#ShockLine

[eldritchships]

Early Awakening

Word count: 399

Author's Note: I'll be honest. I wanted something cute. Set between seasons 1 and 2 of Earth.spark

Early morning sunlight crept across the floor of the open room, reaching towards a bed too large for any human. Two metal forms lay entangled together on its surface, content and undisturbed.

CLANG CLANG CLANG.

“Mr Flatline?”

His optics still closed, Flatline’s brow furrowed and he instinctively pressed his faceplate further into the makeshift berth’s cushioning. A static-laced groan stirred from his vocaliser as he was awoken by the muffled voice coming from outside his front door. Lines of diagnostics scrolled past in his still darkened HUD, his systems beginning to come online despite how much he longed to cling to the comfortable fog of recharge.

Flatline felt movement behind him. The purple cannon arm wrapped around his stomach tightened its grip.

“The young ones are here.” Shockwave’s voice rumbled in Flatline’s audio receptor, words similarly wrapped in mechanical fuzz, indicating that he’d also been awoken by the Maltos’ call. His optic bathed Flatline’s cheek in a soft yellow glow as he nudged his helm against Flatline’s neck cabling. “...Should I dispose of them?”

“No, it’s alright…” Flatline reluctantly opened his optics. Blue light mingled with the yellow as their centres whirred and adjusted to their familiar surroundings. There was a complaint message from his elbow joint that he ignored, the limb having been pinned underneath his helm all night. Flatline shuffled back against Shockwave’s chestplate, a smile curving the edges of his lips when he felt Shockwave’s other arm join the one already around him.

CLANG CLANG CLANG.

“Mr Flatline?”

Flatline’s smile dropped and he groaned again. He silently debated continuing to wait, to pretend as if he weren’t home, but he knew he couldn’t stall any longer. Mourning how wonderful it would’ve been to sleep in, he clumsily composed a message and sent it to the nearest mechanical frequency he could detect outside his home; Hold on. I’ll be right there.

About a second passed before he received a reply. It was pure gibberish, communicating an emotion more-so than words. Surprise. Whichever Terran was outside must not have had experience being directly messaged before. While he fought to untangle himself from Shockwave’s grasp, Flatline helpfully re-composed the same message and this time sent it to Mo Malto’s phone. He was sure it was her voice calling his name, and she could relay to her sibling - or siblings - that he had heard them and would be out shortly.

[captainhancock727]

ShockLine - Spring Break

[maxicaiman]

WELL it has been a hell of a journey! I started posting more consistently on this account last June shortly after I turned 18, back when I was hyperfixated on Spiderman. Shortly after I joined the Transformers fandom and have been a part ever since! It’s been amazing growing to over 900 of y’all following me, and now getting to share my birthday with you is something I’ve been super excited for!

I always draw myself something each year, and I figured I’d push myself a bit more this time! Happy Birthday to me, and thank you all for being here, I love you all /p

[belovecore]

@eldritchships

hello selfship community can I offer you this

[screamce]

I'm finally free from artfight AHHH that was so fun I think I doubled my attacks from last year. I got so many I have to break it up into a couple parts gggg but anyway, here's some of the cool stuff i made for some cool people!

as per usual, links n stuff under the cut

Cabbage for @cabbagefaerie

Skye for @aj-is-typing-18

Juno for @jymic

Donnie & Mikey for @the-seraph-thilio

VERSE N CREW RAAHH for @energons

BellaBella for @wolf-tail

ROADRAGE RGAGRA for @kevinexe06

Anokato for @/mpartist1894 on artfight

Delirium + my oc for @gacha-pon

Aria + my oc for @/Ravenz_Featherz on artfight

SHOCKLINE RAAAAHH for @maxicaiman

Popfly, Stageflow, Softserve, & Breakneck for @cheesarbles, @merus-mystery, @/SOUNDBBABE on artfight, + @/redbeanp13 on artfight

Gossamer for @/ACatNamedKK on artfight

Spartan Striker >:] for @kevinexe06

SilverStreak for @/lazy_pan_artist on artfight [it said they had a tumblr but the link is dead </3]

BOUNCEWILD MY BELOVED <3 for @blurrynswindle

Slugs & Snails for @/Minced_Meat on artfight

Iphi for @/Seabluewolf on artfight

Turbo Drive :'( for @kittycookiesuwu

Mourningstar for @penebui

Paradox :'] for @linek0

Pawse for @/BassetBites on artfight

Sunny for @kupahdraws

Nova! for @/Lapitide on artfight

Sophie for @/Rosarolli on artfight

Azalion for @justabeewithapen

Soda for @/polarisbluecaribou on artfight

SkyBlade for @kittycookiesuwu

Shambles for @cherryslu-t

[retro-anon]

@mychlapci here he is!!

