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ajremixTitle: Long is a Dragon
Fandom: Transformers
Rating: G
Word Count: 680
Characters: Springer, Smokescreen
In Response to:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
10_whores by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
meallanmouse, prompt: Smokescreen + calligraphy
Summary: Inspired partly by an observation by a co-worker about how some people have a hard time writing without a keyboard. Title comes from an old workbook teaching basic Chinese characters.
Smokescreen had gotten more than his fair share of befuddled and dismissive looks so he didn’t at all find it surprising when someone slid into the open seat next to him to ask, “What are you doing?”
Normally one would have answered ‘writing’ but Cybertronian lacked a translation for the word. Instead he said, in the best analogue he’d found to describe his activity, “Recreating glyphs.”
Beside him, Springer (someone Smokescreen both did and didn’t expect to express any sort of curiosity about this) intensely studied the way Smokescreen’s hand moved over the touch screen and the imperfect glyphs that were left behind. “Recreating?”
“Yes.”
“Why not just input?”
“Because,” Smokescreen moved to the next line of glyphs. His specially created program sensed the movement and scrolled the screen upward accordingly, “I think better like this.”
The Wrecker continued to stare at the screen, not reading the glyphs so much as trying to understand the counterintuitive logic. Smokescreen could practically hear impatience revving in Springer’s cranial unit. The blue mech didn’t doubt that, in the time it took Smokescreen to write out an entire word, Springer could have filled out half a report.
“How can you ‘think better’? This process is far slower.”
A smile quirked at Smokescreen’s lips and he wondered if Springer, with all his unconventional methodologies, would be able to understand this one. “It forces me to think slower and, therefore, really know what I’m creating.”
Springer’s focus shifted from staring bemusedly at the writing to looking incredulously at Smokescreen. The latter, of course, already had everything he was planning on writing out composed in his processors but, as he constantly found himself doing as he worked with the slower documentation method, decided he liked a different wording over his original choice. He changed the sentence appropriately and continued to recreate, keeping Springer merely in his peripheral sensors.
“You,” the triplechanger said finally, “are a strange mech.”
“You’re hardly the first to tell me this so it’s likely you and the others are on to something with that.”
“So how exactly do you do this?”
Surprise had Smokescreen’s hand stilling in the middle of a long swish. He turned to the other mech, not quite believing he spoke correctly. “Excuse me?”
“This recreating,” Springer replied, focus back on the glyphs, “how does it work?”
The blue mech took his hand away from the unfinished character and Springer’s gaze followed it to the table then lifted his optics back up to Smokescreen’s. “You want to learn how to do this?”
He received a shrug in response. “Sure, why not? Sometimes when we’re out on missions I’m drawing up our plans in the terrain and I’m thinking that drawing symbols can’t be all that different from drawing glyphs. After all, isn’t that how alphabets and character systems were developed by civilizations?”
“Well... yes,” doorwings twitched slightly, not used to anyone expressing positive interest in his (to put what others had said mildly) odd hobbies.
“So did someone teach you?”
Smokescreen’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I can’t say for certain. I just know it’s harder to get rid of hardcopy glyphs than the electronic data in your head.”
“I get it,” and he knew Springer really did get it. “I got time. Teach me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of all the things I do on a regular basis, being able to recreate glyphs by hand ranks a lower hazardous rating than getting a decent recharge. Show me.”
Well, Smokescreen decided, if anyone would find a use for this other than meditation it would be Springer. Saving and storing his slanted script, Smokescreen brought up a blank screen and said, “You already know all the glyphs and you’re practiced in drawing by hand so we can get right into recreating words. It will probably feel awkward at first, but the real trick is to have the patience and to recognize and not be afraid of uneven or imperfect glyphs. These imperfections gives your recreations... character.”
Springer grinned, leaning on his elbows and getting into the lesson. “Always did like character.”
Fandom: Transformers
Rating: G
Word Count: 680
Characters: Springer, Smokescreen
In Response to:
10_whores by meallanmouse, prompt: Smokescreen + calligraphySummary: Inspired partly by an observation by a co-worker about how some people have a hard time writing without a keyboard. Title comes from an old workbook teaching basic Chinese characters.
Smokescreen had gotten more than his fair share of befuddled and dismissive looks so he didn’t at all find it surprising when someone slid into the open seat next to him to ask, “What are you doing?”
Normally one would have answered ‘writing’ but Cybertronian lacked a translation for the word. Instead he said, in the best analogue he’d found to describe his activity, “Recreating glyphs.”
Beside him, Springer (someone Smokescreen both did and didn’t expect to express any sort of curiosity about this) intensely studied the way Smokescreen’s hand moved over the touch screen and the imperfect glyphs that were left behind. “Recreating?”
“Yes.”
“Why not just input?”
“Because,” Smokescreen moved to the next line of glyphs. His specially created program sensed the movement and scrolled the screen upward accordingly, “I think better like this.”
The Wrecker continued to stare at the screen, not reading the glyphs so much as trying to understand the counterintuitive logic. Smokescreen could practically hear impatience revving in Springer’s cranial unit. The blue mech didn’t doubt that, in the time it took Smokescreen to write out an entire word, Springer could have filled out half a report.
“How can you ‘think better’? This process is far slower.”
A smile quirked at Smokescreen’s lips and he wondered if Springer, with all his unconventional methodologies, would be able to understand this one. “It forces me to think slower and, therefore, really know what I’m creating.”
Springer’s focus shifted from staring bemusedly at the writing to looking incredulously at Smokescreen. The latter, of course, already had everything he was planning on writing out composed in his processors but, as he constantly found himself doing as he worked with the slower documentation method, decided he liked a different wording over his original choice. He changed the sentence appropriately and continued to recreate, keeping Springer merely in his peripheral sensors.
“You,” the triplechanger said finally, “are a strange mech.”
“You’re hardly the first to tell me this so it’s likely you and the others are on to something with that.”
“So how exactly do you do this?”
Surprise had Smokescreen’s hand stilling in the middle of a long swish. He turned to the other mech, not quite believing he spoke correctly. “Excuse me?”
“This recreating,” Springer replied, focus back on the glyphs, “how does it work?”
The blue mech took his hand away from the unfinished character and Springer’s gaze followed it to the table then lifted his optics back up to Smokescreen’s. “You want to learn how to do this?”
He received a shrug in response. “Sure, why not? Sometimes when we’re out on missions I’m drawing up our plans in the terrain and I’m thinking that drawing symbols can’t be all that different from drawing glyphs. After all, isn’t that how alphabets and character systems were developed by civilizations?”
“Well... yes,” doorwings twitched slightly, not used to anyone expressing positive interest in his (to put what others had said mildly) odd hobbies.
“So did someone teach you?”
Smokescreen’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I can’t say for certain. I just know it’s harder to get rid of hardcopy glyphs than the electronic data in your head.”
“I get it,” and he knew Springer really did get it. “I got time. Teach me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of all the things I do on a regular basis, being able to recreate glyphs by hand ranks a lower hazardous rating than getting a decent recharge. Show me.”
Well, Smokescreen decided, if anyone would find a use for this other than meditation it would be Springer. Saving and storing his slanted script, Smokescreen brought up a blank screen and said, “You already know all the glyphs and you’re practiced in drawing by hand so we can get right into recreating words. It will probably feel awkward at first, but the real trick is to have the patience and to recognize and not be afraid of uneven or imperfect glyphs. These imperfections gives your recreations... character.”
Springer grinned, leaning on his elbows and getting into the lesson. “Always did like character.”
