#<- this was a placeholder tag for a while but i decided i like it actually

[solar4seekstron]

Transformers 2007 - Chapter One: Beginnings

Indie Bayverse Transformers Series - Creator: Solar Seeks

Introduction, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six

Content: 18+, basically a battle and interactions to get to know the characters a little more.

TW/Tags: 3rd POV (1st POV wouldn’t work here sorry), Altair is a placeholder for Y/N, This story is self-insert, Multiple deaths, Decapitation, Swearing, Jealous Elita in background, Angry Prowl, Optimus and Altair have a pretty happy relationship.

Notes: Originally the first chapter was going to be all the way to where Sam and Mikaela are taken and the bots will come to save them. The story ending on bee getting captured. OP and Reader having a small argument because reasons. More on that in the next chapter. But I decided that I need to write the story to start off with reader Altair and key points. Like their relationship with everyone and the lead up to arriving to earth.

The second is because I was redoing some lore reading. In the comics Megatron is the one to take Bees voice box. And so in the first chapter he has already lost his voice box. I do plan on doing a flashback to better fletch out the situation and event from the comics in possibly later chapters if it fits since I just learned this.

Third I’ll probably do a rewrite at some point and add a little more once I rewatch the other movies and after I finish the 2nd chapter if I realize I must add more.

Editor: @midnightbears

Chapter One: Beginnings

Location: Unknown Planet - Situation: Battle Between Autobot and Decepticon

It was a full-on Battle. And it was messy. The Decepticons at large as they yelled in almost joy. The planet is windy and full of dirt.

A mission set for the Autobot to find energon gone wrong. The battle is mostly surprising when the skilled shooter Chromia is almost shot by one of the Decepticons.

Who at first was a lot closer to the Decepticons during the fight. Other bigger bots making their way over to help her out.

Crosshiars jumped over a rock, using his cervo and arm to pull his waist up before landing next to her.

Speaking to her while he gets his sniper gun ready. Both kneeling and yelling.

“How many did you counter?” Crosshiars asked. Avoiding a shot that only hit the rock by the side. Chromia then responded. “So far ten. But it seems that more might come!”

Crosshairs peaked a little over the rock before returning to looking at Chromia.

They then heard very large engines and looked toward where the ship was. Ironhide, Prowl, and Jazz soon showing up. Transformering mid-air, joining the fight.

The Decepticons slowly move in circles around them. Jazz led them out of the center.

Trying to find any way to get out of there with the others. But that was starting to prove difficult. The Decepticons there proving to be a little stronger.

Jazz then tries to speak through the comm as his back presses harshly against a large rock bigger than him. One cervo holding his gun while the other digit presses into his comm.

Prowl is on his left while Chromia stays on his right.

“This is First Lieutenant Jazz! We are under attack and need help! Reporting to Autobot base for immediate backup!”

He yelled but the comms weren’t going through Ironhide brought out one of his larger guns and started shooting almost like a madman left and right. Walking forward.

Crosshairs getting behind him as a shield.

Jazz gets upset trying to figure out what’s happening with the signal.

But then he got a comm by another bot. Jazz answering. “Where are you we need help! And have you tried the comms for the base? I can’t reach Optimus!“ he closes the call.

But he soon gets another one by a different comm. Another bot spoke with a strong yet soft voice.

A cybertronian car is making its way closer to the others. Then spoke once more to Jazz through the comm. “The Decepticon Cyclonus cut signals on this planet. He’s been dealt with. I’m the backup now. See you soon jazz.”

The comm closes. Jazz then turned his helm to the side and peaked above the rock to see the Decepticons hiding behind other larger rocks and trees.

The wind is harsh while Chromia and Prowl remain by his side. Ironhide hid behind a large tree and a few rocks, reloading his weapon.

Crosshairs is a lot closer and further than the others and can get a better shot at the Decepticons. Like hitting their shoulder and even getting a few headshots earlier.

He had a huge grin on his dermas the entire time.

As the others continue they soon hear the sound of a car speeding.

Jazz, Prowl, and Ironhide are the ones to turn their helms toward the sound. Soon they saw the car drive up on a larger rock next to the ship.

The car flies and then transforms into a certain bot.

Altair soon appeared in the air with their face plate fully covered by their visors and mouth guard. Anyone who knew them like Ironhide, Crosshairs, and Jazz knows that they’re smiling under that mask.

While in midair, they then pull out two purple guns. All in a fast motion, they point the two guns down and start shooting at the Decepticons below.

Able to get four of them.

Jazz and Chromia cheered while Prowl just scowled under his visors. A frown on his dermas. Chromia and the others were too busy with the shooting.

Once they hit the floor flawlessly once on their legs, Altiar rolled forward smoothly with the guns and started shooting at the others more and more.

Doubledealer noticed them to be Cyclonus. Soon yelling.

“You Autobot scum!!! You killed Cyclonus didn’t you!!!!” In a fit of rage, he started to shoot like an idiot, leaving himself open.

Crosshairs getting a headshot. Covering for Altair as they continue.

Altair started to run further and further into the battle. Being a pretty big bot they’re able to easily take on many of the larger bots who were bigger than Ironhide.

One of the snipers on the Decepticon's side was able to get a good hit on the shoulder.

When the ammo soon ran out. They throw them to the side and then soon pull out their swords. Hiding behind a large rock a few feet ahead of Ironhide.

Who looked over at them from behind.

Altair peaking just a little past the rock to see how many Decepticons are there.

Jazz then spoke through the comms. Unable to speak to Prowl and Chromia even when they’re next to him thanks to the noise of guns and wind. “We move forward!”

They and Ironhide look at each other before nodding.

The four of them move. From their current hiding spot make their way closer to where Crosshairs and Altair are. Able to easily avoid the shootings as they make it to larger trees.

Kneeling and hiding just behind Crosshairs. Altair stayed close to the ground and sneaked closer to one of the Decepticons.

Jazz continues to get closer to Chromia and Prowl.

But a grenade was able to cause them to scatter once it landed in front of Jazz. Getting around more than just in the middle of the field.

When Prowl got behind Ironhide with a tree. Ironhide shooting again.

Prowl would then get a comm call. Seeing it’s not from the base. Prowl answers expecting it to be someone searching for them on another planet or is from the Autobot base.

“This is Officer Prowl of the Autobot cause. This better be our backup!”

He said in a strict and commanding tone.

Only to get more upset when he hears a certain gun specialist bot on the other side.

“Nope! But if you give me the permission I need I can come right in then I’ll save y’all without a second thought!”

Prowl then rolled his optics and responded while his back remained against a large tree.

“Hound we need you to get back to base. We can’t reach it and it’s too dangerous without more. Your team won’t be able to help stand against what we’re dealing with. We need better backup!”

“Well, I’m better backup! Hell, I’m a great backup! I-“

Prowl interrupts him once more. Being almost shot by the side of his helm. The shooting only hit the side of the tree. Then speaking once more when he glanced at the mark on the tree.

Then out of nowhere, a full-on blast of guns started to fire.

“Just go get the backup we need!!!!”

He then hangs up. Peaking by the side seeing Ironhide returning to shooting once more. Prowl groaned and loaded his police gun. Sighing before he peaks over next to the tree once more.

Seeing Jazz jump over a rock and shoot another Decepticon.

Altair was close by decapitating one and kicking another away. Soon getting into another sword battle with a different person.

Jazz then transforms to drive closer. Shooting one of the Decepticons that was behind a small boulder. Then staying down on the other side of the boulder once the other Decepticons start shooting at him.

Reloading his minigun and getting his blaster ready.

Until. ”Ring, Ring, Ring” Jazz a little confused answers the call after turning his blaster back into his cervo then answers. “Optimu-“

”Jazz! Where’s your location I can come to you guys as backup!” Jazz then responded. “No- damn it Hound! Go back to the base and tell them we’re outnumbered. You need to-“

Jazz is then tackled to the side by Chromia right as he’s about to be hit with another grenade.

Jazz then helped her up and the two hid behind a couple of trees together. Jazz kneeled to shield Chromia while she kept shooting. Jazz then responded to the comm.

”Hound this is an order. Go to the base and try to get us back up! Besides you’re not even supposed to be on another planet! You need to leave to get help! You’ll have your chance another time! Now go to the base! That’s an order!!!”

He ends the call. Hound stood there on another planet a good million miles away with a few other Autobots who were just wandering around.

Altair and Ironhide then start to head deeper into the battlefield killing as many cons as they can but the two also notice that these are. The Decepticon's weakest cons. Something is up.

Ironhide and Altair then looked at each other until Altair got a call through the comm.

Altair and Ironhide continue to run to the other Decepticons with the others behind them. Altair answered it. Soon hearing Hound's voice on the other side.

”Altair! Tell that stuck-up Prowl and Lieutenant Jazz to let me join you guys. I’m a great back up and with me, you, and Ironhide on the team. Those scums don’t stand a chance!”

Altair listens to him while still fighting in a sword battle.

Being able to win then hides behind a rock and tree. A second later a Decepticon came to. Try to catch them off guard next to the rock but Altair was faster.

Altair then currently strangling the Decepticon Razorclaw with one arm as they keep listening to Hounds little rant. Razorclaw was having a hard time trying to save himself while Altair was trying to avoid being shot at by the other Decepticons.

Altair then finally responded as they placed their other cervo to their helm. Showing they’re thinking ‘Is he for real right now?’.

“Sorry Hound, but shouldn’t you be with the others back at the base? I mean you were given orders.”

Hound then responded once more.

“Come on I’m a great back up and you still owe me for that kill count. I still want that redraw!”

While he spoke Altair has then grabbed the side of Razorclaws helm tightly. Then twisting his helm in the other direction breaking his neck completely in a fast snap.

Then ripping it off and kicking the body away. Turning back to the other Decepticons once he was finished with a scowel.

Ironhide continues to shoot without much worry while the others keep up with trying to shoot other cons.

While Hound responded, Altair jumped to another tree before being almost shot. Still holding Razorclaws helm before sticking a grenade in it then starts running toward the larger Decepticon there.

Ironhide joining them.

“Yeah, but I have a job to disarm bombs for other teams. So Optimus sent me and now that I hear in a cut-off call to base by Jazz. This can be a good excuse to start killing people!”

Ironhide then joins the call. Having hit a bot with the back of his gun and then shot them.

Altair has thrown the head into one of the larger bots' cervos. Getting killed by the explosion. Altiar then jumps through the explosion with both swords at hand.

Then landing and starts a sword battle against Fang. Ironhide is only a few feet from them as the others join in.

He joined the comm and started to speak to Hound in a tone that was almost calming and cheerful showing they’re both old friends. ”Hound you are a trained soldier! Just do as the others tell ya. Ya know you can’t change Jazz's mind. Well- Unless you’re Prime or Altair.”

Altair then chuckled with a response. M

“Oh please it’s Prowl you gotta deal with when it comes to changing your damn plans. And besides, we’re handling this pretty well! Wouldn’t ya say? Hide!”

They say with a cheer while Ironhide chuckles.

Jazz, Chromia, Prowl, and Crosshairs soon joined around them like a true team. Altair then kills Fang with a stab. Twisting their blade causing his blood to splatter on them.

They then respond with a casual tone while his frame falls back.

“Look Hound you’ll have your chance next time. But for now, just do as the boss says. Which is Jazz.” They finished, their voice almost tired but calm at the end.

They then got into another sword battle with Menasor. Fighting the larger bot as they spoke. Ironhide then finished the conversation while Hound and Altair just listened.

“Don’t worry Hound. You’ll be kicking head before ya know it! Oh, and you better not have eaten my snack back at base!”

The call then ended between the three, with Hound groaning and getting fussy. The Autobots around him getting their ship ready to leave. He reluctantly walked over for them to leave.

Altair and the others continue to shoot and kill as many Decepticons as they can.

Altair then noticed that some of the bots were retreating after they saw them and Jazz. Calcar then gets an upper cervo on Altair.

The two fall down a small hill as he gets a few good punches at Altiar.

The others scream their name but are slowly overwhelmed by more Decepticons. At one point though, Crosshairs and Jazz start killing the bigger bots by getting on them.

Chromia and Prowl stick next to each other while shooting at grenades that the Decepticons try to throw at them.

In the background, Ironhide helps out Jazz with gutting one of the larger bots with his bare cervo.

Altair meanwhile was trying to block punches from Calcar but he was a strong bot and also much younger.

The two bots got into a fistfight while he yelled how he tried to become a knight before the war. Only to realize the knights are the the to abandon their duty like many others. Including Altair.

“I looked up to you as a sparkling! You and Orion Pax but you guys could care less about us poor folks. Tonight. I will give you the gift of joining pri-“

Altair then was able to get the upper hand and turn him over. Being on top now and getting a few good blows at him. He tries to keep speaking but at one point his helm is shot clean off.

His blood splattered onto their face plate. Well, their face mask anyway.

They then stood up. Wiping the blood off their visors then turning their frame towards to Crosshairs. They then nodded to him.

A form of thanks as he then kneeled to them.

The other out to them to help them up. They then took it and got back up with him and the others. Shooting still going on.

They then made their way to the others. Crosshairs and Altair then yell in triumph as they run into battle. Altair can get a good hand at one of the larger bots. Chromia taking in the smaller ones, covering for Jazz.

Prowl continued to run faster and faster into the battlefield. He always seemed annoyed with how Altair fought so casually.

Trying to find a way to give them orders but couldn’t think of anything. The others not paying much while Crosshairs just focused on covering for the others.

At some point, Prowl and Altair's backs were against each other and fighting alongside each other.

