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geneticdriftwood · 7 months ago

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lost and found pt. 1: missing pieces (dickroy wip snippet)

Summary:

"In the photo, Roy’s head hangs backwards over the arm of their old couch. His face is covered in doodles that Dick had helped a tiny Lian draw, all in multicolored permanent marker. He’s trying to look dramatically outraged, but the effect is ruined by the bright grin he can’t quite suppress. His gaze is directed off camera, to where Lian is giggling delightedly in Dick’s lap, a bright streak of blue smudged across her right cheek. The look in his eyes is full of such intense love and devotion that Dick forgets, for a moment, how to breathe."

Or: Dick thinks about the past and fails to change the future.

A/N: this is a little snippet from pt. 1 of lost and found, my wip au where Lian and Damian become friends while she's running around gotham still "dead". they get themselves stranded half a galaxy away, and in the process of rescuing them, dick and roy finally work through their issues and figure their shit out. takes place shortly after bruce returns from the time stream, pre-nu52 canon but with lian's current death plotline

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

The last kid from his gymnastics class has finally been picked up, so Dick heads to the staff locker room to rinse off before going home.

Honestly, Dick hates this locker room. It’s nothing like the tiny one at his old gym in New York, with its cracked mirror, and its shower with shit water pressure, and its photos and stickers and children's artwork on every locker. This one is too big, all shiny and new and impersonal, remodeled, like the rest of the gym, with money from a generous anonymous donation. Because Bruce can’t resist shoving himself into every fucking corner of Dick’s life.

That’s probably enough bitching about Bruce for now. He doesn’t want to hit his daily quota before he even finds out what happened last night with Damian.

Dick finishes his shower and towels off, changing into a clean pair of sweatpants and an old Wonder Woman t-shirt. Gym bag over his shoulder, he waves goodbye to his coworkers and steps out into the soft light of early evening. He throws a helmet on, hops on his bike, and pulls out of the parking lot, heading in the direction of his apartment.

The fog of stress and exhaustion has finally cleared from his head, and he’s feeling more like himself than he has all day, but something in his chest still aches.

His last group of the day had been the tumbling class for 5-6 year olds. It's one of his favorites to teach–– it’s mostly just playing games, and he loves seeing how carefree and comfortable in their own skin the kids that age still are. But there’s moments when he looks at them and chokes on the air in his lungs, unable to swallow the grief.

Sophie had landed her first cartwheel today, and all he could see was Lian, running into the tower kitchen to proudly show him that look, she finally got the feet right! And he and Donna had applauded, and let her lick the cookie dough off the spoon, and listened as she’d sat at the kitchen island, kicking her feet and telling them all about some new animal fact she’d learned.

He thinks about calling Roy and sharing the memory. But he doesn't know if he should, hasn't talked to him recently enough to know whether the thought of past joy would be a comfort, or just a painful reminder of loss.

It aches down to his bones, that he doesn’t know. The distance between him and Roy feels so wrong, like he’s missing a limb.

Dick pulls in and parks in front of his favorite little corner grocery store. Dick wants to say he doesn’t know how all this started, but, well, he definitely does. He just doesn't particularly want to think about it.

This is his own damn fault, he knows. Roy’s been trying to reach out, lately. They see each other semi-regularly, at Justice League meetings or during the occasional mission. Out of costume sometimes, too, at someone’s birthday dinner or a West family cookout. But Dick’s had a lot of practice dodging conversations he doesn’t want to have. And normally Roy doesn’t let him get away with that, but they both know better than to start this fight in public.

So Dick avoids being alone with Roy, and Roy stares at him from across the room, eyes burning holes in the side of Dick’s head. Between the two of them, silences have always been so much louder than screaming matches.

Dick glances down. He’s a little surprised to notice that he has his phone out and opened to Roy’s contact, where a much younger face looks up at him. Donna had taken the picture, one afternoon when it had just been the three of them and Lian in the tower.

In the photo, Roy’s head hangs backwards over the arm of their old couch. His face is covered in doodles that Dick had helped a tiny Lian draw, all in multicolored permanent marker. He’s trying to look dramatically outraged, but the effect is ruined by the bright grin he can’t quite suppress. His gaze is directed off camera, to where Lian is giggling delightedly in Dick’s lap, a bright streak of blue smudged across her right cheek. The look in his eyes is full of such intense love and devotion that Dick forgets, for a moment, how to breathe.

It’s not like Dick wants things to stay like this. He misses his friend so much it burns inside. But he doesn’t know how to fix this. He’s afraid to try. Dick feels stuck, frozen. Why the hell is this so hard?

His thumb hovers over the call button on the screen. He really, really wants to hear Roy’s voice.

Suddenly his phone vibrates, and a text from Tim pops up at the top of the screen.

dropping itty bitty bat off at ur place, eta 20min. if u arent home to stop me i WILL be stealing all ur zesti.

The tension of the moment breaks, and Dick is back to being just a guy in a parking lot. He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and pauses for a moment before pocketing his phone and turning to head into the store. He’s got a kid he needs to make dinner for, and he should probably restock on Zesti.

As he pushes the door open and is hit with cool air and the sounds of shoppers, a little voice in his head whispers “coward”. It sounds uncomfortably like Roy’s.

#this is the first piece of fic i've actually posted since i was like 12 #so please lmk what you think!#dick grayson #roy harper #lian harper #shes not actually present in this bit but the impact of her death features strongly here #dickroy #my fic #lost and found au #wips #dc #mine: dc #roydick

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comicarc · 6 months ago

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𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 (𝐈)

Eva just wanted to escape Jasper after she graduated high school, but recent circumstances have made it seem like an impossible endeavor. She's seen things she shouldn't have, heard things that should never be said, and felt things she should never feel. Maybe she'll make it out on top, or drown from the hauntings of her past. or An inside look into every character of TFP, their grief, struggle, past and present, through the eyes of my OC (with a little romance). *TW for abuse, psychological and physical trauma, kidnapping & death*

wc: 4941

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚄𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚛 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝

●・○・●・○・●

The warm breeze brushed against her skin and ruffled her hair. Eva closed her eyes, cherishing the rare moment of freedom. One hand softly brushed through the strands of her wavy hair, while the other shielded her from the glare of the setting sun. She gazed at the desert in the distance, noting every cliff, cactus, and tumbleweed she could make out as she waited. The jingling of bells at the entrance of the K.O. Drive-In finally brought her out of her trance. Turning her head, she watched as Jack locked the door behind him before heading towards her.

The lean, somewhat muscular, boy ruffled his dark hair and patted his shirt as he walked down the sidewalk. Grabbing a nearby ladder, he propped it against the back wall and climbed up to the roof of the of the Drive-In. Sitting next to her, Jack flashed a heartfelt smile. His droopy eyes managed to widen, straight eyebrows rose and his dull face brightened.

Eva folded her dangling legs and shifted to face her body towards him before she asked, “Are you going to the dance tonight?”

He replied, “Like I told my mom, no. Experience suggests I should never cut a rug.”

With a slight chuckle, she continued, “How’s the job? Saved up enough for that bike yet?”

“If only Vince paid for his food, then I could probably afford it in about a couple hundred years.”

“Well, you can only do so much. Don’t worry though, when I get out of here I’ll help you get a bike.” Looking down, she points to a sleek, blue motorcycle parked right in front of the entrance. “Maybe even a sweet ride like that.”

Following her gaze, Jack glanced at the vehicle. “I’ve never seen that around.”

“Me neither. Wanna check it out? Maybe even–”

“No, I’ll just check it out.”

Jack made his way back down the ladder, helping Eva jump down from its creaky ridges as he did. In a hurry, he rushed over the the motorbike and set his lustful gaze on it. He delicately felt the seat, touching the unscratched leather surface with the palm of his hand. He moved further down, the sensation of cold metal against his skin raising goosebumps on his arm.

Entranced by the vehicle he whispered, “I love you,” before announcing, “It may take a few K.O. paychecks, but I am going to own a ride like you someday.”

“Ah, there’s the Jack I know!” Eva exclaimed, leaning against a lamp pole as she watched him.

As he began to sit on it, Eva rushed towards him, warning, “You shouldn’t play with things that aren’t yours you know.”

“Oh, come on. Just sit and imagine with me. The wind beneath your hair, as you feel the breeze caressing your face, the–”

“Fine, fine, I’ll get on, Shakespeare.”

Rolling her eyes, Eva sat on the bike, leaning her head against Jack’s back. She intertwined her fingers after her arms looped around his waist and lifted her legs to fit on the passenger foot pedals. Jack adjusted his grip on the handles, pretending as though he was going to drive it. Just as he was about to get up, the engine suddenly revved to life. Thinking it was an accident, Eva let out a chuckle.

She heard more engine noises coming from behind her, prompting her to turn her head. Two sets of blinding headlights were facing them. Before Eva could inform Jack, the bike backed itself onto the road and began to drive between the two cars. Caught off guard by the sudden motion, Jack tried to adjust himself so he wouldn’t fall off the bike as Eva held him tight.

She was too stunned to make a sound as she looked back to see the same cars tailing them. After jumping a few red lights and turning into random streets, the bike swerved into an alleyway, screeching to a halt. Both Jack and Eva took this as a sign to promptly jump off of it.

Heart racing, Jack questioned, “What are you?”

The breeze grew calmer, the alley became almost dead silent, and the bike’s engine died down to a hum. The few seconds of stillness were deathly painful, but what came next was utterly inexplicable.

The bike threatened, “I don’t exist. Tell anyone about me and I will hunt you down.”

Eva, ever more curious than cautious yelled, “WAIT–” but before she could finish, the bike was already gone.

Moments later, Jack and Eva broke out into a sprint attempting to escape from the two cars that had tailed them earlier. Eva panted furiously, losing her breath too quickly for her frantically beating heart to cope. Her legs moved almost automatically, barely touching the ground as they did. She looked to her side to see Jack sitting on the strange motorbike that had left them helpless.

Jack leaned to the left trying to grab hold of her hand as he yelled, “Hop on!” Though it took a few attempts, Eva was eventually able to jump back into her previous position behind Jack. Sweat ran down her neck and her cheeks were painted with a furious blush, yet her heart had finally begun to ease its pace. Strands of her hair stuck to her face, partially obstructing her vision, and the sheer exhaustion from the workout had left Eva falling in and out of consciousness. Jack’s reassuring voice became blurred into the background as she struggled to keep her eyes alert and open. She continued to resist the urge to give in to her fatigue but eventually fainted.

●・○・●・○・●

Silence. It was all Eva could hear. Her body remained motionless lying on a hard concrete surface. The soft breeze blew dust on her face, forcing her to jerk forward and relentlessly cough. Disoriented, Eva swung her head from side to side, frantically searching for Jack or the bike that she was with earlier. All she was met with was the sight of dry leaves rustling in the distance. There was no voice to be heard for miles, no person to be seen anywhere, there was only her. Alone.

Laying back down, Eva looked up at the moon surrounded by billions of twinkling stars. Though the sky wasn’t as illuminated as it had been when the sun had shone, this night brought about a magical and rare sight. She was left in a secluded area, where not a single street lamp or traffic light could be seen, only miles and miles of an empty canal. It seemed that tonight, even the Moon decided to be accompanied.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Like nails on a chalkboard, her voice croaked. The dryness of her throat left her to sound like a piano out of tune, so horrendous to her own ear that she immediately shut her mouth and pursed her lips.

Jack wouldn’t leave me…but then what am I doing here alone? No. I refuse to believe that Jack would abandon me. Did the bike kidnap him? But why him and not me?

Eva’s attempt to grasp her situation was a futile endeavor given the scarcity of information she had so, to momentarily wallow in her self-pity, she rolled over to her side.

Something a few meters ahead caught her eye. Her curiosity overpowering her tiredness allowed her to hoist herself from the ground. Her tender hands were cut as the weight of her body allowed the broken pieces of concrete and other tiny minerals to jab into it.

Ignoring the thin stream of blood that flowed down her arm and fell from her elbow, Eva trekked forward, following the glow of an object at the other side of the canal. Reaching for the object, she observed the intricate symbols it had carved on the outside. Her blood seeped into its nooks and cracks, dulling the shine of the metallic box under the moonlight. Feeling all sides of the box, she pressed a button that unfolded the beautifully decorated exterior to reveal a book.

It was a leather-bound book, with a gold quill emblem on its cover. A loose piece of leather was wrapped around it, keeping it firmly closed. Seating herself back onto the ground, Eva set aside the exterior, unraveled the piece of leather, and flipped through the book.

She stopped at one page when the blood from her palm trickled and fell, highlighting one word: Megatronus. The mere unfamiliarity of the word enticed her to look into the book further.

Flipping to the beginning, the inside cover revealed the book to be the Covenant of Primus and the foreword beside it explained why it was even written:“To this day I could not tell you the beginning of our story–how Primus came to be, nor why, nor when. Though my curiosity burns me greatly, I have had to be satisfied with looking at the Covenant’s hidden stories, written in codes I cannot decipher, knowing that they exist, and knowing that there was a beginning.

Yes, there is a first page and prior to that there is a blank page. Today, I have set myself the task of translating and editing the Covenant of Primus so that it is meaningful for human contemplation. Since our fates are now entwined as galactic neighbors, you should have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of who we are and where we have come from. The Covenant is our history–a full and lengthy record–of which this is only a fragment, but I hope that it proves a worthwhile and illustrative fragment that will satisfy your curiosity and allow you to develop a richer understanding of the personalities you have so lately met.

- Alpha Trion”

To Eva, it seemed to just be another immersive sci-fi novel; one that could keep her company for the night. With an aching body and a defeated will, she rested her back against the canal wall and began to read.