The funny thing is he's in a poly relationship with megatron, rodimus, Ultra Magnus/Minimus, and my friends oc Shockline lmao

He will eventually get an updated ref

[radio-wavelengths2]

if each of your ocs had a choice of which canon character to fuck who would they each choose

OOH OKAY A lot of them have canon partners anyways actually! So for most it’s just their partners (doing this all for TFA bC I’m lazy)

Entrap: Blitzwing

Radiostar: Ratchet, Drift and/or Kup (Ratchet and Drift are canon partners, Kup is not)

Humvee: Prowl or Optimus (neither canon partners, his conjunx is a friend’s oc)

Whiz: Wreck-Gar and Prowl (canon partners)

Noxious: Ultra Magnus bC he’d do anything the Magnus tells him to, he’s a complete suck-up

Turboshot: Rodimus Prime, they’re canonically friends-with-benefits for a while!

Oversteer: Megatron and/or Optimus, preferably both at the same time (neither are his partners)

Shockline: Megatron (same as Noxious with Ultra Magnus)

I think that’s all my ocs I post about here,,,

[retro-anon]

MEOW THATS MY BBG SHOCKLINE ALRIGHT

did a call with some friends for a while and drew some porn with my ocs, have Shockline and Fuselage being whores

[smww4ever]

Wonders 🎶✨

[hexusproductions]

♥ (02) ♥ (03) ♥ (05) ♥ (06) ♥ (07) ♥ (09) ♥ (10) ♥ (12) ♥ (14) ♥ (18) ♥ (20) ♥ (23) ♥ (24) ♥ (25) ♥ (28)

gonna need these all for Flatline if that slides, i am doing research <3

Hello and welcome to Flatline & Love 101, I will be your lecturer for the evening. Please take a seat.

Does another OC love your OC? If so, whom, and does your OC know?

It really depends on who I’ve decided to ship him with at the time. In terms of other OCs, I have a few ships with some friends’ OCs, but strangely nothing involving another OC of my own with Flatline. But if there were some poor random Vehicon with a crush on the mad doctor, Flatline would have no idea. It’s never his first thought that someone might actually have a thing for him, because his reputation is not particularly flattering.

Are there any romantic gestures that your OC loves?

Bringing him energon to make sure he refuels (eats) properly. He often forgets to take breaks while he’s working, and bringing him some fuel is not only a caring gesture, but it’s relatively unobtrusive as well. Also, please take an interest in his work, he’s itching to excitedly explain what he’s been doing and it’d make him so happy.

What is the most romantic thing your OC has done for someone else?

From Flatline’s perspective, staying close to his beloved during a fight and making sure their injuries are dealt with quickly and efficiently is very romantic. As is getting retribution on whoever caused those injuries in the first place. Referring specifically to ShockLine, that time Flatline left Shockers an extra cube of energon and made sure he was taking breaks (Flatline’s a hypocrite, as we know).

What is the most romantic thing that has been done for your OC?

Being gifted a test subject when he was having trouble with a specific mixture felt super romantic to him. But also, whenever he’s firmly reassured by his partner that they refuse to recoil or run away from him in fear (even despite his best efforts), that means soooo much more to him than even he can properly process.

How successful is your OC at flirting with others?

When he tries (assuming the person he’s flirting with isn’t an especially stoic individual), Flatline’s pretty alright at it. It’s fairly rare for him to flirt with somebody though, especially initiating it, unless he’s particularly head-over-heels.

What is your OC’s favorite small way to show their love?

Praise. Lots and lots of praise.

What is your OC’s favorite big way to show their love?

Going out of his way to ensure that someone else is protected and safe. Flatline has made a careful circle of self-preservation for himself, and by expanding that circle to include somebody else, it shows he truly cares about them.

What do you love most about your OC?

Everything. He has rewritten my brain chemistry. Mad scientists/mad doctors are my favourite character archetype, he’s hot, and I get to enjoy putting my own robot guy amongst the other fun robots.

