[ Acid Storm doesn't think any commanding officer has ever asked her about this. Oh no. ]
Sometimes, I get this itch. It's not really an itch, but it's the closest thing I can think to call it?? Like my face is chafing. And uh, my pronouns. [ It sounds kind of stupid when she puts it like this. ] Viper - she's one of the gold and green ones? More gold than green, Shrike's the opposite - used to say it was because we all look the same, not all of us take it very well, and...
So sometimes I change my face and my pronouns with it.
[ Oh. She's just suddenly realized she doesn't have another face here, never mind anyone to help her change it. Usually it was Thundercracker... Hm. Problem for future Acid Storm. ]
I understand, and Viper is likely right... it's a type of frame dysphoria, in my world at least. Particularly common among Cold Constructed mechs, so frame types where that was more prevalent — such as Seekers — naturally it shows up more often.
[ He doesn't know if her universe has the distinction between Forged and Constructed Cold mechs, or if anyone's explained those terms to her. ]
I see. Easier than getting a whole frame reformat, certainly.
I don't know about 'cold-constructed', sir, but this is a pre-fabricated frame. Seekers are, uh, a mass-produced body type where I'm from. My batch was built for security work, for instance? I was let go pretty early though, and did courier work instead, which uhm. Was nicer I guess. [ Radon had stayed on longer, she remembers. She'd thought then, that it was the worst loneliness she'd ever felt... Oh, if only she'd known then. ]
Uh, not many mechs could afford that sort of thing before the war. And that's... Well, it's besides all the social stuff that was around then too. There's rumours the Starscream from home was a standard seeker at some point. [ And then, hastily: ] I don't know if that's true though! It could be wrong! I'm sure you know how rumour mills are, sir.
Yes, "Cold Constructed" is the term we used for artificially made mechs. The name is a reference to how sparks are kept in cryostasis between being harvested from the Well and being installed in a prefab frame. Mechs who emerge from a planetary Hot Spot are called "Forged".
[ A brief hesitation; probably not noticable over text. ]
I was also Cold Constructed. Not this frame, but my original one. You're right, Seeker frame types were regulars on the production line. My commission batch was for military assignment. I was put into service the same decacycle I came online.
I understand what you mean when you say the frame didn't feel... right. It did take time to save enough credits to be able to afford some modifications. Full frame reformats only came much later, I couldn't get one that "fit".
You don't have to defend your universe's Starscream to me, Acid Storm. If the little glitch would show his face outside Maccadam's, I'd be more than happy to demonstrate what Vos' traditions for wing-slayers are.
Oh. Oh! I'm, uh, glad you understand sir. I don't know if I'll ever get a full reformat... [ She feels like she'd have to get a superior's permission for that, and she does NOT intend to ask any of them about something that personal. Just like with her face. ] But yours is really nice, sir! Fits you. And it's really elegant.
It's kinda interesting, all the differences between different dimensions. I got a text on engineering courtesy of General Slipstream, and it's got references to stuff that doesn't even exist at home. Have you ever heard of an energon converter, sir?
Thank you. This one was not my... preferred, but I've grown quite used to it now. In any case, I could not reformat again if I wanted to now, it's part of my censure terms from the Parliament, so perhaps it is for the best that this one feels settled.
[ He had not liked this frame at first... too thin, too unarmored, too much less resistance to Megatron's proneness to lashing out when his mood was poor. There hadn't been a lot of available frames at the height of the war for him to choose from, ones that were unique. But it was different, and he took it because he could no longer stand his reflection when he still looked like his dead trinemates, bright painted and colourful. So instead he wore unpainted silver, though as Knock Out had once pointed out, he did keep up his finish. The only colour accents he allowed were red, his own signifier in their old trine banding; no blue, no purple. He'd lost that right. ]
Energon converter? Like a synthesizer perhaps, used for reducing elements to their base properties to extract energon? The technology exists in my universe but it was never widely in use because they were horrendously inefficient, therefore impractical to consider as a supply source.
But it sounds like something right up your thermal, if you wanted to try and make one.
