spiders are good for the garden

indie sg airachnid, tfp.

[silkmakingsteel]

Well, she can at least try to find a troll after dark in Arcadia. She made a holoform just for this, after all- it took days.

When dusk comes she projects it, and sits it down in the canal- waiting. Watching.

[silkmakingsteel]

❝How could you betray me like this?❞

"Shh, shh- it's okay. There's going to be an attack later and I didn't want you to get hurt. I would have taken Prowl and Hornet as well, but I cant find them and we only have so much time before someone trips an alarm."

She pats the enormous (kidnapping? RESCUE!) webbing sack and then hefts it to her back, supporting it with all of her spider legs.

[silkmakingsteel]

❝I thought I knew you. Guess I was wrong.❞

"...I'm still myself. I can contain multitudes."

She fiddles with her talons- she has venom ducts in her hands, as well as her mouth. She is deadly, true- but she chooses not to be.

"I'm sorry I scratched you- I normally have much better fine motor control-"

[silkmakingsteel]

...how does one acquire a horngazel...

Is it literally made of a troll's horn? Is it a musical horn? Hm.

I'd best look for bridges, first.

[loveandangstmemes]

Confrontational Sentence Starters

Not all conversations are light-hearted. Here some angsty, uncomfortable starters that muses dread to have.

❝So, you knew?! When were you going to tell me?!❞

❝I never needed you.❞

❝Sorry, but I’m not who you think I am.❞

❝You still love me, don’t you?❞

❝I’ve been keeping secrets from you. I thought I should come clean.❞

❝I needed you, but you left.❞

❝I thought we were friends!❞

❝So was all of this just a lie?❞

❝I thought I knew you. Guess I was wrong.❞

❝I don’t love you anymore.❞

❝We were never friends.❞

❝How could you betray me like this?❞

❝Do you really want to know how I feel?❞

❝You don’t know me. Stop pretending like you do.❞

❝I want to know the truth.❞

❝What are you hiding from me?❞

❝I trusted you.❞

❝You actually trusted me?❞

❝I’m done with all of this.❞

❝It’s over between us.❞

❝There never was an “us.” It was always about you.❞

❝I thought I could confide in you about anything.❞

❝So where do we go from here?❞

❝What else have you been lying to me about?❞

❝Why did you lie to me?❞

❝You were never there for me!❞

❝How can trust you after what you’ve done?❞

❝I nearly died because of you!❞

❝Can’t we go back to how things used to be?❞

❝I can’t forget about you.❞

[silkmakingsteel]

Airachnid. I have a scenario for you. Say we meet on the battlefield. How would you attempt to defeat me?

I wouldn't! Smokekitty, if you were attacking me, I would let you. I know you wouldn't really try to hurt me. We're friends, aren't we?

[silkmakingsteel]

shatterscreen​:

I, it– Well, that’s… Actually, just the other day, I threw a human named Mario into a pit. And another human named Roy. Granted, they threw me off three more times…

As much as you might like to believe, I am not that different from them. If I am “redeemable,” so are they.

Inevitable kidnapping? It’s not going to happen, Airachnid. I am far stronger than you realize, I could simply pin you down again, and what would you do then? Lose to me?

That sounds fake, Smokescreen. Not the redemption- I’ve always thought that most Autobots... aren’t what they pretend to be. The only exceptions being Arcee and your Prime, but those have to do with millions of years of personal history.

I want to help all of you- but you’re the only one who seems to seek help, yourself. Starting with you is what will lead to real change. Peace.

I don’t want to fight anymore, Smokescreen. I never want to have to fight again. The thought of it makes my plating crawl.

[silkmakingsteel]

Airachnid. I have a scenario for you. Say we meet on the battlefield. How would you attempt to defeat me?

I wouldn't! Smokekitty, if you were attacking me, I would let you. I know you wouldn't really try to hurt me. We're friends, aren't we?

[silkmakingsteel]

shatterscreen​:

You make me sound like I am not in some way part of the problem. But I am no different from any other Autobot. Would you help any of them, too?

… “Take me home?” Please, ruin the surprise. Where, exactly, is home, in this scenario? Is this kidnapping? Are you talking about kidnapping me, Airachnid? That’s a bit devious, don’t you think?

Name the last human being you killed. The last vehicon you snuffed with your own hands.

You are different, Smokescreen. You don’t want to be, but you are. And I’m glad you are.

It means you won’t be too upset about your inevitable kidnapping.

[silkmakingsteel]

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul-

It sings the song without the words

And never stops at all.

@forgedcold More poetry for you to rate!

[symbolmemes]

Send ➳ for your character to receive mine as a gift/spoil of war.

[broken-crcwn]

silkmakingsteel​:

He’s also quadrupedal! It doesn’t seem to hurt his spine or haunches to stand that way, either, thanks to the relative shortness of his legs.

Their torsos are not the same height, however- most of Airachnid is leg. Sitting down, they can easily see eye to eye without craning their necks. “Thousands of years… how long does a troll live? Cybertronians can live for thousands of years, as well. The time frame you operate on being similar to ours is fascinating.”