●・○・●・○・●

The sun had almost fully risen, and Eva had almost fully finished. The inner corners of her eyebrows were pulled up and together as her eyelids sagged. Cracked lips mouthed the final few words on the last page of the book, as Eva bore her heavy eyes into the ink. Her exhaustion was amplified by the streaks of dried tears on her face leaving her a mess of emotions. Closing the book, Eva winced as the dried blood pulled at the skin of her fingers.

The pain reminded her of her loneliness. Jack had never come to find her, and it seemed at this point, that he never would. Though no one had any obligation to her other than herself, the thought of being completely alone was maddening. Yet, she reminded herself that to wallow in self-pity would be to condemn herself to struggle. Finally mustering the strength to leave, Eva repackaged the book into the box, just as she had found it, and carried it with her on her walk home.

A couple of hours later, she was able to relax in her bathtub. She had vigorously scrubbed off the dried blood from her forearm, flinching every time the soap water touched her wound. She then completely submerged her face in an attempt to let the fatigue fall and flow in the muddy water in which she lay. The heat from the bath relaxed her body, softening the roughness in her hands and feet. Begrudgingly emerging from the heavenly water, Eva passed out on the living room couch, wrapping herself in a fleece blanket to cuddle with.

●・○・●・○・●

What the hell did I do? I just left her there and–

Rising his head from between his folded hands, Jack’s thoughts were interrupted at the sight of Eva walking into the classroom. The teacher seemed to be berating her about something, presumably her tardiness, but Jack was more concerned with how she looked to be. There were specks of dried blood littered across the length of her arm, the brown hues of it almost blending into her tan skin. Her eyes had visible bags under them and her mouth was very apparently set in a frown.

The school bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. As everyone rushed out, Jack stayed by the door waiting. Before Eva even took a step past the classroom entrance, Jack pleaded, “I’m so sorry.”

Eva seemed indifferent to his apology, if you could even call it that, and replied with a nod. Jack continued, “OK, let me explain. The motorcycle we were on turned into a robot and started fighting the cars that were chasing us. Then, one of the motorcycle’s friends tried to help but because they were losing, me and Raf ran. I tried to carry you, but before I could, one of the bad robots got you, and I…I thought you had died.”

Tilting his head to face her again, Jack was met with a bewildered expression. The shock was apparent on Eva’s face as she tried to process the outlandish story that Jack had just recounted. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I believe you.”

As she moved to hug him, she whispered, “And, I’m glad we’re both OK.”

Jack took it as an opportunity to feel her arm where the remains of what seemed to be dried blood originated from. Slowly moving his fingers, all he could feel was her soft skin. Chalking it up to some dirt, Jack dropped his arm and released himself from her embrace to reply, “Me too.”

Eva headed out first, striking conversation with Miko Nakadai about her latest sketches near the entrance steps as Jack headed towards a smaller kid named Rafael Esquivel. Eventually, as the school parking lot began to empty out, Eva set out to get home and catch up on all the work that she had missed. One day of skipping school wouldn’t hurt her grades, but she knew that this sort of thing couldn’t happen again if she wanted to get into a good college.

She wanted to go somewhere far away, preferably the East Coast. Maybe somewhere that was colder than it was warm, after all, her favorite season was winter. And of course, she had to be surrounded by a student body who cared about their future as much as she did hers. It wasn’t that she hated Jasper, it was rather what the town represented.

“Your old man ain’t back yet?” A gruff voice from behind her boomed.

“Aren’t you tired of asking that every day even when you know the answer, Silas?” The man, Silas, quickened his heavy steps to be at Eva’s side. He kept his eyes forward as he continued, “Never. Now tell me, why didn’t you come home last night.”

“I don’t need to tell you. After all, we’re technically estranged.”

“Just because I’m not close to my brother, doesn’t mean I can’t have a relationship with my favorite niece.”

“Your only niece.”

“Listen kid, as much as that asshole may not care for you, I do. You’re family. Always remember that.”

“ I was out partying. OK?”

“Fine, don’t tell me. Just…let me know you’re safe every once in a while.”

“Yes, sir. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Alright, I won’t bother you any longer.”

Eva waved goodbye to the older man. She smiled at the reassurance that she had at least one parental figure in her life and that he would always check up on her every month. It was one of the very few constant routines in her life, and though she felt guilty disobeying her parents, she wouldn’t change a thing.

●・○・●・○・●

After finishing all her work on Saturday, Eva thought that she deserved to treat herself by heading to the Drive-In to eat out. She had her beachy waves down to compliment her jeans and tank top. Putting on her favorite pair of tennis shoes, Eva began her trek. She put the strange book she had found days prior in a backpack along with a few snacks and water, eager to show Jack.

She hadn’t seen him in a while, so she thought she would be able to bump into him there. At the thought, Eva remembered how Jack had mentioned transforming robots. She would definitely be asking him about that.

When she arrived and sat at one of the booths in the fast-food joint, Eva couldn’t seem to get a hold of Jack at all. She texted, called, and even asked his coworkers if he was a no-show today. He was acting stranger than usual and that worried her enough to wait a few hours for Jack to show up.

When the sun began to set, Eva decided enough was enough and headed to leave. Walking into the parking lot, she noticed a car that looked almost exactly like the one that tailed her and Jack. She tried to take the long way home, turning at every corner she could see and staying near well-lit places, yet that didn’t work at all. The car followed her for about a mile before blatantly accelerating onto the sidewalk and hitting her hard enough to have her pass out.

She was conscious by the time the car had made it onto a strange metallic platform. Though weak, Eva could still move her body to fall out as soon as the door opened. Afraid to look back, she broke out into a mad dash to the nearest door she could find, praying that it was the exit.

To her dismay, when she slipped through one of the automatic doors, she was met with the body of a metallic monster. Its head had a sharp, angular design that resembled a helmet. Its mouth was agape, revealing a set of pointy teeth. Worst of all was the gaping hole surrounded by rusted metal at the robot’s center. Wires and tubes came from the ceiling into every part of its body. It was dying.

There was no time to sympathize. Eva had to figure out where she was and how she would get back home. Reaching into her jeans pocket, Eva tried to turn it on to dial 911, yet she realized her phone had died. There was no way out anymore, for the automatic door no longer opened in her presence either and she had no idea who she was dealing with. Why would robots want to kidnap her?

Deciding that there was nothing she could do at the moment, Eva climbed up the platform to seat herself against the ledge of the metal bed the robot was lying on. She crossed her legs, leaned back against the frame, and took out the Covenant. There was nothing else to do, and rather than allowing her mind to succumb to her fear, Eva thought she could re-read the book.

Everything seemed so surreal. This robot, her kidnapping, and Jack’s strange behavior. Things were changing, and Eva hated change. Reaching into her bag for something to calm her, she felt the strange book and recalled the vivid stories it contained. The characters, they didn’t seem fantastical anymore. Maybe if she studied the book then she could gain some semblance of understanding. Flipping the book to the first page, Eva chose to read it with more intent. She began to pronounce each word aloud to help her remember all that she would learn. And if not for that, then she would speak to give her creepy companion some company.

●・○・●・○・●

The descriptions of these characters, the Cybertronians, seemed to resemble the robots that Eva had seen thus far, and that scared her. Closing the book and placing it back into her bag, Eva moved closer to the metal giant’s face. It had so many dents and scratches that it made her wonder if he was one of these characters.

She heard thunderous echoing footsteps in the hallway, warning her of the danger she was still in. She scrambled down from the metallic bed and hid in a spacious nook below the deck, just far enough to not catch anyone’s sight.

“Lord Megatron seems to be making some progress, but he is still far from waking. Soundwave?” A tall, slender robot with a vibrant crimson color scheme announces.

The blue and silver robot beside him, Soundwave, remained silent. His digital-like face had brainwave graphics displayed, soon replaced with a thumbs-up directed to the red robot. Both had a grayish insignia embedded into their shoulders. It was shaped with a sharp edge pointing on both ends resembling a trident that framed a menacingly angular face.

They stayed for a few more moments, staring at Megatron’s still body before heading out. Eva breathed a sigh of relief as they exited. Remaining in her hiding spot, she used her jacket as a blanket and leaned her head against one of its walls, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. She could only survive off of snacks for so long, she’d get bored of reading eventually, all she could do was pray that someone could save her.

●・○・●・○・●

A week had passed and every day Eva would follow the same routine. Eat a bite of one of her snacks, drink a sip of water, read for an hour or two to Megatron, drink another sip of water, sleep, and repeat. She had barely any food left now and only a fourth of her water remained.

Her extended slumber was the only anchor to reality she had left. For most of the day, she would keep her eyes closed. Her back would lean against the cold metal wall, shielded from the cool air that spilled from the vents with only her thin jacket. And all she would do was sleep.

In her dreams, she found little solace, for they would always remind her of the life she had. Sometimes she would dream about her times with Jack at the Drive-In. Other times she would recall special bonding moments with her Uncle. One particular memory would always replay. The day her life had changed.

She was ten and playing on the swings. She would push with her legs every time the swing neared the ground and with each thrust, Eva soared higher above. She was flying, as free as a bird with no care in the world.

At her own pace, when her exhilaration wore down, Eva slowed and hopped off the swing in search of her parents. Though the freedom of isolation was exhilarating, she wanted to feel the warmth of company.

It seemed to her that they were playing hide-and-seek, for her thirty-minute-long search became a futile endeavor. When she had finally given up, she didn’t cry, she didn’t throw a tantrum, all she did was sit back on the swing. This time she closed her eyes, shutting her lids tighter with every kick of her feet so she could not be bound by the limits of sight. She wanted to feel freer than a bird, to fly high enough to find her parents wherever they may be.

All of a sudden she was abruptly stopped. Caught by a stranger no less. She knew who this stranger was, but she refused to accept his aid. Her parents always spoke ill of him, and being the loyal little girl she was, she kicked and screamed while his hand held the swing chains firm.

When she lost her shrill voice, the man said, “They’re gone. They left you.”

Her voice had a slight rasp to it as she responded, “They wouldn’t. They’re not like you.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Now, where are they?” He was right.

Before she could respond, Eva would always wake up with tears streaming down her. Though she would never admit it, Eva missed her parents dearly. She didn’t lose them once. It wasn’t like getting lost in a mall or in a public area only to find her parents eventually. No. She lost them every second she was alive in the last six years. Every time she needed them and there was no one there. There was no end to this loss, for they were still alive. She grieved the souls of the living. She loved those who did not love her. And even now, she held onto her memories with them, seeking a comfort that was never there.

But she was able to find that comfort in June. She was the only mother Eva considered, for June helped Eva grow as a woman. She took care of her when she was sick, she cooked so she wouldn’t starve and she loved her like a daughter. Jack was just as welcoming for he was her best friend, her confidant, her brother. They were inseparable for as long as Eva could remember. Though recently Jack had been more distant than usual, Eva would invariably go back to sleep with the hope that they would be OK.

Eva had finished the book for a second time three days into her stay. Thus she opted to talk to Megatron as if he was her personal diary. These ‘conversations’, were the most productive she had ever had. Stuck in her own mind, she began to voice her thoughts, her fears, her desires, her plans, everything. Every once in a while, she would hear a light groan or see a finger twitch as though Megatron was responding to her words. It made her heart skip a beat each time, out of both fear and curiosity.

●・○・●・○・●

The cold is crushing, bitter, and harsh. Her mind aches to be united with her soul as surely as the day moves toward the night. Her stomach churns in deep hunger like a crew battling a monsoon. The wails of their widowed wives are eclipsed by the rumbling emitted from her abdomen. Her peace in darkness was broken with a ceiling light. The storm had died, leaving shallow waters in its wake. The air stilled, kissed with the warmth of comfort. Eva awoke.

A melody of laughter and booming voices emitted from the other side of the sofa. Too weak to hoist herself above the cushions, Eva looked at the ceiling longingly. Their voices were like a secret hidden in plain sight. Close enough to hear, but too far to feel. Yet, their enthusiasm seemed short-lived, for they soon began voicing their regrets.

“…Did my best to finish Megatron’s story. Just couldn’t stick around long enough to see how it ended.”

They must be Autobots if they hate Megatron this much. Speaking of, is he truly dead? Eva’s disappointment scared her out of her wits. What was the tyrant to her, for her to care this much? He was callous and cruel, the Covenant lay a testament to that. Though, she didn’t need to worry anymore. She was safe, for her saviors were none other than the Autobots.

Heavy footsteps echoed against the walls of the large room as the mech made his way toward Eva, both intrigued and rueful. He walked with conviction, but his mind was a mess of self-loathing. Seeing her limp body resting on the sofa served as an inevitable reminder that he would always fail in the face of Megatron.

Optimus Prime always believed himself to have been a failure. As an archivist, as an advocate, as a brother, and worst of all, as a leader. The paleness in her face, the dryness in her lips, the weight in her eyelids, Optimus had thought her dead. But the batting of her lashes, the hint of a smile on her face, and the light blush creeping on her cheek had given him reassurance. Though he often fails, he does not repeat his mistakes.

Eva, completely conscious of her environment now, raised her head to be met with bright cerulean blue eyes. She knew who he was. She could tell by his demeanor and stature. He was the one and only leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime.

“Hey there,” Eva contemplated for a moment whether it was wise to reveal her knowledge. He was still an alien, and though the Covenant detailed his motivations, there was no such thing as being too cautious. “Where am I?”

She didn’t need to reveal all her cards but she didn’t need to seem ignorant either. Eva had to be cunning to survive or who knows what other horrors she might face.

“We are in a secure military facility just outside Jasper city limits,” he answered immediately. “You are Eva, correct?”

