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manonamora-if-reviews · 10 months

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The Archivist and the Revolution by Autumn Chen

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Autumn

============= Synopsis

A woman alone in a dying city, on a dying world. What will be left when it all falls apart? The Archivist and the Revolution is a slice-of-life/romance/history simulator set in a far-future sealed city that has undergone cycles of destruction and revival. You play as Em, a middle-aged woman who is no longer an archivist, as she struggles with rent payments, chronic illness, and the remnants of past relationships.

============= Other Info

The Archivist and the Revolution is a Dendry* game, submitted to the 2022 Edition of the IFComp. It ranked 4th overall. *Autumn is also an unofficial maintainer of the Dendry format.

Status: Completed Genre: Science Fiction, Slice-of-Life, Romance

CW: optional sexual content, illness, death, transphobia, homophobia.

============= Playthrough

First Played: 6-Oct-2022 Last Played: 05-Aug-2023 Playtime: around 2h (multiple endings) Rating: 5 /5 Thoughts: Some glimmer of hope in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future...

============= Review

This is a Post-Comp Version review. Also maybe biased because I really like Autumn's work.

In a far future, after centuries of conflict, the Earth's population has been reduced to small communities stuck inside arcologies (city domes). In one of them, lives Em, an Archivist (sorta), trying to survive the best she can (sorta), and maybe (re)form relationships to better her situation. Throughout the game, you must ensure Em is on top of her duties and health.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

As with her other Dendy games, A&R works in layers. On the surface, it is a resource management game, where your savings, energy level (hidden), mental and physical health (hidden) must be minded when organising one's day or spending. While you have agency in this, how far you can go with the different actions will depend on whether you've unlocked certain storylets, or Em's current health at the time. Since she has chronic issues, you won't be allowed to churn through hundreds of files for your job, or even do anything at times.

Underneath, two other mechanics come to play: the relationship/storylet aspect with Em's old acquaintances, and the archiving loop, Em's job. Both will affect Em's survival (savings/health) and the ending of the game. The first is relatively similar to Autumn's previous Dendry games, in which a side-story will be parsed throughout the game, requiring the player to meet specific characters multiple times to uncover the story at large. In this game, clearing more than one path in a playthrough is quite doable. The latter is a mechanic I had not really seen before in an IF game, but one I enjoyed greatly. Your job entails decrypting and archiving files, each with a specific code (hint hint), requiring to be either placed in a specific slot or discarded (or you can keep it for yourself). Combing through the documents were quite fun.

The first time I played the game, I thought I could survive all on my own, leaving past relationships where they were, focusing only on my job and keeping myself afloat. I remember it being incredibly stressful (I almost cried when Em was on the brink of eviction). Everything felt hopeless, and the almost-clinical-at-times prose, as well as the UI, accentuated that feeling.

This time around, I followed Autumn's advice and shamelessly begged my acquaintances for money. I didn't want to recreate that very anxious feeling I had the last time - and wanted to see what else I had missed. Indeed, it was much less stressful to go through. I didn't really have to worry about money (thanks A-), I didn't have to exhaust myself with work, and I could explore more different facets of Em's life (her past relationships, herself, how she had to navigate the world). The world is still wretched, but there is more hope. You almost believe that surviving through it is... doable.

The storylets manages to offer a bit of levity in this wretched world, in which Em can find a community helping others, rekindle her relationship with a (re)closeted trans person, rekindle her relationship with her ex who you had a child with. In (re)making connections, you can learn more about your past and how you (don't) fit in this world. You can go on a date, cook with someone, spend time with your child... have a "normal" life. I quite enjoyed how grounded and raw these storylets felt. They, at times, seemed like a commentary on our present, with the tribalism of social media, the lack of trust in the news, the grueling life under capitalism, and the treatment of transfolks. Strip away the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic future, and they could could be right at home with our current time. I still hated the news part... its description changing the 'a form of self harm' was on point considering the comments...

Even if you don't interact with anyone, you can still learn about the world and your place in it through the notes (essentially a Codex page) or DNA files you decode. From old recovered chats between yourself and other characters, science articles, old journal entries, and documents regarding the Arcology's founder - Liana -, you can build together a bleak image about the world, the state of the environment and human condition, filled with disenchantment and conflict. Depending on what you do with your day, you may find some Easter Eggs, like the TV Series you can watch or the Games you can play, little winks to Autumn's other games. Some characters of the game, made obvious by their names, share a resemblance to ones from the Pageantverse.

With the implementation of the Autosave, I was able to reach a lot more endings than the first time around, especially less bleak ones, without having to replay the game. Those endings are highly dependent on the actions you took during the game, some being sweet (especially with K-), some being maybe critical (imo A-'s, Alone), and one specifically blew my mind (Ending 1 - didn't find before). Ending 1 is by far the most interesting one in my book. While it might seem a bit like a Deux Ex Machina or coming from out of nowhere (depending on your playthrough it may feel like a whiplash), it is the one that has not left my brain since I've replayed the game - maybe because of how strikingly different it is from the others. I think this ending might work best if connections with other characters were not made. It also made me wonder whether Em's life would have been that different if her arcology was still in contact with the others, or whether contact was severed between all arcologies. Honestly, it brought a lot of questions about the world after reading through (sequel of Ending 1, when?).

I don't know if there is a point or a moral to the game. If I were to give one to it, it would be that communities are important for people to thrive, maybe even necessary, and that the world can be a very difficult place when you keep to yourself, worse when your situation is dire in the first place. Even if it seems bleak, there is a glimmer of hope and goodness there...

============= Old Review

Can we code DNA to make data storage?

I enjoy Autumn’s games and (re-)played all her other publications this year (after being introduced through A Paradox Between Worlds). So I was excited for her entry this year too!

Although it is supposed to be placed in a bleak almost apocalyptic future, there seems to be references to some sort of post-Covid period, the current inflation (especially housing) and the treatment of transpeople. Or at least this was the vibe I got from it. A strong feeling of almost hopelessness oozes from the prose (though you can end with a more hopeful/positive ending if you play it right). I almost cried when I didn’t make the rent and saw the amount just jump…

Like Autumn other games, there is a focus on the relationship between the different characters and on MC’s conditions (mental and physical). It is a bit hard to go through (the trigger warnings are warranted) but it does offer an interesting exploration on how to survive when your situation looks this dire. The news items are heart-breaking… but I hated the comments even more.

The Archiving mechanic is really interesting. Reading each file (some being contemporary pieces) as if they were bits and pieces from an ancient time is disturbing (but in a good way). The filing section is simple when you get the hang of it, but it does its job as it’s supposed to. I don’t know if this has been mentioned in the other reviews but: the code for the DNA strings are related to which category you are supposed to file it in and or the origin of the document, W being wikipedia. If you ever wanted to make the filing more difficult, you could add subsections to each categories

But, when you take into account the small resource management (you being the resource to take care of), the simplicity of the archiving makes things a bit easier to go through. I think I would have liked some sort of “action points” or “energy level” bar to see how much more I could do that day (but that is almost the only issue I have with the game, and it’s not even an issue really).

