#why actually learn a skill when you can have a bot do it

[hackfixation]

i have an idea for a video essay about how Ai Artists and Cheaters in video games are basically the same people different fonts

[radioactiverats]

thoughts on seekers locking landing gears and spiraling in the sky as a gesture of trust, similar to how eagles do that courtship spiral :3c or even just twirling in the air together a little too close. yes its probably really dangerous, but nothing beats being in total sync in the air

OH >:3c Absolutely in love with this. THE RITUALS ARE INTRICATE. I'm gnawing on this from various angles. Firstly thinking about this being a seeker-specific aspect of Conjunx Ritus (mutual Act of Devotion??) and it would honestly be so beautiful :,)

My mind jumped to this,, (angst warn)

---

In early stages of the war, when the exhilaration of following Megatron had worn off and bots were starting to realise their sparks weren't worth his doomed-to-fail commands (not enough experience yet..). When he was mostly relying on fear to keep his troops in order before he'd gained their full loyalty, there had been an Incident. You remember it like it was yesterday, because Starscream had looked ashen when he came back that night, and you'd never, ever seen that expression on his faceplate before.

You sit up, shuffling over to make room on the berth as Starscream plunks himself heavily down. After a few cycles of increasingly uneasy silence, he finally manages to speak.

"Two seekers have offlined."

His iron grip on the edge of the berth tell you the circumstances of their deaths were not straightforward.

"What do you know of Conjunx Ritus?"

You actually take a nanoklik to think about it, which Starscream appreciates given the solemnity of the situation.

"I know there's four acts?" You finally say, suddenly embarrassed about your naivety. To be fair, you'd never really had a chance to consider the possibility. Thankfully, Starscream just nods briefly.

"Correct. The fourth and final stage is called an Act of Devotion. Back on Vos, we seekers had a different way of performing it."

Starscream takes a klik to collect himself. You can't help but wonder if he has a Conjunx. If he does, he's certainly never talked about them.

"It's called a Death Spiral," Starscream finally says, voice horse. "Two seekers soar to the very fringes of the atmosphere and there, before the eyes of the universe itself, lock their servos and their landing gears before free falling back to planetside."

Beside him, you're enthralled to learn about this aspect of your own culture that you'd never had a chance to become familiar with. At the same time, you're picking up on a strange emotion that clogs his vocaliser and the faraway look in his optics, so you remain quiet as he resets his vocaliser.

"At the very last second," Starscream continues softly, "the two seekers pull up immediately before making contact with the ground."

It sounds incredibly dangerous, but you're enraptured by the idea. You know this because Starscream has made you practice something similar in the past, and there were a few times you genuinely thought you wouldn't make it through training in one piece even with landing gears. It undoubtedly took a lot of skill to harness the winds without the aid of thrusters, and even more courage and trust. You supposed that was where the love came in.

"It's... exquisite." Starscream offlines his optics, shakes his helm before turning to look at you, a ragged sort of pain spiking jaggedly through his EM field.

"I can imagine," You murmur quietly. It sounded like he was telling a story, back then. One from experience.

"Earlier today, two seekers engaged in a Death Spiral. But they didn't pull up." Starscream ex-vents raggedly, tilting his helm up to stare at the ceiling. "It was a pact."

For a klik you just sit there, frozen in silent horror. When he speaks again, it's through gritted denta. "Megatron has now enforced a ban against Conjunx Ritus between seekers."

You had a few guesses as to why. Seekers' valuable frame types to the Decepticon cause meant that Megatron couldn't afford to lose them. However, as increasing numbers of troops grew discontent with his leadership, Megatron as usual had decided to silence them through cruelty. It seemed that today's incident had been the last straw.

---

Outside the context of courtship rituals though, I see twirling together as a show of trust that anyone can do, from sires/carriers/sparklings to amica endura, cos flying and the skies are so deeply entwined with the seeker identity. Imagine just flying with your bro and the exhilaration of doing a complicated spin together, so close you can feel the heat of each other's engines on your plates before zooming apart again, the sound of your laughter carried on the winds. Must be so good to be in sync like that fr.

That being said, I think Starscream's determined to make sure cadet never feels alone in the skies, which is meant to be your home. Maybe in better times, I can see him joining cadet for training - the moves are a breeze for him, but it warms his spark to see you so happy while in the air. Not sure they get the luxury of the Autobots' "wanna go for a drive?", especially since his interactions with you must be under the guise of training - so Megatron won't see you as a target. Still, one must imagine Starscream happy.

Thank you for the lovely ask!!!!!!! Another yap... but in the process I have learned so much about eagles... I will put some sofas in my inbox so asks are received comfortably

[dragqueenstarscream]

i've been waiting all my life (for you to arrive)

bot with a baby au - chapter one

after a decepticon attack leaves a newborn baby orphaned, ratchet takes it upon himself to take care of the baby until he can find her remaining family. it doesn't go as planned.

author's note: i can't believe i'm actually doing this. this was supposed to be a joke. this was supposed to be a crackfic. but here we are, because i actually managed to come up with a plot. gonna shoot for a saturday/every other saturday upload schedule so i don't overwhelm myself, whichever one ends up working out, but we'll see how that goes.

the title comes from "worlds collide" by marianas trench. if you know the story behind that song and get why i chose that line for my title, you get alllllll the brownie points.

the first lesson every medic on cybertron learned upon entering the field was that you couldn't save everyone.

of course, it was drilled into each prospective medic from day one. it wasn't meant to frighten anyone away from the field. it was simply a hard truth, and the sooner one learned it, the better.

ratchet knew it from the start. he knew going into the medical field that sometimes, bots would offline, and he could do nothing about it. as difficult as his first loss was, he was at least mentally prepared for it.

and then the war happened, and losses became the norm.

it was impossible for ratchet to not blame himself when a patient died under his care. it didn't matter if they came in with their chassis blown apart by cannonfire, tox-en circulating through their hydraulics, their faceplate bludgeoned to oblivion, or whatever horrific combination of injuries one could suffer on the battlefield. if they didn't make it home, ratchet would blame himself.

as trying and painful as being a battlefield medic was, ratchet didn't have it in him to quit. in his mind, giving up would lead to even more deaths, and it was better to dig his heels in than give in to his self doubt. and as he improved in his field, as he fought like the pit to keep soldiers and civilians alike alive in the face of impossible odds, he learned the second important lesson all medics would come to learn at some point in their careers.

he couldn't save everyone, but that would never stop him from trying.

it started with an alarm on the base computer.

it was a saturday, and the children were spending their weekend with their autobot friends. raf was playing video games with bumblebee, miko was trying to explain the plot of an anime she liked to bulkhead, and jack was hunting for his bike helmet so he and arcee could try to break their speed record. this left smokescreen wandering around the base, getting himself familiar, and optimus and ratchet standing by side by side in front of the base computer, trying to find any possible signs of the remaining relics alpha trion had sent over.

"still no luck?" ratchet asked as he moved to optimus' left.

"alpha wanted to be certain that these relics would not fall into decepticon hands," optimus said. "my only comfort is that, if we have the same information, these are as difficult for the decepticons to find as they are for us."

"that's one way of looking at it," ratchet huffed. as he watched the screen, he asked, "what do you think you'll do when the war is over?"

"if we win?" optimus asked. he paused, thinking for a moment. "i am not sure. i would much like to go back to iacon and see alpha trion again. maybe i would return to my original job."

"i don't blame you," ratchet scoffed. "i don't think i could handle being a prime. too much weight on my shoulders. you're a better bot than i am, optimus."

"i could say the same about you, old friend," optimus said with a slight smile. "it takes a strong spark and a lifetime of skill to do your job."

"eh, it's not as hard as being a prime is," ratchet shrugged. "anyone can learn how to do what i do."

"do not sell yourself short, ratchet," optimus said. he thought for a minute, then asked, "what will you do after this war?"

"me?" ratchet said. "i'm not sure. we've been in this war for so long that it's hard to imagine anything else."

"i feel the same way," optimus sighed, his expression changing ever so slightly before returning to his usual calm.

ratchet was about to say something when the screen lit up with an alert. focusing on it, ratchet noticed what looked like two sets of lifesigns moving along the screen.

"knock out and breakdown?" he said, reading off of the screen.

"most likely knock out and cylas," optimus inferred. "cylas must've defected from the decepticons after project damocles failed."

"what's knock out doing with him, then?" ratchet asked.

"he's probably mad that cylas took over breakdown's body," bulkhead guessed. "i wouldn't be surprised if knock out wants payback."

following the two blips along the screen, ratchet saw that cylas was moving towards an isolated building, far from any cities or towns. putting two and two together, he said, "that must be a mech outpost. he's either going there to gear up for a fight or to hide."

"either way, he needs to be turned in," optimus said. "we can't have a repeat of project damocles."

bumblebee beeped out a response, which raf translated. "he's saying that cylas was the one who took out his t-cog. he'll probably try to use knock out for extra parts if he beats him."

"then we had better get going and make sure he's apprehended," optimus said. "bulkhead, arcee, come with me. ratchet, you too. we may need a medic. bumblebee, you and smokescreen stay here. we'll need you to man the ground bridge."

bumblebee nodded and got up to take his place next to the ground bridge controls. at the edge of his vision, ratchet saw jack, bike helmet on, climbing on arcee's alt mode, while miko hopped inside bulkhead's alt mode. he rolled his optics, exasperated, but not in the mood to tell the children off when he knew for a fact that they wouldn't listen.

bumblebee booted up the ground bridge, prompting optimus and ratchet to change into their alt modes. once bumblebee punched in the coordinates, the familiar swirling, green vortex of the ground bridge opened up before them. optimus took the lead, and ratchet, as usual, followed right behind him.

the ground bridge spat them out in the middle of a forest covered in snow. as dark as it was, the moonlight streaming between the branches helped illuminate their surroundings. aside from fallen pinecones and animal tracks, the only things disrupting the blanket of white were two sets of tire tracks, which changed into giant footprints once they went deeper in, where driving was more difficult.

"stay on your guard," optimus warned them as he changed into his bot mode. "they may be focused on each other, but we cannot afford to be careless."

ratchet changed into his bot mode shortly after, followed by bulkhead and arcee. the four bots trudged through the snow, following the tire tracks, with bulkhead and arcee carrying their humans on their shoulders.

"do you see that?" miko asked, pointing forward. ratchet looked up from the ground and saw what looked like a building in the distance, though ratchet couldn't make out the details from this far.

"that's our mech base, alright," arcee said. "there's nothing else it can be."

as they collectively picked up speed to get a better look, ratchet saw the destruction cylas and knock out had already wrought. the entrance to the building looked like it had been hacked open, most likely by knock out's buzzsaw. tire tracks scattered in all directions, though none of them looked like knock out's or cylas'. they were too small.

