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redjaybathood · 2 years

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I've been meaning to send this but I moved last week and my data ran out yesterday.

So anyways Flashpoint Thomas Wayne, Earth 51 Bruce Wayne (the one who killed his rogues and stayed good), and Jason Todd fresh from Lost days are all transported into a room together. What happens Next?

"Is there whiskey? In the room?" Jason says, as he looks around.

He knows there isn't, but the silence just gets more awkward and awkward. Bruce keeps his back to the wall where he can see both of them - his dad and his pet project, both miraculously alive but in a cursed way. Sucks to be Bruce today, Jason guesses.

The room itself looks a lot like an interrogation room: the metal table, a few chairs on one side of it that look comfy enough for something on a budget and on the opposite side, something real feeble. It's huge, though, and there's some kind of a display on the only wall that isn't orange.

"I had some, on me," Thomas grunts.

"He's not drinking," Bruce says immediately.

He glowers at his father all too much for someone who sacrificed his life and his kids' life and random people's, to a crusade in his memory. Maybe that was just for mom - and only Jason thought, "in my experience, moms suck less than dads", he remembered Sheila.

"I said had," Thomas replies with irritation. "Until they put me in this jumpsuit."

Bruce's nostrils twitch. That's his "I have one up on you in my sleeves", and Jason would like to know what he managed to smuggle, or how, before getting all his gear incinerated. Jason only got lockpicks and they're literally under his skin.

"Congrats on not being a robot, by the way," Jason sing-songs. "Though I don't know why they're so prejudiced against cybernetic life. I thought Megatron was cool."

"No, you didn't," Bruce snaps, "you collected Autobots."

"Yes, when I was fourteen and still watched cartoons. Then I discovered the joys of fanfiction and wasn't the same ever since. I am nineteen, by the way. If I want to drink, I will."

"You're still underage."

"Depends on the country. Any clue where we are? Because if it's in Europe..."

The doors swishes open and a tall black-haired woman comes in. Oh god, is it female Batman? Is it Thomas's mom or Jason's daughter? Just to stick with continuity.

"I will be sure to check the laws here, after," she says, sitting down in one of the nice chairs.

"You don't know?" Jason asks, crossing his arms and perching on the corner of the other side of the table.

He can see Thomas with his peripheral vision, Bruce at his back, brooding. Jason keeps talking and moving, because that's how he worked with Batman the best. He reels them in, B knocks them out. It's when Jason started to take them down they suddenly had a problem.

"Not going out much?"

"Never came up," she says. "And yes, I do need a girls night out once in a while but with everything what's going on, we're stamped. Sorry for the wait, guys. You settled in? No nausea, black spots in vision, sudden urges to kill?"

She looks at them like she only noticed the state they in. Exhausted, but still standing. She gets a some kind of a controller out of pocket and directs it forward and clicks.

Two more chairs appear.

"Now, sit down and we will get down to business."

Waynes dad-and-son pair doesn't move. Jason raises and drops his right shoulder.

"I'm good. Will be even better if you tell me there's no bombs in my head in the future."

The woman looks honestly baffled.

"Why would I need bombs if I can erase your entire existence? It won't come to that, of course..."

"Of course," Jason gestures with his hands, still in these cyberpunk handcuffs that can't be picked as easily as the ones he trained himself on.

Just shows, whatever you train yourself for, bad guys will always go one step further.

"Because we here at TVA don't know the future, we write the future. And the past."

"And the present is the only one that ever-changes, right?"

"Smart boy," she smiles and pats his knee. "I don't know why everyone says you wouldn't read through the back of a cereal box."

Was that supposed to put him on defensive, ask who those everyone are? Try to prove something? He knows who - it's Barbara, and Dick, and Bruce. Everyone else will be honestly boggled he can read. He can, for the record - he can even walk and breath at the same time. Shocking, he knows.

"Why would anyone read the back of a cereal box? It's all the same. Except when one time in Gotham someone replaced sugar with rat poison and actually printed it on the list of ingredients."

Jason was patrolling the previous night, on the school day, so he wasn't all there when he made his breakfast. Or actually ate it. It tasted weird but Jason was recovering from a nasty virus so he blamed it on that.

Dick never let him to live it down. It's a family story now - was. Maybe still is. He didn't listen to these in a few years.

"Before I begin, you all get one question," the woman says. "Is this what you want to waste it on?"

Jason presses his hands to his chest.

"Oh, was I supposed to ask what TVA is? You will tell me anyway, you guys love monologuing. And, I actually get three tries, these old men are not big on talking, don't mind them."

"Gentlemen," the woman says, looking at them in turn.

Old man's old man is looking like he's saving himself for a fight. Jason can't tell what Bruce looks like, obviously, but Jason trusts that whatever the question Bruce would come up to crack this case, he will get as much information from the way she not-answers Jason's.

"So this is not "I know what you did last summer" interview," Jason stands up and starts pacing. "This is a job interview. You maybe don't work for Waller, but you got all of us in here together for a reason. You want us to cooperate with you. And we're each other's incentive - the ones we lost."

"This isn't a question," the lady. "But no, you're here together because you are each other's reality check. Every one of you became someone the others would hate. And you all are very, very similar and chosen for the common experience you had. You all killed the Joker. And you need to do it again."

#sorry anon i just found this in my drafts #i probably started writing the minute i received the ask #because you know the setup is brilliant #jason and co are recruited to exterminate any and all version of joker across the universes and timelines #asks #jason todd #bruce wayne #thomas wayne #my writing #(oh yeah this is an au where jason killed joker in la)

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thatboxylady · 2 years

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otp meme for thrust and jetstorm: 3 12 24 33

haha oh no I hurt my feelings

3. Who’s the funnier drunk?

Thrust. It’s definitely Thrust.

Jetstorm is also funnier when he drinks, yes. That much is a given. However, Thrust’s already dry sense of humor gets ramped up 110% after a few high grades.

The only exception to this rule is after Jetstorm is gone. It’s way less fun to drink alone... and Jetstorm was the only one who ever really listened to Thrust. Silence is depressing. Thrust would rather feel angry than sad. Even better would be if he felt nothing at all.

12. Who remembers anniversaries?

They both do in different ways!

Thrust remembers dates with mechanical accuracy. Sometimes down to the minute if he’s invested enough. Numbers are easy for him, but he struggles with differentiating between versions of those anniversaries. Like if the previous anniversary year was better than the one before, and so on.

Jetstorm remembers specific days with photographic memory, but he has a hard time with getting the exact date right. He’s just here to party, man. Anniversaries are exiting when you can remember them for what they are, even if you get the timing a little wrong.

They make up for any confusion between the two of them, honestly.

24. Do they stargaze? Expand.

Cybertron may have gone “dark” after Megatron’s acquisition of all the planet’s sparks, but Cybertropolis still has its fair share of light pollution. On top of that, smog from Vehicon production sites has left the planet’s atmosphere kneecapped. Getting a nice view of the sky is hard... but that doesn't make it impossible. You just have to know where to look to get the best view.

On nights after large storms, on one of the freeways leading out of the city, there’s a blacked out weigh station with quiet parking lot. Sometimes Thrust and Jetstorm take the long way back home and find themselves out there. Whether home is the Citadel or the old hydroplant depends on the season.

When they arrive, they set up in the middle of the tarmac and look up. Knowing that there are other worlds out there with something better than whatever their lives are right now is comforting. It’d be nice to get away and see what’s up there. They like to look for the fun of it in case they see something new.

Maybe they’ll make it. Maybe they won’t.

In the meantime, setting their sights up sure beats whatever is going on around them. Still... sometimes they manage sideways glances at each other. It’s the next best thing after the rest of those billion opportunities hanging over their heads. Aiming for a closer target seems like a good place to start, right?

33. What lockscreens do they have?

They might not have phones, but their CPU's do have the capacity to utilize basic "screensavers." If you have to power down your vision-suite and don't want to deal with the hassle of having a black background for your HUD, you can take memory-bank stills to put behind it. It's just a little nicer to stare at when you’re running maintenance, honestly.

Jetstorm had his as the sky for awhile. He went out flying, realized the conditions were actually nice, and saved a snip from that field of view on his memory-drive. Eventually, he started changing it up... when Thrust started showing up in them, he brushed it off as the bike getting in the way. The last one he ever had was a great shot of the highway with the sunset in the background. Thrust's headlights lighting the road ahead of him just happened to be there on accident, but it was too nice of a shot to ignore. It was one of the last things he managed to see before his world drowned out in green.

Thrust didn’t have any for a long time. It wasn’t until he and Jetstorm were friends that he managed to get a great still of the other mech against the sky while he was driving down a freeway. After all... “why not?”

It never occurred to them to compare notes. Neither mech ever realized that the other was using a picture from the same moment— one from the road, one from the sky.

Isn’t it weird how they were both looking at each other?

#ask meme #HAHAH IT HURTS #beast machines #thruststorm #im feeling sad today so im doing sad things to make myself sadder this is the life i am living the dream #NO ONE IN BEAST MACHINES HAS FUN ESPECIALLY ME I AM NOT HAVING FUN #jetstorm #maccadam

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fang-wolfsbane · 3 years

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Transformers Generation One: A Seeker's Triangle: Chapter 05: Adjustment

The drive back to the squishy being’s home had been strange. First Starlit Meadow had learned that Zett’s species were known as ‘humans’. Adjusting to driving on the pavement road wasn’t all that different from Cybertron, which in itself was a release, but after being forced to stay in her newly scanned alternative mode in what Zett called a ‘garage’ was beginning to get on her nervous system.

The first couple of nano cycles had been fine, but after awakening out of what she could only assume had originally been stasis lock, hunger had begun to gnaw at her. She didn’t know how long it had been since she had consumed energon and sitting in this human’s ‘garage’ was working her up more than she liked.

When she had first tried transforming back to her bipedal mode, he’d asked, no, begged, her not to, claiming that he didn’t want to risk her being found out. The thought of that was annoying enough, but she chose to take his word for that. She had to stay out from underneath the Autobots’ radar, at least until she could figure out what to do next.

Zett had a point in her staying in this ‘car’ mode that he’d called her current form. She didn’t have a reflective surface to overlook her said car mode, but from the Earth vehicle she had scanned, she could assume that her frame had followed its usual protocol to turn her into an exact copy of her scan, save for the colouring. No matter which form she took, her colour scheme always stayed the proud black and green she had known since the moment she’d first learned the name of her two colours.

Every morning Zett came into the garage, bid her farewell to attend the Earth version of an academy, then he’d return at night after attending to work on the site he’d found her at. She wasn’t sure if Zett was keeping her a secret from the Autobots like he had promised to do but considering that she still remained incognito in the small, cramped wooden room, she could only assume that he did. Even if the Autobots had won the war against the Decepticons, there was no chance that they would simply leave a stray Decepticon out in the open. They would have dealt with her, one way or another.

Each day that passed, the only indication of time passing being Zett’s visits, seemed to take longer and longer. At first she had planned to wait, to lay low to try and come up with a plan, but her tanks were churning, demanding to be filled. When she had requested Zett bring her some energon, he only looked at her like she had lost her processor. She hated that look. It was the same one Astrotrain had given her once when she had snapped at him to keep his servos to himself when he thought she’d give him what he wanted because she was the only Decepticon femme at base. He had backed off, only after she had to show what her arm blades were capable of.

She should have checked them, ensured that they were still locked firmly into her arm plating, but that would require transforming, something she didn’t have the energy for. Whilst waiting on Zett to return, babbling on and on about how his day was, she took stasis naps in an attempt to conserve what little energon she still had within her. she contemplated forcing herself back into stasis lock to try and conserve more but thought it to be useless. If she did that, she’d be nothing more than an average car, as Zett put it.

She didn’t tell Zett about her thoughts on conserving what she had, but when he told her that not everything moving on the road was an Autobot or Decepticon, questions had popped up one right after the other. She must have spent a good amount of time asking him about his planet, which Zett had decided to sum up for her through video files he called documentaries and homework.

