#yes shes talking about raf <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[chimchimsauce]

How the LADS Boys React to You Being Ace

In celebration of International Asexual Day <3

Zayne

As your doctor, it's safe to say that Zayne knows quite a lot of your personal information - maybe more of it than you would like tbh

You never had to actually "come out" to him

Zayne knew you were ace longer than you did

After all, you always answered "no" to that dreaded question that comes up at every checkup

Though, even if you didn't, he would have known anyway

He's always paid special attention to you - he probably knows you better than you know yourself

On top of that, Zayne is on the spectrum himself

He can take sex or leave it, it doesn't matter much to him

Zayne discovered the label when he was studying in college and taking a gender and sexuality course and immediately felt drawn to it

When you finally muster up the courage to confess your feelings to him, mumbling something about aces and cake and other poor analogies, he just smiles at you softly and takes your hand

"All I've ever wanted is to be close to you. Nothing else matters."

He eventually comes out to you one day when you're complaining about not having any asexual friends

"Are we not friends?"

It takes you longer than you'd like to admit to understand what he means.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

Rafayel

Honestly, you had never planned on talking about sexuality with Raf

He's just so blase about everything - being in his presence never opened up the opportunity to have any sort of deep discussions

But everything changed after Ebb day.

Rafayel was so sick - so vulnerable - and yet he trusted you with such a huge secret

It's only fair for you to tell him something personal about yourself, right?

The next time you visit him, you blurt it out as soon as he comes into view

"I'M ASEXUAL!"

He's so startled that he drops his paintbrush

"Why are you shouting?" he asks, bending down to pick it up

"I'm asexual," You say again, this time a bit quieter.

Your heart is beating a million times a minute

"I heard you the first time," he says, brushing his hair out of his eyes

"Is that all you have to say?" you ask him

"Congratulations," he says sarcastically

"You're so annoying," you say, rolling your eyes and walking over to see what he's painting

"At least I know you don't want me for my body," he says, "I was beginning to think you were secretly one of my groupies with the way you stare at me so much."

"I do NOT stare at you!"

"Suuuuure you don't."

Later that day, when the sun has melted behind the shore and the stars hang heavily in the sky, you pause at the door, fingers barely brushing the brass doorknob.

"Raf," you say, refusing to turn your head to look at the artist lounging on the couch

"Yes?"

You fall quiet, not sure what you want to say.

"Stop worrying that pretty little head of yours, Miss Bodyguard. I told you I never want you to leave my side. Nothing will change that."

Xavier

It's been a long day

There was a Wanderer attack that took longer than you thought it would to resolve

On top of that, there was a long meeting you couldn't skip

All you wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and sleep for a thousand years

So how did you end up squished in a booth next to Xavier as Tara happily prattles on about the date she went last night

You're happy for her, honestly, and any other time you'd love to sit and gossip with her, but you're just too tired today.

As if reading your mind, Xavier suddenly stands up, startling Tara

"I just remembered I have to get home to feed my dog," he says, offering his hand to you, "We'll see you at work tomorrow."

Without even giving the poor girl a chance to respond, he whisks the two of you out of the restaurant, starting the journey home

"Thanks, Xav. You saved me back there."

"It was nothing," he says quietly.

The sky is dark, but several street lamps illuminate the surroundings. Shadows bounce across his face with every step.

"You know, I'm a little bit jealous of Tara," you say after several minutes in silence

"Why?"

"It must be nice to date like that."

His steady gait slows

"What do you mean?"

"It's just -" your tongue darts out to wet your lips.

You've known Xavier for years at this point. Surely you can tell him, right?

"I'm asexual."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Xavier asks, turning to look at you.

"It just makes dating difficult. It's a dealbreaker for most people it seems."

He cocks his head to the side.

"You don't have problems dating at all," he says.

Now it's your turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been dating for two years."

"Xavier, what are you talking about?" you ask, face reddening at the mere thought of dating your favorite coworker

"We've been partners for two years."

"Hunting partners!" you interject

"Yes," he says, nodding, "And life partners."

You blink at him, dumbfounded.

"We have keys to each others' houses, we eat dinner together almost every day, I hold your hand everywhere we go -"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" You say, embarrassed, "I must be a terrible partner. I probably can't even give you what you want."

"Nonsense. There's only one thing I want from you," he says.

"What's that?"

"The rest of my life with you."

[warnersister]

Toto Wolff x Pilot!Reader

Toto Wolff x Reader

Summary: when Toto Wolff accidentally makes his instagram page public, the world meets a new side to Toto Wolff, including an intimate side no one expects.

totowolff added to their story!

•———————————————————————•

charlieboy<3

charlieboy<3: WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT TOTO MAKING HIS PAGE PUBLIC AND A 4 YEAR LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS GIRL?!?!?!

📍: what the fuck land

🏷️: totowolff

❤️: f1fan, totolover, mercedesfans and 87,645 others

💬:

totosgf: I KNOW OMG I NEED TO KNOW MORE

-> f1wagfan: totosgf SAME WHO IS SHE

mercfan: I think he made it public accidentally😭😭😭

-> f1one: mercfan he defo did

wagsof1: is she a pilot????

-> charlieboy<3: wagsof1 I NEED TO KNOW

totowolff

totowolff: there she goes again, see you in six months, meine liebe. Fly safe❤️

📍: RAF BASE

🏷️: youruser

❤️: lewishamilton, youruser and 56,859 others

💬:

youruser: miss you already

-> totowolff: youruser heartbroken💔

lewishamilton: love you yn, stay safe on deployment❤️❤️

-> youruser: lewishamilton thank you Lewis, will try to get to a race later this season!!❤️

f1fan: OMG WE WERE RIGHT SHE IS A PILOT OMG

-> totofan: f1fan AN RAF PILOT TOO OMFG

totosgf: I CANT BELIEVE THIS HOW DID NO ONE NOTICE IT???

-> pilotworld: totosgf they have done really well to keep it quiet, they are probably prioritising her safety

totosgf

totosgf: GUYS I FOUND HER INSTA @/youruser

📍: happy land

🏷️: youruser, totowolff

❤️: f1fanz, charlieboy<3, f1one and 26,785 others

💬:

f1fanz: did she make her account public too?

-> charlieboy<3: f1fanz I don’t think either of them understand how to use insta😭😭

f1one: I’m kind of worried, they obviously wanted privacy.

-> formulafan: f1one I think so too, she’s got a very important job

-> f1waggs: formulafan yeah we need to learn to respect people’s lives and leave them alone.

totowolffffff: I agree with everyone’s comments, but look how cute she is😭😭😍

totosgf: JUST REALISED THIS BUT OMG THEY’RE MARRIED!!!!!

-> click to view 23,958 responses to this comment.

f1wags

f1wags: Toto Wolff & (wife) Yn Wolff have privated their pages.

📍: f1

🏷️: youruser, totowolff

❤️: totosgf, f1fanz, fanoff1 and 86,750 others

💬:

totosgf: alright, own up. WHO TOLD THEM???

f1fanz: it was only a matter of time, I’m glad they get a bit of their privacy back

-> fanoff1: f1fanz me too😢

formulawag: I hope they’re both okay and yn gets her privacy

-> f1waggy: formulawag I hope we see her at a race at some point.

totowolff

totowolff: not how we wanted to announce it, but now she is off deployment and back in my arms… my wife, yn.

📍: home

🏷️: youruser

❤️: youruser, lewishamilton, maxverstappen1 and 87,735,927 others

💬:

youruser: see you all at Monaco!!

-> totowolff: youruser never letting you go again❤️

lewishamilton: love you two

-> youruser: lewishamilton thanks for your forger support Lew❤️

maxverstappen1: is your wife single?

-> totowolff: maxverstappen1 fuck off get your own.

youruser

youruser: to the next chapter of my life you all get to see❤️

📍: Monte-Carlo Monaco

🏷️: totowolff

❤️: totowolff, charles_leclerc, charlottesiine and 10,359,092 others

💬:

totowolff: to forever with you❤️❤️

-> youruser: totowolff mein herz❤️❤️

charlottesiine: YAY CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN🥰🥰🥰

-> youruser: charlottesiine was getting very difficult staying away😭😭

lewishamilton: power couple

landonorris: woah

totowolff

totowolff: my good luck charms❤️🍀

📍: Monte-Carlo Monaco

🏷️: youruser

❤️: youruser, f1, wagsoff1 and 9,734,895 others

💬:

youruser: dream weekend with my dream man❤️

-> totowolff: youruser mon amour❤️

wagsoff1: WAIT WAIT CHARM(S)?!?! IS THIS WHY SHE HAD A SHORT DEPLOYMENT??? IS SHE PREGNANT?!?!?!?!

-> f1fan: wagsoff1 THIS IS WHAT I WAS THINKING

-> ynfan: f1fan I love her. Omg. Little Wolff.

-> yourfan: ynfan LITTLE WOLFF YES!!!

[in1-nutshell]

Bot Buddy who is Bulkhead's older sibling, member of the Elite Guard, interacting with Team Prime

SFW, familial, platonic, Cybertronian/ Bot reader

Transformers Prime

Part 3 of 3

“… Bulkhead did you adopted this one or something?”—Buddy

The team is surprised to see Buddy get on their knees to pay more attention to the humans. Buddy later gets an altmode with them and gets to hang out with Bulkhead.

Speak of which has not left Buddy’s side since the tackling. He wants to catch up on everything with them. Bulkhead is a bit hesitant when they are put out on the field without him. It makes him antsy. Not because he thinks that they can’t handle themselves. Mainly because his deep fear is them disappearing like last time and it being permanent.

“Buddy just promise me to not take on anything you know you can’t handle, okay?”--Bulkhead

“Don’t worry Bulk. Anyways it’s my job to worry about you not the other way around.”--Buddy

“Can we both worry about the other?”--Bulkhead

“… Alright.”—Buddy

He nearly had a spark attack seeing Buddy launch themselves straight at Predaking.

“Get off of him!!!”--Bulkhead

They did well by themselves for a while too. Whenever both are paired together, it is the equivalent of several semitrucks ramming into one another.

They do have their little sibling spats, mainly over little things like where to play lob or if it is necessary to break some things.

“Why are Bulkhead and Buddy not speaking this time?”--Wheeljack

“Bulkhead accidentally knocked down Buddy’s Jenga game.”—Miko

Miko via osmosis was now Buddy’s other sibling/charge. If Miko isn’t with Bulkhead or Wheeljack she is most likely with Buddy. Miko likes doing trust fall from Buddy’s height. Buddy has expressed the displeasure of the action, but they are powerless against Miko’s puppy eyes. Absolutely loves her to death though.

“Am your new charge now?”--Miko

“Miko you aren’t my charge.”--Buddy

“…”--Miko

“You’re my child now.”—Buddy

Jack is a bit wary of Buddy due to their giant size but gets used to them after a bit. Doesn’t hang out with Buddy that often but knows that he can trust Buddy.

“So, how’s things at school working out?”--Buddy

“There okay. I got a B in today’s Math test.”--Jack

“That’s nice.”--Buddy

Raf loves telling Buddy stories about his day and what has happened before their arrival.

“Then what happened?”--Raf

“I got his shaft and rammed to the side of the build to stop the both of us from falling off of the exercise course!”--Buddy

“Cool!”--Raf

When June and Fowler see Buddy they think that maybe Buddy was a former Decepticon turned Autobot. They are a bit shocked to find out that they are related to Bulkhead. They don’t mind Buddy. Often if the three of them are alone they are often found talking about the stress of looking after others.

“So, I’m not the only one here that dies a little inside when Miko starts running to the ground bridge?”--Buddy

“That’s right.”--June

“Yes.”—Agent Fowler

Has told both June and Fowler that if any harm were to come towards the kids that they would do whatever it takes to get them to safety. It’s a bit of a reliever but they still worry.

“I would die for them.”--Buddy

“Well that’s nice for you to look after the kids.”--June

“I. Would. Die. For. Them.”--Buddy

“…”—June and Agent Fowler

Buddy has already told Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead that they could be a sub and would absolutely lay their life down to make sure the kids are okay.

Bumblebee doesn’t like the way they talk and later asks if they want to talk about it.

Bumblebee via osmosis is now small sibling.

“Mine now.”--Buddy

“Beep?(What?)”—Bumblebee

Arcee tries brushing it off, but deep down is a bit concerned and relieved knowing that Jack has another pair of optics on him.

“I would die for Jack.”--Buddy

“What?”--Arcee

Bulkhead understandably is the most upset of the three because he knows that Buddy is dead serious. Don’t get him wrong, having another pair of optics on Miko from going into the ground bridge is a huge relief but he also doesn’t want to lose them.

“I would die for you and Miko.”--Buddy

“…please don’t…”--Bulkhead

Buddy and Smokescreen surprisingly get along well. The team later finds out its because he was constantly following Buddy during their time in the Elite Guard.

“Remember when I put a bunch of bolts in some of the stun guns?”--Smokescreen

“Remember when I beat you in the shooting range on the bet of a couple of rust sticks?”--Buddy

Ratchet is a bit hesitant with Buddy. Mainly because he is worried, he has to deal with another Bulkhead that’s twice as destructive. But is surprised in how gentle they are and how they manage to keep others from bothering Ratchet for too long, has respect for Buddy.

“Miko how about we go on a ride together and not bother Ratchet.”--Buddy

“Thank you.”--Ratchet

Optimus is just glad that he has another member join their forces. And sometimes engage in some small talk.

