#primas rambles

[starburr]

Headcanon that in the Transformers One continuity, that all the Primes are dating one another.

Although I'd wager maybe a few like Quintus or Alpha Trion are on the aroace spectrum, maybe demiromantic but still poly.

[rush-the-stars]

oh god ballet au with vash and nai oh god oh no

[kari-go]

Your favorite character with your less favorite miraculous

Look at me, I used to salt on her so much and now she's my fav,, character development :P

It was hard to pick my fav so I restricted myself to just the show's characters because I would not have been able to pick between my ocs (Blanche and Stephan to be specific lol)

The miraculous was a bit easier, now, it's not because I dislike the miraculous but it's because of just how much the kwami/suit was a pain in the ass to draw, and since I'm still struggling with Voltt (and Orikko doesn't exist LOL) it was really simple

look at him, he's just not it

[zipstick-art]

i'm back with a renewed passion for art so here's another drawing of my favourite little red panda chicken

+ bonus sketch under the cut because i still like the way it looks

[etirabys]

Last year I read Richard Schmid's Alla Prima and here's the part that most stuck with me (bolding mine):

Never knowingly leave anything wrong on your canvas. What do I mean by wrong? Wrong is anything on my canvas that doesn 't look like what I intend it to look like. I don't mean to suggest that wrong means any deviation from a strictly literal rendering of my subject. On the contrary, wrong as I am using it here means deviation from my perception of a subject or what I wish to have in my picture. Whenever you put something on your painting that bothers you or doesn't look true, do not leave it there and go on to something else thinking it doesn't matter. It does matter. It is the same as deliberately leaving ungrammatical words in writing. Why do it? I try not to do it, and it bothers me when I let it happen. (It doesn't happen by itself.) ... Once you are into the serious stuff – past the opening shots – and you know where you want to put everything, don't make random strokes anymore. They amount to aimless daubing in the vain hope of somehow accidentally making the right one. It is pure speculation, and the law of averages is overwhelmingly against you.

I incorrectly cached this as "simply do not paint the wrong thing" over the past year, but even that "draw the rest of the owl" advice was very good. It turns out I frequently am painting the wrong thing in such a way that I can stop when I remind myself to simply not do that. Quite surprising.

[qkmlh]

Outta curiosity (and because I do have one)

[primus-why]

AU: An Alternate Original Primes Narrative

Here's a very star-crossed lovers kind of AU mythos for the original Primes, with a MegOp/reincarnation endgame 👀

To summarize, Prima was the first Prime. They were forged by Primus to help Cybertronians topple their Quintesson oppressors.

From there, as other threats or problems arose, Primus forged a Prime to address the issue. One by one, twelve Primes in total were made, each serving a purpose that led Cybertron into it's first golden age. (For example, Solus could forge great weapons to keep the planet safe, Amalgamous could unlock secrets of transformation, etc.) Together they could face any challenge, and by the time the Quintessons attempted to recolonize Cybertron, the Quints were squashed easily.

Eventually, Alpha Trion began to forsee an even greater enemy on the horizon. After bringing this news to Primus, the twelve Primes learned that they would soon face Unicron-- a being as powerful as Primus themself. Armed with that information, each Prime went about preparing for the impending confrontation in their own way.

Prima-- the first Prime, and leader of the twelve-- met with Primus regularly, meditating and seeking guidance. Megatronus-- a warrior as strong as Prima, though significantly more cunning and ruthless-- decided to enlist the help of Alpha Trion's foresight to prepare for the battles ahead. He reasoned that the more he could predict the fight, the better he could ensure a winning outcome.

But one day, Alpha Trion had a shocking revelation: soon they would meet one more Prime! Initially, Megatronus was only interested in what the new Prime would be able to contribute in battle. He went with Alpha Trion to visit Primus and inquired just that, as well as when they might be forged.

But Primus explained that this new Prime already walked among them! In due time, they would become enlightened and answer their higher calling to fulfill their role as the next Prime. However, until then, they lived as any other ordinary Cybertronian citizen. This thirteenth Prime's experience, Primus reasoned, would provide invaluable insight into how the Primes may better serve their subjects.

Peeved that the ever-cryptic Primus did not directly explain when this new Prime might arrive, Megatronus went back to his battle inquiries with Alpha Trion. (He even tried to needle some info out of Prima, who told him just as cryptically "Be patient, Primus has a plan". So forget it.) What use would an average citizen serve in such a grand conflict, anyway?

However, over time, Alpha Trion had less and less to say on the battles, and Megatronus began to suspect the other Prime had exhausted his scope on the conflict. Fair enough-- it would be impossible to know everything, as 'Trion had explained to him when his inquiries first began. Just in case, he would still ask about the future (though not nearly as frequently), and usually he got the same or similar results.

