I don't know if you still want writing ideas And I pretty much just started following you so I'm not sure what you would want? But I just read your precious "starscream knitts like a madman" post. And the other night I had a dream of Starscream selling plushies(to humans). So my sugestion/2am thought, How would starscream go about "selling" plushies, or whatever stuff he knitted to humans? There is after all, only so many mittens the vehicons can take before they become more mittens then bot.

Yes yes yes and more yes. Such a fun little idea, I will happily write a little headcannon on it for you dear anon!

Starscream's Knitting Business

Starscream is a notorious knitter. Every single bot on the Nemesis has something from him. The Vehicons have coats, mittens, hats, scarves, and every other conceivable form of clothing in abundance. Despite the fact that they don't need them and the cloth only ever gets stuck in their plating, the Vehicons love the clothing. As for high command, they have an equally full wardrobe as well. That is all except Megatron, he can go frag himself in Starscream's opinion.

But as knitting is Starscream's way of working out his anger (and boy does he have a lot of anger) he has quickly run out of things to give to those on the nemesis. And so to find a way to get rid of his completed works and make the event profitable in some way, Starscream has turned to business.

In order to keep a low profile Starscream set himself up a website to sell his knitted masterpieces. It is the most egotistical thing on the internet and he is not at all shy about proclaiming his superiority to his potential customers. Surprisingly, despite his god complex and very obvious aggression, humans flock to his website and before he even realized it he had orders pouring in.

Not one to disappoint, Starscream discreetly began shipping out his finished items in a signature black and red box with no return address. His knitted works quickly rose in popularity due to the mysterious factor involved and Starscream immediately took hold of his new fame to make himself an even bigger icon. Mean little notes and poems were added to his boxes when he sent them out. He also started putting little Cybertronain glyphs on his knitted items, usually somewhere obscure just to increase the mystery factor. And after receiving a ton of positive feedback from humans who found his unique business fun and interesting, Starscream only continued to amp up his personal touch.

Before he knew it, Starscream not only had a profitable business, but a loyal fanbase who were eager to see what other angry notes and knitted things he would make. Some of his most fanatical followers buy things in bulk just because they want to see what little thing he added to his box to make it interesting. Starscream occasionally makes special little boxes with whole poems in Cybertronian or artworks of Cybertron alongside the kitted stuff just for those followers. Because of this, whole conspiracy boards have also popped up surrounding his business, each theorizing who or what he is, where he is from, and what his aim is. Starscream thinks it is hilarious and loves to screw with each and every one of the theorizers by added something ominous to one of his boxes or hinting at his alien nature only to go completely silent on the subject.

His fanbase loves it. By the time his business really gains popularity, no one really buys his boxes because they want some homemade knitted knit knacks. No, they buy his boxes because they want to unravel the mystery that is himself. But unfortunately for the humans, they will never know the truth and Starscream will continue to mess with them for the kick of it.

The biggest running theories created by his fanbase are that Starscream is part of the Illuminati and is trying to run an experiment on manipulating the population. Another is that he is some form of time traveler warning them about what is to come in the future some obscure code and pictures. Some think that he is some sort of secret agent trying to recruit those able to unravel the mystery of his boxes. A few even believe that he is some form of alien trying to integrate into human culture (this one mostly stemmed from his early days on the internet trying to figure out how to act normal).

Starscream thinks they are all hilarious and will do his best to feed the biggest theories every now and then to keep the hype up. He also likes having cash because it means he can buy luxury items from earth and add them to his stash. He is the type of mech to keep nice things and only ever use them to show off. Knockout may be a little jealous of the nice things Starscream accumulates with his wealth but he doesn't voice it.

Extra

Theorist: Guys! I think I have done it! I have unraveled who the person running 'Superior Knitting' is!

Starscream: *snickering* Oh have you now

Theorist: After hours of research and countless hundreds of dollars used to buy Superior Knitting products for analysis, I can proudly say that the mastermind behind it is a Russian spy!

Starscream: *Cackling* Oh Primus that is good!

Starscream: *Furiously typing a new post for his website to partially confirm and contradict the theory* I can't wait to see the chaos!

Basically, after Chromedome tried to throw him off a cliff, which led to Ultra Magnus having to pull him out of a Constructicon pile instead of getting to berate Prowl, he disappeared. Locked down and hid so the trial went on with Prowl watching the livestream and only emailing a few people. By the time people are looking around for him, Optimus, after their brief talk and his email to check on the Lost Light, which led to baby time, he's gone fully underground.

Ironhide made a few attempts but assumed the Starscream thing is why they aren't speaking. Wheeljack tried to eventually but couldn't find him. Only when Optimus Prime suspiciously side eyes Starscrema do people at large notice Devstator is missing.

This unnerves everyone, and Chromedome gets a lot of incredible side eye because the last confirmed sighting was Chromedome attempting to push him off a cliff.

Prowl showing up nearly a year later when First Aid and company temporarily show up to Luna-1 to make contact and find it crawling with Consructiprowl Babies and a Spider Baby with Fort Max attempting to learn knitting from Prowl (he likes the number patterns) and Tarantulas (the silk has multiple uses including medical and construction which he discovered with Hook and Mixmaster that Tara is getting on with a startling amount). He is then forced to Zoom Cybertron and Optimus Prime as proof, and everyone has to deal with the fact he keeps pausing to say things like "Black Arachnia do not bite your brother. Grimlock take your sister to Max. He brought home some turbofoxes for her to practice hunting on his last trip." and "Excuse me. I must go remove my son from Red Alert’s office. He is attempting to build a functional suspension bridge out of the extra comm parts again." and bending out of sight to whisper "Ask your sire. Mix should have some juice boxes. If not torment Max. He keeps a stash he thinks I am unaware of." while occasionally bouncing a round many legged black and gold blob with teeth occasionally.

Of course, it could have been resolved sooner if anyone thought to ask Springer who got a group zoom months ago to introduce him to his new sibling.

Informed to please tell us important developments doesn't improve things because then a year and a half later he sends out a birth announcement of Chase and Strongarm who were born from "a mutually agreed upon by all committed parties resolving of emotional and sexual tension from myself and Fortress Maximus".

The Luna-1 Polycule is incomprehensible to most.

Prowl spends him time sending out judgemental and vaguely ominous unasked for memos with his opinions on current and sometimes secret events to people as he calls in his spies and continues to den down mostly in relative secret and peace because he'd probably murser Megatron and anyone else pinging his danger sense on sight given his current active protocols.

Which is fair as hell, I mean as much as an asshole Prowl is known to be it's fair he bolted after being thrown off a cliff

Also they livestreamed the trial

Makes sense he'd still wanna figure out what's going on with the LL

Optimus: Starscream

Starscream: ?

Optimus: what did you do

Starscream: what do you mean "wHaT dId yOu dO"

Optimus: I mean, Starscream what did you do

I mean logical to think Chromedome may be at fault because the cliff pushing

The fact that we set a (relatively to million year robots) short carrying period is leading to so many cool baby boom consequences

Also awww on Fort Max trying to knit, also makes sense Prowl and Tara would like to knit

Less aww and more shhffjfjf on Mix and Hook learning the more useful applications of alien spider silk via getting freaky with Tarantulas

First Aid: oh so you were here

Yess on all the cute little pause moments, dear fuck yes that's adorable as hell Prowl it is it is

Sparkling!BlackArachnia has to be so cute too like yes

oh Springer. I hope he's got like a notebook to keep track of this mess of a family too.

Mutually agreed upon by all committed partners resolving of the emotional and sexual tension from myself and Fort Max

Aka, those two were advised to fuck each other's brains out

Love how Prowl has grown into this sort of mostly remote role into this with most of his interactions outside of the moon being online but him certainly wanting to know what's going on. Especially since for him, parenthood has ultimately made him even more aggressive and anxious towards those he does not like. I pity anyone who arrives on Luna-1 meaning harm.

For the TF ask game!!! 1 through 11 🤗

ask game yippee

i got like three asks for this thank you everyone i love you guys sm <3 (dis and dis)

1. Decepticon, Autobot or Neutral

*sobs* I DONT KNOW THEY'RE ALL LOSERS

2. Optimus or Megatron

they come in a package. both

3. Favorite Autobot(s)

Bumblebee no questions. babyboy friend-shaped

4. Favorite Decepticon(s)

Starscream he's a bitch 🥰

5. Favorite Neutral(s)

there aren't many, but i'd choose Rubble. cute little boy..... do not talk to me even

6. Favorite femme bot(s)

Windblade is really cool!!! i read her comic line (Sarah Stone is amazing, her art is some of the most beautiful i've ever seen), it's pretty nice, she's clearly into girls, she's a girlboss. one thing i will say is she seems too overpowered, ESPECIALLY in s1 Cyberverse. it got better in the end, but the writers really want me to believe she can outmatch three decepticons during a blizzard. i still remember how this rubbed me the wrong way. but otherwise she's cool!!!

7. Favorite show(s)

EARTHSPARK BARK BARK AWOO

it's the family vibes. the farm. cottagecore vibes with sci-fi sprinkled in. the Terrans are such an interesting take on the newly-forged type characters i can't wait to learn more about their origin

8. Favorite comic series

probably the second phase of IDW - TAAO specifically, but i've talked about this enough already

9. Favorite comic company for TF comics (Dreamwave, IDW, Marvel, etc.)

IDW though i will say that Dreamwave did a good job with Jetfire, and the overall read was great (even if i... skimmed over it and read the most interesting parts...)

