.
He dug his digits into the side of his seat and shut his optics as the ship began to pick up speed.
The eerie silence endured for what felt like an eternity before the ship moved again, this time to right itself and return to a normal angle. At least, normal enough that Landmine opened his eyes to look around and see that the others were slowly standing up.
Metalhawk let out a shuddering breath and pressed a couple buttons with shaking digits before stepping back and regarding his crew. He’d probably switched the ship back to autopilot, so that they could all–
“Everyone to the stasis pods,” he ordered solemnly, quietly.
No one else spoke a word, ducking their helms and filing out of the room and into the hall.
Landmine walked out last.
He cast one last look at the nearly pitch-black command room, catching sight of the last couple working display panels struggling to function before the door hissed shut behind him.
He felt a twinge of sadness at the idea that they were saying goodbye to this ship so soon. Admittedly, it had been one nice vessel, with a gorgeous design and plenty of capabilities.
Then, there was the stark realization that once they entered stasis, they might not make it back out alive.
We can’t die today. We won’t.
Since the ship was barely working, the lighting in the halls was…nonexistent. However, they knew exactly where they were going, and walked quietly in the darkness until they reached their destination.
With a quiet whirring noise, the door slid open. The darkness was abruptly luminated with a soft, greenish glow, emanating from the center of each stasis pod lying in its place.
There were six of them, more than enough for every member on this team.
Landmine had been there to help Cloudburst put in the other three.
He walked in and watched as Metalhawk entered his verification to the panel on the wall, deactivating the locks on each one so they hissed and snapped open simultaneously. The greenish glow faded to a blue, as if softening, to invite them in.
“Whatever the outcome, remember what I said to you all on our liftoff day,” Metalhawk said as evenly as he could, turning and regarding each mech slowly, kindly. He had that smile on his face again, which seemed to ease the tension in the room.
“If we make it out alive or if this is the day on which Primus welcomes us home, I am honored to have had such a good team of friends. I am honored to die, not for this cause, but surrounded by you.”
"And we're honored to remain with you in this moment, sir."
"It was an honor indeed."
"Frag yeah."
Their commander nodded, then swiveled to gaze down at the stasis pods.
“Then…until we meet again,” he said, soft enough that he almost wasn't audible.
He then walked to the back of the room and took a step into the pod. Cloudburst followed, taking the one next to him.
Landmine stepped towards his pod, then stopped, frozen in place again.
It wasn’t quite hesitation or fear, but something was stopping him from going forward. He could feel the quaking beneath him, as the ship was no doubt somewhat falling apart, reaching closer and closer to the ground.
He heard the doors to the other pods seal themselves shut, administering the stasis lock.
But something was…
“Hey.”
He looked to his side and found himself millimeters away from Waverider. His spark skipped a beat. But, he wasn’t afraid.
He found himself reaching out and gripping Waverider’s servos, firmly, yet gently. He traced his thumb along the palm of his hand, smiling with a deep emotion he couldn’t quite place.
Waverider’s visor glittered, a smile twisting the corners of his mouth upwards. He let his helm fall against Landmine’s.
He spoke so softly, so gently, in his easy-going way that almost made it seem like he didn't even fear death itself.
“I want to see you again.”
“Me too.”
“Then see me again!”
“Alright, I will,” Landmine chuckled, letting go of one hand and bringing it up to caress Waverider’s face for a moment. “I won’t leave you again.”
“Oh, Lander…”
“I’m sorry for everything, I’m sorry for the things I said back in Academy, I'm sorry for never contacting you, I’m sorry for–”
“Shh…”
The black-plated mech drew away, his hand sliding slowly out of Landmine’s grip. He gave a soft smile and climbed into his pod, still watching him.
Landmine found himself to be shaking, unable to speak as he watched Waverider lean back and close his optics. He didn’t know how to describe this feeling, that seemed to break his facade, to suddenly force him to realize of the gravity of everything happening in this moment.
The possibility of the unwanted outcome, which no one would mourn, and no one would remember, until long after the war was over. Or perhaps, not even then.
He watched, motionless, as the glass panel slid over his body, the blue shining off it in wavy lines.
He mouthed something just before the glass fogged over and he could no longer be seen.
Until we meet again.
He could still felt the touch on his hand, the weight against his forehead, heard the softly-whispered utterances ringing in the recesses of his mind as he finally forced himself to move.