Earth was strange. There was no doubt in her processor about that, but the way Zett spoke about it, Starlit Meadow couldn’t help but find it interesting. She missed Cybertron, just like any other Cybertronian that had possibly gone off planet at some point in their functional life, but there was no use in longing for a planet she had no hopes of returning to. If she ran out of energon, then she definitely didn’t have any hope.

Letting her processor wander, Starlit Meadow felt ashamed of herself for not noticing that Zett had returned, rolling up the metallic garage door as he did. Usually the wide door made enough noise for her to at least be aware of his presence, no longer detectable by the systems she had forced herself to shut down in an attempt to conserve what she had.

“Hey Star. How are you holding up?” Zett asked as he rolled the door back down behind him, a rusted maroon coloured barrel beside him. From the sound of it, there was something inside, possibly a fluid of some sort. It stunk.

Shifting her sideview mirror, she caught sight of the human. If it weren’t for the concerned look on his face, she would have laughed, if she could manage more than a dry chuckle. He must have noticed her eyeing the barrel with her mirror when she didn’t respond because the next moment he was pushing it over towards her, leaving behind a steel-curling screeching noise as he did. She would have scolded him for it, but only watched instead, her curiosity getting the better of her, especially after what he said next.

“I brought you a little something. A little pick-me-up if you will,” Zett said once he had the barrel right beside her. “I know its not exactly that energon stuff you need, but I figured that since you’re, well, a car-”

“Transformer,” she felt herself correcting before her CPU registered her words as they played through her radio. An interesting device, one that she had thought about using to try and contact her old teammates but absolved from in case the Autobots were monitoring radio frequencies.

“Right, sorry. Anyway, since you won’t let me ask someone for help, and said that your kind needs this ‘energon’ stuff to survive, I might have had an idea. You see, when the Autobots set up base here, the government let them have stuff like oil and that kind of thing, so maybe it’s the same thing? I don’t know exactly, but this is the best I could think of,” Zett rambled on, barely able to keep her attention as he scratched the back of his helm, no, head, he had told her when she had asked about the strange covering he called ‘hair’.

“Get to the point,” she said, groaning inwardly upon realisation that she might have used the energy she needed to talk where she could have been conserving it.

“Hn? O-Oh, of course. I, uh… do you remember when I found you almost a week ago?” he asked, taking her silence as confirmation. “Well, I found this old oil barrel and thought that maybe you could… you know, drink it?”

“Oil?” She would have arched an optic ridge at the strange word if she had been in her other form.

“Yeah. I know you said you’re not a car, but it is still something cars use to get around. I thought that maybe it could help, at least until we figure out a way to get you some energon.”

She went quiet once more, this time for longer as her thoughts ran through her processing unit. Finally when she spoke, her voice was a bit more strained than she would have liked.

“Why are you doing this?”

This time it was Zett’s turn to go quiet. At first she thought that she might have fallen into stasis lock and was merely imagining his presence before his hand touched her side window. Her mirror readjusted itself so that she could see his face a little clearer. Due to her lack of fuelling, her vision had resorted to its basic function, making her see everything in a dark red hue, and not the once bright colours everything had originally been when she first onlined on this planet.

“Because… you’re my friend,” Zett said, a small smile spreading across his lips as his hand moved over her red-tined window, brushing away a spec of dust that she’d previously ignored. “That and you looked like you needed help. Something tells me you’re the stubborn sort that even if I went to the Autobots and told them were you were, you’d be out of here before we make it around the corner and the only way I’d see you again is when you come to kick my ass for it.”

She didn’t bother confirming or denying his assumption, leaning more towards the former guess herself.

“Anyway, I know its not the energon you need, but maybe it could help. From the looks of it, no one’s going to claim it anymore either. It’s probably been abandoned for more than a year already.”

Letting a sigh reverberate through her systems, Starlit Meadow put the last of her reserve tanks into forcing herself to transform into her bipedal mode. Usually when a protoform went through their very first transformation, it tended to hurt, only because their joints and mechanisms weren’t used to the process. After at least a stellar cycle of practice, the pain faded, never to be felt again, except apparently on a near empty fuel tank.

When her doors had shifted into her arms and her back end of her car form returned to a pair of legs, Starlit Meadow hunched over in the garage, the wooden building feeling even smaller than before as her hunched back touched the ceiling. How humans could stand living in such small spaces, she didn’t care to know, even if it was big compared to them.

Looking over to the barrel, she wasn’t all that keen on tasting this thing Zett called oil, but considering her situation, it was either go to the Autobots and hope to be helped or swallow her pride with the oil and hope for the best. This time she chose the latter option.

As much as it pained her, Starlit Meadow was relieved to see that at the very least, she still had the blades on her arms, something she had ever since Megatron first found her. The relief she felt was comforting as she used the one on her right to slice the top off the barrel.

The liquid inside was thick, and black, not at all the bright pink she was used to seeing in cube form whenever rations were divided up amongst her former team. She tried ignoring the smell as best as she could, wishing she’d chosen to disable her ol factory sensors as well.

From the corner of her optics she knew Zett was watching her, anxiously awaiting her reaction. She hesitated then tossed back the thick liquid in a big gulp, nearly gagging at the taste. She nearly snapped at the human that he was trying to clog her fuel lines when her tanks grumbled with the need to consume more. Before she knew it, she had swallowed half of the barrel’s contents. It wasn’t energon, that much was certain, but it was still comforting, filling.

“How is it?” Zett asked, taking a step towards her, although judging by the smile on his face, he seemed to be pretty well informed that his decision might have just helped her after all.

“Horrible,” Starlit Meadow admitted, finding a smile on her own lips as she looked down at the human, watching his facial expression fade at the realisation. Before she knew what was happening, she found her servo reaching over towards him, taking a gentle hold of the shoulder that she could crush so easily with a simple flick of a digit. “But… edible, as you humans say.”

Zett’s smile returned to his lips, the moment a pair of words she thought she’d never ever say again crossed her lips.

“Thank you.”

#A Seeker's Triangle #Astrotrain #Autobots #Chapter #Cybertron #Decepticons #Fanfiction #Generation One #Megatron #OC #Original Character #Starlit Meadow #Transformers #Transformers Generation One #Transformers Generation One A Seeker's Triangle #Zett Oakwell

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primergon · 4 years

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i’m searching low in the night , starscream/fem!reader

Summary : What could he possibly want from an organic? A filthy, weak, and incompetent organic? An organic whose tears he could not stop imagining, an organic whose eyes follow him everywhere he goes, an organic whose laughter crowded every space of his silence.An organic, who is out there, unknowingly waiting for him.

( Starscream meets shattered glass! Starscream and discovers somethings better left unknown)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime

Relationships: Starscream / reader, Starscream (Transformers)/You

THE locks hissed, latching themselves in place. Shockwave remained unperturbed by the whole scenario, mulling about as if it was nothing short of a usual day in the lab. If this couldn’t shake the stoic Mech, then Starscream doesn’t want to know what will. Knockout seemed much more hesitant, shooting glances at him every now and then – Starscream would have found it comical if it wasn’t for the look everyone’s giving him.

Starscream marched to his counterpart, peeling himself off the wall. “ You’re an Autobot.”

His doppelganger shot him a no slag look. The Autobot insignia gleamed above his armor, a stark difference to the walls that held him prisoner. Starscream took the chance to observe him – or himself, up close. Aside from the minor scratches he got upon entering the portal, he seemed unharmed. The color scheme of his plating was enough to make Starscream nauseous. It was white down to his claws – no, fingers. It was white down to his fingers.

Starscream scowled.

“ Pathetic,” He scoffed, “ I expected better from myself.”

“ Makes the two of us.”

The vehicons left once their work was done, ushered out by Knockout. There was comfort in knowing that Megatron won’t be around to witness this himself, even if a field report was inevitably going to inform him of it, considering that Shockwave was with them – yet his temporary absence gave Starscream the closure he needed to let his curiosity wander.

Mirror-Starscream – as Knockout has dubbed, looked uncharacteristically calm, which only serves to agitate him even more. Deep down he was rooting for him to resist, to fight back – to even beg. Where was his cunningness? Where were his shrewd quips and witty reasoning? Why isn’t he trying to talk his way out? Was he that much of a coward? Yet the look in his eyes stated otherwise. It was one of determination. One of courage and loyalty and – bah! It makes him sick.

Pathetic.

Shockwave can toss his words to the Pit – there was no way he was staring at his alternate self. Whatever failed science experiment the one-eyed slagger had conjured, it couldn’t have possibly brought back anything that resembled him. This must be some sort of trick, a curse, a bad omen.

“ Mind sharing to us how this all came to be?” Knockout hummed, attaching the very last wires into the system. The computer whirred to life, the noise enough to set him on edge – again Mirror-Starscream was almost unresponsive, merely glancing around as if he’s laying on a human beach rather than the torture chamber of a Decepticon warship.

“ You’re going to pry it from my head anyways.” He tugged on the restraints. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter – you won’t get any information that you can use against my friends, because I don’t know how the slag this happened either.”

Starscream scoffed. “ We’ll see about that.”

Starscream slid onto the opposite berth, letting the doctor ease a cable around the back of his helm. His double regarded him silently, confusion in his eyes – as if he couldn’t picture what they’ve become. “Why ?”

“ Why not?”

Knockout gave him the signal and at the count of three, Shockwave activated the cortical psychic patch. His double gave him a horrified look, before falling into his memories, pulling Starscream with him.

He shouldn’t be surprised – no. He’d seen many things throughout this war. He’d seen Vos crumble at his feet, he’d seen flyers getting their wings ripped out by blasters mid-air, he’d seen Megatron on his worst days. He’d seen it all, nothing could catch him off-guard.

Except maybe this.

“ W-what is this?”

His double raised a brow at him. “ This is the part that surprises you?”

Starscream recoiled. “ Why am I touching that organic?”

His double searched his gaze. “ That organic is our – my Conjunx.”

Starscream swore he could hear Knockout’s gasp, or perhaps it was his own. The seeker retreated, looking back and forth. “ I would rather go to the Pit than admit that-that creature is my – “

“You don’t recognize her?”

His double moved forward, walking past Megatron – a parallel Megatron, where he wasn’t a bloodthirsty warlord, but instead, a scientist whose driving force is to protect humanity and take down Orion Pax. Orion Pax, Optimus, for short - who is supposedly a gladiator of Kaon. Starscream could barely picture the red and blue Mech even taking down a vehicon before the primacy, what more Megatron? Then again, the silver Mech didn’t even look threatening – with no claws and blue optics. Primus, what happened to his optics?

Starscream pretended to be nauseated, insulted, infuriated – yet he couldn’t bring himself to pry his eyes away from the sight. The scene had melted into another one, the once vibrant colors peeling into a dark room. He could hear the sound of rain, and the roof above his head suggested that he was inside a human home. He flinched when the wood creaked below his feet, only to realize that it came from the memory.

He could walk only to where his double stood, not daring to reach out any further. In his double’s memory, he was hugging – hugging? Yes, hugging the organic. They were laying down on a human berth, limbs tangled. He was nearly lost in the intimacy, watching as she dragged her fingers across his wings. This would imply that – Primus, they really are Conjux Endurae. Watching himself being courted is weird enough, watching him being courted by a fleshling is even worse. Then again, she was being extremely careful, reaching out to cover the expanse of his wing with her faint caress.

“ Are you falling asleep?” She asked, whispering into the dark. Their bodies were illuminated by the half-light pouring through the window, shielded from the ongoing storm. It was quiet, so quiet, that he could hear her breathing.

“ I am.” He murmured, burying his head deeper against her clothed stomach. Starscream wanted to flinch at that, to rage at the idea that he would give himself to something so –

She laughed. The noise faint and brief, yet enough to send something through his spark. He retreated, watching as she pulled him closer. “ That’s good to hear. You’ve been working so hard, and I’ve been worried. I can’t imagine anything happening to you.”

