We are a literate, intermediate to advanced AU Transformers RPG Based off of the first season of TFP with dashes of other incarnations sprinkled here or there. Characters from any continuity are welcome however must be restyled to match the TFPrime universe.
Active, with ongoing plotlines, we are always willing to integrate new characters into storylines once incorporated into the setting.
"No, no!" Jack insisted, forcing another smile. "It's just that...well...you had the better idea. So we'll go with that. I'm just trying to hurry back."
He would keep up the hurried pace, up until he noticed that the sound was growing closer. Sweat began to bead on his brow as he considered his options. They could run as fast as they could back the way they came. They could try diving into the bushes to find a place to hide. They could split up, and maybe confuse whatever was following them into picking a direction (or none at all). Either way, Jack's speed-walk was now a jog, and he was trying to not leave Miko behind to whatever was out there.
"Hurry up, Miko!" he called back. "We, uh, don't want to get stuck out here after da - "
And then he tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his face. Smooth, Jack. Very smooth. The teen groaned, rolling on his back and blinking the spots out of his eyes. He lay there for a moment, stunned, then bolted up to his feet. The boy faced the way they had come, eyes wide.
Avatar credits: Transformers: Prime creators. Thread tracker: [x]
Post by Miko Nakadai on Oct 7, 2023 18:06:00 GMT -5
While Miko thought she heard something moving somewhere within the thicket, she still hadn’t paid enough attention to whatever it was to deem it any sort of threat to herself of Jack. Forests were noisy by nature, filled with all sorts of animals and ambient noises - the rustling of leaves, branches swaying and groaning, the movement of animals who went about their lives.
Maybe if she’d realized just how far they’d strayed from their group she’d be more mindful of what was around them, but that was the thing about forests - they all looked the same. While there may be some landmarks that stood out - an especially mossy tree or or maybe even a rock cairn left by someone else, the majority of their surroundings were indistinguishable from one area to the next.
But clearly something had Jack spooked, the fact he was speeding up was worrisome - and she absolutely didn’t believe a word of his excuse why they had to go. He’d been so adamant they had to stay where they were, now he was doing everything in his power to get away from that particular spot.
“I’m hurrying!” she grumbled. She hadn’t planned for a jog through the woods this day, and her voice was full of annoyance as her backpack jostled on her back. “Why the rush? You said it yourself it’s not gonna be dark for hou- Jack!!”
Watching him trip, it was then she would move with an actual purpose. Her jog became a brief sprint as she closed the gap between them, easing to a stop beside him. She would've helped him up, only he'd scrambled up to his feet just as quickly as he'd toppled.
“You okay?” she asked, and only then noticed that he was staring at something, turning her attention to the trees.
They saw it, a silhouette amidst the vast trunks and the narrow branches. Tall, fire-eyed, its limbs elongated and pointed into sharp ends. It was more a shape than a person, obscured by the shaded leaves. Two pointed lights peered ahead, intense with concentric amber glow. For a blessing, it was still quite far from the two teenagers, but close enough—close enough for them to recognize it as a distinct entity.
They saw it... But did it see them?
It walked at a rhythmic tempo, rustling through the foliage with relative ease, but its pace indicated no hurry. It moved towards them, certainly, but those eyes—if they could be called that—were not focused on the children. As the environs grew darker with the evening sun, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
They were not spotted yet by the thing in the dark.
The firelight in its eyes moved about, slowly shifting from one side to the other as if it was...
Yes, it was scanning the area—searching. For them? Perhaps. It was so difficult to tell through the darkening thicket. Were they any other humans, screams of fear and panic would have certainly revealed them by now, for this was certainly no natural thing. To many, it was a myth made manifest, a kind of great ape that only existed in blurred photos and on superstitious late-night television.
"Yeah," Jack said after a moment. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He stared at the figure in the forest, tall and spindly and full of sharp angles. It was shadowed by the trees, but it had eyes like fire. Jack wasn't a believer in the supernatural, so in his mind, it could be one of two things: a Cybertronian, or MECH. Neither were good options to run into in the woods, and everything he worried about was coming true.