"whoever was here must've packed up and ran for it," ratchet guessed as he stepped through the destroyed entryway. sure enough, the area he'd stepped into looked like a garage, and only a few trucks had been left behind. the rest had all been taken, and which ones remained had been shoved aside or mangled in what must've been a fight. what remained of the base controls had been hurled aside and hacked through, rendering the base inoperable. part of the ceiling had been shot down, leaving a pile of concrete and twisted metal on the floor, partially covering the doorway to the next room.

"i'll go check out what's ahead," arcee said. she set jack down from her shoulder and crouched through what wasn't covered by ruin to scout what lay ahead.

"bulkhead, come with me," optimus said. "we need to see if cylas or knock out are still in the area."

the wrecker nodded and followed after optimus, setting miko on the ground before changing into his alt mode and following optimus outside. jack and miko followed after arcee, leaving ratchet to himself in the garage. as he looked around, he started to weave a possible narrative together in his mind's optic.

cylas must've come through this way to alert his agents, he guessed. knock out followed right behind him, and they must've gotten into it. that hole was probably from knock out trying to shoot cylas. knock out, i can understand, but why would cylas be coming here and not getting away as fast as he could?

"hey, ratchet!" jack's voice rang out from amid the rubble. "you might wanna come see this!"

ratchet turned in the direction of jack's voice. arcee crawled out of the rubble and started to clear a large enough path for ratchet, who, in turn, helped her pull apart the fallen concrete and metal. as the two bots worked, ratchet looked over to arcee. her face looked as confused as he felt, her brow scrunched up in bewilderment.

the two bots forced their way into... well, ratchet wasn't sure what it was. it looked somewhere between an abandoned hospital room and a ramshackle laboratory. jack shone his phone flashlight around the room, revealing a massive medical berth, fit for a large cybertronian, as well as a human sized bed nearby, oddly enough. along one wall hung a myriad of barbaric looking instruments which ratchet could only guess were for taking apart and examining cylas' hijacked body. feeling a draft coming from nearby, ratchet looked around and saw a hole big enough for him to walk through ripped from the wall, along with two sets of snowy footprints leading out.

"looks like we found where they went off to," he grumbled. "knock out isn't done with cylas, it looks like."

"i don't blame him," arcee said, raising an eyebrow. "i would've done the same for cliffjumper."

as ratchet continued to look around the room, something caught his attention; a doorway mostly covered by fallen equipment and concrete. curious as to what lay behind, ratchet hauled the mangled metal and chunks of concrete out of the way. maybe some mech agents had hunkered down in there, people who'd be able to give up any information on where cylas might've gone.

the doorway was tall enough for a bot like arcee to go through comfortably, but ratchet had to duck his way inside. to his surprise, this room seemed relatively untouched by the destruction outside. apart from dust shaken down from the ceiling, everything looked mostly intact, from the fluorescent lights on the ceiling (which ratchet accidentally bumped into upon first entering the room) and the human sized medical equipment. he couldn't understand it. was the human equipment for the mech agents, or was it for cylas? maybe both?

as he turned to his left, two things came into his vision. the first was what looked like a monitor displaying vital signs. he didn't know how human vitals would read compared to cybertronian vitals, so he didn't understand everything he saw, much to his dismay. after raf's poisoning, he'd promised himself that he'd learn more about human medicine; clearly, he hadn't learned enough.

the second was what something ratchet couldn't wrap his processor around. it looked almost like a cross between a table and one of those rolling chairs the kids liked to play around on. on top of the main part of the table was what looked like a clear tank with a myriad of wires and tubes either protruding from the tank itself or plugged into the table. one wall of the tank had two large holes in it. something lay inside it, but ratchet couldn't quite tell what it was, squinting against the glare of the fluorescent light reflecting against the top of the tank.

crouching down to get a closer look, ratchet leaned in closer - and felt his spark freeze up.

two sets of footsteps followed ratchet into the room. the voice of miko piped up, "ratchet? what is this place?"

"this looks like nicu equipment," jack pondered as he looked around the room. "what on earth is it doing here?"

"and how do you know that?" miko asked.

"mom's a nicu nurse, i know what that stuff looks like," jack replied.

"children," ratchet piped up, raising a servo to shush them. once they were quiet again, he slowly raised his servo to the side of the tank with the holes in it and gently pulled on it, causing it to slide downwards. once he got a better look at what was inside, ratchet's horrified expression melted into something furious.

"bumblebee," he said, trying to keep his voice as level as possible as he opened up his comms, "we need a groundbridge. optimus, we need to get back to base, now." turning his head to the side, he said, "jack, when we get back to jasper, we're going straight to the hospital."

"wait, why?" the boy asked, stepping forward to get a better look. "what's going on? is someone hurt?"

ratchet didn't say a word. he reached inside the tank and slid the interior bed out with one digit. summoning up every bit of care and caution in his body, ratchet picked up what lay on the bed and gently set it on his other servo. behind him, the kids craned their necks and stood on their toes for a better look. as ratchet slowly turned around to face the children, his expression shifted to something unusually calm, but the fist clenched at his side revealed his righteous fury.

in his servo, wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket, lay a tiny human baby, asleep and shivering against the freezing cold air.

author's note: i told you i came up with a plot for this fucking crackfic idea. now to get started on the next chapter. (is this crack taken seriously?? idek anymore. i can't write just a goofy dumb fic. i've gotta do something else with it)

[marinettesaltprompts]

I don't really have an official prompt with this post, but I have had this idea for a while involving Adrien losing his ring because Ladybug doesn't think he's a good holder. It doesn't matter what is the reason, all that matters is that Ladybug never learns who Chat Noir actually is when she comes for the ring.

At first Adrien is both angry and upset about the situation, but eventually he manages to heal from it. He's eventually able to get over losing Plagg and finds himself having more free time without having to deal with akumas or patrols. He's able to connect with others again due to the lack of a secret identity, including Kagami (whom he previously messed up with due to said secrets).

On the flip side however, Ladybug can't find anyone to wear the Black Cat Miraculous for more than a few battles. Outside of those who simply didn't have the combat experience needed to use a miraculous, the few that Ladybug was able to last on the battlefield eventually quit, either because they couldn't handle Ladybug's "strategies" or because they had gotten traumatised after one of Hawkmoth's akuma effectively killed them.

However, despite all her failures, she never once attempts to find or get in contact with whoever was Chat Noir. Despite everything she has gone through, he was obviously still a bad choice!

Eventually, another Hawkmoth attack leaves Ladybug without anyone willing or capable to use the ring of the Black Cat, so when the next akuma appears, she tries a gamble.

Adrien is running away from the akuma battle with Kagami when Ladybug lands in front of them both. Adrien is calm (though inwardly still hurt), when Ladybug gives Kagami the Dragon Miraculous, but any calm he has is shattered when Ladybug turns to him, carrying an all too familiar miraculous.

Apparently Ladybug wants Adrien to be the next Cat Hero. Who would've thunk it?

To Ladybug (and Kagami's) shock, Adrien refuses the ring outright. At first Ladybug tries to butter him up with the opportunity to use the power to help others as well as save his friends, but Adrien still refuses. Eventually, whatever composure Ladybug has vanishes, as she all but begs Adrien to take the ring and help, to the point even Kagami is semi-helping, wondering why Adrien doesn't fight given his own physical skills.

Eventually, the akuma approaches their location, and Ladybug is all but screaming for Adrien to take the ring.

Adrien: I don't care! There's other people who would be more than happy to have superpowers! Go after them instead.

Ladybug (half crying): I-I don't have anyone else! (Adrien and Kagami are shocked at learning this) I've already tried finding other people to wield the Cat Miraculous and none of them worked out. E-either they couldn't handle the miraculous or they couldn't work as a partner. You've already shown that you are strong as a fighter and I don't have anyone else to ask! You are literally the last person I can ask that to take the ring so please take it!

Adrien: ... always the last person you want to talk to? Right Ladybug?

Ladybug is confused by this statement, but then lets it pass when he see's Adrien nod and takes the box. However, that smile fades when Adrien speaks again.

Adrien: ... just to be clear, I'm only doing this once, and that's because the akuma is close by. Once we are done here, don't ask me to come back again.

Adrien opens the box to find Plagg coming out of the box. Ladybug attempts to explain the power to him, but he doesn't listen, merely putting on the ring.

Plagg: Don't suppose this is a reunion?

Adrien: Not for long. Sorry.

Plagg: I figured. Bridge is too burnt huh?

Adrien sighs, then transforms.

He could have chosen another outfit or an alias, but Adrien is too fed up to care anymore. In this moment, the only thing he wants to do is show Ladybug WHY he's angry, and why he doesn't want the ring.

Kagami and (especially) Ladybug both can only stare in shock as Adrien transforms, as a million thoughts rush through their minds and both girls finally realise why Adrien didn't want the ring back.

In Adrien's place stands none other than Chat Noir.

And he's not smiling.

"...Well, you got what you wanted. Lets save the city then. One last time, right partner?

(That's all for now, please let me know if you want this prompt continued. Happy new year.)

[pioussoup]

ILLITERATE MINERS?!!?!!

heyyyyy so y'know in the opening scene isn't it INTERESTING that Orion Pax ONLY takes the audiovisual chips??? Like he barely looked at the datapads and even then it didn't seemed like he was reading titles just looking between for the chips. EVEN THOUGH HE KNOWS HE HAS TO BE SNEAKY AND QUIET???? sure maybe MAYBE the flying droid is like a new addition but STILL.

Why go for the ONE material that would be so harddd to be stealthy in? He also has watched like apparently 90% of the fucking chips already.

If you say it's because hes in low light. Hes a miner bot that can spot the lasers. Yes he uses a headlight but like c'mon he got to have SOME stronger nightvision-thats-not-outright-nightvision. (just realised; he knows to be sneaky enough to NOT activate his headlight even when it could help look around. So he's not being stupid he KNOWS what hes doing.)

'Maybe he's read all of them?' in the history section? with a 50 cycles timeframe (however the fuck long is that supposed to be LMAO)? thats he quite most likely is online for a fraction of. Even if he was one of the first generations of cogless bots to be miners (doubt) there would STILL need to be time taken for him to be 'fuck it im just gonna break in the archives.' plus he also had to find the section in the first place. Sentinel definitelyyy placed/moved it in a hard to find & reach area even for bots with legal access and cogs. Orion Pax is many things but for TFO he aint clearing that section in time (TFP might though lol).

'It's to set a fast paced opening and provide a suitable setting for exposition without having to resort to narration. Also avoids overwhelming the possible new fans audience with walls of Cybetronian of the bat' Correct

'He chose the fastest option' Well I mean he could just ctrl + F 'Matrix of Leadership'. No but really he could try to speed read as best he could. Or like. steal 'em. I mean just look at the state of it. WHY is some chips just stacked besides horizontally stacked datapads (when every other shelf has the vertically placed). No separate holder?? that can clearly indicate what the chips are + what they include neatly?? Alpha Trion weeps from beneath the boulders and its not for his fellow Primes I tell ya'. But yeah if he can be sneak in & sneak out (again hes not dumb dumb just reckless BUT get him locked in and he can totally do it. He didn't cause the intial cave-in after all) he could totally steal a couple pads and have some time to go through (he does it all in times in fanfics!) before getting caught. Actually they (& by extension Senti) probably wouldn't care, its ALL heavily edited and curated after all.