That is, until one day, Alpha Trion mentioned something very unexpected: that the new Prime would bear a spark that resonated with Megatronus' own.

Now, Megatronus had nearly forgotten about the up-and-coming mystery Prime, but he knew what resonance meant. It was synonymous with finding a soulmate, someone meant to be a companion with whom you'd form a close bond. It was... intriguing, to say the least.

Megatronus-- who possessed the same strengths as Prima, but without the direct connection to Primus-- often felt as though he had to prove himself. Each of the other Primes served a unique purpose, meanwhile he felt like an outcast for merely possessing the same abilities as their leader. This made him more ambitious than the rest of the Primes, fighting to prove his worthiness and to find a place by their sides.

But now... according to Alpha Trion's prophecy, this new Prime was to be someone who would stand by his side for a change. Someone who would find him worthy, regardless of his abilities.

Suddenly Megatronus became obsessed with Alpha Trion's foresight again, only this time he wanted to know more about the new Prime. What would they be like? What are their interests? Where are they now? When will they finally meet?

But that last question was troubling to Alpha Trion. See, he had told Megatronus only a portion of the prophecy-- that the new Prime would rise up during the arrival of Unicron-- but he hadn't shared the rest of it...

... Megatronus would not be there to meet this new Prime.

Alpha Trion interpreted this to mean that Megatronus' death would kick off the conflict. Despite knowing he cannot change the futures he predicts, he set about trying to find loopholes. Perhaps it simply meant Megatronus would be off-world, or even in stasis? Perhaps it meant he should try to delay the enlightenment of the new Prime, so that Unicron may never come...

Meanwhile, Megatronus continued to ask questions about the future. He could tell Alpha Trion was getting more and more exhausted, but he was growing impatient. He wanted everything to be perfect for when the new Prime made themselves known; he wanted to know how to navigate conflicts with them, how to cheer them up when it was warranted, how to be the perfect partner to them-- because shouldn't someone who so wonderfully accepted him as he was deserve the perfect partner? It got to the point that he was practically looking forward to the arrival of Unicron, which disturbed the other Primes.

Prima and Solus eventually confronted him, citing Alpha Trion's perpetual exhaustion from using his gift so frequently (though none of them knew Alpha Trion had also been researching ways to prevent Megatronus' demise.) Megatronus contended that they couldn't possibly understand being in his position, and argued that they ought to be thankful for his idea to collaborate with 'Trion so that they might know what to expect in the upcoming battles.

But Prima and Solus clarified that they took issue with Alpha Trion's gift being used for personal gain, for they knew Megatronus had also been looking into the new Prime, and why. That enraged Megatronus, who doubled down on pointing out their privileges-- Prima and Solus had been a blissfully bonded pair for many vorns now, how dare they try to shame him away from his own happiness?!?

Alpha Trion arrived on the scene after learning of the argument taking place at the Citadel. He tried to intervene just as things were heating up, and admitted to also using his power selfishly to try to find a way to preserve Megatronus' life.

A cold rage filled Megatronus once he learned the truth. After all that preparation, he wouldn't be the one charging into battle with a grand plan. He would never write his own legend, or make his own distinct mark among the Primes, aside from dying before their most important fight. He would never meet his match in life, never have his own conjux.

Alpha Trion's voice, babbling about loopholes and waiting, was drowned out. Quick as a klik, Megatronus took aim with his Requiem Blaster and fired without another thought.

His aim was true, hitting Solus Prime squarely in the chest plates. He barely registered the others' horrified reactions, focusing mainly on Prima. His oh-so-perfect counterpart. The leader who had everything-- high status, strength, deep and meaningful relationships, respect-- all from the moment he was forged...

... so why not even the playing field, for once?

From there, Prima launched a vicious attack upon him, while Alpha Trion and others tried to either stop them or provide first aid to Solus. Despite Prima no doubt feeling the pain of their conjux's spark fading, they put up a hell of a fight. Though, if he's being honest, Megatronus wasn't fighting for his life at that point-- he knew now that he was destined to die soon anyway-- rather, he was taking out years of his own pent-up frustrations, grief, and jealousy on his fellow Prime. However this made him callous and uncoordinated, and Prima eventually got the upper hand. Swift as they could, Prima snuffed out Megatronus' spark, and rushed back to Solus' side just in time to witness her last vents.

A funeral was held in the memory of Solus; all of Cybertron mourned her loss, and cursed the name of Megatronus. Megatronus' body was not laid to rest, instead it was launched into space by Prima themself, because they did not want to pay any sort of tribute to the one who had betrayed them so personally.

Eventually Unicron came across the body, resurrecting Megatronus' powerful frame with a fractured mind-- only retaining the hatred, sorrow, and frustration he had felt in his final moments. The shell of Megatronus was instrumental in leading Unicron's legions, wreaking havoc on the universe until they were on a direct course for Cybertron at last.