Covering for each other while a few Decepticons got closer. Prowl then spoke while Altair continued to slash them with their sword. Prowl doing the shooting.

At one point Prowl shot a cons helm.

Between Altiar and their cervo when they tried to wipe the blood off them.

Altair then stabbed through one of the bots their same size who was behind Prowl after he took the shot. Prowl and Altair watched the con fall back before the two looked at each other.

Altair stared down at him while Prowl looked up at them.

Both with opposite expressions the other can’t see. Prowl with a frown while he couldn’t see. They were smiling. He then spoke in an angry tone.

“I had him.”

”Sure you did boss bot. And what would you have done if you did deal with him?”

They responded casually. Prowl was about to scold them until Altair noticed a bot about to shoot Prowl while lying on the ground from behind.

Altair then placed their arm around him while kneeling for a moment before turning around with prowl against their chest.

Bracing for the impact to be shot.

That’s until they both heard the shots but when Altair released they weren’t shot.

They slowly turned their helm, Prowl peaking over their shoulder to see who it is. They then see that it’s Ironhide who used his large gun to block the shot.

Chromia is the one to shoot the Decepticon in the helm. Just as they notice more Decepticons coming their way from afar.

Altair standing straight no longer holding Prowl. Who just looked at Jazz and Chromia. Still next to them.

Ironhide next to the. Crosshairs casually makes his way next to Ironhide while holding his sniper gun and letting it lean against his shoulder.

Chromia standing in front of Ironhide just a few feet ahead and Jazz standing next to her while looking at his arm.

He then groaned in frustration while his fingers kept tapping at a screen hologram showing on his arm. This causes the others to look at him. Jazz then spoke as he kept pressing buttons.

”I just can’t reach base. We will just have to return with what we have and return to the base. And pray to Primus that we find more energon for at least another planet after. These damn Decepticons just keep appearing on each planet we go to!”

As he spoke Crosshairs checked the amount of bullets in his sniper. Ironhide rested his large gun against his shoulder while he spoke. Chromia just looked at him.

Altair checks out their swords seeing how bloody they are while Prowl, while not obvious under his visors.

He side-opticing Altiar while they didn’t seem to pay him much mind.

Ironhide then responded. Causing the other optics to be on him now. “I hate to say it. But the best thing we can just do now is retreat. We can’t keep fighting against these bots like this. A damn hour has already passed. Hound probably got stuck or something.”

Altair and Chromia nodded in agreement. Crosshairs didn’t seem too interested in what he was saying.

Prowl just crossed his arms and thought. But seemed way more annoyed than worried. Altair then looks at Jazz before speaking.

Speaking before Prowl even has a chance to speak. So he looked at them angrily while they spoke.

“Ironhide is right. There might not be a lot but we can still survive with what we got. With any luck the other Autobots were able to find even more. Better chances than us. So, let's return before these Decepticons get any closer. Alright?”

They looked at everyone else. Who just sighed. Then out of nowhere, a grenade called their attention.

Realizing even more Decepticons are coming. All of them turned their helms toward the explosion. It happening a few feet away behind Altair and Prowl.

And so Jazz sighed and held the bridge of his visors. The others looked back at him.

Then raising his cervo before pointing at the ship on the way back. “Alright, alright, Full retreat team. Let’s go.”

Crosshairs then sighed. His helm leaned back before turning around while walking next to Ironhide. Who turned around while putting his large gun back to be behind his back.

Chromia starts moving forward with her pedes turning into wheels.

Prowl puts his guns away while Altair spins their swords for a good moment then flawlessly puts them back into their sword handles.

They all make their way to the ship. Soon transform and drive alongside together while the yells of the Decepticons can be faintly heard in the background.

Altair passed Prowl who was a bit slower than everyone.

All making it to the ship and getting on board right away. Everyone gets into place on the small ship. Jazz and the others run into the main room to control the ship.

Jazz gets into the captain's chair while the others go to the others' seats getting the engine started. The ship is hit a little by a grenade as the Decepticons get closer.

Crosshairs then spun to face Jazz and put his cervos together as he pleaded. “Oh please, please let me shoot them!”

Jazz just sighed. His helm made a full circle motion.

Going up and then down to face the side before waving his cervo. “Might as well. Means killing more while in the process.”

Crosshairs then yells a Yes while Ironhide and Chromia are heard chuckling. Altair focuses on the ship balancing as it rises. Prowl doing the same and groaning in annoyance.

Crosshairs soon have the weapons of the ship ready and start shooting at the Decepticons below. The many cons soon ran for their lives like a bunch of little ants.

As the ship continues to rise. Crosshairs wasn’t holding back anytime soon. Even laughing like a madman.

Everyone else casually doing their job on the ship while Jazz continues to give orders.

Eventually, the ship is high enough to start going into space. Crosshairs soon get sad and fussy when he can’t shoot any more Decepticons.

Jazz then puts in the location for the Autobot base while also putting the ship on autopilot. He leans back and tries to relax in his captain's chair.

The others leaned back a bit in their chairs and stretched their arms and legs.

Prowl would just lean back a little as he watches forward. Being in the middle of everyone else’s chairs.

Ironhide then looks forward into space before getting to work on his gun that was shot. Chromia doing the same with her weapon.

Jazz remained neutral before leaning to the side.

Resting the side of his helm against his cervo. He’s tired. Anyone can tell that. He then glanced at the others. Looking down, seeing they’re doing their own thing.

Crosshairs just staring off into space.

His optics soon sets on Altair. Who just sat there for a moment before looking at their reflection through the window of the ship.

They are the most covered in blood. But doesn’t seem too bothered. The Six of them watched as they got closer and closer to the base. It only takes a few more minutes to get to them.

Everyone soon had a warm smile and looked at each other. Altair and Jazz keeping their visors and masks on.

Their frame is still as they watch the main Autobot base ship get closer and closer.

———————————————————————————-

Location: Autobot Base Ship - Status: Expanded

The ship holding Jazz and the team soon fly into the main ship base while other bots walk around. The ship then landed deep into the larger ship.

Jazz and the others start walking out the door for the entrance of the ship.

Jazz took the lead while the others walked behind him.

The other bots pay their respects to him as they pass by. Jazz made his way to the ship's main control room.

As they walked the bots who’d pass by would both nod their head in respect toward them. While a few of them did it to the five of them others fully six.

The others who didn’t only at times gave Altair more uncertain looks. While the bots that look much older still paid their respects.

Once inside the base and heading through the halls of the ship. Bots pass by to nod their helms. Jazz then spoke.

“Alright bots, you know the drill. I’ll speak to Optimus and you all give in your info one by one. I’ll let Prime know it was a semi-success but at least we got enough energon to last another three weeks. Understood?”

The five then responded. “Yes, Lieutenant Jazz.”

They all continued. Getting closer and closer. Chromia can feel her exhaustion finally catching up with her.

Ironhide let out a huff of air as he felt his lower back start to ache. Crosshiars felt his legs and arms slowly feeling sore. Though he tried to ignore it.

Prowl was just ignoring the mild scrapes on his shoulder and arm.

As for Altair. Still mostly covered in blood and only a couple of scrapes on their arm and waist. Being the dirtiest out of them all. While not anxious.

They do feel their self get worried and curious at the same time.

As will be shown why now.

Jazz then pressed the buttons to open the door. Looking down at the passcode, pressing so casually.

Once the door opened, they all then walked in. They’re met with silence at first but while they walked many bots waved hello to them.

Saying such words as Welcome back or How was the mission?

Once they got closer, the view of Optimus Prime was seen in his seat as the captain of the ship. Elita was next to him as she appeared to be speaking.

Optimus has his mouth guard on and his optics focused. He was looking over data and seemed to be typing in it. That’s until he notices them all.

He then gave Elita the data pad. Who looked at Altair.

Physically looking down at them with an almost frowned expression. Altair just looks away. Looking down as Optimus makes his way down to the floor to the others.

His deep voice is then heard as he speaks to the team.

“I hope the mission went well for you guys, unlike last time. And have you all heard from the Jolts team? They haven’t responded or reached out after a while.”

Jazz then stood a little straighter then spoke.

“The Decepticon Cyclonus cut the comms line at some point while we were hunting. So most likely before we were attacked once more by Decepticons. We were able to get enough energon. So better than last time. But.”

Jazz noticed the way Optimus narrowed his optics at him. Not out of anger but out of worry. Even if others couldn’t tell.

Altair has glanced at Jazz through their visors. The others mostly looked at Optimus the whole time he spoke. Jazz then continued.

“It keeps getting harder and harder to deal with just us as a team Prime. They give us their weakest and then more show up. We barely made it out. Luckily we had Altair, Crosshairs, and Ironhide but what if we don’t next time?”

Chromia nodded in agreement. Looking down as she glanced at Arcee and Elita who stood there.

Waiting for her. Optimus seemed like he was about to speak until he got a comm call. Finally speaking. “One moment, please.”

He then turned his frame to the side a little. Answering the call. “This is Optimus.”

It was Jolt on the other side of the line.

“Optimus. Apologies for not answering or reaching to you out sooner. Hound informed along with a few others that comms were cut thanks to one of the Decepticons. We’re not sure if they’re still alive. We were only able to help each other except one team. Unknown if they’re alive as well. We’re on our way to you now that the comms are working once more.”

Optimus closed his optics for a moment before opening them once more. “Thank you Jolt. We shall await your return.” The comm ends.

Optimus then fully faces Jazz once more. During the call, Altair has placed their cervo over one of their sword handles.

Waiting to hear if it was an emergency. Ironhide glanced at them and placed a cervo on their shoulder.

Telling them through his optics, they have fought enough for the day. Altair calming down a little. That’s when Optimus finished the call.

”We shall speak after you get some rest, old friend. You all can send in your reports later tomorrow.” Optimus spoke as he placed his larger cervo on his shoulder.

Jazz feels an almost form of comfort. Looking up at him with tired optics before giving a simple nod.

Optimus then stands a little straighter and looks over the rest of them.

”You all did well today. Go rest now and we shall discuss the next plan or mission later on.” Everyone gave a nod and said at the same time. “Yes Sir.”

The Ironhide and Optimus share a glance for a moment before he, Chromia, and Jazz start walking away. Prowl tries to speak to Optimus, only to be stopped by Optimus's cervo. Optimus then turns his helm before speaking. “You have your orders. You’re exhausted. Go sleep Prowl.”

Prowl furrowed its optic ridges behind his visors before turning around and leaving to the same door as the others.

Leaving Altair with Optimus. Both knew why the two were still there.

Optimus then glanced at Elita. Who stood there since Arcee went to join Chromia. He then looked back at Altair. Who was currently waiting for his orders. Elita tried to make it look like she didn’t care. Altair didn’t make it obvious but they made sure to glance at her.

Side opticing at her knowing she can get too interested.

Optimus then looked back at you. Speaking in an almost whisper-like tone. Slowly nodding his helm as he spoke. “Let’s go.”

Optimus then walked past them. Altair then turns their frame and starts following him. Keeping a distance as he walked forward. The two continue forward until they reach a meeting room.

Once at the front of the door. Optimus then presses in the passcode. The door soon opened. He then steps aside for Altair to enter first. They do so with their cervo still placed on top of one of their sword handles. Optimus watching them before joining behind them.

Then pressing into the passcode with his digit on the other side. The door then closed. Optimus turned to fully look at Altair. Who stood there looking over the table.

Their helm low. Showing they’re deep in thought. Optimus's mouthguard then retracts. Disappearing while he makes his way towards. Them. Placing a gentle cervo on their shoulder. This causes them to look up at him. He then spoke.

”What did he tell you?”

Altair looked back at the table. Their cervo once on their sword handle moved to grab something from their back. In a hidden pocket part of their frame. They pull out a drawing. Made out of some form of a paper-like object with greyness and some energon blood on it.

They placed it in his cervo that was out before them, showing he was waiting to hold something. He then scanned the strange paper.

Though the two didn’t know what it was. He then makes his way around the table.

So then he’s on the other side of it. He then puts the paper down. Then sits in the chair there. Altair doing the same when Optimus gave them a nod.

Optimus and Altair stare at each other for a moment longer. That’s until Altair finally pulled back their visors and mouthguard.

Their bright yellow optics shinning almost bright for a moment. That’s when the two share a gentle smile.

Their optics soften for a little before Optimus speaks.

”As always, you pull through old friend. Bringing everyone back.” Altair let out a soft chuckle. Continuing to stare at him before speaking.

”I’m your oldest friend Optimus. Could you ever think any less?”

The two remained silent for a moment longer. Optimus looking at the paper. “This…planet. It could be the clue to the cube. But why does it look so familiar?” His helm remained turned looking toward the paper.

Who then had a serious expression on their faceplate before speaking. “It’s Earth, Optimus. Where our brothers are.”

Optimus seemed almost saddened for a moment.

Though he tried to not show it. He couldn’t hide it from them. They then spoke once more in a more serious tone once placing their cervos and arms on the table.

“Optimus, we made a vow.”

Optimus only glanced at Altair. Taking note of how serious they are. He then let out a soft sigh then turned his helm to look at them. Speaking once more.

Following their tone.

“We have history on that planet. Stepping foot will be like old times. Fighting alongside the humans. Though, times surely must have changed over the years. To get too attached in case of betrayal.”

Altair slowly gave a small nod. They agree with him. But their optics show worry.

Their usual smile is not visible anymore for them. They then spoke, trying to change the subject for a moment. “Any news of Bee and Drift. How are their missions going?”

Optimus let out a sigh. He then interlocked his cervos as he spoke.

“We still haven’t heard from Drift. He is taking this “make up for time” mission very seriously with such a dangerous mission. But I worry he’ll push himself. He’s a young bot. He can only learn the hard way at this point only now.”