The inclusion of a walkthrough is very welcomed, as each ending requires widely different paths to take. I also liked the background changing depending on where the character was physically (outside, in the room, working…) and the way the pictures were edited enhances the feeling of things not being quite right.

I also like the small link between this entry and the previous games (which was made obvious to me by following the progress of this game on the author’s personal blog)

Overall, this was a great entry, and I hope our future is not as bleak as this one.

#The Archivist and the Revolution #Autumn Chen #interactive fiction #complete #2022 #dendry game #anti romance jam #review #ifcomp

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wormdramafever · 4 months

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Goodbye Volcano High got 3 Honorable Mentions at the Independent Games Festival (IGF)!!!!

Excellence In Narrative, Excellence In Visual Arts, and Seumas McNally Grand Prize!!

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weil-weil-lautre · 5 months

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The historic task of bourgeois society is the establishment of the world market, at least in its basic outlines, and a mode of production that rests on its basis. Since the world is round, it seems that this has been accomplished with the colonization of California and Australia and with the annexation of China and Japan. For us the difficult question is this: the revolution on the continent is imminent and its character will be at once socialist; will it not be necessarily crushed in this little corner of the world, since on a much larger terrain the development of bourgeois society is still in the ascendant.

Karl Marx Letter to Friedrich Engels, 8 October 1858

#karl marx #marx #colonization #engels #friedrich engels #revolution #capital #quote #archivist

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ryutarotakedown · 2 years

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[ID: Screenshot from the game “The Archivist and the Revolution.” It reads,

It is just for a single night.

"I'm hungry," he says. "Can we get burgers?"

Burgers are not a part of your typical diet; your typical meals consist of rice and beans porridge. But perhaps you could visit a restaurant.

Choices:

“We have food at home.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Why do you want burgers?”

“The humble so-called ‘burger’ is a piece of the Ruling Party’s propaganda campaign to legitimize their rule via continuity with the American Empire.”

End ID]

holy shit

#something something memes manage to survive despite the rise and fall of society…#g: the archivist and the revolution

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autistic-fool-with-ideas · 3 months

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Aligned continuity gave us the most insane friend group for Orion Pax and we don’t do nearly enough with it as we should

Orion, archivist, saw a revolution and IMMEDIATELY got on board

Megatronus, angry, hates the system, a little power hungry

Ratchet, depending on interpretation he’s either grumpy as fuck or a party animal who has yet to experience the horrors™️

Soundwave, BFFs with Megatron, has experienced the horrors™️ but he’s still a silly guy

Shockwave, depending on wether or not empurata is real in aligned he’s either a senator who teaches outliers against the councils wishes, or an empathy lacking dude who likes making crimes against nature

High Tide, grumpy and angry drill sergeant, probably swears like a motherfucker, he has a handy dog named SERVO, calls young people “hatchlings”

#the aligned continuity #aligned continuity #transformers prime #Rescue Bots #maccadam #tfp #Orion pax #megatronus #ratchet #Soundwave #shockwave #high tide #tfp orion pax #tfp megatronus #tfp ratchet #tfp Soundwave #tfp shockwave #cassettes tapes

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interact-if · 1 year

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Hi, hello! Do you have IF recommendations where the MC is dealing with trauma? I've read and like Fallen Hero, The Exile and I, The Forgotten One. Thanks in advance!

Hi Anon! Here’s a long list of games fitting your request. If anyone else has further suggestions of IFs with this genre, feel free to reply below where we will add those that fit in the list.

Completed:

77 Oleander Avenue: Ghost House Investigation (VN) by @invocative

Deathless: City’s Thirst by Max Gladstone

The Fog Knows Your Name by Yeonsoo Julian Kim

Demos:

A Tale of Crowns by @ataleofcrowns

Advenio by @adveniogame

Aeterna: Rubra Plena (VN) by @quantumvelvet

An Angel's Song by @melkstudio

Better Off by @oscarwrites

Defiled Hearts: The Barbarian by @defiledheartsblog

Exiled from Court by @beeanca-writing

Greenwarden by @fiddles-ifs

Hollowed Minds by @shai-manahan

I, The Forgotten One by bacondoneright

Invoker by @tomawrites

Larkin by @larkin-if

Ouroboros by @honeypeabrain

Prodigy by @prodigy-if

Respice Finem by @rf-interactive

Sinners and Saints by @sinnersandsaints-linwrites

Siren’s Call by @the-siren-call

The Archivist and the Revolution by @cyberpunklesbian

The Bastard of Camelot by @llamagirl28

The Exile by @exilethegame

The King's Hound by @the-kingshound

The Numbers Game by @thenumbersgameif

The Spirited: Origins by @yuveim

The Watchwood by @compassroseproductions

Trails Lead Home by @trailshome

Throne of Ashes by @13leaguestories

Vespertines by @mondaysandwich

No Demo:

Haunt The Bodies by @hauntthebodies

Rehab by @rehabifiction

#interact if asks #if: rec list #traumatized characters #cw trauma #interactive fiction

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spreadwardiard · 28 days

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Megatron Does NOT Drunk Call His Ex

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Megatron/Orion Pax, Megatron/Optimus Prime

Summary: Megatron laments his break up while watching Orion Pax's coronation as Prime on the holoscreen.

Notes: I wanted to try my hand at the whole 'drunk calling your ex' trope, and had some fun with it. Takes place in that time between the disasterous senate meeting and optimus being formally named prime by the government. This is TFP/ Aligned

Megatron scowled as he smashed his digits roughly against the keypad to his door. The numerals on the far left section of the pad were stuck again, not wanting to register his touch. He swiftly punched the mechanism in annoyance, and then tried again. Percussive maintenance did its job and the pin finally registered.

He tried not to think about how Orion had complained about the lock for at least a vorn before… Megatron grumbled at himself to stop that thought. Thinking about Orion Pax brought nothing but pain, but even Megatron knew that nothing would stop the onslaught of thoughts, memories and feelings that were certain to come for him in the night.

It was a battle he had lost many times before, ever since their separation. It was easier to call it that, rather than what it really was: a break up. One he hadn’t actually even wanted to happen. One that was his fault-

Megatron took in a deep vent, tried to reorient his thoughts to anything but Orion Pax. How the slag was he supposed to do that when he fragger’s coronation as Prime was scheduled to air any klik now? He hadn’t even seen the mech in what felt like ages… not since the argument.