Lowering his voice, he said to Miko, "Do you see that?" and motioned with his shoulder to the thing in the woods. Then, he said, "Back away slowly and hide in the trees. Don't make any sudden sounds. I don't know if whoever-that-is is friendly."
He hoped Miko would see sense. He hoped she'd head for the trees like he planned to, moving to them while keeping his eyes on the fiery lights in the forest. Every inch of him was screaming to run, but that wouldn't be wise. If he made too much noise, Jack would certainly draw the thing's attention. Maybe if they waited, it would pass them by, or turn around and head back into the forest....
Avatar credits: Transformers: Prime creators. Thread tracker: [x]
Post by Miko Nakadai on Oct 7, 2023 22:37:15 GMT -5
Even despite the fact Jack replied, Miko didn’t hear him.
Her eyes were wide, staring upon the thing she recognized as probably Cybertronian, even with part of it shrouded by leaves - because what else could it be? Then again, MECH had made some giant robot thing by all accounts, so who even knew what it was.
Or who.
The movements were far too fluid for something manmade, yet still eerie in their own right. Was this a lost Autobot, or maybe a Decepticon? Some Neutral who was scavenging somewhere they thought they wouldn’t run into either faction?
Only at Jack’s question did she seem to snap back into the moment, even if her attention did not leave the thing before them.
“Uh-huh!” was all she managed to stammer, not wanting to make too much noise at risk of being seen. She’d managed to find two Autobots and bring them back to Omega One, but there was something about this that didn’t seem safe.
Yet part of her wanted to go and get a closer look, just in case. Most Cybertronians wore some kind of insignia, showing off their faction. They were usually placed somewhere obvious, so they could be seen at a glance - though from where they currently stood? She couldn’t tell just which side this thing was on.
“What if it’s an Autobot? Can you see a badge?” she hissed, voice low - unmoving from where she currently stood, though she did lower herself down some into a crouch, hand slipping into her pocket to pull out her phone, tucking the bug repellent into the space at the same time. If anyone would know, it’d be Bulk or whoever was manning the console in the control room - buuut…
Go figure. No bars.
Still, she could still take a photo - even with the distance between them and it, some sort of evidence was better than nothing, right? It wasn’t as if it’d seen them, as it seemed preoccupied with whatever it was doing.
Holding up her flip-phone, she was careful to zoom in as far as she could, just so she could get as much of the figure into the small screen as possible. Then click - a noise that probably sounded a billion times louder than it actually was - as a single photo was taken.
He thought he heard voices, an instrument of some kind maybe, but he couldn't be quite certain. It was getting dark now and there was no one to be seen yet. Perhaps he'd imagined it, the drudgery of his duty taking its toll. This was most definitely a distraction he'd made for himself but if there was even a chance that any humans spotted him, well, he could not just let them go... As much as he wished it could have been otherwise. Though, truthfully, he was not giving this search his all either.
Unbeknownst to them, the stranger in the dark was just about to give up, to turn around and return to whatever brought him here in the first place. Determining that this diversion was not worth his time. Maybe his fiery gaze even slipped elsewhere else for a moment—but then there was the click.
It might as well have been a gunshot.
Most would think nothing of such a small sound, but the stranger was a creature of detail. He knew that it was not a cricket or a twig—that it did not belong in nature much like himself. To his alien senses, it sounded distinct, foreign, technological. And being who he was, he knew at once.
Suddenly, oh, so very suddenly, his head snapped to the source of the sound. And there, just there and then, when he had lost all hope of finding anything, he saw her. A little human skulking in the undergrowth. So colorful, so remarkable... And so very familiar. He could not place where he'd seen her before, but he felt that he knew her from somewhere.
It was a small fortune that he did not notice her friend yet.
"Hello there, little one..." The dark stranger said in a smooth voice, his kindly words carried on the gentle evening breeze. In their wake, he stepped out of the shadows. He wore black armor with purple accents and a small smile on his face, so at odds with the intense look in his optics. He was, indeed, Cybertronian—and possibly more familiar to the human than she was to him.