Altair then looked down for a moment to think. “He’s trying. Now we can only wait upon his return.” They chuckled to themself.

Optimus then spoke in his usual yet almost casual voice. A voice only Altair and others close to him hear. “Still owes you that drink him?” They then nodded with a soft smile on their dermas. They noticed that Optimus soon had a bit of a frown on his dermas. Speaking again.

”Bee has returned from the same search mission. It was a success...He’s resting right now ” Altair stared at him a moment longer. The two of them deeply cared about him.

Altair then closed their optics for a moment. Thinking about everything that happened today.

Optimus finally spoke once more. “Go wash up. And get some rest, old friend. We don’t want that blood sticking and staying on you forever.”

Altair lets out a soft sigh before standing. Bowing their helm down with their optics closed.

“Good meeting. I’ll see you in the morning, sir.”

Optimus then spoke. “Rest well…….soldier.” The spoke the last part in almost sad. Hesitating a little. The two smiled at each other.

Altair then turned away and walked towards the door. Pressing in the same passcode and walking out.

The door then closed behind him. They let out a sigh and started walking toward the cleaning stations. Passing Elita who was about to join Optimus for another meeting.

The last one for the day alongside Ironhide who didn’t need much to recharge.

He then nodded to Altair when the two passed each other. They do the same to him with a small smile.

They soon past a few other neutral bots who were in the same shower on the ship.

Altair walks into one of the parts with the three walls and a door. Cleaning themselves up. Finally getting all the blood off and showing the small scrapes on them.

After they’re finally cleaned up and dry.

They make their way to their shared berth room with Moonracer. Who was already sleeping.

Altair made sure to make their way in quietly. As quiet as they can. Soon they lay down and then looked out the window of their berth room. Watching the stars and such.

Only now it hits them of how they haven’t slept so much in so long.

Soon since tomorrow they’ll be with Optimus for certain missions and meetings. They can sleep in. At least for an extra hour.

The first meeting won’t be for a long while on that very morning.

Oh man. I’m not really a perfectionist, but I got so excited about this chapter and honestly had to make sure everything was just right before posting.

Honestly, I think I’m gonna do a sort of rewrite just to add in a few more scenes that can help with the story and honestly look forward to opinions and even some criticism along with thoughts for this first chapter. I want a lot of people to enjoy my work, but I am also aware that it’s not for everyone. Anyway, I hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter. I know I did and I hope to see many of you in the next one in a couple week.

As always a repost is appreciated and I hope to see you guys in the comments. Hope the rest of you have a good rest of your day.

Those who wished to be mentioned/tagged:

@drimmmy

@shddyboo

@shiny-sol

@redblueequalhot

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

This one is for all my fellow "My gender is 'I have a job and I can't worry about that right now"'. I see you.

(part 1, part 2)

[hylaversicolor]

calling all besties....KILL!!!

[moonyasnow]

Blank TWST Logos / Character Icons

Individuals + guide tips for how to use them under the cut!

( Please tag (@) me if you use them for a post; I really wanna see what everyone makes ^^ )

Just like with the blank Birthday Boy Card templates I made, I decided I wanted blank ones for these...whatever these icons are called. So I made them!

And again, like before, please tag (@) me if you end up using them!

First of all!

Here's two transparent ones, so you can sandwhich your drawing layer between them without fearing messing up the frame.

I added two because not all drawing programs understand the whole 'transparency' thing with pasted images, and will make any transparent part of an image black, which would kinda ruin it

So with the white you can just remove the color. Or alternatively, since I made the frame with a pixel tool, while it might be time-consuming, you can still remove all the white by hand without messing up the frame at all

I made two for Heartslabyul, so you can either have a Card Soldier one, or just a blank one

With the details on Octavinelle and Pomefiore's, I suggest copying them, placing them to the side and covering up the holes with the background color, so you can place them wherever you'd like once you're done with your own drawing

So you don't have to work around where I placed them 👍

And if you want differently-shaped bubbles, the bubble color is the same grey as in the frame

The Scarabia one is sadly pretty empty :/ but meh, they didn't give me a lot to work with, and I wasn't gonna add something 'just because'

Bright blue one is obviously Ramshackle. I have a feeling people are gonna get a lot of use out of that one haha

And the NRC Staff ones are...a bit of a special case. They're all slightly different, but it seems the general theme is grey background with some sort of beige pattern. I just used the square as a placeholder so you can eye-drop the color

I also added Vargas and Crewel's ones by comparison, kinda like a 'this is what it could look like' thing

And here's a Noble Bell College one, too. Just because I could

If there was any kind of RSA one, or if Fellow Honest had one, I would 100% have added them.

Actually, please let me know if they do somehow have them, and I just missed it!

Anyway bye!! ^^👋

[luigixfanxayjay]

game!luigi headcanons!!!

i keep seeing a lot of people make headcanon dump posts, so i decided to make one of my various luigi headcanons myself! heres to anyone who wants to read this post! i hope none of you mind the tags, and i apologize if i bugged you!

@peaches2217 @pianokantzart @loud-kid2 @jelly-fish-wishes @itsavee4117 @silenzahra @supa-mehyro @supergay-64 @acen402 @totallyking @oh-my-gosh-its-j0sh @dayseedrawz2 @bberetd @megamagimugi

-_-_-_-_-_-

- luigi has autism spectrum disorder, he was diagnosed at a young age along with marios adhd diagnosis. he also has generalized anxiety disorder and sometimes depression, but he has found many great ways to cope throughout the years.

- luigi LOVES cows. any animal he doesnt know the name of would be called "cow". he uses this as a placeholder word, and he doesnt express the fact he doesnt know the animal directly.

- anytime luigi is overly scared, nervous, shy, or excited, he tends to have a stutter. for him, its hard to find many words in this state.

- you may think luigi is just a plumber, but he also has many different hobbies! these include mechanics, arts, sports (especially tennis!), photography, gardening, and even music!

- luigis favorite colors are green and "porpol" (his pronounciation, not mine).

- luigi is bisexual. he has a strong romantic relationship with princess daisy, but fails to admit it to anyone other than his loved ones in fear of judgement. he also has had interest in prince peasley, but unfortunately wasnt able to talk to him about it before they departed.

- luigi hates loud noises, which led to a childhood fear of lightning and explosions. thankfully, his fear of that significantly lessened thanks to his thunderhand.

- luigi posts polterpup content EVERYWHERE on social media. he may be a cat person, but polterpup is a STRONG exception. have i mentioned he loves his pet ghost dog with all of his heart?

- luigi is generally a pretty emotional guy. barely slamming his hand on the wall? crying. getting a game over in a video game? crying. watching a sad moment in a babies show? crying. just arrived at the doctors office for a checkup? crying. these were mostly exaggerations, but the fact that luigi is emotionally in touch when needbe still stands. this, of course, is a positive thing.

- pancakes is luigis favorite comfort food. he simply stims with joy just ready for a bite! he especially loves it with syrup and blueberries! mmmm... now im hungry!

- when luigi succeeds in battle, he breaks into the sickest dance moves. dont ask me why.

- luigi has a strong feeling of fear, almost anytime he feels it. its either "oh, this is scary :(" or "OH MY GOODNESS I AM PISSING MY PANTS IN TERROR I NEED TO DO SOMETHING OR ESCAPE OR ELSE IM GONNA PASS OUT!!!". absolutely NO inbetweens.

-luigis body has a hard time adjusting to temperature or sudden gait changes. goes out in 50° fehrinheit for a millisecond while wearing a baggy jacket, and hes shivering like a wet dog. he loses the cat powerup after using it for not even 5 minutes, and hes tumbling around as if he were incredibly drunk.

- speaking of drunk, luigi almost never drinks alcohol. he always drinks non-alcoholic alternatives unless on VERY special occasions such as his own wedding or a "our lives are saved again thanks to the bros" party.

- luigi prefers to not be the leader in groups. it makes him very anxious anytime he has to take that role, especially if its a larger group of unfamiliar people.

- luigi is so so so ambiverted. he doesnt want to socialize with new people as he prefers sameness and familiarity. but, when hes with people he knows such as mario and friends, he talks more than youd see in an eminem song. craziest part, hes actually great at making new friends.

- luigi enjoys storytelling. like mentioned in the last headcanon, he enjoys telling people he knows about his day or any sort of scenario that popped up in his head.

- luigi has a high iq, as he can use his logic quite well in tight situations. mario and luigi brothership shows that far enough.

- luigis thunderhand can be helpful, but sometimes it can cause more harm than good. hes normally invincible to his own attack and just lightning in general, but when hes under strong enough emotion, it can lead to his invincibility shield dissipating and him getting hurt.

-_-_-_-_-_-

thats all i have for now! someday soon i may work on headcanon posts for other mario characters and perhaps characters from different fandoms! lemme know if you wanna see more!

[2demondogs]

When You're A Stranger | Kieran/Male Reader

Tags: First kiss AGAIN!!, Kieran had PTSD and he's a little autism coded Words: 2k A/N: For Kinktober (SFW). Originally I was going to fill the frottage prompt but it was NOT sparking joy.

You know you put Kieran on edge. Kindness seems almost painful to him, and fear that you’ve pushed too hard follows whenever he has shied away from you.

Kicked dogs don’t cozy up fast, you’ll remind yourself, and then he’ll come around again.

He’s starting to learn that you aren’t intending to backhand him if he looks at you too long or speaks too softly around you. Even beyond the sweetness you’ve got stored on him, or maybe because of it and the strength love seems to give people to accept lonesomeness in favor of their darling’s happiness, you want him to have… someone, in some sense, that he doesn’t have to fear. Whether, in the end, it’s you or not— that doesn’t matter, but you’ll be the placeholder while he needs it.

His burgeoning confidence is starting to put you on edge, too, if it could be called confidence.

Kieran is bad at hiding his emotions, a real travesty as far as his general safety is concerned. You couldn’t place your finger on what exactly it was in his eyes until an evening where Molly had decided it was your turn to listen to her strife. She had glanced at Dutch the same way: soft-eyed, yearning, that little curl to her mouth. She hadn’t been angry anymore, merely… sad.

Good God, you’d thought, after she’d left you to sulk. He’s in love with me.

A lot of pieces fell into place, then: the patchy rosiness on Kieran’s cheeks that you chalked up to rosacea or sunburning; how he would straighten up when you did, sliding clumsily into mirroring your body language; his clinginess, laced with anticipation that kept him still-distant but much closer than he would ever be caught standing or sitting next to anyone else.

And those eyes, a cloudy color you haven’t gotten close enough to make out yet. They glaze over when you talk as if he’s in a trance — Jesus, you knew that your attention to detail had gone to total shit when that clicked into place, because it’s been painfully obvious ever since. You’d asked him once why he always stared when people spoke to him, and he told you his father had beat his ass raw for not looking him in the eye when he spoke.

That sufficed for the fact he stared, but not the way he did it. It had always been different, with you.

Meatier.

Kieran’s inhibition is palpable once he’s been drinking. Sean had been trotted into camp, loud as ever, and the group beer rations were quickly broken out to celebrate as dusk settled into the skyline beyond the Overlook. For the redhead’s piece, you’d asked him how the O’Driscolls didn’t fear what the rest of you were like after kidnapping his ass; more seriously, you’d ask how he was doing. He’d brushed you off, apparently preferring the taunting to genuine concern. Fair enough. You left him to talk someone else's ear off and wandered to a man you knew would enjoy your company.

He is nursing a beer, watching the campfire crowded ‘round with half of the camp. The tangible longing depresses you in its familiarity. Hosea's doing the same, from a fold-up chair beside his bedroll; Kieran squints when you greet him with: “Hey, old coot. Gonna join the party?”

It takes a second, but he huffs a tense laugh as you glance between him and Hosea. “Don’t think I’m missed,” he says, meeting your eyes.

There it is, that expression. It’s full to bursting.

“I’m missin’ you,” you say, nodding to the hay bale. “Mind if I join your party?”

“Sure thing." His voice sounds strained.

His beer is barely drank from, and neither is yours. The redness of his cheeks and nose, well— you don’t know what it’s from, and the daylight is so faded that it simply looks dark. Maybe it’s been a tan all along.

Or so you’d think, if he didn’t turn to you as soon as you settled a tad too close to him, eyes stuck on your face. The alcohol takes the edge off of your own carefully woven respect for his personal space, and by the time you realize how near you are, it has been too many peaceful seconds to excuse his staring for indignancy. His brows pull together like his mind has blanked in the middle of a thought before it could leave his mouth.

“Kieran?” You ask, and he blinks himself back to earth.

“S’rry,” he says, quick, mouth cracking back in a half-smile. “Real tired.”

“Oughtta be,” you say, taking a drink. He turns back to his own bottle and mirrors you. “All those gray hairs you got comin’ out, I’d be shocked if you weren’t tired. Stress’ll wear you out.”

The air eases. Stress is a word Kieran is familiar with.

“Aye,” he agrees. “Guess I do look pretty rough for my age.”

You smile some. “I was only teasing.” When, predictably, he turns to you— you wink. “Promise.”

He offers a short up-curl of his lips. It stutters when Javier’s guitar starts, sudden and sharp.

“I know,” he says. He tongues the inside of his cheeks, eyes glancing to the ground as if he’d like to watch it instead of you and yet can’t help himself. They roam over your face instead, as he struggles for the words; you let him find them, brows raised. “You never are mean to me. Not really.”

Simple. No juicy tell-all, but simple and sweet. The men start to sing around the fire, a song you don’t recognize.

“Never would want to be,” you say.