“Did you ever sit on that one bench in Iacon that always seemed tittering whenever you’d put any weight on it?”--Buddy

“… yes, I remember that bench.”—Optimus

Wheeljack constantly tries to break Buddy out of their shell. He wants to see the bot that annihilated those cons constantly.

“C’mon just go berserker one more time.”--Wheeljack

“For the last time Wheeljack no.”--Buddy

“You’ll end up like Magnus if you keep having a stick up—”--Wheeljack

“If I do it one more time, will you stop it?”--Buddy

“Maybe.”—Wheeljack

Ultra Magnus to everyone he looks like he has a strict coworker relationship. But really, he has one of the closest relationships with Buddy. Absolutely has Buddy’s back on the battlefield and at the base. Has bend rules a bit if it’s for Buddy.

“Buddy.”--Magnus

“Ultra Magnus sir.”--Buddy

“How are this evening’s reports coming along?”--Magnus

“All written down, except the most recent one.”--Buddy

“That was our patrol, no?”--Magnus

“Yes, sir. It should get done as soon as I finish with Miko’s music practice.”--Buddy

“No need to do that report. I will handle it.”--Magnus

“Oh? Thank you, Ultra Magnus, sir.”--Buddy

“Please, Ultra Magnus is perfectly fine.”--Magnus

“Then, thank you Ultra Magnus.”—Buddy

“…What was that?!”--Miko

“…”--Bulkhead

“Miko?! What have I said about eavesdropping?”--Buddy

“…”--Bulkhead

Bulkhead doesn’t know what to think about it.

[thatturtleleon]

Ramble about the TFP kids

sometimes I feel like people misinterpret these three, especially Miko and Jack. i've seen others write Miko off as an annoying girl who messes up everything, and jack as a boring/bland character. I actually haven't seen much "hate" on raf, we all love raf lol.

and of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, i totally understand being annoyed by the humans and just wanting the transformer action ! but for me personally, i've always really liked their dynamic and personalities in TFP. i love how much they act like siblings, and how they're so different from each other but love each other like family. we also have to remember they're still kids, so they're gonna act like kids.

Miko runs into situations head first, she acts before she thinks. yes, this gets her in trouble a lot but it also makes her quick to take action in dangerous situations (even if she was the one her got herself in that situation in the first place). i love how she's not afraid to be herself, she's loud, states her opinion, wears those funky shoes, etc. it's just her character yk? she's a wrecker, she's tough and does what she wants, but she also cares about her friends and isn't afraid to express that. an example i can think of off the top of my head is in that one episode about the three being stuck in an alternate dimension; raf dropped his glasses and although miko teased him about it, she still ran and got the glasses back.

now for Jack, he's pretty much the opposite of Miko. that doesn't mean he lacks character and/or personality though. his personality IS being average, introverted, and overall a pretty neutral guy. unlike miko and raf, he doesn't want anything to do with the bots at first. he's also incredibly selfless and caring. and those qualities are ones that i think some people tend to overlook. when jack's bully, vince, got captured by knockout, he still wanted to save him. despite vince being an absolute asshole. jack also risks his life for people he cares about, as well as people he doesn't. not to mention he and miko snap back and forth, so both of them are at least similar in the sassy department lol.

as for Raf, i know i said i haven't really seen hate on his character but i'm gonna talk about him anyways. him being able to understand bumblebee makes a lot of sense to me and isn't just some "random quirky ability he has". number one, raf is extremely smart, and very good with computers, so it makes sense that'd he'd be good at decoding and understanding what bumblebee's beeps mean. (idk anything about computers and coding and all of that so i'm just assuming that has something to do with him being able to understand bumblebee LMAO, honestly i might look into this and make a separate post abt it). secondly, raf and bumblebee are pretty similar, so that's another reason they are greater at understanding each other. they're both the youngest in their groups (from what i remember) and they each struggle with being understood, even by their own family.

in conclusion for this little ramble here, i love the TFP kids so much and their personalities are really fun to analyze. as well as the relationships they have with each other and the bots. i think that's another thing i really enjoy about TFP and the humans, the human-bot relationships. yes they're guardians to the kids but they eventually become family to each other. and as ratchet says, "they've grown to need each other". the kids aren't just some random humans who hang out at the base, they help out on missions and, as i've said a billion times in this post, they've become family.

note: i'm sick and slightly delirious while writing this so hopefully everything makes sense and isnt too repetitive lol, also please feel free to ramble in the comments or add onto this, i love reading them <3

[cetaitlaverite]

Anything to Anywhere

Masters of the Air - John Egan x OC

happy 1st november. here's a christmassy chapter to celebrate. masterlist is hereeee <3

21. A Unicorn Indeed

The war didn’t stop for Christmas. In Stella’s experience, the war didn’t stop for anything. Flights for both 138 and 161 went out the same as they always did. Stella’s first flight with 161, in fact, was set for the 27th. She would be leaving Tempsford for Tangmere on Boxing Day.

Barely anyone had gotten leave to go home for Christmas. Guy had, after his nightmare time in occupied territory, and he left on Christmas Eve for a whole three days back at home in London. Most everyone else, though, including the air exec and the wireless operators and the medics and the nurses and the cooks and the ground crew, were stuck in Tempsford, where even letters from home would take months to get to them; all correspondence had to be addressed to the RAF head office in London to be picked up by a special courrier. No one was allowed to know where they all were, even family.

On Christmas Eve, all four girls in Hut 6 sat on Lucky’s bed in their pyjamas, talking about home. Lucky had given Stella her childhood stuffed bunny to hold onto and, in return, Stella had given Lucky Ralph. She sat fiddling with his paws as she spoke of the home and the family she’d left behind in Poland.

“On Christmas Eve, as you say - Wigilia is how we call it - we are busy all day to make sure everything is ready before the first star appears in the sky,” she was saying. “All of the food is cooked and all of the dishes are washed and the tree is decorated. We do not want to be doing any work after the first star is in the sky. And then we sit down to dinner with twelve different dishes and everyone must try some of all of them, but before we eat we must break the opłatek - this, I think, you call wafers. And we wish each other good luck for the next year. And then we eat.”

“You eat your Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve?” Houds asked.

“Yes,” Lucky answered, quirking an eyebrow. “We also exchange presents.”

“In England we do all of that on Christmas Day,” Houds said.

Lucky scoffed. “I know this. I have been living in England for three years by now.” She shook her head, pulling a face. “Strange traditions you have.”

“What about you, Babs?” Donny asked with an amused grin, turning to Stella. “How do you usually celebrate Christmas?”

Stella shrugged. She burrowed further into John’s jacket, zipped up over the top of her pyjamas in what she’d claimed was a bid to stay warm but was actually a bid to feel close to him. She set her eyes on Lucky’s stuffed bunny, currently sitting perched on the side of one of her calves as she sat cross-legged on the bed. “I haven’t celebrated since before the war,” she replied, “but back home my brothers and I used to pull names out of a hat and that would be who we would buy a present for. Then on Christmas Day we would have dinner the same as every other night but we would give each other our presents afterwards.”

Houds’ eyebrows were furrowed when Stella glanced up. “Did your parents not get you any presents?”

In an attempt to be subtle, Donny elbowed her in the ribs, but Houds complained so loudly about it that the effect was lost.

Stella chuckled under her breath. “No,” she answered simply. “My parents…” She trailed off. She hadn’t ever gotten so far as to tell John about her parents. If she told the other girls then they’d know more about her than John did, and she didn’t want anyone to know her better than John did. But then Lucky leaned her head on Stella’s bicep and peered up at her with her wide eyes and Stella forced the thought out of her head; she still didn’t even know if John was alive. He wouldn’t want her guarding herself from people in his name.

“My dad left when I was young,” she said, and now her eyes were on her sleeves, her hands having retreated into them. She ducked her head, trying to be subtle as she inhaled John’s lingering scent on his jacket, and then went on, “My parents didn’t want so many children but I suppose my mum was super fertile. They were both angry when they found out she was pregnant with me. From what my brothers tell me, they tried to hold it together and my dad managed just about long enough for me to be born but it went downhill afterwards. When I turned nine he decided I was old enough to go without a father and he left one morning, very casually, just walked past all of us out of the house and never came back.

“My mum,” she continued, “didn’t want nine children either, much less to have to try to raise us all and keep us all alive with no husband bringing home any money. So my brothers had to go to work and my mum started working as a maid, but we never had any money regardless of how much they were all trying to work. So, no, my mum didn’t get us presents. She worked as hard as she could just to put food on the table. So my siblings took care of it and we got gifts for each other and, when all of us had started working, we started trying to get her a gift, too.”

The other girls had been quiet whilst Stella was speaking, watching her closely, drinking it all in. They couldn’t comprehend, really, how this girl who had grown up so differently from them had landed herself in the same place. There were many men who had come from similar backgrounds to Stella in the RAF, yes, because the RAF was actively recruiting; it didn’t matter if you were a man who had never flown a plane before because they wanted to train you anyway. The RAF was full to the brim with working class men and boys, in fact, who had learnt to fly during the war and were now being promoted up to the brass.

But women? No. No one was elbowing anyone out of the way to train women to fly planes. There was ancestral money associated with female pilots because they had to have their fair share of civilian flight hours to even apply for the ATA.

Yes, Stella Finley was a unicorn indeed, a working class girl who had learned to fly against all odds and now found herself one of only four women who flew for the RAF. And now she was about to fly for Squadron 161, the most secret of them all.

It was Houds who spoke first. “So that’s why no birthday cakes,” she said simply.

In spite of herself, Stella laughed. “Right,” she confirmed. “And my birthday’s in November, so everyone would be saving up for Christmas presents anyway. No birthday cake for me.”

“What about birthday presents?”

“From my oldest brother,” Stella confirmed with a soft smile. “Will. He always got me a birthday present. And one year, when money was good and all of my brothers had started work, they scrounged up enough money to get me this.” She pulled down the zip of John’s jacket a few inches, then tugged down the neckline of her pyjama top and withdrew the chain around her neck, held up the end to showcase the charm hanging from it. A tiny little silver bird caught and glinted in the overhead lights. A hummingbird.

Lucky reached out to touch it and smiled. “Pretty,” she said.

Stella grinned. “Thanks.” She let all three of them have a look at it, then promptly tucked it back into her pyjamas and zipped John’s jacket all the way back up, burying her chin in it momentarily to restore the warmth she’d lost. “Anyway,” she said after a couple of moments, “Donny, how do you and Daisy usually celebrate Christmas?”

They carried on talking about Christmas traditions for a while and then they got to talking about life in general; how Donny had met Daisy and how long it had taken him to propose, what it was like being married and whether or not any of the other girls thought they might get married eventually. Houds declared that she would only get married if she found a man who would let her have her own bedroom and sleep in her own bed, and wouldn’t force babies upon her. She didn’t see herself as a mother. Lucky said she had always thought she’d marry one of the boys who had grown up on the same street as her, but that he’d been killed during the Nazi invasion of Poland.

“Now?” she said. “I do not know. If I fall in love I will get married. I am not worried if I do not.” She was sly as she turned her eyes on Stella. “But Babs will marry the man who owns the jacket, will you not, Babs?”

Stella sputtered a scoff. “I don’t even know if he’s alive!” she exclaimed when she found her voice, sitting bolt upright on the bed. “I’ve never even kissed him!”

“Did you ever want to?” Houds asked curiously.

Stella’s cheeks were on fire. She picked up Lucky’s stuffed bunny and held it in front of her face, shaking her head from behind it. “I’m not talking about this. For all I know he’s been dead for two months by now.”

“But you don’t really believe that,” Donny deduced. “It’s unlikely that it was the pilot who didn’t get out when there were so many parachutes from his plane.”

“He still might have been killed on the ground,” Stella pointed out. She wasn’t sure why she was trying to insist that John was dead - she’d spent many nights convincing herself he wasn’t, coming up with any and all arguments which would point to the fact that he had gotten safely out of the plane and had navigated himself to safety - but maybe she just wanted the others to come up with some new ones, to confirm to her what she hoped more than anything in the world: that John was still alive, was safe somewhere in Germany, a prisoner of war who was guaranteed to survive the fighting, as much as he would have hated to be locked up.

“If he’s a POW he’ll be fine,” Donny said, as she’d said many a time before. “The Nazis aren’t nice to them, from what I hear, but they honour the Geneva Convention. If your Yank gave himself up and went willingly he’ll survive the war. Will you kiss him then?”

Stella peeked out from behind the bunny to find Houds looking at her with raised eyebrows, Lucky wiggling hers, and Donny smiling wildly.

Throwing herself forward on the bed, Stella buried her face in Lucky’s duvet. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Have you ever kissed a man?” Lucky asked. She was audibly grinning.

“Yes!” Stella cried. She sat up only momentarily to throw a pillow at her, then flopped back over again at once.

“Who?” Lucky challenged, unphased as she set her pillow back down in its rightful place.

“I briefly had a boyfriend when I was a teenager,” Stella said, turning her face to speak more clearly, rolling her eyes. “I’m not completely innocent.”

“But you’re a virgin,” Houds surmised.

Stella scoffed. “Not that it’s any of your business but yes, I am.”

“Does John know?”

Lucky got the same pillow thrown back in her face for that one. “Yes,” Stella all but growled. “But I’m not at all sure why it’s relevant.”

Lucky was cackling by now. “I bet he is lying in his POW bed somewhere in Germany dreaming up all of the things he would like to do -”

“Shut up, Lucky!” Stella cried. Her cheeks were in flames. “I don’t want to talk about this! You might be making innuendos about a dead man!”