Not long after Unicron was spotted heading their way, the final Prime ascended to his rightful place-- he was called Optimus Prime. The Primes, now only eleven strong, scrambled to make use of all their preparations, while Optimus tried to find his own footing in all this. He ended up meeting with Alpha Trion often, as he was the studious type, and found a great deal of insight within the notes the other Prime had been taking with Megatronus all those years ago. Wistfully, Alpha Trion remarked that Megatronus would have appreciated being acknowledged for their efforts, as it had been his idea. Optimus asked to have all the notes, and Alpha Trion let him. ("I'm not of much use otherwise," he said, "Unlike most of the others I'm not a warrior, and my gift refuses to see beyond a certain point. It would seem all of our futures hinge on the outcome of this conflict. Good luck, Optimus Prime. 'Till all are one.")

Optimus pored through the notes, coming to understand Megatronus' battle tactics along the way. He also uncovered the tragic prophecy, which foretold their sparks would have resonated. It made his own spark ache-- torn between the facts of Megatronus' brutal betrayal towards his fellow Primes, yet Optimus longed to have known his spark, to see who he was for himself and to have known what that connection might have felt like.

Even armed with their knowledge and skills, the Primes were still fewer in numbers than they had initially hoped when they had first learned of Unicron. Prima realized they would not be able to defeat Unicron permanently-- in fact, they understood most of them would not survive this conflict-- and resolved to subdue Unicron instead. In one final stand, the warrior Primes banded together, channeling all their sparks' energy into Prima and their Matrix of Leadership-- save for the faintest flicker, which would return to the Allspark-- putting an end to Unicron's rampage and freeing Megatronus' bound spark.

In light of their sacrifices, Primus greeted each of the Primes' sparks warmly once they reached the Allspark, apologizing that things did not go as planned, and offered to grant them each a wish for whenever they are able to reincarnated. Some like Prima and Nexus wished that they would be able to someday know the others as friends in another life, to be able to laugh together, while some like Onyx or Amalgamous wished to retain elements of their gifts as they couldn't imagine a life without them.

Optimus' spark wondered where Megatronus' spark was... was he not welcome? And Primus revealed that they would have welcomed him despite his betrayal, however his spark was tainted when it was called back by Unicron, and thus would be doomed to wander, never allowed to rejoin the Allspark. Optimus' spark resolved that his wish would be to bring Megatronus back into the fold, to allow his spark to be purified and be given the chance to be reborn in a new life.

And Primus asked him, "Would you still wish this, even if it meant your sparks may never encounter each other? Even if I couldn't guarantee he would be happy in the next life?"

"Yes." Optimus' spark replied, full of conviction, "I believe he should be given the chance to find that happiness for himself."

And Primus obliged.

============================

Fast forward many years. Alchemist Prime and Alpha Trion are the only ones who survive the fight with Unicron, but the legends say they perished alongside their fellow Primes that day. They've since gone into hiding, adopting civilian personas, and watching over society with the rise and fall of Prime-pretenders who aren't even close to being shadows of the Thirteen. None can harness the Matrix the way a true Prime could.

Myths about the original Primes arise-- ones that stretch the truth about their respective roles and personalities, tall tales that blend fiction and reality... but mostly fiction. Some claim Prima was Primus themselves, walking among them for a time. Some say Onyx Prime is living on one of the moons exclusively in his beast form. Most will claim Megatronus was evil and in cahoots with Unicron all along, or was once good but seduced into wickedness. One tale even saw Megatronus being possessed by Unicron to kill Prima, but said Solus stepped in to take the blow instead. Alpha Trion is particularly saddened to see Megatronus remembered as The Fallen Prime, a complicated individual eroded into a simplistic abstraction to scare sparklings as they're being tucked into berth. It's what inspires him to work in the Iacon Archives, as he would much rather preserve true histories than to predict what will come to pass (besides, he's still wracked by guilt for what he perceives as his part in Megatronus' downfall). Alchemist opens up Maccadam's, offering a safe place for folks to let loose and be themselves-- because after they faced Unicron, he's come to especially appreciate these precious fleeting moments in the present.

Obviously they don't know about Optimus' wish, so they are independently put-off by the eerie similarities they spot in a certain gladiator rising to fame... because there's no way Megatronus' spark was able to re-enter the Allspark after being wielded by Unicron, right? It would have been corrupted... but what a peculiar coincidence... especially the name he's going by... hmmmm...