10. Favorite human character(s)

two girlies share this place in my heart: Sari from Animated and Miko from Prime. Miko is such a well-written character, her arc with Bulkhead is cheffs kiss. Sari tho. i can talk about her for a long time, she's very unique and i wasn't expecting her to be part-Cybertronian! she's so closely knitted into the narrative i love herrr

11. Favorite ship(s)

well. i continue to spread my StarBee propaganda everywhere so. dflghrliufdghrf they're cute......

i have an opinion on MegOP too i don't know if anyone wants to hear it but they sure are interesting. i wish i was more invested in them because there is a lot of potential angst and hurt\comfort with this, but i'm content with StarBee for now heueheueheueh

K, N, Z! (Very late)

fasfd i appreciate the ask, because it reminded me that I had to actually respond to these things XD 

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

Hmmm. This... is tricky. On principle, I’m not going to say Zuko, even though it’s divine. I’m having a bit of a hard time with this one, because a lot of my favorite arcs don’t have many big dramatic Moments where you see them making progress, which is something Zuko definitely had, and which then makes him a really solid example of a development arc :P

Let me see. It’s a small book fandom, so I don’t know how many people are familiar with it, but I’ve REALLY had Moon from the books of the raksura on my mind lately. It got pulled extra hard to the forefront of my mind when I saw this tor article about the series (and why it’s a nice read especially in terms of present events). But it is absolutely AMAZING to me when I look at Moon in the earliest parts of the series, and how defensive and untrusting and insecure he is, how unsafe he always feels, and see how far he comes by the end of the series. In a lot of ways, this development arc is more about processing trauma rather than a villain-to-hero-esque change, which is what I tend to gravitate towards, but it’s just... so lovely. I can go on and ON about this series if anyone is curious, but any character who goes from bitterly, unhappily resigned to loneliness to being one of the well-loved centers of a close-knit community, who ADORE him even though he’s not what he would have been if he grew up normally.... Perfection

Apart from that, lessee. Cyclonus is ALWAYS and forever a favorite. He’s so angry and hurting at the beginning of mtmte, and watching him soften and open up is exquisite. Even though Starscream’s arc.... did not end in a way I appreciate, I definitely appreciate how far he brought himself, and the potential for how much further he could have gone. Everything about Jon and Martin in the magnus archives delights me. I do also love Seivarden from the Imperial Radch books, and how she really, really struggles to be less of an asshole, but she works so HARD and makes so much progress. Oh, and you know what, additional shout outs to Sir Francis Varney and Grisaille in the Dr. Greta Helsing books, because I’m also a sucker for characters who go from unhappy, resigned loneliness to gradually feeling like they deserve the happiness they’ve found, and that they want to KEEP it.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

HMMMM. I’m always a sucker for fics that are the long side of short and explore kink from an emotional angle. I don’t write nearly as much of it as I used to, so I really ought to be stepping up my game too, but I love the way you can use that to dig deep into a character’s heart and open them up in a really vulnerable way. What else. I’m spoiled by homestuck, but I don’t see NEARLY enough crackshipping these days. Transformers is pretty good, if you dig for the gems, but it’s not the same as writing, like, feferi/meenah/karkat and realizing that eyyy, I’m not the first person to break in that relationship tag. And in general? More meta. I love me some meta. It can be hit or miss, because I’m more likely to get annoyed by meta than I am by fic or art, but I just LOVE being able to dig down into the concept of [a story] and pull analysis out. I’ll do it myself, given a tiny bit of encouragement, but that’s not the same

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

Oh god. Uhhhh, to build off the last one, I guess, PITCH ROMANCE. I know I’ve yelled about this before, but it’s been a while! I will NEVER stop advocating for aemula endurae as a transformers concept, now that we’ve got pale and flush romance in at least one canon, but I honestly want this in every fandom I’ve ever touched. It’s a little more embarrassing to yell about the potential of miscellaneous crackships in smaller book fandoms as opposed to something Old and Weird like transformers, but ummm... like, Moon and River have amazing potential, but their relationship is so ADVERSARIAL for ages and they both still dislike each other, but in a background sort of way, and meanwhile River is tackling a half-Fell progenitor to protect Moon, or Moon is barely able to stay upright but is still trying to guard a badly-injured River, and they both think the other is an idiot but still respect each other and uhhhhhh what if they kissed? A lot???

I love love love a good enemies to lovers or rivals to lovers story. But that’s not quite the same as what a pitch romance involves. Like, I’m deeply invested in Loki/Steve Rogers, and if you stick to canon at all, that pretty much has to be enemies to lovers. But in the main fic I follow for them, like, they adore each other to pieces and just got married and are INTENSELY sweet on each other. Or, I’ve been considering going back to my starbladejack verse soon (i want to, badly, my prose engine is just broken), and Windblade and Starscream are romantically involved... and spend lots of time in heated arguments and yanking each other’s pigtails. But if an external threat shows up, they’re going to present a united front. Two parties exasperatedly thinking ‘you’re terrible, you’re the WORST, why do i like being around you so, so much’. It’s a delicate thing to balance compared to a standard flushed romantic paradigm, but there are so many foe yay ships out there where bringing people around to solidly being on the same non-adversarial side strips the spice away from what the ship was originally, and I just think there’s a lot of interesting potential in preserving some parts of that initial oppositional spark inside a stable, caring (pigtail-pulling) relationship.

Transformers Skyfall: Chapter 2. Invisible Touch.

Cybertron, before the War, had a rigid caste system. Every form had a function, but one couldn't choose what they where sparked into. Minicons might as well have been even further below the lowest tier in the system. More often than not, we where objects. Tools and pets. Animals. Not even Cybertronian. There was a reason why Ravage and Soundwave’s other Deployers had so much to proof.

I was just like any other Deployer back then. I was cold constructed. Massed produced. There was no love forged for my birth. I relied on any affection from my carrier. Yet, in that short time span, I had already experienced what most Minicons would go through. I was bought, loved briefly, then was sold off for a few extra credits. After that, I sold second hand. Swindle did a good job scrubbing my processors clean of my former contacts.

Though, the longer I thought about it, I’m pretty positive that my former family didn’t want me around anymore. I wouldn’t have being in Swindle’s pawn shop if they wanted me.

My next carrier, Calloway, was a sad and old mech. Somebot with way too many credits and nothing to spend it on. I never learned where he got all of it. He was around for the Golden Age. A blacksmith, I believe. The old truck was massive, but was more skittish than a turbo jackrabbit. Never really held me. Let alone carried me. He’s huge servos always just hung out of reach. Like he was afraid of me.

I truly think that Calloway was trying to make me happy with everything he let me do. The old mech shook his little close knit social cycle. That’s for sure. No one at the time was letting Deployers do anything on their own. Let alone something solely for the Deployer’s own enjoyment.

Yet, Calloway let me do it. Calloway let me get an education. A real one. He bought me things. Expensive things. High grade, the latest inlays, decorations, outings, my own personal quarters within his spire of a home. In the end, I had a feeling it was just a longer, more extravagant leash.

I never could ask why he did any of it. Whenever I brought up the subject, he would just wave me off.

“Let an old fool make one more good thing before he flares out.”

Those fires never died out in his chassis they way he wanted them too. They came to end him personally because shortly after my graduation, war finally came to the streets of Cybertron. One by one, the cities around Iacon flickered out with the Decepticons advances. I was hidden in a cabinet while I watched Calloway’s spark was snuffed from existence.

The old mech was indeed a fool. He refused a order from Starscream himself.

Starscream wanted him to join the ‘Cons. To work and create more for the army. Weapons, I think. It was always weapons with Starscream.

I think Starscream really just wanted Calloway’s forge.

Starscream did get his forge. His Seekers tore Calloway’s home apart. Stole whatever they could get their collective talons on. The smug bastard just stood and preened as he let his goons work. It didn’t take long for them to realize that Calloway wasn’t living alone. To be fair, I also shouldn’t have blasted out of the cabinet. The internal screaming of my processors telling me to run was in greater control than the possibility of being murdered if I fled.

I was caught. No slag there. One lone minicon drone is not much of match a whole flock of Seekers. Starscream took personal amusement out of my thrashing and screaming. I must have looked so foolish to the Air Commander. As if my protests would actually harm any of his squad. I became just another tool for the ‘Cons to pillage. The only good thing that happened that day was that I was paired with Night Glide. I haven’t left his side ever since.

Night Glide now worked for the Badgeless. Police force isn’t quite the words describe it. They weren’t hired goons either. They could work outside the restriction of the law to keep the peace on the streets. That doesn’t sound good either. To be fair, most of the general public didn’t like how it sounded too. The Badgeless, more often than not, where just as corrupt as Metroplex’s actual police force. Nobody liked them. No one, other than me. Obviously. People liked to point that out to me a lot.

“I’m just saying,” I raised my voice a little higher over the noise of the bar. Maccadam’s was as busy as ever. Blurr was, well, a blur keeping up with orders. Though, he wasn’t struggling in anyway. The Ex-Autobot found his new talent in mixing drinks. The mech pretty much manned the bar alone. He must have saved Maccadam a fortune. “If the Badgeless and the police clean out their ranks, we won’t have the fights on the streets as much.”

“You have a screw loose, Sky.” Blurr joked.

Slug nodded in agreement, “Bots are all kinds of messed up now. You saw it first hand with that mech yesterday. War does that to people.”

I hummed softly.

That grounder from the checkpoint was still on my mind. He wasn’t a combatant. He wasn’t even from Cybertron. I read up his file later that night. He was trying to immigrate from Carcer. He wanted to rebuild. Just as much as I do. Though, if I pointed that out to Slug right now; his fair argument would still be pretty valid. The War did mess up a lot of mech and femmes. I couldn’t really argue with that.

So, I instead sat up a little straighter from my perch of stacked data pads to take a sip of my drink out of a curly straw. Being thankful I wasn’t the strangest sight in the room.

