[challenge] Backstory Challenge
Sep. 7th, 2008 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ajremixSo it's JUST slow enough for me to put this up. It'll be the first of my (hopefully) monthly 24-hour challenges. If I can recall to do this on a monthly basis it'll be (idealy) on the first or within the first week of the month.
So this month's challenge is going to be backstory. Pick a character- whatever character you know (or think) I'm familiar with and I'll write a short drabble depicting their past however I see it. Because I probably won't be able to get to these as quickly as my previous challenges, you're free to pick three characters at a time. After I've finished all three of your challenges, you may pick another three. If someone else has picked a character you wanted to see a story of, you can still ask for them and I'll just do a different scene.
CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED BECAUSE GOOD GOD I HAVE SO MANY PROMPTS I SHOULD'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH MORE^^;;
So this month's challenge is going to be backstory. Pick a character- whatever character you know (or think) I'm familiar with and I'll write a short drabble depicting their past however I see it. Because I probably won't be able to get to these as quickly as my previous challenges, you're free to pick three characters at a time. After I've finished all three of your challenges, you may pick another three. If someone else has picked a character you wanted to see a story of, you can still ask for them and I'll just do a different scene.
CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED BECAUSE GOOD GOD I HAVE SO MANY PROMPTS I SHOULD'VE THOUGHT THIS THROUGH MORE^^;;
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Tracks
Date: 2008-09-08 05:42 pm (UTC)The first thing to change was his mannerisms and attitude. His tone, his speech patterns and vocabulary changed. He became haughty, condescending and crude to the 'lower class' despite being one of them.
Then he began to change his body: brighter colors, a sleeker chassis, more exotic features until soon his original body had been entirely reformatted.
He left his original job before his contract was up, snuck his way to one of the upper levels- still too low to be apart of the nobility he so admired but now almost respectable.
New name, new life- he could almost pretend he'd always been what he wanted to be.
Re: Skywarp
Date: 2008-09-08 05:53 pm (UTC)Re: Tracks
Date: 2008-09-08 05:55 pm (UTC)Blades
Date: 2008-09-08 05:57 pm (UTC)Worthless waste of parts
Just getting in the way of our sky
They didn't even try to hide their contempt for Blades and his kind, those high-and-mighty jets thinking they had monopoly over the air. Blades sneered back at them, snappish and cruel. They had nothing, just speed. So what?
He was better than them. He could do things they could only imagine. He'd show them, Blades vowed to himself. Just because a helo didn't have the speed didn't mean they were useless.
Most jets couldn't move vertically, jets didn't have the mobility a helo did, they couldn't perform all the tasks they looked down upon.
But he'd show them. He'd be the most skilled helo in the Autobot ranks and he'll show each and ever one of those airheads just what a helo could do.
Re: Tracks
Date: 2008-09-08 05:58 pm (UTC)Bluestreak
Date: 2008-09-08 06:15 pm (UTC)The young mech in question turned, his expression going from confused to bright as he greeted back, "Lowrun! How's it going?"
"Hectic," the cargo truck said with a tired, happy smile, "but at least I'm making some money, huh? What're you up to?"
"Just running some errands for Bracket right now."
Lowrun pulled Bluestreak into a half-hug, half-chokehold. "You're a good kid, you know that, Blue? If only my own workers were like you. You sure you don't want to transfer over to me?"
Bluestreak laughed, not really fighting the hold. "I like where I am, thanks, Low. Besides, your workers would get tired of a chatterbox like me!"
"But your the best gopher Praxus has! And your chattering is part of what makes you so cute!"
Bluestreak's faceplates pinched in mild aggravation. "I am not cute."
Lowrun poked at his nasal ridge. "You're cute, Blue. As much as you want to deny it, you are and always will be."
The young mech couldn't hold the expression, dissolving into snickers. "Whatever you say, Low. You're the only one that thinks that, anyway."
"I'll bet."
Jetfire
Date: 2008-09-08 06:31 pm (UTC)The first thing he heard as he stepped aboard the bridge of the Calabi-Yau was:
"Afterburner! Leave Strafe alone before I put cuffs on you!"
"After what he said?"
"I don't care what he said- I care that you're trying to rip his head off!"
"I told you, Shot! I told you he's trying to kill me!"
"That's because you keep provoking him."
"Nosecone- you're not helping. Afterburner- down. Now. And Strafe, shut up. You're not helping."
"You bots really need to calm down, you know that?"
"You can shut it, too, Lightspeed."
Jetfire mentally retracted his previous assumption. Sounded like he had some serious work ahead of him.