“Yes, and you are…” Eva decided that playing coy was her best approach. If he was in fact the saint that the Covenant claimed him to be, then he would understand her skepticism. And if not…then it was a good thing that she tried.

“Optimus Prime. I alongside my crew are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. We have come to Earth to protect it from the Decepticon forces, notably, Megatron.”

“I think I saw him back at their…”

“The Decepticons control their operations from a spaceship known as the Nemesis.”

“Yeah. That.”

“I’d like to ask you a few questions if you’re up to it. I know you have gone through a traumatizing ordeal and I do wish for you to relive it.”

“Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine. Maybe in desperate need of a shower, but otherwise I feel fine.”

Optimus hesitantly nodded with a disapproving expression. Regardless, he motioned toward the elevator doors that stood a few meters from the couch on which Eva lay. She haphazardly scrambled off the couch, retrieved her backpack from the coffee table nearby, and slowly walked towards the doors, careful to not lose her fragile balance.

#ratchet #tfp arcee #optimus prime #tfp megatron #tfp starscream #tfp optimus prime #tfp knockout #tfp ratchet #oc x optimus prime #oc x megatron #oc x canon #june darby #transformers prime #jack darby #miko nakadai #rafael esquivel

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axofluff · 1 year ago

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✩ Get to know Alex ✩

*.·:·.✧ Welcome to my about me! ✧.·:·.*

➸ This post will let you know all the stuff you need to know about the author behind this post! Me! :D ♡⸜(˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ ➸ I wanted to make an official one since my old one isn't to my style anymore ➸ If you still have any questions after this, feel free to ask me anything in my dm's or AMA! (づ˶•༝•˶)づ♡ Happy reading!

Hi there! I see you've stumbled across my tumblr page! (・ω・) ✦ My name is Alex and I'm a small writer here! I've been writing ever since I was 12. My grandma introduced me to books and ever since then I've always had my nose stuck in a novel about some mystical far away land. ✦ I mostly write oneshots and fanfics but I do have my own works which I sadly deleted or no longer continued as I wasn't happy with them (｡•́︿•̀｡). ✦ I started off on Wattpad with writing Twilight fanfic and I developed my basic writing skills from there. I may move my work over to a03 but I currently like Tumblr's UI and how I can link my stuff under one blog so it's easier for people to find my work. ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ✦ I am 19 as of writing this and I live in England in the UK! I speak only English, although I want to learn Italian at some point since I love the history and culture of the roman empire. It's been my special interest ever since I played Assassin's creed 2 back on my xbox 360.

✦ I am autistic and I have ADHD so my attention span is less then a goldfish. I have a lot of special interests such as space, the paranormal and history. I also have a huge soft spot for aviation and the military, mostly because I am a huge fan of Top gun and ever since then I've been interested in jets. ✦ I've been in too many interests to honestly label at this point but my mains being; Call of Duty, Detroit: Become Human, Red Dead Redemption and Spiderman. I'm also a huge fan of the game Death stranding and Assassin's creed. I have also dabbled a bit in the Apex Legends fandom as I played a large chunk of the game last year. ✦ I have hobbies outside of writing such as going biking, walking, reading, sketching, arts and crafts and video games. I also love to play chess when I have the chance. ✦ I kin characters a lot, my main being Konig from CoD, Wattson from Apex Legends and Pavitr from Spiderman/ I tend to kin characters that share the same qualities as me. They also bring me a sense of comfort. ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ✦ My music taste is currently a massive heap. I listen to all sorts but I'll label some of my favorite artists ✧˖*°࿐The Weeknd ✧˖*°࿐Childish Gambino ✧˖*°࿐ Kendrick Lamar ✧˖*°࿐ Twenty One Pilots ✧˖*°࿐Radiohead ✧˖*°࿐Slipknot ✧˖*°࿐The neighborhood ✧˖*°࿐Arctic Monkeys ✧˖*°࿐Lady Gaga ✧˖*°࿐NF ✧˖*°࿐Rammenstien ✧˖*°࿐AC/DC ✧˖*°࿐Porter Robinson ✧˖*°࿐Post Malone ✧˖*°࿐Coldplay ✧˖*°࿐Avicii You can find my spotify here to find all my music tastes and what not ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻) Some simple facts about me •⩊• ✩ Name(s): Alex/Tobias/ axofluff ✩ Birthday: 8th November 2003 ✩ Pronouns: All! ✩ Gender: Bigender trans masc but atm its just c o n f u s i o n, I'm still exploring who I am so this is most likely to change .

✩Favorite food: I love chinese takeout's, Pizza and Ramen ✩Favorite animals: I love cats, sharks and kangaroos

✩Favorite colour: Mint green ✩Favorite show: The dragon prince on Netflix ✩Favorite Song: United in grief by Kendrick Lamar ✩Favorite icecream: Mint chocolate chip

This may be updated in the future if I feel the need to add more to the blog! Thank you all for reading! "૮₍ ˶•⤙•˶ ₎ა Remember you are loved and stay hydrated and eat something today if you haven't already ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ MWA! Have a great rest of your day! <3

#axofluff #about me #cod #cod fanfic #bio #info #fanfic plans #get to know me #help a small writer out #Spotify

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isabellavolere · 2 years ago

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Transformers Prime—Part 3: First Day of School

Masterlist

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The blast knocks you to the ground and you clutch your shoulder in pain. You turn over and its face looms over you, the red lights of its visor burning a hole in your mind. The triangle blaster lights up and you close your eyes, waiting for the shot that will end everything. A loud crashing makes your eyes jerk open and you see the red robot straddling the purple one, his fists colliding over and over again with the purple robots’ body. After one last solid blow the purple robot struggles no more and you struggle to your feet. The red robot turns to you and the last thing you see is him, the red body, the silver face, the broken off horn.

You awake with a start, your heart pounding and your breath unsteady. A drop of sweat drips down the side of your face and you swing your legs over the side of your bed.

You’ve been thinking about the day you met those strange metal robots for days, the scene playing on repeat in the back of your head, but at night the scene came alive.

You shake your head and stand up, wanting to get ready since today is the first day of your new school. You put on a white shirt with bold black letters that reads ‘Me? Sarcastic? Never!’ And a pair of navy blue cargo shorts. You brush through your tangled hair, braid it, and pull the strand of hair through a denim baseball cap. For the finishing touch you tie a red bandana around your wrist, then grab your backpack. When you walk into the kitchen you find your mom sitting at the dining room table eating Cheerios while flipping through a Real Style magazine. She notices you walking in and says “Morning y/n. I made you breakfast, it’s on the island.”

You thank her, grab the baCon’ she made, and go to the front hall to get your f/c Converse High Tops. When you come back to the kitchen, your mom takes out her phone and snaps a picture of you.

“Ack mom!” you say and shield your face in case she wants more pictures.

“I’m sorry, but look at you! My baby girl’s going to 10th grade at her new school in her cute little outfit,” She says.

“It’s not supposed to be cute, it’s supposed to be laid back,” you say as you cross your arms and fake pout. “Can I go now? Please?”

Your mom makes an overly dramatic sigh.

“Okay fine! No pictures. But, I’m driving you to school, let’s go.”

“What?” You ask. “I injured my arm, not my legs.”

Your mom rolls her eyes and replies “It’s your first day of school, I’m driving you there. Besides, I want to make sure the walkway is good.”

Yes because I’m sure so many sketchy things happen in the middle of Jasper.

You decide against voicing that last thought, instead shrugging your shoulders, earning a flash of pain from your right shoulder, and walking to the truck. After a 10 minute drive you reach the school and your mom pulls in along the curb.

“Wow. You know I’m not sure I can walk to school every day. That 10 minute drive will surely double if I walk,” you joke, living up to your sarcastic shirt.

Your mom lightly hits your leg and says “It’s a good thing that sense of humor of yours survived your biking wreck. What a shame it would be if you lost it.”

You grin and say “I learn from the best.”

Grinning back, she says “Have a great day at school sweetheart.”

Leaning across the truck, your mom proceeds to give you a death squeeze.

“Mom! I can’t breathe!” you say laughing. But she gives seriously tight hugs.

“Sorry, I’m just excited for your first day.”

“I think you're more excited than I am,” you say in a flat tone.

“Oh you’re going to be just fine,” she says.

You open the door, sling your backpack over your good shoulder, and walk up the front steps of your new school. It’s a two story brick building with a tan roof. Small square bushes line the sidewalk and a large oak tree stands by the side of the road. Students are scattered in front of the school and the idol chatter and laughter of the teenagers wafts through the warm and breezy day. You push your way through the crowd and walk through the double doors. You see a large circular desk in the middle of the school, with a small golden plaque on top of the dark wood that reads ‘front desk’ in a dark gray script. As you walk up to the desk you can see a man you guess to be around the age of 20 typing furiously on a small Chromebook. You can see several stickers of various video game logos placed haphazardly on the back of the computer. You recognize the pixelated grass block of Minecraft, the tilted white square of Roblox, the yellow gear and black 76 of Fallout 76, and many others. The man is wearing a bright turquoise shirt with bright pink flamingos, khaki shorts, black framed glasses, and has untidy brown hair.

Wow that shirt is an assault to my eyes. I wonder where he got it.

“Umm excuse me Mr…” you look down at his name tag. “Morison?”

He looks up and arranges his glasses, his hazel eyes pausing briefly on the bandages wrapped around your shoulder, before meeting your gaze and fixing you with a lopsided grin.

“You can call me Scott. How can you help?”

“Um, well I just moved here. Could you give me my class schedule please?”

“Sure thing! What’s your name?”

“It’s y/l/n, y/n y/l/n.”

You wait as he clicks on your name on the screen, fiddling with the end of the bandage that hangs by your right elbow.

“Ah, here we go. Let me print this out for you. So y/n, where did you move from, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Colorado.”

“Really? I’m from Colorado! What part are you from?”

“Parker. How about you?”

“I’m from Castle Rock.”

“Cool. It’s nice to know someone from Colorado.”

“Likewise!”

Just then a dull ringing reverberates throughout the school, signaling the start of class.

“Well, welcome to Jasper. I’m sure you’ll love it here," says Scott. “This is your schedule. Your first class is history with Miss. Grizwald. The class is upstairs, down the hall, third door on your right.”

You grab the schedule that Scott hands you, thank him, then turn around to look for your class.

“Let's see...Up the stairs, okay then down this hall. Yep, and the third door on the right,” you mumble to yourself as you shuffle through the school.

You find the class and take a deep breath before knocking on the door. A short, ancient looking woman opens the door. Her silvery hair is tied up in a tight bun on her head and a strong cloud of perfume reaches your nose. You can’t help your nose from wrinkling.

How old is this teacher? She looks like she’s at least 150 years old, and her perfume is going to choke me!

“Well?” She barks in a stern voice. “You are five minutes late!” you gulp but bravely meet her gaze.

“I-I-I’m a new student. My-my name's y/n ma’am.”

She reminds you of the substitute teacher from Percy Jackson.

“Well that’s no excuse to be late, hmm? Go find a seat, and be snappy about it!”

You quickly brush past her and start walking quickly down the center aisle. You hardly notice the kids that you pass until a head of messy jet black hair sitting a few rows away from the front catches your eye.

“Jack?” you blurt out and he looks up, surprise and recognition showing in his face.

“I’m pleased you seem to already have a friend, but do you think you can hold your enthusiasm until the end of class?” says Miss. Grizwald in a crisp voice.

You flinch and mumble a small sorry before rushing to find an empty desk. The only empty desk is two seats behind and one row to the left of Jack. Naturally. The desk is the only one left open for a reason. It’s covered in small doodles, previous peers’ names, and crossed out swear words. Wads of gum who’s color had long faded stick to the underside of the desk. When you sit down the chair squeaks and wouldn’t sit level, instead opting to sway from leg to leg.

The class is dull, and you and Jack spend most of it looking anywhere but each other. Every time you locked eyes, your faces would go promptly back to focusing on the class. When your morning classes finish you walk to your locker to drop off your books and get your lunch. The locker is a faded tan color and the paint chips off in a few places. It takes you a few tries to unlock the lock, but when you get the locker open the first thing you notice is the smell. It is a sharp metallic smell that makes you gag and you make a mental note to bring a car air freshener to hang on the door. By the time you find the lunchroom the tables are packed with kids. As you stand by the doorway scanning the room for an empty chair, you hear your name being called. You look around and see Jack and the younger boy from yesterday waving and gesturing for you to come over to them. You walk over to the two boys and greet them with a small smile.

“Hey. I think all of these tables are taken. Do you want to eat outside with us?” Jack asks.

You shrug and say “Sure.”

The boys lead you through a set of double doors to a small courtyard behind the school. A gushing stream filled with tiny pebbles rushes past several tall oak trees and ends in a glittering pond filled with orange, white, yellow, and black coy fish. In between the trees and the pond sits a long wooden bench, and is covered by all sorts of names carved into every square inch of the tan wood. You sit down on the bench under the shade of the oak trees and the boys follow. You open your lunch bag and start eating a turkey and cheese sandwich.

After a few minutes of silence Jack looks at the younger boy and says “You know, I don’t think I got your name.”

“I’m Raf. What’s your name?” He asks.

“My name is Jack,” he says and turns to you. “You’re y/n, right?”

“Yep, that’s me,” you Con’firm.

“I guess with all those robots we didn’t really have time for introductions,” says Raf.

“The Con’s, or whatever they call themselves,” you say as you furrow your brows.

You flash-back to the day that purple Con’’ shot you. You can see his faceless features, gun pointed at your head, arm ready to fire the shot that would kill you. Or would have, if it weren’t for that red robot.

“They were the ones who did that to your arm, didn’t they?” Jack asks.