'He could navigate the map' as a miner he definitely needs some good practical skills, navigation being one of 'em. Also like as I far as I saw there were hardly words; just coordinates and stuff (okay i am negative in geography and tech so this section might sound stupid but STILL HEAR ME OUT). They kinda NEED to be number literate but do they really need to be reading?

I have thoughts on TFO caste system (specifically uh how the fuck could it come to be, what exactly are the cogged doing for those not in on it because there were definitely more of those in the know [its not Darkwing], where the fuck are the new cogless coming from, how did a cogless become a DOCTOR FOR COGGEDS???) but wouldn't it make sense for Sentinel to take even their ability to read while he's at it? It's trouble enough to keep the cogged in belief while keeping up the Archive no need for snoopy miners to get a chance to spot any discrepancies.

'Doctor Ratchet' He's usually characterized as an older mech so maybe the earlier cogless gens still could read shrugs. I mean Sentinel could very be going through a learning process lmao a fraction being able to read is probably small fry especially considering the no doubt short lifecycle cogless miners can have. Hell its likely that most of the older gens are kapoosh (possible character motivation for Ratchet to go doctor nyeah? nnyeahh?).

And yeah I fully believe Orion to be more a recent cogless gen. Not NEW NEW and while I hc'ed it is so, he doesn't have to be the youngest. He knows his way through Iacon (from sneaking in to the archives to the hidden pathways), has a sure enough skill and confidence to mining, knows the protocol just doesn't follow it lmao. But he also has the energy to strive for something more, something better. I'm not saying old peeps cant be active but not once does Pax ever seem defeated by the system or relents at ALL, even when it would save his hide. If he WAS an older gen his opposition would be tinged with just a bit spite of exaperation I feel like. Like it would be 'I'm too old for this, they deserve better than this' kind of rebel while movie I see more as 'WE can be more than this, there IS more to US' which I feel like is an energy more to younger gens ya get me?

(ALSO COUGH I KNOW I KNOW ITS A BLUNDER AND COST SAVING BUT! BUT!! D-16 BEING LIKE IDK TIER 6 OR WHATEVER WHEN HE FIRST MET ORION!! IM JUST SAYING HE WOULD JUST BE DUMB AND SAY "WHATS A MINING". NOT EVEN FOR DPAX REASONS HE'S A FANBOYY. A FANBOYYYYY THATS PASTING A WHOLE ASS POSTER WHEN AS A COGLESS MINER HE DOESNT HAVE MUCH!!!!! ON THE ONE AND ONLY BERTH THAT HE EVER COULD HAVE!!THAT MECH IS FUMBLING ALL HIS SOCIAL INTERACTIONS!! ACTUALLY JUST THE FACT THAT HE HAS A WHOLE ASS POSTER OF MEGATRONUS PRIME KINDA INDICATES THAT HE'S PROBABLYY OLDER THAN ORION PAX BY HOWEVER MUCH.EVEN IF NOT ALL COGLESS IMMEDIATELY GO INTO MINING GETTING A POSTER! IS VERY HARD! EVEN FOR PEEPS WITH NON-SLAVE WAGES & HOURS. LIKE ORION PAX IS ALREADY HANDLING EQUIPMENT HE MIGHT NOT HAVE MUCH SHIT FOR HIS SLAB LMAO ALREADY DONE MOVING IN.)

So anyways this was a long way to say that the Autobot government is run by a mech who can't read. OR if the matrix literates the guy well he just made someone who maybbee at best might have some lower grade level reading skill as COMMANDER. AND ALSO HAS TO DEAL WITH A NATIONWIDE LITERACY CRISIS. I guess he could just make a literacy package file and Apple Drop it or some shit lolololol.

On the flipside the Decepticons are lead by someone who can't read and DOESN'T have a deus ex machina to give him literacy sooo. Soundwave is going to be in a loooongggg ride LMAO.

Edit: "I've read all about you [Elite High Guard] in the Archives" OKAY OKAY OKAY I MIGHT BE SPITBALLING BUT MAYBE MAYBEEEE HE STILL MEANT 'went through every audiobook with & without visuals' or like he read all the baby books about the HG. I mean despite them being possibly the second next famous celebrities after the Primes; Sentinel makes sure to AVOID MENTIONING them AT ALL. Iacon 5000 only commemorated the Primes but the HG? Pshawww who gives a shit except that yellow one who's conveniently already in the literal dumps.

Okay but really they were definitelyyy worth a mention. (cough especially since Skyfire exists cough unless this is a TFA sorta instance where it's a completely different fucking mech cough oohh noo guess we will never know unless TF2 happens wink wink winkwonkwiwkhwkiwsjsk)

I've mentioned Sentinel absolutely curating the Archives and I'm just saying maybee out of spite and because unlike the Primes he can totally go with it; the only thing left/accessible about the HG is baby books. I mean sure the only hate we've seen him directly channel is towards the Primes BUT THAT'S IT!! Though he spouts making the truth as he wishes of it he STILL has to praise the Primes and shit even after the Betrayal. Not even he can erase or even twist their influence.

But the HG? Oh maybe he doesn't particularly hate them beyond being a nuisance to his plans but it's still an outlet. Of course he still can't demean even them in any public away but he can certainly diminishes them. Besides it would definitely grind Screamer's gears when he realises his only legacy in Iacon is fucking sparkling stories that still focuses more on the Primes LMAO.

Plus B-127 is DEFINITELY the kind of mech to go crazy about these cool ass warriors from a kids book. I'm not super into infantalizing TFO Bee but he is still a mech of whimsy & fantasy. Also sneeze maybe it was someone's gift to him whether out of mockery or genuine generosity but however it was the stories were the one of the few things if not the only thing that followed him down in the dumpsters. Or salvageable trashed datapads happened to be of the HG greatest stories and shit that too.

(also yes I am a 'B-127 is one of the older generation of cogless if not the first' truther and I will DIE ON THAT HILL)

Oreon Pix also managing to read all the baby stories on the HG can still work; even his entire generation was illiterate he would definitely try his darnedest to read SOMETHING and would at least achieve youngling level lol. I know I know I've been using his case for this entirety but bear with me. Ori is probably self aware of his low skill or at the very least had taken a peek at the datapads and realise he don't understand a goddamn thing (it's the history section). Knowing he don't got much time per intrusion he bit the bullet and risked it with the chips since he was going to get caught at some point might as well have gotten some progress.

[quibbs126]

So earlier I was debating whether or not to even make and post this, and it doesn’t even have everything I wanted, but you know, it’s here now, so why not 

I don’t know, it started as me thinking about the idea and sort of wanting to put it in its own text post, but I thought it wouldn’t be worth much salt that way, and I’m an artist, why not draw what I want? But as I was doing so, I started to doubt whether anyone would like this, particularly Constructicon fans since I don’t actually know those bots that well, and that I would annoy people and maybe I should have just kept it as text, but I was already making it

It was a whole mess, but we’re here now, and this is what I’ve got for you today

Also, if you notice that this isn’t what was on here originally, yeah that’s because I rewrote it. I didn’t like how much I was butchering my thoughts and thought maybe I’d do better on a second go-around. Even I don’t really feel like writing the entire thing over again

But anyways, onto explaining this, we’ll talk about the art later

So basically this is drawing from that one scene in Five Faces of Darkness Part 4 that I’ve mentioned prior, with the Constructicons seemingly having built Megatron

Here I’ve got it that the Constructicons didn’t necessarily build him, but they did basically find him as a small sparkling, and since he was alone and seemingly abandoned, they pretty much just decided to take him in themselves 

In their words, he’s their apprentice, to learn the tools of their trade even if he isn’t a Constructicon (like let’s just say here that Constructicons are built Constructicons, same with other roles and such. That’s also why Megatron stays silver). But in practice, tiny Megs basically just has 6-8 dads

But he grows up under them, learning to build, even if he tends to lean more into mechanical/electrical engineering and such rather than civil engineering/architecture like the Constructicons. But they’re chill with it, he’s finding his passion

Eventually when he’s older, he decides to leave to pursue his own path in life, and they all part on amicable terms. It’s basically just him reaching adulthood and moving out

Then there’s the part I’m unsure about keeping, that being the reprogramming thing we see in The Secret of Omega Supreme, since I’m trying to weave those two parts of the Constructicon lore together at least. We’ll get into why later, let’s just explain the story here first

So later on, Megatron is building his Decepticon army, and he goes to the Constructicons to offer them a place in his ranks, in part for their useful construction skills, but also because he still values them greatly and wants them to join in his ambitions. The Constructicons however, decline his offer, as this Decepticon movement doesn’t really align with their own ideals. Something to note, I’m having it that prior to the formation of the Decepticons by Megatron, all of Cybertron would have essentially been “neutral”, including the Constructicons and Megatron, none of them being inherently evil or anything. But they still try to be respectful of Megatron during this, since they still greatly value him as well, and he’s his own bot now, they shouldn’t tell him what to think, and this Decepticon thing probably isn’t as bad as it sounds, they trust Megatron 

But Megatron doesn’t take this rejection well, at least inwardly. So he decides to instead make the Constructicons join him by reprogramming them, and thus the events of the Omega Supreme flashbacks

Now how the Constructicons feel about Megatron doing this, no one can truly say because of their reprogramming, it could easily be the new code telling them that they’re grateful to him for doing this. Megatron thinks it was good, but maybe down the line, he starts to feel some guilt for basically forcing his mentors to join him and stripping them of true free will. He might even consider trying to undo the programming, in the hopes that he can make things right, but he also wants their forgiveness. And a part of him is aware that most likely, he will not get that forgiveness from him should he do it; they’re more likely to entirely reject and denounce him for what he did, maybe even deciding to turn to the Autobots instead of staying with him. So he chooses to not to do anything about it, and tell himself that this is what they’d want

So the reason I’m unsure about keeping this angle is because it’s a pretty unequivocally evil thing to do, to forcefully rewrite your family’s brains so that they’ll agree with you when they’ve already respectfully said they didn’t. Like the only way anyone is getting out of that is if they’re a small child who doesn’t understand morals well yet, and Megatron is definitely not that. And yeah, Megatron’s supposed to be evil, but this is kind of on another level

And you know, it kind of takes away from the silliness of “Megatron has 6 dads” part of this if it’s canon this is all against their free will and he is forcing them into joining him. Like it becomes incredibly distracting 

I like the headspace thing for Megatron, seeing why he’d do this, but it also might just be too evil. I guess it does fit for g1 Megs, he kind of is just evil, but still