“He’s not dead, Babs,” Donny cut in, laughing. “I can almost guarantee it. And I can’t wait to meet him once this is all finished.” She was smiling widely when she reached over to pat Stella’s leg encouragingly. “Tell us about him,” she said.

Sitting up straight, Stella busied her hands with smoothing down her hair, fighting to calm the blush in her cheeks. Once she had collected as much composure as she was likely to get, she set to fiddling with Lucky’s rabbit’s ears as she ventured, “He’s very tall.”

“How tall?” Houds challenged.

Stella laughed. “I don’t know! Much taller than me. Maybe about a head taller than me.”

Donny nodded her approval. “Very tall for a pilot,” she acknowledged.

“Very,” Stella agreed. “And he’s broad, too. Wide shoulders and a strong chest. Big arms.” She flushed as she said it. She didn’t like to admit that she’d noticed his arms but she certainly had. She’d never seen them bare but she’d felt them when he’d carried her on his back. Even just the thought of them made her feel hot.

Lucky whistled. “Big arms,” she echoed. “Very attractive.”

Stella rolled her eyes jovially. “He has dark hair,” she went on. “I used to think it was black but it’s a very dark brown, you can tell when he stands in the sunshine. Curly hair. Long-ish at the front and short on the sides.” She was smiling as she spoke, now. “And he has blue eyes. Dark blue, but they shine brightly when the light hits them. And he’s always warm, even when it’s cold out. He hates to be cold but his hands are always warm.”

“What else?” Lucky demanded.

Stella nudged her affectionately. “He likes to sing, even though he’s terrible at it. And he likes to dance, too. He can be very opinionated but I can’t resent him for it because I’m exactly the same. One time we had a major falling out and we hated each other for weeks because of it, but even then he still sat with me in the infirmary after my plane got hit by flak, to make sure I wasn’t alone.” Stella sighed. Her eyes fell to the duvet, trying to make out imaginary patterns in its folds. “He’s funny and passionate and he cares so much about the people he loves. He always let me talk at him for hours on end about things he must not have cared about at all. He loves baseball - he supports a team in New York called the Yankees, even though he’s actually from Wisconsin - and he -”

She faltered, sniffling. She hadn’t even realised there were tears in her eyes until one had slipped out and fallen down her cheek.

Ruefully, sadly, Stella laughed at herself, hastily swiping away the tear. “He tried to tell me he loved me the last time I saw him, the night before his plane went down. And I wouldn’t let him.”

“Why?” Donny asked softly.

“Because I was afraid. I -” One more sad little laugh, one more shake of her head. “I didn’t think I deserved him. I wasn’t good enough for him. And I thought he’d figure it out eventually, so I didn’t want him to promise me things only to take them away later on.”

“Oh, Babs,” Donny sighed, giving her knee a squeeze.

Lucky flung her arms around Stella’s waist and burrowed into her side.

From the other end of the bed, Houds was smiling softly at Stella. “I bet he misses you an awful lot,” she said. “And I bet he loves you even more.”

Stella tried to smile back but she knew it fell flat. “I miss him so much,” she confessed. And I think I love him even more, too.

The pub was shut on Christmas Day, so everyone gathered in the mess hall to celebrate. The cooks had made a roast dinner and sat down to eat it with them, and Mouse had gone to the effort of securing Christmas crackers for them all to pull before they ate. 

Everyone had to wear their silly paper crown and many a petty argument arose over colours. Stella didn’t mind what colour hers was - she’d never had a Christmas cracker before, never had a silly paper crown to wear - so she traded with three different people until everyone was happy with what they’d gotten. In the end, her crown was yellow, and the joke in her cracker was so diabolical it was actually funny.

The celebrations were loud and joyful. Stella had never known a Christmas like this. Even at Thorpe Abbotts Christmas had been a quiet affair, though she wondered whether that was still the case now that the Americans were there.

But here, at Tempsford with the Moon Squadron, this wild group of fearless pilots who ferried people and supplies illegally in and out of occupied territory knew how to celebrate. They had lost a lot of pilots this year, after all; they knew to be grateful when the opportunity arose to revel in the joy of being alive.

They drank the alcohol supply on the airfield dry as evening pushed into night, and pushed all of the tables aside so they could dance to the music on the radio. With flushed cheeks and a sore throat from so much laughter, Stella was spun around the dance floor again and again and again, and whenever she got tired she remembered how she’d spent last Christmas alone and reading in her hut and she decided to dance some more.

She thought of John when Goose suggested they all take turns singing. They didn’t have the instrumental versions of any music, so whoever knew the song on the radio would just sing loud enough to cover the original singer.

And John would have loved it. All of it. The wild revelry, the celebration of being alive, the alcohol and the dancing and the singing and the stupid paper crowns and the terrible jokes and how everyone told everyone else how much they loved them every five seconds.

When ‘Blue Skies’ came on the radio, Stella volunteered herself to sing before anyone else could. Because this was John’s favourite song and she couldn’t give him a Christmas present, not the way she wanted to, so this would have to do.

She sang loudly and without self-consciousness, even though she’d never much enjoyed singing, and Lucky stood up to join her as soon as she held an arm out to her to ask. And so the two of them stood with their arms wrapped around each other, singing at the tops of their lungs to cover Irving Berlin’s crooning, swaying in time to the beat. And Stella thought about John, tried to imagine him celebrating Christmas with Buck and Curt and DeMarco and Brady and everyone else who had gone down, and hoped, more than anything, that he might be able to feel that she was thinking about him, hoped that he might be thinking about her too.

[mariacrow]

❉ TFP Ratchet x reader ❉

It’s been some time since problems at home were keeping you away from it. You would stay in the base for days, weeks… Sleep on the couch and barely eat. When you wouldn’t go out to get food, Miko, Jack or Raf would bring some of their home cooking or just pick up something on their way to the base. Everyone is concerned for you… Especially Ratchet.

1st person

female reader

angst and fluff

takes place in the TFP base

bad mood, concern, crying, comfort

suggestive relationship between Ratchet and the reader

I overslept today, again… As usual, I couldn’t sleep so I stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning, I can’t even remember… I was watching TV on the couch or just scrolling through my phone. I woke up at around 11:30am.

“Morning, sleepy head.” Ratchet said, working since early hours. He needs only a couple of hours of stasis to rest and go back to work. Last night he was still up when I went to sleep.

“Good morning…” I said in a groggy voice while going down the stairs, heading to the bathrooms to do my morning routine. Thankfully this base belonged to the military so it has bathrooms.

Bulkhead walked past me, seeing I’m not in the mood for morning talk. Then he approached Ratchet.

“She bunked in here again, huh?” he asked.

“Again.” Ratchet confirmed, sounding more concerned than irritated. Not getting his eyes off the computer and control panel.

“I kinda worry about her man…” Bulkhead said, looking at my direction.

“We all worry.” Ratchet said.

“You know she only talks to you, right? As in talk talk. THE talk.”

“Yes, I know, Bulkhead.” Ratchet sighed, “But this is not something she’d open up so easily about. Now can you let me work in peace? Please.” he wasn’t irritated by Bulk, it was the concern that wouldn’t leave his head keeping him away from concentration.

Bulkhead nodded, “I’ll go on patrol.” he said before he transformed and left the base.

“Very wise.” Ratchet said.

I went back to the little cozy human corner we made, sitting on the couch, checking my phone. No sounds coming from me except yawning.

“You need to eat.” Ratchet said.

“I’m not hungry…”

“Y/N, it is not healthy for your organism.”

“You’re a robot medic, for robots, not humans… If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat.”

Ratchet sighed in irritation, “For Primus’ sake. Bumblebee and Rafael will be here soon with some food and drinks.”

I didn’t respond to that.

“…Y/N. Come here.” he said as he stopped working, looking at me.

I sighed and left my phone, barely getting myself to stand up, dragging my feet to his working area. Leaning against the metal fence, keeping my head bowed. He was right at my eye level but I had no courage to look him in the optics.

“Look at me.” he said calmly, in a quiet and soft manner.

I looked slightly to the side.

“Y/N, look at me. Please…” I’ve never heard him talk like this before…

I finally looked into his optics like a sad puppy.

“What?” was the only word that I could muster.

“Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong, I can help you.”

“You can’t help me-“

“I can. WE can. You just need to talk to us. I know you find it difficult to open up but now it is time. If you don’t want to talk to them, at least talk to me… I am your guardian.” he interrupted.

“You never wanted to admit you’re my guardian-“

“Well I am!” he interrupted again, he sounded kinda proud. “Perhaps I never wanted to say it in front of others because… I guess I just.. I don’t know…”

That made my heart ache… “It’s okay, Ratchet… I understand…”

“No, no it is not okay. I am here to protect you. I am here for you.”

I’ve never heard him speak like that… It made my face expression soften up. Everything has been piling up lately and this was my breaking point… I hid my face in my hands as I started quietly crying…

“I’m sorry, Ratchet… I’m so sorry… I didn’t want to hide anything from you, I just-…” I sobbed.

He didn’t really know how to react. He isn’t good at this, at comforting. But he could feel his spark ache… He might be a grumpy old medic but he isn’t sparkless…

He carefully picked me up, gently holding me in his servos as he brought me to his chassis. I couldn’t help but cling onto him like a baby koala, hiding in the crook of his neck while quietly sobbing.

“Don’t cry… Please, don’t cry…” he said, gently rubbing my back, “Everything is going to be alright… I’m here for you. All of us are here for you. I’ve heard it’s difficult at home…”

I nodded, “Yeah…” whimpering as I was trying to calm down.

“You can stay here as much as you’d like, sweetheart. You’re more than welcomed.”

I nodded again, clinging onto him harder.

“Shhh… It’s alright… I’m not going anywhere…”

“Th-thank you, Ratchet…” I stuttered due to my unstable breathing.

“But promise me one thing, sweetums.”

“Yeah..? Wh-what is it..?” I looked up at him as he looked down at me, bringing me closer to his face plate.

“Eat and drink. Do not neglect yourself, it is very unhealthy. You already lost weight, I can feel it…” he said while gently drying my eyes with his digit.

I nodded, rubbing my reddish nose. “Yes. I promise.”

“That’s a good girl.” he said as he softly kissed my forehead, scooting some hair away from my face. He made me smile and cheer up.

“Can I stay here while you work…? I mean.. here here…” here in his comforting embrace.

“Naturally.” he said with a warm smile as he held me with one of his servos, continuing to work with the other. I could feel his spark getting warmer which comforted me even more.

+ bonus +

Arcee, Bumblebee and Optimus in the back.

Arcee: …what in the-

Bumblebee: *while holding food* buzz beepboop buzzbuzz beepboopbeep

Optimus: indeed, Bumblebee. I have never seen Ratchet like this before either.

Arcee: well she definitely found his soft spot. Never knew he actually had one.

Optimus: Ratchet might be rough on the edges but inside.. he cares about all of us very deeply. *epic OP speech*

No, I don’t have a father figure, how did you know?

Dividers belong to @cute-sushi-roll , @conanstars 🧡

[ricegobbler]

OH MY GOODNESS. A TFP HEADCANON/SCENARIO WRITER WHO HAS REQUESTS OPEN. Our nature is clearing. Runs around happily

Can i request the bots accidentally finding a cybertronian sparkling baby (just. laying somewhere. don't question it) with no parents and deciding to keep it, then asking the kids, June and Fowler to take care of it while they're away <3 and learn their traditions and anatomy and stuff

AUTOBOTS FINDING CYBERTRONIAN SPARKLING!!

OMGOMGOMG I LOVE YOUR ENERGY FIRST OF ALL. IM HERE TO HELP CURE THE TFP WRITER COMMUNITY!!!! SECOND, I LOVE THIS REQUEST!!!

ALSO, SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO DO, IVE BEEN TRAVELIKG FOR FAMILY EVENTS BUT IM BACKKKK!!!

ANYWAYS ENJOY!!!!!

——————————————————————-

It was a normal day in the base, everyone was minding their own business until Raf, Miko, and Jack was heard in the halls of the base.

All the bots ran to the three kids with weapons and their blasters ready to hurt whoever or whatever was making the three yell. “WHAT HAPPENED.” Yelled bulkhead the second the bots arrived, “ITS A BABY!!!” Miko yelled with joy. The bots all lowered their weapons and eyed each other in confusion. “How did a sparkling get here?” Arcee asked, looking up at Optimus who just had a confused serious face on. “I am not sure where they came from, but we must check it out in case of any injuries first.” Said Optimus, he then looked at ratchet and ratchet groaned “alright..”

Later, ratchet finished up checking the sparkling and came back with good news. “Good news is she’s in perfect health, and-“ he was then cut off by Miko, “ITS A GIRL?? YES!” Ratchet grumbled. “is there any bad news??” Smokescreen asked, “she’s a grower. Which means she’ll grow up quick and big.” Jack whispered to himself “did he just call her fat..”

A couple days later, the sparkling would just be taken care of the humans lost of the time when the others would go on missions. Sometimes she’d be with ratchet because he’s always at base. He would yell at her though when she’d touch something she wasn’t supposed to touch. Ending up with her crying because she’s js a baby☹️ Ratchet wouldn’t know what to do but he would just try making her sleep to calm her down and say sorry. He’d sound like he didn’t mean it, but he really did.