[ Honestly, a little pet project for her would probably be something she'd like, right? ]
Oh. Uh, that's good! Sucks that they won't let you reformat, though... Guess our situations were similar? Uh- I mean, as similar as they can be with you in such an important position, sir!
[ Please take that well, please take that well. ]
Maybe... I am supposed to look at the labs... [ Something she's still avoiding. ] But- I- I don't think I could make one, sir! I'm just a
[ Oops, don't finish that thought in front of this Starscream. Close save, Stormie- Though, she realizes with a cringe, he probably knows exactly what she was going to say anyway. ]
[ The cadence of her texts makes it pretty easy to determine that she's starting to get panicked, so Starscream wisely decides to wrap things up here. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ Acid Storm doesn't think any commanding officer has ever asked her about this. Oh no. ]
Sometimes, I get this itch. It's not really an itch, but it's the closest thing I can think to call it?? Like my face is chafing. And uh, my pronouns. [ It sounds kind of stupid when she puts it like this. ] Viper - she's one of the gold and green ones? More gold than green, Shrike's the opposite - used to say it was because we all look the same, not all of us take it very well, and...
So sometimes I change my face and my pronouns with it.
[ Oh. She's just suddenly realized she doesn't have another face here, never mind anyone to help her change it. Usually it was Thundercracker... Hm. Problem for future Acid Storm. ]
no subject
[ He doesn't know if her universe has the distinction between Forged and Constructed Cold mechs, or if anyone's explained those terms to her. ]
I see. Easier than getting a whole frame reformat, certainly.
no subject
Uh, not many mechs could afford that sort of thing before the war. And that's... Well, it's besides all the social stuff that was around then too. There's rumours the Starscream from home was a standard seeker at some point. [ And then, hastily: ] I don't know if that's true though! It could be wrong! I'm sure you know how rumour mills are, sir.
no subject
[ A brief hesitation; probably not noticable over text. ]
I was also Cold Constructed. Not this frame, but my original one. You're right, Seeker frame types were regulars on the production line. My commission batch was for military assignment. I was put into service the same decacycle I came online.
I understand what you mean when you say the frame didn't feel... right. It did take time to save enough credits to be able to afford some modifications. Full frame reformats only came much later, I couldn't get one that "fit".
You don't have to defend your universe's Starscream to me, Acid Storm. If the little glitch would show his face outside Maccadam's, I'd be more than happy to demonstrate what Vos' traditions for wing-slayers are.
no subject
It's kinda interesting, all the differences between different dimensions. I got a text on engineering courtesy of General Slipstream, and it's got references to stuff that doesn't even exist at home. Have you ever heard of an energon converter, sir?
no subject
[ He had not liked this frame at first... too thin, too unarmored, too much less resistance to Megatron's proneness to lashing out when his mood was poor. There hadn't been a lot of available frames at the height of the war for him to choose from, ones that were unique. But it was different, and he took it because he could no longer stand his reflection when he still looked like his dead trinemates, bright painted and colourful. So instead he wore unpainted silver, though as Knock Out had once pointed out, he did keep up his finish. The only colour accents he allowed were red, his own signifier in their old trine banding; no blue, no purple. He'd lost that right. ]
Energon converter? Like a synthesizer perhaps, used for reducing elements to their base properties to extract energon? The technology exists in my universe but it was never widely in use because they were horrendously inefficient, therefore impractical to consider as a supply source.
But it sounds like something right up your thermal, if you wanted to try and make one.
[ Honestly, a little pet project for her would probably be something she'd like, right? ]
no subject
[ Please take that well, please take that well. ]
Maybe... I am supposed to look at the labs... [ Something she's still avoiding. ] But- I- I don't think I could make one, sir! I'm just a
[ Oops, don't finish that thought in front of this Starscream. Close save, Stormie- Though, she realizes with a cringe, he probably knows exactly what she was going to say anyway. ]
I don't think I know enough, sir.
no subject
Nothing to lose by trying, if you felt like it.
Goodnight, Acid Storm.