Frag… He’d already lost the battle, and it had hardly even begun. Megatron’s scowl deepened as he admitted defeat, and against his better judgement, grabbed a bottle of his finest high grade. He grimaced as he actually looked at the bottle in his servo, decorated in golden filigree and ornately etched glyphs. It was the bottle Orion had given him in preparation for their Rites. The thought stung like acid rain.

He snorted out a forced laugh. The idea of he and Orion binding their sparks seemed laughably distant now. How fitting that he consume the high grade now, for Orion’s big hurrah. He didn’t even grab a cube to pour it in. He wouldn’t need one, he knew himself. The bottle would be empty before the night was over.

Megatron popped the lid and brought the bottle to his derma, prepared for a harsh, but effective, high grade to assault his glossa. He hated that it was delicious, that Orion had probably paid more for this bottle than Megatron spent on fuels for half a vorn. He hated that it was supposed to be special… shared between them… that he had ruined it.

At least his revolution was still going strong. The betrayal of Orion Pax may have hurt Megatron personally, but it ultimately strengthened the resolve of his followers. It was a bitter victory, he thought as he slunk back into his sofa, limp as an old thermal sheet.

If he hadn’t lost his temper and let his paranoia get the better of him, he’d be at that coronation with Orion, not having to watch it on the holoscreen. He took another drink, as large as his intake would allow, before he turned on the screen, and found the correct broadcast.

The newsmech drawled on about the excitement happening in Trion Square. Thousands of mechs had arrived to meet the newly designated Prime. Megatron snorted again as the crowd cheered in excitement. They were imagining a glorious leader to light their darkest hour, but all Megatron could envision was the dorky archivist that used to recharge in his arms and who couldn’t remember to fuel himself.

The bottle was at his derma before the grief that followed the previous thought could hit him. It settled hot in his tanks, and he forced a smile at the knowledge that liquid relief would be imminent. Once the warmth set in, the dulling of his processor would soon follow, and that aching emptiness wouldn’t be so painful.

He missed Orion Pax and now that nearly a dozen stellar cycles had passed, he would finally get to see him again. On the holoscreen… But that was better than nothing, right?

The newsmech continued their useless prattle, and Megatron watched lazily as the cameras panned the crowd, every so often freezing on the ornately draped balcony that he assumed Orion would appear from. Even from his out of date holoscreen, he could tell how exquisite the embroidery on the drapery was. It must have taken vorns to do by servo. It looked distastefully splendent next to the polished golden accents that Iacon was known for.

How many drinks had he had already? His processor was starting to feel a bit foggy. He couldn’t remember. He took another. It didn’t matter anyway. It wouldn’t change what he’d done. It wouldn’t bring back what he’d carelessly thrown away in a foolish fit of paranoia.

Megatron was ruthless with his words that cycle. He tore into Orion like a vicious beast. Orion visibly crumbled at his accusations of betrayal, and when he accused him of using their relationship as a means to gain power, Orion looked as if Megatron had stabbed him through his spark chamber. He would never forget the pain that had flashed through Orion’s field…

He was such a slagging fool… It wasn’t until after Orion went off the grid to seek out the Matrix that Megatron put it all together. Orion had never betrayed him at all. The entire situation was carefully orchestrated by the Council to drive a wedge between them, and it had succeeded in that aim. Now, Orion was their puppet, without Megatron there to fend them off and it was all his fault.

Megatron tore his optics from the holoscreen and looked at the bottle in his servos. It felt too light, and it took him a moment to register that he’d already drank nearly half of it. Orion hadn’t even appeared yet… It wasn’t his fault this stuff was so slagging good. Besides… this was a ‘drink to forget’ sort of night, and he sure as slag hadn’t forgotten scrap yet. Megatron took another drink.

It was harder to focus on the holoscreen. The newsmech was now apologizing for delays. Megatron couldn’t stop a laugh at that. Typical Orion Pax; late for literally everything. He’d have been late to his own forging if that were possible.

Slag… he felt heavy as a load of cement… What the frag was in this? He hauled the bottle up to his helm, and shuttered his optics, before squinting at the glyphs. He couldn’t focus on them, they just appeared as far off, fuzzy and jumbled nonsense. There was about a third of the bottle left…. Maybe he’d had enough?

He should apologize. Megatron knew that. He’d thought about it time and time again, usually when he was like this and had nothing else to distract him from his woes, but his pride refused to allow that. He never had been good at admitting when he was wrong, and was even worse when it came to apologizing for it.

What would he even say? Where even was he to start? ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t feel sincere enough, and anything beyond that was likely to just be excuses for his behavior. He deserved this… what he’d said was inexcusable.

Megatron ex-vented heavily. His frame felt like dead weight, and the longer he allowed it to melt into his sofa, the more annoying the constant pinging in his hip strut was. How long had it been alerting him of his discomfort now? He wasn’t paying attention. The ache in his spark was worse anyway. He took another drink.

It wasn’t fair. He wished he could share the enthusiasm shown by the crowd on the holoscreen, but how could that even be possible? With Orion now under the watchful optics of the Primacy, he was as good as lost. The Prime may have had power of his own, but they always followed the will of the Council. Orion would be no different. The Council had too much sway, too much power, for one mech to defy them alone.

The pinging of discomfort in his hip was becoming too much to ignore. He shifted his mass to the side just enough to allow gravity to crash his upper frame into the sofa cushions. The high grade sloshed dangerously in its bottle, but miraculously did not spill from his sudden readjustment, even as he pulled his legs up with him and shifted for relief.

The holoscreen was mostly forgotten. Instead, he pulled up his HUD and braced for the inevitable sting as he selected an image from his gallery, of Orion Pax lounging in berth. He had a datapad in his servo, and a soft, gentle smile on his face as he read aloud some poetry from the collection he’d been browsing. The poem had been romantic, though Megatron couldn’t remember it now. Orion had only read it to him once, and afterwards they’d ended up indulging in each other’s frames.

Megatron remembered the interfacing, not the poem, and it stung more than he would admit even to himself. He wished he would have saved a memory file so he could hear Orion recite it over and over again. He wished he could hear him recite anything right now. He hadn’t heard his voice since-

He cut himself off by forcibly closing the image, which, unfortunately, landed him right at Orion’s commlink. He stared at it for several kliks, toyed with the idea of calling before shooting that idea down with a slovenly scoff. No, the time for that had long passed, and Orion would be too busy to answer anyway, if he even wanted to. He’d convinced himself long ago that Orion had likely already blocked him from contacting him anyway.

He closed out of his HUD and shuttered his optics. His frame was running hot from the high grade, and his fans finally kicked in to dispel the excess heat. Slag… he must look as pitiful as he felt. The great and mighty Megatron, The Champion of the Pits, brought to his knees over a slagging break-up. He was patheti-

His self degradation was cut off by a loud and sudden ping. It was a comm request, marked urgent. It was from Orion. It flashed at him across his HUD in bold, red glyphs, but that was impossible. There was no way it was real… His mind was playing tricks on him again.