When the sparkling would be with Jack, Raf, and Miko they would basically show her human stuff. Miko would introduce her to music, Jack would introduce her to games, and Raf would just introduce her to lil inventions he made. The longer they’d watch her the more they learned about her, they found out from Ratchet that she wasn’t exactly born like how a human baby was. They are kept in statis pods until they are received a spark from the matrix. Once Miko asked Ratchet how they were made, he had no answer. And raf asked how baby humans were made, no one answered at all.

Sometimes the sparkling is watched by June and Fowler as well. And when she is, June is in mother mode. Even tho most of the time she is- Fowler would just be there. Not knowing what to do- he would just be working most of the time but when he has time he’d try talking to the sparkling and teach her some stuff. June would just take care of her most, feed her, comfort, make her sleep, literally anything a baby needs:D

——————————————————————————

Sorry if this is bad!! I was also rushing this😓😓

Hoped you enjoyed this tho!! Tysm for requesting

Requests are still closed bc I’m working on old requests! Pls be patient and kind<33

I js realized I didn’t add wheeljack or ultra Magnus. Oops I’m sorry wheeljack n Magnus lovers😭

[transformers-platonic]

What the Autobots learned from the humans

The humans weren’t the only ones who learned from the experience. The Autobots learned as well. There are spoliers for Transformers Prime, especially key episodes so if you haven’t seen it, you may want to miss this one.

Optimus

- The most obvious is the concept of family as he told Ultra Magnus. The humans don’t act like the Autobots, sure the Bots banter from time to time, but I doubt that Optimus had the same experience with silliness or kids just being kids. I think this would help him relax and remember what they are fighting for, not just the next part of the fight.

Ratchet

- He saw humans as “Less then” before. With his experience with the humans, he had to take the time to know them as individuals and soon saw them as friends and watched them grow. Perhaps if he ever was on another planet, he would remember that other species have their own strengths as well and be less dismissive.

Arcee

- She learned how to let people in. Not just Jack, but also Miko and Wheeljack. With Miko, Arcee was honest about her struggle with what happened to Cliffjumper and allowed herself to be vulnerable, which she likely wouldn’t have done earlier in the series. In season 3, she advised Wheeljack not to block people out, explaining she learned from experience. I the first episode, she didn’t talk to the others about how she felt, she went for a drive alone. Now she may be more likely to admit if something is bothering her.

Bumblebee

- Even with the other cybertronians being able to understand him, Bumblebee didn’t speak up for himself. This is shown by when Arcee decided to go “on patrol” (it was clear she just didn’t want to deal with the humans), Bee went with her when Arcee told him to, though how he shown interest in being teamed up with Raf, he may not have wanted to leave nor did he question the rule. He also didn’t seem to think he was ready to be a warrior even when Optimus did so by how he was talking to Raf. In the end of the series, he directly confronted Megatron, landing the winning blow.

Bulkhead

- He seemed to struggle with his place on the team, telling Miko that Optimus never picks him to be in charge and the fact he apologized for bringing Miko despite the fact she snuck onto the mission and seemed worried when Miko stood up for him. With him politely arguing with Ultra Magnus about Miko’s involvement in the Wreckers, it shows that he learned to say what he believes.

Smokescreen

- At first, he saw the mission as a dream come true and had an idolized idea of the battle. He took reckless actions, believing it would work out naturally. Even though his line to Arcee, “Humans squish easily, I know that now.” sounds dismissive, it shows that he is realizing that the battle isn’t going to work out just because they’re right. He also shows this by deciding to save Optimus instead of being a Prime. He doesn’t tell the others about the choice until a long time later (and it’s not done as a form of bragging). He learned to take the mission seriously.

Ultra Magnus

- He learned how to adapt to a more family based team dynamic. Earlier on, he tried to force the other members of Team Prime to fit into the idea of what the groups on Cybertron were like. This was not working with the team. By spending time with the humans and the other members of Team Prime, he learned to relax. Yes, he was till very formal, but as shown by reacting with confusion but not annoyance when Fowler told them to bring their kilts, it shows he relaxed in his expectations. This also shows by how he admitted that it was good that Wheeljack brought Miko even though at first he didn’t like her coming and seemed to see humans as these weird species that don’t know the chain of command, now he sees the humans play an important role.

[grandmaster-anne]

Gyles Brandreth's Exclusive Extract Part 1

The Mail Plus | Published 25 November 2022

SATURDAY and Sunday, ­September 3 and 4. It is the weekend before the Queen’s death. The Right Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields — who is staying with her at Balmoral — finds her ‘in fantastic form’.

He has dinner with her on Saturday evening, gives the sermon at Braemar and Crathie ­Parish Church on Sunday morning, then has lunch with her on Sunday afternoon. They talk about the Queen’s childhood, her horses, church affairs (she is ‘well up to speed’) and her sadness at what is happening in Ukraine.  

This is quite typical. The Queen is good at living in the present but often draws on her memories of the past, grateful for the lessons it has taught her.  

‘She was so alive and so engaging,’ recalled Dr Greenshields later.

Tuesday, September 6. Clive Cox, one of Her Majesty’s favourite racehorse trainers, gets a call from the Queen at 10 am. She wants to chat to him about the prospects for her two-year-old, Love Affairs, who is running in the two o’clock at Goodwood.

‘We talked about the filly,’ he said, ‘how the race might pan out, how another horse of hers was doing in my stable, and about a couple of other things. She was sharp as a tack.’

It is a busy day. Not only does the Queen present her outgoing Communications ­Secretary with an honour, but she also spends time with her fourteenth and fifteenth prime ministers.

Boris Johnson said: ‘She could not have been kinder, more sympathetic or personally ­encouraging.’ Moreover, she was full of ­‘characteristic humour and wisdom’.

Wednesday September 7. Every newspaper is carrying pictures of the Queen at Balmoral yesterday. She appears old, yes — she is 96 — and frail. There is a dark bruise mark on the back of her right hand but she looks alert and very much alive.

She is smiling, looking over the tops of her spectacles at the camera. There is a definite, mischievous twinkle in her eye.

For other royals, today is business as usual. Prince Charles spends the day doing good works in Lanarkshire. Tonight, he is hosting a dinner at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.

Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, are at events across Lancashire. Princess Anne is visiting the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Ramsay.

By late afternoon, however, rumour is rife. I have a call from my son-in-law (a former Coldstream Guards officer) to say that he is at the Cavalry and Guards Club in Piccadilly, where groups are gathering to discuss the detail of Operation London Bridge — the codename for the action-plan that comes into being the moment the sovereign dies. What has ­happened? Has she had a fall? Has she had a stroke?

Thursday September 8. Rumour had swirled all morning. At 12:32 p.m. Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying the Queen’s doctors were concerned for her health and, though she was ‘comfortable’, recommended she remain under medical supervision while family members were informed. The Queen’s helicopter left Windsor Castle at 6:48 a.m. to collect Prince Charles from Dumfries House where he had spent the night. He reached Balmoral at 10:27 a.m. Camilla had spent the night at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate and was driven by car to join him.

Charles leaving Dumfries house to rush to the Queen's bedside

The Princess Royal was already there — at her mother’s side to the end. Andrew and Edward, the Queen’s younger sons, and Sophie, Edward’s wife, and Prince William and Prince Harry were reported to be on their way.

There was confusion about whether or not Harry’s wife, Meghan, would go up to Scotland with him. When it became clear that Catherine was not going because she would be collecting her children from school, it emerged that Meghan was not going, either.

Andrew, Edward and Sophie, and Prince William arrived at Aberdeen airport in an RAF executive jet at 3:50 p.m. and William drove the four of them to Balmoral, 45 miles away. They arrived at 5:06 p.m. Queen Eli

The formal announcement of her death came from Buckingham Palace at 6:30 p.m. while Prince Harry was still in the air. His flight from Luton airport to Aberdeen was delayed. He was the last of the family to arrive at Balmoral, and the first to leave. Travelling to a BBC studio in London in the early evening, I saw a double rainbow in the sky above Buckingham Palace.

And I found out from a friend in the racing world that the Queen’s horse, Love Affairs, comfortably won the two o’clock at Goodwood on Tuesday: ‘led field centre, made all, ridden and stayed on gamely final furlong, unchallenged’.

The truth is that Her Majesty always knew that her remaining time was limited. She accepted this with all the grace you’d expect. 

‘Her faith was everything to her.  She told me she had no regrets,’ said Dr Greenshields, referring to the last weekend he spent with her at Balmoral.

I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life. The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects the elderly.  

Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment — including medicines to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent the weakening of the bones — can reduce the severity of its symptoms and extend the patient’s survival by months or two to three years.   

Was the Queen given steroids to help get her through that important final day of duty two weeks ago? Was that bruise on the back of her hand that we saw in the photographs of her with Liz Truss the mark left by an intravenous cannula? Or was it simply the kind of accidental bruise that comes with old age?  

All I do know is that ‘cause of death’ on her death certificate will be given simply as ‘old age’ — just as it was for the Duke of Edinburgh last year.  

‘Old age’ is a quite commonly listed cause of death when a patient is over 80 and their doctor has cared for them over time and seen their gradual decline.

(When the Queen’s death was registered on 16 September my prediction proved accurate. The death was certified by Dr Douglas James Allan Glass, a local GP and official apothecary to the Queen who had been looking after her in Scotland for more than 30 years and who was with her when she died. Dr Glass said: ‘We have been concerned about the Queen’s health for several months. It was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen.’)

When Prince Philip retired in 2019, the Queen very deliberately left him to it. She carried on with her royal duties at Buckingham Palace or at Windsor Castle while he lived out his days at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate.

They would speak regularly on the phone, but weeks could go by without them seeing one another. That shocked some people, though not those who appreciated how well the Queen understood her husband — understood his wish to be left to his own devices, ‘not to be fussed over’, to be allowed, after more than 70 years of duty, to see out his days in his own way.

When the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world in 2020, however, Prince Philip decided to spend ‘lockdown’ with the Queen, and a small retinue of staff, at Windsor Castle.

And when lockdown was lifted, Philip and Elizabeth, having spent more time close together than they had done in years, decided it rather suited them. They left Windsor together and travelled up to Balmoral together for their traditional summer break.

When that was over, they went back to Sandringham — but not to the big house. Instead, together they went to live at Wood Farm, Philip’s bolthole, the un-grand, unpretentious place he regarded as his home on the estate.

It’s where he wanted to end his days, and the Queen wanted to be with him to the end. But on February 16, 2021, the Duke was admitted to hospital in London as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell.

On March 3, he underwent a successful procedure for an existing heart condition. He was discharged 13 days later and returned to Windsor Castle.

Three weeks later, his death was announced at noon, April 9, with the release of a statement saying he had ‘died peacefully’ that morning at Windsor Castle.

His daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, described his death as ‘so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went’.

The Queen was reported to have been at her husband’s bedside when he died on the morning of April 9, 2021. In fact, I don’t believe she was.   

The Duke of Edinburgh had been in a hospital bed, set up in his dressing room at Windsor Castle. That morning, he went to the bathroom, helped by a nurse.  

When he came back, he said he felt a little faint and wanted help getting back into bed.  The nurse called the Duke’s valet and the Queen’s page, Paul Whybrew, for help — and he died before the Queen could be called.

The Queen wasn’t yet up. And she wasn’t called until after a doctor had come and pronounced the Duke dead.   

He was being laid out when the Prince of Wales arrived. Charles waited and had a cup of tea, but went away without seeing his father.

Prince Edward did see him and then, gradually, the rest of the family began to arrive. As they tried to comfort the Queen, the Queen was comforting them.

It helped that Elizabeth was accustomed to her own company. Even when her husband was alive, she had so often spent evenings on her own.

Immediately after Prince Philip’s funeral, she returned to her apartment in Windsor Castle in silence.

‘I helped her off with her coat and hat,’ her dresser, Angela Kelly, remembered, ‘and no words were spoken. The Queen then walked to her sitting room, closed the door behind her, and she was alone with her thoughts.’ When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria retreated from the world. When Prince Philip died, Queen Elizabeth II went towards it.

She knew it was her Christian duty to carry on as best as she could. ‘There is no magic formula that will transform sorrow into happiness,’ she said, ‘but being busy helps.’

In the immediate aftermath of Prince Philip’s death, Vice Admiral Sir Tony Johnstone-Burt, the cheery Master of the Household, told me: ‘My principal duty with HM has been to keep her spirits up — so I’ve been watching Line of Duty with her . . . I’m “the Explainer”! It’s very funny.’

The 95-year-old widow of Windsor laughed as she struggled to understand the convoluted plotting and sometimes incomprehensible dialogue in the popular ‘police procedural’ television series.

She enjoyed watching television, she told me: ‘It keeps me in touch — when I can understand what’s being said. There’s an awful lot of mumbling on television now. It’s not my hearing. They just don’t seem to speak as clearly as they used to do.’

Her grieving was private, but in public the Queen was determined to carry on as normal. ‘Life goes on,’ she said. ‘It has to.’

That first summer after Philip’s death, she chose to dress — as she herself put it — ‘as cheerfully as possible.’ With the help of Angela Kelly, she opted for yellow and pink and powder blue, in summery dresses with pretty floral designs.

Her closeness to Kelly, the daughter of a Liverpool dockworker, did not always go down well; the ladies-in-waiting found her a nuisance at times. The dresser was from a quite different background to theirs, and irritated some at court with her no-nonsense Northern manner, her easy access to the Queen and her effortless familiarity with her.

