oh hey
New year post didn't get made because it was ridiculously long and I just... never finished it. Oh well.
Thinking about volunteering more. I like volunteering. I've been considering trying to become a Girl Scout troop leader.
Lots of going to the zoo lately, lots of work like usual (people got fired), lots of dieting (lost 10 pounds), and surprisingly, lots of fic writing.
Here, have a chunk of the new chapter of Mirrored.
“I’m not sure I understand,” he said uncertainly, glancing out at the glittering lights of Iacon to avoid having to look at Starscream’s bright optics.
“That’s because you’ve been trained not to,” Starscream replied with a surprising amount of patience... even if it was buried under a thick level of enthusiasm that bordered on zealotry. “Within your caste, you are… shielded. The rest of us are not so lucky.” Starscream leaned back against the booth, shifting until his wings were in a more comfortable position.
“Take, for example, what happened earlier with that other archivist,” he continued. “Do you think that was an isolated incident? That I have not, in other cities, been denied access because I am a seeker?”
Orion thought about that. He recalled the distrustful glares of staff and patron alike. “No,” he murmured sadly. “I do not doubt you. I only wish it wasn’t so. It shouldn’t be so.”
The conviction in his voice made Starscream focus on him instead of his drink, which he set down after a moment. “You really believe that,” the seeker said, not without a little disbelief in his own voice. Orion turned from the lights of Iacon to look into Starscream’s red optics.
“Of course I do,” he answered in a tone that asked ‘why would I not?’ as if this were a universal conviction. The surprise in those optics drew Orion in, made him wonder, and the longer he stared, the more he thought that there must be something more there, some other message that he was supposed to interpret -
The serving drone set their next round of drinks on the table with an inelegant clang that tore their attention away and ended any chance of discovery. Embarrassed, Orion picked up his third drink, though he had not yet finished the second. Starscream started up again a little shakily, like his motor had gone cold.
“What I was trying to say,” the seeker spat, frustrated at something that Orion did not dare guess at, “is that this whole society is rusting. Surely you’ve seen the signs of corrosion, even at the docks, if you care to look out of your cozy office.”
Orion shot him a cold glance. “I see many things, and not just from my office,” he answered in a clipped tone that, by the look on Starscream’s face, made the seeker realize that Orion had been insulted by the insinuation. But just as quickly as the ire came, it was gone. Orion sighed and slumped a little in his seat. “There is little I can do about these things. Injustices happen every day, and where I have the power to, I stop them. But where I do not have power…” He shrugged helplessly.
“And why don’t you have the power to do what you want? To… right these wrongs that you see?” Starscream prompted, leaning forward. “Even in places where you think you can’t?”
There, again, was that strange zealotry. It made Orion lean away. “I’m not sure I…”
Starscream scoffed, movements growing more exuberant with every empty cube stacked to the side. “Why don’t you have the ability, the freedom to stand up for what you believe is right?” he clarified. “Why is it that I must tolerate those cretins and their prejudices? You know as well as I that if I were to demand my equal rights under Cybertronian Law, they would still deny me. If I were to fight for those rights, a brute of a Law Enforcement Officer would show up and detain me. Where is my freedom? If you were to stand up and fight to defend your beliefs, the same thing would happen to you. If you are too loud, too upset, too unhappy, they will come for you, no matter the caste. Where is your freedom, Orion Pax? Where is anyone’s?”
A couple of patrons were glancing their way nervously, and Orion motioned desperately at his friend. “Please, Starscream, keep your voice down…”
“You see?” It only made Starscream louder. Orion Pax winced. “I had better stay quiet if I want to maintain the peace!” He scoffed again, a rude whirring of turbines. “Peace! This is as peaceful as the film on a puddle of energon spilled from the corpse of some Empty in an alley-“
“Starscream!” Orion cried out, dismayed, and in that desperation reached out and grabbed Starscream’s widely swinging arm.
Starscream stopped as abruptly as if he had been electro-shocked. And to Orion, that’s what it felt like. Where their plating touched, it felt magnetized, sensors flaring with not-quite-pain. He could only stare mutely as Starscream’s optics focused onto his own, surprise and confusion flaring up between the smoldering embers of anger in those red optics.
The seeker recovered first. “… What?” he asked. He didn’t move his arm away. His stare was just as intense as before. And somehow, Orion couldn’t bear to look away, though he wanted to.
“Perhaps this conversation,” the archivist murmured, mindful of the other patrons, “would be better finished somewhere more private.”
As soon as he said it, he realized what it sounded like, and his engine sputtered in embarrassment even as Starscream’s optics brightened and a sharp smirk cut across that dark face. “That’s not-! I didn’t mean-!”
Starscream laughed - and it was surprisingly pleasant. Orion found himself suddenly able to remove his hand from the seeker, and he did so hurriedly, tucking the limb in close to his body.