You realize he was looking down at the bandage that was wrapped around the top of your shoulder and down to just above your elbow. Biting your bottom lip, you nod slowly.

“What happened to it?” Raf asks tentatively.

“Well, I might as well tell you the whole story. It all started when I came across these robots when I was dirt biking in the woods,” you begin. “I was riding down a path and saw a big crater up ahead. I was going too fast to stop so I kicked the bike out from under me and slid down the side of the crater. That’s when I noticed a bunch of the purple robots fighting a red robot. It wasn’t going well for the red robot, he was outnumbered and needed a distraction, so I got its attention and threw a rock at it, which wedged itself into where the heart of the robot should have been, causing it to explode.”

“Whoa whoa whoa hold on!” Raf stops you, his eyes wide. “You see this giant metal robot getting attacked by a bunch of other robots and instead of running away, you throw a rock at one of them!?”

“Yes I did. As I was saying, when I threw the rock all the robots started chasing me and shooting. Since my dirt bike was at the top of the crater I tried to climb the rock but it was too steep. The purple robots were coming for me so I started running around the edge of the crater, but one of the robots got a lucky shot and hit my shoulder. The impact knocked me to the ground and the bot that shot me caught up. He pointed his gun at me and would have finished me off if it weren't for the red robot.

He came and tacked the purple robot out of the way, then started beating it up. Now, I was hit pretty hard, but I will never forget when he picked me up and then sort of transformed around me. I don’t know how, but he turned into this Dodge Challenger and I was sitting in the passenger seat, or, I guess the body of the robot. Anyway, I-“

“The robot picked you up and transformed into a car around you?” Jack asks.

“Yes!” You respond, a little frustrated at the interruptions.

“Like I was saying, I began to hear voices coming from the car radio. I think the red robot knew who they belonged to because he was talking with them. As I was listening to the Con’versation I learned that the robots that were shooting at me are called DeceptiCon’s. So the red robot was driving through the forest when this gray robot sort of appeared and he slams on his brakes. Then he transforms again and I’m sitting in his hand while the new robot starts shooting at us. Apparently it was my day for near death experiences because the gray bot shoots the red bots’ arm and I go flying to the ground, landing at the gray bots feet.”

You pause to take a big breath of air and then Con’tinue with your story.

“So the gray bot picked me up and was threatening to squish me or whatever. All of a sudden someone yells Cliff, which I guess is a nickname for the red bot, and all these robots come from out of nowhere with their guns loaded. But of course they didn’t want to risk hurting me if they missed the robot so I summoned up all the strength I had left and kicked him in the face! It felt pretty good too. Well naturally he drops me, which is like 10 feet off the ground, and I-“

“You kicked him in the face!? That’s awesome!” Raf pumps his fist in the air.

You just look at him and say “Thank you, but hush and let me finish!”

Raf drops his hands in his lap and looks at you sheepishly.

“So I drop to the ground and run back to my dirt bike, then ride as fast as I can back to my house. I totally freaked out every time I heard a car. By the time I got home the adrenaline rush I was riding wore down, and I pretty much collapsed onto my bed. And then there was the whole thing with meeting you guys. So now here we are.”

As you finish your story, you can’t help but chuckle at the reactions of the two boys. Rafs’ eyes are the size of saucers and his mouth hangs open while Jack looks equal parts concerned and terrified.

They are silent for a long time before Jack asks, “So, if we’ve all seen the evil robots, are we all in danger? I mean how else would they have found us at the restaurant if they weren’t following you?”

You frown and look at him, eyebrows furrowed in contemplation.

“If you two are in danger because of me...” but you can’t bring yourself to finish the sentence. You are all quiet again, each lost in thought. Dimly you hear the bell ring signaling that classes were starting again, but you are so lost in thought that the sound barely registers in your head.

“Well that’s the school bell. We should probably get to our classes,” says Raf.

“Yeah probably,” you respond. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.”

You grab the empty plastic bag that holds your sandwich. With all the talking you hardly ate the rest of your lunch. Quickly you begin eating the other food as you walk to your locker.

What if Jack and Raf are in danger because of me? What if they get hurt? I be the one to blame?

***

When the school bell finally rings, signaling that school is over, you rush to pack up your school books. You sling your backpack over your good shoulder and then walk out of the classroom, joining the wave of students pushing their way out of the school. As you are walking through the doors the sun shines brightly in your eyes and you bring a hand up to your face, hoping to shield your eyes, but it doesn't help much. You let the flow of students push you along but a backpack comes out of nowhere and hits you in the chest. You fall sideways and stumble into a girl who is sitting on the railing of the stairs, brows furrowed in concentration as she sketches something on a notepad. As you look at her more closely you can see that the girl is Asian. She is wearing a pink tee shirt with a navy blue tank top and jean shorts that has a bright yellow belt. Her hair is black and streaked with hot pink highlights.

“Sorry!” you say as you adjust the strap on your backpack.

“y/n, over here.”

You turn to see Jack and Raf standing under a tree a few feet to the right.

You walk over to them and say “Hey guys.”

Jack was just about to respond when you hear a car beep and you see a black and yellow Camaro pull up next to the tree.

“Oh, not again!” Jack mumbles as the door to the car opens.

The car makes a series of beeps and you frown slightly.

“It wants us to get in?” you guess, already dreading the answer.

“No,” says Raf. “Just me.”

“How do you know that?” Jack asks.

“It said so. Yours is over there,” he says and points behind you and Jack.

You watch as Raf gets into the passenger seat of the car. The Camero shuts the door and speeds off, kicking up a cloud of dust. You and Jack cough a few times before turning around to see a red Dodge Challenger and a blue motorcycle parked in the lot in front of the high school. Images start to flash before your eyes, the purple DeceptiCon’s, the muzzle of the bots’ gun just inches from your face, the inside of the Dodge Challenger, the little metal face on the steering wheel, and worst of all, the grin of that gray robot.

“That red car’s the one who you were talking about, right? The one that saved you?” Jack asks, seeming to have noticed your slightly paling face.

You nod slowly, eyes glued to the car that has haunted your dreams for days. After everything that has happened to you, after getting shot by the Con’s’, almost squished to death by that gray robot, nearly getting you and Jack killed…the red Challenger flashes his headlights twice at you and you suck in a breath. You know you can’t face him, not now. You turn around quickly and start walking down the sidewalk towards your home. You start to get lost in thought again when you hear Jack jogging to catch up to you. You both turn down an alleyway and reach the middle of it before the motorcycle skids to a stop in front of us, a blue and black leather-clad lady with a black racing helmet sitting on her.

“Relax, I just wanna talk to you,” she says.

“Don’t you mean you and your leather-clad friend?” Jack accuses.

“Kid, there’s a lot you don’t understand,” says the motorcycle as the lady pixelizes and vanishes.

“No, I get it. The first rule about robot fight club is you don’t talk about robot fight club. What you need to understand is that I don’t want a bunch of crazy talking vehicles following me around, trying to get me killed! I’ve seen what those purple robots can do to people.”

Jack quickly glances at your shoulder, then looks back at the robot, backing away. He turns around and is about to leave the alley when the red Dodge Challenger pulls up, blocking Jack's escape.

“What took you, Cliffjumper?” Asks the blue robot. “You were right behind me.”

“There was a red light!” He retorts.

The blue motorcycle transforms and rolls her eyes as Cliffjumper transforms as well.

“Look, Jack and y/n, is it? Your personal safety is exactly why Optimus Prime has requested your presents.

“Optimus who?” Jack questions.

“He’s the tall red and blue robot with the deep voice from a few nights ago, isn’t he?” you guess.

“Optimus has been especially worried about your safety. It seems like you're very popular with the Con’s. Two mash ups in two days? You’ve got to be a legend up at Con’’ HQ!” says Cliffjumper, smiling as you look up at him. “Hey there. Glad to see the Con’s didn’t hurt ya too badly. I thought you were scrapped for sure!”

“And because of that,” the blue robot says, redirecting the conversation,” you might be one of the few, one of the only who have ever seen us.”

“Dudes, what are you waiting for? Go with!”

You turn around and see the Asian girl with black hair and bright pink highlights that you had run into earlier. She was leaning around the wall of the alley and was apparently unfazed by the fact that she just found two humans next to two giant talking robots.

“Scrap!” Exclaims both robots at the same time.

“Well, should we bring her with us?” Cliffjumper asks, turning to the blue robot.

“I guess we have to,” says the blue robot, though you notice she doesn’t sound thrilled. Cliffjumper nods and transforms into his car form, revving his engine and opening the passenger side door.

“You wanna ride with me kid?” He asks.

You look back at the new girl and Jack, then slip inside the car. You reach over your shoulder to put your seatbelt on but Cliffjumper says “Allow me” and buckles you in. The belt gently tightens around you and the door closes with a soft bang.

“Uh, thanks,” you say uncertainly.

“I’ve got to say, it’s nice to officially meet you. Which reminds me,” he says as he pulls out onto the road, “I don’t think I properly introduced myself. I’m Cliffjumper, and my partner is Arcee.”

“I-I’m y/n.”

“Pleased to meet ya y/n,” He laughs.

It’s a smooth, rolling laugh that makes you smile. His voice is like that too, calm and smooth so that when he talks low his voice rumbles. It reminds you of the thunder storms that would roll through the mountains and valleys of the Rocky Mountains.

You lean back in the seat and prop your elbow on the side of the door, staring out of the window as buildings and houses pass by. Absent-mindedly you begin to mess with the door, stroking your finger up and down the latch. A shudder passes through the car and your hand retracts quickly, like you’d been burned. You fold your hands in your lap, mumbling a faint “sorry.”

“It’s alright. I guess I’m just not used to humans sitting in me,” Cliffjumper says.

I hadn’t thought that I’m sitting in Cliffjumper. This feels weird.

“Have you ever met a human before?” you ask curiously.

“I’ve only met one human, but I don’t like him very much,” He says.

You were kind of disappointed, you’d hoped to be the first person he met.

Seeming to read your thoughts, Cliffjumper quickly adds “But you’re the first human kid that I’ve met. And, the first person I’ve been able to drive around.”

You nod and look out the window, where the buildings and houses were much more spread apart.

We must be driving though the outskirts of town. I wonder if he’s driving me somewhere in the desert.

Sure enough you pass a green sign marking the end of the city limits.

“Umm, not to be rude or anything, but where are you taking me?” you ask, wondering how much farther the drive will be.

“If you told you I’d have to kill ya,” says Cliffjumper in a solemn voice.

A moment of silence fills the car, then he laughs and says “Kidding! You don’t think our base was in the town did you? It had to be somewhere no one would go snooping around to find it. Speaking of bases, we’re here.”

You look around excitedly, but all you see are spikey green cacti with pink and yellow blossoms scattered along a dusty, sprawling landscape. Towering mesas cast shadows that stretch across the sandy desert. You look through Cliffjumpers’ windshield and see that the road you have been driving on ends up ahead. A stop sign marks the end of the road but Cliffjumper flies past it, heading straight for a huge mesa that looms overhead.

“Uhh, Cliffjumper?” you squirm slightly in your seat as the wall of rock gets closer and closer.

“Do you trust me?” He asks.

“Wait what? What are you doing?” you brace, waiting for the impact that would come from driving head-long into a wall. Just as you were about to crash, a section of the seemingly solid wall slides to the side to reveal a dimly lit tunnel that winds through the rock.

“Huh. Thought for sure you would scream. You're braver than you look, kid,” Cliffjumper says, sounding impressed.

“I suppose after almost being killed by giant metal robots twice, little will shake me at this point,” you contemplate.

“Fair point,” says Cliffjumper.

You flash a grin, but your jaw practically drops to the floorboard as your brain struggles to comprehend what your eyes are seeing.

