NaNoWriMo Update
19 November 2019 12:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wyntir_knightSo NaNo has not been going well this month. We had a move at work and it was stressing me out majorly. That ended up adversely effecting my creativity, and while I was doing okay for the first couple of days, every day thereafter was producing less and less and less. But, I'm determined to continue. I was jumping around a bit for a while, not entirely sure of where things were going or how to write certain characters or even which characters to include. Yesterday, though, I think I got back on track. I'm still massively behind - I need to write 2,100 words a day if I want to complete by November 30 - but at least I now think I know where I am going.
And just because I've decided to include a snippet of what was written:
Optimus Prime stood at the edge of the Grand Pavilion and looked out at Iacon. The city was as beautiful as ever - shining like the jewel of Cybertron - but Prime knew that it was nothing more than a veneer over rot. The Council had spread their influence so slowly that no one noticed them taking over and removing their rights one by one. No, that was untrue. One person saw it coming. Megatron had warned against the Council. He alone seemed to have enough prophecy to see the truth. And no one listened until it was too late. Until there was nothing to do but go to open war. And even then he hadn’t listened. As Orion Pax he had been convinced that there had to be a peaceful solution.
“We can’t do this, Megatron!” Orion said fervently. “The collateral damage will be incalculable! So many innocent will be impacted by this plan.”
Megatron turned away from Orion to look out of his apartment’s window. There wasn't much of a view, but it was better than looking out over the gladiatorial pits. Or even worse, the darkness of the energon mines.
“Rion, do you really believe that there are any innocents left in this world?” He turned to face his friend and immediately shook his head. “No, of course you believe there are. Of course you still believe that. Orion there are no innocents left! Even if they aren’t actively helping the are still allowing this to happen! Every time they say nothing they are giving their implicit acceptance of everything that happens! Everything that has happened!”
“They’re afraid, Megatron,” Orion replied with insufferable calm. “They’re desperate. The Council has promised them fuel and shelter. And safety. I may not agree with them but I understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. Or not doing. We can’t punish them for being afraid!”
“Yes, they’ve been promised safety,” Megatron sneered. “So long as they aren’t laser pointers. Or data slugs. Or any of the other disposable classes. They’re fuelled and sheltered and safe so long as they don’t try to rise above their station or or become something more than their alt mode. Or Adaptus forbid, refuse to have an alt mode. Life without freedom is no life at all!”
“They would disagree with you,” Orion said as he motioned to the window and the multitudes of people beyond. “We need to think of them as well. We can’t just use them as canon fodder!”
“I’m not suggesting that we-” Megatron shook his head. “We do not have a choice. The Council had taken away all of their choices.
Megatron had been right, of course. Not in his methods, but in his motives. The Council and Senator Shockwave - no, Lord High Protector Shockwave - had manipulated everything. He had manoeuvred everyone until they were exactly where he wanted them. Propping up his functionist ideal. Even discovering the Matrix all those vorn ago hadn’t helped. Even assasinating Sentinel Prime and exposing the Council’s lies hadn’t help any. They had had the opportunity to stop all of this and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do what was needed. And if he was being honest with himself, he still couldn’t. And yet, he had doomed his entire race to a slow extinction when he had sent the All Spark out into space. He had lost them their only connection to Primus and with him the planetary hot spots. There would be no more younglings and therefore no more Cybertronians.
Optimus sighed and brought his attention back to the horizon. The beautiful, shining horizon.
“Prime.”
He had never heard Prowl enter. Unsurprising. Even if he hadn’t been focusing on other things, he would not have heard Prowl had the strategist not wanted to be heard. Praxians had a way of gliding - a subtle reminder of their relation to the Vosians.
Prime turned away from the view and nodded to his second.
“I take it it is time.” What might have been a question from anyone else was a statement from him. Of course it was time. It was past time. Well past time.
