Speedwriting -- Full Set!
Title: Yo
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, Optimus Prime
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 1. Slang
“But this'un has a reason b'hind it! An' it works!”
“Jazz, whether it works or not, it is slang, and I would appreciate it if you ceased your use of it.”
“But Prowle-”
“No, Jazz.”
“But it fills th' gap! English needs a word like this!”
The tactician leveled a glare at the saboteur. “Jazz-”
“Jus' hear me out!”
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
Later that day, while reading a report, Optimus Prime had to pause and reread something. Then he reread it again, out loud this time.
“'In such a case, the offending Autobot would be confined to the brig for an Earth fortnight. As our human companions are not as tolerable to such conditions, yo would be confined to quarters for two days'...”
Quickly, he opened a comm link with his Second in Command. ::Prowl? Could I speak to you?::
::If this is about 'yo', talk to Jazz.::
::Ah... very well, then.::
The comm line clicked off. After a moment, the Prime opened another.
::Jazz?::
::S'up, Boss Bot?::
::Why is Prowl using the word 'yo', and what does it mean?::
Jazz just started snickering.
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
My dad recently brought up something at a conversation at the dinner table; kids in Baltimore recently solved the problem of using “he or she,” “s/he,” and/or “they/them” as a neutral singular pronoun, using the word “yo” instead. So instead of saying something like “he or she is a good student,” they would say “yo is a good student.”
An article I read to brush up/confirm this can be found here.
Title: Straw That Broke the Camel's Back
Rating: K+
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 2.Task: Remember that scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke encountered that vision of his worst fears in the Dark Side Cave? Your character encounters his or her worst fear.
Starscream didn't like it.
No, that was an understatement.
He hated it. Loathed it.
This prison cell... It was the bane of his existence. Dark, close, tiny. Megatron knew it, too. That was why he shoved the Seeker down in it. It was the one thing Starscream feared above all others.
He was a Seeker, after all. Confined spaces didn't agree with him any more than they did the rest of his kin.
It was torture, pure and simple, to leave him down here, alone, in the dark, where he could feel no air moving across his wings, feel nothing but the hundreds of tons of metal above him, pressing down, pushing him into the ground, where he'd never fly again, and-
No. Best not to think about it.
Instead, he reached out, tugging at his trinemates. ~Warp. TC.~
~He put you down there again,~ Skywarp accused, feeling the edges of panic lingering through their spark-link.
~Yes...~
~Starscream, he can't... you can't...~
~I know. But... I can't leave. I still believe in the Decepticon cause.~
~Yes... a cause which has pretty much become the rallying cry of the Autobots,~ the blue flier said, and there was a moment of silence. ~Think about it,~ he pressed. ~They're fighting for freedom now. Megatron's... he's fighting for his own gain. He's turned, Starscream. Become corrupted with power.~
~I... have to agree with him,~ Skywarp said softly, and surprise was shot at him from both of the other fliers. Skywarp had always argued that Megatron wasn't that bad, that he hadn't changed. ~Oh, come on. I may be a bit ignorant sometimes, but... a sane mech doesn't leave a Seeker, or even a flier, underground as much as he does to you, Screamer. It's time to go.~
The trine leader vented and leaned back, twitching his wings against the wall for the express purpose of feeling something. ~Then get me out. We go to the Prime.~
Title: Flyting
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Wheeljack, Sideswipe, Ratchet
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 3. Flyting: A verbal slanging match: a ritualized form of invective in which insults are exchanged.
It quickly became obvious to anyone who bothered to watch; they did it on purpose.
This fast-paced, rapid slinging of slurs was practiced, vicious, and playful.
It was entertaining to watch, Wheeljack had to admit. It was his usual source of entertainment while he was stuck in the Med Bay after one of his... accidents.
Sideswipe never did learn to mute it. And Ratchet never learned that he would never get the red frontliner to listen. So they did this every time Sideswipe had to be repaired; they would throw insults back and forth, neither ever gaining the upper hand, neither ever really getting offended by what the other said.
And Wheeljack got some entertainment and a break from Ratchet's... loving care. It all worked out in the end, he thought with a smile as he settled back to listen to the next verbal barrage of insults.