Alpha Trion even notices one of his archivists taking a particular interest in the gladiator's speeches... and as you know, the rest is history. 👀

[sweetpea-sprite]

the thing about the ni no kuni wiki is that most of it is fine. and it's definitely better than it was a few years ago - i know a couple of the editors and have made a handful of contributions myself

truly one of the main issues with it though is the fact it uses the prima guide for information. this is where like half of the misinformation on the nnk wiki comes from. THE PRIMA GUIDE IS BAD. DO NOT LISTEN TO THE PRIMA GUIDE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN EXTREMELY BASIC INFORMATION

[mxescargot]

Not going to lie, I really don't want to spam numbers for the couple ask game right now, but I do want to know about your characters' relationship, soooo. 1-30. :3.

(You don't actually have to answer all of them if you don't want to, you can just do any you want to do- /gen) 🌻

oughhh tyty for the ask /gen

for those unaware, tl;dr: good princess/evil queen gfs :>

couples ask game for reference

princess prima garon (she/they/one) is the archetypical heroic good princess whose family was descended from a chosen one hero that defeated an evil overlord and sent them into exile. prima is the new chosen one to defeat a new evil: vindicta nox (any pronouns), queen of the neighbouring evil kindgom and descendant of the evil overlord prima's ancestor ousted. instead, they fall in love. (also turns out the kingdom's not that bad, just has a "villainous" aesthetic)

1. at first their families were. concerned. but over time stuff worked out and now they get along fine/their countries are allies

2. see above, i think it was harder for friends to get over distrust though

3. don't know, hmm.

4. i imagine prima's most relevant ex might be the lancer to her leader in their hero-team? but either way they're on good terms and that was a while ago, just ended up being kind of incompatible for a committed relationship. maybe prima dated around as well but this would be a childhood friend... turned first love or something? 👀 considering making them arospec and realizing that later/vindicta feels "different" from the rest. vindicta is definitely also a different type of person from the people prima thought they should be dating... xe's much easier to be around as a Partner. vindicta may have a previous ex that they also ended up not being too compatible with, but that ex had a worse attitude about it and it ended on worse terms.

5. initially, they don't get many chances to sleep in the same bed. however physical touch is vv important to them (totally not projecting /s) so when their families and the people in their kingdoms became more okay with it they spend the night together alllll the time. usually at vindicta's place because he's, yknow, actively ruling crows country and travel arrangements are a pain in the ass. ANYWAYS prima loves sleeping tightly curled up into vindicta. or the two spoon, they probably have one of those couples' pillows so your arm isn't crushed

6. they ABSOLUTELY give each other nicknames/pet names. vindicta calls prima riri, while they call xem vin. vindicta uses a lot of the typical flirty villain pet names: "my dear", "my sweet", etc. this happens to fluster prima a lot, though it's hard for one to admit the obvious fact that one finds it attractive. prima isn't big on pet names except using the ones her gf calls her sarcastically sometimes, which it finds kinda funny. sometimes they jokingly call each other their full names and titles.

7. vindicta likes how strong-willed and determined her riri is, almost stubborn. however, this can almost be exasperating and sometimes prima doesn't know ones own limits. less decided/articulate on what prima likes and dislikes about vindicta

8. not gonna go into too much detail about this (i am a minor) but prima: vindicta's overall height/build (vin is the taller one), and voice if that counts as physical vindicta: probably into collarbones? and the uhh waist/stomach area yk.

9. didn't know what this was, looked it up. seems to be about commitment and also just, happiness in a long term relationship? so i guess so.

10. haven't built out too specific of a timeline yet but they've definitely had big fights over what i mentioned in #7 with vin getting frustrated over prima being kinda self destructive and almost obsessed with "the right thing"

11. idk how to articulate this 😭

12. the respective royal families/courts freaking out, crises in both of their kingdoms, probably a death in prima's family

13. as i mentioned, both really value physical touch. they also both do a lot of words of affirmation (building off of hero/villain banter). besides that vindicta leans more gift giving and prima more acts of service/quality time. in terms of unique expressions of love, they like sparring with each other and helping improve the other's swordsmanship. prima enjoys trying to cook things that vin might like and generally like... presenting skills she's learning to him. meanwhile vindicta likes surprising darks gf with gifts related to their interests in particular, dark really enjoys their reactions.

14. idk what really counts as a "little thing" but? prima: smelling petrichor after rain. finding shapes in the clouds, moon, or stars. experiencing hypnogogia before falling asleep. running your hand along cold, polished stone. enjoying a drink so warm it almost burns your tongue. vindicta: happy vestibular stimming. waking up as the sun rises. noticing the seasons change. aspects of prima's style of magic usage: a pinkish yet golden light, a hard-to-describe tingling feeling.