If she recognized him, he would seema mythical monster, after all.
A dead man walking.
Last Edit: Oct 8, 2023 18:11:09 GMT -5 by Windshield
"No, I don't," Jack whispered. Whoever they were, they blended in with the shadows and made it hard to for them to be examined. Jack figured if it was an Autobot they knew, the figure wouldn't be so cautious. Heck, Jack would've welcomed seeing anyone from base in the forest, there to point them the way out. Even Red Alert, with all his paranoia and inevitable lectures that would've followed, would've been a sight to see.
Then Miko had to go and take a picture, instead of moving into the trees like he had. "Miko, no!" Jack whispered loudly, eyes wide with horror. The sound broke the silence like glass shattering, and whoever was in the woods moved out to see them. A Cybertronian, it definitely was, all black and gray and purple with devil's horns for a chevron. The look in their optics was intense and focused, and Jack felt very small in that moment. He dashed behind a tree, peeking out at Miko, heart hammering in his chest.
There was something familiar about that mech as he spoke. Jack swore he could've heard that voice before, but didn't know where. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out if it might be someone that Arcee had mentioned. A 'Con, maybe, she had fought? Someone that had been at base for a brief time? Maybe it was the latter. Something about the latter seemed to click....
Last Edit: Oct 8, 2023 20:09:44 GMT -5 by Jack Darby
Avatar credits: Transformers: Prime creators. Thread tracker: [x]
Post by Miko Nakadai on Oct 9, 2023 1:50:16 GMT -5
Oh no…
While the photo seemed like a good idea in the moment, the instant it made the all-too-familiar sound of a camera clicking, Miko realized she had probably made a mistake. The thing’s head snapping in her direction in an instant was a terrifying sight, and even though she was crouched, she knew - she just knew that she had been spotted.
Yet she found herself unable to move. While Jack had said something that she hadn’t quite caught and scrambled into the trees, the fact the thing was staring directly at her now had her frozen in place.
Especially once she realized just who that was.
Windshield.
Or at least, that’s who she thought it was - he certainly matched the description given when she’d been curious as to the Decepticon-turned-Autobot among their ranks. She’d never met him even though she wanted to, nor seen him as he’d been kept mostly away from Omega One - though Raf had. Others had. She’d heard all about how Carbine had been put in the brig because of him, how Patch was missing probably because of him. But…
He was supposed to be dead. Why was he here. Why was he alive.
Was there even any point in trying to run? Did he know her? Know who she was? Or was she just a human who’d had the unfortunate luck of catching his attention at the worst possible moment?
As her gaze met his, her immediate thought was to run. To hide just like Jack had done. They were small, unassuming - and while she was sure the very presence of the Cybertronian would make every animal scatter and fall into silence around them once more? They could be quiet, too. There were plenty of logs, trees, and rocks to hide behind, plenty of places to duck under and lay in wait until the monster got bored and left.
But what if he didn’t?
She had no signal on her phone, she couldn’t call for help. While their groups would eventually notice them gone, a rogue Cybertronian wouldn’t exactly be afraid should they head out this way to try and find them. Bulkhead knew she was here, she’d told him about the trip - but he wouldn’t know to come looking until hours after they were reported missing!
Think, Miko, think.
As he spoke, addressing her and her alone - she would slowly stand up, carefully tucking her phone back into her pocket. She had the picture of him, the evidence - as out of focus as it probably was - now, she just had to outsmart him. But how?
“You should get out of here!” she yelled. “My group is coming back any second!”
Post by Windshield on Oct 10, 2023 14:45:08 GMT -5
"See, that's funny. 'Cause I haven't really seen any other humans on my way here," he chirped in subtle amusement. There was something commendable about a good bluff or even an attempt at one, so he wouldn't begrudge her that little lie. After all, he was an expert in the field and it would reflect poorly on him if he were to stymie fresh talent. She did have it in her, that little spitfire. Oh, if only he could remember where he'd seen her face before.
No matter, onto business for now.
