Welcome to my latest madness. :) If you want to know more details of what's up with this challenge dealy-bob and why I'm doing it and what it will entail and all that, go have a gander at my profile…

But before we get into the "meat" of this series of fics, I have some things I want to say. Call it set-up. Call it warnings. Call it whatever. :) So:

Pretty much all of these little fics will reference the characterizations that I've set up for the Dinobots for my own little fic playground. Most of these details of characterization are NOT CANON. For one example: I turned Swoop into a medic starting way back in "Vigil." This is not canon, even though, happily, many people seem to like/have latched onto the idea such that it has become fanon. So, my Dinobots are not entirely the canon Dinobots, although I do feel that the characterizations I've given them are all believable/justifiable extensions of what we do see – Which in some cases, like Snarl's, is very little – in the cartoon. (NOT the comics; my fic playground does not include any of the comics at all, old or new. Repeat: My fic playground does not include the comics. Note that my fic playground also does not include the G1 movie and the subsequent 3rd season of the cartoon. Why? Because I don't want it to. :p )

So, in order to understand "my" Dinobots as well as to fully…uh, appreciate?...the nuances in this series of stories, you will need to have read at least five of my other Dinobot stories, plus the Grimlock one, once I actually, you know, write it. ;) There are, currently, six such stories. You can find all of them on my profile, since I'm pretty sure links will be eated if I attempt them. In chronological order as the stories occur (But not as they were written), they are:

Vigil (Which "stars" all of the Dinobots except for Swoop, since he's mostly dead for most of the story)
Art in Me (About Sludge)
Lexicon (About Snarl)
*insert forthcoming Grimlock story here*
Crosses to Bear (About Swoop…and other folks. But Swoop, definitely.)
Gambit (About Slag)
Dazed & Confused (This one is the optional one. It sets up a smooshy relationship between Slag and Swoop. You don't have to read it, if slashy – and, so some may consider it, "incestuous" – relationships freak you out. Some of the stories in this set will deal with these two in exactly that way. I promise that those will be marked clearly so that you can avoid that aspect if you so desire, and I will do my best not to have it obviously bleed into the other stories.)

Note that, in the text of "Vigil," it says that the story takes place ten years after the Dinobots' creation. I have since revised that down in my head. I wrote the thing almost 20 years ago, published it to the Internet more than 10 years ago now and…Well, things have changed in my mind since then. "Vigil" badly needs some major tweaking anyway, and one day I will do it. But for now, know that, really, the ten years that is mentioned in the story should be five years. "Art in Me" takes place about three years after "Vigil." "Lexicon" skips ahead four years after that. The Grimlock story will jump ahead about two years. And "Crosses" "Gambit," and "Dazed & Confused" all occur in the year after the Grimlock story, all very close together. "Crosses" is in February, and "Dazed" is in April of the same year. "Gambit" is squished somewhere between the two, closer to "Crosses" than "Dazed." I think. :)

Finally: All of these little stories will take place after "Dazed & Confused." At least, that's my plan at this point in time. I'm not sure if I'll change my mind as the 50 years pass while I write all of these ;) I will duly note it if I do.

And now…I'll shut up so that we can move on to the actual stories. :)