15. prima definitely picked up a bit of that "flirty villain" vibe in her mannerisms, while vindicta has grown a bit more lighthearted and energetic in conversation. they copy each others' stims.

part 2

[nightingaletrash]

Commenters: *taking my silly vampire/virus fanfic way too seriously* Me:

[sinnettini]

also in teoria è per i libri ma la gente ci mette anche tipo dvd e cose così e oggi ci sono un po' di vhs. ce n'è uno di topolino e uno dei pokemon e poi ce n'è qualcuno che avevamo (abbiamo) anche noi 😭 forse sono troppo hashtag vecchio boomer ma qualcuno si ricorda la collana grandi film del corriere della sera

[peace-hunter]

oh that's a great question!

this is gonna be a bit confusing because i hadn't really thought about it in depth until right now but! it depends on what prime you're asking about!

all of the primes were down in the well of all sparks with primus after their deaths, so generally they were only vaguely aware of what was going on the planet. nothing beyond "there isn't a war going on anymore, but the quintessons are still here and the energon has stopped flowing freely".

but. megatronus did have a more detailed knowledge of what was going on... because sentinel took his t-cog and with it a part of him. he couldn't manifest to him like he can with OP and his awareness was kind of limited (more of a vague feeling and the ocasional flash of sound and images) but it's still enough to paint a rough image of what is truly going on with their people.

and when alpha trio gave the squad prima's, micronus', onyx's and alchemist's t-cogs they also got that connection with them but a little bit stronger, to the point where they could actually tell what was going on most of the time. this is because unlike megatronus, they weren't revolted to their very core by the spark their cog had to meld with lmao

so. this does mean that as a whole all of them Know what happened after the cave. including megatron's breakdown. and the whole "accidentally getting shot by your best friend and then being very intentionally dropped to the core of the planet" fiasco. micronus and alchemist got a pretty good view of it, but onyx and prima have a visceral insight on it.

prima had already experienced what dying in betrayal felt like once. he's so terribly sorry this will be one more thing he and optimus will share with each other.

this also means that megatronus knew the moment sentinel was ripped in half and had one split second of being like "well at least i'm not stuck with that fragger anymore-OH C'MON!" before feeling his t-cog being taken by someone else. again.

he gets like five seconds of good connection before he realizes just who exactly took his t-cog and then he's back into violently rejecting it. he doesn't care if he gets shitty reception, he's not interested in any sort of bond with the mech who just murdered his best friend (and his new baby brother). it's not as bad as it was with sentinel but certainly nowhere near what the rest had described.

it's still enough for him to witness exactly what megatron does with his name and legacy though.

there is a reason he's the one that holds a grudge against megatron for the longest time out of all the primes

anyway! tldr: they sorta knew a little bit of what was going on, especially after the squad got some of their t-cogs, but they still need optimus to fully fill them in the details of everything before that.

also yes, micronus and alchemist do get to keep their connection with bee and elita even after they're bound to the matrix by primus. they cannot manifest to them as they do to optimus, but they can speak a little to them sometimes. they can also follow them around to a certain point.

so can megatronus with megatron. no one is happy about this.

I like the idea that the Matrix was said to contain "The wisdom of the Primes" and while it kind of DOES, what he actually got was the ability to commune with the Primes, and while everyone expects them to be a well of wisdom they're kind of just normal people and tell Optimus that Megatron's a glitch.

He's basically just got 13 older annoying siblings.

some times collective wisdom means knowing how to build and lead an entire army while restructuring your entire society after decades of oppression.

others it means knowing that mixing the cybertronian equivalent of vodka and tequila is a Stupid Idea and you will definitely regret it oh my god-

and being the youngest of fourteen sometimes means knowing that and doing it anyway lmao

but yeah that's basically it! that's kinda the point of the au! yeah they were wise and intelligent and almost divine but they were still people! and the concept of wisdom can be very subjective when there's thirteen of you and you have thousands if not millions of years of Opinions™ aklsjdlalds

haunted au

[fukounaboy]

AVEVO RAGIONE.

[dolce-tenebra-toscana]

E vai col tango, facciamo sta cazzata 🤣🤣

[girlcodedcreature]

Gonna take this as an opportunity to be annoying about some crunchy indie ttrpg systems I like and also my own.

And by some, I mostly mean LANCER. It's very rules lite on the narrative side of things (though there has indeed been a really cool supplement released for that) but the main mechanics star is its crunchy combat that's fine tuned like a piano, and when you go into combat with a cool map, lemme tell you, that piano plays beautiful music. Also the setting is frankly more interesting and fleshed out than I would have expected any mech fighting game to be, with quite a lot of "horrors as everyday objects" shenanigans (the implications,,,).

I myself am making a system that's going to be fairly crunchy and with many dice. I'm currently writing combat, and while it's its own unique thing, there are elements reminiscent of LANCER and Warhammer Fantasy. Playtesting for that started two days ago to see if the core melee mechanics are actually fun to engage with, but the next systems I'm working on are going to involve positioning, cover, armor as damage mitigation, lasting wounds (this will come after most of the combat in general is written), and I've been flirting with the idea of adding a system for limb injuries and the ability to intentionally target parts of the body for some tradeoff bonuses.