Stepping into his own pod, he felt a strange relief wash over him. Perhaps it was closer to sudden resignation, but he wanted to believe it was relief.
A sheet of clear glass moved over his body, another, thicker one sliding over from the side.
It was a very small space, this container.
He found himself smiling.
Maybe now he could finally say he’d been a good Autobot.
Had the past been fixed? Had he done anything right or...just? Had he truly strove for the protection of all life, as Hawk had put it?
Perhaps. Or not. But maybe I did my best. And maybe…that’s good enough.
And then, the nothingness of stasis wrapped its grip around him, and everything went dark.
…
“No, you need a new tie–where’s your sense of style?!” Landmine took a long drink from his glass before shaking his head. “Oh, wait I forgot–you don’t have one.”
“Says the guy in the ugliest jacket I have ever laid eyes on–”
“That's my favorite one, shut up!”
“You!!”
“You!!!”
But the both of them were laughing.
Though tipsy, they hadn’t thought to call it a night yet, especially not on their drinks. So they remained, sitting near the window of a high-rise, fancy restaurant in the middle Manhattan.
It had so happened, Waverider was in the city for a bit, so Landmine decided to take him to one of his favorite restaurants.
It was times like this he was happy to be not just a human, but one with a very decent salary.
The lights of the city twinkled like a sea of stars tied to the ground, canceling out the vast number of stars that both of them knew hung high in the sky…out in space…
“It’s been too long for you, hasn’t it?”
Landmine jolted a bit a he heard Waverider’s voice, gaze snapping back to him and away from the city below. He watched him reach out and pick up his glass, tracing the edge of it with a finger.
“Me too, Lander,” Waverider said, so quietly it could have been to himself, “Me too.”
Yes, he agreed, internally, looking back out the window.
It’d been quite literally ages since they’d been able to resume their missions, flying around the galaxy…they’d been in human bodies for so many years, it almost felt like a distant memory–the war, or that they belonged to a whole other world.
Considering how long they'd been forced to remain on earth so far–as their superiors felt it best to just station the team on earth rather than provide or allow them a means to come back to Cybertron–he was fairly open to that notion. Perhaps it was better it all remained a vague memory, put behind him for good.
Life on earth wasn't perfect, but it had a lot of its own good moments. In some ways, it was better than Cybertron, he'd concluded.
And despite what he knew many of his kind would think, he didn't feel guilty at all for feeling that way.
He remembered the day their stasis pods reactivated, opening his optics to a bright light floating in a crystal blue sky, and realizing he was unharmed, and still alive.
The flood of hope like no other, that had caused him to remain motionless for quite a while before he finally left his pod.
But what had felt like such a distant memory wasn’t just the war itself.
“Hey,” he said taking another sip of the sparkling white liquid in his glass. “I’ve missed talking to you like this. Just sitting together...”
He watched Waverider lean back to down the rest of his glass before responding.
“You said it.”
“We should…get together more often,” he found himself saying. The music playing faintly on the speakers stopped for a moment as he spoke.
He watched Waverider smile, but felt his heart tighten as it registered what kind of smile it was. This was familiar. Quite familiar.
Another song started to play overhead. Something about romance.
“I’d…be open to that,” he said at last, looking out the window. Even amidst the medium-level noise of the restaurant, his sudden silence seemed to shout at Landmine.
Should I not have...?
Landmine sighed and reached out a hand, letting his fingers rest on his friend’s.
The warm, semi-dim lighting of the restaurant painted the strangers at the tables behind them in orange shadows. The yellow of the overhead lighting shimmered faintly in the depths of Waverider's soft blue eyes.
He looked out the window again, too, eyes caught by the sight of a skyscraper flashing a bright yellow light in some practiced sequence.
He found it wonderful and intriguing that even after all these years watching civilization build itself into the modern day, there were still some things he’d never know about daily life.
Or it might be a broken light.
Another memory suddenly greeted him.
The one where he went to check Waverider’s pod first, instinctively, and moment he realized how afraid he’d been when Waverider finally opened his eyes, the glass sliding away immediately, letting him sit up.
“We’re up first! How wild is that?” He’d said, dropping down to a kneeling position to be eye-level with him. Waverider blinked once, twice, then chuckled.
“Pretty wild.” He leaned forward and touched foreheads with Landmine. “So, hey.”
“Hey.”
