#flier knockout

[lets-try-some-writing]

Had a thought for your seeker knockout AU:

Knockout sees Bee fall into the Cybermatter and get his voice back. Knockout wonders. "What if..." But sits on the question for too long and now he's trying to make own cybermatter to get his wings back.

Alternatively....

There's just enough cybermatter left over from the dump into Cybertron's core for Knockout to take a quick dip... And he becomes a triple changer and has to relearn his t-cog.

YES. This is an excellent idea right here. Time for Knockout to get his wings back.

Previous part here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Knockout once called the skies his home. It was his safe haven, his place of purpose and peace. When his wings were taken from him, he was quite frankly sparkbroken. He adored the skies and the ability to soar through them, but he did not allow that pain to show. He needed to stay alive, and the only way to do that amongst Decepticons was to keep composure at all times. He thought the chance to regain what he had was gone...

But seeing Bumblebee emerge restored from the Cybermatter... Knockout wanted to hope. Before he could be stopped, he scooped up a small portion of the Cybermatter in a vial and tucked it away, allowing the Autobots to do with the restored Omega Lock as they wished. At that point, he didn't care what they decided to do, he had more important possibilities to see to. Now he was no scientist, but he didn't need to be to have an idea of what to do with the Cybermatter.

Quietly, as the Autobots directed the Nemesis toward Cybertron, Knockout retreated to his quarters and readied himself for what would either make or break him. He was no fool, he knew this could go horribly wrong or fantastically right. Thus he kept a commlink ready to be activated and call Ratchet. No matter how much he disliked his fellow medic at times, medics stick together. If things got bad, Knockout wanted to have a fellow doctor on hand. As such as he sat down on a medical berth and loaded the vile into a syringe, he could only take a few deep vents and steady himself.

In one swift motion, he jabbed the needle into the crux of his neck where he knew there was a fuel line that once ran directly to his wings. At first, he felt nothing as the cybermatter entered his body. His constant scans revealed nothing out of the ordinary save for hyperactive repair nanites, and so with a heavy spark after a few groons of waiting with no notable results, Knockout retired to his berth. He shouldn't have expected anything, he had been without wings since the height of the war. It was foolish to hope...

At least that's what he told himself up until he woke in the middle of his recharge cycle in agony.

He couldn't scream, he could hardly even move as he rolled onto his side and shook in silent torment as it felt as though his frame were burning, melting, and being reforged all at the same time. He wasn't sure how long he laid there, but at some point someone must have gotten concerned as eventually Ratchet busted down his door and had him moved to the medical bay. Knockout was largely unconscious for the latter half of whatever it was that was happening to him. However when he woke again, his frame felt... different. Flight protocols that hadn't been used in vorns were awakening.

He didn't cry, he didn't even twitch when he sat up, stared straight at the nearest wall, and felt what he knew to be wings. It took Ratchet nearly beating him upset the helm with a wrench for being so careless for him to really comprehend what happened. He could only sit there, flexing his restored appendages with a growing smile and wide optics. It felt like a dream, especially when he looked into the mirror and saw that the Cybermatter had not just restored his wings, but also his frame. He was restored entirely. He wasn't half bad as a grounder, he took care to ensure that. Even still, having his true flight capable frame back was simply put, a miracle.

Ratchet: YOU FOOL! Do you have ANY idea how dangerous using Cybermatter like that was!?

Knockout: I am well aware Doc.

Ratchet: You certainly don't sound like it!

Knockout: ...

Ratchet: ...

Knockout: ...

Ratchet, sighing deeply: Look, it was dangerous, but... I am glad to see you got your wings back. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to manage living as a grounder.

Knockout was largely confined to the medical bay as his wings continued to develop. The bare essentials were there, but the plating and protoform was still taking time to develop. Against the expectations of the entire team once they learned of Knockout's actions, he stayed put. In fact he took his recovery and restoration far more seriously than even his duties as a Doctor. Every waking moment he spent dutifully tending to his precious wings and practicing flexing the cabling and activating the still sputtering thrusters that were making themselves known on his back.

By the time the team arrived on Cybertron, Knockout was more than ready. Fear lingered at the back of his processors, causing him to hesitate as he stood on the deck of the Nemesis, a few flight capable vehicons by his side to catch him if things went south. Optimus himself was also present, keeping a vague optic on the scenario as he worked on something or other. As such with a fearful vent and a prayer to Breakdown to watch over him, Knockout threw himself over the edge, begging his instinctual coding to take control.

He fell like a bag of bolts for a few dozen feet, and then just as he was starting to fear for his life, age old codes activated. However instead of wheels spinning and dirt beneath his frame, he felt the current rushing past his wings as his vision warped and he graced the skies for the first time in millennia. Never before had Knockout laughed so joyfully, nor had he ever stayed in the skies for as long as he did that cycle. He only returned to the Nemesis when his wings burned from the exertion and his spark fluttered with too much emotion to be contained.

The team congratulated him on his restoration, but to Knockout it meant very little as he returned to his quarters, and collected a small picture from his berthside table.

"I did it Breakdown. I promised you I would fly again."

[transingthoseformers]

Megatron, taking off his visor and cleaning it: The autobot flier mentioned—

Knockout, ever so observant: "Didn't I weld that on, Lord Megatron?"

Megs, suddenly Remembering™️: ...

Optimus, who Knows because he was there.jpeg: you do not want to know

[lillified]

regarding your piece “outlaws” is it intended to be like an apartment or a spaceship? until corrected, and probably still after, i’m choosing to believe that swindle is doing the equivalent of living in his van

that being said, where *do* the other (they don’t let him inside 💔) decepticons live? I don’t think it’s been shown thus far

hey, that’s a great question!

the “outlaws” piece you see is from an earlier point in the war, and the location is Swindle’s passenger ship, The Knave. It isn’t meant to be a living space, but he’s converted it and uses it a bit like an RV/motor home. Since he spent most of his time (and kept a lot of his stuff) in there, it was one of his prized possessions. In the Outlaws pic he has it parked in a mostly Autobot occupied part of downtown Protihex, where he operates it like a caravan to sell weapons and things to patrolling soldiers.

This actually brings up a great opportunity to talk a bit more about locations, specifically airships and spaceships (I promise it’s relevant to the main Cons);

So, there are many different types of aircraft (beyond the Bots who can physically fly, obviously). On the smallest side you get tactical drones and fighter craft, which are either remotely manned or manned by one Bot, who physically controls the ship by hooking up to a sensory chamber-style pod. These are much less ideal than having a flightforme, but were developed out of necessity, given the central Cybertronian government and fliers have tended to be on opposite sides at different points of history (this trend remains true for the Autobots, who are at a severe deficiency).

Next up are scout ships, which fit a small squadron of Cybertronians (think the size of the X wing in starwars).

After that you get into passenger ship territory, where aircraft have multiple rooms. Swindle’s ship fits this category. They aren’t intended as mobile residences and moreso exist to carry large quantities of ‘Bots over a longer distance, like a train or a cruise ship with basic amenities, but as the war progressed it was hard not to find different uses for them.