Outside he could hear the roll of thunder. His double raised a finger, tracing it across her cheek. “ I should be the one that’s worried.” He pulled himself up, sitting upright. “ What did the doctor say?”

There was a moment. He should’ve taken this as a chance to break the vision – they should be looking for information. One related to winning this war, yet he felt anchored to the ground, unable to move. The fact that they haven’t shifted to another memory meant that Shockwave no longer has control over the psychic patch, leaving them with no room to argue.

The human woman hesitated. He waited, combing her hair. “ Tell me, please.”

There it was, begging. Starscream stole a glance at his counterpart, who was leaning by the wall, looking away. She rose to sit, placing both her hands across his cheeks. She leaned in, brushing her lips against his own. He felt appalled, but the feeling ebbed away when she started crying. Liquid leaked from her optics – eyes, humans called them.

“ Starscream.” There was something in the way she uttered his name. He’d heard people shout his name, scream his name, belittle and butcher his name. He was used to the anger dripping from their voices when his name was called, he had grown to the cruel and sneering way everyone would refer him to.

That’s why hearing his name uttered so gently was enough to shock him into flinching.

He couldn't remember the last time someone did that.

“ We both know I…my life is finite compared to yours. We both know I will leave you much sooner than you want me to. I wished we had more time, but if this is all that the universe is going to allow me, then I want to spend it with you.” The tears continued to spill, even if she’d buried her face on his shoulder. “ I’m sorry…I’m sorry that we’re so unlucky in this lifetime. I’m sorry, I had to get sick, I’m sorry I’ll – “

His double shushed her. She was hiccupping, spilling her tears all over his armor – yet he didn’t seem to care. All he did was hold her, rocking her sideways. Warmly, tenderly, intimately. “ Don’t apologize for something you cannot control.”

He laid her back down on the bed, the two of them facing one another. It was at this point that Starscream felt as if he had interrupted something private, something he shouldn’t see – but the rain outside was growing stronger. The wind howling and shaking the trees.

Once she’d calm down, she raised a hand above the pillow. “ I didn’t know I was sick. But, if you had known earlier – will you still stay?”

“ I would.” He answered.

She narrowed her eyes.“ Even if it would hurt you?”

“ I would.”

His mirrored-self embraced her in a way that seemed so foreign – could he do that? Was he capable of really giving her that kind of security? That kind of comfort? Here, within these four walls, the war couldn't reach them. Here, in this far, distant memory coming from a life he could have had, she laid next to him as if she trusted him more than anyone.

She could have never done the same with him – yet this was him, wasn't it?

“ I wish we are luckier in another life.”

She murmured, eyes struggling to keep themselves open. He – his double, continued to rub comforting circles around her back. Under his metal fingers, her skin looked so pliant, so inviting. He nuzzled the column of her neck, arching into her touch.

He could crush her, hurt her – yet he didn’t.

Why? Starscream didn’t understand. Why, why, why, why –

“ Why?”

Once again, the scenery before them started to blur, fading into the next one. His mirrored-self ex-vented.

“ Why not ?”

Even after they’ve severed the psychic link, Starscream still finds himself going back to the memory. He could never forget the look Knockout had offered him. He could have handled the gloating or the disgust in his face. Yet everything about the medic screamed pity, and Starscream had to walk out of the room to stop himself from getting angry.

At what, he didn’t know.

His double had managed to escape. After three days of captivity, Mirror-Starscream was rescued by his team – Starscream scoffed bitterly, all that hassle, all that trouble, just to rescue one Mech? In this world, Megatron would have left him for scrap.

He let his hands fall to his sides.

He would have left him for scrap.

The warlord was indifferent to the incident, if not a little agitated with how they’ve managed to still return empty-handed. The Vehicons had initially gossiped about it, whispering to one another whenever he would pass down the halls. After a week, however, it died down – any talk about his second life vaporizing into thin air. Disappearing without a trace.

Starscream wished it was the same for his memories.

Yet, here he lay – awake at night in his berth, staring at the ceiling. If he closes his optics, he could hear the pitter-patter of the rain above the roof. He could hear her breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. He could imagine her hands against his skin – warm. They would be very warm. Initially, whenever the thought would arise, he would push them away. He’d spent weeks running from it, only to find that he’s been going in circles – haunted by a memory that wasn’t even his to begin with.

What made it so appealing?

What could he possibly want from an organic? A filthy, weak, and incompetent organic? An organic whose tears he could not stop imagining, an organic whose eyes follow him everywhere he goes, an organic whose laughter crowded every space of his silence.

An organic, who is out there, unknowingly waiting for him.

“ I wish we are luckier in another life.”

He clenched his fists.

He stared at the datapad. At that time, he had caught a glance of her name written above what seemed to be a medical report. He had entered the syllables into a humans search engine, scrolling through the world wide web for her identity. He stared at her picture on a social platform – social media, they call it.

He groaned. What am I doing?

She was smiling. He noted. She looked healthy here.

But will it stay that way?

“ Even if it would hurt you?”

He stood by the roof of the Nemesis, feeling the clouds cluster oppressively around him. The onslaught of rain did nothing to deter his stance. He watched the storm below, observing the flash of lighting. Thunder followed not long after. The wind strong enough to faintly rock the ship.

Just one look to quench your curiosity, he reasoned, just one look so you will stop thinking about her.

He turned off his comm-link, severing all communication with Soundwave. This should buy him some time, how long ? He doesn't know. Hopefully, it will be enough.

All he needed to do was jump, and somewhere below – inside a human home, you were waiting for him.

Pathetic. He thought - leaping off the platform.

A/N : I hope this isn't too OOC, you can set the timeline anywhere you want - but I'd like to think it's somewhere around season 2. Don't hesitate to tell me what you guys think and correct my mistakes <3

AO3 Link : I’m searching low in the night

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thanksjro · 4 years

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More Than Meets the Eye #7- Just in Case You Forgot Decepticons Were a Thing

While the Lost Light gets all of Rung’s appointments in order, our narrative is going to take a little shift, so we can get to know some pretty neat dudes.

And by “neat dudes” I mean completely morally and ethically reprehensible bastards.

But first, here’s a brief history of the Phase-Sixer known as Black Shadow.

Very limber, Mr. Shadow. Also, note the abstract sort of Decepticon insignia shape going on with the panel. That’s just neat.

Now, Black Shadow’s kicked a lot of keister in his long, storied career as a ‘Con, which makes his current situation all the more bleak, as he’s in the final throes of a visit with the Decepticon Justice Division.

The guy with the arm-mounted cannon that’s clearly compensating for something is Tarn, the leader of the DJD. His main character trait is he’s sapiosexual, but only for Megatron. He’s so devoted to the Decepticause and its rhetoric, he wears a mask of the insignia at all times.

Behind him are Helex and Tesaurus, who turn into a fondue pot and industrial-sized blender, respectively, and Vos, who turns into a sniper rifle, and was once fired by Megatron himself. I assume he’s only part of the DJD for the clout.

And then there’s Kaon, who turns into a wheelie chair.

Black Shadow’s looking pretty rough, but the boys haven’t killed him yet, and there’s a reason for that; the DJD’s sole reason for existing is to punish any Decepticon who stalls the glory of Megatron’s vision of a better tomorrow coming to fruition, no matter how slight the infraction, and simply killing their victims doesn’t exactly drive the point home, now does it? They’ve got to make an example, you know?

But really it’s so Tarn can pontificate. See, he considers himself a bit of an intellectual, as shown in his quoting of Megatron’s autobiography, Towards Peace.

Ugh, He’s a fanboy. It’s enough to make you want to puke. Which Black Shadow does. It’s mostly blood. Or is it? Hard to tell, energon is everything for these guys.

The DJD have had their fun, so now it’s time for them to say goodbye to Black Shadow. This is where Tarn’s special talent comes into play, and it’s a nasty one.

Tarn has a unique voice, one that, when matching the timbre and frequency of another ‘bot’s spark, can be used to affect said spark, even making it give up the ghost. This is exactly what he does to Black Shadow, but not before making him apologize for selling out the Decepticons for a butt-ton of money.

Speaking of unique voices, Tarn’s characterization is almost completely in his. It makes sense, given his power, that he have a way of speaking that stands out from everyone else. It’s smooth, and cool, and seems well-rehearsed; this is not a guy who stumbles on his words. He sounds like a Bond villain.

Roberts has admitted that he wrote these characters with English accents, and while I can’t say that I buy it for everyone in MTMTE, I certainly do for Tarn.

But maybe that’s just because I’m American, and a lot of the media I consumed growing up had the whole “the villain sounds British/camp gay” thing going on.

Anyway.

Black Shadow explodes, because we haven’t had one of those in a while.

With another tick put on their List, the DJD get ready to move on to their next target. We don’t get any names, but whoever they are, they’re about to have a very bad day.

Then we take a quick jump back to the Lost Light, since things were kind of a massive mess when we last saw everyone.

Rung’s not dead, by the way. I guess Swerve really is just that bad of a shot. Still, he’s not much more than a brain on a rope, and that means that Rung’ll be out of commission for a good while.

Poor Swerve. He feels so awful about this whole thing, even brought Rung one of his little ships to keep him company. The worst part is, now that Swerve’s shot the therapist, who will he talk to so he can work through having shot the therapist?

Speaking of guys who need therapy, Red Alert comes visiting in the dead of night, after visiting hours and in cover of darkness. He tells Rung about the little surprise he found in the basement, and bids him farewell, as he will surely be killed now that he knows about Overlord.

Who the hell programmed that drone to be so menacing?

Red Alert, again showing that this ain’t his first paranoia rodeo, slips a data slug full of Overlord bondage footage into the hole where Rung’s thumb should be- guess it got lost in the helter-skelter when he got shot- then walks out of the medibay, presumably to die.

Anywho, that’s enough of the Autobots for a little while. Let’s see what the Decepticons are up to.

On a planet far from wherever the Lost Light is faffing about, a Decepticon wakes up to a bunch of dudes hovering over him, insulting his looks, and stealing his organs. He reacts accordingly.

This is Fulcrum. No, not the Decepticon medic from Eugenesis, different guy. This Fulcrum’s primary function is probably about as removed from healing as it gets.

The guys trying to harvest him are the Scavengers, and they’re pretty surprised that he’s not dead, because, well…

Yeah.

Misfire- the dude who got kicked in the face a second ago- does both Fulcrum and the reader a solid by introducing all the members of this merry band of assholes, starting with the surliest of their ranks.

Crankcase was first introduced into the IDW run in Stormbringer #3, where he shot at Thunderwing and spouted off a couple lines ripped straight from a porno.

Stormbringer is really just… something else.

Spinister, who can and will shoot anything that meets his unpredictable criteria of being a threat, is the only other Scavenger who isn’t debuting in the comics with this issue. He was in Stormbringer #4, not that he really did anything of note there.

There’s Flywheels, who can’t tell a lie without transforming, and is a born-again evangelical. His character is a removal from his previous iterations, as he’s a triple-changer instead of a Duocon, a robot that only exists if two separate sentient vehicles combine. So, in his case, tank + plane = giant robot. Transformers is weird.

Then there’s the leader of this group, the ever-stressed, glorified babysitter, Krok.

Krok takes the opportunity to save Fulcrum from the verbal barrage, explaining that the Scavengers are expropriation specialists, meaning that they take people’s shit for their own benefit, and that includes bodily fluids. Misfire was supposed to be siphoning energon from the corpses in the area, but accidentally got high on another dude’s supply in the process. Misfire may be hopped up on drugs at the moment, but he’s only a bit more put-together sober, so this really is roughly par for the course with him.

Back on the Lost Light, Chromedome pays a visit to Brainstorm, who is currently hanging from the ceiling. Not in a suicidey way, mind you, just in a Brainstorm way.

He wants to be noticed so badly.