His optics darted to the holoscreen. Orion was supposed to have made his debut some time ago, but even with his optical inputs distorted from the drink, he could plainly see that Orion Pax was not where he was supposed to be. The ornately decorated balcony was still empty, and several important looking mechs shuffled around in distress at Orion’s truancy.

Megatron’s intake went dry, and that aching emptiness in his chassis returned full force as he, against his better judgement, accepted the incoming request. He tried to speak, but found his vocalizer needed rebooting.

“Megatron?... Please, don’t hang up…” It was him… He sounded different than Megatron remembered. The reverberation of his voice was slightly off, like his vocalizer was now housed in a larger frame, but the voice was unmistakably Orion.

Megatron wanted to respond, but his rebooting vocalizer prevented him from uttering more than a distorted and shaky “Hmmm?”

“Thank Primus, you accepted my call. I was worried you wouldn’t wish to speak with me. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner. There was so much happening, I hardly had a moment to myself befor-” It almost didn’t feel real. He’d so deeply convinced himself that he and Orion were too damaged for him to ever reach out. He had been certain that Orion had blocked him from contact.

“...and after that I was taken to this strange tunnel system where they placed me in some purification pool…” Orion was rambling, but it didn’t matter. It just felt good to hear his voice again. It slid into Megatron’s processor like the richest of energon, and he was starving.

“... -fter that I was chased by a small hoard of hibernating scraplets. I genuinely thought that I was going to offline down there…” This whole thing felt far too good to be true. Orion didn’t sound upset with him at all. There was anxiety in his tone, and judging by the speed of which he was speaking, he had a lot to say that he wanted, or needed to say quickly, but there was no anger or resentment, like Megatron expected.

“...-atrix of Leadership…” Slag… he wasn’t actually paying attention to what Orion had been saying this whole time, the high grade had only allowed him to process the smooth timbre of his voice. He tried to think back over what he’d heard, something about a pool of scraplets in a tunnel? . Slag… he still wasn’t paying attenti-

“Megatron… are you listening to me?” He flinched at the question. He was really regretting drinking as much as he had. If he’d have known Orion was going to comm him, he wouldn’t have had nearly as much. Megatron wet his derma before replying.

“I’m listening.” He sounded weak, and he knew it. He hoped Orion didn’t catch the waver in his tone, his tell that he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

Orion audibly sighed, but whether it was in annoyance or relief, Megatron couldn’t tell.

“I know, I’m rambling, I’m sorry. What I’m trying to say is that the Matrix makes me feel things far more intensely than I did before. All it lets me think about is you, and our last meeting… how I fragged everything up that cycle… How much I miss you. I’m sor-”

It took him several kliks to actually process what Orion was saying. Did he say: missed? He felt his spark practically jump in its chamber. Was that actually what he’d heard? That couldn’t be right… not after the cruel things he’d said.

“You miss me?” Orion went silent, and Megatron realized that he’d cut him off, mid-sentence, likely in the middle of something important. Something that he, again, wasn’t listening to. He grimaced at his stupid mistake.

“Yes, I did say that.” Megatron tried to sit up, but found he only had the strength to roll onto his back. His frame was too heavy for him to hoist up. He draped his arm over his optics instead, to quell the spinning as his processor tried to adjust to his movement. He definitely had too much. The high grade was flooding his frame now. It was a struggle just to keep his optics open.

“Will you say it again?” He cursed himself for how desperate his request must sound. Orion was silent for several kliks, but the time felt like eons as Megatron waited.

“Have you been drinking?”

Megatron groaned at the question, and that seemed to suffice as an answer for Orion.

“I miss you, Megatronus.” He let out an ex-vent that he wasn’t aware he was even holding in. Maybe all hope wasn’t lost after all? Maybe he hadn’t completely destroyed the bond he held so dear to his spark.

“I miss you too…” Megatron’s words slurred together and came out a jumbled mess. He barely got them out. The bottle he forgot he was holding fell from his servos, and he flinched at the sound of it crashing into the floor, the remainder of its content’s splattering across the tiles.

“Primus… you are absolutely slagged…” Orion laughed softly, and it sounded like bells to his audials. The soothing sound reminded him of cycles long past, when they were happy together.

“I miss you, Orion.” That wasn’t what he’d meant to say… He meant to ask Orion what the slag was in that fancy high grade to make him act like this. He’d be embarrassed if he weren’t fighting a system shutdown with all of his might.

“Mega…” Orion’s voice wavered, and the pet name burrowed into his audials. Megatron wondered if he was going to cut the link. He wouldn’t blame him for doing so. He’d fumbled this opportunity in a grand fashion. “Can I come see you? Please?”

Megatron almost couldn’t process that request. It was so far off from what he was expecting Orion to say that the glyphs simply didn’t make sense for several kliks.

“Where are you?” Wasn’t Orion supposed to be doing that important thing right now? In Iacon? Halfway across the planet from him? Megatron turned his helm just enough to see the holoscreen. The balcony was still empty. The crowd was still in place.

“I’m in Kaon… I-I fled my coronation and I… I didn’t know who else to run t-”

“Please…” He didn’t even attempt to hide the desperation in his tone, he was too tired at this point. His frame may have been in the process of powering down, but his spark thrummed in a mixture of disbelief, longing and joy.

“Give me just a few kliks… I won’t be long.” Orion laughed again, clearly with relief and again Megatron was soothed by the sound more than he would care to ever admit. “Thank you, Mega. I was afraid you would turn me away. I was afraid we were…. Over.”

“I don’t want us to be.” Megatron mumbled and vented softly. His processing subroutines were shutting down faster than he could reboot them. Orion said something after that, but Megatron could no longer process his vocals into anything that made sense. But at that moment, it didn’t matter. The blackout took him as Orion continued to croon softly to him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Megatron came online slowly in the morning. His helm was aching, but not as badly as he expected. He sank into his berth comfortably, and that helped to ease the discomfort his frame should have been feeling. After rolling onto his side, he slowly shuttered his optics, half expecting to be struck with pain, but pleasantly surprised that he was granted a painless view of his berth-side table.

There was a nearly empty energon cube sitting precariously close to the edge of the table, with a straw sticking out of if. He couldn’t remember getting a cube before he shutdown… Come to think of it… he didn’t remember much of anything that happened after he fell sideways onto the sofa last cycle.

He slowly sat up, while scratching the back of his helm as he tried to remember how the slag he’d gotten into his berth to begin with. He made a point of not recharging here. It was too big without Orion beside him.

Orion!