Maccadam’s attracted all sorts. Be it ‘Bot, ‘Con, flyer, groundpounder, dinosaur or bug. It was nice to not feel so out of place for once. Minicons both stuck out and blended in with the crowd. Small enough to go unnoticed. Yet, the smaller you where on Cybertron, bots would stop and stare.

I decided to let Blurr and Slug continue on with the conversation which somehow morphed into someone joining an axe throwing competition. I didn’t quite catch who was throwing axes and at what. Or how that, of all things, came out of police brutality. Yet, it was always a challenge to follow any conversation Blurr was having. He did everything fast.

I chatted with (fat) Tanker instead. He was a little rough around the edges, but we were both ‘Cons. We had a mutual understanding over that.

However, all the air was stucked out of the room like an air lock once the door opened and my carrier stood at the top of the stairs. Night Glide was still in his deep gray Badgeless uniform. The orange glass from the helmet was tucked neatly under his arm as he scanned the room.

Despite having every optic in the room locked onto him, Night Glide kept his helm and his wings held high. A Seeker’s way to show he was in control. However, for grounders, it came off as arrogant. Even something as simple as body language was a huge difference between us and them.

Blurr went to say something, but for once, I bet him to the punch.

“Hey, sweetspark. Is everything ok?” I asked as he descended down the stairs to join us at the bar.

“There was a bomb that was set off in the Blacklight Mall. I’m here to take you home and-”

“Not be dealing with a bomb threat?” Blurr cut in anyways.

Night Glide’s red optics locked onto the blue Autobot. Like an animal about to kill its prey. I scrabble from my mountain of old magazines to the bar top. Wedging myself in between the two mechs.

“Night Glide, he’s-”

“Blurr, was it?” Night Glide said, “Ah, yes, I remember Commander Starscream speaking about you. He said that you liked running your mouth as much as your tires.”

Blurr leaned over the counter. He hissed, “I might like spinning my wheels, Badgeless, but at least I do my job.”

“Whoa! Ok!” I flare my wings wide before transforming. I flew around my carrier’s helm a few times, sputtering quickly, “Yes, thank you, Glide. I appreciate you taking me home. Thank you.”

I made a point of making that thank you as loud as possible. I zipped over to Blurr and circled around him. Luckily for me, Minicons are built with their own wifi signal. I paid for my drinks.

“And thank you, Blurr,” I said, “for the service tonight. Drinks were excellent as always.”

I flew back to Night Glide’s side and added, “We all should be careful going home tonight. Right?”

I got a halfhearted response from my drinking buddies. It was better than nothing I supposed. It wasn’t like I could force them to like Night Glide. None of them knew him like I did and he didn’t care to give them the time of day. The War for Cybertron may have been over. The battle with my social life wasn’t.

My carrier’s chestplate slid open. I popped inside.

As Night Glide disappeared back up the stairs; I could hear Slug mutter how he couldn't see what I saw in him. I’m sure that Glide did too. I sent my carrier a soft ping to ease him. He pinged back. I shifted in my compartment as the Seeker transformed and raced into the skyline.

“Blurr didn’t mean it.”

“No. He did.”

“Are you off duty at least?”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t abandon my post. You know that.”

“Blurr would know that too if you came out with me more…” I said aloud.

I was going to keep that to myself, but being integrated to Night Glide at the moment; he would know. I felt the Seeker make a gentle bank. He hummed in thought.

“Maccadam’s is not for me, my love.”

“I know… I just want you to meet some of my friends. That’s all. I can talk about you until the Knights come home, but…”

“But I’m still Starscream’s ped licker.”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”

“You were thinking it.”

I sighed softly, “Yeah, maybe…”

There was a beat of radio silence between the two of us. I felt Night Glide transform once again; landing cleanly on our balcony. Once I heard his heeled peds click on the concrete, I let myself out. I stood on his outstretched forearm. It was the only way I could meet him optic to optic. Said optics where dim with a long days work. It didn’t seem fair to me. Night Glide worked so hard to keep the peace and no one cared.

I took his faceplates in my tiny servos to gently thumb his cheeks. The Seeker gave me weak, albeit happy smile. I couldn’t help, but to return the favor.

“I’ll try…” Night Glide finally spoke, “I’ll try again with your friends. If it would you happy, Skyfall.”

I felt my smile only grow brighter. I hadn’t been more proud of my carrier.

It’s What Breaks Me (Transformers IDW)

I've wanted to write this since I saw that panel at the end of the Annual but didn't get my hands on the issue until a month ago. Very much not a fix-it fic. A companion piece of sorts to The Weight of My Mistakes. Title: It's What Breaks Me Fandom: Transformers IDW Rating: PG-13 Warning: mind violation/memory manipulation and implied dub-con due to that Word Count: 1813 Characters: Blast Off, Onslaught, Vortex, Swindle, Brawl Summary: Set before the Combaticons' final panel in TAAO Annual. Blast Off's actions become known. The cell was a bit on the small side for five large mechs like the Combaticons and, inhibitor claws or not, Blast Off was surprised they were left together like this. Not that they were in much of a state to do anything. Brawl had been sullen and quiet from the start though he was rarely much use in the planning stages anyway. Swindle, without having anyone to schmooze, was nearly as useless. Vortex also kept mostly silent though Blast Off could see he was thinking deeply about something. Onslaught, however, was in furious thought ever since Starscream's confession. The Combaticons had been in their places around the debate stage, where Onslaught had positioned them. Blast Off had watched in growing horror as Starscream confessed and confessed from in the upper tiers. He'd had the perfect position to see Onslaught, closest to the stage, when Starscream admitted to having a mnemosurgeon turn the Combaticons into his bodyguards. Had Ironhide not been next to him, tackling Onslaught to the ground and cuffing him the moment Onslaught had stepped toward Starscream, things may have ended different. But it was over now. Blast Off quietly allowed himself to be arrested, shuffled from one cell to another until he was here with the others. He wanted to go to Onslaught, wanted to say or do something to comfort him but was too afraid he'd confess his own sins. Guilt and self-loathing weighed heavily on him, even as he was grateful that Starscream hadn't pointed out Blast Off's part in things.