Title: Sin
Rating: T
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Optimus Prime
Disclaimer: Don't own
Prompt: 4. Unforgivable sin.
Murder was forbidden by Primus. All sparks, every single one of them, were precious. Optimus Prime knew that now more than he ever had. Every single spark, whether they be sparked mechs, hatched mechs, Sigma-sparked, or preprogrammed.
Not all of Cybertron saw it that way. Many thought Sigma-sparked and preprograms were inferior to sparked and hatched mechs, but every Prime knew different.
And now... Now, here he was, the Supreme Ruler of Cybertron, the Speaker for Primus, the Prime, with an energon-soaked sword in his hand, energon spattered over his armor, energon soaking the ground...
And a spark in front of him, flickering out, the purple sigil that had once been bright on his chassis gone, the armor torn and rent.
It was unforgivable, what he had just done. Taken a spark... That was not his job. That was the anathema of his duty! The polar opposite. He was the Prime! He was supposed to welcome new sparks, he was supposed to be the herald of life and living!
Yet he was reduced to war, to killing, because his Lord High Protector, his Brother, had turned away from his duty and had brought war to Cybertron, instead of keeping it away.
Title: Here There Be Dragons
Rating: K
Continuity: Complete and utter AU. But G1 characters
Characters: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Elita-One, Prowl, Jazz
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 5. Master List Prompt
Prompt Chosen: August 13: Task: AU! Write your favorite characters in an AU setting: it could be Shattered Glass or turned into animals or sex slaves or before the war after it, or femmes secretly rule Cybertron or they're all pirates or fighting zombies or… whatever. But you know you have one! Show us what happens when you throw canon to the winds!
Notes: More of this weird AU, in which the Twins are centaurs, Optimus and Megatron are dragons, Elita-One is a siren, Jazz is a doppelgaenger, and Prowl is a naga. And everyone else is a strange assortment of other mythical beings.
“I won't stand for it!” the large, silvery dragon roared, and the small, pink femme leaning against the wall rolled her optics.
The other dragon in the large cavern, a massive, red and blue beast, snorted and shook, his plating rattling with the force of the motion.
“Megatron, our valley is-”
“I won't allow two war-frames into my valley!” he exclaimed
“Our valley, Megatron,” the femme cut in, pushing away from the wall. Her icy gaze bore into the gray dragon. “Or have you forgotten?”
Megatron settled back onto all four feet and shuffled backward a bit, tilting his helm to the side so that the long, curling horns that framed his face hid his red optics. “No, Elita. But I am charged with protecting this valley, and those-”
“They are not war-frames!” Optimus growled.
A chiming note filtered through the air, and both dragons flattened their flared plating and settled back. Once they had calmed, the Elita stopped the siren's call, frowning up at them. “Optimus, they are war-frames. But Megatron, their kind has not been part of a battle in centivorns. They have been forgotten, just as our kinds have. Just as everyone who lives here has been. They will be welcomed here, Megatron,” the siren warned, and the gray mech bowed his helm, cowed.
“Very well,” he rumbled. “But I will be watching them, as will-”
“Yes, yes,” Optimus rumbled back. “The very same as everyone who is invited here. I will tell Jazz and Prowl to show them around.”
The massive reptilian-framed mech walked from the cavern, tail slithering over the ground, leaving his two mates behind him.
Outside, he stood for a moment, blinking, staring over his domain. It was a peaceful valley, full of folk who only wanted to live, to be among family and friends, without having to worry about the discrimination that would no doubt face them in the outside world.
Three Seekers flew overhead, the mythical beings tracing complex patterns in the sky. Among them was a larger flight frame - massive, really; a shuttle, just as legendary as the Seekers he was flying with.
On the ground was the happy chaos of a familial village. Ten mechs, two gestalts, were playing some kind of game that involved a lot of chasing and tackling and giggling in the village center, the six aerials among them occasionally taking to the air. Along the edges of the village, mechs were conversing happily. There, the village healer, an old, grumpy faerie, was talking to the resident chaos spirit. Past them, a twitchy kitsune was talking to a large, smiling fire daemon.
With a shout, the eleven familiars of the two mages of the village joined the ten gestalt-mechs, and the screeching got louder.