Orion had commed him last night! The ache in his processor surged as the memory of their conversation struck him all once. Orion called him and he bungled the entire conversation, but Orion had asked to see him.

Against his better judgement, Megatron swung his legs out of berth. His left pede hitting the rim of something, and sending it careening against the berth-side table: a trash bin, likely set there in case he purged during the night. As he stood, the scent of fuel preparation struck his olfactory sensors. It smelled like fried mineral cakes and thickened energon syrup, the scent of the warmed syrup almost sickeningly sweet. His intake watered, and his tanks clenched in discomfort at their emptiness.

There was no way… that had to have been a dream, a recharge flux from the high grade and the torture of watching Orion’s coronation. A hallucination created to torment him for his mistakes.. Right?? There was no way Orion had really come and put him to berth, with a drink… right?

He lurched towards the door, pausing only long enough for it to register him and open before stumbling out into his living quarters. He could hear the fuels sizzling in his prep station. Slung over the back of the sofa was a thermal sheet, folded, with a pillow resting on top.

It must be Soundwave… he must have checked in on the security feeds and saw him passed out on the sofa, and had come to clean up the mess. That had to be it… Even so, it he found more difficult to draw in a vent the closer he came to the dividing wall separating his living space from his fuel preparation area.

“Megatron? Are you online?”

Megatron paused in his steps as the unmistakable voice filled his audials. His intake went dry the moment he tried to speak, and he found himself at a loss for words. It wasn’t all a dream. Orion had called him. He had wanted to see him. He was here… Right there, on the other side of the wall.

He rounded the corner, needing to see it to truly believe it. Orion stood with his back towards him, obviously engrossed in the meal he was preparing. His frame was new…. He no longer wore a civilian model. He was taller, with a much sturdier chassis than before, and his arms thick with armor and weaponry. It was clearly the make of a warframe, but his colors were the same, familiar red and blue.

He finally felt like he could vent again, and when he did so, Orion turned his helm with a hopeful grin on his face. Their optics met, and Megatron had to rest his weight upon the wall to keep upright. He was beautiful.

“Orion…” It was all he could say as a million thoughts and words tried to bombard him at once. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to apologize for, so many questions he wanted to ask.

Orion shut off the flame on the unit, and slid something onto a plate before turning around fully.

“I know there are many things we need to discuss. But I hope that it can wait until after breakfast. I made your favorite.” Orion held up one of the plates, stacked with mineral cakes, to emphasize his point, and as if on queue, Megatron’s systems loudly pinged a low fuel warning.

Orion laughed. “I guess I still have perfect timing. Sit down, I’ll bring it to you.”

It was like they hadn’t fought at all… Megatron sat at the table, forcing a reboot to his vocalizer. Orion sat a hefty plate of mineral cakes in front of him, followed by utensils and the thickened syrup, ready to be poured.

Orion sat down across from him, and reached across the table, where Megatron eagerly met him with his own servo, curling their digits together, as they used to do before meals in the past. His palm was warm, and it radiated down his frame, directly to his spark. Megatron looked up to see Orion smiling at him, in what appeared to be relief.

Megatron returned the smile, before withdrawing his servo, his nerves now eased. Things were going to be okay, better than okay, if the cakes were anything to judge it by. Orion’s field tentatively reached out to his own, and he replied with his own. It was a quiet reunion, but it let him know that their love still stood strong, and that knowledge allowed him to fully enjoy his refueling.

Afterwards, they would work out the rest, together.

#spreadwardiard #megop #megaop #tfp megaop #megatron #orion pax #optimus prime #maccadam #transformers #transformers prime #literally just my spin on the drunk calling your ex trope #i thought it was FUNNY #i love a depressed megatron #but also love my happy ending fixitsXD #i hope yall enjoy reading as much as I did writing it!

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usnatarchives · 2 months

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"It's a tradition with us, mister!" - Volunteer for the #RevWarVets mission today.

Under the alias Robert Shurtliff, Deborah Gannett served valiantly for over two years. She braved the battlefield at Tarrytown, was wounded, and stood witness to Cornwallis’s surrender. Remarkably, she is believed to be the only woman to receive a pension for her own service in the Revolution.

This story is just one of many waiting to be discovered and shared through the #RevWarVets Transcription Project in partnership with the National Park Service.

Your participation can make a huge difference. By joining our transcription project, you help bring these vital stories of our first veterans to light, ensuring they are remembered and honored.

Get started today!

Project Page: https://www.archives.gov/citizen-archivist/missions/revolutionary-war-pension-files

Deborah’s Catalog entry:

#RevWarVets #Revolutionary War #National Archives #Transcription #HERstory #History #Veterans #Citizen Archivist #Research #Women's History Month

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primus-why · 1 year

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What if TFP Megatron hadn't fumbled the bag during the Orion Pax arc...?

Like, imagine we get that scene where Orion is all "Why does this computer refer to me as Optimus Prime? Who... am I?" And instead of Megs being all "Grr, you're just my clerk, nothing more." He was... actually sort of honest?

Like obviously not 100% honest, let's be real here he's got his own agenda. But I'll bet Orion wouldn't have tried to delete his data if he had gotten an actually satisfying answer!!

For example what if it had been like:

Orion: I must know-- who... am I?

Megatron: ... *sigh* I'm not so sure I know the answer myself, Orion. This situation... it's complicated.

Orion: Then perhaps you might help me regain the memories I have lost? You explained what became of Cybertron, but I have yet to learn what has happened to me--

Megatron: -- It would have been too much! So many years lost, so much change to take in... I didn't want to overwhelm you!

Orion: I know, and I appreciate your consideration... however, these questions have been distracting me from my work...

Megatron: ... Very well. Come.

They settle down on some nook with a window. Orion's optics are glued to Megatron, while Megatron looks out said window for a beat before turning to face Orion.

Megatron: What do you remember, before I found you in those tunnels and brought you onto my ship?

Orion: I... *shifting uncomfortably* it's difficult to recall, but I believe my last memory was of us... fighting.

Megatron: Fighting?

Privately, Megatron is concerned Orion might be recalling a battle. He watches the other mech closely for his next words-- is the jig up already..?

Orion: Yes... we were arguing after the Council meeting, though I can't recall what for...

Megatron visibly relaxes a bit.

Megatron: Ah... that. Yes, I remember that day.

Orion: I had miscalculated, and my error upset you. We parted on bad terms.

Megatron: Oh, my dear Orion, that's long in the past! I hardly think back to our quarrel...

Megatron gently takes Orion's servo into his own, idly rubbing a thumb over his digits as if lost in a memory.

Megatron: Actually... your absence gave me clarity-- once I learned you were gone, I immediately realized that I missed you... regardless of what had transpired. And it hurt my spark to know we would never see each other again-- though, that turned out to not exactly be the case...