From his place against the wall, Vortex's head lifted, visor bright. "Oh," he said softly, "frag me." Then he started laughing. A bewildered thing at first that then grew into a raucous sound that edged into something angry and hysterical and brittle. "It was you," he said, turning to Blast Off. "I was trying to figure out how they did it. You can't successfully alter the memory of a tight knit entire group. Too many variables and details that won't line up exactly." "What are you talking about?" Swindle asked, probably more surprised by the sudden talking than what was said. Blast Off's spark went cold. "How do you know that?" He suddenly he remembered that what made Vortex so dangerous wasn't his love of violence or his viciousness. He was intelligent, perceptive, he covered up his paranoia with a blase attitude. Blast Off knew this but he'd gotten so caught up in Onslaught, in having Onslaught, that he'd forgotten precisely why Onslaught brought Vortex onto the team to begin with. "You think," Vortex said and though his visor was lit up in a crooked grin, there was no humor in his vocalizer, "the moment I knew Starscream had a secret mnemosurgeon working for him, working on us, I wouldn't go reading up on them? Like I wouldn't want to make sure they weren't messing with my head?" "And you read group memory alterations aren't successful?" Onslaught asked, straightening up. "Yeah." Vortex's gaze didn't break from Blast Off's. "But I was thinking if being a combiner might change that. We tend to influence each other while we're Bruticus, if there was someone on the inside, they might be able to fix the discrepancies in the memory adjustment- explains why Starscream had us merging on a regular basis. But it would have to be someone that could smooth over the edges. Someone that the others would trust. I thought about which one of us it could be. What could Starscream give one of us that would make him betray the rest? What changed before and after we first combined? The only one that got something out of all this," his visor blazed red and his hands were fists, tightly trembling at his side, "was you. They gave you Onslaught." Brawl and Swindle's heads snapped up and Blast Off's visor went pale. "What?" Onslaught's voice was tight. Not yet believing Vortex but all the pieces were on a precipice, threatening to fall into place. "I knew you were pining after Onslaught since- I don't even know, really. You were chasing him practically since I joined. All of us," he gestured to Swindle and Brawl who nodded, "knew it. It was pathetic. And when he finally made a move, I thought maybe Ons was getting his head out of his tailpipe because I knew, in the back of my mind, that he returned those feelings at least a little. But he didn't actually, did he? Because those memories I have of Onslaught's feelings are less numerous, less concrete than the ones I have of yours." "I," Blast Off stuttered. Vortex was advancing on Blast Off slowly, engine roaring and Blast Off was shaken because he'd never seen Vortex genuinely angry before. "I..." "I'll admit, we probably should've known something like this happened," Vortex admitted, tone breezy despite his rotors vibrating angrily. "I mean, Onslaught heading a riot was supposed to be a feint drawing out dissenters, but no one was ever arrested or brought under suspicion because of it. And Swindle playing bodyguard when there's a thousand more profitable ventures he could be doing?" "Yeah," Swindle rubbed at his helmet, "I don't know how any of us believed I'd do that." Onslaught went to Blast Off with quick strides, pushing Vortex out of his way. Not roughly, but not quite like an afterthought, either. There was enough force that said if Vortex didn't move, he'd be knocked down. Vortex let himself bounce off the wall and back behind his commander. "Is it true?" Blast Off opened his mouth and for a moment nothing came out. He eventually managed to stutter, "I-I did it for you." "Yeah," Vortex said crudely from the back, "trust us, we've heard." "Shut up," Onslaught told him, not looking away from Blast Off. "So he's right." Blast Off shrank back. "Do you remember what really happened?" Still unable to speak, Blast Off only nodded. He saw Swindle's optics flicker to Onslaught, then back to Blast Off and Blast Off knew what he was about to ask. "You, uh, you guys didn't actually do it to save me, did you?" "No," Blast Off said bluntly. Swindle nodded listlessly before curling in on himself. He had no one to blame but himself. Onslaught had given him chance after chance to prove himself a part of the team, far more than he'd given anyone else, and Swindle threw every single one away for greed. Had it not been for Starscream turning his back on the Combaticons and the damaging information locked in Swindle's head, Onslaught might not have given Swindle another thought after hearing of his death. "You betrayed us- betrayed me," Onslaught's voice was quiet and tight and low, "to Starscream." "Woulda figured Ons would be the last person you'd turn on. Guess it's a different story when he's the price." Vortex chuckled cruelly. "If I knew you were that easy to buy off, I woulda tied down and drugged him up for you eons ago." Blast Off's panels bristled with indignation. "Don't be disgusting!" "What's the difference?" Vortex shot back. "Not his choice either way but at least you wouldn't have dragged the rest of us into it." "Shut up," Onslaught snapped again, sharper. Vortex sneered but quieted, settling against the far wall and pointedly not looking at Blast Off. Onslaught stared down at Blast Off for a long, intense moment before biting out, "Why." "I... it was the only way to get us out." Blast Off's hands came together, fingers twisting. He couldn't remember the last time anyone, Onslaught especially, made him feel this small. "Starscream would've left us to rust. At least this way we could do something." "We could have done something," Onslaught said tightly, "if I had known. I can't plan if I don't know there's something to plan for." "I was trying to help." "By letting our enemies violate us? Control us? How is letting your team be shadowplayed helping?" "I didn't have a choice!" Blast Off blurted desperately. "Didn't you?" Onslaught demanded, visor flaring bright. "If I hadn't agreed, we'd all still be offline!" "And they twisted your arm about me? Refused to bring us online if you didn't also accept a prize?" His tone was harsh, quivering with rage, venting raggedly as Onslaught loomed. "Someone as intelligent and resourceful as you couldn't have figured out another option?" Blast Off hesitated because, in the briefest moments before he accepted, he had thought to decline Starscream's offer of a 'nudge'. But he'd been weak. He'd always been weak when it came to Onslaught. "They would have messed with our memories regardless," he said weakly. Powerful hands gripped him by the shoulder, slamming Blast Off against the wall. "But I'd still be able to trust you," Onslaught roared, pressing in so close that Blast Off's senses were overwhelmed with heat and fury and pain. Onslaught's fingers dug in painfully and Blast Off was so certain the large mech was going to tear him apart that he simply shuttered his optics and waited for it to happen. A long moment passed. And another. Onslaught's grip didn't slack but neither did he do anything else and, cautiously, Blast Off activated his optics again. He'd never seen a mech look so distraught and Blast Off's fuel pumped seized at the sight. "I love you," Onslaught said in a wrecked whisper. "I hate you for what you've done but I can't bring myself to harm you because I love you so much it hurts and it's not. Real." He let Blast Off go, arms limp at his sides and Blast Off slumped against the wall. Quietly, Onslaught just turned away and went to the far corner, arms coming up to wrap around himself as if he could physically keep himself from coming apart. Everything inside Blast Off was just ruined. He chased after Onslaught because that was what Blast Off always did. "It wasn't just- Onslaught please! I was trying to-" "I don't want to hear it!" He snapped, voice raw and broken, shoulders hunched up like he was trying to hide from the world and Blast Off felt his spark break because he did that to Onslaught. Suddenly, his field of vision was cut off by a wall of green and Blast Off looked up just in time to see Brawl's fist slamming down on him. Blast Off went down in a cacophonous heap and he could taste energon in his mouth. He glanced up, expecting another blow, but Brawl just stood there, as angry and hurt and defeated as the rest. "He was happy," Brawl said, quiet in a way Brawl never was. "You ruined everything." That truth probably hurt worst of all. Biting back a pained sob, Blast Off crawled into a lonely corner, the furthest from the others, and wished he were dead.

trial 2.6 | on the nature of daylight | pan [re: smee, dola, campion] [ATTN: holly]

Pan bristled as O’Malley retorted, and as Dola yelled. She calmed as she saw Dawson’s reaction, her jaw opening a bit as if she wanted to say... something, but losing the opportunity to do anything but stare at him in sympathy. Chuck made her bristle again, though that also settled as he drifted off from the topic, and seemed to echo some of the words that were bouncing around in her head-- words that she had yet to gather up the heart or indecency to say herself. 

...she ached. All over. 

Each time a voice was raised, it was like another punch-- each one threatening to knock her off her feet more than the last. She winced, her body threatening to fall in a pile of whines and shivers- but this woman had extraordinary balance. So she planted her feet, gritted her teeth, and looked up. 

...to Smee.  

“...do you think we don’t know that? Do you think I don’t know that?” 

Her voice was firm, resolved. Her ears were up, alert, and swiveled forward towards her ‘business partner’. 

“Retribution isn’t the issue here, [Smee]! This isn’t about satisfaction, or a soapbox! I don’t want to see someone else hurt here today, and the fates know I’ve fought back against playing along with this game of suspicion and distrust this entire time... and was met with dismissals the entire way. But we’re still HERE! And it’s NOT because we want some sort of... of vicious retribution! It’s because we don’t have a choice but to participate in this trial now. Do you know why?” 

She frowned heavily, raising her chin a bit. 

“Because [Basil]’s right. This isn’t an accident-- SOMEONE chose to kill Vixen! Someone made this choice for us. Someone plotted, and planned, and was prepared. Someone fought Vixen in that monorail, someone knocked her out and-- a-and someone THREW her in that submarine and let her DROWN. Despite every indication that she was awake, that she was trying to fight, t-that she could feel the water--” 

She took an uneven breath, eyes widening for a moment with the flash of a memory, throat tightening with the emotion. She shook her head to clear it. 

“A-and now we’re here. So NO. I don’t want them to die. But I want to know WHY. I want to know why they felt their reasons to escape, or to hide their secret, were worth more than Vixen’s LIFE. I want to UNDERSTAND--! And Dola’s right--” She looked to the other woman then, brows knitted with the stress of the trial. “...someone will be hurt today, no matter what. Despite that, I... I still don’t know if I can vote for anyone, guilty or not. But to expect that choice of everyone else--” 

She glanced to Chuck, her gaze hard and suspicious... but full of awareness. 

“...I know I can’t do that.” 

She shook her head, seeming intent to leave the poor axolotl be for now, their worldviews once again crashing in this hellscape of perceived moralities. 

She turned to Dola then, content to go back to the actual issue at hand. 

“It wasn’t just left out though! Starscream herself said it would have been hard to know that such a small rip had been made in the jacket, especially one that thick. And it wasn’t as if the piece of the jacket had been left out for anyone to see easily... it was caught in one of the tears of the monorail-- as if it was on Vixen’s claw when she ripped through it! It’s possible she didn’t even know it has happened, at least not before it was too late.” She paused in consideration, bringing a hand up to her chin. 

“...I do not know about this... Four Loko powder? Or bug powder or-- whatever it’s called! But Starscream also seemed very surprised to see it there when we found it during investigation.” 

She looked to Campion then, her eyes near squinted under the weight of her brow. 

“...you’re right. We didn’t find a weapon that hit Vixen-- or any blood in the monorail, right? So maybe... maybe that’s because there wasn’t a separate weapon. Perhaps... the weapon is still on the person.” 

She brought her hand up to her head, touching by her temple gentle as her gaze once again found it’s way to Holly, eyes landing on her carapace. Yet, once again, she refused to say her name, or elaborate on her attempt at charades. 

“Especially if that person feels they have more of a reason to escape here than anyone else-- especially if that person thinks me trying to help others not my own is abandonment.” She lowered her gaze, seeming... extremely conflicted. 

“...especially when the substance we found wasn’t anything more than slightly blue, more of a tinge than a dark hue, like it didn’t have much of a color to begin with.” Her lips flattened hard against each other. 

“...how are the buttons on your spacesuit faring, Holly?” 

   { So I’m still awake and thinking... “You know, until I get those about pages set up, why not write short bits that sum up the muse?” So that’s what I’m doing.     Expect some of these to be a bit ridiculous, cause I haven’t slept yet. }

Amenominakanushi: The Dad of all Dads. He’s gonna drop some wisdom on you and also be really vague sometimes. I bet he knows too much about everything.

Inari-okami: Gender doesn’t exist, especially for them. Feel free to refer by she/her, he/him, or they/them. Foxes are friends and also the thieves of your missing socks. Might adopt you like Ammy does, but less “parent” type and more “party uncle/aunt with a glass of sake in one hand.”

Nuregami: Pure bean who is here to make sure things are going okay...with the water, of course! She’s a little awkward around people. Family, save her.

Kabegami: Will climb everything tall that you own, including you, if you’re tall. Hope you like cats; she’s got a lot of kitty friends. Will steal any seafood you have...or just give it to her. Make a new friend.

Sakuya: Guardian of the trees and wishing she could do a bit more with her life. Still, she knows all the secrets of Kamiki. All. Of. Them. Become her gossip buddy, it’ll be worth your time. But be careful of what you want to know about....

Kushi: Came home to raise her sons and brew sake...and her adopted son left to figure out his past while her other child is probably learning things he shouldn’t from his father. Brew so good it can get the gods wasted, so beware....

Camellia & Camille: The traveling sisters who visit Guardian Saplings around Nippon! Camellia being the elder sister and Camille being the younger and who is also super up to date on that kami stuff. Big sis is waaaay behind, yo.