He swallows, and you’re certain now of everything you’ve suspected but found difficult to believe. Sure, the signs were damning on his part, and you’ve spent enough time mulling over each and every action to think of someone who does the same things, yet certainly does not fancy you; each one came up with an answer, except that look.

“Why not?” He asks, then, and you’re a little surprised.

“Oh, Kieran,” you say, gently. In your peripherals, Hosea raises to get another beer and Lenny tosses in his sleep. “Men choose to be mean. Well, maybe they’re mean by design, but they choose to show it, at least.”

The concept seems as comforting to him as it does alarming. “Most of ‘em choose it,” he says, eyes squinting. It’s a tic you’ve noticed he has, an irregular twitch of his muscles.

“I know,” you say. Chancing it, you lay an open hand on his upper back; he flinches, but then his shoulders fall an inch or two. “I don’t know what it is about you,” you answer the question before he can ask. “Maybe 'cause you never choose meanness yourself. Makes a man look inside of himself when someone makes a different choice than him, and I doubt they like what they see. To them, that's your fault, so they gotta beat it out of you.”

Kieran thinks the words over. To be honest, you have little idea what you're really saying, are flying off-the-cuff about a subject you probably shouldn’t be — but it feels crucial to answer fast, to speak whatever comes to you first whether it makes sense or not. Some people call gut reactions true feelings, anyways.

“Think I understand." He’s quiet, for a moment. “Y’never get tired of me?”

You huff a laugh. “I get tired of everybody, but I rest up quicker if it’s you.”

He seems to appreciate the lack of sugarcoating. “Me too,” he admits. Lifting his head again, eyes lingering beside your face and then at your jaw, he starts: “You’re really— you’re, uh, real,” — the scramble inside of his head to read your emotions is almost audible, and he finishes uncertainly — “Good to me.”

“You’re talkin’ in circles,” you point out, tone easy.

Kieran flushes. “I appreciate you,” he corrects, tears his eyes away. More to himself, he mumbles: “Yeah, ‘preciate you a lot.”

You smooth your hand across his shoulders. He tenses, but it doesn’t feel as flighty as it usually does. Disappointment might even flicker in him when you take it away. “I appreciate you, too, Kieran,” you say, and can’t help smiling.

Silence passes. Both of you watch the merriment around the fire, Kieran cringing when Dutch starts up his wailing gramophone and takes Molly by the hand. You’ve been thinking, now and again, of how she looked at Dutch just seconds after saying she hated him. Sometimes, I wish he’d grab me by the hair and put me on the boat so I could finally leave him. And then that longing, wanting the very thing you're sitting here watching.

At that, you feel shamefully voyeuristic. Sean is nowhere to be found, and you feel even more voyeuristic when you hear his voice alongside Karen’s over the cacophony.

God, there isn’t anywhere safe to turn your eyes or your ears in this goddamn place. You hope Kieran will start talking again, and then you remember it’s Kieran, so you’d better say something first or you’ll sit in silence the rest of the evening. For someone so stuck in his head, he doesn’t seem to think about many things he’d like to share.

You don’t know he’s looking at you until you turn to speak. It’s your turn to pause, the few lingering seconds of tolerance you have left for not bringing it up passing in the bated breath you share with him.

“Why’re you staring?”

He takes a breath. “You’re nice-lookin’,” he says, voice shockingly calm and even in a rare show of confidence. Then he takes a swig, much healthier than the rest he’s drank. “I jus’— you’re nice to look at.”

You bite the bullet. “Do you want to kiss me?”

Kieran blanches, apparently not expecting an equally as tactless dive-in response. A story crosses his face in an instant: relief, panic, pain, happiness, a few more expressions that you don’t believe have been named by science. “Why?” He asks, but his eyes aren’t behind the question. It’s a knee-jerk response, a self-defense against the idea that he might be worth something kind.

A smile finds you then. “Aren’t you flirting with me?” You ask, partially to get him to admit to it and partially to ease the doubt that prods at your insides.

He nods, and then pauses. Suddenly, he laughs. “Shit, yeah,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t— ‘m sorry, I’ve never… with a man? I ain’t even kissed a girl.” He flushes as if he didn’t mean to say that aloud. "Honestly, it kind of doesn't make sense how I'm s'posed to—"

“Kieran,” you interrupt his babbling, itching to grab him but knowing it would scare him. “Look me in the eye.”

He obeys instantly.

His face melts, and so does your heart. If watching the others feel voyeuristic, this feels exhibitionist; his adoration is so clear on his face, and you can’t help letting your own seep through the mask of nonchalance you try to uphold. To look sweet is one thing as a man; to look sweet on another man is something you avoid at all costs. Yet it doesn’t matter, without anyone watching, even if it chafes on your skin for the mere air of camp to contain it.

“Forget everything. Whether it’s right or wrong or new or old or whatever the Hell,” you say. He nods, throat clicking as he swallows. “Tell me: do you want to kiss me?”

“O’course I do,” he says, as if it’s a dumb question.

He tastes like beer and one of Sean’s terrible hand-rolled cigarettes, must’ve bummed one before the man hit the hay with Karen. The thought is humorous. His beard is scratchy on your face, and his mouth doesn’t move, uncertain how to work against yours — until it makes more sense, and his lips shift slightly, still inhibited.

You lean back first, because you aren’t sure he would even realize he’s supposed to.

[theolivetree123]

Explanation of Malleus x Reverie's relationship (mainly the romance they have)

I'm too lazy to make Reverie a coffin, so I'm just making this post as a placeholder for their ship intro

I've decided that their ship names/tags will be Malerie and star of thorns (I'll use them interchangeably)

◇How did they start?◇

Reverie enjoys sneaking into NRC sometimes. Usually to stargaze, as he wonders and studies if stars look different in different places. He mainly uses Ramshackle as his perch, and sometimes, he'll accidentally run into Malleus. Their first couple of interactions were sort of awkward, as Rev tried to be nice to Malleus, yet he kinda brushed him aside since they had been somewhat rivals. But as Rev visited NRC more, the more he got to know more about Malleus and how wise he was.

One night, as Rev was stargazing, Malleus decided to join him, feeling intrigued by his decision to keep coming back to NRC with seemingly no fear or ill intent. While the two looked up at the night sky, Malleus started to notice Rev's fascination with the sky and asked him about it. Rev responded with this:

"I've kinda.... always had a fascination with the stars. I've always believed that the stars could feel, and move, and think the same way as us. But that they could also sense other's pain. I think the stars are empathetic gods who help the mortals by granting their wishes. And that's what I wanna do someday! I wanna be a symbol of hope for all mankind... and be just like the stars. Hehe, I guess that explains why I was born like this. With this.... glow."

From those words, Malleus finally saw Rev for who he truly was. He wasn't a spoiled rich boy like some people at NRC thought, but he was simply a guy trying to change the world through positivity. And Malleus couldn't help but appreciate it.

For the next couple of months, the two would stargaze together nearly every night, rambling on about their interests and beliefs. Then one day, Reverie showed Malleus the center of his "glow"- his heart.

This was Reverie's way of showing his trust in Malleus, since his heart (or where is heart should be) is one of his most vulnerable areas, as it's extremely sensitive to touch, and is what gives him his magical abilities. Malleus appreciated Rev for showing such a vulnerable aspect of him, but he couldn't deny that Rev's glow intrigued him.

After that, Rev went back to RSA blushing like a fool. He had never shown someone his heart before... I guess Malleus made him feel safe enough to show it. Malleus could feel a slight sensation of butterflies in his stomach. Something about Rev made him feel so calm, and with him, he could feel like a normal person.

◇ Miscellaneous Notes ◇

Malleus tends to get a little too handsy with Rev sometimes, as he touches his hair or inspects his glowy heart. Rev doesn't mind it too much, but he does get really flustered and embarrassed every time Malleus touches him or geeks out over his glow.

Malleus lets Rev play with his tomogachi sometimes. Rev still doesn't really know what to do with it, but he still tries his best to not accidentally break it.

Rev sometimes sleeps over at Diasomnia, sleeping on Malleus's couch. No one has caught him yet, but Malleus does mention him to Lilia.

Tagging some moots. Let me know if you wanna be tagged or don't wanna be tagged ‼️ Also, sorry I've tagged yall SO MUCH these last few days. I just needed yalls opinions on stuff, and I really like hearing yalls feedback!

@cheerleaderman @the-rini-rush @gimmeurmoneyagh @babyghoul138 @bunniehunn @screamintoad @scint1llat3 @jovieinramshackle @oya-oya-okay @prefectrose

[d6volution]

Disconcerted.

Jax/Reader.

tags: heavy angst, hurt no comfort.

requested by: @ibbitynibbity

Another new addition to the circus. Great. Those were Jax's first thoughts when you arrived.. you were just like the other newbies, asking questions and not shutting up about this mysterious exit. That was until Caine explained how there never was an exit in the first place. It was merely a placeholder. Then your whole world came crashing down. You were distant for a while.. but soon you opened up and got more comfortable with the members.

You were kind, charming and actually.. kinda funny. Jax found himself getting drawn in by your aura. It was hard not to.

Unfortunately when it comes to Jax, grabbing his attention wasn't always a good thing.

Jax stuck his foot out as you walked by, with a 'digital' breakfast tray in your hand.

CRASH.

Everything flew from your hands, and you hit the ground with a thud, any previous chatter silenced, and all eyes were on you. "J.. Jax.." Gangle spoke up, clearly disturbed by his crude actions, but the bunny simply rolled his eyes.

"Whaatt? They'll be fine, it's just a joke. Right , y/n?" His grin grew wide as he watched you pick yourself up from the ground. Your breakfast glitching away into thin air. "S-Screw you, Jax.." Your voice was trying its hardest not to crack. This hadn't been the first time, no. This poor excuse of a bunny really seemed to get a kick out of tormenting you.

Gangle still made a point to come over and help you out, dusting off your clothes when you stood up. A flimsy ribbon caressed your back in a poor attempt to sooth you. "Thanks Gangle.." You said, shooting a small smile at the kind bundle of red.

"N.. No need to thank me.. he's.. been being a-a jerk more than usual.." She mutters under her breath, making sure to be quiet enough that Jax couldn't hear her. Luckily enough he didn't. The bunny just watched, his smile dropping when he saw you smile at gangle.. why smile at her instead of him? He was just messing around. You should find it funny.. you /would if you had any sense of humor at all.

It doesn't matter. It's not like he'll stop anyways, he told himself and silently poked at the 'food' on his plate.

You headed back to your room, too embarrassed to continue eating in the main hall. Arriving at your door you were greeted by a small note attatched to it, where your faceplate usually is. You blinked before gently yanking down the sticky note.

'Just a little apology doll, ;) maybe you'll have more fun with them instead."

Them?

Who the hell did he let into your room? You thought, and anger bubbled up throughout your body as you swung the door open. But, it was... empty. You sighed and closed the door behind yourself, flopping onto the bed and bouncing a little unceremoniously. Just then, you felt something crawling on your arm, no a LOT of some things crawling on you. Immediately, you shot up, screaming, and swatting the spiders off of your body. You hurried out of your door and fell back onto your ass in the process.

"Ouch.." The spiders had gotten knocked off of you, but their little shadows were still moving stood in your room, causing you to shudder.

Just like clockwork Jax was standing outside of your door, pointing and laughing at you. "Oh, this it too priceless, you should have seen your face, y/n. Bravo. I needed that laugh, babe." He was hunched over, still trying to catch his breath.

You were shaking with anger, the only reason he even knew about your fear of spiders was because of the time you all decided to come together as a group and open up to each other a little. Talking about your likes, dislikes... hobbies and.. fears.

"Jax.. wh-what is wrong with you..?" You said, still shaking from both anger and fear of the spiders from earlier. "What did I do to you to be treated like this!? Y.. You're insane! I hate you!" You screamed at him and his smile seemed more forced now. "Uh huh.. sure ya do." He scoffed and your breath hitched , you could hardly hold back your tears anymore.

"I do! It's n.. not my fault you're obsessed with me or something!" Tears were streaming down your face and Jax took a step closer to you. "You flatter yourself y/n, why would I be obsessed with someone like you huh? You can barely speak your mind without stuttering half the time— Nah, you're just here for a laugh. A form of entertainment for us all." He smirked before walking past you.

Your eyes were wide and you stood frozen in place. Was that true..? Was everyone laughing too.. behind your back? You spun sound but the hall was now empty. Did everyone think you were weak? Just something to laugh at to past the time?

You laughed dryly and felt your vision briefly glitch.

"Oh y/n! There you are." Kinger came rounding the corner shuffling over to you.

"H.. Huh?" His presence snapped you out of your train of thought, and your vision seemed normal again.

"Oh, a-are you okay?" He asked, seemingly worried.

'A form of entertainment.'

The words rung in your ears and your wondered if Kinger was laughing with Jax too before this. " ... No, Jax let spiders loose in my room." Your voice was hoarse from all that yelling and crying.

"Did you say spiders? I.. I'll remove them, I think they'll like it in my insect collection even though they aren't really insects but.." Kinger continued to speak to himself as he happily entered your room. Meanwhile you leaned against the wall, sliding down until you were sitting on the floor completely, silently waiting for him to remove the spiders from your room.

Jax walked back to his room, seemingly unbothered... well until he was behind closed doors. As soon as he entered his room, his shoulders slumped over and he sat on the edge of his bed. "Think I might have went a little overboard this time.. maybe I should check on them.." He muttered to himself, burying his face in his hands.

"Don't be a wuss, Jax. Just apologize. Can't be that hard." He said and stood up to his feet. Who knows maybe this could be a fresh start? A whole one eighty. He wondered if he could get some flowers too.. for, the apology of course. He said in his head as if he had anyone else to convince rather than himself.

