perictione

“We are gathered here to invest this mech with the powers and responsibilities of the Lord High Protector of Cybertron, the Chosen of the Chosen, the Prime’s Consort.”

1. Domestic Affairs Ch9
2. A follow up to Last Mech Standing and Camera Ready that has the working title 'Exploring a Nearby Closet'
3. MegaStarOP PWP
4. Tiny coda to Ethics and Employee Management
5. Optimus Prime and the Erotic Journal

God Ethics and Employee Management is done? I still can't quite believe it. That was such an all-consuming project. As fun as it was, I'm not sure I would do a Big Bang again. It was...a lot. On my to-do list is a small, small follow-up coda that I just can't stop thinking about. Like everything else on the list, it is simmering on the backburner while Domestic Affairs gets some attention.

I have a pretty clear vision of what the 'plot' for the next installment of the Last Mech Standing series will be, and that might be my birthday gift to myself. MegaStarOP featuring humiliation kink is simmering gently on the proverbial stove as well.

And I have no idea when it would go up, but Optimus Prime and the Erotic Journal is still being worked on. It's where all my improbable ideas go, because I make them Optimus Prime's own improbable fantasies that he...very inadvisedly writes down. Where someone else (guess who) can read them. 

It feels incredible and bizarre to have finished such a large project like Ethics. I haven't actually written (and finished) a fic that long before and it's such a rush. Not that I intended it to be quite so long, of course. If I were going to do a Big Bang again, I think I might go ahead and throw my other favorite long fic idea at it (Fake Marriage! To save the world!) since pressure deadlines do sometimes work on me. 

The planned coda to Ethics might scratch this itch, but I really want to write something sweet and wholesome sometime soon. 

I recently got an anon ask on tumblr and ended up writing a short essay about how much I love Megatron. I've cleaned it up a bit to post here!

Anon asked:
Ohh why is megatron one of your top favorite characters?

This is…such a difficult question. Um. Thirst?

But no. To be serious, I think he’s just so deeply interesting. It’s difficult to articulate.

I’ve talked about this elsewhere before, but I tend to think of characters (in the sense of ‘what is in character vs out of character’) as a flexible thing? Not even in terms of canon v fanon—which is especially complicated with a media property like transformers where there are so many continuities to choose from.

It’s more like a character is a tag cloud, or a mind map, made up of their canon (and even fanon) qualities, and all these traits and attributes float in and out of the definition of who they are.

Part of what’s interesting about writing fic is that I can pick a different arrangement of traits for a character whenever I want—and see how that plays out in whatever scenario. As long as its connected to the word cloud, it’s in character.

So Megatron is aggressive and short-tempered and thoughtful (G1), but he’s also meek and dreamy and careful (IDW backstory). In TFP he’s a Jock, and in IDW he’s a Nerd. (Well, in TFP he’s a Jock who writes a lot of Inspiring Literature and becomes best friends with a librarian, so there’s an argument for Jock who is a Secret Nerd there)

There are many different ways to write him, which is really interesting to me. Is war-era IDW Megatron the ‘broken’ version of his earlier self? Can we extrapolate back to a G1 Megatron who was similarly ‘soft’ and not disillusioned? (Maybe yes, maybe no, etc)

There are definitely overarching traits (IMO): I’d describe him as an idealist hemmed in by his own ruthless practicality in most continuities, and he’s consistently strong, stubborn, an unstoppable force.

He’s usually leading some variation on a class/race/caste-motivated rebellion, which is always compelling to me. He’s determined and dedicated, and he loves words. The more I think about this the more interesting things I find in my internal ‘tag cloud’ for Megatron.

And in all continuities he’s an inspiring and charismatic leader who successfully changes his world.

I love having the opportunity to establish why he led the revolution—to play with ‘what if it hadn’t gone wrong’ or ‘what if it didn’t go wrong at all and the autobots are the bad guys’ or ‘how did his original mission get twisted into this and can he get back?’ And then, how isolating is it being at the top of a movement like that? how did that change him? How does violence fit in with who he is? What about all the grandstanding?

He doesn’t trust easily, but he also views fear as something to be bulldozed over, so once he makes the decision to trust he doesn’t hesitate about acting on it, at all.

Also, on the topic of Megatron and fear, red--thedragon wrote cocked to the right, a short fic that explores IDW!Megatron’s relationship to fear, and it destroyed me. The way they write him in that fic isn’t my hard and fast headcanon—as I say I’m headcanon-flexible—but I absolutely love it for IDW. Fair warning, it’s Sad.

And IDW!Megatron is so extremely enigmatic, that it's easy to have multiple headcanons that all make sense. When is he manipulating? When is he being honest? What parts of the Megatron myth are real? So his character ends up being flexible even while staying ‘in character’.

Anyway, I love Megatron.

1.  The Pen Pals AU (TF Big Bang)
2. Domestic Affairs (Chapter 9)
3. MegaStarOP PWP 
4. Optimus Prime and the Erotic Journal

Okay it is a short list this time, because I'm keeping fics that are way on the back burner off the list.

Up first, the TF Big Bang fic! I've been reading a lot of serious philosophy in order to make this one work. (Hermeneutic injustice, anyone?) It's epistolary, so it's a bit different in tone from my usual. My elevator pitch for it is: "Megatron tries publishing his essays under a pseudonym. Optimus Prime uses a fake identity to contact his new favorite writer. The war rages on, and both leaders have never been happier." I wanted to be much more ahead of the game at this point than I actually am...but I have six weeks left to finish what's left, which should be plenty. Assuming my outline doesn't mysteriously expand. It's my first time writing for a Big Bang and it's exciting to get to have that challenge and community around.