Chromedome’s here because he managed to steal Skid’s weirdly forgettable gun back in issue #4, while Skids was busy harassing that bar drone. He handed it off to Brainstorm to try and figure out what the deal was. Problem is, the gun blew up the moment Brainstorm cracked it open, only allowing him to get a quick look at the internals thanks to his super-futuristic robot eyes. All he can really say is that it looks like something that came from The Institute. Back at it again with the ominous proper nouns.

Getting back to the Scavengers, it looks like the boys have set up a little campfire for the evening. It’s a gorgeous night.

In love with the colors this issue.

We get a very brief history lesson that shows us why reducing your workforce to a spreadsheet instead of living, free-thinking creatures isn’t a super great idea, and then Krok drops the bomb on Fulcrum about the war being over. This is pretty wild to Fulcrum, probably because after 4 million years of that nonsense, you don’t really expect it to ever actually end.

Of course, when the impossible turns out to be possible after all, there’s only one question to really ask: who won?

Now, none of the guys really know how everything ended, only going off of the pulse wave that Vector Sigma shot off during the reformatting of Cybertron. They figure it was probably the Autobots, because they’re at least a little genre savvy. Bummer for them, considering they’re technically part of the bad guys. Just ask the campfire.

You know, I don’t think this is what President Roosevelt had in mind when he started doing fireside chats.

And so our location is finally revealed to us- this is the planet known as Clemency. Hey, wasn’t that the place Tarn said their next target was? Man, that really sucks for these guys. Hope they’ve got their wills in order.

Meanwhile, in the medibay of the Lost Light, Rung has another late-night visitor. This guy takes the data slug from inside his thumb hole, thus removing any hope of Red Alert’s fate being found out. Well dang.

Back on Clemency, the boys have made it through the night, and are using the light of daybreak to start scrounging up parts for their super sweet ship, the Weak Anthropic Principle.

Hold on to your butts, because this one’s a doozy.

The Anthropic Principle is based in the school of philosophy, and states that any and all observations about the universe- or any universe, really- have to be fed through the filter of realizing that said universe is only observable because it allows for sapient life to exist and observe it. There are two flavors of this principle; the strong anthropic principle states that the universe has some sort of compelling force which dictates it be able to house life which can observe it, while the weak anthropic principle basically says that the only reason we’re even considering the strong anthropic principle is because we live in a universe where we can.

Now, why exactly Roberts decided to bring this philosophical idea into the fold completely escapes me, unless he decided to, in a roundabout way, poke fun at the fact that we are currently observing a universe we don’t exist in through the magic of fiction- that theory doesn’t hold water, though, because there are still sapient creatures populating the universe of the IDW comics, and even humans at that. I’m curious where he even learned about this. What an odd, confounding tidbit of information this is.

But enough about that, because Misfire’s just seen a cryptid.

He transforms and blasts past Fulcrum and Krok, interrupting Krok’s explanation of what the device he keeps hidden in his fist is for, trying to catch up to the Necrobot.

The very same, Fulcrum, thank you.

Misfire is a firm believer in the Necrobot, while Krok is firmly not. Misfire’s tried chasing down this guy several times now, but he’s not caught him. The Necrobot is kind of like Bigfoot, if he were also a Catholic priest. This go doesn’t prove any different for poor Misfire, though it’s not all bad.

Flywheels’ only purpose as a character is so that Roberts had a stand-in for the word “fuck” for this issue.

Misfire’s found something very exciting, and he immediately calls Krok to bring everyone over.

Everyone’s super jazzed about finding this thing, and they break out the flashlights and break in to see all the fun stuff that’s inside this obnoxiously large ship.

Of course, this is a Roberts story, and we haven’t yet had any sort of scientifically experimental horrors yet, so we’re honestly a little overdue at this point.

But wait, there’s more!

Aww, it’s nice that Fulcrum and Krok already have each other’s contact info.

Everyone regroups and they weigh their options. Misfire fucking hates this ship, and wants nothing to do with it. Fulcrum however, isn’t so quick to throw this entire nightmare bus off the cliff. Fulcrum’s a little weird, and not just because he looks like he’s got a military pack on and no shirt.

Oh honey, you got a storm coming.

As if on cue, Krok starts hearing music, and asks around for a phone. He picks up a transmission from a familiar masked face. Tarn lets the fellas know that one of them has done a big no-no, and if the others hand the transgressor over, he’ll let them watch, because Tarn assumes that that’s something other people are into. Tarn is bad at people. The transmission ends, leaving the boys to panic, and also wonder where the leader of the DJD learned to count, until they find a very special friend deep within the bowels of the ship. The extra life signal, and the only other living thing on the Worldsweeper- Grimlock.

#transformers #jro #mtmte #issue 7 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #incoming analysis #comic script writing

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autobuttonsanddeceptistitches · 4 years

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Viper’s Vengeance Chapter 2: Beware the Wild Weasel

Chapter 1

Hey guys, so I’m finally returning to this story. There’s been a lot going on right now, so hopefully updates won’t be too far between. This chapter also contains graphic depiction of gore for one short part near the end as a trigger warning.

Grand doors opened up to the sight of three thrones. The three Megatrons resting upon their high horses. All different bodies, yet the same name of an atomic weapon as powerful as one million tons of dynamite. Soundwave took attention of the sudden appearance, a new bulky body with Cobra armor. Viper clenched his servos, detesting the sight of another bearing the same curse as him. The true blue mech bowed down, wings remaining high. The gray leader smirked, getting off his chair.

“Viper, how good to see you again, I didn't expect you to come back. It seems Cobra was much weaker than I expected.” He said in such a twisted glee. Armada Megatron scoffed, as Beast Wars Megatron paid attention to the T-Rex head for an arm. Viper rose, his true blue sight unseen before.

“Its over now, we don't have to worry about them or the traitor anymore.”

“So you got rid of Luca as well?” The Cobra prototype nodded, remembering the flesh melting from his bones. How the calcium fell apart.

“I told you it wasn't a good idea to team up with those humans!” Came a shrill shriek. Everyone turned to face Starscream and his two Seeker buddies. Among them being Skywarp, wearing far uglier armor than before. Viper glared at the jet, feeling pity oozing out of his seams. The dark armored bot ran up to the snake, gripping his wounded shoulder.

“Hey, could you tell me that you salvaged my body?!” Came such a loud noise that echoed across the room.

“Sorry Skywarp, I didn't want any humans to use those parts, so they're all melted down. You should go to Cybertron and get a new one.” He teased, right as a fist crashed into him.

“Enough! Viper's done his work and we're moving on from that.” Armada Megatron interrupted, his powerful frame standing up and glaring at the fliers.

“Indeed Armada, I am happy to see your attack was successful.” The gray mech replied, he seemed to be happy to see another one of himself, let alone two of them bearing his name. Sure, on the surface it seemed they all detested each other. Yet, Viper could tell something lied beneath that. Soundwave detected it as well, but chose not to speak. The dark blue mech got up, wiping his face of the purple fist that whammed into his.

“Thanks, I needed a warm welcome from the likes of you. Lord Megatrons, may I request a few days off from the raids? Hook mentioned that I needed more repairs on my armor before I can fight.” Blue optics reflected the three Emperors of Destruction as they whispered among themselves. Starscream and Thundercracker dragged Skywarp off as he screamed out various Cybertronian swears.

“Fine, it seems you've done far much more compared to the rest of the army. Go on then, before we change our minds... Yessssss.” The Predacon leader hissed. The former Cobra soldier exited, making sure to avoid the bitter Nightraven. Who knew he loved his old self that much.

Back here again, staring at nothing as Hook tinkered. This time, a lot more precise with the sensitive wings. Good thing the irate Seeker's fists weren't strong enough to make a dent. The vibrant red mouthplate came off, showing the forever hidden white armored face. In the green mech's reflection is markings of a scar. New one gained from the chaotic battle from last night. Nothing to worry over, not if it doesn't hurt.

Dirty work, that song they listened to earlier, quite symbolic of such a situation. Done working for Decepticons, done working with everyone. A few days off is what he needs. It was nice that the dinosaur gave him an agreement. A lot of time to think, to question life's choices. One grew in his head as the Summer Breeze made him feel fine.

How did Cobra get the idea to make him? It couldn't be an idiotic idea that some crazy scientist could come up with. Come up to the boss and proclaiming they could make a jet that'd transform into a large fighting warrior. That urge to dig deeper, to discover why he came to be in these dark times. Who is he?

“I repaired your visor the best I could with what little I had. Sure its not the right color, but at least it'll shield your optics like it did before, so be happy with that.” Hook moved back to pick up a thick orange visor. Must've ran out of black and ditched the primary color for one not found on dark blue armor. The left part of it still broken that'd expose the optic. Its not the prettiest job, but it'll do for now. Servos soon placed the visor back on, fragments of glass included, but tight enough not to go loose and stab him. Hook smirked, knowing how much of a patch job this is. It'd contrast well with his vibrant blue vision. Then came back on the mouthplate, hiding the most human aspect of him.

After Hook finished, Viper sat up, looking towards the medic. “Thank you, I needed that a lot.” He exhaled, wings moving to show that they looked a lot better.

“You know, I could use a paint stripper and get rid of those ugly symbols.” Hook suggested, yet the former Cobra soldier got off the medical berth and adjusted his visor.

“Your repairs are all I needed. Our Megatrons agreed that I needed a break from the fighting. Its my time off now.” Blue armor left the room, closing the door behind him. Hook scoffed as the door opened again. A damaged Build Bot and Shrapnel getting dragged in by Kickback, with a cheeky grin on his face. How wonderful.

The human made machine got out of the shade and into the sunlight. The bright light displaying the restored paint on the weary body. What a strange part of the world to be at, a desert with hidden patches of life. Its often nice to listen to the soft sounds of distant animals and birds. I'd be best to go to the best spot to observe the vast wilderness of this planet. Time to concentrate and think, think over what to do with his past and how life became the way it is.

Viper saw two figures standing on the edge of the ravine. One that guarded the place from any ground vehicles from reaching the base. Breakdown and Drag Strip, two of the Stunticons enjoying their time off from the battles as well it seems. The Rattler came closer, noticing little rodents popping out of the ground. Some traveling across the large holes they dug up.

“Hey, look at those weasels, they're all over the place. Isn't that wild!? Hey, wild weasels!” Breakdown laughed, right as his brother smacked his helm.

“No you dummy, those are gophers! Or groundhogs? I remembered hearing a crazy old man tried bombing his farm to get rid of them. Left a giant hole that's used for tourism in Japan! Best place to dump you off!” His brother chided, before noticing Viper staring at them. “Hey, what's bothering you?”

“Wild....Weasel....” Came a whisper, optics going blank before his processor bloomed into a familiar pain. This damage came from when Cobra tore through his head. The last sight before shutting down was Drag Strip running up to him while Breakdown kept screaming apologies...

A sight returned of blue skies over a forgotten base. An old place with worn out red paint hidden in a faraway jungle. A figure sat inside of the cockpit of a Cobra Rattler. One bearing the iconic symbols, yet having the Decepticon ones embedded as well. Before a consciousness, all that existed was a lifeless husk, a prototype.

“Wild Weasel, how is the Viper performing?” A harsh voice came out, Cobra Commander's own, escaping from the radio into the cockpit. A pilot wearing red, hiding his face behind that intimidating helmet of black and red. He picked up the message, glancing back at the other prototype Rattlers.

“Wild Weasel here, this change to my plane is performing well. I haven't heard anything from the others yet. But I can tell they're performing the same as always.” A blank voice chimed, his pronunciation of s emphasized. An older one, still bearing a cocky attitude matched by his flying skills.

Wheels landing onto the ground, a sweet sensation to anyone bearing a fear of flight. Such bliss for anyone as the other tires began to land onto the soft surface. Overgrown plants, the typical sign of forgotten memories. A row of Cobra Rattlers, seven in total, yet one had the unique marking of purple. Upon command, six had changed their shape, walking on two legs rather than the three wheels. All remained static as their faces showed silver and black. Regular Cobra soldiers hiding at the back of the armored heads, adjusting to the new shape. All eyes left onto the main one, piloted by the great Wild Weasel. His fingers rested onto the controls. Muscles tensing, to soon hear the transformation as everyone watched.