Masterlist

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Next Part->

#Transformers prime #x reader #female reader #cliffjumper #optimus prime #tfp #reader insert #transformers prime x reader insert #arcee #jack #raf #miko

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dcpamines · 1 year ago

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[ quintessa swindell, non-binary, they/he ] - was that HUNTER KING i saw by the lighthouse today? i heard that the TWENTY-EIGHT year old who has been in nightrest for TWENTY YEARS and works as a/an PARAMEDIC has a reputation of being SHARP, but also DISTANT. they reside in LOW POINT & people in town usually associate them with flirting on the edge between life and death, finding comfort in chaos, not knowing who you are anymore but trying to find it, and missing a person so much you pretend it doesn’t exist. let’s hope the killer doesn’t go after them next.

full name — hunter king nickname(s) — hunny ( only by their brother and it’s to annoy him ) name meaning — one who hunts, pursuer age — twenty-eight date of birth — november 3rd place of birth — bronx, nyc star sign — scorpio sun, scorpio moon, aries rising current location — salem, massacusetts gender — non-binary pronouns — they/he sexual orientation — bisexual religion — atheist occupation — paramedic/firefighter education level — paramedic school family — roscoe king ( father, estranged ), marianne tinley ( mother, estranged ), janine king ( aunt ), jordan king ( brother ) finances — could be better spoken languages — english, spanish

inspos: rue bennett ( euphoria ) , tk strand ( 911 lone star ) , meredith grey ( greys anatomy ), jo march ( little women ), evan buckley ( 911 ), jeremy gilbert ( the vampire diaries ), steve harrington ( stranger things ), hayley marshall ( the originals ), nick miller ( new girl ), ian gallagher ( shameless ), sarah ( palm springs ), shawn hunter ( boy meets world )

tw: npc character dies on the job, non descriptive

“don’t go where i can’t follow you,” it’s the saying that jordan and hunter have been pinky promising each other since they were kids. hunter was raised by his brother and aunt janny, the three of them thick as thieves, and nyc was hunter’s playground. jordan taught him how to ride a skateboard when he was four, jordan holding onto their small arms, hunte’s legs never hit the ground but it was like they were gliding on the pavement, by ten hunter was skating circles around their brother with janny on her bike trying to keep up with her two children.

janny was well loved in the community, a mother to many who needed it, always serving home cooked meals, jordan and hunter often bringing home some kind of stray ( whether it be a friend or an animal, all were welcome ).

when hunter is eight they move from nyc to salem for a job opportunity. it wasn’t an easy thing for hunter to pack of up the only place they’ve known and live somewhere else, while it was phrased as a job opportunity their aunt thought that the two kids needed a change.

it’s only really when hunter becomes a teenager does the woes of identity crisis start to hit, on top of wishing that you had a mom or a dad to teach you certain things. he’d never tell jordan or janny that — in many ways they knew that jordan probably felt it too. but janny was home and love and comfort. it didn’t mean that it fixed everything.

hunter was hot and destructive and their teachers not understanding how hunter can be so smart but make such stupid decisions with their life, like it was some sort of gamble. they could never sit still for long, they had to be going somewhere, could never sit still and it would be the downfall, that kind of impulsiveness. hunter made a lot of wrong choices.

jordan and janny loved them anyway. it wasn’t love that saved them, but the willingness to not become the ghosts of their parents. ( hunter thinks its funny how ghosts work, their parents were still here, just never… here. )

hunter becomes a firefighter after high school, then becomes a paramedic, either way — they see the firehouse more than they see their own apartment. it’s good for hunter, they’re good at what they do, their recklessness and impulsivity will always be their own downfall, but in the end it wouldn’t have mattered. it would take months of their own investigation, friends and family saying, it wasn’t your fault. you did the right thing.

hunter and their partner got a bad call while on the job, it seemed off at first, hunter had been the one to say that they should wait for backup, its what they train for – scene assessment. scene size up. scene safety. it didn’t feel right, and hunter was usually correct when it came to their gut feelings. it didn’t matter. their partners funeral was days later. and their feelings for their partner would be buried with them.

jordan moves in with hunter for the first couple of months, janny wants him to come home but he never does. on the outside they’re okay, they try to heal.

hunter gets a new partner. life goes on.

more fun stuff:

ok look their story is sad but like on the outside they are very chill and act like everything is fine its called repression baby and they are living proof of it !!

v much loves their brother he's their bffl and probably comes as a duo most of the time

looking for best friends & possible roomie , hunter needs a ride or die fr

lowkey a slut ngl !! but they're hot so its ok asdkfnlsd

honestly just needs a hug

hunter still keeps the post cards that his parents send him, in a little box that's kept under his bed. is it healthy?? no !! but they're secretly sentimental and a softie at heart

#nightrest:intro #━━ ❛❛ // HUNTER KING ! ¦ i remember when your head caught flame . 「 about ! 」

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braindeadbullyhog · 2 months ago

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example from me is that one 8 hour death stranding essay. its all over the fucking place and it does *not* need to talk about how this dude was biking across bumfuck whatever and how that makes him relate to norman fetus

10-20 minute video essay: list of fairly banal aesthetic observations

20-80 minute video essay: actual essay

80+ minutes video essay: list of fairly banal aesthetic observations

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elslittlestories · 3 months ago

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Star Fighters

All it takes is one random interaction on a 4-years-old fanfiction and here I am side questing editing it to repost it on AO3... If anyone fancy some space adventure with Poe and Finn, I've got some for you!

Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Major Character Death

Characters: Poe Dameron, Finn, OFC

📖 Read on AO3

Summary :

After the heavy loss they suffered in the events that led to the battle of Crait, the Resistance is slowly rebuilding. From their new base on Ajan Kloss, General Organa sends Poe Dameron and Finn on a mission to assist a partisan milicia and hopefully bring new recruits. But nothing ever goes as planned...

Chapter 1 : Crazy and the droids [extract]

The old jumpspeeder splitted the air, slicing the wild vegetation growing along the pathway as it flew through the jungle of Yavin 4. Riding it, two teenagers were screaming at the top of their lungs.

Poe took a second to clear some loose strands of his messy dark hair off his driving goggles before gripping back at the handlebars, his pulse racing, adrenaline rushing through every fiber of his body. Oh, how he loved it!

"Faster Poe!", yelled the girl behind him, frantically hitting on his shoulder, " Faster!"

A cocky smirk spread on his lips and he pushed the engines a little more, bending over to try and protect himself from the violent wind the speed was creating. Behind him, he felt Deelio standing up, her hands firmly grasping at his jacket to keep her balance, and urging him to go faster again.

Poe pushed the thrusters with an exalted whoop that instantly died in his throat as the speeder jerked and the engines started coughing.

" What the-" cursed Poe as he felt the handlebars shaking violently in his hands.

He hit the brakes and engaged the bike in a drift to lose more speed while Deelio wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed her body on his back. They should have put their helmets on! Poe clenched his teeth as they hit a trunk and the bike was thrown in the thick jungle of their home world.

The jumpspeeder ended its course in a curtain of vines that tangled around the machine and its passengers as a black smoke escaped from the dying engines. Poe felt his friend shaking against his back and feared she'd hurt herself in the crash but he soon heard her chuckling in his neck. He spat a laugh, removed his goggles and ruffled his hair before saying : "Well, that was fun."

"Dad is going to kill me", replied Deelio.

Her father had brought that old Empire's jumpspeeder from one of his scouts a few month ago and allowed them to ride it out of exasperation at their constant asking. "Don't go too far", he had said. " Or too fast", he had added eyeing Poe whom had wisely nodded even though he knew he wouldn't obey.

"You mean me", he snorted.

She shook his shoulder, mildly at first but then with more force and Poe woke up with a start. His eyes took some time to adapt to the dim light of his surroundings and his brain even more to understand why Finn was staring at him urgently.

"You need to see this", said the former stormtrooper, squeezing his shoulder.

Poe frowned, the nervousity in his friend's voice putting him out of his reverie and casting away the long lost memories of his childhood home. The time for reckless joyrides in the jungle was long gone—even though one could say flying the Millennium Falcon was close enough.

Finn took a step back and motioned the pilot to follow him with a lift of his eyebrows. Poe scratched his hair and stood up from his bunk bed: back to the mission.

Leia had sent them off to an old mining asteroid in the Outer Rim to persuade a droid programmer that was already working for the Resistance to come work in the new base on Ajan Kloss. After the battle of Crait, the Resistance had been reduced to a few tens of people and they were in desperate need for any help.

Poe felt his gut twisting at the thought of all the lives they had lost on that dreadful day, the lesson had been hard to learn. Admiral Holdo's sacrifice, his own retreat order as he realized they were no match against First Order canons…

Poe shook the memories away and followed Finn in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. BB-8 greeted him with a tilt of his head and a whistle, asking him if he rested well.

"I'll sleep better after the mission, buddy", replied Poe as he sat on the pilot chair.

The Falcon was on autopilot as long as they were on light speed, which in theory should have offered a 2 hours nap for Poe. Judging by their position, he only had 40 minutes…

"The general sent us a message", said Finn sitting in the co-pilot seat.

His voice was tired and Poe put a supporting hand on his friend's shoulder. Before he could think of anything to say, Finn was already playing the message and he focused on it.

"Commander Dameron", was saying Leia in a formal tone - Poe cock his head and couldn't help but feel a little burst of pride at his newly recovered rank. "I am afraid the situation is evolving faster than our intels can follow and the coordinates you have are no longer valid. I'm sending you your new delivery point and I'm urging you to stay unnoticed there. You might need to use another ship for the drop out", she added grimly.

Poe checked the new coordinates and frowned. "Corellia, uh?"

"That's in the core center of the galaxy", growled Finn, "it's going to take us ages to go there from the Outer Rim."

Poe side glanced at his friend, amused. "You just want to be back to Rey and Rose".

It was sometimes hard to tell if Finn was blushing due to the dark tone of his skin, but his childish scowl was as eloquent. Behind them, BB-8 was already babbling everything he knew about Corellia in a concert of beeps and whistles, even though Poe was already aware of the most important part: The planet had never truly recovered economically from the fall of the Empire and most of the ship factories had turned into dumpsters. Now that he thought of it, this might be the perfect conditions for the First Order to take root in the core systems unnoticed…

"I don't get it", said Finn, "who would need a reprogrammed droid on that planet?"

BB-8 turned his oculus to Poe, apparently agreeing with Finn, and Poe took a moment to think. Bringing back the droid programmer was one part of the mission, she was also handing them a reprogrammed First Order droid for them to deliver it to a Resistance friendly faction, led by some guy by the name of Von Bi'll, that was trying to infiltrate the First Order. But to their knowledge, that faction was supposedly stationed in the Unknown regions of the galaxy, which was where most of the First Order planets were.

"Look," said Poe, "I don't know either. But if Leia says we need to go there, she must be sure of her intel. Like she said, things evolve fast around here."

"But how are we going to find another ship?"

"We'll figure it out. First we need to get the droid and convince that Deely lady to come with us."

Finn opened his mouth to argue but Poe gave him a glare that shouted "Period!" before heading back to bed. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to sleep for a few hours straight and his body was starting to make him painfully aware of that. He was in his early thirties but as he lay down on the bunk bed, he felt like an old battered man.

He tried to prevent himself from overthinking the implications of their change of destination - as confident as he had tried to sound in front of Finn, he wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea. Plus, that programmer's name kept reminding him of his childhood best friend Deelio and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He hadn't heard of her in ten years and he couldn't help but wonder if she was alright.

His tired mind drifted into an agitated sleep full of weird dreams and mixed memories until the signal of the ship about to exit light speed woke him up.

He found Finn fast asleep in the lounge bench and shook him up gently. The two friends took their seats in the cockpit where BB-8 was running a diagnostic on yet another malfunction.

"This thing is falling into pieces," grumbled Poe as he rubbed his face.

In front of them, hanging in the deep void of space, appeared Boroth, an asteroid occupied by a mining facility from the Empire's era. The dark planetoid seemed on the verge of turning into dust and rocks, it seemed like the mine's metal skeleton was the only thing keeping it together.

A few areas seemed lighted but it was clear that the mining activities had stopped a long time ago. According to their intels, it was now used as a hideout for pirates, spice runners and all kinds of smugglers.

"And here I thought Jakku was the worst rat hole of this galaxy", said Finn.

"You clearly haven't traveled enough", sniggered Poe.

Finn glanced at him, an eyebrow raised, waiting for maybe an adventurous story but Poe just smiled.

"You don't want to know", he said as he engaged their descent on the landing deck at the south pole of the asteroid.

#poe dameron #finn #original female character #star wars sequel trilogy fanfiction #poe has a crush on Finn #but that's not relevant to the plot #space adventure #not a romance #third person #el's little stories #el's star wars fanfiction #el's stuff

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thejacksmit · 1 year ago

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Short Takes at LYIFF: The North has a new film festival, and it's awesome

This weekend indie cinema got its rightful moment in the spotlight, as the Lytham International Film Festival took over the iconic Lowther Pavilion. With features, shorts, and curated strands from festival partners - including our old mates at Beyond the Bar programming the 'After Dark' strand - this is a festival rooted in its Northern roots, with a view to going global. So what better way to showcase the best bits than with a return to the Short world of things?

Across the weekend members of the TheJackSmit.com family seen a lot of shorts, and as ever, we're gonna showcase the best ones here on the blog - because you never know how a career might take off from out of nowhere. It was difficult to narrow it down to just a few, but these were the ones which stood out.

JACK'S TOP 3 SHORTS FROM LYIFF

DARWIN'S FOX

SYNOPSIS: Driven by the urge to prove the existence of an extinct creature, a father and his son head off into the wilderness. But soon the search becomes much more personal, when the son suddenly vanishes without a trace.

The Germans like doing the basics right - and this short from Ben Scharf does just that. In half an hour it has the makings of a feature, with some well thought out cinematography and writing. Importantly this short features young talent Cooper Dillon- who will be next seen in Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

MIDNIGHT RIDE

SYNOPSIS: A drug-dealing, Italian delivery rider resorts to robbing a South London burrito joint after his bike and drugs are stolen, little knowing he might be the one taken for a ride all along.

This was a neat short from Alessandro Farratini Pojani (who has shadowed names like Pete Czernin and Graham Broadbent behind the scenes), that has a distinctly British vibe but subverts the idea of a drug dealer trying to get his life back on track... by adding everyone's favourite food delivery service into the mix as he has the unluckiest night of his life. It gets the look and feel pretty much spot on.

A LITTLE GLASS OF RUM

youtube

SYNOPSIS: After grieving over the murder of his wife and son, prison guard Stan Ailor dines with the killer, Kenneth for his last meal. The two converse about the murders which leads Stan to getting the revenge he's been longing for.

LYIFF has its roots in the education sector - so to see Point Park University graduates make a short like this, on a similar kind of budget to UK students is nothing short of extraordinary. Going back in time to the 70s, what Carah Chafin did with writer/director of photography Lauren Keller's script, added in with the authenticity of the locations and those performances.... this is a cracker.

MENDO'S CAROUSEL

youtube

SYNOPSIS: After the death of her father, a troubled woman robs a dry-cleaning shop to make ends meet, but when the owner finds out, a secret from their past forces her to choose between doing what is right or following in the footsteps of her father.

Reading the EPK for this short, this is quite a personal film about honesty for its writer/director David Michael Maurer - and in 12 minutes it tells an incredibly powerful story. It was a worthy way to close the first session of shorts on day 1, and it is definitely making waves on the festival circuit.