Princess Fuse: Princess of the canines and the boss of Kusa Village. Totally. Also OkamiDen isn’t canon, so there’s no acting going on here. Only a woman trying to keep her warrior-dogs in line and encourage them to keep protecting their home!!!

Kaguya: Just your average space princess from the moon, no big deal. Also one of few remaining Lunarians after some massive bullshit that somebody pulled and our bets are either on Orochi or Yami...... So yeah, now she’s the ruler of the shambles of her home and kinda needs to get on fixing that. Sometime soon, hopefully.

Queen Himiko: She may be dead in Okami canon, but now is the time to say, “fUCK SHE MAY BE DEAD....but that’s what we have past RPs and AU threads for.” Anyways, she’s a badass who rules the throne while her husband plays with demon fangs, so know who’s the powerful one around Sei’an City... Cause it’s her.

Kamo & Abe: Some Tao Troopers who serve under Waka. Just remember that Abe is the ditz and Kamo is the cool, collected dude you can trust with anything. Abe would probably sell all of your secrets for a dinner at Sei’an’s finest. Abe is a DORK.

Queen Oto: Remember kids, “Otohime” is “Princess Oto”, so technically she’s “Queen Oto” now, a’right?? ANYWHO. You know Himiko and how badass she is/was? Well, here comes Queen Oto, ready to LAY DOWN THE LAW OF BADASSERY. Cause she changed into a huge fucking dragon while preggo to help the sun kami and her bouncing friend fight off a God Complex Ninetails. She’s also a widowed, single mother and that kid is gonna be just as incredible as she is. Damn.

Tobi: Speaking of the Ninetails, that big bro had a cool dude working for him...and that guy, was a demonic slip of paper. Who liked to race! And helped you to the top with those races!! LONG LIVE TOBI!!! So yeah, he’s stickin’ around here and ready to hand out some flowers.

Samickle: Yo, you won’t believe this, but.... This guy is the Oina chief now. Crazy, right?! Yeah... He’s also sorta engaged. Just some fanficy shit, dON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, GOSH.

Tuskle: They made her as a one-off priestess in-game.... And then I came along and went, “Mine now.” So now we’re gonna get a badass shaman in this group, helping people heal, giving advice, and lowkey being a mom to everyone. Someone’s gotta!

Ayame: The OkamiDen one-off to play really hardcore on your emotions, while also tying into a story nobody knows about... Again though, I’m taking her. She’s mine now. Imma make her cute as hell and ya’ll gonna have to love her now!!! (Don’t worry, you will naturally. Ayame is too cute and pure. Gotta love them pure peeps~)

Kuni: He was the son of Susano and Kushi...until he revealed he actually wasn’t, he’s just adopted. We can either talk about this crazy kiddo and his attempts to figure out who he really is...or just get our butts into the future, where he’s a damn good swordsman and a handsome boi.

Nanami: The Dragonians continue to be badass and elegant...and Nanami’s here to hammer that point home. Hope you like water and water hair, cause that’s what you’re getting here, bucko. She’s real cute, though. Prepare to be charmed.

Kagu: OkamiDen may have flopped in story, but DAMN if all their girls ain’t #goals! Our little actress-miko Kagu, back at it again with her incredible powers, eventual (possible) heir to the Sei’an throne, and also getting a little sweeter with the acceptance of who she is. Confidence out the wazoo and it looks GOOD for her!!

Kurow: ...Blease protect my boy..... He did not deserve what canon gave him...... So now he’s gonna be coddled here and protected... Probably for a week or two. Then we toss him to the angst hounds. Also should mention all of the kid partners (including this rad dude) have “adult AUs” so... That’s a thing.

Sugawara: Hey, if Capcom could maybe like....stop hurting my babes from the Moon Tribe, that’d be rad, okay? That’s gonna be my job, dudes. SO. Denying canon a bit? Maybe. Mostly just wanna set this guy free... Maybe get him a date. He’s too attractive to be single I mEAN WHAT--

Dark Chibiterasu: Remember that bit? At the end? Well, screw that, too, cause I’m gonna make my own dark Chibi. He’s sorta his own entity now, though. How you interact with him, shapes how he’s gonna be, so.... Play with him wisely! Else you’re gonna be at fault if he grows up to be a very bad pupper.

(Oh hey, it’s the OC section. We made it this far!!)

Koamashi of Nippon: So in a summary, Koamashi are like...land guardians? They collect the history of their homeland and stuff and this could go on forever. This one is a happy being and also ready to kick your ass. But she probably won’t, cause being friendly is the way to go! (Also that whole “cursed land” thing didn’t go well for her, so she’s still trying to recover from that.

Koamashi of Kamui: A cold guy (ahahahaa, get it??), but could be tight-knit...if he had friends. He just sorta...watches over the Oina and Poncles. That’s his main dealio. He’s a sad man, give him a hug...once you know him better, anyways. Doesn’t like touches from strangers, m’dude.

Koamashi of the Takamagahara: You’ll likely never meet this guy unless, like... You die or something. Or are a deity of some kind? He’s a cool dude, though. Very friendly, patient, and kind. Probably gives warm hugs. Will kick your ass if need be, though. Died once; not fun. Also, the Koamashi are technically genderless, but they do lean towards a preference of appearance, so.... And they really don’t mind, either way.

Handmaiden Reiko: Dad the sake brewer, mom the painter, and big brother the warrior...and their parents are dead, of course. Reiko somehow managed to get a job as a handmaiden to a tanuki princess, but... Geez, is it straining or WHAT?! Makes using a bow look so, so easy.... Patient af, though; she’s still working to keep getting money to ensure a good life back at home. Also has an Oina bf named Hayato.

Demon Cat Sukei: Fight first, questions later. Won’t let you pet him and will bite if you try. Maybe claw, too, if he can manage it. Can speak English/Japanese and will hand over demonic wares and give advice on demons/imps to talk to who might be of help, if got need of them. Alright, if an asshole.

Genetic Pup Aoi: Remember the “Science is Bad” trope? Well, it’s sorta true here; get the hair and blood of a kami with some science shit and BAM!! Here’s four godly puppies, have fun explaining that shit to the higher ups. Aoi is the blu boi and he’s got them water powers. Eldest of the four sibs and thus, the leader.

Genetic Pup Hinote: Second in command to Aoi, but sorta like Starscream in that he keeps trying for first place. Dark pupper and the only one to have black fur; he controls fire and- yes- is a bit of a hothead. He’s a good big bro to Kusa, though.

Genetic Pup Kusa: The green boy, associated with wind, and the fastest of ‘em all because of it. Could probably speed over water, honestly. He just likes to run and play with Hinote, cause they’re the other duo to Aoi and Sakura.

Genetic Pup Sakura: Cliche name for the pink pup with the earth powers... Also the sole girl, but she knows that just makes her better then! ...Right? Is the runt of the group, but also sorta the powerhouse, considering how important nature is, and all. Is the “underling” to the duo between her and Aoi, though she secretly prefers Hinote to give her attention.

Lunarian Aristocrat Kiyoshi: One of the Moon Tribe runaways during the fall. Kinda sorta doesn’t care what happened back home, cause Sei’an City is a lot cooler, anyhow... Mostly cause 300+ years of being there and it’s still a neat place to him. Is a little shit in the way only a very flashy man can be. It’s all a part of that Lunarian charm, eh~?

Tanuki Princess Yua: Got big tiddies cause mythology states that tanuki have ridiculously huge and useful ballsacks. The more you know!! Yua, however, is the second child who is a girl, and thus won’t get the throne. So via la rebellion and exploring the world of Nippon and Kamui time!! She’s the princess Reiko has to watch over, bless the woman’s heart... Yua likes playing tricks, flirting a bit, but has some wild ADHD that just....won’t settle. Can at least relax a little in Wep’keer/Kamui, so Reiko can see her man and not have to fuss over the princess during that bit of their trip.

Oina Woman Miame: CALLBACK TIME. So remember Samickle? Being engaged? Here’s his fiancée. YUP. Casual woman who he kinda had to help when she got herself trapped and hurt... Sorta stuck around with nowhere else to go, wormed her way into the pack....and then some cheesy bit like “warming up Sami’s heart” or something. Definitely does know how to keep him from stressing out too much, though, so... Go her!!

Demon Priest Takahiro: He got a name for this appearance. At long last, he hAS A NAME!!! He’s mostly here to pay for his crimes years ago, when he forced Amaterasu to swallow up this stone of darkness kinda thing? It makes her go into a baddie mode, basically. Yeah, he did it. That’s his fault. Also, that hasn’t been fixed, so..... Someone needs to get on that and drag Takahiro with them!!

Young Fox Akemi: “Young” by kitsune standards, thank you. She’s still in her early 200s! Anywho... Fox from a small kitsune village. Has been going around to learn stuff about the world as she gains her tails. Made a friend in another wandering kitsune with similar goals, so they joined up; he’s been traveling longer, though. Associated with the autumn season.

Teenage Fox Yoshirou: Akemi’s friend and a black fox of 3-tails, so... About 300 years already under his belt. Wanted to be alone and in peace, but Akemi was younger than him, so... He relented. Acts like her big brother now, basically. Since they’ve wandered from their homes and families, expect him to be the one to look over suitors in place of her actual family.

Lunarian Scholar Kazuki: If you’ve been around me for about a year, you know this guy already. If not, he’s basically the ex-love interest to Shiori over at Goddessof-Poems. He kinda died during the whole wipeout of the Moon Tribe? Yeah... He used to do a lot of important writing for the Moon Tribe and gave Shiori her signature, golden collar. (Still wears it to this day.) He’s a dead guy now, but Izanami likes setting him free sometimes to amuse herself. So whether in the past or present, Kazuki is around somehow...somewhere.....