They particularly resented the way Kelly felt able to step out of line to adjust the Queen’s clothes or drop a word in her ear at what they considered to be inappropriate moments. But they could do nothing about it because the Queen regarded Kelly as one of her true friends.

She was dazzling in green when she opened the Scottish Parliament on October 2, 2021. A few days later, all in pink this time, she opened the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also on parade for both visits. ‘We weren’t required,’ the Duchess said to me soon afterwards, laughing. ‘We were there to help out if necessary. It wasn’t necessary. The Queen did it all. She wanted to. She’s unstoppable.’

For six months following Prince Philip’s death, the Queen did so much, so purposefully and with such a determination not to give way to any form of self-pity (which, she said, ‘My husband would certainly not have approved of’), that she probably did too much.

In the autumn of 2021, she had a sudden ‘energy low’. She felt exhausted. Her ­doctors ordered her to ‘rest a bit, not to push herself so much, to take it easy.’

She had planned to attend ‘COP’, the climate change conference in Glasgow, in person on November 1 but, in the event, had to record a video message instead.

She had also hoped to attend the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph — fixtures in her calendar — but was persuaded not to. ‘I’ve got to be sensible,’ she said. Until then, her energy had been little short of astonishing. Over her final decade, she’d not only continued her work as monarch but actively engaged with modern life.

She had her own mobile phone, and obliging grandchildren ready to show her how it worked. She understood ‘texting’ though was rather defeated by ‘apps’. And she did not allow her grandchildren to bring their ‘devices’ to the dining table, under any circumstances.   

Believe it or not, I think I once heard Her Majesty refer to the lavatory as ‘the toilet’ — in a concession to the vocabulary of the younger generation.  

She had loved the early James Bond films — ‘before they got so loud’, she said.

And it was thanks to Bond that she famously made a truly dramatic entrance when the 2012 Olympics were staged in London, in a filmed sketch with Daniel Craig. Craig was seen running up the red-carpeted stairs at Buckingham Palace, meeting two of the royal corgis, being greeted by the Queen’s page and ushered into the royal presence.

It was the Queen’s own idea to keep Bond waiting a moment as she signed off a letter, before turning around to say: ‘Good evening, Mr Bond.’

Her line delivered, the Queen, accompanied by Bond and her page and her corgis, walked with purpose to the waiting helicopter that transported her past the statue of Winston Churchill in ­Parliament Square (Churchill looked up and gave Her Majesty a wave —she especially liked that touch), along the course of the river Thames, to the Olympic park in East London.

 ‘She was a natural,’ said Daniel Craig. ‘I was definitely more ­nervous than she was.’

Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former private secretary, told me he was sure the Queen wouldn’t have done the stunt during the Queen Mother’s lifetime. ‘Why?’ I asked him.

‘Simply because she would have felt her mother wouldn’t have approved — that it would have been a bit undignified.

The Queen became less inhibited in several ways after her mother’s death [in 2002], less constrained, more relaxed.’

There was a different Bond connection when it came to the Queen’s next dramatic outing. In 2022, for the Platinum Jubilee long weekend of celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne, the Queen played herself in a delightful sketch with Paddington Bear, the creation of author Michael Bond.

In the scene, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is taking tea with Her Majesty at Buckingham ­Palace and offers her one of his marmalade sandwiches — which it turns out the Queen doesn’t need because she already has her own marmalade sandwich, hidden in her handbag.

This time, much more in terms of acting was asked of the Queen than had been at the time of the Olympics — and she delivered in full measure. I happened to be working with Britain’s most honoured film and stage actress at the time, Dame Judi Dench, and she said to me the day after she had seen it, ‘Wasn’t she good? I mean, really, really good.

‘Her timing was perfect. Every look, every line was just right. It was completely on the money — none of it over-stated. Just wonderful.’

She added, laughing: ‘I’m quite worried. She’s going to be offered all my work now.’

What did the Queen make of it? ‘Great fun,’ she said. She marvelled that such a large crew had appeared at the palace to film such a short sequence, and she was truly amazed that word of it didn’t leak out before the day of transmission.

‘Everyone kept the secret,’ she said, delighted. ‘That was lovely.’

IN ROYAL circles the Duke of York is now someone — like Harry and Meghan —whom it’s better not to talk about.

There is no doubt, however, that the Queen loved her second son to the last. When she died, each of her children published a personal statement about her. Part of Prince Andrew’s read: ‘Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment. 

‘I will miss your insights, advice and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.’

Some of the turns of phrase could have been written by his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who still shares a home with the prince, but the part of the message he very much wanted the rest of us to take note of was where he spoke of the ‘confidence’ the Queen had shown in him. 

Prince Andrew stepped down from public life in 2019 over his friendship with the ‘billionaire paedophile’ ­Jeffrey  Epstein. He was stripped of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and obliged to give up his HRH style in public. But his mother stood by him. She loved her boy. She retained her ‘confidence’ in him. 

That said, there had been a cloud hanging over his reputation, and the Queen was a realist. She essentially fired her own son. A senior courtier said to me, ‘There was a lot of nonsense talked about no one being at the helm, but the Queen took a firm grip of things. To use the military jargon, there was only a few days between flash and bang. Action was called for and the Queen took it.’

The day after firing Andrew, however, she showed us how much she loved him by taking him riding with her through Windsor Great Park in the rain and ensuring that there were photographers on hand to capture the shot. She was also glad to have him at her side as she travelled to her husband’s memorial service.   

The rest of the Royal Family was less happy to see Prince Andrew taking centre stage — not because of any personal hostility, but because they feared the pictures of him side by side with Her Majesty would dominate press coverage of the memorial service. And so it proved.The Duke of York, of course, told his mother the whole story of his long relationship with Epstein, all the ins and outs of it, and the details of the accusations made against him.

The first time he gave her the full account of the whole sorry saga, she listened carefully. Then the Queen, who never said more than was necessary, responded with just one word: ‘Intriguing.’

I chair ‘The Oldie of the Year Awards’ where we honour people of a certain age who still have what might be described as ‘snap in their celery’. So last year, post the pandemic lockdown, I wrote to the Queen’s private secretary to ask whether Her ­Majesty might consider accepting the Oldie of the Year Award.  

A witty reply was sent to me from ­Balmoral Castle on August 21, 2021: ‘Her ­Majesty believes you are only as old as you feel. As such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient. 

‘This message comes to you with Her ­Majesty’s warmest best wishes.’

After the birth of Prince Andrew, the Queen — according to one of her ladies-in-waiting — ­suffered ‘post-natal side effects’ because the baby had been born using the now-discredited method of ‘twilight sleep’. 

‘Dammerschlaf’ was a form of childbirth ­pioneered in Germany in the early twentieth century in which the adminstration of drugs (morphine and scopolamine) puts the patient into an amnesic state during labour. The mother remains semi-conscious but apparently pain-free and has no subsequent recollection of the experience. The baby is delivered by forceps. 

In fact, Charles and Anne were also delivered via the ‘twilight sleep’ method — and Prince Edward’s was the first birth not to involve it. The difficult aftermath of Andrew’s birth may possibly have put the Queen off that delivery method for good.

2ND EXTRACT

[sihtricsimp]

Modern!Revolution!Sihtric x Femme!OC

Chapter 1

Warnings: Death, war, guns, shooting, death

Based on this photo (thanks to one of my fellow Nowallian mutuals for finding it for me <3)

Most people would be thrilled to be one of the top pilots from one of the most powerful nations in Europe. Ellia, however, was growing tired of being perfect all the time. Growing tired of their leader seemingly doing nothing about the invading Northmen, spouting peace like it was gospel, yet continuing the hellish war effort as if Satan had possessed him. His war with the incoming Danes, who just wanted a new home after theirs was almost destroyed by storms, his refusal to acknowledge the rebellion so clearly growing right under his nose. It almost made one want to join the rebellion oneself.

But, just like everyone else, Ellia had grown used to her position, afraid of what might happen if they lost even a little of their power. People she had trusted and thought were good to their core were now selfish and complacent, not caring about the lives of their soldiers. General Athelflead, leader of the RAF and daughter to their ever-gracious leader, King Alfred, was one of those people. She had taught Ellia how to fly and was the one to give her the callsign of "Finch". A small bird was perfect for the shortest, and as some of the men would say, prettiest Commander in the Royal Air Force.

General Aethelflead brought Ellia out of her thoughts with a "Well, what do you think, Finch?"

Ellia placed her helmet down on the table with a sigh, "I think it's another suicide mission. Juker, Scramble, Uno, and I just barely survived our last mission to the Danish foothold. We lost eight good pilots in a single dogfight. We should focus on peace talks with Prime Minister Aethelred in Mercia so we can reinforce our dwindling presence in Northumbria!"

"I am well aware of the dire situation in Northumbria," Aethelflead said, "but we can't send the forces there without risking our own borders to the Danes. My father would never approve of the mission, you know this."

"Just because I know it, doesn't make it right." Ellia looked at her mentor, who rose her eyebrows expectantly. "But yes, if it is our holy duty from God, we shall carry it out."

Athelflead nodded. "You leave at 0600 tomorrow. Take the remainder of your squad. Since this is a stealth mission, you can use the new S-40s."

"But we haven't had much-" Ellia was about to protest when Aethelflead raised a hand.

"You and your squad are dismissed, Finch." Aethelflead used her other hand to rub her temple in frustration. "You will need ample time to prepare, will you not?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ellia tried to not let her tone become sarcastic as she saluted the General, and marched towards the barracks, the rest of the squad following suit.

On their way to the barracks, they passed by the War Room, a name given somewhat affectionately to the main meeting room of the facility. It was where all the important meetings took place, and from the look of things, the King was holding an important one. Ellia and her squad were fully intent on just walking past. None of them, Ellia, in particular, had the patience to deal with the incompetence and idiocy of the King and his other generals. King Alfred, sitting side on to the door, had other ideas.

"Ah, Commander Ellia, is it? Just the pilot I wanted to see!" He said looking up from the war table. Of course, he had to be sitting right by the open door.

Ellia suppressed a sigh. Here was the man who was responsible for her friends' deaths. Yet, she could do nothing about it unless she wanted to join her fallen comrades in whatever came next.

"Yes sir, Commander Ellia Goldstrum, callsign Finch, at your service." She gave a quick salute, her three squadmates following suit.

"At ease, ladies." The King stood and motioned for the squad to enter the room. As they did so, Ellia noticed the distinct lack of anyone else other than old white men in the room. With Athelflead out on duty, the major war decisions were being made by crusty Generals who hadn't seen real combat since before Ellia was born. "I know you four have had some contact with the rebellion while on your last flight?" The King continued.

"No, sir, those were Danes we fought. They flew Danish planes that carried Danish insignia, and wore Danish uniforms." Ellia was quickly loosing patience. To be sent on the same suicide mission the following day by the daughter, to then be questioned about the first mission by the father.

"We have credible intelligence from my nephew that the Danes have a shaky alliance with the Rebellion, so they are using Danish equipment." Alfred, as per usual, was calm and composed, even when talking about the savages on the other side.

It made sense that the Danes and the Rebellion would ally themselves, they both had a vendetta against Alfred. The shakiness also seemed correct, as the leader of the Rebellion was known to most as the Daneslayer.

"So you want us to go and confirm this intelligence, then?" Ellia guessed. The crown had a habit of telling its soldiers where to fly and who to fight without saying why, expecting blind loyalty until the last breath. This tracked with Ellia's experience with Christianity. Blind faith without question. Ellia was quite comfortable living in hidden godlessness, knowing there was no risk of burning eternally for her, just the calm nothingness of the void.

After a pause, the King replied, "Yes, we need the intelligence confirmed, but we didn't want you to know in case you got captured by them. They don't need to know that we know about their alliance."

"Can do, sir." Was the only words Ellia could get out without losing her cool. The only reason they were risking their lives was to confirm intelligence? Something spies could easily have done? It was bullshit.

"Dismissed, ladies. You'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow." The King raised his hand, shooing them away, before turning back to his council. They started talking as Ellia and her squad marched away, but they were all engrossed in their own thoughts to hear what was said.

Ellia only relaxed when they got back to their shared barracks near the flight deck. There were two bunk beds, and they each got a draw to themselves in the dresser, the only other piece of furniture in the room. The higher-ups reckoned they didn't need to waste money on a window to the outside world when their pilots were spending all day in the air regardless.

"I want to defect to the Daneslayer's rebellion more with each passing mission" Juker complained, once they were safely back in their shared bunk room, out of the earshot of their superiors. "I mean, we're flying the exact same path as we did last time, the path that got Candy and Wolf's squads downed." Everyone was draped across their bunks, Juker above Ellia, and Uno above Scramble.

"You find us the rebellion stronghold, and I'll be right there with ya, Juker." Scramble joked, flicking through the same 'Kilted Men' magazine she'd had since forever, a smile on her face.

Leaning over her bunk to look at Scramble, Uno laughed, "Ha! Good luck, their base is harder to find than I am to beat at card games!" Uno always bragged about her winning streak in every card game they played, specifically in her callsign namesake, that was only still a streak because everyone refused to play with her.

"Ya know, I'm still convinced ya cheat every time." Scramble glanced up from her magazine to roll her eyes at Uno.

Uno gasped, her hand going to her forehead, pretending to faint. "Me? Cheat? Why, I would never!"

"Except for when you definitely dealt both Jokers into your hand in Scum," Juker added, getting an offended look from Uno.