As well as the main festival selection, partners Director's Notes brought some of their featured shorts to LYIFF, and as much as we want to talk about things like crazy American dark comedy The Flute, BAFTA nominated short Stuffed and student effort Heart Failure... they are a bit too 18 certificate to be showcased here on the blog. But ultimately the filmmakers enjoyed a Northern welcome, the audiences lapped up each and every film, and the Q&As hosted throughout the weekend (hosted by LYIFF's festival director Ed Greenberg) got a lot of discussion going.

Filmmakers, listen up - you can be part of it next year

The 2024 Lytham International Film Festival is on August 23rd-25th - and applications for next year have just opened on FilmFreeway.

#short take #lyiff

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good-prog · 2 years ago

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ff7 impressions

I'm overdue on a 7/7 remake review. I played the two games in conjunction with each other, which is to say, I got somewhat bored of FF7 after the Kalm flashback, went to play FF7R, then came back with a renewed interest in the original game.

FF7:

Main campaign date: 2023/11/28-2023/01/02 Playtime (Steam) to roll credits: 57.2 hours (I afk'd/wiped a lot :() Playtime (in game) to roll credits: 38.5 hours

FF7R:

Main campaign date: 2023/12/18-2023/02/27 Playtime (Steam) to roll credits: 50.2 hours (including DLC)

Spoiler warning as always. Not super polished, just wanted to compile my notes.

On FF7 (original):

This was my first playthrough of FF7. I didn't experience it as a child, so I don't have nostalgia or context for that era of video gaming to positively affect my impressions. I'm glad I played it and was able to experience a piece of gaming history; sure, it's made a significant cultural impact, but it's not some serious epic 100% of the time. The sidequests and minigames throughout provided some levity, whether it was Wall Market or piloting a bike or submarine with counterintuitive controls.

Going in, I was aware of the major story beats (Cloud takes on Zack's persona, Aerith dies, the lifestream is involved) but not too much about their execution.

gameplay:

I liked the flexibility of the materia system. Most of the game I was running cloud as a tank (counter + cover + HP up), until I couldn't guarantee that he could stay alive through a turn of attacks toward the end of the game. I tried to set up materia loadouts in accordance with different characters' strengths and/or personalities (e.g., Vincent as a magical glass cannon, Yuffie as a thief, Cait Sith as blue mage for manipulating enemies). I had trouble juggling the number of party members (9!); emotional impact aside, Aerith's death at the end of disk 1 was ironically somewhat welcome from a party management perspective.

I typically kept Cloud + 2 of the least leveled characters in my party. I couldn't always find time to swap in party members due to laziness (not enough materia to go around), so I neglected Cid and Vincent until the game forced the player to have Cid in the party.

I've been babysat too much by modern games. I had difficulty figuring out where to go after Midgar (to the point where I ended up using a walkthrough for major story objectives). I also lost a significant amount of time due to limited save/checkpoints (e.g., wiping to a morbol high up on the Great Glacier, losing an hour of progress as a result).

graphics:

Despite the graphics being dated, I still liked the visual quirks/personality each character got (e.g., Rufus Shinra's hair flip, "gya haa haa"/"kya haa haa" Heidegger/Scarlet, Tifa tucking a strand of Aerith's hair behind her ear). There were also nice details in the overworld (e.g., the Mako-polluted sky above Midgar, or the perpetual sunset near Cosmo Canyon). The summon animations are cool the first time, but take forever to resolve after, same as Sephiroth's Supernova attack.

story:

Aerith's death hit really hard, even though I knew it was going to happen--she looked so hopeful as she prayed for holy, and then Sephiroth comes down from who knows where suddenly, kills her, then immediately leaves, leaving the party to deal with the JENOVA flesh that remains (all while her theme plays).

I loved how willing the story was to to bring its protagonist so low in contrast of to a more generic video games protagonist embodying some sort of power fantasy. One of these days I'll think through how relatable Cloud's arc of putting on a front (both pre and post Nibelheim incident), dealing with memory loss due to trauma, totally breaking down then having his friends work with him to accept his "true" self perhaps in the form of a "cringe" "personal" "essay" but today is not that day.

Story beats that I was confused about, but didn't really detract from the overall presentation (presumably some of these are addressed in the FF7 Compilation):

Why did Hojo think combining Mako and Jenova cells in his subjects was a good idea, besides "comically bad and unethical science experiment"? Seems like he's introducing confounding variables. (Maybe offscreen he experimented with each separately and got desireable, but distinct results?)

How is a rocket functional after 25 years? (Sure, you can argue that it was well engineered, but that's in stark contrast to the lack of thoroughness with preflight procedures (see: Shera and Checkov's rocket))

Jenova (as alien, rather than supposed "ancient") wasn't well explained--could be the fault of me not paying attention, the translation, or the original writing. Perhaps she's just meant to be unknown/incomprehensible.

Is Sephiroth (as human) or Jenova driving the events of the Jenova reunion? (if it's Sephiroth, how is he able to maintain autonomy via strength of will when Jenova has destroyed uncountable civilizations previously?)

Not sure if humanity still exists 500 years in the future (re: ending FMV), though it doesn't negate the overall impact of the story. After all, the party manages to save the world the best they can in their particular time.

highlights:

The opening bombing mission is so strong and immediately drew me in, even if Cloud himself isn't invested in Avalanche's mission. The music helps: it starts with peaceful opening strings/mallets, then all the other parts come in, culminating in the piano/timpani urging the party on

Escaping the Shinra building on the double elevators took forever, since Barret was my only ranged attacker (I didn't realize materia had been removed from Aerith/Nanaki)

Tifa helping cloud reconnect with his inner child in the lifestream

Turning Shinra's weapons against themselves (e.g., highwind crew mutiny)

Bugenhagen! Old men (see: Maechen, FFX) always have so much to teach the party. Loved seeing him tease Nanaki and telling him the truth about his father.

FMV where Shinra diverted Midgar's mako output to power the Sister Ray (leaving the entirety of the city dark): chilling! visually representing the human cost of their work (even if said work at that point in the story was self preservation (and by extension, saving the planet))

"I'm Cloud--the master of my own illusionary world" or "Let's mosey!" and other endearing turns of phrase that show off Cloud's true self, in an endearing/dorky way

Fighting Bizzaro Sephiroth: this fight took a while because I didn't understand how to damage the core with two parties. I thought I could just rely on the main party, but I needed the secondary one to do damage to expose the core.

I never actually used Omnislash during the final 1v1 confrontation; I hesitated too long and Cloud defeated Sephiroth with a counterattack.

music highlights (in no particular order)

Everyone loves the soundtrack, but here are a couple of my favorites:

Marching theme (even if I failed the parade minigame)

Jenova's theme (especially when descending past the point of no return)

Aerith's leitmotif as the party descended Northern Crater

One winged angel kicking in after Bizzaro Sephiroth was defeated

Notes on 7r:

7 Remake was a decent game that at its best, made the Midgar section of the original more impactful. At its worst it was a hallway simulator with too many cutscenes or forced walking segments that interrupted the flow of gameplay, but hey, at least they were pretty! The characters look fantastic in high resolution, and battle animations feel stylish and forceful (with the exception of Aerith's standard magical attack).

big fan of the character development (really came through in the localization/voice acting), especially for minor characters like the Turks or Rufus that don't really come into play until later in the main game. Contrary to the other parts of the Compilation that make Cloud come off as edgy and cold, Remake brings out the insecure/immature/awkward parts of Cloud's personality. After all, he's spent 5 years in stasis, and is arguably still a teenager mentally.

That being said, I wish there was more banter when the party was just walking around without triggering a cutscene (see: FF15).

gameplay

Combat was fun! I liked learning how to effectively use the ATB system by being proactive about healing/barriers/mitigation, but also knowing when to play more aggressively. Stacking % stagger on Tifa is super satisfying. I don't know if I'll do a full hard mode playthrough but I might pick at it a bit in advance of the second part of the Remake trilogy.

In typical fashion, I barely made it through the bike game (in no small part due to the poor KB/M controls); Jessie even called me a bad driver.

On the remake's changed elements

I don't have strong feelings about the whispers, but i knew going in that they were meant to keep the original story on rails (so it was more a given rather than me reacting and going "wtf are they doing here").

I enjoyed how much the cheesy/cool factor of the game got amped up, like fighting the motor ball while on a bike, or turning forgettable trash mobs into full spectacles (see: Hell House, the Swordipede in Hojo's lab, even Rufus Shinra's boss fight).

I was very annoyed having Sephiroth dangled in my face but never getting to fight him; to be fair, the original game does that to the player (but arguably to better effect, since he doesn't actually show up in person: just signs of his power/destruction).

music

The music had to grow on me -- the full orchestral arrangements toward the beginning of the game felt almost too rich, like the sonic equivalent of expecting crackers but getting a three layered cake instead. It wasn't bad (quite the opposite!!), just wasn't what I expected.

favorite tracks that come to mind:

The arrangement of j-e-n-o-v-a that plays when fighting the tentacles

Collapsed Expressway theme (robot hand minigame)

Yuffie's theme in the DLC (really captured her mischief)

closing thoughts

After beating FF7, I immediately watched Advent Children with friends. It was less comprehensible than the Kingsglaive movie, though it had a lot of cool fight choreography (and I'm sure the CGI was a landmark for 2006). The main villains were Sephiroth remnants, but their personalities were terrible; I didn't find their motivations to be well communicated or compelling. Also, without reading the novels addressing the years following the main game, I was unable to take Rufus and the Turks' good intentions for the world seriously. I definitely squealed when Sephiroth actually showed up, though (and blocked original Omnislash!)

I'm looking forward to how the next installments of the Remake continue and remix the story. I'd also eventually like to play Crisis Core to see the additional characterization Sephiroth and Zack get. (Of course, the cynical part of me thinks this is primarily a money grab by SE, but I've enjoyed the entries in the Compilation I've played through.)

#ff7 #my review #text #closed tab

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luthienne · 4 years ago

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Louise Glück, from Averno

“Sometimes you leave your hair at the bus station & get on the bus & as your face falls asleep against the window you realize it is all your body now, everything between you & the pieces you lost once,”

Aracelis Girmay, from Kingdom Animalia; “Portrait of the Woman As a Skein”

Marie Howe, from Magdalene: Poems; “The Girl at 3″

“She knew herself, how she had slowly, over years, become a cat, a wolf, a snake, anything but a girl. How she had wrung out her girlhood like death.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

“Many girls lock themselves up, / become pantries, closets. / Some, like trees, grow bark, / and others, like rivers, / burble into dimpled pools.”

Eli Mandel, from “Rapunzel (Girl in a Tower)"

“Sometimes I forget. I become a volatile spirit / a butterfly out of its wings, a blooming flower / in decay. I fall in love with ghosts and cry / when they flesh out,”

Mahtem Shiferraw, from Fuschia; “Being a Woman”

Aracelis Girmay, from “Portrait of the Woman as a Skein”

“Not every girl survives the forest. / Sometimes she becomes it.”

Catherine Garbinsky, from “The Princess & the Thorns,” Even Curses End

Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost

“I was something else, not a girl, not a wolf, something blank-eyed, tired,”

Catherynne M. Valente, from The Bread We Eat in Dreams

“Shame fuses to silence letting the night maraud, killing bit by useless hope of not being this girl I was. Am. She is.”

Eimear McBride, from The Lesser Bohemians

“When I was a girl / and you were a girl / we were floral / and ungiveable. Squash / blossom. Bleeding / Hearts in the sideyard. / Vine, albino root. / Petals open only in the moonlight.”

Emily O'Neill, “Wedding Soup,” from Pelican

“Glory be to the girl who goes back for her body.”

Dominique Christina, from Star Gazer

“Cover the memory of your face with the mask of who you’ll be—come, and frighten the girl you used to be.”

Alejandra Pizarnik, from Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962-1972 (tr. Yvette Siegert), “Paths of the Mirror”

“—if I could remember a day when I was utterly a girl and not yet a woman— / but I don’t think there was a day like that for me. / When I look at the girl I was, dripping in her bathing suit, or riding her bike, pumping hard down the newly paved street, / she wears a furtive look— and even if I could go back in time to her as me, the age I am now / she would never come into my arms without believing that I wanted something.”

Marie Howe, from What the Living Do: Poems; “The Girl”

“‘How strange it is to long for one’s self!’ she said; ‘and yet I often, so often, long for myself as a young girl. I love her as one whom I had been very close to and shared life and happiness and everything with, and then had lost while I stood helpless.’”

Jens Peter Jacobsen, from Niels Lyhne

Mary Oliver, from Blue Horses; “Blueberries”

“Your bare feet became a woman's feet, always saying two things at once.”

Louise Glück, from Descending Figure

“And I must choose. War before me, and behind, a woman I do not know, the woman I could have been, a human woman, whole and hot.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

Louise Glück, from “The Myth of Innocence”

“Beware your face, / your limbs, your walk: / Gods see these / as invitations. / Beware of swans. / They may lift you / but you will fall. / Beware of children / hatched from eggs, / unfledged and beautiful: / they will burn / cities to the ground. / Don’t be seduced by the gods, / my daughter. / Though you break / into song beneath them / you will remain broken.”

Jeannine Hall Gailey, from Becoming the Villainess; “Leda’s Mother Warns Her”

“What could I have grown up to be? What kind of human woman, what kind of simple, happy thing? If I had never been broken on a bird’s wing. If I had never seen the world naked. I want to be myself again… I want to stop knowing everything I know.”

Catherynne M. Valente, from Deathless

“But I don’t really like what I know; I don’t really care for wisdom and experience. I would rather believe, and beat out my brains, and believe some more. I do not like this safe well-armed woman I have become. The loud bleating disheveled starry reckless failed girl was a better person.”