Robin Hood (Disney)

thenightetc 09:21 PM Hello! highglossfinish 09:21 PM Hello there! thenightetc has joined the party. thenightetc 09:23 PM I love how Kast just deletes my messages willy-nilly. highglossfinish 09:23 PM Good old reliable Kast. thenightetc 09:23 PM Truly, it's the most functional website. thenightetc 09:23 PM I'm getting picture and sound highglossfinish 09:23 PM Perfect! Wouldn't want to miss this. thenightetc 09:23 PM although the sound is... weird. thenightetc 09:24 PM Sort of... warbly? thenightetc 09:24 PM Is that just the video? highglossfinish 09:24 PM Probably. highglossfinish 09:24 PM Any better? thenightetc 09:25 PM It's... weridly high-pitched highglossfinish 09:25 PM That's the human. thenightetc 09:26 PM Hmmmm. thenightetc 09:26 PM I think it's okay... thenightetc 09:27 PM I just wasn't sure if he was doing a bit or if the audio was messed up. highglossfinish 09:28 PM Hm, I suppose the video Breakdown sent me in the small hours of the morning and insisted I watch with no context wasn't the best candidate to test the audio on. thenightetc 09:29 PM Hmmmm, how about... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY49ZXj3L-0 thenightetc 09:29 PM ? thenightetc 09:30 PM Yes!  Works great. thenightetc 09:30 PM F highglossfinish 09:30 PM Excellent! SSHammertime has joined the party. thenightetc 09:34 PM Hello! highglossfinish 09:34 PM A challenger appears!

thenightetc 09:34 PM OUCH thenightetc 09:35 PM Oh my god thenightetc 09:35 PM Oooo! thenightetc 09:35 PM Robin Hood!  I'm not even sure if I've seen this thenightetc 09:36 PM If I have it was years adn years ago highglossfinish 09:37 PM I'm glad they're informing us what a lion, a snake, and a fox look like. thenightetc 09:38 PM ...So do the vultures... eat....... highglossfinish 09:38 PM Lot of plague victims that need disposing of. thenightetc 09:38 PM That was definitely a gallows. highglossfinish 09:38 PM Those too. SSHammertime 09:38 PM 3>:O highglossfinish 09:39 PM Perfect timing! thenightetc 09:41 PM "I'll give you a hint, the movie's named after us" highglossfinish 09:44 PM They have an odd relationship. thenightetc 09:45 PM Yes. SSHammertime 09:45 PM disguises for justice! highglossfinish 09:45 PM Indeed! thenightetc 09:46 PM Hahhaha SSHammertime 09:46 PM TALENT thenightetc 09:46 PM VERY. highglossfinish 09:47 PM He's very judgmental about gender norms for a lion without a mane. SSHammertime 09:47 PM there are lady bandits EVERYWHERE in my games thenightetc 09:47 PM I know, right? thenightetc 09:49 PM True, in a way. SSHammertime 09:49 PM history says: you were a butt highglossfinish 09:49 PM Hah! SSHammertime 09:49 PM high sneak highglossfinish 09:49 PM History also wants to know why you're collecting pajamas in what looks to be your nightgown. What's the matter with you? thenightetc 09:50 PM How did he GET that robe highglossfinish 09:50 PM I'm not sure I want to know. SSHammertime 09:51 PM tsk tsk no taxes sent to infrastructure! highglossfinish 09:52 PM No healthcare either! SSHammertime 09:52 PM bad management! thenightetc 09:53 PM *wince* SSHammertime 09:53 PM friar tuck's gonna start a revolution! highglossfinish 09:53 PM Friar Tuck says eat the rich. pheonixqueen has joined the party. thenightetc 09:54 PM Yeesh SSHammertime 09:54 PM 3>:[ thenightetc 09:55 PM Ha! thenightetc 09:56 PM Kid, don't shoot your siblings SSHammertime 09:56 PM tiny bunny wants to shoot, too highglossfinish 09:56 PM If you shoot them, they can't afford leeches and sheep's dung to cure it. thenightetc 09:57 PM uh ohhhhh pheonixqueen 09:57 PM don't forget the blood letting to balance the humors highglossfinish 09:57 PM Perish the thought! highglossfinish 09:57 PM They get in and prince John's lying dead on the ground. Roll credits. thenightetc 09:57 PM Ha! SSHammertime 09:57 PM 3XD pheonixqueen 09:58 PM black plaque is a thing SSHammertime 09:59 PM trespassing is only a crime if there's guards! thenightetc 09:59 PM Very true! highglossfinish 09:59 PM Fact! SSHammertime 10:00 PM 3XD SSHammertime 10:01 PM DEATH TO TYRANTS! 3:D pheonixqueen has left the party. thenightetc 10:02 PM maid marion no highglossfinish 10:02 PM Maid Marion, no means no. highglossfinish 10:02 PM And it wasn't that funny. Or funny at all. SSHammertime 10:03 PM knitting! thenightetc 10:05 PM Awwwww. SSHammertime 10:06 PM why's he taking more! highglossfinish 10:06 PM You have food at home, ostensible badger. Etxblnd has joined the party. thenightetc 10:07 PM Nice. highglossfinish 10:07 PM Robin, you're going to die. Etxblnd has left the party. thenightetc 10:07 PM This whole thing is a trap to catch you specifically. highglossfinish 10:08 PM And it's a plan courtesy of Prince Sandals. thenightetc 10:08 PM Did he get his ring jewels back? highglossfinish 10:08 PM And it's working. thenightetc 10:08 PM Or are those new ones thenightetc 10:09 PM Yeesh. highglossfinish 10:11 PM Why does the snake have fur? SSHammertime 10:11 PM o_o you're right! thenightetc 10:11 PM I feel a little bad for the snake. SSHammertime 10:11 PM the mirror is tiny now thenightetc 10:11 PM What fur, though? SSHammertime 10:12 PM when he's not tidy, his outline is like furry! thenightetc 10:12 PM ...Huh :O SSHammertime 10:13 PM ground control, we have aerial highglossfinish 10:13 PM It was very obvious when his hat was off, but he also had some on his chest. pheonixqueen has joined the party. thenightetc 10:13 PM I'll have to watch for that! pheonixqueen 10:14 PM if you were in this world what animal would you be? SSHammertime 10:14 PM technically, an arrow like that wouldn't fly thenightetc 10:15 PM Heheheh SSHammertime 10:15 PM THE BUTTS MATCH thenightetc 10:15 PM PFFF pheonixqueen 10:15 PM starscream = lord hiss? thenightetc 10:16 PM I mean... highglossfinish 10:16 PM Starscream would have approved. Hiss is the competent one. SSHammertime 10:16 PM He is! thenightetc 10:17 PM Poor, beleaguered Hiss pheonixqueen 10:18 PM does that make breakdown a rhino? SSHammertime 10:18 PM you never wanna hear "what's coming to you" thenightetc 10:18 PM Goodbye rings. thenightetc 10:19 PM awww. pheonixqueen 10:19 PM so sweet pheonixqueen 10:20 PM okay john is def staracream pheonixqueen 10:20 PM screechy SSHammertime 10:20 PM nuh-uh pheonixqueen 10:20 PM no? thenightetc 10:20 PM he's NOT pheonixqueen 10:21 PM sheriff for soundwave? SSHammertime 10:21 PM no highglossfinish 10:21 PM If Starscream were here, he'd be adamant that Prince John was Megatron. pheonixqueen 10:21 PM lol SSHammertime 10:21 PM i like the chicken lady 3:D highglossfinish 10:21 PM And we'd agree with him because the universe never threw Starscream many bones. pheonixqueen 10:21 PM true thenightetc 10:22 PM yeah SSHammertime 10:22 PM mmhmm highglossfinish 10:22 PM Oh yes, Breakdown's definitely a rhino. thenightetc 10:22 PM The food... :( pheonixqueen 10:23 PM what about you knock out? which animal are you and impact? highglossfinish 10:23 PM Good question. SSHammertime 10:23 PM I'm the powerful chicken lady pheonixqueen 10:24 PM lady impact it is SSHammertime 10:24 PM 3:D thenightetc 10:24 PM I saw the fur! highglossfinish 10:24 PM I've always liked foxes. pheonixqueen 10:25 PM and they are somewhat red SSHammertime 10:25 PM yes! thenightetc 10:25 PM Hehe. SSHammertime 10:26 PM making flower rings is HARD highglossfinish 10:26 PM Is a mournful exsistential song really the right choice for this scene? SSHammertime 10:26 PM sometimes there's treasure behind waterfalls thenightetc 10:26 PM "how long have you been there" thenightetc 10:27 PM Crusade...? SSHammertime 10:28 PM oh! Papa! The rooster bard is fun, too! highglossfinish 10:29 PM True, true, he is! highglossfinish 10:29 PM In lieu of more foxes, I'll take the rooster happily. SSHammertime 10:29 PM or you could be a SHAPESHIFTER highglossfinish 10:30 PM I could! SSHammertime 10:30 PM SELF-PRESERVATION GUYS thenightetc 10:30 PM Aw man pheonixqueen 10:30 PM you know it's bad when your minions sing a mocking song thenightetc 10:30 PM Right? thenightetc 10:30 PM A mocking song written by your enemies. highglossfinish 10:32 PM Niceof them to let him keep his weapon. SSHammertime 10:32 PM ...is literally everyone in prison o_o thenightetc 10:32 PM "if we had wings" you're a BIRD SSHammertime 10:33 PM but he's a bird in JAIL pheonixqueen 10:33 PM and roosters can really fly per se thenightetc 10:33 PM yeah but he DOES have wings, that's all I'm saying pheonixqueen 10:33 PM can't I mean pheonixqueen 10:33 PM true SSHammertime 10:34 PM DON'T SAY THAT highglossfinish 10:34 PM It was safer in the mousehole. thenightetc 10:35 PM he taunted murphy! thenightetc 10:36 PM ha! thenightetc 10:36 PM beat him! SSHammertime 10:36 PM DESTROY HIM thenightetc 10:36 PM oh noooo pheonixqueen 10:36 PM new meaning of poor as a church mouse SSHammertime 10:37 PM what is a prince? a miserable pile of money thenightetc 10:38 PM ha! pheonixqueen 10:39 PM that is not a proper noose pheonixqueen 10:39 PM and too small a door for friar tuck SSHammertime 10:41 PM JAIL BREEEEAAAAK thenightetc 10:41 PM *bangs fists on table*  JAILBREAK!  JAILBREAK!  JAILBREAK! highglossfinish 10:41 PM You'd think he'd have just killed every fox he laid eyes on. SSHammertime 10:41 PM JAIL BREAK! JAIL BREAK! pheonixqueen 10:42 PM that clearly says 3 am SSHammertime 10:42 PM trigger safety! thenightetc 10:43 PM ha! SSHammertime 10:44 PM bad perception check! SSHammertime 10:44 PM i mean, his tail's out! thenightetc 10:44 PM right? pheonixqueen 10:45 PM how do you mistake your own brother pheonixqueen 10:46 PM does...does that one key open everything? thenightetc 10:46 PM Could be SSHammertime 10:46 PM skeleton key? SSHammertime 10:46 PM they didn't want to pay for different ones thenightetc 10:47 PM Probably!  They could be hard to keep track of pheonixqueen 10:50 PM that was a fast 2 hours thenightetc 10:50 PM It was SSHammertime 10:50 PM robin nooooo thenightetc 10:50 PM Robin no SSHammertime 10:50 PM not worth it highglossfinish 10:51 PM Hope that single bag of gold was worth it, Robin. thenightetc 10:51 PM Gotta know when to stop. SSHammertime 10:51 PM they don't have very strong buildings thenightetc 10:52 PM Honestly those gaps look large enough for him to fit through highglossfinish 10:53 PM He's lucky no one in this castle can aim. pheonixqueen 10:53 PM storm trooper weapon academy highglossfinish 10:53 PM Hah! SSHammertime 10:53 PM i bet the whole castle is gonna burn down pheonixqueen 10:55 PM still lost all the gold and the castle is on fire thenightetc 10:55 PM Nah, plenty of them were carrying bags of gold highglossfinish 10:55 PM Stop. Testing. Your luck. pheonixqueen 10:56 PM I meant john lost all his gold thenightetc 10:56 PM Ohh. Thebes has joined the party. Thebes 10:56 PM Hello! highglossfinish 10:56 PM Hello! thenightetc 10:56 PM I'm sure he was thrilled to find his castle burned down. SSHammertime 10:57 PM why aren't the vultures arrested, too? highglossfinish 10:57 PM "We forgot to leave enough time to wrap all of this up plausibly, so Richard...suddenly came back?" highglossfinish 10:57 PM Skippy, no. SSHammertime 10:57 PM skippy NO highglossfinish 10:58 PM Skippy likes to watch. SSHammertime 10:58 PM Papa NO pheonixqueen 10:58 PM what is wrong with the blacksmith leg that its still not healed??? SSHammertime 10:59 PM rotoscope! pheonixqueen 10:59 PM impact have you seen cats dont dance? SSHammertime 10:59 PM YES pheonixqueen 11:00 PM what about balto? SSHammertime 11:01 PM that's the one about the sled dog and the medicine, right? i haven't seen it highglossfinish 11:01 PM I'm not opposed! thenightetc 11:01 PM Okay, the rotoscoping is just a little conspicuous pheonixqueen 11:01 PM it is! your dad might find the medical side interesting SSHammertime 11:01 PM i think it's fun! highglossfinish 11:01 PM It's also topical. pheonixqueen 11:02 PM and its based on a true story! highglossfinish 11:02 PM Balto it is, then? SSHammertime 11:02 PM 3:D thenightetc 11:02 PM ...is this a SAD movie? SSHammertime 11:02 PM !!!! SSHammertime 11:02 PM IS IT??? highglossfinish 11:02 PM No, it all works out. pheonixqueen 11:02 PM whatever you guys like SSHammertime 11:02 PM oh okay pheonixqueen 11:02 PM happy ending! thenightetc 11:03 PM Okay GOOD pheonixqueen 11:03 PM I also recommend secret of kells or song of the sea. small studio that makes pretty movies SSHammertime 11:03 PM oh, right now? pheonixqueen 11:04 PM either pheonixqueen 11:04 PM just general recommendation highglossfinish 11:04 PM Let's only do one more tonight. pheonixqueen 11:04 PM balto is good pheonixqueen 11:05 PM happy endings for all Thebes 11:05 PM no singing, but some very pretty art pheonixqueen 11:05 PM knockout if your interested, the disease is diphtheria highglossfinish 11:06 PM Ahh, wait, Impact has to tap out and I want her to be able to watch this one with us. SSHammertime 11:06 PM humans get a vaccine for that now, right? Thebes 11:06 PM Yup, practically unheard of for kids to catch it now pheonixqueen 11:06 PM yes, it's a three in one with the tdap SSHammertime 11:06 PM that's good! highglossfinish 11:06 PM As they'll be able to get for this one, someday. SSHammertime 11:06 PM G'NIGHT!!!! thenightetc 11:07 PM Next time, then! SSHammertime 11:07 PM 3:D thenightetc 11:07 PM Goodnight! SSHammertime has left the party. pheonixqueen 11:07 PM night impact! sweet dreams malist has joined the party. malist has left the party. highglossfinish 11:07 PM Good night! pheonixqueen has left the party. thenightetc 11:10 PM Nice. highglossfinish 11:12 PM That's about all I've got for tonight. thenightetc 11:12 PM Apropos of nothing, would you be interested in Tropico 4? highglossfinish 11:13 PM What is it? thenightetc 11:13 PM It's one of those sim games where you run a little city. Thebes 11:13 PM BAsically you're the undying dictator of a little human island nation highglossfinish 11:13 PM I like, I like! thenightetc 11:14 PM Okay, hang on a tick :) thenightetc 11:14 PM thenightetc 11:14 PM ^steam key thenightetc 11:14 PM (It was in a bundle I bought, but it's not really a genre I play) highglossfinish 11:15 PM Thank you very much! We'll have to stream it one of these nights. thenightetc 11:15 PM :) thenightetc 11:16 PM From what I've seen it's quite streamable highglossfinish 11:16 PM I'm already seeing its potential. thenightetc 11:17 PM ...Probably a good idea to redeem it before posting the chat. :P highglossfinish 11:17 PM No worries, already redeemed! thenightetc 11:17 PM \o/ thenightetc 11:17 PM Anyway--goodnight! highglossfinish 11:17 PM Good night! Thank you all for coming! thenightetc 11:17 PM And thank YOU for hosting! thenightetc has left the party. Thebes 11:18 PM good night! Thanks! highglossfinish 11:18 PM Thank YOU for handing me power over an entire island's worth of virtual lives!