All of that is of course subject to change because I will need to playtest those systems to make sure they're actually fun but that's the plan for now.

Why is it the biggest champions of indie RPGs here only offer the most low-t, rules-lite, cutsey games. What happened to the GURPS and Harnmaster stans? Give me games that will make me cry from weight of rules and from the ecstasy of doing far more violence in far more detail than 5e could ever promise. I want indie tabletop RPGs where every roll uses college mathematics and the setting gives you a heart attack

[brandwhorestarscream]

Megatronus talking to Megatron fic please?

Hell yeah lets go. Mostly just transcribed from my rambling in discord, but nyeh

Consider: the cogs they've been given influence their host a bit. Like how, donated organs sometimes have "memories" from their old bodies that they had before. Giving the host physical sensations and habits they didn't have before (it's a real thing, look it up)

We know that Liege Maximo wasn't responsible for orchestrating Solus's death in this universe, but it's still very possible he's still got a very dark and twisted streak inside him. What if D-16's sudden, violent resolve to kill Sentinel came from Liege Maximo? He 100000% wants Sentinel dead because he's a traitor and doesn't deserve to live, and his influence still on his cog combined with D-16's righteous anger came together into the drive to rip that mech apart, with his bare hands.

What I'm getting at is, the cogs have "memory" and influence, to a point. Optimus got Prima's cog, so naturally he stepped into a more rigid leadership position that was staunchly against purposefully extinguishing sparks. So, when D-16 takes Megatronus Prime's cog from Sentinel's chest, he gets hit with a blast of Presence from the God of War himself, and already riled up and angry he kinda. Spirals out of control.

The Spirit of War drives him to fight, protect, destroy. Raze that evil mech's influence to the ground so not a single shred of him remains. Unless his presence is completely annihilated, there's a chance it could seep into the cracks and take up root again, and slowly sink it's insidious fingers into their people once more. He cannot allow that!

Fast forward to that night and newly christened Megatron is still angry, angry, angry… until he falls asleep and his processor can get a much-needed rest and defrag. He dreams about- about Orion, about… the surface, about Sentinel, about everything. He sees Sentinel taking Orion away, sees Orion bloodied and lifeless falling into a pit of despair. He sees himself, out of his body, trying to save him but he can't. He sees his best friend looking at him in sadness and disgust and, finally, feels the sadness and misery he'd been stubbornly choking down suddenly force it's way into his throat.

...Is he awake? Is he asleep? It hits him so intensely he can't tell, and just. Plops down on the ground, arms wrapping around himself and beginning to sob with all the force of his broken spark. It's not fair. Everything… everything has changed, he's lost everything and everyone and- and he's still angry! Why does he feel like this? How does he make it stop? He doesn't want to be angry anymore, he doesn't want… whatever this is that he can feel slowly creeping toward him. This isn't over. Something bad is coming. He doesn't want this, he doesn't want this, he doesn't want this-!

He about jumps out of his plating when someone suddenly touches his helm, and nearly falls over when he looks up and finds a hulking, huge mech had settled down next to him. Thrice his size, at least, and before, that wouldn't have been strange. Expected, even. But now he has his cog, his alt mode, he's much bigger now. Even so, he feels puny in this mech's shadow, but his size alone isn't the surprising part.

Painted purple and black with a face that Megatron knows extremely well. He rubs his optics and shakes his helm, but he's still there. His vocalizer squeaks when he utters the name, "M- Muh-! Megatronus Prime?!"

He's definitely still dreaming. He has to be. But- But everything feels so grounded and lucid and real- but-

Megatronus Prime chuckles softly. "Sorry to frighten you, little one," he lats the ground next to him. "Sit with me?"

"I- um," he blinks. "Y-Yes sir?"

Megatron has no idea what to say. He sits a respectful distance away, hugging his knees and just o.o staring at him shellshocked the whole time. It- It has to be a dream but it feels real. Is… Is Megatronus actually here with him? Surely he can't be, but…

The Prime waves his servo out in front of them, and warm, gently burning orange fire materializes from nowhere. It floats in a ball before them, lighting the dark, shadowy night. Megatron can feel the heat on his cheeks, and the sensation is too real to be anything but.

"You… y-you're really here-!" He gasps and wipes clumsily at his still-wet face. "Oh- Oh my Primes, you're really-" Promptly slaps a servo over his mouth, optics wide. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to swear, I know we shouldn't use the Primes names in vain I just- y-you're here and- and-"

Megatronus laughs and shakes his helm fondly, reaching over to gently pat his helm. "Peace, youngling, peace. I take no offense." Prima, on the other hand… ooh, how he hated hearing their children swear. It amused the god of war, more than anything. He gave the little silver mech a thoughtful once over. "You have my cog." It's not a question.