Springer
Date: 2008-09-08 06:47 pm (UTC)Springer turned on his seat, surprised to have anyone addressing him. Even more surprised to find who. "TC! Isn't this a surprise? Pull up a seat- I haven't seen you since training!"
Thundercracker made himself comfortable at Springer's elbow. Another jet- black and evidently unhappy -sat on Thundercracker's other side. "Heard about your dismissal from Wingspan."
"You still in contact with him?"
"Off and on."
"Hn, not surprised to hear he's got tabs on everyone, though." Springer grinned, nudging at the blue jet. "You're looking pretty good. Guess going mercenary's done better for you than an Autobot officer, huh?"
Thundercracker couldn't help but grin in return which caused the second jet's unhappy look to turn into a frown. "Can't survive out here while keeping a low profile, but at least I don't have regs and officers venting down my chassis. It's surprisingly good to see you again," he added, leaning a wing against Springer's back.
A low whine of engines at Thundercracker's side caught his attention. "Oh yeah- Springer, this is my partner Skywarp. Warp, this is an old buddy of mine from the academy."
"Nice to meet you."
Skywarp's reply was to open scowl.
Still as unruffled as ever, Springer smoothly transitioned to the time-old conversation of 'catching up' even as he pinged Thundercracker on a tightlink. :I don't think your buddy likes me much.:
:Jet mentality.:
:You never seemed to mind me before.: Springer moved in closer, pressing shoulder to shoulder with Thundercracker and watched Skywarp's expression darken.
:Meh. You amused me.:
:You do realize this means I have to mess with him.: Outwardly he said something that made Thundercracker almost choke on his energon laughing. Skywarp was not amused.
:It'll make for some good entertainment.:
Re: Springer
Date: 2008-09-08 06:50 pm (UTC)And Thundercracker/Prowl, because what with Prowl/Springer being THE antipairing, I can't think of one without thinking of the other. :)
Thank you!
Re: Springer
Date: 2008-09-08 06:55 pm (UTC)Springer/Prowl/TC? In my head, the three of them did go through the academy together... >]
Slingshot
Date: 2008-09-08 07:10 pm (UTC)His wings shuddered, his engines were overheating but he still couldn't get much faster than mach 1.6. He wasn't fast enough, he wasn't strong enough and he pushed and pushed and prayed he'd be able to overcome his limitations by pure will alone.
His desperation fueled him even as warnings and alarms went off, engines running too hot, fuel too low, strain beginning to crack at his body. Slingshot wouldn't accept it, he couldn't. He refused to be the weak link of his team- he would allow himself to be the slowest, the weakest. He. Won't. Have it!
His team eventually found him at the end of a groove he carved into the ground, rocks and brush tossed up and armor cracking, dented and dirtied. They carried him back home, not angry at him, not frustrated at his single-mindedness. They just wanted Slingshot to stop obsessing over his flaws and realize that- what he was good at, he was better than anyone.
Xantium
Date: 2008-09-08 07:18 pm (UTC)So when, not a deca cycle after getting this new crew that someone was screaming irately in her halls, unable to do more than drag themselves around because someone had reversed and locked the polarity of their mag plates, Xantium couldn't help but be curious of the incident.
And when a little black jet pressed against her walls with a wide grin and whispered, "Don't tell anyone," Xantium knew this crew was going to be entertaining.
Brawn
Date: 2008-09-08 07:44 pm (UTC)Most of them were young and impulsive and needed a... well, not a role model (because Brawn sure as hell didn't consider himself one) but someone to... look up to? Look after them? Did he look after them?
Sure, he stood up for a couple of them whenever one of the taller mechs tried to give them a rough time, but was that really looking after them? For their size minibots were notoriously tough so it's not like he really worried about them in a fight. Except for a couple. A couple of them he'd grown fond of. And whenever someone got injured in a battle. Then he worried. Kind of.
Someone had to deal with the little guys, right? And just because Brawn was the most veteran of them all, it was only natural they came to him, right?
Right.
Just because he didn't back down from normal sized 'bots and gave advice to other minitbots on how to deal with them and tried to help a hurt comrade whenever he couldn't didn't make, like, special or anything. It was just what a good Autobot did.
Re: Live action movie-verse, Aerialbots
Date: 2008-09-08 07:47 pm (UTC)Inferno
Date: 2008-09-08 08:00 pm (UTC)Inferno tried to quip something off-handed and amusing but had trouble with a medical team trying to dislodge all the ash and metal fragments that got into him.
"You need to think! You can't just run into the middle of whatever's burning and expect to come out as easy as you did this time!" Because coming out half melted was definitely getting off easy. "There's procedures for these situations! They're there to keep us safe!"