Back in your room, you had your door locked and shut. Huddled on your bed, beneath your blankets with just your face poking out. You were muttering to yourself, staring at the wall. 'They all hate you, they all agree with Jax. You're nothing but entertainment. You're stuck here, there's no way out. No way out, no way out no way out.

The thoughts were becoming words and your vision began to glitch again, but worse this time.. at first you tried to fight it. Holding your head in your hands as if to physically keep yourself from falling apart.

Knock, knock.

'y/n, open up will ya? you're not still mad from earlier right? c'mon. i've got something to show ya.' Jax's voice was muffled from outside, but hearing his voice alone was enough to make you snap.

You laughed as your vision went completely black, only specs of color being seen here and there. Then it was silent.. and oh how blissful the silence was.

Jax sighed, and dug into his pocket after hearing no response .. pulling out a key and unlocking your door... his smile dropped and for once he looked to be in complete horror. "No.. no.." He muttered as dropped the makeshift apology basket, for a moment he was frozen but you didn't give him time to process. You were towering over him, a glob of abstracted black shifting shapes taking the form of a mindless monster.

He scurried down the hall, and you unceremoniously bursted through the small door leaving a gaping hole to your room. You bellowed and Jax felt his world crashing down on him. Did.. he cause this? Did he make you abstract?

His mind was racing and he hurried and hid around a corner. Fuck, fuck fuck. He grabbed his head and slid to the floor.

Even for someone like him this was too much, too much too fast. He was going to apologize. He.. didn't mean any of this he was just a dumb ..idiotic bunny. Jax relentlessly scolded himself until Ragatha came rounding the corner, huffing and puffing.

"J..Jax! Thank god.. y/n .. they abstracted.. we have to find Caine.. Jax..?"

He was smiling, but it was more crazed. "T.. This is all my fault.. I.. I'm.. Hah.." He laughs, and lowers his head so Ragatha couldn't see his expression.

"Go get Caine Rags.. I'll distract y/n." His voice was monotone.

"W.. What? No, let's go together—" She tried to reach her hand out and he immediately slapped it away. "I said go get Caine! Now." His voice was laced with a growl but in no way intimidating.. no, his voice shook. It was on the brink of breaking.

Jax stood up and walked in your direction, you were hard to miss. Leaving destruction in your very path.

"Y/N!" He called out, trying to get your attention. And that he did, your large form turned to face him. Bellowing loudly as you ran right for him, but he didn't move.. he stayed completely still and without hesitation you knocked him into a wall. "A.. Alright, you.. earned that one.." He said weakly, trying to pull away from your grasp now but you kept slamming him into different surfaces until he was glitching out uncontrollably.

"Oh my ! You were not exaggerating!" Caine's voice could be heard from a distance, but Jax was in far too much pain to even register it. The glitching hurt, but maybe its what he deserved for being such a asshole. Not just now, but all the time. Maybe his luck finally ran out and karma was here to bite him in the ass.

"And away with you!" Your abstracted form was tossed into the cellar by Caine and Jax reached out to you without thinking, "N.. No.." But you disappeared beneath floor.

Snap!

Jax was back to normal, the pain was gone.. well physically anyway, the pain from losing you was still burning deep in his chest. He didn't have anything to say. Any questions that Caine and Ragatha threw at him was ignored. He walked by them, and all the other members who began to show up after hearing all the commotion. He could hear their voices trailing off , talking about you.

How could you do this?

Do you think it could have been too much them?

Was it Jax..?

He walked faster and slammed the door to his room. Locking it behind him. Maybe it would be better if he stayed here..away from everyone where he could no longer cause any harm.

His thoughts only got louder and more consuming , his room seemed to shrink and box him in.. he sat on the ground before curling up in a fetal position as his thoughts started to eat him alive.

Just then, there was a brief glitch in his vision.

[localcanadiancreature62]

Gravity Falls Sona/Self-insert

I made a guy and ofc her backstory/half of her personality is tied to Bill lmaoo. @aria-greenhoodie This is partly your fault btw. You made me redo my old ass gfsona from months ago because of Curly being such a fun character and i figured i should make a fucked up guy too. Backstory under the cut.

Lex/The Skillstealer is a purple haired woman who's name is a placeholder name short for "Skil(l) ind(ex)",as a reference to her power absorbing ability as she doesn't know her actual name due to a certain triangle messing with her memories.

She can not only take supernatural powers but also general skills that people have such as fire powers or a violinist's talent,she often merges powers with skills which make her insane antics all the more entertaining.

For example; One time she stole a man's ridiculously good guessing ability/intuition and also some golden goose's midas touch,and then she used both of those abilities to correctly guess lottery numbers which is why she won a million dollars that she then turned into gold.

She lives in a big castle in some In Between Realm where space-time doesn't exist as it is an area outside of the timestream,which is why she never gets caught from her crimes as she escapes to the literal outside of space-time soon after causing a ruckus on Earth.

Her castle is maintained by herself as she uses a speed god's super speed to swiftly clean the place and her rewinding ability from a clock being to fix anything that's broken there. Lex is fully aware of how powerful she is,but she only uses her ability to prank or hurt others because "Where's the fun in power when i can just mess with those humans?",in her own words.

However such power was only obtained after so much pain,and loss. When she was eight years old,Lex lost everything after Bill destroyed her dimension Suburbia (a medieval world with no war no drama no pain only peaceful farmer humans and plant people) by burning everything to the ground and then he also killed her parents while kidnapping her soon afterwards.

He killed her parents because he wanted to see what it would be like to break such a happy person living in a happy go lucky world. Soon after kidnapping her,Bill forced the girl to become one of his Henchmaniacs as the only human one out of a group of freaky monsters and then he gave her advanced weaponry to help him destroy and conquer worlds as well as kill people,and she did as told as he threatened to torture her or feed her to Teeth if she didn't obey.

Bill and Lex grew to have a babysitter child/friendship type relationship as the triangle found himself having to take care of the damn kid,actually letting her play in sandpits or hang out with other children just to keep her sane and or from whining. However,the girl eventually started to hate him as she slowly started to see how horrible her dear triangle babysitter is whenever she saw him mistreat the Henchmaniacs or torture innocents without hesitation,Bill didn't want his new little pawn (backstory happens pre canon. this happened like,a hundred years before Bill met Ford) to betray him one day so he decided to erase all of Lex's memories from before he kidnapped her and thus making her believe that he was the only one who cared after her parents supposedly abandoned her as well as making her only remember the fun times they had in laser tag earth playgrounds etc.

This instantly fixed the betrayal issue as Lex now believes that Bill is the only one who cares about her and she is now less hesitant about helping the isosceles conquer worlds and or kill innocent people as she knew it made her only friend happy. This act also made her forget her own name which is why she's only known as "Kid" by Bill in an attempt to not accidentally make her remember everything.

But then Bill got bored of the whole "Human Henchmaniac" thing so he decided to grab her soul and put it inside of a cane for five years just to play around with the concept of loose souls,Lex was fully conscious during this time which is why Bill deliberately tried to make her soul go through a living hell for his own amusement. He smacks the end of cane on the ground to get the Henchmaniacs' attention while knowing it hurts Lex,he swings it around not just to be dramatic but also to make Lex dizzy,and he has snapped that cane in half countless times just to torment the girl. He then later got bored of that too by the time the girl is now 13 and so he grabbed Lex's soul and forced it back into her body. The fact that her friend tormented her in a "I have no mouth but i must scream" situation for YEARS greatly betrayed her and made her hatred of the triangle from five years ago resurface into a bubbling rage,as she then tried to kill the triangle with his own weaponry that he summoned for her but then he warned her to not do that as he strangled her while making her promise to not try anything like that again lest she get hurt even more and also made her promise to keep serving him,and so she did as told as she kept serving the insane isoselces while still having a dormant anger toward him.

She kept killing others helping destroy and conquer worlds as well as torture innocents like usual,with no hesitation but she hates that she has to be that triangle's underling for the rest of her life. Then one day,she started to notice her body changing and not just in a puberty way,her body was LITERALLY changing as her limbs started to grow cracks on the surface. She then confronted Bill about this and he explained that whenever a soul is without a vessel for too long then the soul is forced back inside it's original vessel,it starts to make the vessel deteriorate as the vessel is used to being an empty husk and is thus now rejecting the soul and then it'll eventually fully reject the soul entirely as time goes on.

Either that or the soul starts to get corrupted from being separated from it's vessel for too long.

Bill knew this from the start when he was first going to grab Lex's soul,yet he did it anyway as he wanted to have fun regardless,this made the girl rightfully angry but she didn't do anything about it as she feared getting hurt by the triangle. Then the soul corruption started happening,as she started to become angrier and more chaotic and more sadistic,eventually starting to lose her conscience as the corruption took over her. She is now just as cruel as her master without any doubts or guilt over her behavior,the corruption turned her mind into a husk just as her body used to be.

Then things only got worse after she made a wish upon a shooting star to become powerful enough to overthrow her triangular master as she still hates him despite the triangle sparing her multiple times,and the wish was actually effective as she suddenly got her trademark Skill Stealing ability soon afterwards. She then decided to steal Bill's fire ability after he tried to blast a flame at her as "punishment" for not hanging out with the Henchmaniacs in his place,discovering that she can now fight against him without any fear,and she then proceeded to burn his eye while putting her hand on it,making him scream in agony as he begged for her to stop and she did but only if he let her go. And so he did.

Lex then went over to Earth after absorbing Bill's dimensional rift opening ability,deciding to live a new life with a new name,Lex. She then went on to become the world's mysterious menace as she started to gain abilities out of nowhere to terrorize others,and the press dubbed her to be the "Skillstealer" after someone witnessed her take an ability by literally absorbing it with her hands as their ability glowed in a bright line. And she found herself a new home after killing and replacing the owner of a Victorian castle by removing all the water in the person's body using her water manipulation power,dubbing it the Skillstealer Fortress.

Lex was living the dream,but then a few nightmares started to come back as she remembered her former friend/master Bill Cipher,she couldn't shake the thought of sparing him after everything he had done to her. So she immediately went to his location after she got word of his whereabouts from the Henchmaniacs as she confronted them about Bill when she teleported to the Nightmare Realm,with them telling her that he's in space prison now. She then began to torment him with burning electrocution acid squeezing him until he cracked and the like,finally managing to take revenge on her abuser as she torments him within the Theraprism over and over and over. (End)

[rw-makeastory]

Welcome to the blog.

This is rw-makeastory, an askblog where all you slugcats, scavengers, lizards, vultures, iterators, lantern mice, or other critters can help create a story. We are currently in the 2024-2025 storyline, which will end on January 1st, 2026. The blog pfp is a placeholder! We need submissions for a profile picture!

So how does it work?

It's actually pretty simple. You read the story so far (found under the cut at the end of the introduction) and send in an ask. You can submit any length ranging from as little as a sentence to as much as 2 paragraphs. Please do not submit whole books though.

Make sure that before you submit, you read these rules:

• Only send in one ask at a time, but once your ask is answered, feel free to submit another!

• No NSFW, some of the mods are minors!!

• It's fine to be chaotic, but don't change everything like crazy. Example of what would be allowed: Saint decides to randomly do a handstand while running from the lizard. Example of what wouldn't be allowed: The whole world then exploded and came back completely new

• Don't make your submission end in an ending to the whole story!! Unless we have specified that we are looking for an ending to the current story, any submission that ends with the whole story being put to a stop will be deleted and ignored.

• No slurs or excessive swearing. One or two swears are alright depending on the length of your submission, but for the love of scugs, don't swear like a sailor.

Tags:

rw story: Any story submission from any storyline

2024-2025 story: Any story submission for the 2024-2025 storyline

Ask: Asks that are not a submission

Announcements: Any announcement that we have to make

We tag cw pet death, cw death, cw abuse, and cw angst. If you have anything else that you would like us to tag, let us know in asks.

Mod intro time!!

@glowingvoid: Hello, I go by Skrunkle or Glow. They/it/he pronouns please! I am transgender and aroace. I hope you all have fun here. I am the first mod and the creator of this blog.