“I’m seeing you again. I told you we’d see each other soon…”
“I know…”
Suddenly, the hand beneath his shifted to grip back, pulling him from his memory and into the present again. The smile that he saw across the table was different again, looking happier than before.
I just don’t know how to tell you...
“Can I come to your office tomorrow, then?”
Landmine smirked, feeling his own playful nature return in full.
“Only if you let me pick out your outfit–and you throw out that awful tie!”
“By the Primes, Lander–”
“No, I'll even buy the stuff for you. It’ll be my treat,” He insisted, starting to laugh. “The people at my office will kick you out if you walk in with that uncoordinated kind of style!”
“Oh, then you must have experience in that field,” Waverider joked back, motioning at Landmine’s signature burgundy jacket.
He had the most smug grin on his face.
“My good sir, I’ll have you know that–”
But he didn’t finish his sentence.
He’d broken off abruptly, just staring at Waverider for a moment. The clamor of people around them seemed to fade out.
Unsure as to whether it was the wine he'd been drinking or something else entirely, he felt like something was...pulling at him, and he found himself leaning closer and closer until…
Another memory flashed through his mind’s eye. It was of his first experience with a kiss.
Landmine was sitting in his office, typing away at his laptop. He'd been working at a paper company while he looked for a better job, having set his sights on moving to New York.
He was filling out his application for a position as head of sales at an automotive dealer when he felt a tap on the shoulder.
In the reflection of his computer screen, he could see Waverider's figure before he felt him lean over and rest his head on his shoulder.
"Hey," he murmured, grinning. "Shouldn't you be in a meeting?"
His partner didn't respond, instead leaning over and pressing his lips gently against Landmine's cheek. The blonde froze, obviously startled by the gesture.
Then at last, he cleared his throat, looking up at Waverider, who still had a large smile on his face. He was sure he was flushed, but tried to play it cool.
"And you did that…why?”
“It’s a human custom,” Waverider explained, laughing. “Its called kissing. Saw someone in my office do it with their partner, and I've seen it hundreds of times before that, but didn't know what it was."
"And that is?" He watched Waverider draw back a bit, tapping his chin in thought.
"How do I say...well, it's like...it means affection, or that you care for someone.”
"Alright..." Landmine was still confused, however. “But, I mean...is it platonic or romantic?”
Waverider shrugged. Then, leaned over to kiss Landmine's cheek again.
"That's...up to us, I guess..."
Whatever you wanted it to be, a kiss was.
Well, he didn't know what this kiss was, but...he knew it felt right. It was better than any word he could speak, or gesture he could make.
And after a moment, he and Waverider leaned back, sat back down, quiet again. But, not an uncomfortable silence.
He watched his companion smile, start to blush. The dimples in his face showed themselves as he smiled back at him. He ruffled his brownish-blonde hair with one hand, starting to giggle a little.
Landmine knew it wasn’t going to be long before Waverider would have to return to his job, leaving New York again. They’d be lonely again, even if they called and messaged…
But maybe what they had...didn't need some kind of label, or name. A commitment or a friendship or...something deeper than that...whatever this was.
This still felt alright. As it always had. Something told him Waverider felt that, too.
He and Waverider had since had many long talks about their academy days. Everything had been laid out, brought up, acknowledged and forgiven.
They had come to understand one another so deeply in all their years since coming to Earth, but especially now, as humans in this current time of peace.
“No matter what you do, or who you’re with," Waverider murmured, beaming, "I’ll always be here for you. I know I've said that before, but...eh, it's worth saying again.”
"I know."
"I'm glad!" He laughed again.
He was certainly a little drunk, sure but, he was always like this, Landmine thought.
Waverider had always been a relaxed and fun-loving soul.
“Connected sparks...always find their way back together no matter what, don’t they?” Landmine remarked, flicking a fingertip against his plate.
He felt warm, all the way inside himself, not from the meal or the heater, but...from something else.
Waverider blinked in some surprise for a moment, seeming to take in the words, processing them, before the smile returned to his features.
“Yeah...they really do.”
And, suddenly Landmine took notice of the speaker overhead, as it had started playing something else while they spoke.
It was a song about humanity–something he and the other Pretenders had learned slowly but surely, was quite relative to what they’d known all their lives.
The truth of existence, which Landmine had found and continued to find with every passing day.
That it's alright, to be as one is–imperfect, yet persevering.