Then, everything came to life. The flickering of an ember, growing into an inferno at the pouring of gasoline. A harsh scream filling his cockpit, crushing of bones as machinery filled the small spot. Never giving the weasel a chance to weasel away from the rising metal. Life, upon the begging of death. The firstborn stood, staring upon the crimson red dripping in his optics. Blood, what flows in the veins of humans. So much of it, the first memory, to hear a horrid screech, then watch the fear on the small creatures faces. A gun slipped out as armor malfunctioned, acid fired and melting the other prototypes. How could they be under full control, yet he could not?

Vision flooded, death, screaming, orders refused to follow. Then, a horrid shot hit his face, breaking the glass. More shots filled the sky as his vocalizer began to function. A scream of his own, startling everyone before they kept firing. Like a feared animal, fighting back against what he couldn't understand. Angry creatures, others identical to him melting down into puddles consumed in green. Such horrid sights, before one powerful blast took him down. Broken glass, staring at the strange color up above. Blue, its so beautiful, glistening the blood before going to sleep.

The prototype couldn't move, arms and legs tied down to slabs of steel. He struggled, making random noises towards the creatures, startled upon his awakening. Right in front of him, a man in the same color of the up above. Face hidden by a shield of silver, black gloves clenching the worn railings. Two other figures stood there, a woman with black, and a man of white. They whispered among each other, before a scientist ran up to the three. This person gave mention for something to be ready. Ready?

Upon the orders, a tremendous pain broke the functioning processor. New thoughts silenced, a forgotten voice. A vegetable, a robotic cabbage, never to be seen again...

“Viper?” Came a whisper, oh that sweet voice. Nightbird's, but, why is she here? Viper turned his numb helm, vision clearing up to find her staring down at him. He perched up, seeing Breakdown and the other Stunticons close by.

“How long was I out?” Came the first words, armor burning at his frame remembering the forgotten memories. The ninja rose a hand to his shoulder.

“A few hours, we thought of taking you to Hook, but he was busy. But, it seems we don't. Alright you five, the show's over.” Leading to the groans of the five mechs. They transformed and drove off into the desert. Ready to do their usual dangerous stunts for the others and their self amusement. Nightbird helped the former cobra mech up.

“What, were they going to ditch me in the middle of nowhere during that?” Came irritation in blue optics upon Nightbird's nod.

“You know them, I would've expected them to use you for their ramps. I've seen what they do with overcharged Decepticons. Need to go somewhere?”

“Yes, I was going to head somewhere, until I heard Breakdown and Drag Strip talk about the darn weasels.” An emphasized hiss on the rodents.

“Well, we'd better get going to wherever you're going. The sun's starting to set, what happened in your vision?”

“Its the reason I'm going there. I wouldn't suggest you coming along, its all for me to take care of. Although, you did make sure I wasn't Stunticon roadkill, so I should repay you in that way.” Viper transformed as Nightbird performed a cartwheel before entering into her alt mode. She drove off alongside him towards the one path able to let anyone in and out of the base.

Gotta pass the long roads that are famous for their tourist attractions in this side of Nevada. Few cars tonight, which is good for any Cybertronians during this time of the dying day. Viper seemed to be feeling a lot calmer since his episode, which should be a good thing. Nightbird remembered the first time she saw him on the floor during a large meeting. Stuck unconscious due to remembering another one of his 'memories'. She remembered hearing Soundwave and Hook discuss the cause of these episodes. The fracturing of his neural systems, vital parts to a Cybertronian to function. It may be repairable, given the time and resources from Cybertron come together. Viper did come into the Earth Wars a few months after her, so they were new back then. Now, a lot's changed since those days. More soldiers, more adjustments to the base's inner structure. What strange days, still having their sense of joy. Although the questions rose in her helm during the drive. Pondering of Viper's intentions.

What seemed to be forever lead them to California in the dead of night. Nightbird's engine hummed, used to long drives after frequent testing by her creators. Oh those days in the labs, born and built for one purpose, yet her own Spark lead her to this. She noticed Viper swooping towards a tunnel in the side of a mountain. A bridge abandoned for so many years. He waited on the old bricks, finding his tag along nearby landing onto the said bridge. Both their optics and armor lighting helped illuminate the tunnel.

“So, what was your memory about?” Nightbird chimed, seeing how Viper remembered his way down these long unforgiving paths.

“My birth, how I had my first kill. Tell me, have you seen blood?”

“In the horror movies Swindle and others watch.” Nightbird chuckled to herself. She'd often sneak into their little parties, such a shame it'd be American and British horrors. They needed some Japanese stuff to watch too.

“I saw it drip down my face and pool out, my optics, stained in so much of it. I'm amazed that Cobra left me alive, but, that's why I'm here.” Said with no emotion. Both reached an aged door with the infamous symbol of red worn away by time. Upon pressing a few buttons, it opened to the sight of forgotten technology. Old machinery whirled to life for the first time in years.

#Viper's Vengeance #Viper #Nightbird #Soundwave #Transformers Earth Wars #Transformers #TF #Maccadams #fanfiction #fanfic #Transformers fanfic #G1 #TW: Gore

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dipterrah · 6 years

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Still Alive

((whoa me? writing fanfics?? here’s a sentence prompt drabble i ended up making in my freetime! an au i’ve had floating around in my head. i guess it’s humanformers criminal au? consider the name pending.

so there’s no confusion: Sumdac Ind.’s biggest business rival is Meltdown Inc., whom the cons work for. Ratchet works for Lockdown. Blurr and Bee work for Nanosec. now enjoy some shockblurr content))

It was nights like this where Shockwave almost enjoyed his day job.

Careful to lean against the heavy metal rear door of Sumdac Tower, he released the handle with a practiced grace. The latch seemed to click much louder than he felt comfortable with, but he shouldered his duffel bag and slunk just outside of perimeter camera view.

Being an employee certainly came with perks. He got to sit at the big table within the company, right there next to Isaac himself. Isaac practically considered Shockwave a friend with how often the two collaborated on more than just the projects of Sumdac Industries. Company dinners, attending business conventions, stimulating conversations on science and all manner of the involved philosophy. It would almost have warmed Shockwave’s insides.

He picked at a stray wire hanging from the purple duffel. An external hard drive with an index card reading “I.SUMDAC-COPIES” was hastily taped to one of the broad sides. Shockwave shoved it deep into his blazer’s pocket. He couldn’t afford for any of these goods to end up damaged on the trip, or it would be his head Megatron would personally tear off.

Shockwave glanced about the street once he felt the tower was a good distance behind him. The air smelled damp and sulfurous, and there didn’t seem to be another soul out, which was just as well. It wouldn’t have killed Megatron to send in a car for the least part, he couldn’t possibly expect Shockwave to make the distance across town without considering the subway.

He spotted a pair of headlights coming from the distance and made to cross the blacktop. Perfect, a bus when he needed one. It couldn’t look too suspicious to folks riding the lines at 12:30 at night to see one of Detroit’s greatest minds toting a bag half his size. Shockwave checked his watch for a second before he heard a roaring engine, suddenly blinded in a swathe of brilliant blue light. He couldn’t recall much after that.

Thinking back on all the work being done under the table, Shockwave would liked to have thought his efforts contributed greatly in Meltdown Incorporated’s near fantastical rise to public eye. It had taken months of sculpting, marketing, dealing. Prometheus was truly a genius, deep down, if not an ambitious one. His ideas came out grandiose in design, terribly unattainable that would keep the scientist holed in his lab for endless nights.

Megatron had admired that in the mad scientist. He provided Prometheus the funding, but the public couldn’t be so swayed into his work as it had originally been. Nothing more than nightmarish bodybuilding at best. The scientist still claims that he can only truly will the greater ideas to come “when inspired”, which Shockwave finds a convenient excuse to get off from actually making anything worth people’s time. Between backing from the local crime syndicate, and having his greatest rival’s codes and schematics quite literally handed to him on a silver hard drive, the odds in favors just didn’t seem to add up.

Shockwave was acutely aware of the weight of his own head as he tried to turn about. His vision came to him like a camera sluggishly coming back into focus. His tongue seemed to betray him for the better part of a minute, but the first thing he recognized was a voice.

“Alright, geez kid, give the man some room.”

As his eyes finally begun to adjust to the burning overhead lamp, Shockwave saw Ratchet shooing off another figure. Ratchet returned to Shockwave’s side, holding his eye open and checking his pupil’s in the light. “You’re in Lockdown’s hideout in the Dead End. Lucky I was awake doing inventory, or who knows what sorta attention Zippy here would’ve grabbed for mister Sumdac’s loyal lapdog.”

Shockwave barely registered the other figure stiffen up from a chair off to one wall. “My name’s not Zippy!” The first thing anyone was likely to see was the obnoxiously colored hair. A bright blue, windswept mess. The man was sporting a thick, white racing jacket over what looked like a blue tracksuit. Ratchet merely waved a dismissive hand in the racer’s direction before turning to a work table and cabinet for supplies.

“Now Shockwave, you’ve sustained some pretty serious head injuries if you can believe it. If you start to feel nauseous or fainty you tell me, I’m not having some shark start hurling on any of the boxes in here or I’ll kick you both back to the curb.”

“I feel like I got hit by a car…” His voice sounded foreign. Graveled. Shockwave feared he’d spit up asphalt.

Ratchet froze for a moment from organizing, and the man in the chair began to bounce his leg. “I did, didn’t I?” Shockwave distantly asked.

The man in blue hesitated just a beat too long, really mulling over something in his head before he sputtered. “Yes- but I mean, completely unintentional, of course! The lighting’s terrible on those streets,” he gestured to Shockwave incredulously, face heating at his quickly decaying composure, “and with your uniform I wouldn’t have even been able to make out with you if I wanted to- M-make you out!” He went from one hundred to zero in quite possibly the quickest effort of backpedaling Shockwave had ever witnessed. His posture straightened, hands clasped in his lap. “Make you out… in the streets. Terrible lighting-”

“It was your car?” Between his pounding head and no doubt the sleep deprivation, the kid was lucky Shockwave didn’t have the heart to throttle him in his chair.

“If it’s any consolation,” Ratchet began from his station, “Blurr here is the fastest thing on wheels. Had it been anyone else trying to tote you in, I’m not sure you would’ve quite made it in in a reasonable time.” The way that Ratchet seemed to be cleaning off an assortment of finely crafted blades and surgery tools, Shockwave didn’t want to entertain what the doctor seemed to have prepared if his situation had been any worse.

“Well, I really must thank you, Ratchet. I’ll see myself-” A large silhouette burst through a curtain from the far wall.

“Not so fast there, stretch.” Lockdown set a purple duffel bag onto one of his workshop tables. He leaned on it with his hook arm and sneered down at Shockwave, no doubt having been woken up in the process of hauling Shockwave in. Shockwave briefly thought about how maybe it wasn’t Ratchet’s idea to set up the surgery tools. “I understand Megatron may have you under for the Sumdac’s ‘n all, playing as their little gopher here. ‘N I gotta say, for a not-so-seeming kinda guy, you clean up shop nicely.” Lockdown shuffled a hand around, pulling out all sorts of wires and boxes and tools from the haul.

“Had my hands not already been full, so to speak, I’d almost consider offering you a part time job digging for me too.” Lockdown chuckled to himself. “But as you can imagine, hospitality down here in the Dead End doesn’t come without repaying it.” He angled his hook outwards, gesturing for Shockwave to respond.

Shockwave was at a complete odds. He couldn’t just dismiss paying Lockdown, this was his shop after all. At the same time, if he gave over the equipment he spent hours meticulously hunting down without being caught by any of Sumdac’s security, he may as well have been asking to be shot by his boss. It would be suicide.