Inferno waved a hand, trying to mime his defense with a vacuum tube down his mouth, trying to clear out the debris that was cycled into his internals.
Quint shook his head at the sight, then turned to look at the three other 'bots being treated for burns, overheating and melted components. Mechs that Inferno had barely been able to pull out of a collapsed portion of the burning building. He turned back to Inferno and told him honestly, "Thank you. Don't ever do that again."
Perceptor
Date: 2008-09-08 08:14 pm (UTC)His only worry was not understand every little thing because it was always the small parts that could gum up the workings of the whole. It was always a minor alteration that could make something work flawlessly or come apart time and again.
So Perceptor let his contemporaries look at the stars, look at their refineries, look at making each other bigger and more powerful. He was content at making the most minuscule adjustments because they always made the greatest change.
Re: Brawn
Date: 2008-09-08 08:46 pm (UTC)Re: Slingshot
Date: 2008-09-08 08:56 pm (UTC)Re: Xantium
Date: 2008-09-08 08:57 pm (UTC)Mirage
Date: 2008-09-08 09:54 pm (UTC)Their cities, their loved ones, their entire planet and still they fought on and Mirage wondered if anyone even knew why.
They've all lost everything and yet, somehow, Mirage felt like he'd lost more than anyone else. Here in the Autobots, who he was didn't matter. All his wealth, his history, where and who created him meant nothing. The businesses he ran, his annual charity donation toward the lower class, those politicians and corporate owners he entertained, the size of his living quarters in the largest, most stunning spire of Iacon- it meant nothing.
He had nothing. No social standing, no status, no finances, no friends or family or data. So many had lost everything but none had fallen so far as Mirage had and none of them understood how out of his depths he was. There was nothing familiar to anchor him now-
A turbo-fox sped across his path and Mirage stared at it, too shocked to even draw his hunting blaster to tag it. And then it vanished before his optics.
"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Mirage looked up to see a green mech smiling apologetically at him, waving his hands. He recalled seeing this mech around, showing off his skills with the holoprojector mounted on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to startle you."
The other mechs around him didn't seem too bothered by anything and Mirage looked back at the deck at where the turbo-fox had vanished. For the briefest moment he'd seen a piece of his old life again and that made him feel more alone then ever.
He looked back up at the mech and asked, "Please, could you do that again?"
Impactor
Date: 2008-09-08 10:10 pm (UTC)The two mechs made their way into the back room and Springer asked lowly, "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to be here?"
"Absolutely." Impactor replied, expression nor stride breaking. "I need a witness to see what a giant pain in the transistors Xaaron is."
Springer was pretty certain talking about an Emirate that way was probably against some sort of protocol, but he wasn't about to bring something like that up.
As they entered the office to an unimposing and relatively small mech behind a desk, the first thing they were greeted with was, "Impactor, are you so imposed by me you felt the need to bring along a bodyguard?"
"Watch your vocalizer, wily old buzzard. Don't corrupt my impressionable officer."
"The mere fact he's with you means he's far beyond any help of redemption."
Impactor broke out into a wide grin, hands on his hip components. "How've you been, Xaaron?"
The small Emirate smiled in return, looking relaxed in their presence. "Better now that I have someone I can abuse."
"That's why I brought him," Impactor said with a pat to Springer's shoulder that sent the triplechanger forward a few steps, "so feel free to abuse away. Xaaron, this is Springer. Springer, this is the wily old buzzard I've told you about."
As Springer bowed his head respectfully, Xaaron stood with a warm smile. "I assure you all he said were lies."
Springer looked at Xaaron, his warm smile and easy banter and couldn't help but grin back.
Re: Blades
Date: 2008-09-08 10:31 pm (UTC)(I love helicoptors <3~)
And thank you very, very much, especially since you look...pretty swamped right now 0o
Red Alert
Date: 2008-09-08 10:45 pm (UTC)They had to check everything with everything. A cleverly constructed virus could easily bypass normal security algorithms but they wouldn't be able to be overlooked by all the protocols.
But they had to be used. A real hazard, a real test of a security officer's skill wouldn't be caught simply with one check or even three checks. Everything had to be looked over multiple times, checked over every single variable before it could truly be deemed safe.
This was the lesson Red Alert took to spark during his training and he couldn't understand how no one else in his class had. He forced himself to have the patience for this, he refused to let himself be lax for one moment because that one moment was all it took for someone to be hurt for his mistake.
He refused to be responsible for that. Not when he could save lives simply by doing his job.
Re: Blades
Date: 2008-09-08 10:46 pm (UTC)Re: Inferno
Date: 2008-09-08 10:49 pm (UTC)