“It is, sir,” Prowl replied. There was a stiff formality to his words and mien that Optimus knew was all a front to keep himself distanced. All of the Praxians had lost so much. Their city. Their families. Their friends. They had been the innocents that Optimus had sought to shelter. And they were the innocents that Megatron had chosen to sacrifice.
“The other teams have left as per your commands. Our ship is waiting at your pleasure."
And just because I've decided to include a snippet of what was written:
Optimus Prime stood at the edge of the Grand Pavilion and looked out at Iacon. The city was as beautiful as ever - shining like the jewel of Cybertron - but Prime knew that it was nothing more than a veneer over rot. The Council had spread their influence so slowly that no one noticed them taking over and removing their rights one by one. No, that was untrue. One person saw it coming. Megatron had warned against the Council. He alone seemed to have enough prophecy to see the truth. And no one listened until it was too late. Until there was nothing to do but go to open war. And even then he hadn’t listened. As Orion Pax he had been convinced that there had to be a peaceful solution.
“We can’t do this, Megatron!” Orion said fervently. “The collateral damage will be incalculable! So many innocent will be impacted by this plan.”
Megatron turned away from Orion to look out of his apartment’s window. There wasn't much of a view, but it was better than looking out over the gladiatorial pits. Or even worse, the darkness of the energon mines.
“Rion, do you really believe that there are any innocents left in this world?” He turned to face his friend and immediately shook his head. “No, of course you believe there are. Of course you still believe that. Orion there are no innocents left! Even if they aren’t actively helping the are still allowing this to happen! Every time they say nothing they are giving their implicit acceptance of everything that happens! Everything that has happened!”
“They’re afraid, Megatron,” Orion replied with insufferable calm. “They’re desperate. The Council has promised them fuel and shelter. And safety. I may not agree with them but I understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. Or not doing. We can’t punish them for being afraid!”
“Yes, they’ve been promised safety,” Megatron sneered. “So long as they aren’t laser pointers. Or data slugs. Or any of the other disposable classes. They’re fuelled and sheltered and safe so long as they don’t try to rise above their station or or become something more than their alt mode. Or Adaptus forbid, refuse to have an alt mode. Life without freedom is no life at all!”
“They would disagree with you,” Orion said as he motioned to the window and the multitudes of people beyond. “We need to think of them as well. We can’t just use them as canon fodder!”
“I’m not suggesting that we-” Megatron shook his head. “We do not have a choice. The Council had taken away all of their choices.
Megatron had been right, of course. Not in his methods, but in his motives. The Council and Senator Shockwave - no, Lord High Protector Shockwave - had manipulated everything. He had manoeuvred everyone until they were exactly where he wanted them. Propping up his functionist ideal. Even discovering the Matrix all those vorn ago hadn’t helped. Even assasinating Sentinel Prime and exposing the Council’s lies hadn’t help any. They had had the opportunity to stop all of this and he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do what was needed. And if he was being honest with himself, he still couldn’t. And yet, he had doomed his entire race to a slow extinction when he had sent the All Spark out into space. He had lost them their only connection to Primus and with him the planetary hot spots. There would be no more younglings and therefore no more Cybertronians.
Optimus sighed and brought his attention back to the horizon. The beautiful, shining horizon.
“Prime.”
He had never heard Prowl enter. Unsurprising. Even if he hadn’t been focusing on other things, he would not have heard Prowl had the strategist not wanted to be heard. Praxians had a way of gliding - a subtle reminder of their relation to the Vosians.
Prime turned away from the view and nodded to his second.
“I take it it is time.” What might have been a question from anyone else was a statement from him. Of course it was time. It was past time. Well past time.
“It is, sir,” Prowl replied. There was a stiff formality to his words and mien that Optimus knew was all a front to keep himself distanced. All of the Praxians had lost so much. Their city. Their families. Their friends. They had been the innocents that Optimus had sought to shelter. And they were the innocents that Megatron had chosen to sacrifice.
“The other teams have left as per your commands. Our ship is waiting at your pleasure."