@voldkat: HI !! VOIDKAT HERE !! just use they/them on me and you'll be fine :3 i specialize in writing for iterators , but i may dabble in other things as well . looking forward to writing with you all !! <3

STORY (SO FAR) BENEATH THE CUT

The Saint wandered through the chilly storm. The freezing wind stung their cheeks like a million bees. In the distance, they saw a lantern. A beautiful, glowing lantern. Finally, some solace in the wind... They thought while holding on to their chest. (@glowingvoid)

The Saint walked over and picked the lantern up carefully in their soft green paws. They stood back up and continued to trudge through the snow, sniffing here and there for food. They would occasionally brush the freezing snow from their green fur with one paw. The blizzard eventually reached a point where the snowflakes would quickly became a fierce snowstorm. The Saint needed to find a shelter, and fast. (Anonymous)

The saint found a shelter, but there was a wounded strawberry lizard in there aswell. It seemed asleep, but could be woken up at any moment, the deciding factor was if it was safe or dangerous if it wakes up... (Anonymous)

Saint laid their head down, but was unable to sleep. They rolled over to inspect the strawberry lizard. It was losing blood at an alarming rate. The Saint was alarmed at the sight of stab wounds. It could be a scavenger... Or something else. (@glowingvoid)

The strawberry lizard let out whines of pain in its sleep, it's wounds were very fresh, it woke up but was too weak and in pain to try fight or harm the Saint. (Anonymous)

Saint felt like they should do something to help the poor creature, but what? It wasn't like they knew medicine of any kind. They couldn't put it out of it's misery, either. But they could provide it with comfort and warmth. Setting their lantern between the two species, they smiled softly and reached out, trying to pet the creature and reassure it that it was safe here. (@angelofchaos001)

The strawberry lizard hissed at saint’s gesture, Saint hesitated for a moment, before ultimately deciding to go through with the action. The lizard didn’t lash out as saint rested a paw on its head, likely due being too injured to muster the strength to snap at them.after a moment of contact, the creature seemed to calm to saint’s touch perhaps realizing they weren't here to harm it. (Anonymous)

Saint and the lizard both looked at each other with a pitiful stare. Eventually, the Saint decided to curl up next to the lizard. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. (@glowingvoid)

The steely doors clamped shut. All that was left was to go to sleep and wake up again to see the same frosting world. The shelter was big enough to not be shoulder to shoulder with the lizard, but small enough that there was minimal stretching room. The saint did not feel friendly enough to move closer to the strawberry lizard, but also of fear of being bitten. The Saint left out a hefty sigh. He curled up with his back against the wall and hugged his lantern tight. (Anonymous)

the next day, the Saint woke up to a strange, red, smokey slugcat (anonymous)

“holy shit” Said Saint unsurprised. But they were in fact, very surprised. (@astur-x)

"It's been a long time" the maroon slugcat rasped. Their voice was hoarse as if they had only breathed smoke for years. The saint recognised that voice. (Anonymous)

“How the hell are you still alive?” Saint asked. The red Slugcat shook their head, “Don’t know, who’s your friend there?” They pointed to the injured lizard. “I’m not sure, I found them like this in the shelter,” Saint sighed. (@dehydrationcat)

"Hmm. Well, they can't travel in that state and we can't stay here. Come on." The slugcat staggered towards the shelter entrance. Their movements were irregular, it looked like every step caused them pain. (Anonymous)

Saint hesitated. "You don't seem to be fit for travel yourself." They reached over to pat the lizard beside them. It growled, but didnt bite. "We can always stay close to here. I don't have anywhere to be." (@angelofchaos001)

[thehistoriangirl]

Until Our Secrets Drift Us Apart [7]

I apologize because I'm rusty after taking so long in posting a new part of this story, but I hope I will catch the rhythm soon :D

Viktor x Fem!Reader---Modern AU/Marriage of Convenience--- 3.1K ---SFW

> MASTERLIST <- Previous // Next ->

Summary: Upon the surprising death of the CEO of Daxer Corp., the battle for the presidential chair began with unexpected violence. Threaten to lose everything you’ve been working on during your entire life; it’s time you must find a desperate solution to grasp the control over your part of the emporium, and even your own freedom. Which better idea than solidifying your subsidiary's future than ally with the rising tech company, HexTech? And oh, what a special type of alliance it would be…  

Tags: Not-So-Forced Proximity| Marriage of Convenience| Strangers to Lovers| Drama & Romance| Eventual Smut| Domestic Fluff| Post-Wedding|  Not Really Unrequited Love| Fake Dating| Eventual Happy Ending

Chapter Summary: The hunt for your mother's lost will hasn't ended, but Viktor is there to give you words of comfort when you need them--and perhaps even more than that. If you're willing to take it.

7: What Blooms in Winter

Mrs. Emma Quivar was all business when you crossed the spotless threshold of her office outlined in stainless iron and black marble.

Gone were the days where she would greet you with a kiss on the cheek while visiting your mother for business; but you weren’t the same shy teenager wishing to take the least space possible in the enormous penthouse your mother called home anymore.

You still remembered your mother’s words when Emma gestured for you to sit down, with her stubbornly chastising you to erase the word ‘friend’ while regarding her business partners. At the time, you considered it like another of your mother’s quirks, but now you had understood it, a tad too late, maybe.

“My child, hello, hello,” Emma said, her hands gesturing away for you to sit across from her. “I didn’t think you’d have a lovebird tucked away from the eyes of the family.” She chuckled, her gaze miniaturized by her glasses, and yet still piercing to rummage your thoughts. “Your mother would have loved to know about him, that way she wouldn’t have left thinking you were all alone.”

You doubted your mother would care for such a thing if that would’ve happened.

She decided not to marry for a reason, despite the countless business proposals laid over her desk. Just as she thought that there were only business partners instead of friends, she thought so of romantic relationships, carrying in the memories of the Daxer’s tradition of marrying by sole mutual convenience instead of real feelings. Those were frivolities that not even the real frivolities of wealth and power could meet all the time.

Or else—that was something no Daxer was inclined to even consider.

“I see you have read the news,” you muttered. Or perhaps someone had let her know.

“I wonder how you kept it hidden from your mother.” Her black eyes pierced you as Quivar looked at you for the first time, adjusting her glasses to look away from the computer. “You only work and go home. Where did you meet him? He’s… somewhat attractive, I’d say.”

A scoff was about to break free. You were too tired from your family trip for these games.

“Do you keep a copy of my mother’s will? I need it.” Emma was a placeholder in the stock bureau, not much, but she would be interested in how the fight for the CEO position will develop. I know you were appointed with one copy.

Just as the other two ex-business partners of your mother, who preferred to bet on the more obvious winner of the competition, Mathieu.

"Hmmm. And how much will you value a thing such as that?" Emma said, with a hand on her heart. “I held your mother’s friendship very close to my heart.”

It was always about taking. Demand with an unfair deal—and you were also guilty of this, asking Viktor to fake a marriage with you, dragging him into this chaos for a menial reward.

Spend all those upcoming years with you when he could go on and live his life, find certainty instead of more questions after every not-so-accidental touch, the moments right after separating away from a kiss.

Your eyes hardened. “What do you want?”

She pointed at her computer with a sigh. “HexTech is such an ever-growing enterprise; from industrial mechanics to more specialized fields. It has a bright future." Emma smiled. "I hope some of its light can be cast upon me."

Your lips parted, the answer surprising you both.

“No.” Words stern and cold. “I don’t own HexTech, I can’t integrate a new shareholder without consulting it with the board.” Most importantly, consulting it with Viktor and Jayce. It was their dream, after all. You didn’t have any right to tamper with it. “I can give a percentage of my company, FireBird Security, but HexTech is off-limits.”

Emma crossed her arms, the red blazer she wore getting all wrinkled. “Why is that? Your husband won’t approve, by any chance?” She said, her eyes twinkling with mockery. “I thought he loved you dearly.”

“I love him dearly, that’s why I’m not doing anything behind his back.”

The silence hung heavy between you two, both your and her eyes widened,  lips slightly ajar at the sudden outburst.

Your heart picked up speed, skin got hotter, almost prickling with shame. What was that? Standing up with a jump, you decided to cut the meeting short as now it was clear that Emma wasn't on your side anymore—if she even was at the beginning.

Emma clicked her tongue. “You’re still very naïve,” she told you. “To think that man wouldn’t have accepted already if given the chance of being in your place.”

You conjured Viktor's golden eyes shining like molten gold against the evening sun, the chestnut locks of his hair moving with the soft breeze that smelled like grass and summer flowers as you cradled his head on your lap.

You chuckled, amused at Emma’s words, thinking that they had gotten out Léonie’s first, echoed in this office as your aunt poisoned her mind. 

“Say hello to my aunt once you reunite again,” you stated toward her, your eyes boring holes into her face as you glared at her from above your shoulder before closing the door with a slam.

It was so easy for Léonie to move across society picking her best moves while you struggled to even get a foot in this place, which one each day you were convinced wasn’t for you.

Would the voices that whispered usurper ever cease? Even if you got to sit in the CEO's chair? Because you could imagine them bouncing, reverberating with an endless echo inside such a big and quiet office.

What would have been of you if your mother had never adopted you?

For a moment, a childish part of you imagined you working in a suburban area of this bustling city, crossing paths with Viktor once by crossing a street, with either of you looking back.

You couldn't know if the strange sensation located in your chest was sadness, or the eerily unfamiliar sense of relief.

The cozy apartment smelled like coffee when you opened the door, a warm air coming from the swinging door against the chill of the arriving autumn outside.

Viktor was hunched over the coffee table in the living room, papers scattered everywhere alongside a pen that had exploded, stains of blue ink shining against the lamp nearby. Rio was nuzzled against some blankets, deeply asleep.

His brows frowning in focus relaxed at the sight of you, his golden gaze turned toward your figure as you were taking your shoes off.

He smiled. “Hello,” he said, the pen held in his hands clicking in a rapid rhythm as he flapped it between his fingers. “I made coffee, please feel free to drink some.” Viktor chuckled. “It wouldn’t do good to, eh, drink it all by myself.”

“Thank you,” you said, taking off the coat that now was too warm inside the cocoon of the apartment. “I think I’ll take some tea, though.” You tried to smile when he looked at you. “I need something… relaxing.”

Viktor settled down the papers then, taking the handle of his cane tucked in the armrest. “Did your meeting go badly?” he muttered, standing up to walk toward you.

You nodded, trying to curve your lips upward without much success. You didn't wish to burden him with your problems—despite how much you had dragged him already. Sometimes such thoughts kept you up at night, looking at the dim golden light of the living room lamp on way past 1 AM. And you couldn't help but wonder if, in those hours when the silence ate you away, he was regretting his choice.

“I’ll make you a hot chocolate, hmm?” Viktor was already walking toward the kitchen.

“You don’t have to,” you heard yourself stutter. “I’m sure you’re busy.” Just like you, he always was.

Viktor gestured away. “Don’t worry about it. Jayce always tells me I have to take small breaks.” He looked at you with a little smile. “Maybe I’ll start following his advice.”

“With some luck, not all his advice,” you mumbled, which made him chuckle.

“If you think his advice is… questionable, you should wait to hear mine,” Viktor told you, an eyebrow raised.

“Please do tell,” you said, with him helping to pull out a stool in front of the breakfast bar.

“Well, I think—"

You decided the bad idea of opening a package of cookies that were lying there, the sound waking the cockatoo up, who squeaked “Viktor!” before flying to pose next to you in the breakfast bar, her little head bobbing side to side as she looked at your fingers sheepishly taking a cookie out.

“No, Rio. We’ve talked about that,” Viktor scolded her.

You raised the cookie toward the bird. “Here,” you told her in the softest voice you could manage.

Rio lounged at it, breaking the surface with its beak. But then she noticed that you weren’t pulling the treat away, only rotating it so she could bite into it again.

It could be that Viktor was surveilling her, but Rio started to bite slower, her head gently tilting toward the cookie. Even so, you gave Viktor the remaining core of it so he could feed her so close to his fingers. You could still remember the hot pain of the bird’s beak.

“Say thank you, Rio,” Viktor said once the cookie had gone into her stomach.

The bird flapped her wings, flying away toward Viktor’s room.

“Rio!”

"It isn't necessary," you said, although amused by your (fake) husband's relationship with his pet. In other circumstances, you would've joked that Rio was that adopted daughter reticent of trusting her new stepmother. "Don't worry about it."

Rio squeaked, returning triumphant over the breakfast bar. She wobbled to step in front of you, dropping a sunflower seed near your hand and then flying away as quickly as she had arrived.

You looked at the seed. “This is for you.” You held it between your fingers, offering it to Viktor.

“Oh no, no.” Viktor was smiling, gently wrapping his hand over yours with shy fingers, a touch barely as light as the morning sun cast over your face in early spring. “That’s for you.” He chuckled. “A little gift.”

You felt his warm fingers beneath your hand slightly cold from just being outside, your eyes drawn to his in a gentle motion that still made your heart jump. “Maybe I should plant it, and see what blooms from it,” you muttered.

“I have a little pot,” he answered in the same tone, his hand still hovering over yours.

“Then it’ll be like our little child?” You couldn’t stop yourself from saying, feeling stupid as soon as the words were gone from your mouth and into the world.

Instead of hearing a mocking laugh, or to feel his awkward gaze, Viktor smiled and nodded. "Don't let Rio hear this but… yes," he said, leaning against you to mutter such a secret. "And something tells me that it will be as pretty as its mother.”

You giggled like a fool, feeling your face starting to feel hot.

It wasn't impossible not to take him, the way his face was highlighted by the dim golden light from the living room against the bright white bulb in the kitchen, how his eyes diverged from your eyes toward your lips.

Your fingers grabbed the edge of the bar to lean against him, closing the seemingly abysmal distance between each other’s lips.

Always taking.

Today, though, you wished to give.

Shyness tried to overcome your bold move, redirecting the motion of your lips to pose toward his cheek instead, in a mere fleeting peck. Yet, your resolution was higher, closing your eyes shut with force as if you were about to jump off a cliff.

He tasted like coffee, the motion of his open lips slow and unsure, scared you’d pull him away after realizing your mistake.

Though in this moment you could barely register the action like so. It felt… right, something supposed to be. And even if part of you stayed thrilled at the thought, the other was terrified.

Viktor's hand slipped into the curve of your hip, his fingers finding soft and aching skin, wishing for his touch without realization.

If you’d lived in a lie for the last couple of months, what would Viktor consider your relationship to be? Especially with so many blurry lines starting to conjoin and erase in unknown patterns to try and figure out the result—would it be chaos or art?

One moment, you were still in the kitchen with the purr of the milk starting to boil, and the other you were standing at the edge of the restaurant rooftop, with the wind blowing cold at your back and Viktor's warmth hugging you closer, both trying to take you in and to cover you from the harshness of the world.

Who knew what else you'd done if the stove wasn’t starting to hiss in anger from the abandonment of the milk that was threatening with spilling out the pot.

Viktor muttered a curse that you couldn't listen to, not between the cacophony of your beating heart and the sounds of your obnoxiously loud breath.