Does your OC have any romantic traditions?

Nothing specifically romantic, but Flatline does have a habit of coming up with a gift for someone he’s recently taken a liking to (whether that ‘liking to’ is attraction or plain admiration). Usually, this gift is something he’s cooked up in the lab to suit the recipient’s needs, because Flatline prides himself on his scientific skills.

Does your OC have a “type”?

Big weird guys!! Give it up for big weird guys!!! If they spark his curiosity (pun intended), have a noticeable amount of strength, and especially if they have some intelligence to go with it, you can bet that Flatline will have a thing for them.

How does your OC feel about public displays of affection?

Small displays are okay, he tends to act lovey dovey around his partner/s and some physical affection comes with that. Bigger displays of affection though, he would rather reserve for private moments.

What is your OC’s favorite nice thing to do for themselves?

Flatline’s favourite thing to do for himself is to curl up with a cube of hard grade and a nice book or something equally relaxing. He likes the peace and quiet - not to mention the privacy - of doing this little routine of his every so often.

How does your OC determine that they’re attracted to someone?

That rush where his spark pulses so fast it might burst and the air rushes from his ventilation systems. He keeps being drawn to them, and he’s utterly fascinated with who they are and what makes them who they are. He wants to know them inside and out.

Does your OC believe in soulmates?

Flatline believes that soulmates are made, not assigned. You find the person you love, and you forge that connection, with your bare hands if you have to.

What is something unconventional that your OC thinks is romantic?

Destroying each other’s enemies and serving their heads on a silver platter. A gift-wrapped case of military-grade corrosive acids. Flatline is a Decepticon scientist, so as you might expect his tastes are generally a little unconventional.

[eldritchships]

RIP BB movie Shockwave, you would've been perfect if only you'd gotten more than 12 seconds of screentime

[captainhancock727]

ShockLine - Live Up

[maxicaiman]

Blitzwing and Lockdown stuff

love them sm

[companionwolf]

A moment from day 6 of Op. Summer Afternoon featuring Katersky & Koda.

Description under the cut because I know my handwriting is garbage u_u

[Panel 1: Katersky sits on the left of a couch, angrily looking at a notebook in his hand. On the right side of the couch, leaning over the back, is Koda. "...Katersky?" he asks, less a question than a greeting, looking toward the other man

Panel 2: "Is that from the box? Or the dorm?" Koda continues, still looking toward Katersky, his questions referring to the notebook.

Panel 3: "Dorm - I was trying to draw these things, but uh, they're a little..." Katersky trails off, meeting an unseen Koda's gaze.

Panel 4: "Hey!" Katersky says as we see the end result of Koda taking the notebook as he mutters, "Here, let me see--"

Panel 5: The sigils of the Create Gravitic Warp ritual.

Panel 6: Koda looks frightened; behind him a abstract representation of shock. To the right within the shockline, we can see text reading "-1 SAN"

Panel 7: Koda's looking at Katersky with an expression between fear and anger; he's pointing at the notebook that he holds in his left hand. "What the FUCK are you doing with this?" he asks.

Panel 8: Sitting on the couch, looking at where Koda's now dropped the notebook to the floor, Katersky says, "I want to understand it."

Panel 9: Koda looks down at the notebook with a concerned, nervous expression and says nothing.

Panel 10: We see Koda's booted feet, with the fallen notebook nearby. Across the panel text reads, "You want to understand?"

Final panel: Black handwritten text on a white background. The text reads, "YOU'LL DIE TRYING."]

[briankeene]

Hail Saten 6.0

In 1997, I started a weekly email newsletter called Jobs In Hell. This was in the prehistoric days of the internet, when things like email newsletters were pretty much unheard of. That first year, I charged $10 for an annual subscription. The next year, I raised it to $20. By our fourth year, the newsletter had over 6,000 subscribers. Jobs In Hell featured a weekly mix of news and market listings for horror writers, artists, editors, and others working in the field. Again, this was in the early days of the internet. It wasn’t like you could just Google those things, and social media didn’t exist yet, save in the form of message boards. Jobs In Hell became the main source of news for people in my industry and field. In addition to news and markets, we featured interviews, regular columns and all sorts of other content. We also featured my weekly editorial column, which was titled ‘Hail Saten’. Spelling Saten with an ‘e’ was intentional, inspired by an angry fan letter that featured the same misspelling.