Megatron flinches and brings both servos to to his chest. "I- I'm sorry!" He means it too, hanging his helm and looking ashamed. "I- I was just- he took it, he killed you and he took and I- I couldn't just let him keep it," it was impulsive, he would admit, swapping it for the cog already in his own chassis. His voice lowers to a shameful whisper. "D'you… w-want it back?" He doesn't want to go back to being cogless, but…

Luckily, Megatronus shakes his helm. "No, no, keep it. I've no use for it anymore. Heh," a humorless sound that could almost pass as a sarcastic laugh. "Though, I should ask. Wouldn't you rather have yours?"

"What do you mean?"

He holds out one huge servo, palm flat, and an image flickers to life, misty and glowing blue similar to the visions Alpha Trion had shown them. It's simple this time, just a standard transformation cog. But… Megatron chokes. "You mean-?! Th-This one is-?"

"Yours," the Prime nods. "We keep track. We've kept track of every cog he stole, and whom it belongs to. If you want yours, I'll grant it to you."

He's stunned silent, mouth hanging open and entranced by the vision. He… he could have it back? He'd come to accept that his cog was gone, that that monster had molested his newborn body and plucked it right from his chassis, that a part of him had been stolen and desecrated before he even opened his optics for the first time. A hurt that could never heal… a wound he'd carry til the day he died.

But now, Megatronus Prime, his greatest hero and idol, is talking to him and offering it back. All he can do is sit there with his jaw slack.

The god of war seems amused, laughing for real this time and reclining back against the solid metal behind him. He reaches out and wraps one arm around the youngling, who squeaks in surprise, and pulls him close against his side. "You don't have to decide now," he promises. "You can keep mine, if you like the way it feels. And if you change your mind someday, that's fine too."

He's not at all expecting the sudden sob that bubbles up from his side, and looks down in surprise. Little namesake suddenly curls against him, shaken by the first positive physical contact he's had in multiple days, beginning to weep with earnest against his hero's side.

"Wh-"

"I'm sorry!" The words burst out of him in a rasping voice heavily laden with sorrow and wet sobs. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so sorry! I- I didn't mean to, it wasn't supposed to happen like that, I didn't wanna hurt him, I- I didn't mean to I was just so mad-"

This… really isn't Megatronus's forte. He doesn't know what to say, so opts not to say much at all, instead gently draping his arm around the young, miserable bot and just letting him huddle beneath him, weeping brokenly.

"I know, little one… I know. It's alright-"

"It's NOT alright!" He wails. "Nothing is alright! I wanna go home but I don't have a home anymore, and- and Orion hates me and everyone probably hates me and- and I killed my best friend and I took your cog without asking and," he takes a great, heaving, wheezing invent. "And I'm just like Sentinel!"

Megatronus goes from awkward to actively panicking in about 2 seconds. Ok, tears he can deal with. Let them cry it out and release all the stress and they'll be fine afterwards. That's how it goes. But… super deep seated self doubt and worry you've turned into the monster you just defeated? That's- That's really not something he knows how to deal with. Megatronus Prime does not know how to deal with kids.

"...wait, no-" he gives the little one a gentle shake. "No, no, that isn't true-" he continued to wail and cry like the world is ending, like his spark really has shattered into pieces. "You're not- you didn't intend to hurt your friend and wouldn't have if it was up to you, and--forgive me, Mother--Sentinel needed to be dealt with. "You've nothing in common with that mech aside from the cog you both hosted in your chest-"

That just seems to make him cry harder, and Megatronus flounders. What to do, what to do?! Um, uh-

"Oh!" He reaches up with both hands, undoing clasps and deactivating invisible magnets. "Here! Do you want to try on my mask?"

That gets him. Megatron raises his helm suddenly, still hiccupping, tears still streaming down his cheeks. His mouth is still trembling, but he's no longer wailing.

"Wh-" he whimpers softly. "What….?"

Megatronus undoes the last clasp and removes his giant purple mask, lowering it slowly and giving the little silver mech a somewhat sheepish look, red optics peering over the rim. "Do you… want to try it on?"

Megatron blinks twice, then thrice. "That's a mask?"

The god of war nods, lowering it further. He has an unexpectedly pretty, almost delicate face. "My Solus made it for me," he admits, sounding almost shy. "To tell the truth, I… ahem, I get… rather anxious when people see my face. Solus made this for me, quite a long time ago." it's huge when he reaches to offer it to Megatron, nearly the size and width of a small table.

Megatron's hands are still shaking as it's laid across his lap, pinning him to the ground end eliciting an "oof!" of surprise. It's heavy! It weighs more than the miners did when they were cogless! Probably still weighs more than some of them! He runs his hands over the smooth, tempered metal, awed by its quality and sheer size.