Orion is staring intensely now. He is afraid of the answer, but knows he must press on.

Orion: Megatron... what happened to me?

Megatron: After that Council meeting... you were taken.

Orion: Taken? By who??

Megatron stops rubbing Orion's servo, squeezing it instead.

Megatron: ... The Autobots, but I didn't know it at the time. I was informed you hadn't reported for work in a while. For a deca-cycle, in fact, which didn't seem like you. I tried to com, but was having no luck-- then Intel couldn't find evidence that you had even made it home after the meeting. Upon further investigation, we learned you were snatched off the street some time after we had parted ways. I knew then something bad had happened to you, but I didn't know who was responsible. Not until I saw you again... only it wasn't you--

Orion Pax: -- It was Optimus Prime.

Megatron: Yes.

Orion Pax: But... how? How could I be a Prime? I'm just an archivist-- was just an archivist... and why me?

Megatron: I'm sure you've noticed the change in your chassis. Well... we believe the Autobot warlord Ratchet used his vast medical knowledge to perform experiments on you, which allowed your body to carry the Matrix. As to why he chose you... I'm certain it was to derail our revolution efforts. It had been personal blow, seeing you change sides...

Orion: How could I abandon the cause? Did I not recognize you anymore?

Megatron: You recognized me, but you did not know me. When the Autobots declared war, Optimus Prime would charge in, always on the front line. I was one of the few fighters who could hold my own against him, and by far the best chance we had to get you to come back to your senses... but I could never reach you.

Orion removes his servo from Megatron's, instead balling it into a fist on his leg. He looks away as well to take in a steadying vent, then another... when he finds his voice again, it is soft-- but he needs to know...

Orion: ... Was it mnemosurgery?

Megatron responds equally as soft.

Megatron: For vorns, I thought that was the case. However we'd didn't find any evidence of it during your medical examination.

Orion's optics snap back to Megatron's.

Orion: Then how?! I--

Megatron: -- It seems your memory loss had something to do with the Matrix. We could test that theory, of course, but nothing would move forward without your consent, Orion. You understand?

Orion: Yes, thank you. I will consider it. And thank you again for taking the time to enlighten me. I am... sorry to have caused you all so much pain...

Megatron: Don't dwell on the darkness of the past when tomorrow promises a brighter future, my friend.

Orion: Mm... how can you be so sure? We are far from home, and the war rages on.

Megatron: Because I was able to finally reunite with someone I had thought to be lost forever. Anything seems possible to me now, even victory after all this time.

Orion blushes slightly as Megatron gets up to leave.

Megatron: I must go attend to my duties on the bridge. Would you like to join me for fuel in my quarters? Say, in the next few groons?

Orion: I would like that, very much.

As he watches Megatron depart, Orion privately wonders just what "victory" would look like, given their home has been destroyed. To what end do we fight? Perhaps I shall ask Megatron to elaborate on his vision of the future after our shifts...

#megop #fuzz writes #*cue Megatron opening the door to leave in time to see a small crowd of vehicons mysteriously dispersing (as well as laserbeak)*#tfp #Megatron #Optimus Prime

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earthstellar · 4 months

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Megatron: "Your defeat here was foreseen by the ancients. What was it they wrote? The weak shall perish?!"

Optimus Prime: "Do not believe everything you read."

Episode: TFP - One Shall Fall

---

This is such a great exchange, because Megatron is losing his composure in an effort to bring about a prophecy of devastation, while Optimus finally obtains clarity and comes to realise that Megatron in his current state of mind cannot be saved.

Optimus isn't just referring to the prophecy itself, but he is calling back to the early days of his communications with Megatronus, the messages they began to exchange with one another while speaking about the injustices playing out around them, their long letters to one another that eventually brought Orion to visit Kaon, the beginning of their shared initial dream.

Back then, he believed Megatron to be a prophet of sorts, a speaker of truth to the brutally corrupt powers maintaining the system of oppression that bogged down Cybertronian people for so long.

Megatron sees himself as the prophet destined to bring about a pre-determined destiny steeped in the power of Unicron, while Optimus is mourning the loss of his own hope in his friend to ever be the bringer of peace that he, once upon a time, hoped he could be. Or hoped they could be, together.

Optimus still sees Megatron as Megatronus, deep inside-- Or he had, up until this point.

But Raf has been poisoned by dark energon, Ratchet (while under the influence of synth-en) told Optimus directly to his face that he needs to take the shot already and end this war (and Megatron) for good, and it culminates in this exchange in this episode.

The specific choice of words here is possibly Optimus speaking as Orion, expressing his disappointment in what Megatronus has become, a figure of evil beyond redemption that he so hoped he could offer his friend.

But Megatronus no longer exists as he did, back in the messages they exchanged in their earlier days, back in the holovids of a gladiator seeking to utilise his fame to encourage a much overdue revolution.

Optimus has lost some hope here; He can no longer believe that Megatronus can be revived from underneath what Megatron has become.

He no longer has the hope that their letters and exchanges originally inspired; He can no longer revisit those words Megatronus so carefully and passionately sent him, encrypted ten times over to prevent a Senate raid in Kaon or Iacon, secret letters full of hope for a better future.

What better future is there, with their planet dead and now with Earth on the line as well?

Optimus-- or rather, Orion, from underneath the heavy weight of the Matrix-- is still speaking to Megatronus here. Even though he now understands that Megatronus is long lost.

He cannot believe the great desire for social justice that Megatronus expressed and once wrote to him about at great length, because look at what has become of it all. Look at what his friend has become.

Orion is an archivist; He places great value in what he reads. He placed such great trust in Megatronus, the fate of their world has indeed changed as a result of both of their actions, and Orion was directly inspired by Megatronus.

But that inspiration is now tainted; Those memories are marred by the realisation of how far from those ideals Megatron has strayed.

Is it possible to re-read those messages that are no doubt saved for an eternity in Optimus' databanks, possibly even part of the Matrix's own memory core now, without pangs of sorrow and guilt for where it all led?

Megatronus spoke of great, wonderful things that could have healed the wounds of their people.

But instead, their people are cast out among the stars, their homeworld dead and decaying, their diaspora left to battle an unending war.

He can no longer have faith in Megatronus, for Megatron has only one goal, and in this moment, that goal is to destroy.

What happened to all those words about justice, freedom, a fairer society, a better balance among all classes and castes, a shot at real opportunity for those left oppressed and abused under a Functionist system?

Deep down inside, Orion can no longer believe what he was told so long ago.

And Megatron is so far gone that this may not even register to him; He sees Optimus as a separate entity, a perpetual enemy, the living embodiment of all that prevents him from achieving despotic control over whatever remains, a block in the path to potential restoration of their world and people-- Under his control, of course.

I just really love the specific phrasing, here.