"Multiple times, might I add." Ellia enjoyed joining in on her squad's antics, even if it was just one small jab in the middle of a faux argument. She watched the other three joke around, laughing their asses off at something another said, thinking of the love they had for each other. It had been a tough few years for them, and they all needed all of the love and laughter they could get.

Juker and Ellia had come from the same small village on the southern coast. They were only separated for a few months since joining the RAF when Juker crashed into a mountain after avoiding an enemy aircraft and had to hike back to base.

Scramble was from Ireland and had lost her husband somewhere along the way, their baby daughter dying from a chill while she made her way to Wessex with her. Uno, however, was born and raised in Wessex and used flying as a way to see the world and get out of her city life bubble.

Once the sun started to set, and they all had their nightly rations, Ellia called lights out.

"Oh, come on Finch, five more minutes?" Uno protested as Ellia reached for the switch.

"Do you want to be falling asleep at your yoke tomorrow, Uno?"

"I guess falling asleep at the controls a few thousand meters in the air would be bad for my health." Uno conceded, slipping under her sheets.

"Right, 0400 wake up call tomorrow morning, be ready ladies." Ellia turned the lights off, having received a resounding 'yes ma'am' from her squad.

The mission started off well. The S40s were able to climb higher, move faster, carry more ammo than the typical stealth jet, and had much better on board surveillance tech than the S30s. And they were fun to fly.

The squad was formed in a diamond shape, Ellia taking the lead position. Uno was to her left, Scramble on her right and Juker taking up the rear.

"We're coming up on the Danish settlement, Finch.” Juker said, “Break through these clouds and we should see it.”

“Copy that, Juker,” Ellia said. They were at the same location as last time, she recognised the longitude and latitude. She felt her chest sink out of sadness and anxiety. What if there was another ambush? Ellia couldn’t take losing another pilot. “Radio silence from now on, communicate by hand signals. Don’t want the heathens to know they’re being spied on by girls. Let’s just get in and out ladies.”

Ellia received thumbs up from her flanks, and she trusted Juker enough to know she’d listen. They flew in silence for most of the way, but something about this new silence felt heavier. Maybe it was the weight of their former friends and pilots sitting on their soldiers. Or maybe the very air the Danes breathed was toxic.

Ellia didn’t get time to dwell on it though, as they broke through the child’s high above the Danish base. They were high enough up to not be easily spotted by radar or the naked eye, but their powerful cameras allowed them to get a good view of the base.

She saw too much equipment for the Danish army around the base. A few more planes, plenty more trucks and boxes around the buildings, with doubtless more under cover.

The intel gathered by the King’s nephew was correct. The Rebellion had allied themselves with the Danes. Neither the Danes nor the Rebellion had this many resources individually.

Ellia noted down the number of planes and trucks she saw, and made her best approximation on the weapons caches she could see.

She was about to give the back to base signal when a red blip appeared on the edge of her radar. That usually meant a bogey, and they usually hung around. However, it disappeared almost as quick as it had appeared. Glancing to her right, Scramble gave a shrug. Ellia made the eyes up gesture to Scramble. She then turned to give the signal to Uno.

Suddenly, as if like a ghost, a Danish plane flew over Uno’s plane, then the rest of the squad. It had a custom paint job on it’s belly, a Mjolnir symbol, as far as Ellia could make out.

“Alright, comms back on, they know we’re here. Game faces, he might not be alone.” Ellia said, “we might not have much experience in these planes, but God be damned if we aren’t the best pilots in all of Britannia.”

Ellia’s eyes tracked the Danish plane, but it quickly disappeared into the clouds. It was a bad idea to follow it, since it could clearly hide itself from radar.

Before Ellia could even finish her thought, gunfire reigned overhead. The Dane had banked around to behind them.

“Break!” Ellia shouted, Banking left with Uno, Scramble, and Juker going to the right. The pilot had made a mistake, the pilot had alerted them to their presence too early, leaving the squad plenty of time to shoot at the pilot.

Ellia pulled her trigger, bullets flying through the air. The pilot dodged the bullets, pulling up only to reveal a second aircraft. Ellia barely had time to register the four leaf clovers adorning each wing before she herself was hit by the new contender.

The next thing she knew, she woke up, still strapped to her seat. The first thing she noticed was another wreckage next to her, one of her squad members it looked like. Ellia couldn't make out who it was, but whoever was inside wasn't moving.

She scrambled out of her plane as fast as she could and rushed over to the wreck, the adrenaline covering any pain Ellia doubtlessly had. She reached the wreck. Forced open the cockpit. Lifted the head of the pilot.

Ellia screamed, jumping back from the downed jet. Juker. It couldn't be Juker. Juker couldn't be gone. She was known for her evasive maneuvers. She couldn't have been shot down. If anyone was going to survive this mission, it was going to be her.

Ellia tried to compose herself as she climbed the wreck again, to check again. Definitely Juker. She dipped her ear to Juker's mouth. No breath. Tears streamed down Ellia's cheeks, scattering both hers and Juker's bloodstained flight suits.

As she took the dog tags from around Juker's neck, Ellia heard a twig snap behind her. She drew the gun from the holster on her hip, pointing at the noise.

"Commander, it's us..." Scramble said, hands raised.

"What's wrong, Finch?" Uno walked up to the edge of the wreck, "Why have you got Juker's dog tags?"

Ellia sat down on the edge of the cockpit, revealing Juker to the others. She broke down into sobs as they started crying too. Ellia, mid sob, slipped Juker's dog tags on and got down from the plane.

"Right," she sniffled, "Juker would want us to keep moving, find our way back. And I think I may need a bandage for my arm." Now that the adrenaline had worn off a bit, she could feel a good gash in her left arm, going from shoulder to elbow. "I think it's shallow at least, otherwise I would have bled out a while ago."

"You're right, we need to find shelter, and get your would cleaned." Scrambler wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"You think we can chance it with the Danes?" Uno joked. She always tried to lighten the mood, no matter how dire the situation was. They were stranded in enemy territory with no way to contact home, and no one coming after them.

"We have less of a chance with the Danes than you have at losing at cards," Scrambler replied.

Before they could come to a conclusion, a Danish pilot came into view from behind Juker's wreck.

"So you ladies come here often?" He said, his messy hair covering his eyes slightly.

"Who the fuck are you, Daneboy?" Ellia drew her gun for the second time, followed closely by the others.

"Commander Goldstrum, is it? My name is Sihtric Kjartansson, callsign Runt, with the Rebellion. I am to take you and your squad to the Daneslayer."

[jvstheworld]

My Ted Lasso Re-watch: S2E1 (part 2)

Goodbye Earl

Ted thinking that the team's tie streak his karmic justice because of the end of last season. Or it could be that the team is missing something... A certain Prince Prick of All Pricks?.... Just saying.

Nate is really starting to get harsh with Will. It was a simple request to celebrate his mum's birthday and Nate acts like it's the worst thing ever. And it's only going to get worse. And Beard can tell that something isn't right.

Nate getting phrases wrong, pearl instead of diamond and then wonder kid instead of wunderkind.

Ted shouting yes to Beard calling Nate unlucky after their discussion of the word gives me life.

Ted is a Diane Sawyer fan. (I don't know who she is. I need to watch more films).

How does Ted come up with his Tedisms? Or how do the writers for the show come up with them? How do you fan fiction writers do it too? Also by the way, you Ted Lasso fanfic writers are awesome, I love reading your works, mostly the Ted related ones, because if I haven't made it clear, I love Ted. And the way some of you write him and how sweet he is and certain fixations on certain body parts (not being rude, I'm talking hands, chest and stomach) is just wonderful. May you continue to find inspiration.

Barkingham Palace is a great name for a dog's shelter, and I'd go there any day over Buckingham Palace. (I am not a fan of the Monarchy, which if my ex-RAF service man father hears about he will not be impressed).

To Earl, he was a good boy.

Empire Strikes Back - basically season 2 of this show. How would you explain the Luke and Leia thing when they are brother and sister? You can't hide that, it's on the Internet so kids will know about it before they watch the film, so how do you handle that conversation to first time viewers with questions?

Ted wanting in on girl talk. It's basically the same principle as the Diamond Dogs. Which he and Roy talk about later in the season.

Ted being a country music fan makes sense since he's a Midwestern boy. And who doesn't love Dolly Parton? But if it's an obvious and out there alias, doesn't that defeat the point of having one in the first place?

Roy's new coaching gig - 8 year old girls football team. He's great with kids and he doesn't hide who he is with them which makes them like him even more. Roy is just Roy all the time no matter who he is with.

Ms Bowen knows.

Roy likes hot chocolate. Good man.

Unlce Roy is proud of Phoebe's red card, because that's what he would do too.

We love Roy's feral look. Shame he had to get rid of it.

I want to see the full version of Roy's retirement press conference. I just need to.

Roy says fuck 5 times, shit 4 times and twat once, in his rant about being a football pundit.

Holy shit Roy! £1236, that is quite the tab. I wonder if that number is going to pop up again later? Wonder what Phoebe would spend that money on.

Dani's nightmare, poor guy. Though with a blood splatter like that he could be in an episode of Supernatural, or in a horror film, or The Boys.

The two women in Dani's bed are his girlfriends because he is in a throuple, as seen at the end of season 3. Hey, if they are happy then fair play to them.

Red hat to Planned Parenthood anything is bordering on yikes territory. Though as long as it doesn't have a certain phrases on it, you should be fine.

Ted wishing he was Keeley. In what way?

He wants in on girl talk, then why not? He's got the right enthusiasm for it. Like when he shouts 'Stamos' and talks about John's last name and then does his announcer voice. He's trying, bless him.

Sir. Theodore. How dare you look like that while looking at Rebecca! Don't be all fucking cute and adorable with your cute smile and head in your hand and listening skills.

Ted being late to practice because he was helping Rebecca pick nail polish colours. That is peak friendship right there. And he's so proud of wearing it too. And he would have had to wait for it to dry fully before going to training.

Dani's problem is a tragedy. Beard you undersold it, my guy.

Even Sam is done with Jan Maas.

Beard is always there to help Ted, even with Tom Cruise's hair styles in different films. Which Ted graciously accepts the correction. Unlike someone people *cough*nate*cough*.

Ted's sneakers are coordinated with his training gear. Just felt the need to point that out.

Okay, why would you stand in front of the guy who is struggling to kick the ball in the right direction? And not behind him? Because that ball hitting Ted's butt had to really hurt. Poor Ted butt. Get an ice pack of that. Does he need help rubbing it better? I swear I will stop one day. Though the friend I sometimes refer to in these posts told me I should include my thirst for Ted in these and I have. But this thing I have for a guy who is 21 years older than me is not going away anytime soon apparently. Damn my attraction to older men, and this one specifically. But it's fun to annoy my friend with it.

[youngerfrankenstein]

Alright, who wants to hear me talk about my thoughts on a show made for 9 year olds? Part 2!

I’ll admit, I think part of my issue with Prime is just that I set my expectations fairly high. Need to stop doing that. Ever. Part of it was remembering little about season 1 beyond I liked it as a teen. But as it seems this franchise will forever be, kind of a mixed bag, but glad I watched it.

I will say that bar a few I quite like the designs for the bots in the show. The style was clearly taking inspiration from the Bay films while still keeping the designs clear and distinguishable. That said the animation can be pretty janky at times and the locations often quite bland. The latter of which was probably for budget reasons and the former for both budget reasons and the tech of the time.

I also generally like most of the bot characters. I wish Arcee got more focus, especially as she’s introduced to us first, but she’s fun. Kind of a grouch but there for people when they need her. Bulkhead is generally a lot more likeable in this incarnation than Animated, though I don’t think he’ll ever be a favourite. Bumblebee can’t talk here either but they do a decent job of still making him feel like part of the team. Optimus is generally wonderful, a bit distant but clearly intended to be, someone you immediately understand why people would follow. And I fucking love Ratchet in this show, he’s marvellous, more Ratchet please. Wonder why the main team was almost identical to Animated?

Not sure I liked what they did to Wheeljack, did quite like Ultra Magnus. And holy shit if Smokescreen isn’t the worst character in the franchise so far. I hate him so. much. and he brought down any episode he was the focus of. Is this partly because he’s written more than any other character to appeal to 8-year-old boys, something I am not? Yes. But that’s hardly all. He feels like either the pet character of a writer or a studio mandate, I’m not sure which is worse. (Or if either is true, don’t quote me)

The Decepticons, as per usual, are the highlights though. I don’t think there’s one of them I don’t enjoy watching. Starscream and his sniveling, Knockout and his vanity, Airachnid and her sadism (for science!) and the rest are still so much fun to watch for their evil and, even more so, their dysfunction. That said this show also drove something home for me, and that is DAMN do I love Frank Welker as Megatron. Like it’s been clear the man has talent for a long time but wow. The way he can be both quietly sinister and a raging monster is EXCELLENT.

The voice cast is generally quite good, if a bit odd. Peter Cullen and Frank Welker coming back to the roles they made iconic (twice for Welker technically!) but you also get names like Gina Torres, Jeffrey Combs (who I suppose DOES voice The Question) and even Dwayne Johnson in the first episode.

I will say, as seems to be the usual, I am in Fuck Them Kids mode when it comes to the main human characters, who come in Brat, Kid Genius and Blander Than Gruel flavours. Then again by the later seasons it felt like the showrunners/writers didn’t even want them around much either. Will say they have different amounts of believability in their relationship to their assigned bot. Miko and Bulkhead honestly feel like friends who care a lot about each other. Raf and Bee are fine, but honestly by the end I was mostly thinking of Ratchet as Raf’s bot. Jack and Arcee don’t feel like anything really, and you would think that would be the most important one.