"You wear this all the time?" He asks, starstruck.

"Indeed. I never take it off, in fact." this was a special occasion, though.

"I… we thought this was your face," Megatron admits, nearly sheepish. He reaches up to touch his chassis, where the likeness of the god's mask is still etched painfully into the metal there, thanks to Sentinel. He steals a glance up at Megatronus, unable to quite believe what he's seeing. "Everything in the datafiles and history stuff, you're always wearing it. We- We thought you didn't have a mouth!"

Megatronus smiles at him, amused, and for the first time in days Megatron manages to smile, too.

"…can I really, uh…?"

The god of war snaps his fingers and the mask shrinks obediently, til it's just the right size. "Go ahead, youngling."

He exhales nervously and slips it on, fumbling unsurely with the clasps. It smells like sulfur and high quality energon, and something about it makes his whole body prickle.

After he's got it on, he looks up at Megatronus shyly, fidgeting. The world looks different from in here: his peripheral vision is cut off, and everything is framed with the shape of the optical slits. "Well…?" He wrings his servos nervously. "How do I look…?"

"…heh," Megatronus lays one servo on his helm, jostling him gently. "Like a little champion of war." He may be called Megatron now but he's still a child at spark, right now. He's painfully young, and Megatronus Prime is worried for him.

When Megatron wishes he had a mirror so he could see what he looks like with the mask on, and Megatronus is all too glad to grant that wish. It's good to see him less emotionally devastated, but soon after the little silver mechling settles back against his side. "I don't… wanna go to war," he admits forlornly, hugging his knees. "I… I wanna go home. I don't want a war."

"That means you're smart," Megatronus tells him seriously, which earns him a confused look. "I preside over war and reap power from it, but only a fool hopes for war. War incurs heavy loss no matter who you are, and those who actively seek it seek their own destruction in turn. Tis my duty to govern that domain and stand as a guardian over those who must do battle." The Patron Deity of Warriors, Megatron recalls easily. The Guardian Prime of all who take up arms.

If the god of war himself encourages not to seek his domain, it's probably best to listen, no? He sags helplessly against the divine mech's side, feeling helpless.

"You said you want to go home?" Megatronus asks, and Megatron nods wordlessly. "Then… perhaps you should."

"I can't! Orion said- he's a Prime now, and he doesn't want me there, and- and I said I'd never trust another leader again-"

"You trust me, don't you?"

It's plain to see how much the kid idolizes him, and trusts him enough to, at the very least, cry his spark out and air his grievances. That certainly speaks of trust.

"Well- yes but, that's different!" Megatronus Prime isn't just some leader, he's one of the 13! One of the gods! Trusting him is different than trusting some uppity mortal that thinks they're better than everyone else and is willing to suck their lives away for their own benefit! Megatronus Prime isn't like that-

"Do you think your friend Orion is like that?"

"No!" The reflexive leap to defend his friend comes before he can really process it. "No of course not, he's-"

Megatron covers his mouth. Oh. Slag.

"Perhaps," the Prime reaches down and gently removes his mask from Megatron's face, gently lifting his chin with one finger. "A better vow would be to no longer place blind trust in those who lead. Don't deny yourself faith or hope, little one. Both are important in order for you or anyone to have a future."

A future. Right. He sighs, shoulders falling to their lowest point and averting his optics. What future? He's stranded on the treacherous surface with a bunch of bloodthirsty strangers, and if he shows even an ounce of weakness that screechy seeker is going to be jumping for his throat. If not him, then one of the others, surely. He couldn't have any sort of comfortable or trustworthy future with people like that surrounding him. Every friend he's ever had, all of his batchmates, his siblings, his family, they're all back in Iacon. The mecha in the high guard hold no love for him, nor do the ones he's left behind. None of them ever will again. Even Orion, his... his everything, even he surely hates him now.

"Do you truly believe that, little one?"

"Yes! Wouldn't you?! I- I killed him!" Accidentally, and because Orion threw himself in front of his weapon, but still. "Sentinel Prime killed you, don't you hate him?" internally, Dee hates himself for hurting Orion. Surely Orion must hate him as much as he hates him, right?

"Sentinel," Megatronus spits the name in a vengeful rasp. "Murdered me in cold blood, as he did several of my siblings. We're still deciding what to do with him. Orion Pax threw himself in front of your weapon and was caught in the crossfire. You did not seek to murder him, nor did you seek to harm him. Twas an accident, nothing more, and not deserving of hatred. Not the hatred you hold for yourself, nor the hatred you presume he holds for you."

"But..." Megatron shrinks in his shadow, tears beading along the bottom lid of his optics. "But..."

"Hush," the Prime's command is firm but still very gentle. "You want to go home. You don't wish for war. Then I ask you, little one: what must you do to achieve those goals?"