Passenger ships can be very specialized, and the only major difference between the larger varieties and true warships is that passenger ships aren’t outfitted with guns or any other involved defenses. Ferry ships are extremely massive passenger ships designed in Nova’s expansion era with the intent of carrying nearly a city’s worth of people across space, to populate new colonies. As suggested, most of these ships were built well before the war, so their defense capabilities weren’t geared for conflict.

The last category, as suggested, are warships. Most warships were manufactured during the war, but there are some that were recovered from pre-Quintesson era. These can range in size from the capacity of a small hotel to an entire military base, or even a city. Their scope is only limited by the ability to fuel them, and many warships were designed to act as mobile camps in the event of crisis and exodus.

As of the current day, the Decepticons have essentially been exiled. The last major conflict on Cybertron put the Autobots in control of most major territories and left both sides materially decimated. Until they can regroup and establish resource control again, the only real strategy the Decepticons have is to lay low and survive.

This leaves Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Lockdown, Ravage, and Knockout on the Determination, which is a small scale warship. Like many slapdash offensive craft, it is flimsy and unreliable, but currently their only real option.

You haven’t seen most of it, but I can give you some sneak peeks:

you’ll see what these are for very soon…

As of right now, that’s all I have for you on spacecraft! I hope that answered your question :) thanks!

[timetravelersdoctor]

TFP decepticons (Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Knockout, breakdown, shockwave and arachnid) reaction into meeting tfa autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Prowl, Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, Jazz and the twins?)

Hi Thank you for the Ask! Sorry it took me a few days to get to this one. So for this one I won't be doing Arachnid mostly due to the fact that I don't think I'd be good at writing her character. I hope that's okay.

TFP Megatron: Megatron goes into immediate shock upon seeing Tfa Optimus he acts to much like Tfp Orion. he thinks Tfa Bumblebee is annoying but he offers great entertainment by making Knockouts' life hell. Megs won't go near Tfa Ratchet at all, it's not because he's scared, it's really not. (yes it is Megs knows that Tfa ratchet will do things Tfp Ratchet is too moral to do.) He is impressed that Tfa Bulkhead is a space bridge scientist considering his Tfp counterpart is not. He literary doesn't know Tfa Prowl or Tfa Jazz exists, not because he doesn't care to acknowledge them Prowl and Jazz are just that good at doing what they do. Megs beat the scrap out of Tfa Ultra Magnus and he still doesn't know Magnus's name. Tfa Sentinel reminds him of the Tfp Council, he's planning to ensure Sentinel is afraid of him. He's heard rumors about the twins he would very much like to know them. (totally not for nefarious purposes. <- sarcasm)

TFP Starscream: Starscream is dying to get his hands on the twins if only to teach them how to fly.( He thinks the twins were Botnapped by the Tfa Autobots so they were raised by grounders which is very insulting in his eyes) Tfa Optimus freaks him out he can tell this little mech is feral and no one will believe him. There is no Tfa Ratchet. (yes there is Starscream can deny his existence all he wants, denial won't change a thing) Starscream doesn't really pay attention to Bulkhead but is immensely entertained by Tfa Bumblebee's actions against Tfp Knockout. Tfa Prowl Drives him crazy with the holograms. He hasn't met the others so he has no opinion other then they are enemies.

TFP Soundwave: Soundwave wants to Botnap Tfa Optimus because he wants Megatron to shut up about 'convincing the young prime that he is on the wrong side.' He lets Bumblebee continue his shenanigans' when it comes to Knockout because Knockout dug his grave flirting with Tfa Prime. Tfa Ratchet is considered the sanest one in the Tfa group in Soundwaves optics. Bulkhead is very useful, if only Soundwave could get him to join the Decepticon side. He wants Prowls accessories but greatly enjoys watching Starscream go crazy. He is currently Blackmailing Sentinel and Ultra Magnus to ensure they cause no problems. the twins interest him, he want's to know how they handle the changes from grounder to flier. He tries to keep an optic on Jazz but is unsuccessful.

TFP Knockout: Knockout finds that Tfa Optimus is easily flustered and likes to flirt with him. He straight up hates Bumblebee the little slag can burn in the pits for all he cares. He wants to compare medical knowledge with Tfa Ratchet to see the differences. (yeah totally not so he can torment Bumblebee not at all. <- also sarcasm) Tfa Bulkhead is kinda cute in a puppy kind of way he acknowledges that Bulkhead is trying to curb Bumblebee a little and Knockout appreciates it. He's been trying to convince Breakdown to offline Tfa Prowl because he keeps damaging his finish and he hates that. He Becomes very weary of Tfa Jazz after learning that he too is a cyber-ninja. he doesn't think much of the other Tfa Autobots.

TFP Breakdown: Breakdown Wants to fight Prowl so badly more so then he wants to punch Bumblebee. (He understands Bumblebees need to 'run off' Knockout due to his flirting with Tfa Optimus. he doesn't like it but he understands it) Personally he wouldn't mind if Tfa Optimus was interested in Knockout, he'd agree that Knockout is very good looking. Tfa Ratchet is an interesting character and he would like to get to know him better. (if only to learn first aid to surprise Knockout) Tfa Bulkhead reminds him of a younger Tfp Bulkhead and he doesn't know what to do with that information. He doesn't know much about the others though so he couldn't tell you his opinion on them

TFP Shockwave: first and foremost Shockwave would like to experiment on all of them to see what makes them tick. But he knows He can't touch Tfa Optimus because Megatron all ready claimed dibs on him. Tfa Bumblebee would be to annoying and while he could 'fix' that he doesn't have the energy to do so. Tfa Bulkhead's knowledge is too important to mess with and Tfa Ratchet would be extremely hard to subdue because of his electromagnets. Soundwave is currently blackmailing both Ultra Magnus and Sentinel Prime so that's a no go unless he wants to anger Soundwave. Starscream would kill him if he messed with the Twins and Tfa Prowl as well as Tfa Jazz are to skilled to catch. If he could be unhappy he would be.

[mostly-him]

I love your stuff! The TFP meets G1 is great.

Just out of curiosity, as a fellow Screamer fan…what do you think would make Starscream cry? Any version is fine.

(My personal input: I think G1 cries about Skyfire when no one is looking. I also think he cries alone in his room when Megatron really knocks him around and hurts him badly. He tries to hide the pain from the abuse because he can’t escape and he has to put on a good face as second in command, but deep inside it’s so painful and he can only tolerate so much.