"It certainly would've been convenient. I'll give you that, but..."
He paused briefly, bending down on one knee and lowering his head closer towards Miko. His optics zeroed in on her hand—her phone as she stashed it away. He knew that it now had a picture of him or at least something clear enough to make his superiors throw a fuss should it appear on the internet. Even if he didn't quite piece together that the human was one of the Autobots' allies, he knew that any evidence of Cybertronian life on Earth in the hands of a teenager was just asking for trouble.
"...I think I have all the time I need to get rid of this sensitive material."
There was a grim quality to his tone all of a sudden. Was it really just about the phone or were his inclinations darker than that? This was certainly no way an Autobot would speak. Though Miko may have known him as one, it did not take a Decepticon insignia to know that he wasn't being entirely transparent about his intentions.
"Your phone, please," Windshield stated firmly, extending a clawed digit towards Miko, "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."
He kept his body close to the ground, awaiting her response with an expectant glint in his fiery eyes but a serious expression on his face. The hand remained proffered for as long as needed, not reaching out greedily or in any way that indicated harm at this very moment. He was still trying to piece together why she seemed familiar and this attempt at an exchange gave him some time to think—and more than that, he began to wonder whether she was entirely alone. After all, she had no instrument on her and he could have sworn he heard more than one voice at some point... Unless those sounds came from her phone, in which case, problem solved.
Last Edit: Oct 10, 2023 14:51:13 GMT -5 by Windshield
Post by Jack Darby on Oct 10, 2023 17:56:31 GMT -5
No no no no no. No no. No. Run, Miko, run! All of this and more whirled through Jack's mind as the Cybertronian knelt, asking for Miko's phone. While it would be sensible enough to hand over the phone and book it, Jack was worried about what was on the phone. What if texts between Miko and Bulkhead could be traced back to base? What if Miko had taken pictures of the base, or of the Autobots? Even a picture of Bulkhead in his vehicle mode might be familiar to the Decepticons.
And Jack couldn't just leave her out there to fend for herself. Miko was his friend, and he'd be damned if he'd leave her in the claws of whoever-this-was. Slowly, taking even breaths to steady his nerves, Jack knelt to the ground and felt around. His right hand found purchase around a fistful of small pebbles. The teen eyed the side of Windshield's head, trying to judge if he could throw hard enough to distract the Cybertronian. All the while, he kept trying to think about where he saw the mech before.
The moment they got back to base, he was asking for a panic button. Or something. Anything, really, to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. They were known to the Decepticons. They should be more careful. What had happened with Airachnid and MECH was proof of that.
Avatar credits: Transformers: Prime creators. Thread tracker: [x]
Post by Miko Nakadai on Oct 12, 2023 4:36:31 GMT -5
“Well they’re out there!”
She stared up at the monster in defiance, hands resting on her hips. Her voice didn’t waver, because it wasn’t exactly a lie. Even if they had strayed from their groups, they were technically still in the vicinity - it just so happened that they weren’t… anywhere really close.
But he didn’t know that.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” she huffed, a strand of loose hair getting caught in the breath, moving from her face.
It was taking everything in her to stop herself from glancing in Jack’s direction. She wanted to see what he was doing, if he was safe or even still there. She’d heard the scrambled footsteps as he’d moved to hide, and could only assume he was still nearby - as he wouldn’t exactly leave her here! But she couldn’t check, not wanting to draw attention to him, not wanting to reveal to Windshield that she wasn’t alone. If Jack saw an opening and a way to help them escape this mess? Having the advantage of a surprise attack could be the difference between life and death!
As Windshield moved and knelt down a little closer, Miko took a hesitant single step back - her left hand moving from her hip to clutch the strap of her backpack, holding it tightly. She couldn’t take her eyes off him - staring up into those fiery optics as they seemed to bore right into her - and she found herself frozen in place as he spoke.
Even being around Bulk and the other Autobots, it was still scary just how big Cybertronians actually were. If this was the Decepticon she thought it was, it meant he was so very dangerous indeed. She didn’t know the ins and outs of what he knew or what he’d seen of Omega One - if anything - but the fact he was here and Patch was still missing?