Really the writing is the thing. Some of it is VERY good, clever ideas or scenes that leave me on the edge of my seat. And some of it is very bad, comedy that falls flat and “as competent as the plot needs”-itis for all. Not to mention some of the weird stuff with seasons 2 and three, like putting multiple villains on ice and then bringing them back to not… do much in season 3. Part of me wonders if there were issues with the studio and no one was ever sure if/when they were getting renewed. But I must be clear, I am just guessing and could be way off.

Will say I generally enjoyed the wrap-up movie, cute ending, some nice character interactions. Even if “Satan taking over my body made me learn oppression is bad. I’m heading out.” Is a very silly way to wrap up Megatron. Nothing special (and let’s face it, was probably a rewritten and repurposed three-parter) but fun.

Honestly at times a little awkwardly pro-military but it’s an American action show, what do you expect lol. Could have been a LOT worse.

And now to Earthspark! …Which looks to be focusing even more on humans… Oh well. Guess we shall see what it’s like!

[fatalelity]

kitchen floor — all the rest. @everstride .  𝑠𝑐.

they’ve spent the night talking again, and truthfully it’s a miracle that she’s come here so often. they’re old friends, and ironically, both now divorced. how funny can the events of life be? luisa & addison have their fair share of grievances they’ve shared amongst one another — maybe it’s the similarity in how fucked up their families are. so, finally, addison breaks that silence before pouring the two of them another glass of sparkling pomegranate water.  ❝ can't let that boy treat you that way. ❞

[agent-yolk-writes]

Team Prime + Reader Who Works at Monarch (Part 3)

In which we see what the others think of you and I am Jared, 19. In my defense, the heat we're getting over here made me a little delirious. Remember to drink water! If you haven't seen it already, I recommend @simping-overload's fic that was inspired by this series! It's a TFP/Pacific Rim crossover! 10/10 would recommend!

Anyways, thank you for the outstanding positive response from Part 2! I have no idea what I'll do in Part 4 since what I have planned will not be enough. I'm very open to suggestions and my inbox is always open! Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you guys in the next part!

Read Part 2 Here!

The US Government? Hiding secrets from its other secrets? It's more likely than you think.

Humans...hunt monsters? Sure they encountered an oddball creature when Team Prime landed on Earth but would they be considered a monster?

Of course, Ratchet and Arcee are probably the group's most reluctant Autobots. Yes, it is an annoyance that they have another human to protect now, but...it just doesn't sit well with them even if you are related to Raf. Arcee especially, given all the times you try to be subtle about your observations when she was in her alt mode. First MECH, now...what was it? Monarch? How many secret organizations do these humans needs?

Bulkhead and Jack seem pretty neutral about it. To Bulkhead, this just means they now have another brainiac on their side. To Jack, you don't seem like you'll do anything malicious. And Raf did say you were on a medical leave of sorts, hence your visit to Jasper. He has seen you around town, and he has also seen you following/observing the others when they were in town. He'll leave the questions to the Bots.

Miko is So Freaking Ecstatic! A secret agent that studies kaijus ("MUTOs, not kaiju.") for a living! That's so cool! What kind of monsters have you seen? ("...Some.") Can she come with you one day? ("I'll have to talk to my boss.") Are there any monsters in Nevada? ("Let's hope not.") Can the Autobots be classified as MUTOs? (You thought about it for a second before telling her that, while indeed they are Massive Organisms, they are not Unidentified or Terrestrial...no offense to her friends.)

Bumblebee is the only one that had the most exposure to you. While you had never properly interacted, he thinks you're really interesting! Raf always talks about you, and it increased ten-fold when the kid learned you were staying with his family for some time. He can see how happy Raf is with you, and that makes him happy. Bee had thought about trying to make contact with you whenever you trailed him but decided against it for obvious reasons.