I haven’t watched Prime yet but I think TFP Screamer also cries about the abuse. He cries in bed at night, tears running down his long face, because he doesn’t know when the day will come when Megatron kills him. Also he cried when Breakdown died because he’d gotten close to Knockout and knew how bad KO must have felt-ooops that’s my Knockscream coming out lol)

Be prepare for a long answer (and maybe bad english 🤗)

Well, I think that in the case of G1 universe, Starscream is in a very fair situation. Despite Megatron being the strongest (physically speaking) of the two of them, it is usually Starscream who tends to start the conflict between the two. He is the one who is always plotting against Megatron and who tries to kill him at least once a week (sometimes it just seems like a necessity so as not to lose the habit) even when they seem to be having a good understandment. Starscream is always searching new ways to bully him, and when he finds them, obviously Megatron reacts (you can expect otherwise). But even then, scared and beggin for his life, Starscream still pushes his luck until he has to fly away from the nemesis to avoid being punished or "killed" 😆

So no, I personally don't see G1 Starscream as a victim (maybe a self-victim 🤷🏽‍♀️) but as a piece of a very complex and toxic relationship he obviously likes to feed and maintain (as much as Megatron likes it too), considering all the chances to kill Megatron he purposely missed over the millenia. To me, he is as insane as Megatron is, and they deserve each other as they are their own punishment.

Starscream is cynical and conniving, and a very intelligent character who can manipulate even the toughest of his enemies, besides being the best flier of Cybertron. But he is also very impulsive and emotional at times, and his excessive ambition and selfishness tend to blind him. That is why the decepticons haven't won the war 😆

.

Tf prime is a totally different story 😕 I think the writers took it out of Starscream without a valid argument behind Megatron being so wild with him.

Megatron brutalizes him, most of the time for no valid reasons, and that makes him a sadist who prefers to break his own soldiers than to focus his ire on his true enemies. You can't expect that a character who is always being hurt, insulted and beaten, remain sassy, proud of himself and cynical like G1 Starski does. I cring everytime I see tfp Starscream cower to not only before Megatron, but before every character that approaches him with brusque body language. He is always afraid. He is paranoid. He is terrified of everything! 😐 So I sincerely don't like his portray in the show very much despite I LOVE tfp.

I think tf prime Starscream would be the one who could cry in the solitude of his room 😬

... and G1 would totally bully him for that 😆

.

(Ohhhh, my fav tfp characters are Breakdown and Predaking. I love them so soooo much 😁)

Also, thank you so much!! 😊

[this-is-my-world-beware]

What if TFP Starscream faked his death during the War, to join the Autobots as a ‘different’ person, but Soundwave had found out the truth... How would the Decepticons (Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave, Knockout, Breakdown, Dreadwing, Airachnid, Fliers + Vehicons) all react to learning Starscream faked his death to become an Autobot?... Who would be angry and who would be amused? ✨⭐✨ 

Sound is a snitch so everyone would know about it as soon as he did. Megs would actually be impressed, then angry. Shocky though would have his own agenda hehe. Sound would be focused on getting Star back. Knockout and Breakdown would be worried about what would happen to Star. Airachnid would be as impressed as Megs. Flyers and Vehicons would be overjoyed. Poor Dreadwing from the Allspark (or maybe not) would be still very angry.

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

TFP implied the vehicons are clones, but there are two types that are otherwise identical.

Since Starscream's first conversation with Knockout implied the Decepticons can turn grounders into fliers, and the jets have an extreme resemblance to the cars, i think the original vehicon was the car variety and they all come out of the vat as cars, and most of them are modified into jets.

Hey, I can get behind this idea!

[theforestghost]

The Consort and The Warlord Ch9

Summary: Megatron uses the All Spark to gain access to Cybertron and demands a peace treaty. An Autobot Consort is offered and Optimus is chosen. A Bonding Ceremony takes place and now Optimus has three vorn to figure out exactly what Megatron wants to do with Cybertron.

Pairing: Optimus Prime x Megatron

Continuity: Animated

Status: Ongoing

Two vorn has gone by far faster than Optimus had ever anticipated. He'd spent most of his time focusing on the Tour Guide project that Megatron had assigned him and it had completely overwhelmed him at first. After doing research on guided tours held at other cities, Optimus found out that just having someone show civilians around would not be enough. He needed fliers, brochures, rules and legal agreements, a business license, documents for hiring guides, a clear path for the guides to take, written permission from each location, what to do in case of an emergency, training the guides on any questions mecha might have. His processor was about to explode with every little detail he needed to keep in mind of. 

More than once Megatron had had to drag Optimus to the berth for recharge during the planning. Optimus of course protested but Megatron usually won when he picked Optimus up and very easily carried him to the berth. Optimus would have been embarrassed at the mech-handling but was usually too tired at that point to properly argue. He'd usually he out the moment his helm hit the berth and he'd wake up cuddled up against Megatron. Something Optimus was minding less and less with each cycle. The warlord actually faced him as they recharged and it wouldn't be uncommon for Optimus to wake, curled up into Megatron's chassis and the warlord's large arm draped across him gently. In all honesty, Optimis found it very nice to sleep next to another mech, it was warm.

While Optimus' project had many bumps along the way, the rest of Kaon was basically ready for new mecha to move in. The hospital had been built and even Ratchet had given his all clear on it. He was intending to give the new medics there some crash courses due to their Decepticon origins but Ratchet had been adamant about remaining in the tower as a medic there. He said he'd only move to the hospital if it turned out they really needed him. Not even a decavorn after the hospital opened, Ratchet was proven to be needed and ended up relocating. The old medic was cussing the entire time but Optimus swore he saw Ratchet smile at one point; he hadn't had his own clinic since the war after all. 

Ratchet was going to move into one of many housing units in Kaon. Strika had built many of them, some for warframes and some for civilians to make it easier for all of them. She'd managed to get three separate units up in time for the opening of Kaon, much to everyone's delight. Ratchet had gotten a warframe housing unit near the hospital and Optimus had been curious about it when he visited. That was until the Decepticon named Deadlock came out of a room asking Ratchet where he wanted the berth. Ratchet gave a look that said Deadlock was none of his business and Optimus agreed with him.  

Ratchet wasn't the only one who'd begun to settle down completely, Bumblebee had taken up racing along the empty streets of Kaon with Knockout and it turned out that the two racers had a group of sorts that bet on them and cheered them on. Optimus had managed to catch one of their races and realized that when Bumblebee had been playing around in the halls before, he'd truly been playing. The speeds the yellow bot and Knockout were reaching as they sped across open road was far faster than anything Optimus had seen. It was loud, it was fast and each drift and turn made it seem like they would crash, only to keep perfect control. Optimus had felt himself getting worked up with the crowd as he realized that this was what racers were meant to do. 

The only bot that Optimus hadn't been able to get in touch with during the last two vorn had been Bulkhead. The mech had been locked up in the Science Department, working on the ground bridge project and nothing else. Bulkhead did try to send them a message every couple of cycles, saying he was okay and apologizing for being absent. It was a bit quieter without the large green mech around but Optimus was happy that the mech was keeping busy. 

Now Kaon was ready for visitors, the Tour Guide project was done and it was time to head to Iacon for a quarterly meeting that Optimus had completely forgotten about. Cycles before they left, both Optimus and Megatron had been working to make sure there wouldn't be any problems while both of then were gone for a few cycles. Especially since the day after they came back was Opening Day. That alone made Optimus' tanks clench, remembering that he had to make a report to Ultra Magnus made them knot.

