Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 4, 2008 0:15:53 GMT -5
"Yeah, we have Bumblebee and Goldbug. I guess they're kind of duplicates... but they don't look alike..."
The thought of evil Autobots gives him a chill in his fuel tank. "Whoa... Autobots are evil where he comes from? Wait... if the Autobots are evil... who fights to save Cybertron? Or is everyone from that reality evil?"
Because Bluestreak really cannot fathom the idea of a good Decepticon...
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Arcee
Minor
Token Girl-Bot
Posts: 330
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Post by Arcee on Feb 4, 2008 12:38:15 GMT -5
"The Decepticons, Bluestreak," Arcee answers. "I know. It's enough to make your head hurt, isn't it?"
She shakes her head. "Sorry, Long Haul. Just guess the thought of Autobots being evil is a lot worse to me than Decepticons."
Never tell Arcee about Flame, okay Xaaron? She might not be able to take it.
"But that's the jist of the situation. Kup's got this other Swerve talking to Rodimus, and I'm on guard duty. Hopefully, this'll get resolved without much fighting."
Yeah, right. When pigbots fly.
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Emirate Xaaron-3
Rookie
Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
Posts: 162
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Feb 4, 2008 13:57:40 GMT -5
Evil Autobots generally seem to be Chaotic Evil, whereas Evil Decepticons generally seem to be lawful Evil and Neutral Evil. Chaotic Evil tends to seem eviler than Lawful Evil and Neutral Evil.
Alternatively, it's Rodimus Prime-3's anger-induction field at fault.
A slight smile tugs at his face he gets Long Haul talking about troop strength. If he must be a captive, he quite prefers it when his jailers are free with their words. He steeples his fingers and then flourishes out a hand with no small amount of drama, explaining, "You must understand, it is a truly rare case for someone to actually believe he – or she, my dear Arcee – is evil. Most people simply do what they think is best, perhaps best for themselves, perhaps best for others. My Autobots have always done what they thought best for Cybertron and the Transformer species, by creating economic stimuli, seeking out new sources of fuel to sustain our species, and by spreading our influence and presence in the galaxy. These goals are all quite noble. The problem is in the, ah, execution." He allows himself a wry smile. "For example, I would argue that a trade deal with willing natives is better than enslaving them." Slaves have a way of rioting and assassinating key governmental figures, after all. "My fellow Autobots don't quite see it as I do, and they hold their opinions very strongly, which is a good quality in good men but a poor quality in worse men."
"The Decepticons oppose us. Insofar as our methodology is flawed, evil one might say, I would suppose that they could be called good, just for that. However, one must remember that our goals, at the very least, are noble. The Decepticons do not simply oppose our methodology but those goals, as well. The Micromaster is thrown away with the casting slag. They are reactive, not proactive. If they stood for something other than 'stopping the Autobots', perhaps they would be something to admire, but as they are, they're a bit pitiful. One cannot stop a corrupt war machine by wishing."
Emirate Xaaron is being horribly grey and morally relativist.
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Post by Long Haul on Feb 4, 2008 14:13:09 GMT -5
"Eh. I guess it means more to you, Arcee. Where I come, it was only recently where you started seeing faction symbols much at all. I mean, Omega always had his, but he's old. Onna other hand, just having one big large group what thinks making war is a good idea is kinda new where I'm from, too."
He falls silent as Emirate Xaaron speaks. However, such moralistic arguements are rather beyond him. He is not a big scale thinking. To him, doing good is building good - constructing something to stand for all time. He's a very simple and straight-forward thinker, so all he has to say is, "Hnh."
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Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 4, 2008 21:16:03 GMT -5
"Whoa..." is all Bluestreak can say in reply to Arcee. He tries to fathom a universe where all he knows has been reversed -- a tyrant Optimus Prime, a noble and courageous Megatron, a loyal Starscream, a sadistic Ratchet... Arcee's right, it does threaten to induce a heckuva CPU ache.
"I... never really thought about that," Bluestreak confesses in response to Xaaron. But then, Blue doesn't consider himself much of a thinker. More of a fighter -- and a talker, of course. Though he'd rather not fight if he can help it... "But opposing evil is still doing SOMETHING, isn't it? Better than just sitting back and going 'Oh well, too bad,' right?"
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Arcee
Minor
Token Girl-Bot
Posts: 330
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Post by Arcee on Feb 4, 2008 21:36:13 GMT -5
"We've always tried to do the same thing, haven't we? I mean, the original Ark mission was to look for energy elsewhere, and Kup, Springer, and a lot of the others all have lots of off-world experience in spreading peace and justice..."
Arcee's looking for reassurance that the way they've done things was right, and is not so sure she'll find it. After all, she can barely even remember a time without conflict, without constant war.
"There's no way to think the Decepticon way is the right one."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
Rookie
Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
Posts: 162
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Feb 4, 2008 22:02:03 GMT -5
"Opposing evil does not make one good. Evil often opposes evil," Emirate Xaaron replies to Bluestreak. "The Primes and their seconds often get into murderous squabbles." Bluestreak might think of Starscream and Megatron.
He looks to Arcee rather sadly. She can spin it however she wants. It's the same sad story. The only hope for the future is that they won't be in it. He says softly, "Can you really be sure?"