Bringing what one can to the table of life, giving, speaking, loving and experiencing it all.
That in that imperfection, life itself was good–contrary of course, to what he’d learned in the Cybertronian Military Academy, which had been wrong about many other things as well.
Life in many forms, which seeks friendships and connections between others, in its funny, social nature.
Nothing quite in idealistic purity, and often happy in that manner of existing.
That, which altogether, made it truly beautiful to be alive, especially on this Earth.
///
#transformers#transformers super god masterforce#super god Masterforce#super god masterforce fanfiction#Masterforce#masterforce moment òwó 🥺💖✨#tf#transformers stuff#maccadam#kuniwrites#<3#fanfiction#writing#landmine#lander#waverider#diver#cloudburst#Phoenix#Metalhawk#hawk#Pretenders#transformers fanfiction#for fun#anime#transformers anime#edit: ive finally come up with a shipname for these two#landiver#vine boom sound effect#yea
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ask game: mjgwen, peterfelicia, kathony ;-)
mj/gwen
1. What made you ship it?
there was this comic scan of mj talking about how gwen got past her party girl persona, and helped her learn to be the kind of person who sticks around when things get hard. it was just such an interesting look into their friendship, and how maybe it could've been more if gwen had lived.
2. What are your favorite things about the ship?
- they're best friends.
- gwen is a more reliable/safer partner than peter (i'm sorry, y'all. i love peter deeply, but mj has been almost killed so many times because of peter being spiderman. and i know shipping mj/felicia is also hypocritical. but i really do think gwen would've been the best partner for mj if she'd survived). plus gwen and mj would've both been really successful. girl bosses.
3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
idk. i can't think of one.
peter/felicia
1. What made you ship it?
i've seen people post stuff about them over the years, and i guess i started shipping them by osmosis?? lol
2. What are your favorite things about the ship?
so i confess i really just now started getting into the spiderman comics, so i don't know a ton about them. but i'll try to list some stuff i like about them.
- i like the idea of peter having a partner who can protect him, as well as them. someone who can delegate with fighting crime or watching over aunt may when things get heated. there was a little mini comic in one of the volumes i was reading on kindle where peter's fighting a giant robot, and felicia has the cops chase her around the city so they won't get in his way or hurt him. it was really sweet. and afterward they have dinner and a movie.
- the potential comedy of them being a couple.
felicia being rich and wanting to spoil him, but he is the worst sugar baby in the world. the only thing he will let her buy is food, and that's only when he's like, on the brink of starvation. she has to coax him to her like one of those feral street cats.
them dealing with each other's mutations. with all the funny, annoying, sexy things that come with it.
peter putting aside his moral code to look the other way when felicia steals lol.
felicia trying to get peter to learn self-care and him resisting her all the way, because he's uncomfortable with feeling too good. (okay, this one isn't funny. it's just sad. 😔)
3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
idk if this is an unpopular take, but i hate stuff where felicia is portrayed as only liking peter in the mask. or where she's like rough and inconsiderate of peter and unsympathetic to his boundaries. they're both victims of sexual assault, and it just rubs me the wrong way. (this is also something i hate in peter/wade fics as well. where there's this lack of care being demonstrated, and i don't agree with it at all.)
kate/anthony
1. What made you ship it?
the moment i saw gifsets of them, i was all in. they were what made me decide to watch the show in the first place.
2. What are your favorite things about the ship?
uuuugghh, okay here's an incoherent list.
- their enemies to lovers dynamic. i love a good enemies to lovers story. their chemistry was crackling just about every scene they were in, and i feel insane every time they're on my screen.
- i love seeing two oldest children find love together, and struggling with wanting someone/something for themselves for the first time.
- i think my favorite thing about them is that while they're sexy together, the best thing is they're a couple who i believe are also each other's best friend (once they get past everything else lol). they always look so happy to be together, and i love that
3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?
i don't think i have one. the literal only complaint i have about them is that i didn't get to see enough of them.
#grapecaseschoices#kimi replies#i guess i sort of like peter/felicia for some of the#same reasons i like peter/wade#where both ships have them inspiring each other to change#peter inspiring them to want to be more honorable#and them making peter question his view on what makes things 'good'
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I posted 53,811 times in 2022
That's 11,910 more posts than 2021!