Optimus smiled, baring sharp dentae, and looked up.
Farther on, near the edge of the village, the cyclopes-warlock was standing guard, one of his golems next to him.
Barely visible, farther back in the forest, three wolves, the largest a matte black, the middle a deep green, the smallest a pale, shimmery blue, loped through the crystals.
“Well, what'd ya decide?” a lilting voice said from beside him, and Optimus hid a twitch.
“Jazz. I have told you before; do not sneak up on me like that.”
The silver doppelgaenger grinned widely, visor sparkling, and gave a shrug. “Can't help 't. Anyways, what'd ya decide? Are they stayin'? 'Cause Ah'm likin' that red one.”
“Yes, Jazz, they are. Where is-”
“I am here, Optimus,” a soft tenor said from behind the dragon, and the mech once again hid a twitch.
“Prowl...”
“I, like Jazz, cannot help it.” A soft rustle came as the naga slid down from the rocks that made up the mountain wall and settled in front of Optimus. Slowly, the long, snake tail that was the mech's lower body coiled up, and a hint of mischief filled golden optics. “It is, after all, in our natures to be silent.”
Optimus just vented and shook his massive helm. “I do understand, Prowl. At any rate, we have decided that we will allow the centaruions to stay here on probation.”
“And Jazz and I are to show them the village?”
Once again, the blue and red dragon smiled. “Yes, if you are up to it. I will fly you out to them now.”
“Of course.”
A moment later, a great shadow fell over the village as the dragon took to the sky, naga and doppelgaenger on his back, as they went to gather the two centaur-framed mechs they had found earlier that orn.
Title: Fascinating
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Perceptor, Skyfire
Disclaimer: Don't own
Prompt: This Video:
“What in Primus' name is occuring here?”
“I... don't know,” the massive shuttle said, bending closer. “It... Perceptor?”
“Yes, Skyfire?”
“I'm going to comm Prime.”
“Why, pray tell, would you do that?”
“To request some time off.”
“Hm. Well, please do request some time for me as well. This is fascinating.”
“Agreed.”
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, Optimus Prime
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 1. Slang
“But this'un has a reason b'hind it! An' it works!”
“Jazz, whether it works or not, it is slang, and I would appreciate it if you ceased your use of it.”
“But Prowle-”
“No, Jazz.”
“But it fills th' gap! English needs a word like this!”
The tactician leveled a glare at the saboteur. “Jazz-”
“Jus' hear me out!”
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
Later that day, while reading a report, Optimus Prime had to pause and reread something. Then he reread it again, out loud this time.
“'In such a case, the offending Autobot would be confined to the brig for an Earth fortnight. As our human companions are not as tolerable to such conditions, yo would be confined to quarters for two days'...”
Quickly, he opened a comm link with his Second in Command. ::Prowl? Could I speak to you?::
::If this is about 'yo', talk to Jazz.::
::Ah... very well, then.::
The comm line clicked off. After a moment, the Prime opened another.
::Jazz?::
::S'up, Boss Bot?::
::Why is Prowl using the word 'yo', and what does it mean?::
Jazz just started snickering.
.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.
My dad recently brought up something at a conversation at the dinner table; kids in Baltimore recently solved the problem of using “he or she,” “s/he,” and/or “they/them” as a neutral singular pronoun, using the word “yo” instead. So instead of saying something like “he or she is a good student,” they would say “yo is a good student.”
An article I read to brush up/confirm this can be found here.
Title: Straw That Broke the Camel's Back
Rating: K+
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 2.Task: Remember that scene in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke encountered that vision of his worst fears in the Dark Side Cave? Your character encounters his or her worst fear.
Starscream didn't like it.
No, that was an understatement.
He hated it. Loathed it.
This prison cell... It was the bane of his existence. Dark, close, tiny. Megatron knew it, too. That was why he shoved the Seeker down in it. It was the one thing Starscream feared above all others.
He was a Seeker, after all. Confined spaces didn't agree with him any more than they did the rest of his kin.
It was torture, pure and simple, to leave him down here, alone, in the dark, where he could feel no air moving across his wings, feel nothing but the hundreds of tons of metal above him, pressing down, pushing him into the ground, where he'd never fly again, and-
No. Best not to think about it.