Martha Gellhorn, from Selected Letters

“a child with seafoam eyes / and dusky skin might cry, there / goes a girl with seven thousand years / at the hollow of her throat,”

Amal El-Mohtar, from ‘Song for an Ancient City’

“I say “her,” because I don’t recall having been present, not in any meaningful sense of the word. I and the girl in the picture have ceased to be the same person. I am her outcome, the result of the life she once lived headlong; whereas she, if she can be said to exist at all, is composed only of what I remember.”

Margaret Atwood, from The Blind Assassin

“There were always in me two women at least, one woman desperate and bewildered, who felt she was drowning, and another who would leap into a scene, as upon a stage, conceal her true emotions because they were weaknesses, helplessness, despair, and present to the world only a smile, an eagerness, curiosity, enthusiasm, interest.”

Anaïs Nin, from The Diary of Anaïs Nin: Volume One, 1931-1934

“Come, let me suffer! That is worth more than viewing injustice with a serene countenance, as Shakespeare says. When I have drained my cup of bitterness, I shall feel better. I am a woman, I have affections, sympathies, and wrath.”

George Sand, in a letter to Gustave Flaubert

“Slapped the man’s face, then slapped it again, / broke the plate, broke the glass, pushed the cat / from the couch with my feet. Let the baby / cry too long, then shook him, / let the man walk, let the girl down, / wouldn’t talk, then talked too long, / lied when there was no need / and stole what others had, and never / told the secret that kept me apart from them. / Years holding on to a rope / that wasn’t there, always sorry / and righteous and wrong. Who would / follow that young woman down the narrow hallway? / Who would call her name until she turns?”

Marie Howe, “What I Did Wrong”

“She is a woman stranded at doorways and passivity is killing her. There is only one thing she can do. Make noise.”

Anne Carson, in her Introduction to Elektra

Audre Lorde, from The Black Unicorn: Poems

“Part of me died here / so another could go on.”

Marty McConnell, from “When They Say You Can’t Go Home Again, What They Mean Is You Were Never There”

“see, you will rise. / and are you less of a woman for this? / no / what is woman? / woman is this—enduring. / listen girl, you will survive this—you will. / but what fool said you had to do it silently? / here is a tip—scream”

Salma Deera, Letters From Medea, “medea gives advice to a young girl with a broken heart”

#compilation #quote compilation #words #the great wound #regarde comme ta fille est faite #long post #terfs dni #this is very long. but i needed to make it and every word was necessary so i am not sorry

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apocalypse-eyes · 8 months ago

Text

Drunk on a bicycle, a different one you bought recently, and faster downhill then you can breathe. A lot of them expected you to die before. The white and brown smears of streetlight in your path, they show corroding asphalt stretched down that looks like the sky. You were grinding your goddamn teeth these months and for most of your life now it makes a sound sometimes like microphone feedback. You feel it in your stomach and from the wind on depthless night.

The city that turned itself inside out is not different from us. We're limbs of each other. The hill you're riding down it wants to kill you. Because that's the language it knows. The radio signal that cuts into your stomach is another one. As fast as you can fall through the dark there is more road still to carry you down. You call yourself Vermin to the people you know, when you can remember to speak to them now. We're chasing something. It sounds inside your blood like the turn of an engine and we know it's outside.

Tilting course around the ruined segments of road, the wounds of brackish water and the various wreckage. The city abandoned itself whenever it started to die. The antibiotics stopped working and all the sky was burned. Your brakes squeal hard, handlebars shudder as a pile of collapsed trees covers the road ahead. It's hard to love machines but your bike that drowned was a sort of friend. You can be alone with your bicycle and you help each other, and you suffer together in times when your cold, neglected bodies struggle.

The sound like a dog being killed beside you in the darkness. The wash of a sudden light in your eyes. You kept your foot on the ground after stopping and you kick off now away from the presence. Over the crumbling ledge of pavement and past, through a severed length of the chainlink fence. Tearing metal sounds and motion, the pressure in the air and liquid panic. Riding between the corpses of cars, through breaks in the curb and to finding new darkness.

It moves in the hush behind you. Now without a voice but you can feel the way it crushes vibration out of the air. The aggravated light of its vision is confused on your back, attaching to debris or the markings on walls as often as it catches and tracks your movement. You move through an alley, between the rotten hulk of the dumpsters, and back to the street. The wind is on your face again, the salt of sea mixed with particulate death. Your bones always ache, it's like nature. It throbs in the way behind you, it scratches on the floor. You're down the hill, around the corner to heavily scrape across a pothole you couldn't notice. Keeping in darkness keeping low beneath the cluttered remnants, escaping like a cockroach to the mess of foliage you know. Your blood is trying to get out through your mouth. It's harder to use your brakes with missing a thumb.

Put your bicycle beneath a wreckage and hide your body. The voice is coming back, the two voices who radiate here from other than us. The needle in your stomach. Cold and sweet. And the terror. Still near. Wet as sandpaper, sharkskin, trying to swallow a mouthful of salt. You can't move, can't make yourself to, and we're connected at the limbic system. There's something here other than danger. Rogue antibiotics following order, wandering in their hunger.

We keep coming here to follow the voice in our stomach. It moves through the wet air like strands of electricity. To the bottom of the city, near the water in the center. It keeps going down and the surroundings get worse. We're not different from each other for now. The perfume of this fear is enough when you stare in our dirty reflection in water. We're drunk to find a space, a way between. We keep losing track of our-self in the darkness and when we come up for air.

It gets more cold as you lose elevation. It gets more terrible. You're seeing him in your sleep and this way it never happens. To the frozen lake of hell and below. There's no one else in this world. You wrap your filthy hands around the weeds of rust and re-bar. Pressed in the silence of cold and the darkness as small as you are. There's someone speaking to us.

And we stay until morning. The day is coming earlier and it can't find you then. Too many restless sounds in the air. You see the first helicopter crawl in the sky and it's time to go home. Time to collapse. I don't know what we're looking for, or if it connects to my purpose. We're losing definition. Every day that we cohabitate in this form it muddles our distinction. The veil of our hatreds entangle each other until I remember falling to your death.

Crawling uphill and leaning for support on your handlebars. The street is usually covered with blood and pieces of animals and it smells like warm bread in the oven. We keep crying, stopping to cry and to choke on the air, and stumbling against the environment. It feels like miles uphill crawling back from the sunken part of the city. It remembers us. The water in the potholes is clean and birds and mice are pale and drowned at the bottom.

You think about the man you love, how you love him pathetically and from a distance, and you wonder if he has ever seen, or could imagine seeing, a de-gloved animal still whimpering at the touch of the air. You're only trying to get home from here. The sharkskin sound can't touch you now but is expressing its desires across your path. You wouldn't come here if there was anything else on Earth, but the world is dead to you. Everybody thought you were going to kill yourself and now that's impossible we find you wandering further and down near the water.

Vermin (work in progress)

My body is a rotten animal. My bicycle is left under the water. I haven't got to understand myself yet and I still came here to kill. I can pass through surfaces easily as my self is a semi-transparent layer. Dead water air and the stagnant sea. There was some paint on these hands when i found them.

The air is all saturated with smoke. I know you can see me when you look out your window. It doesn't really mean anything. Like peat soil, I'm standing in the way of the road. Cars look at me. And I forget what I'm supposed to do. Weren't you like this when you were still in your body? Some alcohol would change you, I can feel in this stomach now the way that you were. Your phone got destroyed in the water so there's no one else for now. The earth will tilt beneath us when I get sober. So you recover me. I found myself in dreams like you. The fallen trees in the forest that were incapable of decay. It's too late. The trees were all turned into ash, a fine white powder, while those grotesque tessellations of smoke replace their plumage.

The city used to be surrounded with trees. It was a part of the world. I don't know what these words still mean when I remember them. You take control at times I get too calm to follow death. Attached together, we're everything attached together. I can't really understand what you want except that missing a thumb like this is spiraling.

Your body is inconvenient. I went to your apartment when I found you and I pulled apart your strange collections. It seems you were in love, from the way that you didn't live in your room for a while. The plant there was dying. Its vines were all turning blond and brackish strands of hair, like pitiful handfuls can be clutched from a scalp. Your life was getting dismal with love.

I think that I came here to kill someone. There's signal interference. The pistol you kept in the closet, I took that out the first night and we walked around the city together. You start to understand yourself when it's losing connection. I was still damp from the fall. Still walking around there wrenched and bloody. You don't look them in the eye when there is smoke coming out of your clothes. Black smoke fills the sky at night and it turns back to white and red in the morning.

I keep walking home to your hole in the floor. The place you were disappearing. You're gone now, except those chemical reactions and you occasionally wake in the night. I need to keep drinking so I can stay in control of this terrible dream. You look at the ceiling or into the mess of green skeletons outside and keep thinking it won't be like this forever.

And everyone knows it's too late for pollution. You may as well eat the pigeons off the street. You may as well eat the rats and arthropods before the water rises. There's someone at the door. The window is broken so it's very cold in here. We talk in the surface of water that your face reflects and you try to explain yourself sometimes. I told you that we're going to kill. It doesn't seem to bother you much. It's just okay that we are going to kill someone. The world got to be like that while you were alive.

A clot of hair in the drain, that's how I describe it. I need to be inebriated to float back on the surface. The scraps of dead souls that can molder together. Spaces between, congealed tension and reconstitution. You understand it if you don't. No one thing or another. Those particles of smoke who pulled you out of the water when you died. It's not as simple as that. There isn't death.

You walk around with the body when I can't get numb anymore. He was at the grocery store again and it felt like falling under the water. The hammer from the wind that dragged you off the bridge. It was the grating in the middle that felt treacherous before. You get used to some things and then they kill you. I can't hate you like you wanted me to, and you can never want to be in love with me.

#fiction #novella #work in progress

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wizkiddx · 4 years ago

Note

was thinking for toms most recent ig story it sounds like hes working out early everyday, what if u did a blurb where the reader does it with his and its like best friend --> something else ? sounded like a you type of story, id love if you gave it a go ❤️💕

oohkay so sorry this lit just came through this evening and I suddenly got v stupidly into it (if u put in a req before that I promise I am working on it I just got way to invested cos this is stupidly cute) xxxx

summary: what starts off as tom taking you under his wing and some sunrise workouts together might just develop into something more

“It shouldn’t be legal…. to be doing anything… this fucking early!” Spoken, well yelled, in between the fake strokes of the exercise bike and your pants. All you got in response was the two men laughing at you, no sign of sympathy at all, as your gritted your teeth - fighting against every body instinct to stop the movements. Your heart was pumping like the clappers; breathing shallow and rushed and your arms… your arms felt like they were about to fall off. Combine that with the lack of sleep from waking up before the sun did at 5 am - meant you felt like your were in literal hell.

Why ever you’d agreed to do these workouts with Tom and Duffy escaped you. Being the new and rising actress, with a new supporting role in the next Spiderman, meant you’d spent a lot of time with Tom over the past few weeks. Not to inflate his ego either, but Tom had been a real life hero to you. See, you were the complete opposite of his experienced and seasoned professionalism - this was your first acting gig. And what a gig it was, the second biggest part in a Marvel movie. You never really believed you’d get the part and even when you did, were pretty sure it was some elaborate joke, where Ant and Dec were going to jump out from some corner and go ‘ha its a prank!’ or something.

Yet somehow it was all still happening, you had been flown halfway across the world to spend three months alone on a film set. Well obviously not alone, but you knew no one - you were a complete outsider. That, really, was the reason you’d agreed to do these sessions with Tom. He’d offered half heartedly while between takes as you were moaning about how out of breath you got in that scene. At that point, you’d only known each other for a matter of weeks, he really hadn’t expected you to commit to 5 am each and every morning. What he wasn’t aware of though, was how ocmplerly stranded and lonely you felt here, hence why you jumped at his offer.

And yes you loved to moan and complain when you were there, however you were also so incredibly thankful he ever offered. Duffy, Tom’s PT, was a right laugh too and he took great joy in torturing you - and was also entertained by the new and inventive ways you’d insult him after he ordered you about.

“Come on Y/n, 200m more and then we are done, even your little arms can survive that.”

“Really … not the encouragement… I was looking for.” Still panting, face bright red and blotchy as you pressed your legs straight again.

“Tom? You wanna help Y/n out?”

“Nah you know… kind of enjoying seeing her in pain.” The British voice laughed from somewhere behind you, making you roll your eyes.

“Why the hell… are you not… torturing him?” He sounded way to comfortable and relaxed to be working hard.

“He’s got a stunt heavy day today so wanted to go easy this morning.”

Now that was a bloody joke. You were BOTH filming the SAME scene today, doing the SAME stunts.

“Did I forget to mention Y/n is on set too?” The joy in Tom’s voice made you want to do horrible things to him. Even though you felt like you wanted to collapse on the floor, you’d happily do a set or two on a punch bag right now - if that punch bag was Tom’s face.

Before you could hurl some fresh abuse at your costar, Duffy called time on the rowing machine, turning the display off and passing your water bottle over as you slouched on the slidey seat.

“Done good Y/n/n, I am actually super impressed with your progress” The stocky man patted you on the back genuinely, bringing a bit of smile to your otherwise grimacing face. He went over the chat to Tom about some boy shit that you couldn’t care less about, allowing you a couple minutes to get your breath back. As soon as you did and tried to dismount the machine of death, your ruined legs seemed to have other plans, shakily buckling so you ended up starfished on the floor, groaning at the dull ache that came with the sudden movement.