Jobs In Hell – and more specifically Hail Saten – put me on people’s radars long before I’d published my first book. It even went on to win a Bram Stoker Award. But eventually, it got to be too much for me. I wanted to be a writer, rather than a newsletter editor, so I sold the newsletter to Kelly Laymon, daughter of author Richard Laymon, and I focused more on writing.

But I enjoyed writing non-fiction, and so I turned Hail Saten into a Blog which was also called Hail Saten, and just like the former newsletter, it was started when most people didn’t even know what a Blog was.

Eventually, the Hail Saten Blog essays were collected into four books — Sympathy For the Devil, Running With the Devil, The New Fear, and Leader of the Banned. All of those except for the latter have recently been reprinted (and that final volume should be reprinted before year’s end). It’s also probably worth noting that, much like Jobs In Hell, the first Hail Saten book — Sympathy For the Devil — also won a literary award.

Sympathy For the Devil chronicled the very early years of my career, and concluded with the sale of my first novel, The Rising.

Running With the Devil focused on the success that followed that sale — the seemingly “overnight” transition from beginning writer to bestselling author. As I said in the Foreword to that collection, it was a book about an author in his thirties who began to believe in his own press, and his own myth, and who finally got to be one of the superheroes he read about as a kid, and who was devastatingly unaware of his own arrogance or his potential to do harm, as a result.

The New Fear chronicled the fallout of that arrogance, and ended with the initial emergence of something that would soon change the entire world – social media. The book showed how those early days shaped and molded the horror genre and publishing into what it is today.

The online horror space of Sympathy For the Devil and Running With the Devil was dominated by internet message boards such as Shocklines, Masters of Terror, The Red-Light District, and The Other Dark Place. All of them played a big role, as did two author message boards which – back then –absolutely dominated the industry: Warren Ellis’s Forum and my own Brian Keene Message Board. Both of those sites boasted thousands of users, and full-time paid moderators and staff, and both helped kickstart many careers in this business, and lead to some marriages and a few children being conceived. But eventually those message board collapsed in on themselves like dying stars because of the growing rise and eventual dominance of social media. Those same factors ultimately led to the closure of the Hail Saten Blog, as well, which is what Leader of the Banned chronicles.

Indeed, if the Hail Saten series can be viewed as a bird’s-eye history of horror fiction from the birth of the internet up through the arrival of social media (and it indeed can), then it is fitting to note that within a few short months of the final essay in Leader of the Banned, (which culminated in me closing up shop on that old Blog) that entire online space that had been chronicled in these four volumes was gone. Just utterly gone. Instead, the community began to move to Livejournal, MySpace, and these then brand-new start ups called Facebook and Twitter.

That was in 2008.

Now, nearly 15 years later, here at the tail end of 2022, social media is fragmenting, and those brand new start-ups called Facebook and Twitter are dinosaurs staring up at the approaching comet and raging against their inevitable demise. And thus, communities are fracturing, and heading for multiple parts unknown — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr, Goodreads, Discord, Mastodon, Slasher… the list is endless.

But me? I’ve grown tired of social media. At age 55, I have neither the time nor the energy nor the inclination to spend half my day cross-posting on fifty different social media platforms just to reach my readers who have been scattered to the winds by all these changes. So, instead of looking to the future, I’m going to look to the past. I’m going to rebuild my own communal space — a place where we can find each other and talk to one another again.

Step one is this new Blog.

Step two will be the online forum to follow.

Going forward, my social media will slowly begin to simply mirror the information posted here on my website. My interactions nd conversations and writing will move to this space, and to my weekly free Newsletter and daily Patreon. No more will I give my content to a slew of online social media platforms who give me nothing in return.

Like Peter Gabriel, I’ve kicked that habit. Shed my skin. This is the new stuff. I come dancing in. If you show for me, I’ll show for you.

I will show for you…

Hail Saten.

[absentmoon]

🍓 (I don't know if you know enough about any of my ships, if not then no worries!) - @eldritchships

ask game

SMILEEE its ok even with ships i dont know theres always something good =^_^= regardless SHOCKLINE IS SO GOODDD i think that kind of dynamic is so fun & interesting where one is very logical and the other is very emotion-driven .... its nice to see tf shippers in general and shockline is just soo cute we love to see it