350 posts created (1%)
53,461 posts reblogged (99%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@prismatic-bell
@hearts-guided-key
@lunarlegend
@thatrandombystander
@neato-burrito-scream-dorito
I tagged 5,180 of my posts in 2022
#my husband is so beautiful ugaiz 😍 - 358 posts
#bobbi's being weird again - 348 posts
#art - 342 posts
#the great artscapade of 2022 - 309 posts
#my art - 298 posts
#precious chocobean - 158 posts
#heralds of the queue - 118 posts
#friend oc - 106 posts
#untitled gunpla comic - 90 posts
#khdr spoilers - 88 posts
Longest Tag: 141 characters
#he's taking his li'l paw and putting it on my hands or my arm and then meowing and staring at me like 🥺 because i'm not actively petting him
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Day 185 and it's a super important day, y'all! It's @lunarlegend's birthday!!! Happy birthday, Luna, I drew you a Stella, hope you like it!!! :D
14 notes - Posted July 4, 2022
#4
Jim "Treasure Planet" Hawkins is trans and you can't change my mind. My evidence? His theme song. The whole damn thing. But most specifically the lines "I want to tell you who I am. Can you help me be a man? They can't break me, as long as I know who I am" and "they can't tell me who to be, 'cause I'm not what they see."
18 notes - Posted March 29, 2022
#3
Hey y'all, can you do me a favor and check out my bestie's Etsy shop? She just got laid off from her job and she could use the financial help, especially with holidays coming up.
She's got a lot of cute designs, like this shirt here and this cool mug that I'm gonna get for myself when I get paid and a purple pillow and y'all know how I feel about purple (it's the best color, you should get the pillow). There's more, even a paraffin wax candle if you want one of those! She's got a couple Halloween designs for you Halloween lovers out there, too!
See the full post
25 notes - Posted November 17, 2022
#2
I keep thinking of how cruel of an insult "also-ran" is to Lea. To anyone else it's meaningless drivel—hell, I kind of lol wtf'd at it at first—but to Lea? Axel? Who's whole thing is "got it memorized" and wanting to live on in people's memories forever? To be called so worthless and forgettable that the only thing you can say about him is "yeah he was there, too, I guess"? Fuck, that must have hit like a blow to the gut.
And it was a deliberate choice on Xemnas's part, because he knows Axel's whole thing. He knows Axel's primary motivation is to matter and be remembered. But who remembers the also-rans?
It erases everything Lea has accomplished and relegates him to a true nobody—not a Nobody, but a nobody, nobody special, nobody worth mentioning, nobody worth caring about—all in two syllables specifically chosen to punch him in the gut.
On the surface, it seems like a weird translation choice. Something anachronistic, or maybe even a mistranslation, but I don't think it is. I think the translators picked the exact right insult—one that would be a hard miss to anyone else, but undermines everything that Lea is. And the more I think about it, the more it makes me hate Xemnas for that deliberate cruelty (and applaud the translation team for selling it).
Idk man I'm just having weird Lea/Axel feels today
31 notes - Posted May 2, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
I just realized something, and I kind of feel dumb for only now realizing it, but if you only play the numbered Kingdom Hearts games and Dream Drop Distance, you're experiencing the story how Sora experiences it. You know just as much about what's going on as he does.
The side games are only necessary if you want to fully understand the whole entire story, but if you only care about Sora and what Sora's doing and how the story affects Sora? No need to play Roxas or Xion's part of the story, or Terra, Ven, or Aqua's part of the story, or the Age of Fairy Tales, or even Data-Sora and pre-CoM memory-wipe Sora's stories. Sure, Coded and CoM and Days help, but Sora doesn't know what happened in them. He wasn't there. He didn't directly experience Coded and Days, and he's forgotten CoM (though the memory links reside in his heart). But the side games—again, except Dream Drop—were either about other characters, or were written so you don't have to play them to understand everything Sora does. Maybe there was a scene or two (baby Sora and Riku meeting Aqua) that is relevant, but he was also, what, four? Who remembers random strangers saying weird things to you when you're four? It happens all the time, adults are nuts and you don't have a whole lot of life experience so everything is weird to you anyway.
Or maybe I've been cooking on an empty stomach for an hour and it's starting to get to me. Idk. I expect I'll feel the same after I eat, though.
92 notes - Posted April 13, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#tumblr2022#year in review#my 2022 tumblr year in review#your tumblr year in review#Bobbi's being weird again
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