And what show of concern did Duffy show you? A belly laugh that echoed round Toms indoor gym making you groan again, throwing your forearm over your eyes. It was in fact the curly haired brunette, who came and knelt by your side, wordlessly balling up the towel and placing it under your head as you shot your eyes open in shock.

“You okay? Sorry… I might’ve taken our friendly competition a bit too far.”

“I just… just might have to gain the power of flight this afternoon cos my legs aren’t gonna bloody work.” Tom chuckled and shook his head at your dry humour.

“Oh I’m sure we can talk to Jon and get that arranged… not like Marvel don’t spend years crafting the script and storyline for a newbie actor to change it all.”

“Might I remind you… they wouldn’t have to if your weren’t such a dickhead!” You exclaimed, sitting up and staring at him with an exasperated look than only made him burst out laughing again.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry… I just cant take you seriously when you look like such a tomato!” His voice went an octave higher as he laughed at himself, the situation getting even worse for you when you heard Duffy join in too.

The boy was bloody lucky you couldn’t lift your arms right now, otherwise they’s almost certainly be attempting to ruin his pretty boy face.

/////////////////////////////

After a long day of shooting you and Tom were in one of the set buggies, being taken back to your trailers to change for the evening. There was a peaceful silence until Tom ruined it yet again.

“ Got any fancy plans for this evening then?”

“Well you know me, back to my lonely little old place and frozen pizza - so living the movie star life.”

“It’s a Friday! You not going out with your team or anything?” He sounded so bemused at your quiet plans, and mention of a ‘team’ had you cocking your head to the side.

“‘My team?’ Tom until I get my movie star pay check I can barely afford my pizzas, never mind a whole persons wage.” You were still only three weeks into filming and although you spent an hour every other morning sweating your ass off with Tom - apart from that you’d tried not to impose yourself on him too much. You didnt want to look clingy and naturally Tom always had a mountain of people vying for his attention - you would go to the back of a long line. So honestly, you were still a bit of a mystery to him, right now you’d both only scratched the surface on each other.

“Really? I know this is your first big job but I thought you’d have someone here?”

“Nah… I mean I’ve kinda clung to the Marty on the camera crew but he’s going to see family tonight sooo.”

“Come back to mine. I’ve swapped Harry for his twin Sam, which is a bit of an upgrade cos Sam’s a chef. He just arrived last night. I bet he can one up any pizza you were planning on.”

“Honestly I don’t want to impose, sorry I didnt mean for this to be a pity party or-“ The buggy slowed to a stop and Tom instantly vaulted out of it, standing right infront of you and blocking you exist off the back sofa. Both of you were still in costume, Tom in latex and you in your corset-esque two piece, but then both wrapped in matching long line black jackets supplied by set.

“No come on I’m serious… Sam’s dying to meet you and it’d be good to spend more time together. You know, cos of chemistry and all.” The last bit was a switch from his cool and smooth, normally easy going tone - into something a bit more… anxious? Just like that, before your brain even knew what it was doing, you agreed, smiling broadly and nodding.

So barely an hour later, you were knocking on the doors to Tom’s mansion-ish rented Atlanta home which was much much more grand than what the studio had arranged for you. Even though you were here most mornings, this time it felt different. Yeh it was stupid, but you can’t help the way you feel and you were stressed. For no real reason… just, just because.

Thankfully, it wasn’t awkward at all and you especially instantly hit it off with his younger brother Sam. Everything just felt easy and simple which meant so much more considering you’d felt so isolated an alone halfway across the world for your home comforts. Being British too, simply chatting to the two young men about your hometown and growing up was just so familiar, it really helped you feel less homesick. Naturally too, you’d fallen into a casual and friendly ribbing of Tom with Sam, making the three of you spend to majority of the evening cracking up (or in Tom’s case pouting at the abuse). It was a nice change from the two on one attack you got from Tom and Duffy that morning. You’d all cooked dinner together… well no, you and Tom had stood idly watching Sam cook an amazing chicken curry dish - which he promised to give you the recipe too. Honestly Sam felt like your long lost best friend, especially when it came to your shared ability to berate Tom for anything and everything.

About an hour ago Tom had stuck on the film, effectively shutting up you and Sam - thankfully for him since Sam was just about to get to some rather embarrassing stories of Tom as a kid. You and Tom were on the longer grey sofa; with Sam sat the other side of the coffee table in an impressively soft armchair - looking as though it was swallowing the lanky boy. The calm, the silence and the comfort was only going to go one way for you though. After your workout this morning, plus all the running and jumping during the shoot, after what had already been a pretty intense week, it was hardly surprising that you didn’t even notice yourself drifting off the sleep.

Who did notice though? Perhaps your brown haired costar who’d been stealing glances across to you ever since the movie had been put on? Because as much as he hated to admit it to himself, this didnt seem to be panning out as a normal job. A normal job is something you put your all into, for a couple weeks, and then leave with good memories and a good pay check. Yes, he had only known your for a matter of weeks or so but it already seemed to be unfathomable to cut ties with you. How would he go without your kind mannered abuse everyday? You were just refreshing, new and mysterious. And Tom was more than intrigued, his interest was peaked.

And it was stupid to feel like that…. Of course it was. You can’t fancy a colleague because things get complicated and awkward. Tom knew that.

Then why was he now delicately draping a blanket over your frame and smiling smally when you hummed in your sleep, in what seemed to be a show of appreciation for the layer of warmth?

Because you were his excited puppy of a costar who is giving everything she has for the job? Because he is worried and wants to look after you? Because he cares?

No matter why, in that moment you were contented and as was Tom. Oh and Sam?

Sam saw the tell tale signs in his brother. He saw the way Tom had been touching your arm or the small of your back just a little more than what would be considered normal while he’d been cooking. He’d seen the way Tom had been laughing purely because you had. His eldest brother never did anything rash, it was always a painfully slow process for everyone involved. But Sam thought this just might be the start of something. The start of a slow burn.

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland x reader #tomholland #Tom Holland angst #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland x you #sam holland

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red1culous · 4 years ago

Text

A Thousand Steps Between Here and There

It was one of those days you thought to yourself as your bike zipped through the path half obscured by branching leaves and overhanging vines. If Wanda knew what you were up to she would have had a fit. She always hated when you rode what she fondly called ‘that death trap’ at ungodly speeds. But you had a good excuse this time and you were sure she would understand. You had been sitting through 5 meetings back to back and by the end of the day your head was throbbing and your throat was hoarse. It didn’t help that the city was experiencing one of its warmest and balmiest days of the year. One thing you were thankful for was that the day was bleeding into evening and fading into crisp and cooler nights. The weatherman even threatened rain, albeit a short but intense downpour. That didn’t put you off your task at hand. Only one thing was at the forefront of your mind; getting to your secret lake deep in the forest behind the compound.

You stop your bike and dismount letting out a sigh of relief. You could feel the weight of todays events just evaporate into thin air. Behind you in the water, you hear a faint splattering sound. The subtle splashing of tiny waves on the waters surface startles you and you turn on the spot ready for anything that was waiting for you. Well….most anything. You weren’t expecting to find Natasha there. In your lake.

She came up for air like a bobber and started to paddle closer to you holding on to the side of the mountain that came down to an almost vertical at the waters edge. She gives you a devilish smirk.

“What are you doing here?” you question deliberating whether or not to abort mission and return to the base.

But it’s such a hot and sweltering day, your brain screams locking your legs in place not allowing you to move even an inch.

“It’s called skinny dipping, Y/N,” she says moving her hands gently be her side to help keep herself afloat. “Wanna join me?” she adds as a hint of mischief flashes across her face.

“B-but you don’t have any clothes on.”

“I would hope not” she replies chuckling at your response. “It’s not called nude sunbathing, Y/N. No one’s going to see you.”

“No one except you!” you retort hugging your towel closer to your still completely clothed body.

“Oh come on it’s not like you’ve got 3 nipples…” her eyes widen slightly, “you don’t have 3 nipples do you because if you do that would be totally fine too—“

“STOP. PLEASE” you interrupt her surprising yourself with how loud your voice was. “I don’t have 3 nipples. Jesus Nat.” “Really?” she paddles even closer, that stupid smirk still on her lips.

“Yes. No. I mean…” she seems to be amused at how flustered you are, “…I have 2 nipples ok!” you manage to stammer out.

“OK. Just checking” she raises her hands in defeat. “So come on get in here. Water’s nice.”

“But you’re already in there” you say cringing at the nonsense spewing from your lips.

“Y/N I do not have cooties if that’s—“

“No it’s not that. Just…just don’t look while I-I get in will ya?” you take a step closer to where her clothes lay in neat piles.

“Seriously?” she raises an eyebrow.

“Yes! Seriously! Now turn around!” you sternly instruct her with a hint of a blush blooming across your chest and cheeks.

You’re pleased that she turns around with only an exaggerated groan. Ripples of water illuminated by the setting sun break against Natasha’s skin signalling that you were already in the water. The overflow swirling and splashing noisily down the sides of the moss covered edges of the slippery rocks that littered the sides of the lake.

She turns to face you. Small beads of water trickle down her face. She runs the palm of her hand across her eyes then over her head in one motion before dunking her head underwater and reemerging with her head angled back to keep wet strands of hair from her face. “How’d you find this place?�� she asks wiping at her eyes again.

“Couldn’t sleep one night so I went for a ride. Kinda stumbled onto—well more like I almost rode right into the lake” you say smiling at the recollection. “You?”

Just then a chilly breeze blows through. You shiver slightly as the tree beside the lake shakes gently so that it’s leaves looked like hundred of light green metal shards perched on thin branches with the light of the faint stars that started to emerge shining through them.

“Cold?” she asks moving closer towards you. Without waiting for an answer she reaches for your hands and pulls you to a rock outcrop in the lake. “Here lean against this” she pushes you gently backwards so you’re pressed up against the smooth surface of the stone. It’s surprisingly warm. Hot almost. You let out a sigh of relief as you enjoy the warmth on your back. “The sun heats it up in the daytime and it stays hot till well passed midnight.”

“Thanks Nat. This is nice” you say and she smiles in response. You can’t help but be amazed at how she looks in this moment. She looks like Venus rising from the water as starlight bounces off its ripples and merge with the darkness of night.

Leaning against the rock next to you her elbow grazes yours. “It’s beautiful tonight” she says to herself and your eyes follow hers gazing up at a sky as black as a jet stone.

“Sure is” your voice is just as quiet. The stars twinkle and you wonder why you don’t look at the night sky more often. In a distance the crickets sing with delight as a chorus of frogs belt out a perfect baritone accompaniment.

“So simple yet so beautiful” she continues and you chuckle at how poetic the Black Widow is. “What?” she smiles in your direction.

“I mean…It’s not simple at all, Nat” you say pointing up at the skies.

“Well you know what I mean” she says again looking towards the heavens as your eyes stay glued to her face. All of the sudden she seems to bloom and shine with a special brilliance. Shimmering in the moonlight and glowing like an ember at dusk.

“Stop staring, Y/N” she says with a laugh in her tone.

“Can’t.”

Gathering water in her cupped hands she splashes some in your direction. You sputter as some enters your nostrils. “And why not?” she says turning to face you.

“Well you see...“ you smile and cast your eyes downwards and continue, “…there’s already one heavenly body in front of me.” This time you gather all your nerves to raise your eyes and give her the best shit eating grin you can muster.

“Y/N...“ she says inching closer placing both hands on either of your shoulders. “That’s…that’s…“ and as fast as a cobra attack she launches up out of the water and back down again pushing you underwater with her full weight on your shoulders.

Underwater you hear her laughter in between fits of giggles. When she finally lets you come back up for air you madly wipe at your eyes and splash her back in retaliation.

“You know...“ she says after having caught your wrists in her hands, “…for someone who is scared of a little skinny dipping you sure are bold with your pickup lines.”

“I uh…I umm…it-it’s just—“ you start but she cuts you off.

“Andddd she’s back” Nat says a huge smile plastered on her face. “Come on, Romeo, let’s get out of here and get some coffee” she says nonchalantly rising out of the heated waters. The frigid night air envelops her causing a thick layer of steam to rise off her body. You can’t help but think she looks like a mythical being from some blockbuster Hollywood movie. She shimmies into her jeans making you bite your lower lip. Just as she turns around, you spin to face the other side.

“Your turn” she says as you turn to face her happy that she’s got her top on and is wiggling her feet into her shoes.

“I can’t believe you just got out like that” you say certain there was crimson dusting your cheeks.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not exactly shy about my body” she chucks a tiny pebble in your direction gathering up your clothes and holding them out to you.

“Nope, that you are not!” You laugh at her comment. “And why would you be? You’ve got a great one.” You immediately clasp your hands over your mouth eyes widening in horror at what you had just said.

“Oops did bold Y/N make a comeback?” she squats by the waters edge a sparkle in her eyes.

“Umm…I didn’t mean…I mean…not that…” you stumble over your words.

She stands chuckling at your ever reddening cheeks. “Ok come on Prudence get out of there before you wrinkle like a raisin. I won’t look” she teases before turning around with her back towards you. “But hurry or I will look” she threatens as you scramble up to the surface and quickly dress yourself.

“OK done” you say as she slowly turns around with a sly smile on her face.

“What’s with the face?” you ask suspiciously.

Her deep chuckle is unsettling. “Oh nothing…” is all she says as she starts walking and as she passes your bike she taps on the smooth metal side surface of the petrol tank that reflects everything in super high definition. You’re left standing there in sodden clothes completely stunned.

“Come on sweet cheeks…the coffee won’t drink itself!” she calls out to you in a sing song voice.

Well shit.

---

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#A Thousand Steps Between Here and There #redfic #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #black widow x reader #black widow

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