So if he didn’t reprogram them, how did they join the Decepticons? I don’t know, I guess they just decided to go with him that first time. Ignore that their morals presumably degraded in that time, maybe the Decepticons weren’t as bad at the time 

But regardless, how do they interact within the Decepticons? I mean Megatron is a grown bot now, but they still got times where they still see Megs as the cute little apprentice he used to be. And they also don’t tend to cow to his commands, probably instead snapping back for it, like “what did you just say, young man?”. They all still care about each other regardless though, at least on some level (the Constructicons probably care for Megs more than the other way around, but it still exists somewhere in his spark)

Also I’m thinking that their relationship, while they’ve never outright stated it, has never been something they decided to keep secret either. Like one of them will casually talk about something he did as a small bot, much to his embarrassment, and just their general vibes when they interact. It’s not the most known fact in the faction though, because they don’t tell people. Most bots probably don’t even know they’re older than Megatron, so when they talk about Megs having once been cute, it causes great confusion 

Speaking of which, why do the Constructicons still have good looks while Megatron, whom they raised, looks ancient? I don’t know, maybe he’s just cursed with old man face

Also where does this whole backstory thing fit with g1? Eh, I don’t really know. Like I wouldn’t say this is my exact headcanon for them in g1, though for all intents and purposes, it certainly could be. I mean, it’s my explanation as to two parts of the Constructicons’ inconsistent backstories, and also maybe why Megatron is so skilled in engineering in the show (and he’s built some structures too I believe)

But like, I feel like it’s simultaneously a little too different from g1? Maybe I’d use it for that g1 rewrite idea I had once, where you’d take the plots and concepts from g1 and just give them consistency/continuity and generally better writing. I’m given to understand Skybound might be similar to that? But also it’s not as dark as Skybound,  it’s just g1 with higher quality. And presumably the plot ends up changing at some point due to this

But anyways, I think that’s it on the plot stuff, now to ramble a little on the art itself

I wanted to do a few more drawings, like a younger apprentice Megs or when he left and re-approached the Constructicons, but I didn’t end up doing that in part because of my indecision on all this, but also because I’m lazy 

The designs are predominantly g1 based, since that’s where this draws from, but I think it turned out pretty well

I think I also did a little better on anatomy too, probably because at least on the second one, I tried to look for a reference for Megatron’s thinking hand. I think I need to remember pose references more, since it really was helpful here

I also gave tiny Megs a black helmet and yellow eyes to reference D-16/the comics because why not. Though I’m not sure why his head changed in universe, other than I guess getting older (the red eyes also isn’t because hier turned evil, I guess it just happened). Probably also more of his body should be different, but eh

He’s also got the permanent eye shadow because I like it

And I think that’s it for this, hopefully it’s more coherent than the original. And also, I think that Megatron should be given more of a connection with the Constructicons, even if I suppose it doesn’t make sense in most other continuities

[juchily]

Random bot idea so please bear with me,

Hear me out..

If the supernatural is possible within YellowJackets, then thoughts upon a Shapeshifter reader?

They can keep a form yet it mentally hurts them to do so. Such stress piled upon the events that have occurred. Originally, they only joined the YJs to fit in within the town as their form was that of a teen.

So after the crash, they can no longer take a break to shift between forms. They end up going deep into the woods to just, break down, yet little did they know that one of the team members followed them, involuntarily buddy system if you will.

So as they break down, the forms shift and shift, form to form, and it’s shocking. Gradually that one member tells the others and as the trips deeper into the forest continue, so does the advocations for their powers until the whole of the team knows.

Then a confrontation is planned.

And it occurs.

I don’t know why I wrote this, cute little concept and all that!

Toodles!!!

frothing at the mouth I love shape shifters, you can do so much cool stuff with them. DO NOT start that talk with me unless you want a ramble on my sharp shifting OC

If you've watched Young Justice I feel like reader would be like M'gann, like they hold a stark resemblance to a young Helena Bonham Carter, or Winona Ryder, or Angela Basset, or Naomi Campbell, etc, just copying the looks of whoever they first saw on TV when they crash landed on earth (we're going alien to be particular) but they could even be an ancient species that's been asleep in ice in the pits of the ocean for the last few centuries.

Thinking about their autonomy not being the same as a human's, they have heightened senses so they have to play off their good hunting skills as just being taught by their made up human father when they were younger... Or them not sleeping much, at all, or at different times than humans so they have to fake being asleep, doing some stupid "wee-ne-ne-ne huaaagh" ass snores.

Sometimes they'll switch between other forms, they'll sprout little pinfeathers, and they're *so* annoying but they just have to hide it under their clothes and bare it all day until the other girls are asleep, watching birds during the day to learn how to properly prevent the pinfeathers that sprout from their body from all the stress, baby just needs a good bath and some back rubs (two things they're probably barely aware exist) ❤️

They'd probably thrive up to a certain point out in the wilderness (if we ignore any thoughts on the dark parts that come to be and stick to the actual survival stuff), they wouldn't give a shit about washing in the lake half of the time, theyd be like a muddy, providing dog to the group, only washing up to please the other girls or whatever

Away from the headcanons— little trips into the forest to just let themselves exist in their natural form outside of their fleshsona. I want to be self indulgent and make them a full on harpy with snake attributes and the tail of a raccoon but idk. They begin taking them more often as the stress piles up and it becomes noticable. Because after that first time they went into the forest to deflesh themselves their buddy (they were not aware there was a buddy system being put in place in their defense...) caught them, also something they were not aware of despite their heightened senses for plot related reasons.

I'm thinking maybe it was Lottie who was their buddy, and like she went to Laura Lee for her hallucinations, she goes to her being like "Did you know (blank) has wings?" And then the two delusional queers they are thinks they're an angel from heaven literally sent to be their guardian angel, and in a way they are

They get WAY too loud about them gossiping and oogling reader all day and somehow it becomes public knowledge to everyone (minus reader) that Lottie and Laura Lee are stupid mf who think reader is some angel or something. And it's becomes a running joke.

Thinking about while hunting with Nat, reader's true form flashes for a second or so while they're standing over a buck that they shot, but not a lethal shot, so they had to put the thing out of its pain. And so now Nat thinks she's insane like *Lottie and Laura* are.

Until, one fateful day, while dinner is cooking a strau Coyote comes yipping at the cabin and reader, like the guardian-angel-but-not they are, throws the cabin door open and hisses at the thing, and the girls swear to god they have talons as nails. Not to mention the suspiciously bushy limb of fur coming out of their lower back, what is that— raccoon stripes???

And then the funny delusion that reader is a angel isnt *so* far off. Reader is oblivious to the bewildered stares while they eat, suddenly quite sharp teeth tearing into the meat of their earlier hunt.

And then at night when reader has snuck off for another one of their deep forest trips, Nat's like "guys this mf is some biblical bitch or some shit idk more like eldritch god, bro had wings and shit" (ignore that dialogue it's a horrible paraphrase of what I imagine she would say not what she literally would say). And it's like, Nat's is the most realistic person on this team and they've all seen reader look weird as hell.

So, late at night, when reader comes back from their deep forest trip, when they expect everyone to be asleep still (they never were, they pulled a reader and pretended to sleep and the oblivious fuck reader isn't didn't notice one bit)— are jumped with a bunch of questions about "are you an angel", "am I on the naughty list" that one from Van, because honestly the way Nat described your form and your teeth when you ate, you looked like Krampus— and then the obligatory "are you the new jersey devil?!?"

I'm just now realizing writing this that maybe reader is just... the New Jersey Devil but if it could shapeshift?? Which one could say all cryptids can with the varying descriptions of their looks.

Uhm, anyways do with this info what you will based on the bot. I'm going to link another post with the bot and info for the bot here

[aiyexayen]

I promise im not a bot, and to prove it i'll ask for a hanzhou kiss 🥺 doesnt have to be wholesome, just whatever strikes your fancy

🥹❤️

The first time happens thoughtlessly, almost unintentionally.

Han Ying is 14 and not yet used to his limbs after his recent growth spurt. He didn't know he could have growth spurts before he had access to regular meals. But he can, and he is sure that's why he screwed up his assignment. Regardless of the reason, he is still responsible for ruining Tian Chuang's entire mission today.

And somehow, he has been forgiven. By a man with more mercy than Han Ying knows how to handle.

Anyone else, he is certain, would have thrown him back where he came from.

On his knees before Zhou-shouling, he finds himself too overcome for words of gratitude, reaching instead for the hand hanging idle at Zhou-shouling's side. He grips it in both of his. It's instinct; hasn't he seen so many servants do something like this when their masters bid them?

Han Ying's lips press into the soft skin for just a second before he feels Zhou-shouling's flinch. He looks up in time to catch confusion, smoothing into understanding and...things he doesn't quite recognise.

Qin-xiongdi tells him later, eyes dancing with mirth, that he should have pressed the hand to his forehead, not his mouth--except he shouldn't have done anything of the sort actually and he really has so much to learn about living in society, doesn't he?

Han Ying nods absently, because it's true, but he goes to bed with cheeks warm from the lingering memory of pressure on his lips and the untameable thoughts of a 14 year old mind.

The second time cannot be called an accident, mere months after the first. But neither is it calculated.

They are celebrating Zhou-shouling's twentieth birthday. Or rather, Zhou-shouling and Qin-xiongdi disappeared up to the palace early in the evening to celebrate and Han Ying has waited up alone for sounds of their return, vigilant, something he pretends is not yearning sitting heavy in the aching pit of his stomach.

When they do return it is...surprisingly loud.

Han Ying is very good at what he does, and still there are days when he cannot hear Zhou-shouling approach. The man is not just merciful, not just understanding and patient and full of barely-subdued humour, but also a refined gentleman, clever and skilled beyond measure.

So why is it that tonight Han Ying can hear not only Qin-xiongdi's clomping but Zhou-shouling next to him, stumbling?

He's out the door and down the hall in an instant, adrenaline pumpung, imagining the worst, imagining Zhou-shouling limping, covered in blood--

"'S Ying'er! What're yeu--you--out of bed! Doing! Hah!"

Han Ying stops in his tracks as a thoroughly wasted Zhou Zishu collapses against his hiccoughing, giggling shidi.

"Shixiong got--hc!--he got so drunk," Qin-xiongdi exclaims in the worst loud whisper Han Ying has ever heard. "Can you--hc!--believe it, Han Ying?--hc!"

Well, certainly he can, because it's right before him. What he can't really quite come to terms with is the fond, playful tone wrapped warmly around the unfamiliar Ying'er.

But when his two superiors almost fall over on their next step, Han Ying collects himself and steps in to relieve Qin-xiongdi of his task before he sends them both toppling to the ground.

"Shoul' get that boy some...that boy some more..." Zhou-shouling doesn't finish his thought, trailing off into a sigh as Qin-xiongdi leaves.

One hand grasping a limp arm, one hand firm on broad leather, it's quick work to get Zhou-shouling to his own rooms. But it's also so much closeness--too much for Han Ying to process: a head lolling onto his shoulder; hot breath at his neck and the smell of alcohol; warm weight against his side, so effortlessly trusting.