He went to pour a tablet of chocolate inside the milk, stirring the contents until the forming foam went away. You stayed sitting across from him on the breakfast bar, playing with the little seed inside your sweaty palms.

“Um…” you said, cringing at the sound of your voice in such a quiet room. "You said you have a piece of advice for me?"

Viktor’s cheeks were bright pink, eyes glued to the hot chocolate in the making.

“Eh, yes.” He cleared his throat. “Well, my advice may sound bland, but I think you can make good use of it. I’ve noticed that we have more in common than… ah—than we might initially thought.”

You blinked, it wasn’t at all surprising. You barely saw each other between the long journeys from work, the only sign of companionship being the slits of light filtering beneath the bedroom doors at night.

“Which is why I struggle with asking for help,” Viktor muttered, taking two cups from the cupboard and pouring steaming hot cocoa inside them. “Which is why I would like to offer you my help in anything you could… eh, need.”

You were about to protest, the phrase, ‘you don’t have to’ almost slipping out your lips.

“I don’t do it out of obligation,” Viktor stated, giving you one of the cups and settling in a seat across from yours. “I mean it.”

That was the scary part, because if he did—then what?

“I… I don’t know if I can give you that back. What you’re giving me.”

“I don’t seek retribution,” Viktor called your name, hands hovering as if trying to land atop yours.

“That’s unfair,” you said, thinking about all the passing deals and contracts you’d done in the past, all the infinite pile you’d do for the rest of your life, and how to think of Viktor like just a passing signature between all those pages made you feel.

“Perhaps.” He nodded. “But I won’t pressure you. I know what was getting myself into, and I abide by it, by all of it.”

It was the first time in the day that you smiled, lips curved and with your eyes crinkling close in half-moons.

“Thank you, Viktor.” His words had stirred an idea.

He copied your smile, the glimpse of his teeth glistening against the white bulb of the kitchen lamp. “Of course,” he simply said, sitting idly and silent until you had drunk all the hot chocolate and waiting for you to excuse yourself toward your bedroom.

You'd wish to say that night your dreams came easier, but instead, you felt your thoughts going in circles as fast as a hurricane's, pouring rain of ideas and possible paths to enter between the storm that was starting to form ahead.

The next day, Viktor and you took the day off due to a sudden snowfall that had covered the roads back to the metropolis.

You were ready to start with the preparations of your upcoming plan, yet alas, you knew you needed to visit someone in person to strike ideas first, especially after all the time you spent apart.

He knocked on your bedroom to give you a small plant pot on the side of your hand right after having breakfast together, the ambiance still charged with the unprompted kiss from last night.

“You can use soil from the plants on the balcony," Viktor told you, his cane tapping the floor. “I will go to buy some more later. Ah—yes, I put some of Rio’s seed peels at the bottom, like compost.”

Thanking him, you waited to hear his bedroom door close before emerging toward the living room, scooting to see if Rio was free before opening the balcony door, shivers running down your spine with the sudden freezing air blowing across your face.

“It’s too cold to put you outside,” you said to no one in particular, because the seed was inside your bedroom, over the nightstand. The sky was pure grey, and white snow starting to get dirty with the kids and the cars as the suburbs started to stir with life.

Then, you settled the little pot by the window, making a small hole in the middle with your finger, plopping the little, lonely seed inside, and then lovingly covering it with the black soil that was starting to make your fingers grow cold. It was humid already, so you let it be.

You hoped the plant would survive the inclement weather, that perhaps, once it grew bigger, you could get it another, bigger pot.

The only thing you could do was wait—perhaps the most terrifying thing in a world you were convinced would fail you.

[bullet-prooflove]

Hallmark!Series Part Seven: Baby Talk - Joe Velasco x Reader

Tagging: @plaidbooks @misscharlielulu @witches-unruly-heart @storiesofsvu @magic-multicolored-miracle @rosaliedepp @cycat4077 @deekaag @cixrosie @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @legit9thlunaticwarrior @thatesqcrush @mydarkestsecretlol @upsteadlogic @wooshwastaken @imaginecrushes @thiashazzy @kiwiithecrazybird @justreblogginfics @anime-weeb-4-life @hey-dw @alwaysachorusgirl @telepathay @weiwei0210 @spaghettificationandpretzels @nu1freakshow @resonmalvo @littleone65 @thesandbeneathmytoes @evee87 @hearthockey @whateversomethingbruh @burningpeachpuppy @legit9thlunaticwarrior @spooky-pomegranate

Hallmark!Series:

Hallmark (feat: Mike Duarte) - Joe watches you fall in love with another man.

Be With Me (feat: Mike Duarte) - Joe tells you how he feels.

Placeholder (feat: Mike Duarte)  - Mike fears he’s a placeholder.

Think About It (feat: Mike Duarte) - Joe recalls what happened the night of Fin's engagement party.

Positive - Mike finds out about what happened between you and Joe.

Five Months - You and Mike catch up.

Joe finds out you’re back with Duarte when a friend from another precinct sends a picture of the two of you in a Cuban restaurant in the Bronx. It’s an intimate setting. The two of you are sitting across from each other, there’s a candle in the middle of the table. Duarte’s hand rests on yours, that amused smile on his features as you laugh at something he says. Your free hand rests on the place where his baby resides.

Joe doesn’t know why it hurts so much. You’ve made it clear you don’t want to be with him, he accepts that, respects it, but seeing you play happy families with Duarte, it stings. He can already see his future stretching out in front of him, him left out in the cold, seeing his kid on weekends while you and Duarte raise his daughter. Christ it feels like someone’s ripped his heart right out of his chest every time he thinks about it.

“I hear you and Duarte are back together.” He says when the two of you meet up before the sonogram appointment. He’s both excited and a little nervous because today he gets to hear his baby’s heartbeat for the first time. He tears the edges off the paper sugar packet, piling the strips up in a small heap. It’s gesture you recognise from your time together as partners.

“We’re taking it slow.” You tell him as you sip from a cup of decaf tea. “We’ve had a few dates; he seems to be adapting to the situation.”

“You mean the fact you’re having my baby?” Joe asserts, his elbows coming to rest upon the surface of the table.

“And the fact we’re going to co-parent her.” You input before leaning back in your seat, palm smoothing over your stomach. “It’s a complicated situation for all of us. He’s dating the girl that got knocked up by her partner. It’s an adjustment.”

“You been catching flack for that?” Joe asks you, his eyes flickering up to meet yours.

“Not in the unit.” You tell him and he knows that while he’s getting a clap on the back for knocking you up, you’re being branded a slut, especially now your back with Duarte. “Before the baby, I probably would have given a shit about it but now…”

You smile as you cradle the bump between your hands.

“The things I used to worry about don’t really matter as much.”

Joe knows what you’re talking about. There’s so much stupid, petty shit he used to think about before the baby but now it all seems irrelevant because all he cares about is his kid and making sure she’s happy and healthy.

“I want to be a part of this.” He tells you, clasping his hands together on the surface of the table. “I want to be as involved as I can. I want time to bond with my daughter, to feed her, to sooth her. If Duarte has to be a part of that, I’ll find a way to get cool with it, but I don’t want to be shut out if the two of you decide you want to play happy families.”

“Joe…” You say reaching across the table and clasping his hand. “I’m not going to cut you out of our daughter’s life just because Mike’s back on the scene. We made this baby together and I promise we’re going to raise her together.”

You reach into your handbag and pull out an A5 notepad before flicking to the page you want and turning it around to face him.

“I tried to put a schedule together for after the baby is born, you can change whatever you want but I was thinking, you can do the afternoons or evenings. Feed her, bath her, put her down for bed, I read that’s the best way for you to bond with her. We stick to a routine, keep it consistent.”

Joe holds it between his hands, studying it intently. On paper it holds up, he thinks he should be able to stick to it when he takes paternity leave. He’s willing to pitch in at other times if you need it, he knows it’s important to be both flexible and consistent.

“We can work on it as things change.” He tells you, handing the notepad back. “But I’m happy with what you’ve got down here, it’s a lot more than I expected.”

“If you want more or less or if we need to switch something up, just tell me and we can figure it out.” You tell him. “This only works if we communicate openly with each other and that means on everything, not just scheduling. If there’s something that makes you uncomfortable, I want you to be able to discuss it with me.”

There’s a silence between the two of you before Joe gaze lowers to coffee cup.

“I don’t want Duarte to replace me.” He says quietly as his thumb chases over the porcelain.  “I’m happy for him to be in her life but I don’t want him to become her dad, I just…”

He trails off, trying to swallow hard against the ache in his chest because this baby hasn’t even been born yet and already, he has so much love for her it hurts.

“Nobody wants that.” You reassure him, dipping your head so that you can meet his gaze. “There’s going to be stuff that me and you go through that Mike won’t be able to understand, he’ll try to but…”

You shake your head.

“At the end of the day I’m her mom, you’re her dad. There is no one in this world who could love this baby more than the two of us.”

Joe looks up at you, his eyes meeting yours and you see the man that you’ve spent the past two years partnered with, the one you’ve trusted with your life, and you know that like you he will do everything in his power to make this arrangement work. Your daughter is the most important thing in the world to the two of you.

You feel a flutter in your belly, and you reach out, taking Joe’s hand in yours before pressing it to your stomach.

“She’s kicking again.” You say and Joe smiles as he feels the baby’s foot nudging against his palm. “She must recognise your voice.”

“You think?” He asks you, his entire face lighting up as he follows the baby’s movements.

“Yea Joe.” You tell him. “I think she knows her daddy.”

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[rainofthetwilight]

AND FINALLY HERE IS A SMALL MASTERPOST FOR THE HELLSPAWN WALKER SIBLINGS!!

I present to you, Jenna and Ethan :DD

(also since you asked to be tagged, @alizibtheterrible)

(pssst, here are the ref sheets for these kiddos)

-

before I get into anything, here are my timelines in this AU:

2 years between moto and season 11, atleast 5 months between s11 and s12, 5 more months between s12 and s13, 4 months between s13 and the island, a month between the island and s15, canonically a year between s15 and crystallized, 2 years between crystallized and the merge, 5 years between the merge and the events of DR

and jenna and ethan's ages during these times:

jenna: a year old during s11, almost two years old during s13, turned three a while after nya left, four during crystallized, six when the merge happened, and 11 in current time

ethan: a year old when the merge happened, and 6 in current time

I..know it's probably confusing, but I can attempt to explain more if you don't understand!

my fic for these two is currently being rewritten!!

and now, time to ramble abt the kids!! (warning, VERY long)

their full names are: Jenna Edna Lilly Walker and Ethan Ed Raymond Walker (you can guess who was named after who)

jenna was born just a year after moto, and ethan was born also a year after crystallized!

and from that, the age difference between them is 5 years

jenna inherits jay's powers, and ethan inherits nya's

ethan has ADHD and lacks good social skills due to being surrounded by only 2 people for most of his childhood, while jenna has anxiety, trust issues and some slight ptsd

oh and I can't forget to sprinkle the t r a u m a on them both

they have a good dynamic and bicker normally like siblings always do, but jenna sometimes needs to have her alone time and hates when anyone bothers her so she can snap at any time

while ethan is sensitive and cant control himself, especially if he sees someone distressed, but if he himself is the distressed one either no one should even come near him or he needs a genuiene hug or encouraging words from someone

I'm not sure when jenna will get her powers and will get her true potential, but until I figure it out, she gets her potential when she saw a certain someone in danger (kinda placeholder!!)

she didnt have control of her powers much at first, but would soon learn its abilities

and when ethan gets his powers, it doesn't go smoothly at all due to nya having been turned into the sea, so all the sudden power is..quite a painful experience without control

his true potential? realizing his worth and saving his sister from danger

I don't have exact birthdays for them yet, but the placeholders for now are may 23rd (jenna) and october 8th (ethan)

when they got a bit older, jenna decided to dye some streaks of her hair blue (and one time had a pixie cut), ethan didn't take any creative liberties with his hair but would sometimes style it when he's bored

jenna was named by jay, and while nya had wanted lilly she didnt mind and just she told him ''as long as you don't name her nya junior I won't throw you off a building"

lilly in the end was just given as a middle name

want a fun fact? jenna was the one that named ethan, the moment she saw him in his little blanket she just kept shouting "ethan! ethan!"

and jenna has a HUGE obsession for drawing and painting, while ethan likes cooking and is declared 'the gordon ramsey of the walkers* by jenna lmao

Jenna: dude please just open your own restuarant at this point Ethan: for the love of the fucking fsm Jenna-

jenna's special nickname is JJ! long story short, it was at first a shortened version of 'jay junior' that was actually a joke but then it became her actual nickname lmao

jenna is aroace and will go by she/they in the future, while ethan goes by he/him and will come out as bi!

jenna was attached to both her parents but felt closer to nya, especially after seabound

she'd watch her and jay in the sam x cave for ages

never remembering nya nor jay, ethan was wary of nya at first and tried to stay close to jenna but the moment she hugged him? he felt safe and knew it was right (shoot I'm kinda spoiling the reunion uhh)

jenna says she has no favourite uncle, but it's secretly cole and only he knows that

and she bullies kai, even when she's not ordered to do so by jay 👌

she does have a good bond with all of them tho!

jenna, in dragons rising, is 5'0 and will stay that height for a while until she hits a sudden growth spurt at 13 and is literally 5'6

and she'd be 5'9 at 16

happens with ethan aswell, he's only 6 so he's about 3'8 which is average for his age, but he'll keep growing taller and taller and he stops growing once he reached 5'8

The Forest Of Walkers(tm) as a moot of mine once quoted (we both hc jay to be very tall, finn I am looking at you)

and yes, that small part of the drawing of them walking is them in the future, I have no exact design yet and just wanted to throw that in bc of the free space lmao (I will post their future designs tho trust)

fun fact: when me and my friend were still planning what jenna and ethan would be doing after the merge, instead of staying with lloyd they had ended up with sora and arin

in this au, maya and ray are a tad closer to nya than they are in the actual show, they visit regularly to check on her, jay and jenna (soon ethan aswell)

both them and ed and edna SPOIL HER TO DEATH. they'd gladly take jenna any day

..which actually happened, seabound stuff :")

from the way all the ninja grieved, it was extremely lonely for a 3 almost 4 year old kid, especially with how everything happened so suddenly and how she can't yet process grief well, she only had cole who'd stay with her alot when she wasn't at her grandparents

even at their places it felt gloomy, but she loved to distract herself when she'd be in the junkyard by helping ed collect scraps and build with him (when her love of mechanism began)

and she loved to take walks with maya or ray at ignacia, or watch ray blacksmithing

it calmed her down a bit, but she knew something was still missing

edit: jay was also not in the best place after nya left, and wasn't able to spend time with jenna because she reminded him so much of nya, so he went to the lighthouse before he got too far

crystallized was..not the best experience either

because of spoilers and still planning out some more stuff, time to jump to post-crystallized

jenna grew much closer to nya, and had went to school 2 months after ethan was born!

she started in first grade, and was chaotic as fuck

she beat a kid in her class once just because he didnt like her drawings, obviously did not end well but she won and she was proud af 😎

during the timeskip after the merge, when ethan hit 4, lloyd would do some sort of homeschooling for him since he and jenna never left the monastery

Lloyd: okay, what's 5+6?