“With all due respect, Lockdown.” Shockwave sat up from his place on a flimsy cot, swinging his legs off and trying to keep the world from spinning. “I appreciate your offer, but we both know that Megatron does expect me soon with my results.” Whether it was the pounding of his head, or his past charisma that’s kept him cool under pressure, Shockwave didn’t feel as perturbed under Lockdown’s scrutiny and facial tattoos. “If I’m not back by morning, there would be a discreet search party sent out, wouldn’t you think?”

Lockdown picked out a mechanical core from the bag, the heart and brain of a model drone in development. He turned the tech over in his good hand. “You talk as if I haven’t been doing my business for quite some time now. I know how these things are handled, and especially how to blow off some worker bees of your boss if they don’t end up finding a body next day.” He turned his back to wander over to a utility shelf among his clutter, piecing through the labeled boxes. “Where would you think of yourself vacationing, Shockwave. Cancun? Fiji?”

Shockwave gave a sidelong glance towards Ratchet, who seemed to be busying himself with other effects at the moment. Business as usual it seemed. The doctor made his way over only to offer Shockwave an ice pack and some ibuprofen.

“Surely this can wait until after I’ve delivered these to Meltdown?” Shockwave tried, it only earned him an insidious glare from Lockdown as he turned around before Ratchet piped in.

“Go easy on him. Kid gets hit by a car and as soon as he wakes up you’re handing him the bill. Unbelievable.” His tone seemed more so tiredly frustrated than angry, this sounded like a typical occurrence then.

Lockdown stalked back over to the group after having grabbed a manilla folder from one of the boxes. “Oh please, if money were freeloaders we’d all be swimming in gilded pools by now.” Lockdown dropped the folder onto a table like it had insulted his family. The corners of pictures slid just out. Blurr, suddenly interested in this exchange, hopped up from his spot and came to inspect the contents for himself.

Shockwave held eye contact with Lockdown for a good while, judging the meaning behind his smug grin. Turning to the first photo he picked up, it appeared to be security footage of a date back in late October. The resolution was shoddy at best, but caught under a halo of streetlight was none other than the face of Shockwave as he was fitting some sort of industrial box into a puffy jacket.

“Caught like a goddamn bigfoot.” Lockdown clucked from across the table.

Shockwave picked through more of the pictures. Each one sporting a silhouette of himself caught making his way through back alleys, slinking through broken fences, toting some sort of equipment with him of varying model and size. Blurr marveled at each one right after Shockwave put the next one down.

“Took quite a few months to compile this much from every store’s footage, but here we are.” Lockdown waved his hook in the air and circled the table. Shockwave stood there dumbfounded.

“I… I was so careful.” His head throbbed from the stress, he pushed Ratchet’s ice pack harder into it. Lockdown slammed his good hand down on the table, between Shockwave and the bag still leaning against the wall.

“Now I’m not gonna ask you this time. You’re gonna hand your things over and get the hell out of my shop.”

Shockwave was mildly surprised at how Blurr could shoulder his weight, for as scrawny as the racer seemed. Unfortunately, his mouth didn’t seem to stop moving the moment they left the back alley shop. In his defense, Shockwave was sure that Blurr felt guilty of having just hit a guy while going well over the speed limit, and then sit there to witness him lose millions worth in research, only to offer to drive him back to the job where he’d most likely receive forty lashes for failing his assignment.

Blurr helped him take a seat in the passenger’s side, Shockwave only winced a little as bruises were no doubt clouding across his sternum and back by now. He took in the sports car’s interior, which was just as pristine and well loved as the outside, sans the dent and blood spot. Pleather seats, sleek blue detailing, and a bright and glowing dashboard that really brought out all the rest of the blue in Blurr’s entire get up.

Shockwave briefly had to suppress the urge to ask him for his favorite color.

“-and it’s just like this friend of mine. He ended up completely shattering his kneecap snowboarding one time up in Vermont. Oh, do you want some air?”

Shockwave was almost caught off guard by the question, realizing he’d been lost in his own thoughts on their drive. He became terribly aware of how his head was still pounding. “Yes, thank you, that’d be appreciated.”

A plus to driving in the hours between midnight and dawn was the empty roads, which Blurr took full advantage of. For being in the exact same death trap that met his ribcage only a few hours ago, Blurr’s car felt smoother than silk whenever he’d take a turn and step on the gas, the car giving only the barest of a lurch as the engine would whine and kick into a higher gear.

The cool, whipping winds alleviated Shockwave’s headache only minutely, coupled with the ice pack. Maybe he could slip into the showers as easily as he could into Sumdac tower. Blurr kept up an idle chatter, Shockwave noticed how he’d drum his fingers against the wheel during their brief beats of silence. It was almost endearing to have someone so eagerly offer him a hand, especially one unrelated to either Sumdac or Meltdown’s business. Those crowds tended to respect Shockwave purely out of either fear, or an underhanded attempt at gaining reputation. Only sometimes was it mentally exhausting to him.

But who was he to judge for having ulterior motives.

What would normally take Megatron’s entourage a forty minute excursion was over in only ten minutes. Shockwave directed Blurr around the back of the establishment within one of its parking garages for employees.

They sat in silence for a good few beats, the weight of the inevitable almost palpable within the car. Shockwave took in a breath before Blurr held up a hand.

“Before you go,” he trailed off, struggling to pull something out of one of the pockets on his jacket, “I just- nngh, I know it’s not your bag or anything, but it seemed like this was still important to you, maybe.” Shockwave glanced down to a shining, rectangular port disk with an index card reading “I.SUMDAC-COPIES” taped on its broad side. He was frozen in shock. “I noticed it from your pocket when I was bringing you in, not that I was trying to steal from you or anything! But it’s pretty clear how those two get when it’s about making a profit, so I thought that I might’ve been able-”

“Blurr.” Shockwave managed to interrupt.

“Yeah?” Blurr’s eyes seemed to be lit up with a rapt attention on him as Shockwave grasped the hard drive.

“You may have just saved my skin.” It might have been the awful fluorescent lighting of the parking garage, but when Blurr gave a coy smile and tore his gaze away, Shockwave swore he noticed a spatter of freckles.

“Do you need help to the door?” The other offered, almost meekly.

“I’ll be fine from here, I’m quite a good actor after all.” Shockwave opened his door before pausing to dig in his breast pocket. He pulled out a small white card, and offered it over to Blurr. “In case you ever have time off.”

Blurr read the card, eyebrows peaking a bit as he flipped it around. Shockwave walked (certainly not a limp) around to his window. “And by the way, pedestrians always have the right of way. Unless you usually meet folks by mowing them down on the streets.”

Blurr seemed to take a moment to process what Shockwave said, before laughing again and rubbing at the back of his neck. “Promise it’s not a habit!”

Shockwave smiled and pulled off, watching the blue sports car start up, and with a wave out the window pull back off into the night with a roar into the backroads.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the inevitable. As he paused to look down and marvel at Blurr’s saving grace, Shockwave couldn’t help but agree with Lockdown’s motto. Hospitality should surely be repaid.

#transformers animated #shockblurr #fanfiction #shockwave #blurr #this wasnt betaed and its been literal years since the last time i wrote something so #it may be a bit clunky #maccadam #lockdown #ratchet #humanformers

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blueoatmeal · 7 years

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TFA Longarm Prime & Shockwave playlist analysis/breakdown

8/3/2017

TFA spoilers!

[Longarm Prime mix] [Shockwave mix]

Alrighty folks, my good buddy @incomingtransmissionfromearth has asked me if I might make a breakdown of my thought process when making these mixes (as I did for my tfa Blurr mix), and I am elated to fulfill that request!

These mixes are linked pretty thoroughly, so I’ll be covering both on this post. It’s,, ahahaha, going to get pretty long, so I’ll remember to use a readmore this time!

Both/The Basics

I wanted the playlists to not only accurately portray Shockwave’s two different characters, Longarm Prime and his true self Shockwave, through lyrics and individual songs that fit, but to tonally differentiate between the two, so that the playlists would actually evoke different feelings from the listener.

I wanted Longarm’s mix to be generally more upbeat or mellow and light, while also being a touch melancholy, with hints of the darkness lurking underneath. I wanted it to seem more sympathetic towards the character of Longarm Prime. “Isn’t it hard to be a spy, to work in intelligence? So many secrets, and trust is such an expensive commodity. But you can trust me; I’m on your (the Autobot’s) side, and friendly, and if the government’s a bit whack, don’t worry, conform and it’ll work out fine!”

Also, in the back of my head I had the notion that Longarm was a kind of victim in his situation with Shockwave--not literally though: There have been many AU ideas where Longarm was originally an Autobot, who was being basically possessed by Shockwave, or where Shockwave’s mind had fractured into two entirely separate personas, or where Soundwave killed the real Longarm and took his place. Some of those AUs hold appeal for me, and while I wanted my mixes to adhere to canon, I wanted to keep a little bit of that feeling from the AUs, where Longarm is really more of an unwitting (or only partially self-aware) pawn, and not only the chessmaster in disguise. I justified this with the idea that Shockwave would probably try to portray Longarm similarly if he was caught, if only so that he wouldn’t be killed outright for truly being a full Decepticon. Pull out the “pity me” card. It felt like the sort of lie he’d try to pull off if he was put into a situation that necessitated it. He did try, in one episode, to deter Bulkhead and Bumblebee from shooting him by transforming from Shockwave to Longarm and trying to say that he was their old friend. The weren’t having that, of course, and shot him anyway. I did have more AU-ish leaning songs in the mix, but I cut them.

With Shockwave’s mix, I wanted a vastly different feeling, so that the two mixes really contrasted. I wanted it to be much darker, much more sinister, finally revealing the truths that Longarm’s mix hinted at. I wanted it to be scary and serious; less lighthearted and more cold and ominous. The mask has been taken off and the thing underneath is a devious monster.

Now of course Shockwave has his silly moments too, so both mixes together accurately portray both Longarm and Shockwave as a whole. But I wanted to distill the ideas OF those characters, in their separateness, and put them in these contrasting mixes.

It’s almost like the two mixes represent not only the characters themselves, but the perceptions of them from the viewpoint of other characters. Longarm is a kind but odd dork who’s competent at his job, which is Head of Intelligence, while Shockwave is the guiding force behind the curtain who manipulates events, secretly murders bots that are in his way, and looms like a shadow in the minds of those who may only know him by his impressive reputation as Megatron’s most trusted spy.

I spent a LOT of time on these mixes and developed both simultaneously. I had once considered making one long playlist, but with the disparity in tone, I thought two would be better. You want upbeat, listen to Longarm; you want dark, listen to Shockwave. Besides, it puts more of a separation between the two identities.

From the beginning, I wanted both mixes to tie into each other, and to a lesser extent, to tie into my previously published tfa Blurr mix. I mentioned this intent in a post a while back, actually. I wanted the small Blurr tie-in because of, naturally, the fact that they worked together (Longarm) in the CIA, and then Shockwave committed what was probably the darkest on-screen act in the entirety of tfa when he “killed” Blurr. It was a significant event for both characters in the course of the show, and it made such an impression on me that I just had to include a nod to it.

Recommended listening: Longarm mix first, then Shockwave’s.

Don’t Let It Show (Longarm Prime mix)

Alternate titles: “Watch What You Say,” or “Words You’re Gonna Regret”

Very 80s

Alludes to darker or malicious acts without dipping into a truly dark tone or feel.

As the playlist goes on, it transitions from comfortably undercover to under suspicion.

Suspicion: the first song I had for this mix. Lyrics fit so well~! “In the park, yesterday, I saw a face that spelled danger, A friendly smile, a worried look, I mistook for a stranger” Introduces the “face/faces” motif.

Don’t Let It Show provided the title of the mix. This track is meant to make Longarm more sympathetic by highlighting how hard it is to hide his true self and work among bots that he cannot trust and who may put their trust in him, when he knows he is going to break that trust someday. “Even if it's taking the easy way out, Keep it inside of you. Don't give in. Don't tell them anything. Don't let it, Don't let it show.”