Ying'er.

Easier to slide under the mantle of duty and attentiveness than even acknowledge it as real, so in silence, he readies Zhou-shouling for bed; without Qin-xiongdi's energy, he seems content to simply drift.

Hydration--water droplets running down the corner of red lips, a strong chin--

Belt--hard leather hitting the floor, a quiet exhale of relief, a soft hum of contentment vibrating under his fingertips--

Boots--what if he slipped and touched that leg--what if he looked up from where he's kneeling and realised the position was just like--

Han Ying, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek, tips Zhou-shouling over onto the bed and lifts his feet up to settle him properly. He's practically asleep already, his breathing deep and slow, stray hairs wisping around his cheeks.

Hands, resting easily across his middle. Han Ying lifts them up to tuck the blanket in under them. But perhaps he has tried too hard to not think at all tonight because as he goes to put them back down, determined to not notice Zhou-shouling's exposed neck, he finds himself ghosting his lips across cool fingertips.

What--what is he doing?! He freezes, drops Zhou-shouling's hands as though burnt, and looks up, breath caught.

But his shouling is still fast asleep. Fast asleep and drunk besides, his brain finally catches up and reminds him. Han Ying lets out his breath. He has no right to such intimacy, but he's been given a stay of execution tonight. He had better not waste it.

Carefully, he flees to his own room and doesn't think about anything else at all.

The third time...Han Ying cannot even guess how the third time comes to be.

He is young, and he strives to be good, to be the best. If not in skill than in obedience. It's no longer about debt, it's about loyalty.

But he is 15, going on 16, and even he cannot beat out of himself the independent streak that kept him alive on the streets all those years.

So he finds himself again on his knees, explaining his actions.

"You are right to tell me the truth the first time."

Who would dare try to lie to Zhou Zishu?

Something of his thoughts must show on Han Ying's downturned face because the man in question snorts lightly and adds, "Not all your fellows are as clever as you."

Han Ying keeps his head bowed, but tension drains from him; he would not be receiving such praise if he were seriously in trouble.

"Your actions are understandable, but not permitted," he is told. "I expect that the next time someone pushes you to the point of retaliation, I will not hear about it."

It takes a second for Han Ying to process the precise words he's hearing. But he cannot be mistaken; there is nobody more exact with his words than the exacting Zhou-shouling.

"Yes, Zhuangzhu," he ventures.

There's an unmistakable note of amusement when Zhou-zhuangzhu confirms, "Consider it your mission."

Permission, then. Permission to do whatever he wants, so long as he doesn't get caught. Han Ying didn't think he could adore him any more, but he does. Every day.

"Yes, Zhuangzhu."

"Come on, then."

And he looks up at last, but he does not see his zhuangzhu beckoning him to rise. Instead he stands directly in front of Han Ying, one hand slightly stretched toward him, palm still facing down. Han Ying furrows his brow.

"Zhuangzhu?"

"Don't tell me you suddenly don't know what to do," Zhou-zhuangzhu says, "Ying'er."

Certainly, he isn't...?

But there's a challenge behind his eyes, sparkling a bit, so similar to the way his shidi looks when he dares Han Ying to do something a bit reckless. Han Ying swallows, but reaches out his hands; he is not a coward.

He kisses Zhou-zhuangzhu's hand and as if they have done this a hundred--a thousand times before this, Zhou-zhuangzhu detaches himself with grace and waves Han Ying to stand.

"Very good. Go report for your chores."

Reeling, Han Ying does.

After that...after that, Han Ying has the great luxury to lose track. He belongs to Zhou Zishu in a way no other Tian Chuang operative does and he may not be one of the Siji Shanzhuang disciples, or even their disciples, but he is something, and there is rarely a time he finds himself on his knees that he is not allowed the privilege of that kiss.

He is 16 and sent to his knees with a sharp word after raising his voice to his zhuangzhu; his kiss is barely-there, ashamed and still prickling with discomfort, but no less sincere.

He is 17 and accepting his promotion; gratitude wells up in him and he allows it only to show in this gesture, determined to keep composure and make Zhou-zhuangzhu proud.

He is 18 and kneeling in spite of his broken leg, true failure heavy on his heart in a way he could not have imagined four years ago; he presses his bloody lips to a hand that he pretends is not ever-so-slightly trembling.

He is 19 and his heart stops in his chest every time he sees Zhou Zishu do, well, anything; he makes every excuse to kneel in his presence, for any reason, just so he can look up expectantly for the hand that is never denied.

He is 20 and letting his lips linger every time a bit longer, leaving these unspoken feelings in the sacred space between them--the only indulgence, he has realised, that either of them will ever allow.

He is 21 and Zhou-zhuangzhu has begun turning up drunk at his doorstep, not from any party he knows about; he leaves the kiss that is his by rights even on the nights Zhuangzhu is too far gone to notice.

He is 22 and no matter how severe Zhou-zhuangzhu gets, no matter how cold, he does not forget to give Han Ying his hand. He is 22 and gives Zhou-zhuangzhu the fullness of his fealty--as if there was ever any doubt he had it--and seals it in secret between them with the briefest of contact. He hopes it is not a greater burden than it is a tool.

He is 23 and Zhou Zishu is gone.

It is only then that Han Ying realises he lost count.

Each week that passes after that, he feels more and more bereft. It should seem silly, or stupid, that he misses something so ephemeral and ill-defined, but it's the most serious thing in the world. It never needed definition or explanation. And it was all he ever asked. All he wanted: to be allowed to cherish, even if not to be cherished in return.

He doesn't shirk his duty, but he loses all trace of satisfaction in it and there is a permanent tension between his shoulders that takes up residence and will not go.

But the worst is yet to happen, because the worst possible thing is the day he finds Zhou Zishu in the forest, heart full of relief and far too much else. Han Ying kneels on the rough ground, strung taut like a bow, and Zhou-zhuangzhu...pulls him to his feet.

And again, even when his companion has left them to their own devices.

And a third time, in Han Ying's own room.

For the first time in almost a decade, he didn't dare touch his drunk zhuangzhu more than necessary to lay him down in bed.

And then Zhou Zishu walks away from every declaration Han Ying frantically tries to make verbal, leaves him there drowning in the void between them.

That could have been the end of it. If it weren't for a collective display of quick thinking and good timing, it would have been; Han Ying is not easily deterred once he has set his mind on something. Not even when faced with the price tag of his own life.

Zhou Zishu should have known that, he thinks, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at his...his Han Ying, whatever else he is to him now. It's not fair that he looks so peaceful in his healing slumber when Zhou Zishu is sure his own pulse still hasn't slowed from the clawing panic underneath his skin these past few terrible, frenetic days.

Wu Xi assured him that the little fool will be fine, and should wake any time now. Zishu is reluctant to leave his side before then. Which is convenient, because Wen Kexing of all people has snubbed him, refusing to have a civil conversation until he's "done right by Ying'er" and refusing to even let him at their own disciple.

What the hell did Wen Kexing get out of Han Ying when he was dying, anyway?

It doesn't matter. What matters is that he didn't die.

Zishu perhaps deserves whatever passing ire Lao Wen wants to throw him on behalf of Han Ying who is too...Han Ying to do it himself.

Curling his hand around the still one at rest, reassuring himself of its continued warmth, Zishu watches the blanket rise and fall steadily in the afternoon sunlight.

Perhaps Han Ying was foolish, but if the servant is a fool than the master is bound to be a bigger one. And he was an absolute fool to send him away, to think that if he just tried hard enough, he could truly push Han Ying out of his life and into his own, somewhere off the road to hell. He was a fool to think Han Ying wouldn't just throw himself down that path all the harder. He would burn himself out like a star for Zishu at a moment's notice, even if he believed Zishu didn't care about him at all anymore.

What would Zishu do, if their roles were reversed?

What hasn't he threatened to do for Lao Wen, for Chengling? What hasn't he already done in this life?

For the one who has never so much as faltered a single step, no matter where Zishu led? For the one who tempted him longer than he ever should have allowed? For the one he can rely on at the worst of himself? He knows the answer already.

Han Ying shifts, just slightly, but Zishu can feel the movement ripple on the bed and he is prepared for the groggy, "...Zhuangzhu?"

He has had long enough to contemplate his response.

He lifts Han Ying's hand in his own and without preamble presses a kiss directly to the back of it, holding it through Han Ying's flinch and sharp indrawn breath. Han Ying's other hand is raised as if to do something and he takes advantage of it, drawing that one in for its own display of affection.

Through it all he keeps eye contact, watching the journey of Han Ying's face--mouth open just slightly, cheeks flushed, eyes wide and then narrow, calculating too much on a mind too fresh from sleep.

"I owe you two, Ying'er," Zishu offers simply.

Han Ying's face is red but he's always been a bit quicker than Zishu expects. "I don't get anything for almost dying?" he manages with a hoarse voice.

Zishu snorts. "No. You know well that I don't reward such folly." Then before Han Ying can get comfortable, he leans in closer, lets his gaze flicker down and back up with intention. Waits for the exact moment he sees the disbelief register and says, "But this is for waking up."

It's probably a reckless, ridiculous thing to do, ducking in to set his mouth against Han Ying's and forever changing something that nobody asked to be changed. But Zishu's life is full of reckless, ridiculous things now, and he can hardly claim it's the worst he's ever done. It doesn't even rank in the top fifty. He kisses him firmly, unapologetic, freeing his hands to cup Han Ying's face between them.

He doesn't stop until Han Ying no longer tastes of salt. He pulls back, hands dropping to cover the ones tangled desperately in the front of Zishu's robes.

Nonsensically, Han Ying mutters, eyes closed, "One."

[moonlight-tmd]

Oh? God Bee?? Please tell us more.

OOOH BOY I WILL TELL YOU MORE AND BEYOND-

SO- In this AU, Bumblebee is secretly a lesser deity (more known as celestial lords). One of many that guard and sometimes interact with the mortal world for fun. Nobody knows about the lesser gods anymore because their cults have died out and worship was forgotten long ago and the knowledge about religions is only kept in deep archives for the sake of keeping track of history. The only knowledge about gods that survived to this day is about Primus and Unicron- the "good" and the "evil" halves that function and fight with each other to maintain balance, kind of like Yin Yang.

Bumblebee's god name is Bei-Silah, he's a Celestial Lord of Dreams and Wishes, Patron of misfits and all things out-of-place. His domain is Dream Realm and his duty is to make and keep guard of dreams and nightmares. He is also the one the mortals summon to make their wishes come true- signing pacts, deals, etc. He's the most social of the deities, per se.

He's known to be mischevious, curious and playful (and deranged) but also dangerous- he's the one that tugs at the strings of luck and steers the wind that pushes you in certain directions in life.