Thinking about volunteering more. I like volunteering. I've been considering trying to become a Girl Scout troop leader.
Lots of going to the zoo lately, lots of work like usual (people got fired), lots of dieting (lost 10 pounds), and surprisingly, lots of fic writing.
Here, have a chunk of the new chapter of Mirrored.
“I’m not sure I understand,” he said uncertainly, glancing out at the glittering lights of Iacon to avoid having to look at Starscream’s bright optics.
“That’s because you’ve been trained not to,” Starscream replied with a surprising amount of patience... even if it was buried under a thick level of enthusiasm that bordered on zealotry. “Within your caste, you are… shielded. The rest of us are not so lucky.” Starscream leaned back against the booth, shifting until his wings were in a more comfortable position.
“Take, for example, what happened earlier with that other archivist,” he continued. “Do you think that was an isolated incident? That I have not, in other cities, been denied access because I am a seeker?”
Orion thought about that. He recalled the distrustful glares of staff and patron alike. “No,” he murmured sadly. “I do not doubt you. I only wish it wasn’t so. It shouldn’t be so.”
The conviction in his voice made Starscream focus on him instead of his drink, which he set down after a moment. “You really believe that,” the seeker said, not without a little disbelief in his own voice. Orion turned from the lights of Iacon to look into Starscream’s red optics.
“Of course I do,” he answered in a tone that asked ‘why would I not?’ as if this were a universal conviction. The surprise in those optics drew Orion in, made him wonder, and the longer he stared, the more he thought that there must be something more there, some other message that he was supposed to interpret -
The serving drone set their next round of drinks on the table with an inelegant clang that tore their attention away and ended any chance of discovery. Embarrassed, Orion picked up his third drink, though he had not yet finished the second. Starscream started up again a little shakily, like his motor had gone cold.
“What I was trying to say,” the seeker spat, frustrated at something that Orion did not dare guess at, “is that this whole society is rusting. Surely you’ve seen the signs of corrosion, even at the docks, if you care to look out of your cozy office.”
Orion shot him a cold glance. “I see many things, and not just from my office,” he answered in a clipped tone that, by the look on Starscream’s face, made the seeker realize that Orion had been insulted by the insinuation. But just as quickly as the ire came, it was gone. Orion sighed and slumped a little in his seat. “There is little I can do about these things. Injustices happen every day, and where I have the power to, I stop them. But where I do not have power…” He shrugged helplessly.
“And why don’t you have the power to do what you want? To… right these wrongs that you see?” Starscream prompted, leaning forward. “Even in places where you think you can’t?”
There, again, was that strange zealotry. It made Orion lean away. “I’m not sure I…”
Starscream scoffed, movements growing more exuberant with every empty cube stacked to the side. “Why don’t you have the ability, the freedom to stand up for what you believe is right?” he clarified. “Why is it that I must tolerate those cretins and their prejudices? You know as well as I that if I were to demand my equal rights under Cybertronian Law, they would still deny me. If I were to fight for those rights, a brute of a Law Enforcement Officer would show up and detain me. Where is my freedom? If you were to stand up and fight to defend your beliefs, the same thing would happen to you. If you are too loud, too upset, too unhappy, they will come for you, no matter the caste. Where is your freedom, Orion Pax? Where is anyone’s?”
A couple of patrons were glancing their way nervously, and Orion motioned desperately at his friend. “Please, Starscream, keep your voice down…”
“You see?” It only made Starscream louder. Orion Pax winced. “I had better stay quiet if I want to maintain the peace!” He scoffed again, a rude whirring of turbines. “Peace! This is as peaceful as the film on a puddle of energon spilled from the corpse of some Empty in an alley-“
“Starscream!” Orion cried out, dismayed, and in that desperation reached out and grabbed Starscream’s widely swinging arm.
Starscream stopped as abruptly as if he had been electro-shocked. And to Orion, that’s what it felt like. Where their plating touched, it felt magnetized, sensors flaring with not-quite-pain. He could only stare mutely as Starscream’s optics focused onto his own, surprise and confusion flaring up between the smoldering embers of anger in those red optics.
The seeker recovered first. “… What?” he asked. He didn’t move his arm away. His stare was just as intense as before. And somehow, Orion couldn’t bear to look away, though he wanted to.
“Perhaps this conversation,” the archivist murmured, mindful of the other patrons, “would be better finished somewhere more private.”
As soon as he said it, he realized what it sounded like, and his engine sputtered in embarrassment even as Starscream’s optics brightened and a sharp smirk cut across that dark face. “That’s not-! I didn’t mean-!”
Starscream laughed - and it was surprisingly pleasant. Orion found himself suddenly able to remove his hand from the seeker, and he did so hurriedly, tucking the limb in close to his body.