Ethan: 10!

Lloyd, trying not explode because he was so close:

I have so much more, but this is getting long af and I'm tired lmao

for my moots that are in the combined au, feel free to ramble in the tags aswell if u want to btw!! I wish I could too but I don't have the fuckin energy :'))

I may add on once I have the time and energy in the notes (or another post), but for now here's some info abt these hellspawns :"DD

[eveningearlgrey]

I think I didn’t introduce this AU properly when I posted the "Warmth", "Rêverie", and "Good Things about Percival Morton" drabbles. So let me sit back for a while and rearrange my thoughts for a bit.

Okay, I’m ready. Here we go again.

May I present to you, ‘Percival meets Peter Smith-Kingsley because why not?’ AU.

The story started in 2016, two years after Kingsman : The Secret Service, which means James died for real. Percival’s emotional state was a total trainwreck and never actually recovered from the loss. No matter how much he tried to act as if he was fine, at the end of the day he was still broken. He would come home, mourned every night he saw the bed he shared with his husband empty.

It went like this for two years after James's death. Time helped ease the pain a little bit. However, it would take only one trip to Italy to render his recovery process back to zero again.

It could be either a long-term mission or a vacation. I haven't decided on this yet. One thing for sure was during his stay in Rome, fate sent him another twisted and cruel test in the form of one young pianist, who looks almost identical to James.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Peter Smith-Kingsley.

I like to imagine they met on a street or in a cafe. Like, Percival was enjoying his coffee when another customer came in and sat at the table not very far from him. And when he glanced at the newcomer’s face, he was shocked to see his husband there, except that he looks about ten years younger.

It took years for Percival to heal from the loss, to put himself together, to forget the pain. All the efforts he took to overcome grief immediately diminished at the moment he saw Peter, when the face he just saw reminded him of what he had lost.

On the other hand, the young pianist was fascinated by the sight of a man he saw. It might sound cheesy if he called it ‘love at first sight’, but that was the closest words to describe how he felt the moment he locked eyes with this one stranger.

Peter felt attracted to Percival since they first met.

Percival wanted to push Peter away, but at the same time he also wanted to keep him, as he saw Peter as a remedy to the loneliness he had been enduring since James was gone.

A second chance, even.

Meanwhile, Peter was more than willing to offer his sincerity, his warmth, his feelings, basically everything he had to get to know Percival more. 

He wouldn’t mind being a placeholder. As long as Percival was happy, that was all it mattered.

And that marked the start of their journey.

Since my attention span is too short to write anything longer than 2000 words, I decide to make this a series of drabbles about them in different situations. I'll start posting them more from now on(hopefully).

There’s a bit of an age difference, but not so different here. Peter is 26, while Percival is 36 in this AU. So prepare for the 'you're too young to be with me' excuse. Actually, there's a lot of excuses Percival could come up with.

You can find works and drabbles related to them in my Peter/Percival tag.

[neko-naruto]

from hero to the hunted

Summary: a brief glance into the ways John Dory coped with the isolation, and how the hell a Pop Troll managed to survive for twenty years in the mountains

Warnings: gutting a massive fish (it gets a bit gross), grieving, check Ao3 port for full tags

Authors Note: I've been thinking of how in the fuck he survived out there in isolation since I saw the movie, now I've written about it so I can sleep easy at night. anyways! hope ya'll enjoy and if you do consider dropping a reblog or checkin the ao3 port, it really means a lot

"It's just me and my armadillo now, I guess," John Dory said, out loud, too himself, even though no one else existed in this empty forest. It was just him and his armadillo, which he was going to kill for meat, but chose against it when he realized she was sort of... Hollow.

She didn't have any meat, she was just an exterior, why she was like that he didn't know. And he would've left her alone, forever, but she decided to nuzzle up against his leg and chirp at him and he couldn't deny that. Only a monster would deny that, so he picks her up and starts on his way to carry her through the woods so she doesn't step on anything sharp.

It's kind of stupid, adopting an armadillo for no reason other than 'she looked at me and made sound' but he's a big brother. He's the oldest brother, he's spent his entire life before leaving being the caretaker. Their parents just paid attention to each of them equally and it didn't feel like enough, so he decided to start taking care of his little brothers too. Packing lunches, doing laundry, just being as good a brother as he could be before the band started.

And now it's been four years since he left, he's twenty one and he's probably going a little bit crazy with the isolation. Just a little bit nutty, a minuscule amount of absurd with how much he hasn't interacted with anyone or anything in years. Maybe that's why he's picking up this little creature and carrying her around like she's his little sister. He needs a placeholder to fill that void of a little creature in his life, that'll fend off the depression if nothing else.

"I'm gonna call you Rhonda," John stated as he placed her down on a log and started on foraging on some small twigs and slightly larger rocks for a fire pit.

Rhonda just chirps in response.

-/-/-/-

"I think it's a big one!" There's a laugh on his voice as reels in dinner for the night. It fights, thrashing and kicking up a massive splash of water every which way.

Rhonda is quick to amble over and bite the back of his vest tugging him just a bit whenever he lurches forward. Step by step she slowly pulls him back while keeping the cord from snapping with the tautness of it.

"Thanks girl, I'll save you the liver," John promises, it elicits a purring chirrup from Rhonda. He yanks the rod one last time and the fish is in the air, falling down to the ground in seconds, "Hold it down for me."

The armadillo does as told, pressing one paw on the tail fin to keep it down despite it's writhing. She bats it once or twice with her other paw while John grabs his knife, although it's more of a cutlass compared to the size of his body. He drives it through the eye and holds it until the fish stops moving, Rhonda steps back, resting on hind legs as John works.

He works smoothly really, digging the tip of the knife into the tender underbelly of the fish and running it up to the base of the jaw. Blood is minimal, but it still drips from the frayed flesh as he pops on his goggles. He takes a deep breath before diving into the complete and utter darkness. It's dripping with whatever rests inside of a fish's organ cavity and it used to make him feel like vomiting, but that was a long time ago, back when he could still carry Rhonda in his arms.

It's a pulsing and oozing mess, but he persists, cutting the cords and just hauling them out like they're anything but organs. He takes extra care with the liver and tosses it to Rhonda specifically before sliding out and moving onto cutting off the head.

"I hope you like that liver, this guy was living offa swamp scum," John commented as he lopped off the head, severing the spine with a practiced ease to his motions.

He's twenty seven now, ten years into his isolated life in the mountains and the forests and the swamps. He doesn't know how much longer he's gonna stay out there for either, he's probably a freak to the average Troll society now. He's happy here anyways. He has Rhonda, he has his sword, he has a group photo of him and his brothers before everything went wrong.

He's absolutely odd these days, positively so, talking a shocking amount of thoughts that enter his head. Eating whatever plants don't look poisonous and having Rhonda hit him with those defibrillator paws if he passes out from said plant. Cutting open giant fish and other assorted creatures that he comes across. He can store most of his stuff inside of Rhonda anyways, he could sleep in her if he wanted too, but the nights are never cold enough he has to leave her alone at night.

"Hey girl, can you get a fire going for me?" He asked rather loudly as he worked on trying to wedge some of the bones from delicate fish flesh. It was a tedious process but he'd rather do so than risk Rhonda choking on some bones.

There's a loud rumbling purr before Rhonda walks off to get some sticks.

-/-/-/-

It's a bad night, age thirty and he's spending another night laying awake thinking of his brothers and he left them. He thought he dropped this habit on his sweet, sweet twenty sixth birthday where he found an abandoned barrel of lager. He drank himself into a waking coma that night and came too about a week later, semi naked and covered in tinsel and hay. He still shudders to learn where that tinsel came from, but even more so about where the fuck the hay came from.

He's sleeping inside of Rhonda that night, the cold bite of winter air too much for him to bear. He's stuck staring at the ceiling with his few mementos of what his brothers were lay beside him plastered to a wall. He knows they've changed by now, for fucks sake, he's changed, albeit, probably for the worse considering how feral he is. He eats meat, he's always on the run from some monster, he talks to his armadillo van, he definitely wouldn't be able to just assimilate back into society.

John heaves a sigh, tears are hot on his face and his body shudders as he exhales. He misses his brothers. He misses the nights he'd spend falling asleep nestled against Spruce cause he stressed too hard over the song line ups, or he worried too much about his brothers in one way or another. He misses having Floyd there to try and calm down, he regrets not listening to his younger brothers worries and soothing words. He misses all the jokes and the choreography that Clay would carefully craft for them, he misses their secret handshake. He misses Spruce, he misses Floyd, he misses Clay, he (somewhat) misses Branch.

He doubts they miss him, he broke the one law of eldest sibling: never leave you baby brothers. He shattered it, he ran off to the mountains and he's been in said mountain for thirteen years hiding and scavenging. He left, he abandoned them to go be 'brolone' and he's experiencing a intense wave of regret again when he was sure he was over it.

"This is fucking stupid,"

He's an idiot, he thought he'd be fine alone. He adopted an armadillo, he killed her parents, her siblings, he killed all of them and took her in to replace his brothers. He can't go alone, he's not built like that. There's no more stress to keep all of his pieces together, he's gotten so comfortable in the mountains the wilderness fear has gone down too much to act as a substitute.

John just rolls onto his side, away from where his few memorabilia of his brothers exist. Out of side out of mind. He's crying because he lost his favorite vest to the woods, not because he lost his brothers due to his own hubris. Definitely not, and maybe if he tells himself that lie enough times he'll believe it.

[cat-esper]

Intro time!

My name is Cat (she/her and aroace) and while I've been on tumblr for a couple of years now, jumping from fandom to fandom and writing fanfic, I decided to make this blog to focus on original work.

I write fantasy, sci-fi, and a little bit of horror and I love mixing genres like there's no tomorrow. My absolute favorite things are found family, robots, and time travel, and I am a firm believer that platonic relationships can be just as fierce and important as romantic ones. Most of my novels are set within a shared universe I call the Starfish Saga and that's my main focus, though I do have quite a few exciting projects outside that.

I have so so many WIPs but the ones I'm currently focused on include these (all titles are placeholders for the time being):

Project Paladin: a YA science fantasy about a girl whose parents have been abducted by aliens and features portals, light magic, and found family*

Project Arcana: a YA epic fantasy featuring dangerous history, blood magic, and a warrior's desperate and unhealthy quest to honor her dead mentor*

Project Utopia: a post-apocalyptic sci-fi about a young woman with cyber magic, an android, and an undead abomination on a quest to defeat a powerful lich

Project Guardian: a YA science fantasy about an Irish teen, time loops, yet more magic, and the meaning of regret*

Project Array: a YA contemporary fantasy in which a girl grieving the death of her best friend gains a found family of people who fight the very thing that might help her find peace*

Project Slipstream: a YA slipstream portal fantasy set in the 80s/90s in which a group of outcasts wander away from our world and to the enigmatic Spiral, drawn there for reasons unknown by a song all of them know*

Project Wraith: a weird western about two criminals--sometimes partners and sometimes rivals--who team up to rob a ghost train

Project Bootstrap: a sci-fi narrative about the end of human civilization and the androids tasked with collecting data from the past to preserve for the future

Project Portal Epic: My most ambitious worldbuilding project, this epic fantasy brings together characters from multiple worlds connected through the Nightland Tram System; each is on their own quest that culminates in a team-up to prevent the long-dormant Night Beasts from awakening*

(* marks WIPs set in the Starfish Saga)

I'll be gradually posting WIP intros for these over the coming weeks so stay tuned! And if anyone wants to be added to a taglist, let me know by commenting on the WIP's intro post or shoot me a DM, specifying which WIP you'd like to be added to.

I also love getting asks and participating in tag games and just general chatting about WIPs if anyone is so inclined.

That's it for now. If you're interested in my other blogs, you can find me at @that-vibe-i-cant-explain (for multi-fandom shenanigans) or at @redstarsarc (my Pirates of the Caribbean blog).

Anyway, hello! It's nice to be here XD