I've allowed myself to sketch a little something for the reference-

(ATTENTION: the design has been updated and this art is now non-canon to the AU. Check this post to see the actual design)

In his god form he's a tad bigger than his mortal frame (although he can change size at will), he has additional arms and 5 eyes cuz as stated previously, he's with misfits (plus he likes to be the odd one out). He also has 6 glowing ribbons that he can control like tentacles sticking from his back. He's levitating most of the time because why should he be restricted to ground. He also has that godly glow to him, you ever seen Disney's Hercules? Kind of like the gods there have.

So- I imagine he comes down to mortal realm and gives himself a mortal disguise to use, each somewhat different from the last to fit with the people of the era he's in. And this continues on, with some centuries of break time between each "lifetime", and currently he's Bumblebee-

The way he met Team Prime is very much different from the original events- it was Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead and freshly picked up and integrated Prowl on the team. Their ship was drifting in space so theu could do some stuff and something hit the wing, Bulk and Prowl were send to check and maybe fix the damage but instead of an asteroid they saw a little yellow bot, frosted over and greyish in color limply hanging from the wing. Of course they pulled it into the ship and got it to the ship's medbay immediately. When the bot woke up few joors later they got to learn his name was Bumblebee. He didn't remember what happened, only that he was thrown out of the ship and left to die. The team kept him, Bee was very adamant on staying with them and from what he said his skills could come in handy for them.

They become closer and end up on Earth afterwards. Everything is quite normal no once but them is on the planet yet,... until one day Team Prime goes to investigate some strange activity and find a group of stray mechs trying to do a ritual of some sorts- turns out they weren't the only ones on the planet, just the area. And that group is seemingly trying to do some cult stuff. They have few encounters before the cult group captured Team Prime to use in the sacrifice to summon something. And so coincidentally, the leader chose Bee to sacrifice. (Inspired by Bad Feeling by Jagwar Twin)

They place him in the ritual circle with all the sigils n stuff and do the rites. Team Prime tries their best to get themselves free while Bee seems more awkward than scared- then the whole area inside the circle fills with white fire... nothing happens. The leader glances at the other cult folks and tries to figure something out. In the meantime- Bee pokes his helm up from the fire and stands up while shaking his wrist free off molten metal that used to be stasis cuffs.

"Yeah, this sacrificial ritual really lacks the 'sacrificial' part..."

He bickers with the leader who tries to go near and grab him, thinking the fire is safe. But the moment he sticks his servo inside the circle the flames burn and melt half of it off. Everyone just stares shocked and quite alarmed as to why the fire harmed the cult folk and is not harming Bee- a minute later Bee snickers and burst out laughing... but then the laugh glitches a bit and he sounds like he's laughing his insanity out. He throws his servos up and falls back, after he submerges in fire there is just silence. The same leader cult folk that tried to grab him goes near, carefully looking if the bot is dead already- but the moment he gets too close some monstrous figure made of the same fire launches out, grabs him and pulls him into the burning circle with it.

The fire that was once white turns vibrant yellow and with a small explosion, a figure emerges... at brief glance it looked normal but no... the figue stretched, its 4 arms making sure they were seen. Then 2 of its eyes blink open before the other 3 open as well. Its mouth forms a big grin that nearly split its face in half, sharp teeth glaring at them. The most notable detail- the one that told them this somehow was Bee- was the voice; it was choir-like, few tones of similar voices speaking at once but one tone prominent the most, the tone of Bumblebee's voice.

"Aah~... Been a long while since I last done this dance."

The creature didn't introduce itself, only seemed curious and kept guessing what the summoners might want- wealth , power, oh maybe revenge! Which resulted in a rather annoying and disappointed moment when the summoners had no idea who they summoned instead of whoever they tried to summon. So obviously, he had to explain. And what a better way to explain that a musical! (Alastor's Game by The Living Tombstone. The song is exactly the same with exception of few words; "-give mr. Alastor Beisilah a call." "-be your sweet, radio mischevious demon.")

As the song goes on, Bei-Silah shows different aspect of himself- from proposing a pact scroll to the cultist folks to making everyone delve into the odd nightmareish plane for brief seconds before pulling them to a side and showing them all the things they desire. Team Prime has a brief moment of seeing their perfect world before it turns to glittery dust and flees to the cultist who do their things and then they see them getting possessed. ("did i mention that you're cursed?")

Then they have a brief flashes of places that match the lyrics and at the end, Team Prime is not chained up near the ritual site but instead standing free some distance away from the summoning ring and watches as the mindless cultists stand around the circle and have strings wrapped around their necks to show they are bound to the contract they signed at the beginning of the song. The creature finished singing and bows and then just like he appeared, he disappeared in a burst of golden flames along with the cultists...

Team Prime had a short moment to recollect and try to think what happened before the same creature that sang comments something from behind them. The reactions are absolutly amusing. After a bit of wordplay and half-hinged giggles, the creature introduces himself as Bei-Silah. He explains that he's Bee and not Bee and all that confusing stuff but he does like the bunch so he is their friend and they are stuck with him. He doesn't say what happened to the cultists, only that "they paid the price a little early" and that they shouldn't worry about them. He got rid of the trouble and freed his friends, two birds with one stone!Team Primes leaves as told so Bei can 'clean up' the ritual site, he also tells them to not speak of it again. They only see Bumblebee again next morning.

Sari wasn't there so she never knew. Or at least until some other events in the future that i will save for another post cuz this one is fucking long. I still kept it as short and on point as possible.

Hope you enjoyed reading my nonsense. Expect it to be added to the AU list now that you made me write about it.

[dragonridernoobie]

How Optimus, Ratchet, and Megatron act when they meet someone that is forgetful but good with swords

Request open still!!!

I'm not gonna lie. I never watched Demon Slayer, but I appreciate you telling the characteristics for S/O!

Optimus

When he first met you, you where practicing you're sword attacks in the forest.

He watched you and was impressed by the sword skills.

But like all good/cool things had to come to an end.

The decepticons found optimus (somehow) and attacked him.

He wasted no time picking you up and calling for a ground bridge.

There, he interduced you to everyone and told you the story why he was here, just he did with miko, Jack, and Raph.

He decided that he will be you're gurdien and this is where you're friendship bloomed.

It came clear very FUCKING quickly to optimus that you where forgetful.

Most times he had to remind you to go grab you're backpack, lunch, homework, and even you're sword.

It never bothers him. He enjoys it since it's always different, and it always keeps him on his toes.

He confess his feelings for you and you guys became a thing.

He was 100000% more protective of you.

He understands you are great with a sword but it'd a sword.

Oh boy, did you prove him wrong.

Miko pulled, well, a miko, and dragged you into the portal with her.

You where attacked by decepticons and optimus was fearing the worse when he went thru the portal to get you.

Expect to find you missing but just finds you beating the living SHIT out of the drones.

He is amazed that you where able to fight somone almost 200x you're size but saw that you truly can hold you're own

You forgot about the fight 2 hours later.

Ratchet

Ratchet was asked to open a ground bridge for Optimus.

When he did, he wasn't so happy to see ANOTHER human.

Tho, he did notice the sword you had.

He was assigned to be you're guardian as much as he protested.

He learns really quickly how forgetful you are and it annoys him.

Always reminding you to get you're bag, eat something, drink some water, To FUCKING BREATH!

(Yes there was a time you forgot to breath)

He gets more and more annoyed with you but somehow you manged to get into this old bots spark.

As much as he hated the fact that he fell for you, you always made him laugh when you forget what you are doing or anything really.

The sword tho, he wasn't so sure about.

He was worried that you would hurt yourself because of how forgetful you are.

Tho, you proved him wrong when the tables have turned and you where the one protecting him.

He was driving you home from (work/school) and he was attacked by Knockout.

He was thrown to the ground, hurt.

He told you to run but you did no such thing, you stood you're ground and held out you're sword.

He saw how you took on knockout and won.

You definitely got a ear full about safety and how reckless you where but he also made sure to tell you how proud he is of you.

That night he confess his feelings and you returned them.

If you don't return his feelings, you are a monster

Megatron

He met you when you where taken from the forest by one of his vicons and brought to you.

He noticed that you had a sword, but he still let you keep it when he thru you into a little cage.

Thinking you won't be able to do anything with that dinky little thing.

Even tho you where assigned to Soundwave he still came by to ask you for information about the autobots.

You kept telling him you don't know who they are.

He notices very quickly that you forget alot.

He tries to use this in his advantage but fails.

After weeks being kept in that cage, he took you out and he shrunk down to you're size.

Or at lest you're size, since he was still a whole 4 ft. Taller then you.

He was impressed by you're sword skills, to the point he actually had fun fighting you.

You reminded him of his old days.

He watched how you fought and actually gave you tips on how to fight.

(No the lord scary megatron ain't being soft.)

Eventually you gained his friendship that he let's you sit on his shoulder alot.

He loves your poor memory, just like optimus. It's always exciting to see what you forget next.

He confessed his love to you when you invited you to the roof of the warship.

You return you're feelings.

Hope you enjoyed! Please remember to request any character on my list! I'm always open!!!

[yanderes-galore]

Hi!

Fandom: FNAF - Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria Simulator

Character: Lefty

Pairing: Platonic

Type of Fic: Concept

Other: Lefty gets attached to a new gender neutral mechanic reader and tries to steer them away from henry and michael as well as trying to get them to see the two as threats and dangerous

Hey! Thanks for using the request format I gave ^^ I'll see what I can do :) This may be a bit short and I am pulling from my previous Lefty concept, I hope you like it!

Dubious on if there's dead kids in this or not, I didn't think about that in this- Platonic anyways so whatever floats your boat.

Yandere! Lefty Concept I am pulling from

Yandere! Platonic! Lefty with Mechanic! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Forced companionship, Stalking implied, Violence, Blood, Implied murder.

Lefty is a tame yandere for the most part.

When it comes to their darling they don't wish to harm them at all.

Lefty has hatred for those who have wronged them, which is not you.

Lefty may even think you're being manipulated by Henry and Michael.

In Lefty's mind, they see you as a friend.

Michael had to hire you to make this Pizza Place thing believable enough to lure all the needed bots.

Lefty may have even met you, a mechanic, during the salvage test.

If darling makes them feel safe there's a good chance they'll stick around you.

There's no doubt the bot sees Henry and Michael as threats.

It'll take time before you can even trust the bear bot.

You're surprised their sensors still work due to the shape their in.

Truthfully... Lefty is blind out of one eye but besides that everything works well.

Who knows, maybe that eye is what you're trying to fix on Lefty.

Most of Lefty's obsession over you is quiet.

When they first meet you, they watch you from a distance.

You could assume their a shy bot... that isn't entirely true.

It's more like they're studying you to see if you're a threat.

Once they know you're not they decide to consider you a friend.

A friend supposedly being manipulated by some bad men-

Lefty likes to watch you repair other bots in the Pizza Place from their stage.

They roam sometimes but they mostly just like to be quiet and watch.

They will admit... your skills are nicely refined.