Hi I hope your well I really enjoy your content it makes my brain go brrrr with thoughts

One that’s currently stuck in my hamster wheel is Starscream knitting like a madman and I hope you wouldn’t mind answering but I was wondering the autobots reaction to receiving the items Starscream knits and them finding out about Starscream side hustle? And how Starscream gives them the stuff like does he chuck it at them during battle or does he sneak it to them at random moments or does he know where their base is at and just walks in like it’s normal and aggressively hands them the knitted goods. What does this birdcat dooo????

I have a lot of questions and scenarios running in my head like Starscream does chuck the knitted stuff at the autobots and everyone on the battlefield take real good care not to damage it because Screamer will throw a fit over it all except Megatron he don’t care

Anyways have a good evening/day or whatever time it is

HA! I love this thought! Starscream just straight up waltzing into base like its no big deal is fantastic! I will gladly do a little writing for this!

Special Delivery

Starscream is the self proclaimed greatest knitter ever, and as such he must have every bot bask in the glory of his works, even the Autobots. However since he can't exactly mail them a package like he does for his human customers, he has come up with interesting round about solutions when it comes to getting the Autobots his knitted Knick knacks.

He has a unique way of delivering his "gifts" to each Autobot, purely because he likes watching them squirm. Starting with Bumblebee, Starscream thinks it is downright hilarious to toss his black and red box with a sweater or some other clothing item covered in curses at the scout. Starscream usually drops the box from the air and he always aims for the helm, simply because watching Bumblebee flail as a box gets dropped on him is funny. Bumblebee does not tend to appreciate these gifts and more often than not flips Starscream the bird as he rubs his helm and gathers up the box. Bumblebee will then take the box back to base and hang up whatever Starscream made in his closet. He isn't fond of wasting things, especially when the things Starscream makes are surprisingly tasteful when they aren't covered in slurs.

Bulkhead get's his "gifts" delivered to him under the guise of other things like bombs. Starscream thinks it is the greatest thing ever to throw down a canister modeled to look like a bomb but really only containing his knitted items. He always has a wicked grin on his face as he watches the large lumbering wrecker scramble to get as far away as possible, usually getting into some rather poor positions before realizing Starscream's trick. If no one else is around except him and Starscream, Bulkhead will hurl the worst curses he can come up with on the spot. Usually it ends up being rather pathetic but Starscream only finds it funny as he flies away, prepared to pull the same prank another day. Bulkhead tends to huff, grab the canister in anger, and crush it, not caring for the knitted item inside.

