[Actionspam/Video - Demonstration in the Lightning Tag arena]
Normally, the massive Lightning Tag stadium at one end of Calibiri Park in Zone 1 is something of a fortress. It's hard to get into without a ticket or special permission, especially when there's not a match in progress. Today, though, the gates stand open, and there are mechs on stands outside them, calling for one and all to come on in and see Lightning Tag's best and brightest, free! (And even if you don't want to watch in person, there are huge vidscreens on the outside walls of the stadium, broadcasting the most exciting clips of what's happening within, and there's a live feed on one of the network channels.)
Come at the right time of day, and they'll be announcing something a little different, shilling the presence of the retired superstar Moonracer, last season's aerial MVP Hornet, and the sport's patron itself, Starscream!
It's a show you can't miss!
There have been Lightning Tag teams putting on exhibitions all day, and there'll be more after this, but right now, there's something special. The announcer is talking up a storm, his booming voice rolling through the stadium.
"AND CAN WE GET ONE LAST ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE SKYSABRES AND THE BEAMGLORIES? WHAT A MATCH, HUH? AND WHAT GOOD SPORTS THE BEAMGLORIES WERE AFTER THAT LAST GOAL SCORED AGAINST THEM. THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, FOLKS, A LITTLE LOVE FOR SOME GOOD MECHS.
"I HOPE YOU'RE SAVING UP SOME APPLAUSE, THOUGH, 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT A TREAT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. IF YOU'LL DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION BACK TO THE CENTER OF THE FIELD..."
There's a trio of jets walking out from one of the prep bays built into the stadium's foundations. One is garishly black and yellow, one is silver and pale blue...and the third may just be familiar in his silver-white, red, and blue. All three are wearing Lighting Tag rigs, but odd looking ones, lacking any of the elaborate shields or blasters the teams had been using.
There's a surge of noise from the crowd, and the announcer laughs. "THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS, I CAN SEE THAT SOME OF YOU CAN RECOGNIZE THESE FINE MECHS. THAT'S HORNET, THERE IN THE YELLOW, LAST SEASON'S MVAP, THAT'S MOST VALUABLE AERIAL PLAYER. AND OF COURSE YOU ALL KNOW THE LOVELY MOONRUNNER, WHO'S GRACIOUSLY AGREED TO SUSPEND HER RETIREMENT TO BE HERE TODAY. AND WHO DOESNT KNOW THE MECH IN THE MIDDLE? THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE ILLUSTRIOUS STARSCREAM, FOUNDER OF OUR GREAT SPORT!"
The crowd roars again as all three jets lift into the air, Starscream in the center of the formation. He lifts a hand to his helm, and suddenly it's his voice rolling from the speakers, instead of the announcers'.
"Mechs and femmes. Ladies, gentlemen; protoforms and children! Thank you for coming out to Calibiri Park today, and supporting all the fine Cybertronians who play this glorious game!" He pauses, letting the roar die away, and the cameras zooming in on his face show him grinning.
"But of course, Lightning Tag didn't start as a sport. It wasn't even a game, it was...a showcase. It started in the arenas--me against the lightning, at first, but I caught the interest of other Seekers, and they were quick to join me."
He pivots in midair, indicating Hornet and Moonrunner. "Today, we return to Lightning Tag's roots! Right here, we show you Lightning Tag as it used to be, in its purest form. Right now, it's just the mechs against the lightning!"
Starscream rises above the other two, throwing his hands out wide--bolts of the plasma-slowed "lightning" crackle out from his palms, wreathing him in a fleeting blue corona. "Mechs and femmes, enjoy the show!"
The crowd roars, and the demonstration starts. Lightning Tag proper is always an impressive thing to watch, but this...this is art. This isn't about attack or defense or aggression. It was about the joy of flight, and the fierce elementality of electricity. It was...well, it was as close as you could get to a visual expression of what it was like to be a Seeker.
And Starscream doesn't dominate it. This could very easily be all about him--his sport, his beginnings, his remembrance--but it's not. The demonstration is balanced, a careful choreography integrating Hornet's flash, Moonrunner's grace, and Starscream's sheer instinct with this technology he pioneered. It's not that long, all things considered--not much more than half an hour, but the crowd is quiet by the time they're done.
The applause doesn't start until they take their midair bows, and it's hard to hear the announcer as he reveals that there will be an autograph session outside the stadium as soon as they'd shed their rigs.