When you do talk to Lefty it's short conversations.

They mostly like to listen to you before responding curtly.

The more you chat, the more they open up.

It takes many meetings before Lefty can successfully get you to listen to them.

Before they can steer you away from your employers that have bad intentions, Lefty acts very friendly.

They follow you during work and carefully watch you do your tasks like usual.

During lunch breaks they go to find you before standing by you and offering quiet chatter.

You may actually learn Lefty is playful.

Each meeting with you is treated like a play date.

Which you thought was fitting and a bit cute as these bots are meant for children.

Lefty most likely plays Hide & Seek along with sneaking up on you to scare you.

Towards you they aren't malicious in the slightest.

They act like a close friend despite being a clunky robotic bear.

It's when the topic of Henry, Michael, or even William comes up that sets them off.

They often claim they are "bad men"

Once you and the bear bot become friends, Lefty begins to try and convince you of the "truth".

True or not, Lefty tries to find evidence to tell you that can paint your employers in a bad light.

They try to make you distrust them by telling you things they "overheard".

You can see the bot's whole demeanor and tone change when discussing the two men.

They hate them and you aren't really sure why.

All you know is you should be cautious of them according to Lefty.

The bot claims they'd hurt you, that they don't really care for you.

You're just collateral.

Instead the bot urges you to trust them.

Out of any of the salvage bots, they are the safest.

Lefty would never hurt you.

After all, you two are friends!

Friends don't hurt each other...

Henry and Michael aren't friends.

With enough convincing surely you'll believe them?

Speaking of Henry and Michael, they are confused as to why you're so hesitant all of a sudden.

They've seen you and Lefty talking recently...

So what has that robot put in your head?

They could try to separate you from Lefty, but that just makes things worse.

If the bot realizes their being kept from you their hate only grows.

In fact... they may just snap.

They won't stand for this.

Not when they could lose their new best friend.

It may even get to the point the bear bot is violent and tries to attack your employers.

See? They're bad!

They don't like the friendship between you two!

You shouldn't like them anymore, right?

In that case... you should stay with Lefty.

The bear bot promises to stay beside you and never harm you.

Even if they are covered in the blood of your employers... the crimson dripping from their maw and hands due to their little tantrum...

They promise they did it to protect you, their dear friend...!

[airrec]

will you ever make janitor ai or character ai bots out of any of the characters from your fanfics? if not.. can people make them? (please i’m dying to make a Dream Blob au bot i’m on my hands and knees begging here)

In short: no. Please, please, please do not.

In long: please do not feed my fics or posts to A.I. To do so would be actively against my wishes, and even the thought of it is upsetting and angering to me.

A.I. has a lot of potential to do good – in the medical field, in the sciences, etc. There is nuance to the subject of A.I. in general. Regarding specifically A.I. art, the technology is not yet advanced enough to be used as a tool in the way that a tool is meant to be used – it is not a brush you can download, or a digital model you can pose. It is “trained” through being fed lots and lots of real, human-created pieces of art, and copying that art.

It does not learn how to use specific brush strokes, or specific colours, or how or why certain details are included or left out. It is wholesale lifting from what it is fed and mashing it together into new configurations, Frankenstein style – there is nothing creative about it. Similarly, when fed fictional writing, it does the same: it copies and pastes common tropes, common story beats, common plots, common phrasings – there is nothing of creativity in there at all.

There are currently no legal protections for artists of any kind against A.I. algorithms; the technology is still too new, and already it is causing harm. Even just on the practical side, the environmental impacts of the excessive electricity usage needed to run the A.I. is immense.

A.I. generated art is theft, pure and simple. It cannot be currently described as anything other than that. And creative writing is a form of art. A book that you pick up in an airport, or a fanfic you open in a tab on your phone, or a well-thumbed novel you found on a shelf in a café – these are pieces of art. Perhaps you do not think of them that way, in the same way you might look at a painting and say, “Yes, that is a piece of art,” but they are.

I was talking to a friend of mine some time ago, and they said (and I agreed) that writing is often devalued as a form of art, because the idea that “anyone can write a book” is so pervasive. And, yes, anyone can write a book – or anyone can write letters onto a page in a specific order. In much the same way, anyone can draw a picture, or paint a mural. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a creative process involved, and it doesn’t mean that there isn’t the development of skills and immense amounts of knowledge and experience going into story-crafting as much as there is visual arts. Quite frankly, anyone who says, “Oh, anyone can write a book,” has almost certainly never actually tried to write a book themselves.

My friend went on to say that very often books are considered objects, just things, not pieces of art that have been handcrafted just for you, just for someone to pick up and immerse themselves in and enjoy. In much the same way, fanfic has also become a commodity – perhaps even more so, because its content is based on a pre-existing canon that does not belong to the writer. But fanfiction is still art, in much the same way that fanart is still art, and the devaluation of it and its creators is upsetting and frustrating.

I am not a machine. I do not press some buttons, pull some levers, and start outputting fanfic. This is something I do for fun, because I enjoy it. It is something I post online because I want other people to come enjoy it, too, and for it to be an expression of art meant as a part of a fan community’s expression of love for a canon. That is what being a fan is all about.

I am a real human being, and I don’t deserve to have my art stolen from me, fed to a shambling corpse spouting out things it has “learnt” from both my art and from every other piece of art that has been stolen to feed it. Anything it would say – that would not be my story, because it doesn’t come from me. It would just be an amalgamation of thousands of people’s stories, cut down into something mainstream and palatable because the point of so-called A.I. art is not to create unique and interesting stories – it is to create generic ones that will sell easily under the model of late stage capitalism.

You know, I got the email notification for this ask last night. I have my email notifs on because I spent so long being shadow-banned on this blog, and I fear missing things in my inbox. I checked my phone in the middle of the night because I couldn’t sleep, and while I was reading the ask I could hear my mother breathing in her sleep just nearby – we’re in a caravan together, because it’s been a while since I went away with my parents. I am typing this answer up from that same caravan, and I’m squinting a little because the sun is reflecting off my screen. We’re going to have a barbecue later for dinner – we just bought the food for it not three hours ago. Did you think of that? Did you think about the way that I am a person, living my own life, and now I am being forced to beg for you to respect me as one?

Because that’s what you would be doing, if you did this: you would commodify me, and you would commodify my art. It would be just another machine-made thing, not something that’s handmade for others’ enjoyment; not something that work – my time, my energy – has gone into, that my passion and love has gone into. But I am not a thing, and I resent being implicitly treated like one.

If you really want to know more about people’s fanfics – talk to them! Leave a comment, send in an ask, engage with them in some way. Fanfic is created by fans for the enjoyment of other fans, and fan communities are still communities, which means there is a social element to them. Stealing from others, as one might expect, is frowned upon greatly – they gave that to you, for free. You pay nothing for it – and shouldn’t – and now you want to plagiarise and thieve what was shown in good faith?

I suppose that, ultimately, if you were truly determined, there is nothing that I can do to stop you. You could copy/paste my works into your A.I. bot creator and go on your merry way, despite how I’ve told you that such would make me extremely upset, and that it isn’t something I want. I can say, “I forbid you to do this,” - and make no mistake I do forbid you – and ultimately I have no power to actually stop you, because there is no law in place to prevent you from doing exactly as you please.

I can do nothing to stop you except this: I am asking you not to. Please.

[annabelle-creart]

Do you remember when I told you Boulder has the fault of much of the Multiversal Problems? (I'm looking at you, Bagel, you literally insulted the guy, and Gelu, I still remember that funny reply, because is true)

It actually has its logic, I Promise

All started with Aaravos and Madrake

And yes, it has spoilers of both The Dragon Prince series and Epic (Blue Sky's movie)

You'll see, inside my bitchy weird ass multiversal thing, I have the hc that, yeah, Aaravos died, by fuck sake, but his soul remained, his magic made him able to "travel", why? Because of his essence. All souls, sparks or spirits have the hability to travel through universes, but just some have the actual hability of crossing the ones that materialize their souls, Aaravos did that, and Mandrake did too when he was imprisioned in the tree, they died that day, but they couldn't die, they're not mortals, they're forces of nature

And in fact, Boulder and Heatwave's essences are BY DEFAULT forces of nature:

All essences have three types, spirits, the originals, the powerful, the most pure physical essences; the souls, the mortal ones, the ones that will die and transcend; and the sparks, the artificial ones, they're created and will die with time, who knows if they will transcend, but they can learn, feel and love

Aaravos and Mandrake are the spirits, Boulder and Heatwave are Sparks, other characters like Arrrgh (Trollhunters) and Fink (Wild Robot) are common souls

But only spirits have the strenght on their sparks to do things like "trascend" universes

That's how they ended up in The Garden (watch my @/the-garden-mv blog for more info :D), Aaravos and Mandrake didn't wanted to be just existing, Aaravos was patient but curious, Mandrake is impatient and fearless, they ended up there by accident, and they couldn't go out because they were technically dead

But what has that to do with Boulder and Heatwave?

Boulder and Heatwave are Aaravos and Mandrake's variants, they share essence, and most of Boulder's variants are magical by default

And Boulder's magical variants love to play with their universes' fabrics

Variants as the mage of Adventure Bots have this really deep curious towards how much other things can be done with magic, and one of them is portals and spacial bridges

And Boulder LOVES to play with portals and spacial bridges

Tech is a good resource, and OG Boulder likes to make spacial bridges too, just as the other variants, with magic or tech, that includes the Dino bot from Shattered Glass, the Golem from From Stars and Above, and others

Boulder did the space bridge believing they could get some special things or even make travel shorter

But accidentally, Aaravos at the same time was out of his universe, his essence was unstable, and that unstabilized his variants, and unstable variant creates connections with other variants

Aaravos unstabilized essence made Boulder's variants enough unstable to create magical connections through the multiverse, which manifested through the portals

That's the story of how Boulder's spacial bridge and Aaravos unstable spirit created portals through the multiverse....

And yes, it affects Mandrake's spirit too but his spirit is not enough strong to affect sparks, Aaravos is way stronger than Mandrake in the magical sense, but Mandrake is more clever and has better combat skills (and a perfect aim)

And that's the reason why there's portals everywhere in Griffin Rock all the time, indeed, is Boulder's fault

[doctorlombax]

An Observation on Murder Drones and the Current Landscape of Stories with Female Leads

I’m guessing most of you have probably heard of the terms ‘girl-boss’ and ‘girl-power’ within the last decade or so. I see it a lot with action-based shows that center around a woman as a main character. The idea being that in the past most of our female characters were relegated to one-dimensional and helpless love interests for male leads. Now entertainment companies are realizing that women want to see themselves as the heroes of the story, so they went ahead and… over corrected.

What do I mean by this? I mean now we get shows about heroic women who and kick and punch and beat the boys around them in anything from pool to knife throwing. The lesson that writers should have learned from the past is “hey, let’s balance the skills and flaws of our girl and boy characters”. What they did instead was “okay, we will subvert the trope by having the girl take the guy’s place, and vice versa. She’s the hero and he’s the damsel. Audiences will love it!” Well I don’t. In fact I find it to be miraculously annoying (achievement unlocked: shade thrown).