Instead, he reached out, tugging at his trinemates. ~Warp. TC.~
~He put you down there again,~ Skywarp accused, feeling the edges of panic lingering through their spark-link.
~Yes...~
~Starscream, he can't... you can't...~
~I know. But... I can't leave. I still believe in the Decepticon cause.~
~Yes... a cause which has pretty much become the rallying cry of the Autobots,~ the blue flier said, and there was a moment of silence. ~Think about it,~ he pressed. ~They're fighting for freedom now. Megatron's... he's fighting for his own gain. He's turned, Starscream. Become corrupted with power.~
~I... have to agree with him,~ Skywarp said softly, and surprise was shot at him from both of the other fliers. Skywarp had always argued that Megatron wasn't that bad, that he hadn't changed. ~Oh, come on. I may be a bit ignorant sometimes, but... a sane mech doesn't leave a Seeker, or even a flier, underground as much as he does to you, Screamer. It's time to go.~
The trine leader vented and leaned back, twitching his wings against the wall for the express purpose of feeling something. ~Then get me out. We go to the Prime.~
Title: Flyting
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Wheeljack, Sideswipe, Ratchet
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 3. Flyting: A verbal slanging match: a ritualized form of invective in which insults are exchanged.
It quickly became obvious to anyone who bothered to watch; they did it on purpose.
This fast-paced, rapid slinging of slurs was practiced, vicious, and playful.
It was entertaining to watch, Wheeljack had to admit. It was his usual source of entertainment while he was stuck in the Med Bay after one of his... accidents.
Sideswipe never did learn to mute it. And Ratchet never learned that he would never get the red frontliner to listen. So they did this every time Sideswipe had to be repaired; they would throw insults back and forth, neither ever gaining the upper hand, neither ever really getting offended by what the other said.
And Wheeljack got some entertainment and a break from Ratchet's... loving care. It all worked out in the end, he thought with a smile as he settled back to listen to the next verbal barrage of insults.
Title: Sin
Rating: T
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Optimus Prime
Disclaimer: Don't own
Prompt: 4. Unforgivable sin.
Murder was forbidden by Primus. All sparks, every single one of them, were precious. Optimus Prime knew that now more than he ever had. Every single spark, whether they be sparked mechs, hatched mechs, Sigma-sparked, or preprogrammed.
Not all of Cybertron saw it that way. Many thought Sigma-sparked and preprograms were inferior to sparked and hatched mechs, but every Prime knew different.
And now... Now, here he was, the Supreme Ruler of Cybertron, the Speaker for Primus, the Prime, with an energon-soaked sword in his hand, energon spattered over his armor, energon soaking the ground...
And a spark in front of him, flickering out, the purple sigil that had once been bright on his chassis gone, the armor torn and rent.
It was unforgivable, what he had just done. Taken a spark... That was not his job. That was the anathema of his duty! The polar opposite. He was the Prime! He was supposed to welcome new sparks, he was supposed to be the herald of life and living!
Yet he was reduced to war, to killing, because his Lord High Protector, his Brother, had turned away from his duty and had brought war to Cybertron, instead of keeping it away.
Title: Here There Be Dragons
Rating: K
Continuity: Complete and utter AU. But G1 characters
Characters: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Elita-One, Prowl, Jazz
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Prompt: 5. Master List Prompt
Prompt Chosen: August 13: Task: AU! Write your favorite characters in an AU setting: it could be Shattered Glass or turned into animals or sex slaves or before the war after it, or femmes secretly rule Cybertron or they're all pirates or fighting zombies or… whatever. But you know you have one! Show us what happens when you throw canon to the winds!
Notes: More of this weird AU, in which the Twins are centaurs, Optimus and Megatron are dragons, Elita-One is a siren, Jazz is a doppelgaenger, and Prowl is a naga. And everyone else is a strange assortment of other mythical beings.
“I won't stand for it!” the large, silvery dragon roared, and the small, pink femme leaning against the wall rolled her optics.
The other dragon in the large cavern, a massive, red and blue beast, snorted and shook, his plating rattling with the force of the motion.