Arcee gets her "gifts" via the cruelest jump scares ever. Starscream knows of her sour history with Arachnid and has made it his goal in life to be as bothersome as possible when delivering her "gifts". He usually attaches the box to one of those human made spider robots and then drives it toward Arcee, usually scaring her as the sound is similar to what Arachnid makes when she is near. Arcee tends to blast those spiders, and consequently the box, into nothing but slag and smoldering cinders. And so Starscream also tosses her boxes during conflict, which when opened, have small spider figurine pop up like some sick jack in the box. These "gifts" receive similar treatment to the ones attached to the robots and Starscream can't bring himself to mind the loss of the knitted item as he basks in Arcee's terrified expression and occasional cries of horror.

Ratchet gets his "gifts" the most tame way due to how much respect Starscream holds for the medic, although he will never admit it. Ratchet's gifts are always politely shipped to Agent Fowler's home address and the agent then brings them with him when he visits the base. If Starscream wanted to he could have left a tracker in the box, but to him that feels a little too much like foul play for his tastes, and so he never bothers. When Ratchet receives the box he always looks at it in distain but opens it up nonetheless. There is usually either an aggressive note or a holodisk with a recorded message of Starscream taunting him. Ratchet tends to sigh, destroy the message as quickly as possible, and pull out whatever knitted thing Starscream sent him. So far he has received several collars (a jab at his loyalty to Optimus) which he has destroyed, a few aprons with all sorts of nasty curses on them, and a few blankets depicting Starscream's glory (Ratchet has given those to the children to use on movie nights).

Wheeljack gets his "gifts" in the form of a high speed chase through the skies when he is in his ship, or during his rapid escape from Starscream who will tail him from the air if Wheeljack is stuck on the ground. In both situations, Starscream will airdrop his box toward Wheeljack, often beaning him directly on the helm when he is out of his ship, causing some canisters on the outside to explode into a sticky mess to keep him from outright blowing up Starscream's "gift". Wheeljack then tends to return to base in a foul mood with either his ship or himself covered in any number of substances, sometimes even glittery ones. The box has to be cut off his frame or ship and then he is forced to take a solvent bath just to get all the gunk off. By the time he gets around to opening the box he only finds himself more infuriated by Starscream's snarky notes and obnoxiously taunting knitted goods. The one time Wheeljack wore one of Starscream's knitted capes into battle to try and mock the seeker via imitation, he ended up getting the stupid thing caught on a rock nearly sending him hurtling off a cliff. He has since stopped bothering attempting to get back at Starscream, the laughs of the seeker are still too fresh in his mind.

Ultra Magus received nothing from Starscream for months, putting the commander slightly on edge. And when he finally did receive a box, it was quiet, no fanfare whatsoever, and instantly a cause for concern. The box is generally left just... hanging around in the middle of nowhere with a beacon attached meant for Ultra Magnus. When the commander turns up to collect the thing he is always on edge as the box is often left just inside of a confined space or an area perfect for an ambush. He brings a long stick with him whenever he goes to get the boxes, the stories the other members of the team warning him against collecting it directly. He then uses the stick to poke the box, often with no visible reaction, at which point he will collect it with no small amount of paranoia and open it there to check for trackers. When he finds none, he will finally open the box, always finding an angry looking stuffed version of himself about the size of his digit... which have exploded a few times, leaving Ultra Magnus in shock. He then becomes hyper alert for weeks afterward, and when nothing happens and he starts to calm, his box explodes again, renewing his paranoia.

Where Ultra Magnus gets his boxes in the most quiet ways, Smokescreen gets his "gifts", in one of the most loud. Starscream has paid a group of Vehicons in high quality energon and a few favors to chase Smokescreen around while on the battlefield and stalk him on patrols. The Vehicons hardly ever do anything besides being the most irritating things on the planet. They will carry around boomboxes blasting awful earth music and sized up nerf bullets and squirt guns. They then use their varied tools to harass poor Smokescreen, shooting him in the optics with water or nerfing him in the side of the helm to distract him. And once they have bothered him to the point of him pulling out his blasters, they will do a taunting dance and yeet one of Starscream's boxes at him. Smokescreen either blasts it to bits or takes the box and often finds knitted keys to the omega lock or an imitation of some other relic. Starscream's goal was for his imitations to be aggravating for Smokescreen, but the rookie in all his social obliviousness has just considered them neat and keeps them on a shelf in his room.

As for Optimus, it is not the delivery that Starscream puts all his malice into, no, its what he gives the Prime that he focuses on. Whenever there is a lull in battle, Starscream will calmly walk up waving a white flag, hand Optimus a box, and retreat to continue fighting or flee. When Optimus returns to base and opens the box, if is always some hideously ugly clothing item or something obviously meant for more... scandalous displays. And yet Optimus, after calling upon his long cultivated Archivist passive aggressive glory, always manages to make the items look good. A monstrously colored abomination of a scarf far too long to be any good is fashioned into a surprisingly stylish headwrap and combined with a solid colored sash to make a rather elegant, albeit a bit eccentric, adornment. A set of sized up human... dance clothing... is cut up and instead fashioned into something more useful like a satchel. Capes covered in depiction actively mocking Optimus's origins in the wilds are reworked, given a bit of fur lining and a brooch. Optimus will then wear those same capes like some terrifying warlord and own every insult sewn onto them. Starscream finds Optimus's work around's infuriating and has continued to try to make something so hideous or insulting that Optimus can do nothing with it.

So far he has failed.

The Autobots aren't quite sure what to make of Starscream's knitted goods, but most handle them on a case by case basis and write it off as one of Starscream's quirks. The human children on the other hand, find every instance of Starscream's boxes hilarious. Miko has a whole scrapbook devoted to the stuff that Starscream sends and how he sends them.

Oooh, can we get a directory’s commentary on the Blind Starscream AU and the Starscream Knitting AU? I know they are small AUs, but I enjoy rereading them from time to time. Plus they involve my favorite (troubled) Seeker. Also maybe one for Broken Record too because that one was just so gosh darn good! Please and Thank you!

I got you! I love giving my thoughts on the writing! Also I seriously adore the Starscream knitting AU and I have fun with the Blind Starscream AU too. I just ran out of ways to continue them. Any ideas for them would be gladly accepted :3

Blind Starscream

It was born of a request, and honestly I wasn't the most enthused with it because I had no plot to give the AU. It was a concept game rather than a story for me. Not a bad thing from time to time, but I like having a story to follow to write for. However with that said, it is a fun one and I recall having a great time thinking about how frickin funny it must be to watch Optimus yeet water at Screamer because he's scared of the bugger.

Extra tidbit about this AU: Starscream actually thinks its super funny to pretend he can see, but ONLY around ST3V3 the Vehicon. Starscream will act as though he can see perfectly and stare with lightless optics right into the Vehicon's visor. ST3V3 is terrified, but not a spark believes him when he says Starscream can see and absolutely can end their lives. Well, they believe the second part, but most don't question Starscream's blindness.

Starscream Knitting

It has been a VERY long time since I last looked at this AU. I hardly remember where it began, but I know it was made when I still didn't know how to format anything in visually pleasing and rational way. I don't go back and read my old work for a reason. (lll￢ω￢)

That said, I have had one image in my head since I learned about how running a small business works. Starscream, with stupidly colorful packaging, slowly and carefully getting every package done with his giant frickin claws. Oh! And those nails are absolutely manicured so that he can take videos and pretend he's just a really stylish knitter. He will never admit he enjoys his claws being painted a vivid red.

He secretly watches manicure videos online and asks Knockout to do him up every now and then.

Broken Record

Oh boy. The emotions were STRONG with this fic. It was the week before midterms and I was STRESSING. So of course I gave my baby some trauma to make me feel better. I was actually at work most of the time while writing Broken Record. I listened to City of the Dead on repeat the whole bloody time because it set the mood. No escape. No victory. No hope. Only loss.

Tidbit about Smokey in this fic: He did absolutely everything under the sun to make things work, and while not shown super closely in the fic because I enjoy being somewhat sane, he had a DEEP relationship with the team. He came to see Arcee as a sister in a sense. He adored her and looked up to her for many long loops before he had to pull away and then grew to see how badly her grief was hurting her. He wasn't the closest with Bulkhead and Wheeljack, but he shared many long nights alongside them, talking about the slightly happier aspects of war. Bumblebee he saw as a brother and eventually a ward as time dragged on. As he matured, he felt the need to watch over the scout, just as Optimus did. This was never fully expressed in the fic, but if given the chance, Smokescreen would take up a parental mantle if only to honor the fallen. He was especially close with Ratchet, that with the medic being the closest mech he ever had to a father.

Surprising right? You would think he's see Optimus that way. However he can't see Optimus like that. In his optics, Optimus is like a ghost. He learns from the mech, but Optimus is a strange thing for Smokescreen. A living dead mech. As much as Smokescreen bonded to the Prime, it was all a very solemn thing. But him and Ratchet? He loves Ratchet as a son would his father. Ratchet was always there for him, always offering comfort instead of the cold conformation of loss that Optimus gave. I didn't have enough time to write it, but I really wanted a scene where Ratchet tucked Smokescreen in after a long day and even managed to get the truth from him. I wanted to write one loop where Ratchet knew, and all he could do was hold Smokescreen's servo and weep as the loop came to an end.

Another tidbit: I fully intend to write a prequel with Orion and his trial. And let me tell you, what I have envisioned is ROUGH. It will take me a hot minute to write I think, simply because writing Broken Record required me to have a VERY off mental state to make it happen. However when I write it, let me say now that Orion Pax will have no frame of reference and do far worse things than Smokescreen in an attempt to get out. There could have been other ways to get out, but after so long? He just wanted to be free, no matter the harm it caused to Megatron at the Council chambers.