Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jun 20, 2010 23:17:30 GMT -5
Duskwing had a tiny robot clinging to his finger. He stared at it in puzzlement. "Nah... for real? This is an Autobum? Looks like one a' Screwy's toys. You're sure it's not?"
Oh, and it talked! "I know dat!" Duskwing replied with some exasperation, turning his finger this way and that to look at the teensy-tiny robot. "It's a fi-fig-figment of speech. Yeah, dat's it."
He stared at Swindle again for a long moment. "Huh. Dat sounds like the stupid slag Autobots spout. What's good and bad got to do with it? We're soldiers, they're in the way and un--unda--messin' us up and keepin' us from winnin'. 'S what Megatron said. We gotta take over places wit' energy so we don't starve, and dey's tryin' to keep us from doin' dat. Like dey want us all to starve! Dumb slaggers."
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 22, 2010 13:58:11 GMT -5
Spy Shot dangles casually from Duskwing's finger, not minding the inspection. He has a fondness for clinging and climbing.
"I am an Autobot, not an Autobum," he corrects. Obviously Duskwing just made an honest error, or mistook him for something else.
He drops from Duskwing's hand as he listens to Swindle, then shrugs at his question.
"Stealing is bad." Swindle just said so. "Does doing something bad make someone evil?" It's an honest question. He has no idea what makes a person evil or not. He doesn't even necessarily think that the Decepticons are evil. They're just bad. Except when they're not. That's not the same as evil.
To Duskwing, all he has to say is, "I don't like Megatron."
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 22, 2010 19:20:22 GMT -5
//You're a solider, Duskwing. I'm a salesman, and I'm trying to sell Spy Shot here the idea that he'd rather be a Decepticon, capiche?//
Swindle shrugs back at Spy Shot 6. "If both Autobots and Decepticons can be bad, you ought to at least try being a Decepticon. Aren't you the least bit curious what it would be like? Besides, good and bad, good and evil, those are all relative terms. Everyone's got their own definition. It's pretty subjective." Swindle thinks interfering with the free market is evil, but he's perfectly fine with, say, grave-robbing.
Megatron is Swindle's favorite customer, but he's not telling Spy Shot that.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jun 22, 2010 21:21:10 GMT -5
Duskwing stared blankly at Spy Shot. "Huh? Don't you get--you ain't too bright, are ya?"
His face scrunched up and he scowled, considering Spy Shot's question about evil--until he said he didn't like Megatron. "Dat's just 'cause you're an Autobot. Dey all hate Megatron. It's what makes 'em Bots."
He continued thinking about Spy Shot's question for a bit. // Don't bug me right now, I'm thinkin' about this! // he replied to Swindle.
Finally Duskwing said, "I never knowed no one dat didn't do somethin' bad, at least once. Countin' Autobots, too. Everybody screws up... only officers can hide it better, see?"
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 24, 2010 10:13:21 GMT -5
"I don't have my own definition," Spy Shot says. He just has definitions that he read out of the dictionary! He's also not a big fan of subjective concepts. Surely there's one solid definition of reality out there.
He needs time to think about the rest of what Swindle said. He's pretty confident about being an Autobot - he said he was and used the faction symbol and everything - but Swindle said the magic words: aren't you curious? And now he really is curious about it. Is being a Decepticon really that different from being and Autobot? What is it like? A million questions!
He pauses in his thinking to stare back at Duskwing. "I can be very bright."
Duskwing goes on to confirm some of what he was thinking, and he turns to address Swindle. "See, I am an Autobot. I dislike Megatron. If I'm an Autobot I cannot be a Decepticon, even if I am curious." A pause. "Unless I can be an Autobot and a Decepticon?"
Back to staring at Duskwing. "I'm not sure I see. Everyone does something bad, at least once, even people that are not bad, and officers are better at hiding the bad things they do? So doing bad things doesn't make you bad."
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 25, 2010 15:15:03 GMT -5
If Swindle was a less patient mech, he'd be strangling Duskwing at this point. Fortunately Swindle has excellent customer service skills. "Well, you can't be an Autobot and a Decepticon at the same time, but you can defect. Besides, you can be a Decepticon and still hate Megatron. It's practically a requirement if you want to get promoted to second-in-command. It's not like we've got one here, anyway. A Megatron, that is."
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jun 27, 2010 8:47:44 GMT -5
If there is a right answer to a question, and an obviously foolish, stupid answer, guess which one Duskwing will pick?
"Yeah?" He asked Spy Shot. "So show me how bright you can be. Dumb gets annoying."
"Uh. I dunno about the whole good/bad thing. I'm just a soldier. Dat's over my paygrade," he finally said, baffled by the deep philosophical discussion.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 28, 2010 12:59:26 GMT -5
Spy Shot raises a claw to rub his chin in contemplation. This is probably the most complicated decision he's had to make in his short life. On the one hand, he's an Autobot. He decided that. But then being an Autobot is less integral to his identity than being a camera. On the other hand, curiosity! Perhaps, just for a little while, he can try being a Decepticon.