I just put up Domestic Affairs Chapter 8, at long last, thank god. I'm ridiculously happy with that chapter. It did that fun thing that I always find both nerve-wracking and thrilling about writing, where your outline is fine but when you go down to write the thing you end up adding a few huge elements that you had not planned for, but somehow they fit perfectly. 

I am insanely (insanely) excited to write Chapter 9. I won't say anything else about it, except I've been shouting about what I'm going to do in my beta RH's direction since literally last year. Unfortunately, I have to finish the Big Bang, and if you've been paying attention, I tend to write extremely slowly, so there isn't room to double up on big projects. 

And, a huge surprise, not everything on my list is MegOP right now! Starscream makes an appearance in a threesome with our faves for a oneshot porn fest that I literally woke up one day and had to start writing. It's planned out and I've written a chunk of it, but with the other projects taking precedence it may not appear for a while.

Last item is OP and his erotic journal. It's still my 'break writer's block by giving Optimus Prime a weird fantasy' tool, and I still have no idea when it'll appear out in the world. But I'm writing for it actively!

I have got a few other fics in the works somewhat: there's Reverse Domestic Affairs (Megatron walks in on OP instead of the other way around) but something is wrong with it plot/arc wise and I can't figure out what. And the Fake Marriage AU, which I sometimes jot down lines for. And I have an inkling of an idea for another follow up to Last Mech Standing and Camera Ready, but it doesn't have a real conceit yet so it's not properly a WIP. 

Chapter 7

“Do you know where I first saw that phrase, Prime?”

 

‘Prime’ came out sounding like a curse. But Optimus didn’t understand. What was wrong?

 

“‘Til all are one.”

So an anon over on CuriousCat a little while ago (come visit me, ask me questions!) asked about any headcanons I wanted to share and any tips I had about characterization. So I wrote a short essay, mostly about Optimus Prime and the different ways I like to write him. Thought I'd put it up here as well!

I feel a bit...weird about giving advice? or talking about my process? Because I still don't feel very experienced as a writer. But it's under the cut if you're interested!

( Read more... )

Okay guys it's the last day! This was the hardest list to get narrowed down to something reasonable. Since the theme today is NSFW, please watch the tags and curate your own experience.

Wall by ros3bud009
TFA, Optimus Prime/Sentinel Prime
Explicit

"Aren't you a pretty pair of legs."
Optimus's spark froze in his chest.
No. No, no, no way, no. Primus, no. Where would he even get the money to afford to come here as a customer? It couldn't be—
The customer had gone quiet as Optimus tried to keep from panicking.
"Awfully familiar legs at that."

Optimus pays the bills at the academy with sex work of a very particular kind. This fic is absolutely steaming hot, and, get this, I hate this pairing. I absolutely love it in this fic, though, and the give and take and the challenge of it all is just delicious.

Not Fair by Redseeker
TFA, Megastar
Explicit

Megatron gets Starscream off, and then needs Starscream's help to finish himself.

This fic is a huge, huge, all-time favorite of mine, and the second chapter from Megatron's perspective is just stunning. This is the fic that got me to understand humiliation kink. Somehow by the end it's sweet, but still so very Megastar, with all that entails. 

Virtuoso: Duet by Enfilade
IDW, Deathsaurus/Tarn
Explicit

"Allies with benefits" is already more than either Tarn or Deathsaurus had ever hoped for. But Tarn has never been good at saying no to temptation. And Deathsaurus has never known when to quit. Love is a gamble, but trust is a minefield, and the risks are as high as the rewards...unless Tarn can convince Deathsaurus that it's nothing more than a game. Part one of a duology.

I could rec at least five other fics from Enfilade, who is a genius, but I'm picking this one in particular because it's my favorite. This is the fifth or sixth in a series, and I recommend reading the ones that come before, but it works well as a standalone. The smut in this fic is unbelievably good, but at the same time the backstory of both characters gets developed, and their relationship transforms. There are a lot of miscommunications, but none of them are accidents—and as the fic goes on both of them have to work really, really hard to overcome cultural differences and their own vulnerability. Enfilade does an amazing job playing with the dramatic irony of switching perspective between the two characters. Oh, and the fic is probably 85% a single sex scene. I love it so much.

Tit for Tat by tragakes lejf
Continuity what Continuity, MegOP
Explicit

Just Megatron with big boobs, small valve, and a surprised-but-mostly-delighted Optimus Prime.

Megatron has tits. That's the entire premise. It's beautiful, straightforward PWP. Robots with breasts took me a long time to come around on, and then I read this, and now there can never be enough. There are three chapters, with the option for more. The second chapter is probably my favorite, though honestly it was tough choosing between tragakes fics for this in the first place. Everything is amazing!

Masks and Mirrors Part 8 by entangledwood
Continuity Soup, Optimus Prime/Drift
Explicit
The marvelous entangledwood did the Kinktober challenge last year and created the Masks and Mirrors AU—a no-war AU featuring an exclusive Cybertronian BDSM club. The main storyline focuses on Optimus, but a lot of pairings make their way through, including Megatron/Rodimus, Starscream and his trine, and more obscure rarepairs, etc. You can find all of the stories on Pillowfort, here. The one I'm reccing in particular is Optimus/Drift (though it could be Optimus/anyone if you squint) and it features a submissive!OP using the Matrix for some less than innocent purposes. It's really, really fun. A couple of stories involve Ratchet domming OP, and that is wonderful as well.

There are so many amazing writers in this fandom, and honestly I'm really excited to do this again because I know there are so many others whose writing I want to shout loudly about.

“Look, Prime. Don’t be stupid. We can’t just take a week off to wallow in unfulfilled lust together."

It’s one shot day! I’ve picked two jewel-like fics that do wonderful things with a small word count.

For more info on the Transformers Iacon Literary Festival, check out the original post here.