Sitting in the same space shuttle that they took to the Temple of Primus, Optimus frantically went over the datapad with his entire report on it. He needed to make sure that there no spelling mistakes and that the grammar was good. Megatron chuckled at the flustered prime and Optimus glared at him.

"It's not funny!" Optimus said defensively. "Ultra Magnus is strict when it comes to proper etiquette in reports."

"I am aware of his strictness but I am amused by the expression you are making." Megatron said. Optimus frowned, his derma forming an adorable pout that made Megatron grin. 

"Good to know my Bonded enjoys my misery." Optimus huffed. Megatron chuckled again and swiped the datapad from the Prime's servos. "Hey! Give it back!"

Optimus reached for the datapad, but while seated, he had no chance of reaching it where Megatron held it high above their helms. Optimus huffed, stood up and moved between Megatron's thighs and reached up, only to be several helms short. He was trying not to touch Megatron out of politeness, but when the warlord gave him a mean smirk, Optimus had enough. 

"I will climb you." Optimus said, optic ridges furrowed.

"I'd like to see you try." Megatron goaded.

Optimus gave Megatron a look before bracing his pede on the little bit of the chair seat visible and using that to push himself up. Now standing haphazardly, Optimus grabbed Megatron's outstretched arm with one servo while his other brushed against the bottom of the datapad. Lifting himself up just a bit, Optimus nearly got his digits on it when the shuttle suddenly lurched and he lost his balance. His pede were lost as he felt himself fall and embraced in something solid that barely budged as the shuttle shook and settled in a familiar landing motion.

Opening his optics, Optimus found himself on Megatron's lap, the Warlord securing him against his chassis with both arms. Noticing that the datapad was right beside him, Optimus plucked it from the unsuspecting warframe and stored it into his subspace. Megatron just seemed amused by the act and helped Optimus back onto his pede. Once he was sure that the smaller bot was not going to go toppling again, Megatron stood as well. 

"It seems we have arrived at Iacon." Megatron stated, going to the front or the shuttle to speak with their pilot.

Optimus peeked outside the windows and found that they had been docked at the private docks of Fortress Maximus. A number of Autobots stood in rank right outside the building door and the familiar figure of Ultra Magnus standing center caught Optimus' attention. Hopefully it meant good things when the Autobot Leader came out to greet them personally. 

Megatron came up behind Optimus and opened the hatch release. Jumping out due to the lack of steps, Megatron ignored the shuffling of pede across the docking platforn. He turned to offer his servo toOptimus, knowing that his little consort could easily jump down but deciding that he would show how much of a gentlemech he could be. Optimus didn't even hesitate to take his servo, putting his weight on it as he hopped down much more gracefully than Megatron had. Optimus let go of his servo once on the ground but Megatron decided to move that servo to his back struts as he led Optimus to the Autobots.

Ultra Magnus took two steps forward when Megatron stopped a respectful distance away. The warlord did not fail to notice the way the Magnus' optics traced of Optimus' frame, as if he was trying to find a single dent or scratch that could incriminate Megatron. Optimus didn't seem to notice this as he gave Ultra Magnus a proper salute and stood a bit straighter, while still beside Megatron.

"It is good to see you have arrived safely." Ultra Magnus stated, his optics on Optimus who gave him a polite nod.

"I am surprised that you came to greet us yourself, Ultra Magnus." Megatron stated. It made the Autobot Leader turn to him.

"It was deemed necessary." Ultra Magnus stated. He stood a bit taller, his armor bristled as he narrowed his optics at rhe warlord before turning on his pede. "The meeting will be held immediately."

The meeting took up most of the morning and went much quieter than Optimus had expected. Council members muttered amongst themselves as they went over the documents and reports that both Megatron and Optimus had provided. They even asked questions about the availability of the ground bridge project and the fuel formula that Blackarachnia had created. When Megatron offered a fair trade for the latter and an open use policy on the ground bridge once stabilized, many were near giddy. Some voiced the same concerns as Starscream with the ground bridges being used to invade but Megatron assured them that they had no intention of starting another war. Some lower council members even mentioned how Autobot civilians were eager to view the Decepticon city in a few cycles time. 

Once everything was looked over, the Council decided to finish for the cycle, electing to finish in the next cycle. Many agreed, and Optimus noticed Megatron hold back his frustration since the cons typically held their meetings in one setting. They left quietly however, exiting the massive meeting room from a public door. Ultra Magnus had met them at the door, his attention on Optimus. 

"I need to speak with Optimus, in private." Ultra Magnus stated. 

"Do you intend to take away private time with my consort?" Megatron asked, his voice a gentle tease.

"He is my Prime before he is your consort." Ultra Magnus snapped, catching both of them off guard. "Follow me, Optimus."

Optimus gave Megarron an apologetic look and a small wave before following behind Ultra Magnus. The large Magnus walked at a steady and practiced pace, a great deal of grace and dignity in each step he took. Optimus followed with a respectful distance behind him, arms at his side, chassis out and helm up to the watch back strut of his leader. The position was a habit, practiced for stellar cycles, but now it felt a bit uncomfortable. How long had he gone without having to use this proper posture? 

Optimus was led to Ultra Magnus' office and was gestured inside. He had been here a servoful of times before and like always, it was minimally filled, a large and neat desk, shelves for datapads, a side desk for Ultra Magnus' secretary and a seating area to the side with two large chairs and a small table. With the door locking behind him, Optimus was led to the seating area and sat down.

"You are able to speak freely now." Ultra Magnus said as he took a seat. The Magnus Hammer was set aside and he sat up straight to look Optimus in the optic. The mech looked confused.

"Excuse me, sir?" Optimus asked, digits tangled together on his knee.

"That dastard cannot hear you here." Ultra Magnus continued. "Please, Optimus, what has he done to you?"

"Nothing!" Optimus sputtered out. "I mean he hasn't done nothing, he's obviously done stuff. He's not neglected but the stuff he's done isn't bad either!"

"Optimus, you need to speak clearly." Ultra Magnus said patiently. 

Optimus let his voice reset and after a few nano-kliks he spoke again. "Megatron has been completely respectful to me these last three vorns." He said with a smile. "I haven't been treated rudely, even the other Decepticons treat me with a level of respect. It's not just me either, my team are integrating really well with them! I think that Megatron truly wants this peace."

Optimus had expected Ultra Magnus to look relieved, but he almost seemed appalled. The old mech had a stern look of disdain that Optimus had never seen before.

"That is not what I wanted to hear." Ultra Magnus stated, looking away as he clenched his servos. 

"Sir, what do you mean?" Optimus asked, leaning a bit closer to his leader. "Isn't this a good thing?"

"Of course it isn't!" Ultra Magnus snapped, shocking Optimus who sat back. "Do you really think the Council will be happy to know that the Decepticons are settling in just fine?"

"B-but at the meeting… they seemed pleased!" Optimus stuttered. 

"They may be pleased but they are still fearful of the Decepticons and preparing for whatever attack they have planned." Ultra Magnus replied.

"But they aren't planning any attack!" Optimus protested, standing up. "All of their focus these last three vorns has been on rebuilding their cities and making them habitable and safe!"