"I can defect when I want to?"
Then Duskwing goes and asks one thing you really shouldn't ask an overly literal camera-bot.
"Okay," he agrees to the request. There is a small hum as Spy Shot redirects as much power as he can readily spare to his flash. Then, shutting off his optics, he releases it all in a brilliant burst of light.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 28, 2010 13:40:51 GMT -5
Swindle's been talking to Spy Shot 6 for a short while now, he's starting to get a handle on how to sell to the little 'bot. He's also used to dealing with alien races, some of whom are overly literal. Thus as soon as the camera-bot starts humming, the con is already moving his servos to cover his optics. "You're an idiot, Duskwing," he says conversationally, without malice, as Spy Shot flashy-thingies them both and he goes blind, optics overloaded. Sometimes having huge adorable purple eyes is a real drawback. Swindle is still seeing after-images as his sensors struggle to reboot. The Seeker is right about one thing though: Dumb does get annoying.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jun 28, 2010 18:13:47 GMT -5
"HEY! My optics! You blinded me!" Duskwing yelled, flailing about and possibly flinging Spy Shot 6 across the store. Possibly not, depending on how clingy and agile the little fellow is. "Whaddaya go and do dat for?"
Duskwing froze suddenly; was there someone else out there, ready to take advantage of the sudden blindness?
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jun 30, 2010 13:43:49 GMT -5
Spy Shot's optics flick back on and he immediately drops flat to the table top, not wanting to get sent flying by Duskwing's flailing.
"You told me to," he says, a little confused.
Why does Duskwing seem so surprised that Spy Shot did what he asked? He reflects on the statement Swindle just made about his fellow Decepticon. Ohhh.
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jun 30, 2010 14:38:55 GMT -5
"Duskwing, he didn't understand that Autobum is another name for Autobots, and didn't understand that 'pulling your leg,' is a figure of speech. You asked him to be bright," Swindle adds to Spy Shot's explanation, opening his optic shutters a tiny bit and peeking through his fingers. He shuts them again just as quickly. Ouch. No, still overloaded and seeing bright spots. "Kid, we have got do something about how literally you take everything." Because between overly literal and overly stupid, theses two are gonna be the death of Swindle.
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Duskwing
Major
"What the slag happened?"
Posts: 848
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Post by Duskwing on Jun 30, 2010 21:48:15 GMT -5
Duskwing twitched at a sound from outside and pointed his arm-guns in that direction. "Dis would be a not so good time for dem guys to come back," he muttered.
"...And I never said no such thing. I did not say 'You go fire off Needlenose's flashy-thing in my optics', did I? An' you didn't say, 'I is gonna blind you with my flashy-thing', did you? Doin' stuff like dat wit'out warning, someone's gonna think you're attacking them, see? Den dey gonna smash you into itty-bitty pieces," Duskwing growled. Something in his tone just might hint that he was that someone right now; fortunately for Spy Shot 6, Duskwing was still blind.
"What's his writing skill got to do with it?" Duskwing demanded of Swindle.
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Post by Spy Shot 6/Cameron Otto on Jul 1, 2010 21:11:18 GMT -5
Spy Shot pushes himself up and tilts his head at Swindle. "We do?"
His attention turns to Duskwing, his confusion deepening. "I know you didn't say that, and I know you didn't say that. You said, 'Show me how bright you can be', and I said 'Okay', and then I showed you how bright I could be."
He isn't sure how exactly that was without warning, what with Duskwing asking him to do it, and him acknowledging it. He certainly isn't interested in getting smashed into itty-bitty pieces, though. Maybe he should rethink trying out being a Decepticon if these sorts of misunderstandings are common and lead to attempted smashings.
... and what does his writing skill have to do with anything?
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Swindle
Major
This space for rent.
Posts: 571
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Post by Swindle on Jul 1, 2010 22:10:31 GMT -5
"Is there someone out there, Duskwing? Spy Shot, can you se-nevermind, of course you can see people out there. It's a busy street." He'd ask if Spy Shot can see anyone threatening, but he doubts that would get results (other than a request to define 'threatening.') Luckily, Swindle is starting to regain his vision. Instead of a big dark blur he now sees a big light blur. "Don't worry, Duskwing, I've got a whole section of inventory for 'weapons that don't require aiming.' Anyone who tries to take advantage of our temporary blindness is in for a big surprise."
The con takes a deep breath, cycling the air through his filters and clearing his circuits in order to prepare himself for another round of cluing in the clueless. "I didn't mention his writing skill. I said he takes everything literally. As in, he doesn't understand figures of speech. Like when you say 'pulling your leg' he thinks you actually mean tugging on someone's stabilizing servo." Seriously, Duskwing, download a vocabulary database before you hurt yourself.
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