“Megatron, our valley is-”
“I won't allow two war-frames into my valley!” he exclaimed
“Our valley, Megatron,” the femme cut in, pushing away from the wall. Her icy gaze bore into the gray dragon. “Or have you forgotten?”
Megatron settled back onto all four feet and shuffled backward a bit, tilting his helm to the side so that the long, curling horns that framed his face hid his red optics. “No, Elita. But I am charged with protecting this valley, and those-”
“They are not war-frames!” Optimus growled.
A chiming note filtered through the air, and both dragons flattened their flared plating and settled back. Once they had calmed, the Elita stopped the siren's call, frowning up at them. “Optimus, they are war-frames. But Megatron, their kind has not been part of a battle in centivorns. They have been forgotten, just as our kinds have. Just as everyone who lives here has been. They will be welcomed here, Megatron,” the siren warned, and the gray mech bowed his helm, cowed.
“Very well,” he rumbled. “But I will be watching them, as will-”
“Yes, yes,” Optimus rumbled back. “The very same as everyone who is invited here. I will tell Jazz and Prowl to show them around.”
The massive reptilian-framed mech walked from the cavern, tail slithering over the ground, leaving his two mates behind him.
Outside, he stood for a moment, blinking, staring over his domain. It was a peaceful valley, full of folk who only wanted to live, to be among family and friends, without having to worry about the discrimination that would no doubt face them in the outside world.
Three Seekers flew overhead, the mythical beings tracing complex patterns in the sky. Among them was a larger flight frame - massive, really; a shuttle, just as legendary as the Seekers he was flying with.
On the ground was the happy chaos of a familial village. Ten mechs, two gestalts, were playing some kind of game that involved a lot of chasing and tackling and giggling in the village center, the six aerials among them occasionally taking to the air. Along the edges of the village, mechs were conversing happily. There, the village healer, an old, grumpy faerie, was talking to the resident chaos spirit. Past them, a twitchy kitsune was talking to a large, smiling fire daemon.
With a shout, the eleven familiars of the two mages of the village joined the ten gestalt-mechs, and the screeching got louder.
Optimus smiled, baring sharp dentae, and looked up.
Farther on, near the edge of the village, the cyclopes-warlock was standing guard, one of his golems next to him.
Barely visible, farther back in the forest, three wolves, the largest a matte black, the middle a deep green, the smallest a pale, shimmery blue, loped through the crystals.
“Well, what'd ya decide?” a lilting voice said from beside him, and Optimus hid a twitch.
“Jazz. I have told you before; do not sneak up on me like that.”
The silver doppelgaenger grinned widely, visor sparkling, and gave a shrug. “Can't help 't. Anyways, what'd ya decide? Are they stayin'? 'Cause Ah'm likin' that red one.”
“Yes, Jazz, they are. Where is-”
“I am here, Optimus,” a soft tenor said from behind the dragon, and the mech once again hid a twitch.
“Prowl...”
“I, like Jazz, cannot help it.” A soft rustle came as the naga slid down from the rocks that made up the mountain wall and settled in front of Optimus. Slowly, the long, snake tail that was the mech's lower body coiled up, and a hint of mischief filled golden optics. “It is, after all, in our natures to be silent.”
Optimus just vented and shook his massive helm. “I do understand, Prowl. At any rate, we have decided that we will allow the centaruions to stay here on probation.”
“And Jazz and I are to show them the village?”
Once again, the blue and red dragon smiled. “Yes, if you are up to it. I will fly you out to them now.”
“Of course.”
A moment later, a great shadow fell over the village as the dragon took to the sky, naga and doppelgaenger on his back, as they went to gather the two centaur-framed mechs they had found earlier that orn.
Title: Fascinating
Rating: K
Continuity: G1?
Characters: Perceptor, Skyfire
Disclaimer: Don't own
Prompt: This Video:
Click to view“What in Primus' name is occuring here?”
“I... don't know,” the massive shuttle said, bending closer. “It... Perceptor?”
“Yes, Skyfire?”
“I'm going to comm Prime.”
“Why, pray tell, would you do that?”
“To request some time off.”
“Hm. Well, please do request some time for me as well. This is fascinating.”
“Agreed.”