"Yes and I'm sure these tours they've been advertising are perfectly safe!" Ultra Magnus retorted.

"I'm… the one who came up with those…" Optimus said. His shoulders slumped. Had all his hard work gone to waste?

Ultra Magnus looked up at Optimus with optics he couldn't read. Reaching out, the Magnus gripped his prime by both shoulders and met his optics. "Listen to me Optimus, I'm certain that Megatron has coerced you into siding with him somehow but you need to focus. Remember who you are loyal to." He said.

"I'm not coerced! Megatron hasn't harmed me!" Optimus said, his voice less strong than it was before. 

"Then what is this scar?" Ultra Mahnus asked, gently tracing the location on his shoulder pauldron where Megatron had accidentally gone too hard. Though it was healed up, he had never made it to Knockout for a new paint job so the welding was visible.

"It was an accident." Optimus stressed.

"I promised you, that I would help you out of this situation." Ultra Magnus said.

"But I don't need help!" Optimus insisted. "I'm happy with Megatron!"

"That's unacceptable!" Ultra Magnus stood up, his grip getting stronger as he pulled Optimus closer to glare at him. "You are an Autobot! And one of my primes! Your loyalty is to me! I will not accept you running off with our planet's sworn enemy!"

Optimus was shook, staring with wide optics at Ultra Magnus and not realizing that his arms were being dented. Optimus tried to speak, but his voice sputtered out static. 

"Megatron has been abusing you." Ultra Magnus spoke suddenly. He let go of Optimus and turned to face the large window in the office. "You are too terrified to speak in public or to see him anymore and so you are currently under the care of a medic to access your well being. This will be enough to undo your bonding to him. Afterwards you will remain by my side. I need a new secretary and I believe your skills will be beneficial to this position."

Optimus stared at the chair the Magnus had been occupying. He heard everything that was said to him, but he couldn't process it. Why was Ultra Magnus so unaccepting of the Decepticons?

"Why?" Optimus finally managed to speak. Ultra Magnus turned to him and gestured for him to continue. "Why can't you accept that Megatron wants peace?"

"It is not Megatron’s desire for peace that I cannot accept." Ultra Magnus said. He moved back in front of Optimus and used his digits go lift the smaller mechs chin up so they can once again be optic to optic. "It's the fact that he is Bonded to you that I cannot accept."

"W-what!?" Optimus asked in a fluster. 

"I have had my optic on you since I first learned your designation." Ultra Magnus said. "You were the top of your class with scores that rivaled my own. When you managed to become a Prime before you even graduated, I decided then and there thay you would be my consort.

"However, you made a mistake by going Off World and took all the blame for it. I had intended to clear you of all guilt but before I could even speak, you dug your own grave. The leader of a spacebridge repair team was the only thing I could give you and I thought I'd lost all chances of you being able to be mine." Ultra Magnus explained. "Until the Council decided to bond you to Megatron for peace. Then I realized that I could restore your honor as my Prime and have you by my side again. Surely Megatron would treat an Autobot consort poorly which would cause an annulment of the bond. You would become the martyr who survived living with the Decepticons and after a few stellar cycles I could officially take you as my consort with no objections."

Optimus couldn't speak, honestly he didn't know what to say. But he knew what he felt: disbelief, disgust, rage.

"Y-you expected me to just be okay with bonding to you?" Optimus asked. He clenched his servos as his frame shook.

"What reason would you have to reject the offer?" Ultra Magnus said, optics narrowing. 

"My own feelings on the matter, the fact you only wanted me because I'd been successful!" Optimus protested. "Would you even care if I was happy?"

"Of course."

"No, no you wouldn't!" Optimus shouted. "You wanted a trophybot to look good with! That's it!"

"Optimus…" Ultra Magnus was getting impatient. He hadn't expected Optimus to be so hysterical. 

"No!' Optimus interupted. "I'd rather be Bonded to Megatron for the rest of my creation than you!"

The sound resonated to the room, echoing and deafening the sound of Optimis falling, of the chairs being pushed across hard floors, of Ultra Magnus' vents rushing out air. The Magnus had his fist up, level to where Optimus had once been. Optimus was now on the floor, one arm propping him up as his other servo gently touched his cheekplate. The soft surface was hot and swollen and painful to the touch. 

He'd been hit…

Ultra Magnus had hit him…

He'd been punched by his leader…

Optimus looked up at Ultra Magnus and he wondered if the larger mech saw his own anger in his wide optics because he looked away rather quickly. 

"Get out."

Optimus stood quickly, holding his injured cheekplate and exiting Ultra Magnus' office in a haste. He didn't know where he was expected to go, but his pedes moved faster than his processor could think. He took familiar hallways, ignoring looks, ignoring whispers and his own designation being called. He didn't run, he didn't have the energy for it but he walked as fast as he could. Optimus took the path to the only place he might be. 

Megatron had been looking through datapads as he leaned against his shuttle. They'd offered him and Optimus a habsuite for the night but he hadn't been allowed to wait for his consort in the halls so he chose to wait at the docks instead. It was much nicer being outside anyway. 

He could hear the familiar step of Optimus after the door slid open. They were rushed, but Megatron didn't need to look up to know that it was his consort. What he hadn't expected was for Optimus to run straight into him and mutter something Megatron couldn't understand. 

"You must speak clearly, little one." Megatron stated. He froze when Optimus looked up, optics dull and cheekplate swollen. It was cracked slightly, energon shining just under the wound but not spilling out. It was clear that someone had punched Oprimus, and that thought filled Megatron’s chassis with rage. Very carefully, he traced his clawed digits along the edges of the injury, being as gentle as physically possible.

"Who did this to you?"

It was a question and a demand and Optimus knew he should tell but he shook his helm instead. He wanted to forget what happened. He wanted to leave and forget the entire conversation he'd had with his leader.

"It was Ultra Magnus." Megatron said harshly, a growl escaping his vocalizer. "I'll tear his arms off!"

Optimus put his hands out, pushing against Megatrons chassis in an attempt to hold him back. It was enough to cause the warframe to pause.

"Please." Optimus pleaded. "Don't do anything… I-I just want to go home.. back to Kaon…"

Megatron grit his denta but seeing Optimus in this state caused his spark to ache. With a dissatisfied growl, he let his shoulders drop. Optimus let out an ex-vent before Megatron picked him up and held him with one arm. 

"Alright, but know this little one, his actions will not be forgotten." Megatron swore, staring Optimus in the optic. Optimus nodded and settled against Megatron, helm resting against his shoulder. 

Optimus wanted to recharge and never wake up.

[crystalelemental]

Alright, Unicorn Overlord apparently has my full attention.  I picked it up kinda on a whim, because it sounded neat and I wanted something new, and just like the last two times this happened, it was a knockout success.  So I'm definitely getting it, but from the demo at least, some preliminary thoughts.