Everybody Wants to Rule the World has the government surveillance feel. “Even while we sleep, We will find you, Acting on your best behaviour, Turn your back on mother nature, Everybody wants to rule the world” It also feels like some of the lyrics could be taken as the Decepticons wanting to take back Cybertron.

Every Breath You Take has a strong surveillance/spy/CIA vibe to it. Also the lyrics are super creepy but the song shrugs it off like nah dude it’s fine it’s not creepy to literally watch everything that somebody does. “Every breath you take and every move you make, Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you, Every single day and every word you say, Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you”

You Don't Believe: now this one is a remnant of that AU stuff I mentioned, where Longarm and Shockwave are more separate, and Shockwave controls Longarm. Aside from that though, it explores duality and has these lovely lines: “And the face I see before me, Is both sides of a mirror, You really know you've got a hold on me, And the face you're looking into, Is both sides of a window, And any way you look you see through me” “my eyes, with your vision” This track has both the “faces” and “eyes” motif. The “eyes” motif is used more thoroughly in the Shockwave mix.

The Logical Song has the theme of conformity. Shockwave has to pretend to be an upstanding Autobot citizen by day, just to be accepted (and to carry out his insidious mission), while at night he can realize his true self. Also the word “logical” is a nice nod to G1 Shockwave. “Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical, liberal, fanatical, criminal. Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable!” Also a nod to the fact that the Autobot government is messed up.

Talking In Your Sleep is another track about hearing secrets that aren’t meant for the listener to hear. Upbeat and light. “And I know that I'm right, Cuz I hear it in the night, I hear the secrets that you keep, When you're talking in your sleep”

Private Eyes is absolutely perfect. Eyes motif. “You can’t escape my private eyes” “Why you try to put up a front for me/ I'm a spy but on your side you see/ Slip on, into any disguise/ I'll still know you/ Look into my private eyes” IT’S SO PERFECT.

Chateau is a tie-in to Blurr’s mix. Blurr has Classical Gas, a faster song, and this is from the same artist, on the same album. I read into the tone of this song really heavily. It’s light and carefree, then darker and more dissonant, then light again, and I really just picked this song on gut feeling rather than solid reasoning.

The Grand Illusion has the theme of illusion and falsehoods, indicating that the media can be used to make you feel or think things that aren’t true. “But don't be fooled by the radio, The TV or the magazines, They show you photographs of how your life should be, But they're just someone else's fantasy”

You’ve Got a Friend in Me is in this mix purely because of the “friendly neighborhood Longarm Prime” act that he puts on. He acts so friendly and nice and it's ALL LIES!

Party In The CIA is pretty straightforward; this covers Longarm’s duties as part of the Cybertron Intelligence Agency--the CIA. “So I get my handcuffs, my cyanide pills, my classified dossier/ tapping the phones like yeah/ shredding the files like yeah/ I memorized all the enemy spies I gotta neutralize today/ yeah it's a party in the CIA” “I've done a couple of crazy things that have almost gotten me dismissed/ like terminate some head of state who wasn't even on my list/ burn that microfilm, buddy, will you?/ I'd tell you why but then I'd have to kill you/ you need a quickie confession?/ We'll start a water boarding session”

Somethin’ to Hide: really just a reference to the fact that Longarm is hiding his true identity. Touches briefly on the “face” motif. “You've got somethin' to hide, That you're not telling me, You got somethin' to hide, And I know, Well there's something about you and I know, That you're not telling me”

Mirror Man: Change is a big theme in this one, which is fitting considering how Shockwave changes to Longarm and back with his size-changing ability. “And if it seems I'm not the one you used to know, Our little friendship left behind not long ago, Don't feel too hurt as distance heals the strongest pain, Things are much better now and just a nagging doubt remains”

I Know There's Something Going On: more on the theme of change. “I can see that it won't be long, You grow cold when you keep holding on, You know you've changed and your words they lie, That's something you can't deny, I know there's something going on”

Jekyll And Hyde One of the best examples one could use for dualities and hidden identities. Face motif. “Duplicated man, inside, double tied/ Prisoner, he's back to back, face to face/ Mirrored shadows always changing place/ Separated man himself he divides/ Opposite needs he can't see where to hide/ A single double side - Jekyll and Hyde/ This man was good, he was calm/ He'd never do any harm/ Gentle soul as you may see/ As caring as he could be/ Deep down inside he hides/ A twist that we maybe missed/ Confusion and nasty trick of fate/ Might be the break/ Don't find yourself too late/ Now who's outside, inside, Jekyll and Hyde” Jekyll being Longarm, of course, and Hyde, Shockwave.

Tangled up: this song does play briefly with identities, but mostly I added this song because of this post of Longarm getting his arms tangled up. Somebody replied to the post with this song, and that was the first time I’d heard it. Later I revisited the song and decided I liked it and that it fit well enough to use. “I can’t separate your sins, To me you’re acting like you’re twins. This is a mess, Is this a test? How many guesses do I get? Till only one of you is left, You're quite the same”

Ain't Nobody But Me mentions Jekyll and Hyde, and some dualities. “Well, you can run, you, know he'll find you, It don't matter now, just look behind you, You had your warn, and you knew the score, You got it wrong, and that means war” And in the main chorus” “ain’t nobody but me/ gonna lie for you/ gonna die for you” could be interpreted as Shockwave’s loyalty to Megatron.

Shadow Play: ANOTHER reference to Jekyll and Hyde! “In the flinty light, it's midnight/ And stars collide/ Shadows run, in full flight/ To run, seek and hide/I'm still not sure what part I play/ In this shadow play, this shadow play.” The idea of a shadow play infers hidden intentions and hidden people controlling things from behind the scenes, like he is. Also convenient nod to IDW Shockwave, who was subject to a procedure called shadowplay.

Goodbye Mr A: to be honest, this is more a nod to other Shockwaves, who tend to be unemotional and obsessed with logic. “There's a hole in your logic, You who know all the answers, oh-oh-oh, You claim science ain't magic, And expect me to buy it” It could also be interpreted as to play with the idea that Longarm’s persona was imperfect, hollow. “You promised you would love us but you knew too much” “You had all the answers but no human touch/ If life is subtraction, your number is up/ Your love is a fraction, it's not adding up” “So busy showing me where I'm wrong/ You forgot to switch your feelings on”

This World of Fools (Shockwave mix)

Alternate title: “Dealing with Fools”

“This World of Fools” is a line from “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive,” a song that’s more science-y and therefore didn’t fit here as well with the other songs. It’s in my tfa Perceptor mix though.

More alternative and dubstep

This playlist in particular went through a lot of changes, a lot of cuts, before I decided I liked it enough to publish

When researching for songs, I read the wiki page of Corey Burton, voice actor for Longarm Prime/Shockwave, and G1 Shockwave. I found that he had lent his voice to music producer ShockOne (ShockOne, eh?) for an album. I checked it out and took the first song, Singularity (The Monochord of Creation from it. Burton does talk in the second song, Chaos Theory (actually the two songs flow into each other as one larger song here), but he uses a swear that I’m not comfortable using in my mixes, so I just stuck to the first song. So like, that’s awesome. Got his VA in the mix! Dark song, ominous.

The Game Has Changed: IT SURE HAS. If the first song didn’t already indicate it, this TRON Legacy song should let the listener know that Things Are Different Now--alluding to the switch from Longarm to Shockwave, and his change in method once he’s outed. Less subtlety, more death and destruction coming up. This song is one that ties into the Blurr mix’s Outlands, another song from the same soundtrack. A vague and mostly insubstantial tie-in, sure, but that’s how I wanted it. The majority of the song is alternately softer and louder, orchestral and synthesized, until it crescendos in the last thirty seconds.

Sirius & Eye in the Sky: A nod back to Longarm, with the sort of mellow tone that is found more in his mix, but with lyrics that fit Shockwave pretty well: “I am the eye in the sky/ Looking at you/ I can read your mind/ I am the maker of rules/ Dealing with fools/ I can cheat you blind.” Besides, come on, Eye In the Sky is better for the guy with one eye. (Eye motif!) (Also 8tracks only lets me use two Alan Parsons Project songs per playlist, and I already had two in Longarm’s mix, so this had to go SOMEWHERE! It was too perfect to cut.)

Dangerous: @incomingtransmissionfromearth had introduced me to the Oliver remix of this song, which fits nicely, but I personally enjoyed the sound of the original more, so I used that. The lyrics fit SO WELL. It felt like Shockwave’s thoughts as he was still undercover, and then when he’d just been found out. “How could you know, how could you know'/ That those were my eyes/ Peepin through the floor, it's like they know/ It's like they know I'm looking from the outside/ And creeping to the door, it's like they know” “And I've gotta get out of here/ Sink down, into the dark” More eyes motif!

Escape From Midwich Valley has staticky samples that sound like bad comm connections or tapped comm lines. This glitch track adds to the apprehensive mood of the mix.

The Friendly Faithplate is from Portal 2, which stars another one-eyed, manipulative, facetious robot antagonist. Very glitch-heavy track.

@glitterhobo introduced me to Change the Formality a while ago, and I like it very much. It has an odd mix of sounds, and generally makes me feel very serious. It’s an intense song, in an odd way. “I try to change the formality and everything about it/ People killing people for a reason/ You make mistakes/ You don't regret/ So make a conclusion”

In Your Eyes is repetitive and kind of vaguely spooky, like something that’s subtly wrong. Also another example of the “eye/eyes” imagery/motif that persists in both mixes, especially Shockwave’s.

The Devil Within is like Shockwave’s message to the Autobots he’s infiltrated: You’ll never see me coming, I put up with hell to stay here, but I’ll destroy you from the inside out and disappear without a trace. “You'll never know what hit you/ Won't see me closing in/ I'm gonna make you suffer/ This hell you put me in/ I'm underneath your skin/ The devil within/ You'll never know what hit you”

THIS TRACK, WHOOO BOY, I LOVE IT Private Eyes, cover by Lenachka of course ties in with the same song, the original Private Eyes, in Longarm’s mix. It’s the same lyrics, but far more ominous and dark. The lyrics fit so well!!!! Also keeps up the eyes motif! “ You can't escape my/ Private Eyes/ They're watching you/ They see your every move“ Also the “you can’t escape” bit reminds me of that scene with Blurr.

Every Breath You Take, cover by Chase Holfelder, another cover, the original of which is in Longarm’s mix. More menacing inflection to the lyrics, which fit so nicely~! “Every move you make/ Every vow you break/ Every smile you fake/ Every claim you stake/ I'll be watching you”

Hal 9000 has that dubstep feel, with samples of Hal 9000′s dialogue from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal, another frightening one-red-eyed character with some VERY calm yet threatening lines, and a creepy death scene. ”I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me. And I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.”

C.L.U., another song from TRON Legacy (and therefore another tie-in to Blurr’s mix) comes at the scene where the main antagonist chases the protagonists and fights them to the (supposed) death, while another character does in fact lose his life. It’s intense, it’s very apprehensive, building up a feeling of action, and the imagery it brings, especially if you’ve seen the movie, is very dark and technologic.

"The Outer Limits" Theme Song is ominous, loud, and creepy. The voice tells you that they are in complete control. Just as Shockwave held control over Cybertron Intelligence.

Messing with the Program is a tie-in to Blurr’s mix, which has Sugar Rush Showdown, the track in which the antagonist’s true identity is revealed during a race. In this track, the antagonist illegally screws with the coding that dictates how their world works, altering it to his own advantage. Sounds like how Shockwave was pulling all the strings while undercover in the CIA.

The Truth is another Blurr mix tie-in! Blurr’s mix has Escape, the motorcycle chase scene from the beginning of the LEGO Movie, and The Truth is a track from the same soundtrack, in which the antagonist reveals his true plan to control the world, and sends the protag plummeting to certain death.