Optimus Prime...well, he's taking it as you would expect for a Prime. Always looking at the positive side of things while being blunt about any risks that might come from this. A scientist who studies life that inhabits the Earth...affiliated with the same government in charge of watching his comrades and yet they were just as unknown to each other. While it doesn't sit right with him, he'll be sure to talk to Fowler about it next time he visits. He now understands why Raf would be rather vague about you sometimes. He was simply trying to protect you as he would with the Autobots.

~~~

You took the grilling like a champ. You expected it to be more intense, but that could be prejudice stemming from all those sci-fi movies. But they haven't blasted you to your base atoms, so you call it a success!

"Say, can I ask a question now?" You asked. "If you're hiding out in a former missile silo...that means you have contact with Uncle Sam and his merry band. If that's the case, do you have some kind of POC?"

Miko cocks her head, "A...what?"

"It means Person of Contact," Raf explains. "They're asking about-" Suddenly an alarm went off, cutting off your nephew. It was loud, and the noise quickly bumped off the walls. You instinctually placed your hands over your ears as you shouted, "What is that? Are we under attack?"

Prime was quick to assure you, "Fear not, Dr. (Last Name). It is simply a proximity alarm. The only one who is able to trip it is-"

"PRIME!" An unknown yet familiar voice reached your ears.

You followed everyone's gaze to the new face in an ugly suit and an even tackier tie staring up at Optimus. You'd imagine whoever was the designated Person of Contact would be in full military fatigues as a way to display dominance as said sci-fi movies tend to do.

"Multiple disturbance reports in the shopping district, several accounts of a civilian being followed by Decepticons...didn't I tell you guys to stay out of trouble and out of the public eye?" You couldn't help but shift your eyes at the others, wondering what kinds of trouble they've gotten themselves into.

"I apologize, Agent Fowler." Wait a minute. "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to make contact with another human in order to ensure their safety from the Decepticons."

It doesn't take long before your eyes meet his, and it doesn't take long for your mouth to run away from you.

"Well mark my stars and stripes...It really is you, Corporal Fowler!"

[storiesofsvu]

Her Everything Ch 9

Warnings: Language, talk of racially sensitive stuff (s17 episode related), character death (it’s just Dodd’s, don’t worry). A lot of talk of the job.

A/N: This covers all of season 17 in one chapter, I didn’t want to do a huge time jump at this point, and honestly, this year hit the squad/da HARD, so it made sense to include these kind of things in the story. Next chapter is somewhat similar but with a million times more fluff.  Also I had to watch Dodd’s die like, 3 times to get this chapter out. You’re welcome

Buy me a Ko-Fi.

**

The next month and a half was definitely one of mourning, a disheartened fog hung thick in the apartment. Aside from grieving his Abuelita, Rafael knew you were going through the annually internal struggle of coping with your own Mother’s death. The two of you did your absolute best to stay strong for each other, making sure there was time carved out of your busy schedules to curl up on the couch together, reassuring each other that things would work out. You were lucky to have each other, and even more lucky that the events over the past little bit brought you tighter together rather than drive a wedge in between you. Especially considering what the upcoming year was about to throw at both the NYPD and the D.A’s office.

First it was discovered that the chief medical examiner was in fact, a serial killer, outed by the notorious Greg Yates, Rollins found out she was pregnant, you were thrown a new Sergeant who happened to be the Chief’s son and then Rafael brought home a case he was sure would spark a huge fight. Uni’s from another precinct had shot and killed an unarmed black teenager, quite literally emptying their clips into the poor kid. You’d been on the scene with the rest of the SVU crew to witness the aftermath. Olivia was quick to stand up for the uni’s,  arguing with Barba, saying the cops were doing their job, and he expected the same thing from you considering you were part of the blue.

“Suppose this is the part where you yell at me for going after an indictment.” He muttered as he came in the door that evening, tugging out files to continue working.

“Are you kidding me?” You glanced up from your laptop and he could see the rage and melancholy burning in your eyes, “You weren’t at that scene Raf, there was absolutely no reason for one of those pricks to unload his entire round into that kid, much less all three of them. One or two shots and he would’ve been subdued, it’s like these idiots forget they have tasers.”

“And if they’re claiming they were fearing for their lives?”

“Three people with guns vs someone they thought was armed?” You rolled your eyes, shutting the laptop, “I’d tell ‘em they should wear their vests more often. And I’ll testify to that.” You moved around the island to where he’d set up shop, kissing the side of his head.

“I’d rather keep you out of this one.”

“Too prejudicial?”

“Yes.” You leaned in again, kissing his cheek softly,

“I’m gonna shower..” You’d made it a few steps away when he turned to you again, calling out towards the hallway.

“Carino?” Stopping, you turned to face him, leaning on the door frame. “Have..you ever killed someone?”

“Once.” You sighed heavily, “He’d kidnapped and raped an eleven year old girl. We managed to track him down to a hideaway house, my partner went in without backup, by the time I got inside the perp had a gun to my partner’s head, loaded and cocked, ready to shoot.”

“Sounds like you’re not the biggest firearm fan.” You let out a huff of a laugh,

“Listen Raf, some of these guys, they head straight to the academy after high school, rising through the ranks if they feel like it. For them, all they care about is the power, feeling cool cause they’re a cop. I didn’t do it for the gun and the badge, I do it for the victims. I went to school, I got a degree, I took extra courses in psychology, crisis counselling, I’m heavily trained in first aid so if someone is shot on a scene I can do my best for them to make it to a hospital, even if it is a perp. I’m here to solve their crimes and get them back into the world on the right foot. I could give a fuck if I had a gun on my hip or not. It may be protocol for me to draw my weapon in situations, but I do my damn best not to fire it. Indict these trigger happy bastards, it’s what they deserve.” Rafael couldn’t help the small smirk at your words,

“You did once say you were the cop that kept other cop’s toes in line.”

“I do my best to make sure innocent people don’t get killed. Just wish we would’ve gotten there faster, might’ve been able to stop them.” You turned at that, traipsing down the hallway as Rafael called after you.

“It’s not your fault!”

“I know.” You shouted back wearily from the bedroom.

*

You noticed Rafael a little more on edge as the trial for the three uni’s started, to be fair, everyone was a little on edge. The entire department was shaken up by the matter, and there were definitely more than one or two blow outs over the entire situation, not to mention the media. You did your best to keep your head down and keep doing what you were doing, there were plenty more cases to be working on. And it seemed like SVU wasn’t going to be let off easy. Benson got herself into a hostage mess in a townhouse, Yates and Rudnick managed to somehow escape Greenhaven which meant more visits from the Chicago P.D team, and then there was a giant mess of a sex ring involving the Catholic Church, corrupt cops, A.D.A’s and Judges.

To say you were beyond exhausted was the ultimate truth. By the time May rolled around, you were more than thankful to be able to have a few days off. Rafael had suggested a nice dinner to celebrate your three year anniversary, you only groaned in response, not even wanting to think about putting on a dress and going out right now. You apologized when you saw the rejected look in his eyes, promising him you could do something in the following weeks, but for right now, you just wanted to curl up with take out and wine. You picked a date and Rafael softly kissed you, telling you that he’d plan it out, you had nothing to worry about.

Then came the Munson case, things were all hands on deck, and it was busy as ever at the precinct, as if you hadn’t taken down enough influential perps this year, you were now dealing with a corrupt C.O from Rikers. You’d spent the evening going over things with Dodds, files scattered across your desks, working much later than anticipated. It was only when Liv insisted the two of you be done for the night that you finally left the precinct. You were surprised to find Rafael at home already, thinking he’d still be at the office, this was a tough case, with a lot of pressure coming from higher ups and other departments.

“Rafael…?”

“Hmm?” He didn’t bother looking up from the file he was reading.

“Wanna enlighten me as to why there’s a protective detail downstairs?” His head shot up at that, sputtering in response, his heart racing in his chest.

“I..uh. What?”

“You think I can’t recognize an unmarked car or two plain clothes? Did something happen with the case?”

“It..may not be related to the Munson case.”

“Oh?” He sighed heavily. Rafael hated the fact that he’d been keeping this secret, he just hadn’t thought it was that important until today, and he hadn’t wanted you to worry over nothing.

“I’ve been getting threats since the Terrance Reynolds case. Nothing serious!” He shot out, seeing the sense of shock and worry on your face, “Just, hang up calls from burners, texts, things like that.”

“Okay…so I’ll repeat; why is there a protective detail downstairs?”

“Carino, you might want to stay somewhere else for a few days.”

“Rafael what are you not telling me?” You cocked a brow, crossing your arms over your chest challenging him to continue withholding whatever it was.

“Today some punk threatened to throw me down the court house stairs and crack my skull.”

“Raf!” You started to move towards him, dropping your detective stance in worry, he cut you off with an extended hand.

“And I may have given him our home address.” He definitely should’ve seen the swift smack to the back of the head coming,

“Are you kidding me Rafael!? Maldito idiota!” You let out a heavy groan, “You’ve been getting threats for the better part of a year and instead of reporting them, instead of telling your girlfriend, who may I remind you is a fucking cop, you give your actual address out to someone who threatened to kill you? How stupid are you?!”

“I didn’t want to worry you.” You rolled your eyes, “I wanted to keep you safe, keep you out of it as long as needed until it blew over.”

“Well I’m in it now!”

“I’m sorry.” Your body language softened at the true remorse in his expression, moving in between his legs against the bar stool as you loosely linked your hands behind his neck.

“Apology accepted.” You met his lips for a soft kiss, humming in satisfaction at the way his hand cupped your cheek gently, the other arm resting on your hip. “You’re still an idiot.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Oh I know you will.” You flashed him a mischievous grin, “Put all this away and come to bed, that way you can reallymake it up to me.”

“I will gladly take that offer.” You laughed at the smirk he shot you before tightly pulling you to him in a much more heated kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you always.” You murmured against his lips, tugging him to stand, following you back to the bedroom.

*

Rafael was down at the precinct a couple of days later, they’d managed to track down and bring in the perp who’d threatened him and he needed to make an I.D with Carisi and Rollins.

“Where is everybody?” Rafael asked, gesturing to the relatively empty bull pen, ‘Congratulations Dodds’ banner still up along with a half eaten cake.

“Doin’ a closin’ job at Munson’s.” Sonny replied, dropping down into his desk.

“All of them?”

“Fin’s with the vic. It’s new policy with close jobs, one body per group of civilians, Liv, Dodds and Y/N, one gets the kids, one handles the wife, one handles Munson.” Rafael grimaced at the thought of you out there with someone like Munson, especially on a close job, he reminded himself that you always reassured him you could take care of yourself, but something just wasn’t sitting right.

Back in his office he had the news on in the background, an attempt to try and keep up with the case from the media’s perspective. His head shot up from his opening argument when a breaking news case broke through the screen, Munson’s mugshot splayed across the screen, the anchor mentioning that in a turn of events the man had taken his wife and two NYPD members hostage and shots had been fired by the man, conditions of the others currently unknown.

He felt his heart drop into the absolute pit of his stomach, his pulse instantly began to race as the panic coursed through his veins. His brain flashed back to the conversation about guns you’d had earlier that year, how you used all plausible options before firing your weapon and in that moment, God did he ever wish you were one of the trigger happy ones instead. Barely thinking he grabbed his phone, tossing his jacket back on as he raced out of the D.A’s office, Lincoln Hospital was the closest one to the Bronx, the closest to the Munson’s house, it had to be where you were.  His phone called you on repeat the entire twenty minute drive over, each time it hit your voicemail he felt his entire soul breaking. How on earth had he been so stupid to not tell you just how much he loved you each day he spent with you, that he loved you more than he could ever imagine, more than anything in the entire world.

His gut of where you would be was right on the nose as he sped into the waiting room, brass was everywhere, he spotted Olivia with Tucker, heading straight to them.

“Where is she?” He didn’t realize how out of breath he was, nor how shaky is words came out. Olivia barely glanced up at him, still in a daze of guilt, not properly thinking.

“‘Round the corner, second door on the left.”

That was at least something good, it meant you weren’t in surgery, it meant if you’d been hit you might be out for a while, but at least you were closer to being alive than he��d worried. Rafael didn’t even notice racing past Sonny as he exited the door Liv had specified, he practically collided right into you as you moved to the doorway.

“Raf-?” The only way you could describe the sound he let out was a choked back strangle of a cry. Your front was nearly completely covered in blood, a smear of it still on your neck you hadn’t realized was there. He roughly pulled you to him, wrapping his arms around you in the tightest hug possible, one of his hands cupping the back of your head, fingers tangling into the messy bun. You felt his body nearly shake against you as he melted into you, holding you there until he’d managed to control his breathing again, feeling that you were in his arms, that you were safe, not open on an operating table somewhere.

“Why the fuck haven’t you been answering your phone? I thought you were hit. Are you okay?!” He pulled back and you could see the tears brimming in his eyes. Your hand reached up to stroke his cheek gently,

“Oh Rafa..I’m fine.” Your lips met his cheek, holding there for a moment, letting him realize you were real, and that you were really okay, “I was just giving blood, Mike’s…lost a lot..things aren’t looking good.”

“I’ve been calling you non stop for half an hour!” Your face scrunched,

“My phone never went off..” You stepped over to a nearby chair, rummaging through the bag a nurse had given you to throw your blood soaked blazer in. You’d whipped it off as fast as you could to try and stop the bleeding in Mike’s abdomen at the Munson’s. Digging through it your hands hit both pockets, then shook the blazer out over the bag. Nothing. Your hands patted down the minimal pockets of your dress pants, double checking you hadn’t shoved it into your bra, you turned back to Rafael with a look of apology on your face, “I…I don’t have it. It must’ve fallen out at the house. Mi Amour, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” Your hand grasped his, pulling it to your lips quickly before wrapping your arms around him once again, “I’m here, okay. I’m fine, I’m safe. I’m with you, and I love you always.”

“Marry me.” You almost didn’t hear the words muffled against your skin, pulling your head back to read his face.

“What?”

“I thought I’d lost you today, and the only thing I could think of the entire time was that I never told you just how much I loved you. Carino you’re the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life. I love you more than anything, and I’ve known that for a while now. Abuelita knew you were the one the moment she met you, it may have taken me a bit to catch up, but I know she wasn’t wrong. Marry me.” You were doing the best to control any amount of confusion or awe from expressing itself on your face, you couldn’t control the smallest of smiles, the tears brimming in your eyes at his admission. You knew you loved Rafael more than anything on the planet, and that you always would, you just had no idea he’d been on the same page.

“Is..is this because of..” You gestured slightly, insinuating to the whole hostage, getting shot situation.

“No.” He grasped your free hand in his, “Well, kind of, but the ring’s at the apartment. I had this whole plan for next week for our date, but I don’t want to wait any longer. I needed you to know now.” He felt his heart rate pick up again, but this time because he suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. He’d laid his feelings out on the table and it was your choice that would either crush them completely or elate him more than he could ever imagine.

“Oh Rafael…of course I’ll marry you!” A small giggle escaped your lips as he pulled you in for a kiss, this one more passionate than the others, “Te amo siempre.” You murmured against his lips, happy to have this little private moment to yourselves.

Truthfully, your little bubble of happiness remained just that. A few hours later, when Dodds was finally in the ICU, he ended up having a massive stroke and was declared legally brain dead. Rafael held you tighter when the news came in, knowing that your brain was racing through every moment in that house, the million things you could’ve done differently to end up with a different outcome, not to mention the shot could still have hit you in the heat of the moment. The squad reluctantly left the hospital in a sense of complete exhaustion, both mentally and physically, everyone coping with it in different ways, it always stung harder losing one of your own.

You and Rafael decided to keep the news of the engagement under wraps, out of respect for Mike and the Dodds’ family, it wasn’t exactly the time to be celebrating. While he did give you the ring the next morning, you only wore it around the house, making sure to stash it back in the little blue box before heading into work.

It was actually on accident nearly a month later, you’d been out running a couple errands, diamond on your hand when Liv called you in for a case. You had to drop everything and head into the precinct without the time to go home first and hadn’t even realized. You were in interrogation talking things through with the perp while she watched through the glass, smirking at how much you talked with your hands, the diamond ever so obvious. She turned to Rafael when he showed up, smile on her face,

“Congratulations.”

“What? The bastard that stupid?” She laughed, nodding towards the window,

“That’s one hell of a ring.” Rafael felt his cheeks flush, a grin breaking out on his cheeks as he realized what she was talking about.

“Yeah, well, she deserves it. She deserves everything.”

“She really loves you, you know.” Liv smirked over at him, “I can always tell when she’s distracted texting you when she’s supposed to be working, the silly grin’s a dead giveaway.” Rafael couldn’t help the laugh at that,

“Sorry. I promise I’m not trying to distract your detectives.”

“‘S’long as you’re only distracting her, I’m fine. You make her happy, incredibly happy. And I’m happy for the two of you, really.”

“Thanks Liv.” He gave her a soft smile before turning his attention back to the interrogation room, his eyes lingering on you before fully tuning into the conversation.

You made him so happy his heart nearly hurt, he couldn’t remember feeling like this in years, you’d swooped into his life and nearly stolen it all away. He knew how incredibly lucky he was to have you, how lucky he was that you said yes, that you excitedly put that ring on your finger, and now, would be able to proudly wear it.

The rest of the squad was pretty quick to find out at that point, everyone congratulating the two of you and teasing you about how you were stuck with Barba for the rest of your life now. You laughed it off, saying you wouldn’t have it any other way. Amanda of course was quick to suggest a night out to celebrate it, and honestly, thanks to the months prior, the squad neeeded something to celebrate, to be happy for, so you agreed. A night out with the team and Rafael at Beekman, you were quick to insist on no decorations or any kind of bullshit like a ‘bride to be’ sash, this wasn’t the bachelorette party or anything. Though you didn’t miss the gleam in Rollins’ eye when you mentioned that, you knew you were in for it.

Lucia was over the moon, ecstatic that Rafael had finally made the move and couldn’t wait for the wedding, which you quickly reminded her would probably take a while. You were leaning towards a longer engagement, both of your schedules so constantly busy and up in the air you figured you’d use the small amount of time off both of you had to decide on smaller things before booking a venue or setting a date, where was the rush anyways? You both loved each other more than you could imagine, a silly ceremony and piece of paper wasn’t going to change that

[sunntownn]

Are your requests open? If yes i had an idea

How would bots (op ratch and wheeljack) react to seeing their charge all bruised and beaten up and turns out they fought their bullies?

If you've closed the recuests then ignore me mate❤

➪

         ,,GN! reader,, platonic relationship

         ➪

         ,, i hope you can forgive me for taking so long on this! 😭 i had immediately started working on it and as soon as i got to writting OP's part i got stuck,, so i hope you dont mind but i only wrote for ratchet and wheeljack - request are always open btw,, <3

         ➪

         ,, TW!!,, none

        ➪

        ,, word count,,

WHEELJACK

• the final straw was when they mentioned "your car," in a snippy side comment after pushing you into the lockers

• their exact words had been, "whered you get that thing anyway? looks expensive, maybe japanese, did you steal it? you probably did. considering the way you dress. honey if you need money just ask, i have plenty to spear," she grinned mockingly

• your patience had already been stretched thin with this girl. you had done every civil means of avoiding this situation with her,, you had spoken to teachers, your parents, the principal and counselors, she had been given detention and had to sit through school therapy sessions, but nothing had ever effected the way she treated you

• fuck the school record, you were sick of this bitch

• so, you did exactly what Wheeljack showed you when you had watch him and Bulkhead spar

• you balled your fist as she cackled at her own lame jokes, you swung and a sickening punch landed on her face, you swept her leg, and as your "enemy" (as Wheeljack had phrased it after complaining about this bully) was falling backwards with a cry, you tackled her while an angry war-cry

• of cource, her goons got to you before the teachers left their rooms to stop the fight

• and you gatta say, looking in the mirror of the nurse's bathroom, you were rocking the black eye my dude

• Wheeljack had been there to pick you up, he could whenever he was nearby or summonedfor missions, and when he wasn't, you rode with miko and bulkhead

• as soon as you plopped into the passenger seat, wheeljacks rear view mirror turned you

• you threw your back to the drivers seat and grinned wickedly up at the mirror

• "... is that the human make-up thing miko was talking about?"

• "nope," you smiled. and then after his confused silence, you gave the explosive-loving-robot the whole story while holding up a slip of paper intended for your parents to read that said in large font "suspended"

• he was a little surprised at first. sure, your a little spunky, but he didnt think you had the guts to do it with all your talk about "school records" and "college," whatever scrap that was

• "get 'em tiger!" he cheered as you both raced to base, "did you really use my moves?! i dont think ive ever been so proud of a sparkling before"

• "and your getting rewarded by your school for it??? i thought miko said theyd punish you!"

• "uuh, yeah so being suspended is a punishment"

• "how???"

• you shrugged

• and after several minutes of bickering over which bot's moves were best (wheeljack was deadset on himself, while you argued on arcees behalf) he asked

• "wait. you memorized my fighting technique, by watching me play-fight with bulk??"

• your guardian is proud AND impressed

RATCHET

• ratchet was not impressed

• he scanned your body as you sat on the railing near his work station and inwardly cringed at his disaproving scowl

• "no major injuries, just a small cut on your lip and bruising on your ribcage"

• you licked your bottom lip as he said so and winced,, chap stick wont fix that as you had hoped

• "care to explain yourself?" Ratchet sassed, shifting his weight in front of you and putting his servos on his hips

• you could tell he was trying to intimate the parental figure scolding thier child in the movie raf had picked out the night prior,, but the sight was too humorous to be considered imitating

• you swung your legs as you sat on the rail, "it was the bully..." you mumbled

• ratchets optics had softened at that, but you continued

• "i kind lost my grip and kneed him in the balls"

• "I-"

• "so technically I started the fight,, miko said it looked like i won though so thats something i guess,, am I in trouble?"

• eventually, after a long scolding on violent behavior, ratchet finally settled down and sent you on your way

• you were kinda bumbed out as you sunk into the couch and watched the others play video games

• you dug out a book to entertain yourself from you bag and curled up in a comfortable position,, as comfortable as you could get with ice on your middle

• after a while, finishing several chapters of your preferred novel, Agent Fowler approached you with an annoyed frown

• "are you ready," he grumbled

• "..ready for what?"

• "what? the doc didnt tell you? he wants me to teach you how to protect yoursel-"

• "YOURE GANNA TEACH THEM HOW TO KICK ASS?!?!" miko shouted with an accusing ginger and a wide smile

• "to protect themselves," he stressed, "not attack."

• "why?"

• "because he rather you know how to deal with the situation than come to him with minor human injuries. his words not mine."

• you smiled to yourself

• several days later you finally had the courage to thank the doc bot

• "i dont know what youre talking about," he waved a servo, turning away

• however, you did catch a glimpse of an relieved sigh