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Post by Long Haul on Feb 4, 2008 22:33:06 GMT -5
"Well, their way includes reprogramming folks so they tear down their work and turn against their friends," Long Haul rumbles out softly over the growl of his engine, a faint edge of anger cutting through his tone. "That sounds pretty 'not right' to me."
"I don't know much about good and evil. I'm just a builder. I make things... I make things meant to stand for all time. And left in my own reality, the Decepticons would have made me tear them down. So... maybe I can't figure good from evil, but I can figure out where I needa stand."
He revs his engine, and excuses, "I had probably better be going."
OOC: Out of thread.
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Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 4, 2008 23:01:11 GMT -5
"Um... yeah, good point, Xaaron," Bluestreak replies -- and yes, Megatron and Starscream do pop into mind when Xaaron mentions Primes and seconds. Though he wishes he had a better retort -- because the whole reason Bluestreak joined the Autobot forces was to oppose the Decepticons...
Scrap it, he has a CPU ache...
"I'm with Long Haul," he finally decides. "I know right and wrong when I see them. And I know which side is the right one to support."
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Arcee
Minor
Token Girl-Bot
Posts: 330
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Post by Arcee on Feb 4, 2008 23:08:57 GMT -5
Arcee nods. "Me too. Right and wrong aren't hard to decide, not with monsters like Megatron in the universe."
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Emirate Xaaron-3
Rookie
Ate you alive since you were a child/That's when the monster first appeared in you
Posts: 162
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Post by Emirate Xaaron-3 on Feb 5, 2008 14:01:41 GMT -5
Emirate Xaaron gazes up at the sky thoughtfully as Long Haul departs. Such a facile worldview. Creation is pointless in a universe teeming with entropic forces. It is cruelty itself to bring new life into a world where it is doomed to die. Recent events brought a vision of the Devourer, a vision of hope to his tired soul. Were they so visited, as well?
He looks to Bluestreak and cannot help a dark, ghastly grin, pointing out, "So it's just what you see. And what if you saw it as right was to set fire to worlds, to lay waste to their civilizations and strip their lands for materials? What if you saw it as wrong to let any culture develop to enough power that it could oppose your own? Gut feelings are appealing, but not everyone's instincts lead them the same way, and if you are right for following yours, is the merciless conqueror who follows his not right for doing the very same thing?"
EmirateXaaron then looks to Arcee and shrugs. "You call your Megatron a monster, but you're forgetting that he is a Transformer, just the same as you are. If he's a monster, are you not a monster in potential? Flip a few switches, have a few experiences go differently... you see, I would call Megatron hopelessly idealistic and deluded, noble but fated to fail. Perhaps he is a monster for offering his Decepticons hope when he has no method of delivering."
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Bluestreak
Rookie
Silence is golden, but the motormouth is silver...
Posts: 213
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Post by Bluestreak on Feb 5, 2008 16:30:30 GMT -5
"'Bye, Long Haul," Bluestreak calls out to the Constructibot as he leaves. He smiles a little -- it took him a long time to finally feel comfortable around him, but now he sees he's not a bad guy at all once one gets to know him...
Xaaron's next words wipe the smile off his face. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, straining to find a ready retort. Fragit, but this other Xaaron's good at twisting his words and thoughts around! Then again, maybe his own Xaaron does to and he doesn't know it -- it's not like he's talked to their leader much...
"Well, what kind of a universe is it where nobody's right?" he finally blurts, exasperated. "The way you put it, everybody's evil! If neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons are right and any course of action's a bad one, what else is there? What kind of a life is it with nothing to believe in and nothing to fight for?"
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Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
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Post by Skyfire on Feb 5, 2008 16:45:41 GMT -5
One departs, another arrives. After puzzling over the 3D reconstruction of the jigsaw-puzzle that the alien probe had turned itself into one more time, Skyfire felt the need for a break, some refreshment, and a bit of wing-stretching. He had noted the exchanges over Autobot broadband with some curiousity, and the small gathering in the road with even more curiousity.
So it was he managed to arrive shortly after Long Haul left.
"Hello, everyone! What's with all the grim expressions?" Skyfire asked genially, and gave this rather shabby-looking Emirate Xaaron a curious look.
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Arcee
Minor
Token Girl-Bot
Posts: 330
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Post by Arcee on Feb 5, 2008 16:59:28 GMT -5
"Blue's right. There's things that are just plain right, and things that are wrong. Exploiting others, cold-blooded murder, trying to dominate the universe... Autobot or Decepticon, there's got to be some kind of standard."
The animated universe is, after all, a good bit less gray than the comic one. So perhaps this point of view is forgivable.
Arcee's a little less paranoid here at Skyfire's arrival--though her hand does lightly brush her holster and she'll fire off a message all the same.
"Cross-universe philosophy," she explains.
//Skyfire? You right here?//
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Post by Pee-Dee on Feb 5, 2008 22:40:54 GMT -5
Somewhere between escorting Bumblebee and Perceptor from Perceptor's lab and actually arriving at Xaaron's office, Pee-Dee spots the gathering of people around Arcee and the other-Xaaron. With a chirpy good-bye to the Camaro and microscope, she detours to take a look at the group.
She doesn't bother to transform, though. No need to yet. "Hello, hello!"
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