It didn’t add up.
Shifting her gaze at further movement, her eyes would drift to his offered hand - and the request. While she was sure the Autobots would totally believe her if she told them that Windshield was here, having the picture as evidence would squash any doubt that may have come from her panicked words. He was supposed to be dead, and yet he didn’t even look like he’d been hurt!
“Uh…”
She stammered a second, buying herself just a fraction of time while she thought over what to do. Her host parents would be furious if she lost her phone, and it wasn’t as if she could tell them that a giant Cybertronian had taken it!
There was also the fact that the phone had been with her everywhere - and while she hadn’t taken any photos that revealed the location of Omega One, there were photos on it that were valuable indeed. The inside of the Nemesis, a Vehicon, even Soundwave! Not to mention all the selfies with Bulk - though most of those were from his interior, at least.
Debating whether or not she should lie and tell him the photo had already been sent to someone, or just hand over the phone to comply with his request, Miko realized she was wasting time. Even if it’d only been a mere second or two, it felt like forever - and she knew her next move would be important.
“Okay, you can have it! Just go away!”
Moving her right hand toward her pocket, Miko would instead pull out the small bottle of insect repellent. Angrily spritzing it twice in Windshield’s direction before realizing just how bad this plan was - ugh why couldn’t it be an aerosol can?! - she instead then threw the bottle, aiming for his optics even if she knew damn well she couldn’t throw that hard or far.
Eh, it was worth a shot.
Time for plan B which was trying to get away and hide. There were enough trees that it’d hopefully be hard for the Cybertronian to maneuver around them with ease, and while her backpack was annoyingly cumbersome, it wouldn’t slow her down too much, or so she hoped.
As the bottle moved through the air, she was quick to turn on her heel - not waiting to see if the pathetic spritz of lemony-scented chemicals or the bottle hit its mark - running back toward the nearest tree.
Post by Windshield on Oct 22, 2023 18:26:53 GMT -5
At first, there was confusion. A sickly chemical smell filling his olfactory sensors. What did that accomplish? He wondered. Then, there was pity. Poor creature, she chose to fight, knowing that she could never win. Finally, as the small canister gave up halfway towards Windshield's face, falling limply into the underbrush somewhere between him and the human, there was predation. An aggressive instinct to lash out. Without even realizing it, he'd grabbed after the human with a violent swipe of the claw, only to find that she was already some distance away from him.
Dashing, running—towards the tree, towards safety. Oh, you little troublemaker. Where did you come from and where will you go? After her and quickly! He straightened up, tall as a tree and twice as twisted as its branched. He broke into a sprint, following that spry human towards the trunks. She may have been small, but he kept his eye on her until the very last moment she disappeared behind cover. There, he'd ease into a meandering saunter. He knew she would try to hide somewhere. Were it him, he would too.
After all, on his world he was often in her position.
"Give me the phone, kid, and I won't hurt you," he cautioned loudly into the forest, letting the echo carry his words. It wasn't quite a yell, but it was close enough between the frustration and the urgency. As he spoke and as he moved about, he kept his optics peeled, peering into the darkening thicket. Searching for her, but not only her. His suspicion that she wasn't alone prevailed. Perhaps it was her bravery that gave it away, the confidence of another's arrival—or perhaps he'd known all along that she was not alone, and he was searching for evidence of a second human.
Oh, you little troublemaker. Where did you go and where is your friend?
Post by Jack Darby on Oct 22, 2023 18:55:38 GMT -5
Yes, Miko! Run!
Jack internally cheered his friend on as she maced Windshield with the bug spray, then sprinted into the trees toward where he was hidden. The boy would stay still as Miko plunged into the treeline, only moving once he had a chance to get close to her. He'd lunge out, attempting to grab her hand and pull her along with him, hoping she'd follow him into a run.