I'll start with the easiest point to talk about: characters and story are absolutely nothing special.  It is...very bare bones basic storytelling at this point.  In truth, I don't mind it.  I think it's serviceable, and at the very least it's not detracting from the game.  I think that's something people miss a lot.  Clamoring for a good story makes sense, but I think in attempting it, sometimes people without really creative ideas just make something that's overly focused on cutscene and shitty, to the detriment of otherwise fun gameplay.  I think Unicorn Overlord is doing fine right now.  It can get more complex later if it wants, but I don't think it has to.

I will spare a brief thought for the whole discourse that seems to be going on about localization.  It reminds me of the Three Houses situation, where the fan translations all clearly have their own angle and no one agrees on anything.  The dialogue is serviceable.  Nothing that I've heard from the game has felt stilted or force, it feels natural and organic for the vibe they're going for, it at times maybe a little flowery.  But I do honestly feel like this is a non-issue.

That out of the way, meat of the game: the actual gameplay.  This game is fun.  Ridiculously so.  You have your units, you have your parties.  You start with three teams of two, and using Honors gained over time, you can expand to have up to ten teams of six.  The farthest I got was five teams of three.  I think I reached a point in the demo where I needed a sixth, given how many party members dropped, but also just gained the ability to add a fourth unit to a group, so...gonna play with that one a bit when I can.

I really like how the game plays.  It's mostly automatic, with the bulk of your preparations being done by setting equipment, setting a leader with a desired skill, and setting up...I forget what they call them, but they're Final Fantasy XII gambits.  You set actions, alternate their order, and set conditions under which they are used, with up to two conditions being applied, checking (I assume) first condition, then for second.  This was super important for my healer, whose initial tactics are set to "Heal if ally under 100%," and thus always heals the frontliner with her 1PP, resulting in someone in my back line getting very preventably dead.  I'm still fiddling with understanding the first and second condition thing, but it's a nice setup.  I didn't really get much time to play with it.

"What do you mean you didn't get to play with it?"  They don't tell you about these tactics until basically the end of the demo.  The last major map of this phase of the game is when they tell you about this.  You get the healer in the opening like half hour, and the archer is the first you recruit.  These tactics are life-changing, like you really want to have access to these.  It's kinda wild that they wait so long.  I did find out before then, but not enough to fully figure out first and second conditions and re-organization of skills.  There's a lot I'll need to play with.

The matchup system is interesting.  Armor is specifically bad against magic, horses are good against infantry but fliers are good against cavs.  Bows are good against fliers, and Soldiers can have attacks good against cavs.  You also have situations where archers are specifically excellent against Thieves, because they cannot miss.  It's a fairly organic system, with a couple of specific considerations, but nothing that's overbearing, and no one class has felt too overpowered.  General combat against the random parties is fairly quick and easy.  A lot of the time, with a decent matchup, I could clear the fight in one round of combat.  Bosses, however, could be a lot trickier, depending on the boss.  Some still went down easy, some were...considerably more annoying about it.

On that note: one frustrating thing is that half the time, when I encounter a fight that's taking like no damage, I can't figure out why.  The final boss of the demo is a good example.  I did figure him out eventually, he blocks two attacks and retaliates with lowering attack and Poisoning you, and with a 2AP move that drops everyone to 1HP.  It is, in fact, kinda bullshit, and outright requires more than one party to handle as far as I can tell.  But there are other situations where things don't make sense to me.  Like the boss just before that.  The first fight, my party took like 14 damage, and took out 89 HP of their roster, including a full opponent.  The second fight, they killed my Brigand before going down by swinging for, apparently, 59 damage.  I do not understand how they did this.  Like yes, I see the skills pop up, but I do not comprehend what they mean half the time.  Reading over the enemy's stuff is extremely time-consuming, if you want a full understanding of how this all works.  Fortunately, it only ever seems to matter for is bosses.  The most confounding situation of this was once I had a good amount of damage, then applied the 3VP Lord skill to give everyone First Strike, and somehow my damage went way down and we were eating more damage.  I don't remember the conditions, but that is baffling.  My best guess is I landed Poison or Burn, and that enemy's priority would've taken them out before some of my attacks, which would've done more to back row?  Literally no idea.

There are a couple of tactics I'd really like to improve on.  One is leaders.  I feel like I could be doing a lot better about Leadership duties.  Usually I go with the cavs and fliers because mobility, but I do recognize that something like the armored knight would've been good against the Rock Rat map with all the archer spam.  Or using archers, mages, or healers for tower support.  I really need to work on that.  The last map was so clearly setting up "use this tower for support," and my party might have had a better time of that one with some support.  Valor is another.  I keep forgetting they have like...overworld effects.  Same map, Rock Rats, completely forgot about the ability to blow away barricades with 1VP move.  Would've saved me a lot of time, since I backpedaled into mining Divine Shards for Ochlys as my solution.  Barricades cannot stop flight.  The last is messing with team composition.  I feel like I clung really strongly to only one or two comps, and they are going to fail me over time.  I'm really reliant on Travis Dodge to manage one team, and it goes about as well as you could expect.  And eventually, Josef is going to fall off as a tank man.

Classes don't feel especially overpowering, although they do matter.  The bigger contribution is really team composition.  Which.  I have some that I like, and some I'm really not a huge fan of.  Once I get the game proper I'll spend more time reconfiguring and trying stuff out, because right now I'm not super attached?  The only team I really like is Ochlys/Bruno/Sharon/Auch.  And I admit, that's like 50% because Ochlys.  She's so good.  Though Auch's fire magic and Burn status is divine.  I dunno, I just...I feel like there are some options I need to work with more than I do.  I'm getting through the game fine, but I feel like the higher difficulty would kick my ass.  I also really like Fran for her horse-smiting ways and full row attacks.  Go figure, fliers and mages, just like my Fire Emblems.

At present I'm sitting on a ton of money I haven't spent, because I don't know how finite it will be moving forward.  I did wind up getting some nice equipment for characters, but not as much as I potentially could.  I'm just very...conservative about the whole situation.  And the majority of my problems feel like they come more from turn order than raw damage, with the first major boss being solved not through sheer damage output, but through status and multi-strike from Auch.  I think it's more a matter of figuring that stuff out than strictly getting bigger numbers, because most upgrades I could make are like 1-2 points, which is...not significantly interesting.

As for how far I made it...the first time though I just went for the ending once my time was running out, and it was brutal.  Missed a few characters, final boss was incredibly difficult but we did make it through.  Auch is my entire solution, turns out.  But I did replay it while skipping scenes for stuff I'd seen before, which it turns out saves a shitload of play time, and let me clear out everything in the south.  I didn't push north past Auch's map, when maps turned to level 10 challenges.  I really wanted to get Scarlett and the others first to keep them at a commensurate level.  I did, however, fuck around and find out by KOing all the roaming enemies and exploring, getting a lot of extra resources and an absolutely kickass sword.  Oh, and I repaired a bridge that apparently takes me to like...near the end of the game?  I assume that's what "recommended level 40" is, since they were talking about the heart of the empire and all.  Would love to know if this game can be sequence broken that hard.

That's all my thoughts for now.  I'm really excited to play this one.  I even took the day off work to pick it up and just play through it.  Always a good sign.  I think I needed something outside of my usual, and this game has been a ton of fun.  Looking forward to its release.