They'll be out there, too--Moonrunner and Hornet both happy to greet their fans, and Starscream hanging back against a wall, surveying this little corner of his empire with his arms crossed and looking supremely pleased with himself.
Do feel free to bother him~ Especially since he's not really expecting it.
((Feel free to tag in with regular bracket tags, if you want to actionspam--the post was just easier to write prose-style.))
Come at the right time of day, and they'll be announcing something a little different, shilling the presence of the retired superstar Moonracer, last season's aerial MVP Hornet, and the sport's patron itself, Starscream!
It's a show you can't miss!
There have been Lightning Tag teams putting on exhibitions all day, and there'll be more after this, but right now, there's something special. The announcer is talking up a storm, his booming voice rolling through the stadium.
"AND CAN WE GET ONE LAST ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE SKYSABRES AND THE BEAMGLORIES? WHAT A MATCH, HUH? AND WHAT GOOD SPORTS THE BEAMGLORIES WERE AFTER THAT LAST GOAL SCORED AGAINST THEM. THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, FOLKS, A LITTLE LOVE FOR SOME GOOD MECHS.
"I HOPE YOU'RE SAVING UP SOME APPLAUSE, THOUGH, 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT A TREAT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. IF YOU'LL DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION BACK TO THE CENTER OF THE FIELD..."
There's a trio of jets walking out from one of the prep bays built into the stadium's foundations. One is garishly black and yellow, one is silver and pale blue...and the third may just be familiar in his silver-white, red, and blue. All three are wearing Lighting Tag rigs, but odd looking ones, lacking any of the elaborate shields or blasters the teams had been using.
There's a surge of noise from the crowd, and the announcer laughs. "THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS, I CAN SEE THAT SOME OF YOU CAN RECOGNIZE THESE FINE MECHS. THAT'S HORNET, THERE IN THE YELLOW, LAST SEASON'S MVAP, THAT'S MOST VALUABLE AERIAL PLAYER. AND OF COURSE YOU ALL KNOW THE LOVELY MOONRUNNER, WHO'S GRACIOUSLY AGREED TO SUSPEND HER RETIREMENT TO BE HERE TODAY. AND WHO DOESNT KNOW THE MECH IN THE MIDDLE? THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE ILLUSTRIOUS STARSCREAM, FOUNDER OF OUR GREAT SPORT!"
The crowd roars again as all three jets lift into the air, Starscream in the center of the formation. He lifts a hand to his helm, and suddenly it's his voice rolling from the speakers, instead of the announcers'.
"Mechs and femmes. Ladies, gentlemen; protoforms and children! Thank you for coming out to Calibiri Park today, and supporting all the fine Cybertronians who play this glorious game!" He pauses, letting the roar die away, and the cameras zooming in on his face show him grinning.
"But of course, Lightning Tag didn't start as a sport. It wasn't even a game, it was...a showcase. It started in the arenas--me against the lightning, at first, but I caught the interest of other Seekers, and they were quick to join me."
He pivots in midair, indicating Hornet and Moonrunner. "Today, we return to Lightning Tag's roots! Right here, we show you Lightning Tag as it used to be, in its purest form. Right now, it's just the mechs against the lightning!"
Starscream rises above the other two, throwing his hands out wide--bolts of the plasma-slowed "lightning" crackle out from his palms, wreathing him in a fleeting blue corona. "Mechs and femmes, enjoy the show!"
The crowd roars, and the demonstration starts. Lightning Tag proper is always an impressive thing to watch, but this...this is art. This isn't about attack or defense or aggression. It was about the joy of flight, and the fierce elementality of electricity. It was...well, it was as close as you could get to a visual expression of what it was like to be a Seeker.
And Starscream doesn't dominate it. This could very easily be all about him--his sport, his beginnings, his remembrance--but it's not. The demonstration is balanced, a careful choreography integrating Hornet's flash, Moonrunner's grace, and Starscream's sheer instinct with this technology he pioneered. It's not that long, all things considered--not much more than half an hour, but the crowd is quiet by the time they're done.
The applause doesn't start until they take their midair bows, and it's hard to hear the announcer as he reveals that there will be an autograph session outside the stadium as soon as they'd shed their rigs.
They'll be out there, too--Moonrunner and Hornet both happy to greet their fans, and Starscream hanging back against a wall, surveying this little corner of his empire with his arms crossed and looking supremely pleased with himself.
Do feel free to bother him~ Especially since he's not really expecting it.
((Feel free to tag in with regular bracket tags, if you want to actionspam--the post was just easier to write prose-style.))