"Do not believe everything you read."

Megatron, in his addled state of mind, may not have registered this statement for what it truly is.

And that makes it even more sad, because it proves Optimus/Orion completely right.

Those words they shared so genuinely so long ago may as well have been lies for all that has happened since.

It takes a hell of a lot to make Optimus/Orion lose hope or faith in even former allies.

And this scene, as quickly as it goes by, is Optimus directly declaring that he can no longer entertain Orion's hopes in regards to Megatronus' ultimate fate anymore.

Or at least, that's how I interpret this scene.

God, TFP had some really great, really subtle writing.

#tfp #transformers prime #tfp optimus prime #tfp megatron #megatronus #tfp orion pax #aligned continuity #analysis post #or at least sort of an analysis post #maccadam #maccadams

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transingthoseformers · 5 days

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Soundwave had never trusted him and very much thought he was behind it. It was kind of a suicide mission he went on with the newly recruited Deadlock who was determined to go with him. They run into Jazz, who is also breaking in because Orion is missing, which leads them to working together (SW lied through his teeth about hisnintentions and was definitely going to kill Orion and maybe die after if the guards caught him as he isn't handling this well).

Then he finds him, and it is very clear he's not there willingly.

They break him out and hide out with an old friend named Ratchet, who shoves them all in a backroom and lies to the cops before using his connections to get them out.

Soundwave doesn't expect to come back with all of them because Ratchet's lie is going to get found out, Jazz isn't leaving Orion alone anytime soon, and Orion Pax has changed and Soundwave is reluctantly treating him like Megatronus's widow and somewhat succesor as much as it pains him, which Orion would be considered in their cultural as legal marriages were difficult to achieve. Feelings matter.

I figure in this Starscream without Megatron as a charismatic young opposition stays as one of the figureheads for the Council, which is absolutely destroying and speaking against Orion and Soundwave in the news. Trying to dig up every bit of dirt on them both. Ultra Magnus is his co-leader.

Soundwave is deeply uncomfortable as leader and figurehead, but he cannot bring himself to trust Orion to lead. Which does lead to him trying to manipulate information or gaslight Orion to make certain decisions, but Orion is an archivist and just as skilled and calls him out on it. Challenging Soundwave's on preconceptions even as Orion works on unpacking his own. He also pettily starts dragging Soundwave to stand beside him as a visible leader and speaker and tells him tough luck.

Prowl and Ironhide and Praxus get recruited to be firmly Decepticons under their shared leadership. Especially following the murder of Megatronus. It's another matter of contention for the two of them, but the ultimately answer the call for aid and gather a lot of support and high morale when they work to evacuate as many people as possible and get some of their most important officers out of the Council's decision to "make an example" out of them. The city is lost, but they get a lot of citizens out. Who have skills their fledgling revolution definitely needs and it further acts as a counter to the propaganda about them. Though the Council tries to spin it.

Soundwave spends half their time together wanting to punt him through a wall and they are both exceptionally petty at times whi h Soundwave wears as a badge of honor to get Orion yelling back or a few times actually biting him.

Jazz thinks it's hilarious when the "brawl like protoforms" while Prowl despairs at them not having "the sense Primus gave a cyberpigeon" (I love that cowboy/southern Prowl is in Aligned which means Praxus is southern and I love that). Onslaught despairs at the fact his leaders have no dignitt. Ratchet thinks they are all being ridiculous, but Makeshift, Ironhide, Scrapper, and Deadlock are taking bets on who wins. Shockwave is mostly uninterested.

Orion has a surprising amount as he is very slippery and somewhat shameless when he gets to the biting stage. Soundwave reluctantly respects that, and Orion is a little more prone to being snippy with him, which Soundwave considers it more honest than his polite, carefully maintained face he's learned to keep.

Jazz is the one who makes comments about Soundwave and Orion's potential feelings.

Starscream is officially declared Prime and Orion and Soundwave are determined to find the Matrix first to keep it from him.

(Alpha Trion has been desperately trying to track Orion down because this was very much not as planned.)

So our line up is pretty different, and Soundwave's learning on the fly here

Iicr, before the war, Starscream was a pretty high ranking neutral general (and was for a decent chunk of it too) so this makes sense

Yep, Soundwave still doesn't trust Orion and it leads to consequences

Interesting how the fall of Praxus is similar but dissimilar to some canons

Sggshd Sounders and Ori having petty fights as well as the serious ones, and Prowl, Onslaught, and Ratchet being disappointed in them is hilarious. Like. Oh. Ohh you two. I think Jazz is right

Starscream is officially declared Prime

Prime!Starscream has to be fascinating, especially considering what I know of pre series aligned Starscream and other versions of him, and how his personality slightly differs thanks to the council in this

His decisions will be fun (for us) (not everyone else)

#maccadam #transformers #lots of characters #but #especially so #tfp orion pax #tfp soundwave #megop #megasound #soundop #au #alpha trion: oh no. //oh no//

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so-emo-i-fell-apart · 1 month

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I am so heart broken by the Transformers One trailer. It completely ignores any source material. OP was a scientist and archivist who met D-16 after he started rising through the ranks in the gladiators ring which was the only way D-16 could get out of the mines. They started a revolutionagainst the high council because the way bots were being treated we unfair. The whole war started was because once the revolution started D-16 now Megatronous/Megatron was hoping to fill the void and power by becoming the next prime ans Orion Pax journey to the center of cybertron to try to reverse the pollution the war was causing and stumbled upon the matrix of leadership which is how he became a Prime. NOT TO MENTION TRANSFORMING IS AN EVOLUTIONARY TRAIT ITS NOT SOME POWER BESTOWED UPON THEM. THEY LITTERALLY HAVE A PART OF THEIR ANATOMY CALLED A TRANSFORMATUON COG WHICH GIVES THEM THE ABILITY.

Also if Megs and OP are in the movie going by D-16 and Orion Pax why is Elita-1 not being called Ariel? That was her name before the wars.

As hopeful as I was for it too I do NOT like Chris Hemsworth's voice coming out of OP's mouth. As Orion Pax he should have a softer voice.