[the-light-finds-its-way]

LOOK CAYDE TANK IS GREAT. BUT. He has flier vibes to me. my titan though is 10000% an aston martin considering one of his original inspos was knockout LMAO.

Ok you're right. Holy shit. Cayde-6 IS a flier. F22 fighter jet just to rip off Starscream and piss him off.

[lets-try-some-writing]

I don’t remember where I heard it but I remember there being a theory that Knockout used to be a seeker and something happened to him and then he became a car as result because they couldn’t save his wings. Part of his narcissistic tendencies are more a part of him in the earlier days convince himself that it’s fine he doesn’t have wings anymore. And that starscream alluded to them now having the means to get back his wings on the nemese when he asked why knockout was a car.

Idk.

I like the theory though.

I would like to hear your take on it when you have the chance.

I've heard this same theory. I personally don't subscribe to it, but I like it all the same. I will gladly expand upon this little idea, at least a bit.

Clipped Wings

Knockout was originally a helicopter unit, search and rescue to be exact. He enjoyed his function, had no issues with it, and loved flaunting his wings whenever possible. He took great pride in the fact that he was capable of flight, of course it also helped the fliers were held in high esteem, but even so.

Most of his youth was spent gallivanting about, only learning medicine because it was better than being drafted into the army. He had no desire to have a machine gun strapped to his frame, it would ruin his whole aesthetic. And so he took to learning cosmetology and frame reconstruction as his primary fields of interest. And while he didn't know it at the time, it would come in handy later.

Once the war began, Knockout needed to choose sides. And so not having a ton of hope or trust in the Autobots, he joined with the Decepticons. He was immediately drafted as a field medic, a task he didn't enjoy but knew to be necessary if he wanted to climb the ranks and land in a more cushy position. And so he worked hard, flying out into the battlefield and tending to the injured Decepticons he stumbled across as best as he could. However war was brutal and a stay Autobot missile shot Knockout down during a mission. Medics were able to save him, but his wings were completely decimated and his alt-mode made effectively useless. In one fell swoop the thing be prided himself in most was stripped away from him before he could even come to terms with it.

He was shunned after the loss of his wings, his personality being too intolerable and his previous snark coming back to bite him as the Decepticon troops never left him alone. Unable to fly he became an easy target, one that guards looking to pick a fight relentlessly abused. Knockout tolerated it, spending every waking moment not at work on the ground with the other medics studying to try and find a way to return himself to what he considered his 'perfect form'. It was a very dark time for him. He hated himself, his frame, and everyone around him with a passion. In the end he pioneered an alt mode change and altered his T-cog alignment to allow him to take on a ground alt just so that he wouldn't be shunned for being useless anymore.

Even after he adjusted his frame to make it so that he could be an effective Decepticon again, he never forgot the feeling of the wind and the skies. Many a dark cycle he would sit out watching the stars on some cliff or watchtower and shutter his optics just so that he could pretend the air was once again his domain. His scars ached more often than not, and transformation never felt comfortable, almost like he was walking in someone else's frame. He was born for the skies, not the earth. He hated that a foolish war had stripped him of his greatest gift and glory.

He felt like every optic was boring into him at every given moment, staring at the scars he had long seen fit to cover with armor and flamboyant paint. He always felt judged, berated, and useless. And so to compensate he threw himself into his least favorable personality trait to cover everything else up. It was all to protect himself, at least that is what he always muttered to himself in the dead of night. His pleasant traits were locked away where they couldn't be used against him and he played into his narcissism, using it to craft an indominable persona that none dared to tamper with.

It was his defense, his perfect wall to keep others from seeing just how deeply he had been hurt by the loss of his wings.

He hated to admit it, but part of the reason he even associated with Starscream was because the Seeker had what he did not. Starscream had his wings and he understood. Both of them hid their pains behind walls of terrible personality traits. In a way they were the same, and while never voiced, both acknowledged this.

[transingthoseformers]

Okay even somewhat funnier Miko, Starscream and Breakdown team up to go save Knockout from Mech. Just the ultimate team and I think Miko would love haveing that conversion with Knockout and Breakdown (I have a soft spot for TfP Knockout transitioning his frame from a seeker to a grounder and it being like a really big deal). Also just for this au I think haveing the difference for Femm's and Mech's just being how they chose to present and identify would be fun it would also give Miko talking points with Arcee after the whole situation

Honestly I'm not sure how murderous Miko would let the decepticons or weather or not Knockout would just snach her so Starscream and Breakdown can destroy the place and leave no witness

The three of then would have very interesting interactions together!

Especially with Miko taking this as an opportunity to be as invasive as possible, and a worldbuilding moment

Esp since to me it seems like Starscream has ☆opinions☆ on how Knockout chose a car alt over a flier alt (because Star thinks fliers > everyone else)

Generally speaking that's how i see the difference as a matter of presentation, so it's interesting to see how the later convo would go with Arcee

I feel like they're going to have a "get in get out as easily as possible" mentality. But some murder, looking at Silas (kinda), some murder might occur. Possibly. But Miko's a good kid, she'd at least try to discourage it.

Also. Consider CYLAS, even if this is a breakdown lives au.

[iloveyoubecauseyouarelove]

Fascinated by Starscream and Knockout's first interaction

The way Starscream says Knockout "chose" to be a car is fascinating

I could be reading too deep into it but it feels like it's offhandedly saying that

1) cybertronians can choose to be a grounder or flier or whatever, at least vehicle cybertronians

2) knockout could have been a flier or was

[because-she-goes]

hebe’s demise

warnings: alcoholism, drug use (coke, pills), sexual themes, hospitals, mentions of death, angst i guess, substance abuse

The vodka burned her throat on its way down, but she liked the pain, the sting. She believed it made her feel alive, young, free. A 16 year old running around with her friends at night, having older men buy them fruity, headache-inducing drinks. Her head began to feel light and floaty, she reached for the nearest body kissing them hungrily. She feels her skin set fire and suddenly the high begins. Running down the street, screaming and laughing at top volume. She feels out of her mind and she loves it, finally awoken from her anxious slumber and now open to her confident self. The one who would fuck anything with a pulse as long as they were within arms reach. The one who would happily do white powder off of a college boys’ dirty sink. The one who would then destroy that college boy, making him wish he were dead. She was a wild thing and untameable. Falling over herself, ending up at the NYU ER again, having to get her stomach pumped again. Alcohol filled her veins and blood soaked in ecstasy. Waking up the following day, rinse and repeat. Mondays were always the worst, having to sit in her calculus class in the itchy uniform and act as if she wasn’t still high from the molly her friend had given her not even 8 hours ago. School days would tick by, she would go home to her parents and hide in her room. Luckily they didn't ask too many questions. Just a quiet understanding that their only daughter was on a freeway to death.