Seeing nowhere else to go, and if Miko successfully followed him, Jack would book it for the deeper part of the forest away from the trail. He'd stumble across root and stone, trying to keep on his feet and smacking branches out of his way as he did. It wasn't the stealthiest nor the most coordinated option, but all Jack was concerned about was distance between him and the Cybertronian. Even so, he'd wait for Miko to catch up with him, moving only as fast as she did.
When he got home, he definitely was looking into some sort of panic button to hit that could summon the Autobots on a whim. They couldn't even go on a trip without running into something trying to kill them. It was ridiculous.
Avatar credits: Transformers: Prime creators. Thread tracker: [x]
Post by Miko Nakadai on Oct 27, 2023 20:09:25 GMT -5
With scrambling footsteps, Miko ran as fast as she could - thankfully unaware that the Decepticon had made an attempt to grab her. She wasn’t sure where she was going, only that she had to get somewhere safe and hide. She didn’t dare turn around, though the thrum of vibrations from the Cybertronian’s pedes - felt even through the soles of her combat boots - showed even without looking that he was somewhere behind her.
Focusing on where she was going, she had all but forgotten about Jack. She knew he was somewhere close by, hiding - only in the flurry of motion had spaced on exactly where that was.
At least, until she was grabbed. Thankfully she saw him in the brief second before he’d moved - otherwise she may have screamed, giving them both away - and as her hand was taken, she would run with him.
Maybe he’d seen somewhere they could go to hide - he was way more prepared for this whole thing than she was, even without the surprise Cybertronian encounter, and as such she would follow him. Even if it was just the two of them vs Windshield, there was safety in numbers, even if the odds were so very stacked against them.
As they moved deeper into the trees, she made sure to take care with her footing. Twisted, gnarled roots and wayward stones could be their downfall - and the last thing she wanted to do was trip.
Only when Windshield yelled did she dare risk a fleeting glance over her shoulder for a second. Because of the echo to his words, she couldn’t quite tell just where he was in relation to them - and there was a flood of relief upon seeing he wasn’t currently in view.
Knowing that could change in an instant, she would keep up her hurried pace that wasn’t quite a sprint, hoping Jack could find them somewhere to hide - and fast.
Post by Windshield on Nov 15, 2023 17:24:17 GMT -5
Ah, so there were two of them.
He had noticed a second human just as they both disappeared into the dense woods. Windshield couldn't get a good look at him. All the Decepticon could make out clearly were the plain clothes and the black hair. The second human was taller than the other one, at least. He could tell that much just by following their trail until they got outside of his field of view.
And when they did, he picked up the pace. He swerved to the side and dashed through an opening between the trees, breaking through the weaker branches and soft bushes. He wanted to take the humans by surprise, to run into them from a different angle just when they thought they were safe. They could run or hide, but he was well on his way—and that brief disappearance?
It was a momentary reprieve.
For as long as they remained together, he could follow them both, and though his large form made navigating through the darkening forest more difficult for him, he was always an agile and a clever one for his species. Where others saw obstacles to barrel through, he saw launch points and cover, sight-lines and escape routes.
He assumed they were still headed in the same direction and darted forward in an erratic pattern.
His approach was not quiet, sacrificing secrecy for raw speed and a blanket of chaos. A distorting echo allowed the humans to only discern that he was still approaching from the general direction of where he first lost them. At times, it seemed as if though the thumping of his footsteps and the breaking of branches was coming more from the left or the right, but his chaotic movement would make it difficult to pinpoint.
Amidst the confusion, it was time to act.
Windshield sprinted ahead through a narrow gap in the foliage. He hoped to intercept them from the left, ambush them, so that they would be forced to divert their path, should he succeed. Though he could not rely on stealth at this very moment, he still used the trees to his advantage, leaping in to meet the humans from the side of a particularly mighty tree trunk that would have hidden his exact location until that single rush of action.
"Stop running!" He barked out suddenly, feet digging into the ground, kicking up dirt and leaves and branches as he skidded across the rough surface. Rising back into an upright stance, he would scan the area for the humans, ready to continue pursuing them if they kept running and weren't hidden somewhere nearby already.
Last Edit: Nov 15, 2023 17:27:17 GMT -5 by Windshield: Clarification