For one thing, it makes the love story boring. Why would a powerful, kickass woman keep dragging around a guy that always messes up and needs to be rescued? What does he bring to the table? I don’t see the appeal because the writers are too afraid to put in a scene where she actually has to lean on him for assistance, because tHeN shE WouLd be WEAk and ThAt’s MiSOgYny.

And it’s not just about the fact that it makes the ships annoying. Even more to the point, as a woman I find it patronizing. Have you ever watched an adult play a game with a kid, and the kid trounces the adult (because of course the adult will let the kid win) and everybody is cheering the kid on and clapping? It’s sweet and cute when that happens because the person is a child. Not so much when it happens because the person is a girl.

Whenever I see these ‘girl-boss’ and ‘girl-power’ characters who never need to be rescued, always save themselves, and triumph in the face of every hurdle, it feels like the writers are saying to me “You go, Girl. Don’t worry- we’d never give this woman character flaws. That’s like taking feminism out behind the shed and shooting it. We would never bruise your delicate ego by having her be anything less than perfect!”

In the immortal words of Uzi: Bite me.

Speaking of Uzi, let’s get to talking about Murder Drones. I had heard about the show before, but only ended up watching it recently (which was lucky for me, just a couple weeks after the finale aired). For those who aren’t familiar, Murder Drones is an independent animation project on Youtube with 8 episodes, each with a runtime between 20 and 30 minutes. Quick spoiler-free synopsis: Uzi is a teenage worker drone living in a dystopia where her kind are fighting murder bots. She has a confrontation with one of the murder bots which sets off a chain reaction of events that leads her on a hero’s journey.

Uzi is every middle schooler’s edgy emo self-inset character. She’s filled with angst, has daddy-issues, and comes with a tragic backstory that is slowly revealed throughout the series. On the surface, she appears to be the exact kind of character I was complaining about disliking. Not only is she a child prodigy (built a weapon that can injure the murder drones, who up until then were believed to be indestructible) but she’s also far braver than any of the adults around her. And (SPOILER ALERT) she had a demonic form based on powers she inherited from her mother, as well as regeneration and telekinesis abilities (I bet some of you are thinking I made up those last two for giggles).

But she does not fall into ‘girl-boss’ territory. She also has moments of genuine weakness that she does not overcome by herself. She relies on luck, and has to lean on the people around her, specifically N most of the time. This is shocking because N is her male partner in the show. I know many writers of these kinds of girl-power shows balk at the idea of the main girl character being saved by her love interest, but there you have it. Uzi also has a ‘dark-night-of-the-soul’ moment where she needs her mother to pull her out. This is not some invincible character, she is flawed and needs support from those around her.

Now let’s talk a little more about N. On the surface, N appears to be your standard bumbling male-sidekick. He’s goofy, he makes mistakes, and tends to go along with whatever Uzi decides they should be doing at the moment. That being said, the writers clearly weren’t afraid to give him moments of depth and competence. He is silly, but he chooses to be kind in a world that has been incredibly cruel. He can also be protective, and is shown to have good instincts in a fight. N does drink his respect women juice, but it’s not that ultra-processed, high-fructose ‘all-women-are-queens’ garbage. He treats the women around him like people (worth noting that aside from N and Khan, all significant characters of the show are women and girls). He’s kind to them whenever he can be, but he also calls them out when they’re wrong. And when he has to fight them, he doesn’t hold back. He gave Tessa multiple chances to see reason. When she made it clear she wasn’t going to change her mind about killing Uzi, he did not hesitate to cut off her head #ActualFeminism.

I just find it so ironic how a story that touts itself as a cringy, self-indulgent and having ‘Mary-Sue energy’ ended up having one of the most well-balanced dynamics between their female lead and her male deuteragonist counterpart that I’ve seen in recent years. Thanks, Murder Drones.

P.S. Just in case there’s any confusion around my use of the word female, this post and blog are 100% trans inclusive. Terfs don’t even touch this post.

[riddlesmoon]

stop using character.ai. i know youve heard it before, i know you want to keep using it because youre lonely, or scared of being called cringe or made fun of, or you dont trust anyone enough to open up about your kinks, or people posturing about ai have gotten on your nerves because all they do is shit on you for using it without addressing why you actually want to use it! i get it, ive been there. still, with all the love i have, i promise you, there are better options that dont dubiously scrape from other peoples work or use a metric fuck ton of electricity. or has a shitty ass filter that stops you from progressing beyond heavy petting 😒

1. at the very least, if you are still insecure about your writing skill or dont want to involve other people, you can run an LLM on your own machine. the less people use big websites like char.ai (especially those that try to monetise themselves and thus have an incentive to expand as big as possible), the less servers they will buy (and keep running all the time, unlike a locally-run ai that you only turn on once in a while!). everything is stored locally too, so trust, no one will judge you. but i know it requires a fairly beefy pc (though i think there are some mobile options too? your phone might also have to be beefy tho im not sure i havent tried) so if you cant do that, a secondary option is to use a smaller site which doesnt plan to monetise (as in large-scale advertising and premium plans. nearly all sites will have a paid plan to support their servers, but these should be like donations rather than something that locks major features behind a paywall) since that still reduces the demand for char.ai's servers. (and you might say well it just moves demand to another site but i think char.ai is probably the worst with its premium plan. its better than nothing!) not to mention most sites that dont limit your content generally arent looking to monetise. cuz advertisers would not really want to work with that lol

2. rp with someone. i knowww this is scary and a lot of people have bad experiences. unfortunately, such is the mortifying ordeal of being known. trust me, i did not grow up roleplaying, i have only rped with real people like, less than 5 times. but it still makes the best content: when you can find someone you agree with, you can share some of the thinking and planning workload with them, they might come up with ideas you didnt, and every sentence they send is thought out and intentional. but yes, finding that perfect partner is hard, and it may not last. something something friendships. (also if everyone has the same reasons to use char.ai, it means youre all kindred spirits! CRINGEred sprits! your cringe partner might be out there!!)

3. write it yourself. i know this one is hard especially for beginner writers. what you write doesnt match up to what you have in your head. but if youve used ai extensively youll know half the shit they say doesnt match up to what you have in your head either. you mightve spent more time editing their responses. thats a good sign that you want to and can write! and theres plenty of people willing to look over and beta your work, whether for grammar and spelling or to smooth out major plot points. of course its harder to find the latter, but i would say its easier than finding the perfect rp partner, since they dont necessarily have to be entirely invested in your story.

ai chatbots are far from perfect anyway. they make a ton of mistakes, not least because they learn from prompts given by the bot creator, which simply cannot encompass knowing the actual media in your head because bots have a limits to how much info they can retain. even in a single rp, if it gets too long, they will start to forget details. if youre an aspiring writer and dont mind fixing those as you go, you can definitely dive into writing your own fics instead. i believe in you!

and if youre still scared of being called cringe or exposing your deepest darkest fantasies, message me and we can work something out. im pretty open to the craziest stuff and im already like bottom-of-the-barrel cringe in fandoms as a yumejo (selfshipper), so trust, youre not getting ANY judgement from me. i also like beta'ing cuz it fulfils the urge to write without having to think of plot and shit LMAO. or you can pay me to write the full fic idk

so yeah lets get out of this ai hole together!!! 💪

(and if youre not really looking to rp or write seriously, or are lazy and just pop into char.ai for a short convo or two, i cant exactly stop you, but just think about what youre doing. there are better hobbies i prommy. love you)

[the-derpy-duck]

Quickshadow is amazing the essay

This is for @cayennesugar and cayennesugar only

Quickshadow is a Rescuebots character that appears in the show’s fourth season. She prefers to work solo and is absolutely perfect.

She’s obviously skilled in her craft and she knows it. She is confident and snarky but she’s also not a villain which I like. She’s not a braggart, but she doesn’t pretend that others are better at a job then her. The first thing she says to Heatwave when they first formally meet is that he is short. I didn’t really get why people shipped them together but some of what she does could be read as flirting (theirs an episode where she appears and when Heatwave asks why she’s back on Griffin Rock she says something along the lines of ‘I thought you missed me’ in a sarcastic tone). I don’t personally ship them but I see the appeal. Heatwave and Quickshadow have a very interesting relationship to me. I want to see them interact more because it’s fun.

When she was assigned to work with the rescue bots she seemed sort of upset when Blades said Heatwave didn’t like her (looking at her face she seems a bit more surprised) which I think is interesting. She doesn’t intend to offend Heatwave and probably wanted to be on good terms with him. She doesn’t do teamwork and seems to be introverted but that doesn’t mean she would be opposed to the idea of ✨friendship✨ and I do think that they would work well together, especially after the episode where she was put in charge. Teamwork is something that she did need to learn, but she still chooses to work on her own because that’s what she is good at and how she best works. She has her own system and I respect that. I also like that she wasn’t really an antagonistic force or rival to the rescue team. She was actively helping before she revealed herself and was teaching the team a lesson that they would need to learn eventually. Chase was prepared for the issue that arose when the plan went wrong and she was able to learn.

I absolutely love her transformation. It’s probably my favorite in the show because it does a good job of conveying her personality. She is quick witted and has a tendency to show off. She has a strong skill set and is well coordinated. I just really love the way it looks, it’s one of the smoothest bits of animation in the show. And her design is fantastic! She isn’t given boobs that would be out of place amongst the others and doesn’t have eye lashes or lipstick like other female transformers have had in the past. The main way you’d tell the difference in gender is her voice and the fact that the others use she/her pronouns when referring to her. Her head piece is also quite unique, the darker color contrasts nicely with her mostly white color scheme. I like the blue used for her as well, and I really like that she has her wheel on the right side of her car in vehicle mode because she’s British. She has a small amount of kibble that looks nice with the rest of her robot mode.

I like that she can manipulate her body to be able to gain speed, travel faster underwater, and even fly for short periods of time/slow her fall. She could 100% fight in a war and kick some ass. Not that the rescue bots are actually physically weaker from the other Cybertrionians, they handle environments much better than a lot of the autobots in prime. But that’s off topic. Quickshadow has one of like three fight scenes in the show. She takes on a temporary mentor roll to Blurr and Salvage but doesn’t like it because they are special. When she races Blurr she wins not because she’s faster but because she was smarter (which is a lesson that Blurr would utilize in a later episode) and the way she talks to Optimus makes me think that she is known for this. Also her message to Optimus is one of the best ways to do a ‘last time on…’ it made me actually listen to it instead of just skipping over and it’s very engaging in my personal opinion.

Also she’s British

I like her a lot. She should be used in more stories as she has a unique perspective and skill set. I also just really really like her. Hasbro please make better toys for the rescuebots I will buy all your overpriced legacy figures if you just make more rescue bots.