At 17, she now would go out every night regardless of school. Grades were decent enough and she was naturally bright. At 17, she was now going to Fordham and having the senior boys sell her the strongest coke she could get her hands on for $50. It was bliss. The white powder hitting a fast forward on her life, skipping past all the boring bits and canceling out her voice of reason. This is when she became known within her friend group as Nora the Knockout. She had to admit, she was fucking hot. Slim waist, decent shape, good style and the cool girl attitude all the guys seemed to like. In this world, she wasn't the lit class nerd or whatever else they called her. No, in this new world of sex and drugs and club promoters grabbing her ass here and there, she was a princess. She at this point had a body count nearing the 60s, not that she knew who any of those people were. She would chew ‘em and spit them out the next morning - leaving them like a ghost in the night. By this point, she had also been roofied so many times she couldn't even count, a regular at the Columbia University ER. She now had a joke with a young internal medicine student who worked there that she should get a “buy 10 stomach pumps, get the next one free” card. They knew she was coming in because they would call it a code Nor'easter over the EMS intercom to the dispatcher. The same young doctor seeing her each and every time, now on a first name basis with her. “Hi again Nora!” “Hi again Dave!” Her parents didn't even bother coming to the hospital anymore, knowing she’d be okay and plus she got the frequent flier discount. She would then later find out that while she was incapacitated and incoherent, the young Dr. would call her mom and give her updates saying Nora wasn't fine, that she had the liver of a 40 year old, that she ingested somewhere near 10 grams of coke and a liter of vodka that evening. That if Nora didn't change quickly, she wouldn't make it past 35. She rarely went home now, she loved her parents, but everytime she went home she would get the shpeel of not wasting her young years and being smart w/ her body and her health. They understood she was artistically gifted, her prose as a 17 year old already more eloquent and developed than some of the stuff her mom edited. Her sketches being comparable to that of an early Kollwitz. Yet, young Nora refused to see it, to acknowledge it. Only wanting to feed the animal, the id inside of her, the one who would ask grown men to do vile things to her body. Her only interest was to keep that monster within her pleased and not let it starve - afraid of the withdrawals and aftershocks. Too weak to handle it, too weak to go through them only to relapse, too weak to deal with the repercussions of her actions.

By age 18, she had realized the severity of her actions, how now without the coke or the ecstasy or acid she felt raw and vulnerable and like a baby deer learning to walk. Without something in her system, she felt like a void. She felt like a zombie, like a shell of herself. At this point, she had admitted to herself that she was no longer in control of herself, her actions, her thoughts… none of it. All of her friends were still using, now moving onto horse and darker shit like that. That is where her boundary was. Pills and coke sure, but anything she had to self-inject was off limits. It was at age 18, in her senior class that she was permitted to take the coveted AP Art Studio class w/ Ms. Glicks everyone who came before her raved about. She couldn't wait. That semester was when Nora became the one and only Astoria High’s Nora Downey. Ms. Glicks educated her about all her interests, and favorite periods of art. Ms. G was like a textbook and Nora loved picking her brain or going in the studio during free periods to work. Now, not fully clean, but having the strength to kick pills cold-turkey Nora was named the school’s recipient for Best Senior Artist. Her display at the school’s annual spring show being leagues above anything her colleagues completed over the 6 months. It was at that moment, of seeing how receptive people were to her work and how it moved people, that she realized she could make a living out of this. That her future in art was very bright, as long as she could get fully clean. That next month or so before graduation, Nora and her parents made an agreement that she would get clean of everything if she could seriously pursue art in college, if she could go to an art school. They’re only stipulation being the school be located here in the city so they could keep an eye on her. She agreed, signed her name on the napkin her dad wrote up the contract on at the diner they all went to every Sunday. It was the greatest life choice and easiest decision she has ever made. She could never thank her parents more for their patience and support and letting her come to her own conclusions before shit hit the fan. She could never thank them enough for having her back and allowing her to go to art school. She could never thank them enough for supporting her during the nasty withdrawals, the phone calls home from rehab and the crying in the middle of the night. She could never thank them enough for saving her life.

[vaguelydcwnwards]

@doodlemxsings ;; (x)

The medic looked down at the cut on the mech's arm, then up at the flier's faceplate with a raised optic ridge "Could have killed you, hm?" He gingerly took hold of the injured limb, giving a quick look over for any more damage just in case before getting to work on repairing it. "You're the one who stuck your arm where it didn't belong, Starscream. This is hardly my fault."

starscream lets out an indignant squawk of protest, pursing his faceplate in what could only be called a pout.

"you nicked a line when you opened the paneling, i felt it."

despite his protests, the seeker knows better than to squirm; he holds still for knockout, allowing the medic to do his job. that doesn't mean he's not going to complain the whole time.

[bimonkee]

Random 4am(of in my Timezone) thoughts:

The Krew as Transformers cause I’m currently watching The Krew and Obsessing over transformers.

I’m gonna base which side they’ll be on by their Angels vs Demons Roblox obby video:

Decepticons:

-Funneh

-Lunar

-Draco

Autobots:

-Gold

-Rainbow

I also had an idea where Lunar would be like Soundwave and Blaster, having cassettes and her cassettes are Lil moon and Lunar Teddy, maybe Kitty aswell if you remember their Roblox bloxburg family videos. And maybe having Draco as a Dragon aka a Predacon.

I can see maybe Funneh kinda like a spy, Draco as a Lieutenant and Lunar maybe as a communication officer. Maybe Gold as a Field Medic and Rainbow as a leader(?)

[Im kinda stuck on Rainbow]

Alt Mode ideas:

Rainbow- A ground Vehicle (maybe as a Muscle car)

Gold- Ground Vehicle (A nice looking car)

Funneh-A ground Vehicle (most likely a car that can go fast, so a sports car)

Lunar- A flier (idk which plane, copter or jet yet)

Draco-A predacon or A flier (A dragon or a A-10 Warthog Thunderbolt II)

For some reason I just Imagine gold similar to Knockout yet different at the some time. She cares about her appearance but it’s never really her first priority, doing her job and helping those in need is her first priority.

Lore idea:

Rainbow and Gold were forged before the war, Funneh and Lunar were forged not that long after the war has started while Draco was forged in the middle of the war. All five were siblings and lived a middle caste life. They were split on which side of the war they should join only to split up, the three youngest joined the decepticons and the two oldest joined the Autobots.

Lunar found Lil Moon and Lunar Teddy hiding and starving and decided to take them in. Lunar became a cassette/minicon caretaker to the two.

Draco became the second in command for the Air Force of the Decepticons.

Fu

ALTERNATIVE AU IDEA:

Where Rainbow was like Soundwave/ Blaster and the rest of the Krew(Gold, Funneh, Lunar and Draco) are the cassettes. And Gold, Funneh, Lunar and Draco’s look quite similar to their Krew plushies. Rainbow would probably be a neutral and is trying to survive while others are fighting to survive and she’s sneaking, and stealing energon from both sides to look after herself and her cassettes.

This Au will show the struggles, ups and lows of their life, their opinions of the war and them considering on joining a side(most likely the autobots) to have a better chance at survival)

Both of these ideas can probably work on any continuities of transformers and probably just change some details up.

Anyways, thank you for coming to my Ted talk