One Very Long, Rambling AU Bunny
This one has been living in my head for a while, and I need to get it to go away so I can concentrate on schoolwork, beta reading, and working on the million other stories that are currently on pause.
In fanon (and to an extent in Dreamwave canon - thanks, ditzymusiclover, for the info!), Sunstreaker was an artist before the war. His work was very popular which in turn made him a rather wealthy mech. Some of the most well-received pieces in his collection were a series of almost abstract 'portraits' of an unidentified femme, painted always in black-on-white with the only colour being the femme's optics. Sometimes Sunstreaker did opt for colour other than black, but it was never really uniform enough for anyone to guess the identity of his model or what colour her plating may have been. Rumours arose in the art community regarding the model: she was a lower-caste femme that Sunstreaker paid to pose for him several times, she was an artist in her own right but never did so well as the mech, she was Sunstreaker's muse, the artist was in love with his model, and so on.
However, when war began to loom on the horizon the femme vanished from Sunstreaker's works and no one ever heard her mentioned by the artist again. Some believed that she had either gone into hiding or been killed in one of the early riots.
Fast-forward to present day Earth. After a rather vicious run-in with the Decepticons, a few of the soldiers wind up in the medbay: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Cliffjumper, Huffer, Hound, and Bluestreak all sustained severe injuries. While most of the mechs are easily dealt with, none of the medics can figure out just where Cliffjumper is bleeding out from. Sunstreaker hauls himself off the berth he's on - against Ratchet's orders - and proceeds to open a slew of hidden catches on the minibot's armour. Once Hoist and Ratchet realize what's up, they ask where others are located and start assisting (as Sunstreaker shouldn't really be up anyways). Once all the overlaying armour is removed, the injury causing the trouble is easily found and repaired.
And the mystery of what the hell ever happened to Sunstreaker's favourite model is resolved.
Apparently early on, the Decepticons tried to recruit Sunstreaker and used threats against his model as a means of leverage. Cliffjumper was not thrilled with being thrust into the role of 'damsel in distress,' and in an effort to both protect her and allow her to safely fight if she so desired, Sunstreaker commissioned a full set of outer mech armour be made for her and designed a mask that disguised her more delicately-designed facial features. (Whatever happened to the mech who designed the armour is up to author's whims.) The constant animosity between the pair was mostly a cover; whenever told to 'take it elsewhere,' they used the opportunity to spend private time together.
Additionally:
1. Sideswipe is well-aware of the deception, and has been helping to keep Cliffjumper's identity a secret.
2. Cliffjumper was in fact an artist as well, dealing mostly in metal sculpture. When she starts 'messing around' with it again as a hobby, someone realizes where all the sculptures in Sunstreaker's home - often seen in image captures - actually came from.
3. Another rumour was correct: Sunstreaker and Cliffjumper had been planning to bond before he was approached by the Decepticons and the threats were made against the femme.
That... was way too long. I think I need a nap now.
In fanon (and to an extent in Dreamwave canon - thanks, ditzymusiclover, for the info!), Sunstreaker was an artist before the war. His work was very popular which in turn made him a rather wealthy mech. Some of the most well-received pieces in his collection were a series of almost abstract 'portraits' of an unidentified femme, painted always in black-on-white with the only colour being the femme's optics. Sometimes Sunstreaker did opt for colour other than black, but it was never really uniform enough for anyone to guess the identity of his model or what colour her plating may have been. Rumours arose in the art community regarding the model: she was a lower-caste femme that Sunstreaker paid to pose for him several times, she was an artist in her own right but never did so well as the mech, she was Sunstreaker's muse, the artist was in love with his model, and so on.
However, when war began to loom on the horizon the femme vanished from Sunstreaker's works and no one ever heard her mentioned by the artist again. Some believed that she had either gone into hiding or been killed in one of the early riots.
Fast-forward to present day Earth. After a rather vicious run-in with the Decepticons, a few of the soldiers wind up in the medbay: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Cliffjumper, Huffer, Hound, and Bluestreak all sustained severe injuries. While most of the mechs are easily dealt with, none of the medics can figure out just where Cliffjumper is bleeding out from. Sunstreaker hauls himself off the berth he's on - against Ratchet's orders - and proceeds to open a slew of hidden catches on the minibot's armour. Once Hoist and Ratchet realize what's up, they ask where others are located and start assisting (as Sunstreaker shouldn't really be up anyways). Once all the overlaying armour is removed, the injury causing the trouble is easily found and repaired.
And the mystery of what the hell ever happened to Sunstreaker's favourite model is resolved.
Apparently early on, the Decepticons tried to recruit Sunstreaker and used threats against his model as a means of leverage. Cliffjumper was not thrilled with being thrust into the role of 'damsel in distress,' and in an effort to both protect her and allow her to safely fight if she so desired, Sunstreaker commissioned a full set of outer mech armour be made for her and designed a mask that disguised her more delicately-designed facial features. (Whatever happened to the mech who designed the armour is up to author's whims.) The constant animosity between the pair was mostly a cover; whenever told to 'take it elsewhere,' they used the opportunity to spend private time together.
Additionally:
1. Sideswipe is well-aware of the deception, and has been helping to keep Cliffjumper's identity a secret.
2. Cliffjumper was in fact an artist as well, dealing mostly in metal sculpture. When she starts 'messing around' with it again as a hobby, someone realizes where all the sculptures in Sunstreaker's home - often seen in image captures - actually came from.
3. Another rumour was correct: Sunstreaker and Cliffjumper had been planning to bond before he was approached by the Decepticons and the threats were made against the femme.
That... was way too long. I think I need a nap now.