Another Way Out is honestly just good for anyone who’s ever tried to escape Shockwave, including Blurr. Upbeat and menacing. The lyrics are all soooo good. “I don't think no one's home/ And we're just here alone/ I better find you first/ before you find the phone/ You better run, better run, better run, yeah I’m coming after you/ When you’re sleeping at night, yeah there’s nothing you can do/ There’s no place you can hide 'cause I’m coming after you/ I wish there was another way ou-ou-ou-ou-out for you”

Ambiance 03 is just straight-up soundtrack from a horror game, so... yeah. Creepy distorted screaming. Extremely ominous ambiance. Repetitive. The last track I added to the mix.

The Part Where He Kills You: from Portal 2, of course. One-eyed antagonist betrays protag and tries very hard to kill them. Loud, exciting, alarms blaring, impending doom implied.

No.6 Suicide Room (６号室の自殺 ) AHAAHA OKAY SO I first encountered this song in a horror game and IT’S CREEPY AS HECK, creaky floors, ticking clock, phone ringing, and thEN AT THE END IT GETS QUIET AND YOU HEAR A DRAWN-OUT, PAINFUL-SOUNDING SCREAM and listen I’m not going to beat around the bush here; in this mix, THAT IS MEANT TO BE BLURR SCREAMING. You can interpret it as really anyone Shockwave’s killed, but I’m not gonna lie to you; I heard this song and thought YIKES DUDE,,, THAT’S BLURR. Also the perfect track to end the playlist on.

#oatmealspeaks #blueoatmeal's work #/#//#///#analysis #Longarm Prime #Shockwave #transformers #tfa #transformers animated #if I typed Soundwave accidentally... know that I meant Shockwave

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cybertronianlovenest · 7 years

Text

The bitch named Karma: Section 6

The medbay doors slid open to show Jazz trying to rip out the energon lines. I sighed, stepping forward to catch his hand. He growled and swung at me but I caught the arm. His optics got so bright as he saw me and for a second he just looked before launching himself into my arms as tears ran down his face. "Shh Jazz... It's ok now." He chocked on a scream, fingers digging into my armor as if I were the only thing keeping him alive. Maybe I was if his actions were anything to go by. For the next half groon he just laid there, wetting my plating with tears before he's was anything even close to calm again.... Soft little squeaks tickled my audios as his frame jumped just slightly with each one. "Now you've made your vents glitch... I don't ever want to hear of you doing something so foolish again." He sniffed before another squeak got out. "Wanted to see ya so bad... Carrier wouldn't let meh though..." "Because he did not want to risk you being hurt Jazz. He is worried when you're with us. You don't understand how things were before and I hope you never have to. If you were my little mech I wouldn't ever let you out of my sight! There was a lot of fighting, before and not everyone is willing to put it aside to accept change. What you did was no under any circumstances OK. Do you understand that?" He whimpered but finally nodded his helm. "Sorry Prowl... Won't do it again. Please don't leave meh though! Meh spark hurts when yer not with meh!" A few more tears slid down his face and Megatron wiped them away. "I will not try to keep you apart if you promise not to try that again." "Promise carrier! Ah just want Prowler!" Soundwave vented a sigh as Megatron pulled Jazz from my arms into his. "You nearly gave me spark failure! Do you have any ideas how scared I was?!" Megatron nearly crushed him in a hug before he wiggled free and hopped into my arms once more. "Soundwave. I want you to scan my spark. I believe it may resonate with Jazz's since I've been having unexplained pain the last few cycles. Ratchet couldn't find any reason and it started shortly after Jazz let his foolish notions take hold." He winced some as I gave him a look. "Ahm sorry! Ah don't know what else ya want!" His little arms crossed over his chest as I lifted him higher so Soundwave could run the scan. He made a surprised noise before scanning again. "Soundwave did not really believe Prowl may be right... It is no wonder Jazz reacted so badly to being kept away. They are sparkmates." Megatron's optics brightened in shock as I pulled Jazz closer. "Primus why must everything be so confusing?" Jazz snuggled into me burying his face in my neck. "Yer gonna stay a while, right Prowl?" My optics flicked to Megatron who blew out a vent. "He is welcome anytime he wishes if it will keep you happy." Jazz smiled against my neck and I held him closer. It felt so good to have him back.... Jazz POV: My frame stilled as I watched my prey step out into the light. I was going to get him this time. A breeze shook the trees and I shifted with the shadows so I wasn't spotted. My prey stopped moving suddenly and I sank further back into the shadows so I wasn't detected. He just stood there for a long moment, looking around the area before he suddenly exploded into a mass of fur. The shock was almost enough to make me give up cover as I just stared at the huge wolf. 'Prowl...' He was bigger than my carrier like this. I swallowed thickly, watching as he lowered his helm to the stream to drink. The late day sun glistened off his fur and I was betting it was really soft. My peds shuffled forward and his helm whipped around to me. His audios were straight up and I knew he'd caught me. It was best to give myself up before he mistook me for a threat now. Facing a giant angry wolf Prowl was not on my to do list. His lips pulled up over his denta and I scrambled from the brush. My ped got tangled in a vine and I tumbled helm over peds down the small slop to land with a huff at his peds. Prowl's optics were so bright as he looked at me, one paw held up like he wasn't sure what to make of my sudden appearance. Maybe he wasn't. Maybe I'd finally managed to sneak up on him. That made me grin as I pushed myself to my peds. "Ah almost had ya that time! Would'a had ya if ah didn't think ya'd think it was someone else and take a bite outta meh aft!" His mouth opened slightly before he nosed at my shoulder until I fell over. A laugh escaped as his whiskers tickled my belly. "Come on Prowl! That tickles!" His helm cocked to the side as he finally plopped down on his aft letting me dust myself off. I smiled and hopped onto his back, crawling to his helm before he flopped down suddenly, leaving me scrambling for purchase. My aft bounced as it hit the ground and I landed on my back he watched me. "What was that for?!' A fang peeked out from under his lips as a paw caught my leg tugging me closer so he could nuzzle a dent on my arm. It was soothed with a few licks before he stood and shook himself off. One paw landed next to me as the other batted me over. His denta nipping at my belly very lightly. 'He wants to play!' I grinned wide, jumping at him and he bounced out of the way barking at me as his tail waged. His chest hit the ground as I lunged again and he dodged, jumping around me in circles he nibbled me very lightly. I was glad he didn't want to hurt me, he wouldn't have to try hard.... Prowl POV: I hadn't had this much fun since Jazz had left me! I really hadn't expected him to be open to me being a shifter, but he was, and he'd seemed to enjoy it. He was smiling so wide as he bounced after me through the woods. It was well past dark now and soon Jazz would need to rest, but for now I was happy to have my play mate. He jumped on me, denta lightly biting at my neck though a sound made me still. Jazz followed my lead and I listened until I heard it again. "Jazz!" It was very light, and I knew I must have gotten farther than I thought for him to sound that far away to my audios. Jazz popped his helm into my vision. "What is it Prowl?" I sighed and licked his helm a few times before snatching his scuff bar and taking off at a run. I didn't need Megatron getting worried and I couldn't run nearly as fast on two legs as four.... The base came into view and I set Jazz down so I could shift back. "Best not to mention this to your carrier. Most believe shifters to be nothing more than energon thirsty killers." He frowned as I picked him up once more and stepped into the clear so Megatron could see us. "There you are. I had worried maybe you'd run off again." He was taken from me and handed a cube and a few goodies as a cube was tossed to me as well. "Sorry about that. He followed me out. I needed some time to my self away from the others. We got distracted playing." Jazz smiled though his carrier gave me a look as he noticed the dent on his arm. "What did those come from?" Jazz shrugged. "Probably playing. Ah got a lil carried away! It was so fun though! And ah finally managed to sneak up on Prowl without him knowing!" I snorted, poking the back of his helm. "Yeah. Right up until you tumbled down the bank and landed on your helm." "Hey hey! Ahm telling the story here!" He swatted at me and almost fell from his carrier's arm before he caught him. "Well it sounds like you've had quite the day. It's time for you to rest now though. Prowl, my brother called for you nearly a groon ago. Go call him back before he thinks that we've eaten you." Jazz opened his mouth to say something before realizing it wasn't a good idea and stuffed a goodie into it to cover. I smiled and rubbed over his helm, placing a kiss there. "Rest well Jazz. I will see you once you wake." He nodded, and waved as I slipped into the base to go speak to Optimus..... The monitor was lite up when I entered the room and I tapped the button, answering the call. "I'm fine Sir. Megatron informed me you wanted to speak with me. I was out most of the night cycle with Jazz." Optimus inclined his helm. "You can't blame me for worrying, Prowl. You are in their base and my brother has a formidable temper." "That may be, but It does not over shadow his love and concern for Jazz. He would not risk hurting me and no one's else is willing to risk their spark to do so either. Being Jazz's sparkmate makes me untouchable." He vented. "Just be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you." A knock sounded at the door before it opened to reveal Starscream. "Jazz is refusing to recharge without you." I sighed. "I will speak to you later, Optimus." The feed was cut and I followed the seeker to the twins room where Jazz was waiting... He threw his arms up as soon as he saw me, and I smiled, scooping him up. "Are you being stubborn again my hard helmed Spook?" He gave me a sleepy smile and snuggled in. "Can't sleep without ya..." "I bet you did not try very hard." He smiled a little wider. "Bet yer right. Just wanna be close to ya." I sat on the bed, flopping back. "And I you Jazz... And I you..." Jazz POV: Prowl lifted his stick a little higher as I looked for an opening. He was waiting for me to make my move. He'd been training me for the last few deca-cycles. I thought I'd made pretty good progress. I'd managed to take him from his peds a few times. That was only because it was practice though. If we'd been playing for keeps he'd have killed me long ago. My peds shifted forward, and I ducked low, aiming to take his left leg. He anticipated it though, shifting his weight to the other so he spun around planting his ped on my aft and sending me sprawling on the floor with a huff. "Sloppy. You seem to be working in reverse this cycle Jazz. You started much better than you're ending." The stick was tapped against my neck before he offered me a hand up. I grunted as I was tugged to my peds once more. "Come. You will do better after a break to cool down." That sounded good. He'd kept me busy today and I was getting hungry. "Perhaps Soundwave could keep Prowl busy until Jazz is rested." I blinked up at my sparker as he stepped up to Prowl. One of his doors twitched as my sparker placed a hand on his back, guiding him away... Prowl POV: I groaned as fingers dug into my doors housing the second the door shut. "You keep that up I won't last long!" He chuckled in my audio. "We've already establish Prowl has far more than one overload in him." A cable shoved my valve cover aside suddenly and plunged inside me. A static filled gasp escaped my vocaliser before I was shoved onto the bed. "You look quite nice like this Prowl..." "So you keep saying...." I grabbed the cable, tugging it until he followed and landed over me. Both his panels were open as I rolled him into my former place and buried my glossa in his valve. He keened loudly, peds digging into the bedding as another cable joined the first. Yet another wrapped around my spike, stroking over it as I devored him from the inside out. Fingers curled around the back of my helm like he half expected me to stop. His visor was flicking as it usually did durning overload, it was very soon for that though. "You're very worked up today... Who's to blame?" He groaned just before lubricant gushed from his valve, laced with transfluid. I pulled away enough to look at him as he lay there, vents whirling and panting. "The frontliner twins. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." My optics narrowed some as I placed a hand on his middle. "Tell me you're not trying to say what you think you are. If that is the case I will personally ensure they are punished!" He shook his helm side to side. "That won't be nessecary Prowl. They're only young yet and they did not hurt me. It was actually very enjoyable. At least until Optimus called them back and I was left with a charge on my chassis." I looked at him hard for a few seconds. "Are you sure? I am still second in command with Optimus, and I can have them strung up here next cycle." He chuckled. "Soundwave is sure. Besides, I'm quite fond of them." My optics brightened at that, but I wasn't given the chance to say anything more on it as he yanked me down, impaling himself on my spike. Clearly he wasn't in the mood to wait....

#Jazz #Prowl #Megatron #Transformers #The bitch named Karma

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