All of that said I will be in the theater opening night

#transformers #transformers one #orion pax #optimus prime #chris hemsworth #d-16 #megatron #Megatronus #ryan wants attention #even using g1 matrial before they had a cohesive plan and back story would work better than this #i hate it :(#i was so hopeful

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ao3feed-jonmartin · 1 month

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This Wretched Thing

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/snteIxz by BlindRadiant There is only one flaw in the perfection of anonymity that otherwise surrounds you, but it is one that is impossible to ignore. You thrive in the shadows, in familiar names bearing faces never seen. The sky is ever-watching, and there are no shadows here. Identities are picked up, worn for a time, then tossed aside. And they are all Known by the staring Eye. You and the others in your domain cannot escape its gaze. It sees the unknowable, and it hurts. You pull the veil of I Do Not Know You closer, but it makes no difference. The Eye pierces through, persistently taking in what should always remain hidden. --- In the post-change world, the Not-Them encounters Jon and Martin. The encounter goes very badly for the Not-Them --- The end of MAG165 from the perspective of the Not-Them Words: 3028, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Categories: Gen Characters: Not-Them (The Magnus Archives), Not-Them Sasha James, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Martin Blackwood Relationships: Not-Them Sasha James & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Spoilers for The Magnus Archives Season 5, Spoilers for Episode: e165 Revolutions (The Magnus Archives), Canonical Character Death, PoV not-them (The Magnus Archives), POV Second Person, Canon-Typical The Stranger Content (The Magnus Archives), in the form of identity fuckery, Canon-Typical The Beholding Content (The Magnus Archives), in the form of smiting, unreality, Imposters, Lack of identity, Scopophobia, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, LITERALLY, Beholding Avatar Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Body Horror, POV character death, no beta we die like the wretched thing the Ceaseless Watcher turns its gaze upon, I posted this fic just because of that tag read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/snteIxz

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #tma #jonmartin #jmart #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin fanfic

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lets-try-some-writing · 10 months

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hiii so this is my frst request i've put in here- love ur writing btw :3

has OP ever been like. drugged?? in a bad way?? like not spiking a drink, more like for an intentional bad outcome

I am honored to be the first to receive your request dear anon! And thank you for loving my work! I am literally an angst writer over here, so OF COURSE MY BLORBO HAS SUFFERED.

═════════════════

As Orion Pax, there was only one notable incident where he was drugged. It was shortly after he joined up with Megatronus and began to quietly fund and assist the revolution in its efforts. He was not a highly public individual, known only as the companion of Megatronus to those who happened to frequent the pits. However quite evidently that was enough to prompt all sorts of political players to target him.

Ravage or Laserbeak often served as his guards when he was down in the pits working with Megatronus, but back in Iacon? Well, there he was largely undefended, and thus a far easier target. Usually Alpha Trion's influence was enough to ward off such potential danger when in Iacon since that is where his influence was greatest. However one instance of particular boldness appeared to disregard that as while Orion Pax was on his way home and found himself shot with a dart right to the neck cabling. He hurried to pull it out, but by that time his vision was already swimming and he could only stumble and try to run somewhere public to escape whatever the threat who jabbed him had planned.

Orion Pax was by no means weak, but he had no combat training whatsoever and his skill lay with his mind and knowledge. Thus while he managed to avoid capture for a while, it was impossible to escape. His frame was unable to keep moving as his body shook, his systems demanded a purge, and his fans whirled to life to try and combat the horrible heat that assaulted him. He ended up collapsing in his knees to desperately purge his tanks before his processors fogged and he could no longer even see properly. By the time his frame his the ground, he could only curl up and try to desperately get away. Unfortunately, one drugged archivist, no matter how imposing, was no match for an agent of an influential political player.

When Orion awoke he was within a warehouse in some far and unknown part of Cybertron. His processors were foggy, his frame was on fire, and his tanks churned in warning of an impending purge. His vocalizer was disabled and his limbs were tied up so that he couldn't even begin thinking of escape. He spent at least a cycle and a half tied up with his captor who continually pumped him full of whatever drug was originally used. Orion couldn't keep any fuel down, not that any was offered. All he could do was wheeze and shake to try and let off more heat as his systems fought against the drug within him. Time blurred and he was largely unaware of everything going on around him aside from the odd kicks he received from his captor whenever he tried to move.

Thinking was its own form of agony, and so while Orion did attempt to crawl away whenever his captor was preoccupied and reach out via commlink to Megatronus when possible, he never was able to get very far in either endeavor. His ability to call for aid was muffled by a distorter and his signal was disengaged. He was quite simply, fragged.

Thankfully around three cycles into his captivity, just when starvation was beginning to set in alongside severe side effects from prolonged drug use, salvation came. His captor was disarmed by some form of dart and the doors were broken down to reveal those Orion cherished. Jazz dropped from the rafters and hurriedly began dragging his captor away. Ratchet came skidding into the warehouse with his medical kit, swiftly coming to Orion's side to begin running scans and undoing his bindings. Then of course there was Megatronus who seemed downright vengeful seeing Orion's half dead state.

Orion couldn't so much as lift a digit as he weakly vented and watched the proceedings with hazy optics. However he still managed a smile as Ratchet removed his binding and returned him access to his vocalizer. Then when Megatronus carefully picked him up to carry him out, he managed to wheeze out a simple phrase.

"Thank you Megatronus"

He was rushed to the hospital and spent several deca-cycles there recovering from the drugs and lack of energon. It was not an easy recovery by any means. The drug used made his frame always run hot to the point of being scalding, therefore making it hard for him to think or process sensory data. He had to be kept in a totally silent room with an AC running over him at all times to minimize the effects. It also didn't help that he simply couldn't keep any energon down with how his tanks churned and his digits shook hard enough to make holding an energon cube a chore. He was exhausted at all times and found it a torture to try and focus on anything. However with dutiful care overseen by Ratchet himself, Orion Pax began to recover in good time.

His old friend was there to help him hold his energon cubes while he struggled to get a few sips in. Jazz made a show of each of his visits, always bringing something of interest to try and give Orion something to do while also being entertaining to bring some levity to the situation. Soundwave came by exactly one to leave Ravage behind to serve as Orion's guard and then promptly left. Ravage for his part was content to rest at the foot of Orion's berth and speak when he felt like it. There were a few pleasant conversations to be had with his body guard, especially during the dead of his recharge cycles when Orion would wake nauseous and unsettled. Alpha Trion visited three times, each to bring Orion datapads to read and to offer what little comfort he could. And then of course Megatronus made it his mission to come see him at least once a deca-cycle, always with new stories to tell to give Orion something to listen to while he recovered.

Unbeknownst to Orion Pax until quite a few vorns later, Megatronus pulled a few favors to absolutely destroy the political player responsible for Orion's mistreatment. The mech merely vanished from the public optic rather suddenly and was not seen again for any influential issue again. Orion was perfectly fine with that, but did give Megatronus a bit of a glare when he did end up finding out. His companion merely smiled and waved it off.

Orion Pax was never drugged again, not while he remained an archivist. As Optimus Prime he was subject to enough biological attacks to make his first interaction with drugs look like sparkling's play. However he never forgot that incident or the kindness shown by all his friends after his rescue.

#transformers #maccadam #transformers prime #orion pax #megatronus #ratchet #jazz #alpha trion #pre war cybertron #tw drugs #poor sod who captured orion aint getting away unscathed #jazz would have made sure of it

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