“I wish I had a sample of one of your bridges- I could analyze the piece, or show it to Shockwave. If the portal generation is similar to how we make ground and spacebridges, that’s a common link between ‘magic’ and science-”

She beams. “I’m glad I found you! There’s so much to know.”

Bular seems just as comfortable on all fours as he does on two legs – maybe even more so, with his relatively low-slung head and literal bullish build. She’d likely be able to tell that this troll is made for hard impacts to the skull, like bison and rams.

“I have no access to any of the portals anymore, so you can learn no further from me,” replies the heir of Gunmar. “Regarding age, the oldest troll I am aware of lived to be somewhere in the range of five thousand years. Vendel was old when I was young.”

Like a great cat, Bular stretches his arms out and pops his spine before standing back up. “I am certain he can tell you everything you wish to know.” The tone is hopelessly mocking. “I hear he still rules over what is left of the Heartstone Trollmarket just beneath Arcadia.”

[silkmakingsteel]

...that is so endearing. Like a tiger, or even like the mountain lion Bular mentioned earlier, he stretches in such a familiar way. She must not laugh or smile. Her face is stone! Immovable!

And then he mentions... another troll. More Trolls? Still around here! Likely Pact Trolls, which provides another point of view for her information gathering!

...hmm. if he's elderly, she really doesn't want to startle him. Investigating Arcadia might take a bit of finesse.

She stands as well, he spider legs all flexing- and then folding back neatly.

"Then that's where I need to go next! I'll return with more information and even more questions, Bular. Be prepared."

[broken-crcwn]

silkmakingsteel​:

She tries not to lean in- but it’s what she does when she’s interested in something, and this explanation of a usually rather dry scientific subject is worth getting a bit closer. She holds back- and sits, crossing her legs. She gestures to the ground next to her, and nods.

“Dimension theory is the theory of infinite dimensions stacked on top of each other- and depending on a civilization’s interests, not everyone understands it in that way. Dimensional travel can be dangerous- so most commercial travel takes place within the same Dimension, for cybertronians. In Earth stories, do Trolls guard bridges because they’re important doors?”

He does not sit. But he does take a step back and drop down to stand on all fours, fists to the grass. It’s about as good as she is going to get.

“At one time, yes. Trollkind did guard certain doors, but it has been thousands and thousands of years since then. The location of many of the portal bridges were lost, except Killahead, which the Gumm-Gumm’s controlled. Until Pendragon, Merlin, his Trollhunter, and those spineless Dwoza idiots locked the door, my tribe had free access to both worlds.”

[silkmakingsteel]

He's also quadrupedal! It doesn't seem to hurt his spine or haunches to stand that way, either, thanks to the relative shortness of his legs.

Their torsos are not the same height, however- most of Airachnid is leg. Sitting down, they can easily see eye to eye without craning their necks. "Thousands of years... how long does a troll live? Cybertronians can live for thousands of years, as well. The time frame you operate on being similar to ours is fascinating."

"I wish I had a sample of one of your bridges- I could analyze the piece, or show it to Shockwave. If the portal generation is similar to how we make ground and spacebridges, that's a common link between 'magic' and science-"

She beams. "I'm glad I found you! There's so much to know."

[broken-crcwn]

silkmakingsteel​:

His arm is also beautiful- rough hewn, and handmade. The details aren’t as fine as something of Cybertronian make, but Airachnid still want to take it in both hands and admire each finger. Earth ingenuity is delightful.

But he seems to prefer his own space, so she leaves it be.

“Yes! Think of it as a space just out of reach of this one. A bordering area, where things can be seen but not touched. You know dimension theory?”

His heavy head tilts. “Theory? It is not a theory. There are several dimensions that we know of, including this one and the Darklands.”

Trollkind only knows of a few, and most are only just being exposed to the concept of the Multiverse. It’s a bit of a mindblowing notion.

“You have your ground bridges, but we have bridges. Bridges are often doorways to other places, be them Trollmarkets and warded underground villages or access to different worlds. Any bridge can be a door to a market, but but each of the – nine? I think – realms can only be accessed by one bridge each.”

[silkmakingsteel]

She tries not to lean in- but it's what she does when she's interested in something, and this explanation of a usually rather dry scientific subject is worth getting a bit closer. She holds back- and sits, crossing her legs. She gestures to the ground next to her, and nods.

"Dimension theory is the theory of infinite dimensions stacked on top of each other- and depending on a civilization's interests, not everyone understands it in that way. Dimensional travel can be dangerous- so most commercial travel takes place within the same Dimension, for cybertronians. In Earth stories, do Trolls guard bridges because they're important doors?"

[twcwheelera]

silkmakingsteel​:

“No catch. I bake for fun, not for a price. It distracts me.”

Airachnid offers a weak smile- it’s very hard to look at Arcee and not see a monster. The one who killed Tailgate for daring to leave her.

“…would it help if I said it was a peace offering?”

     ✾    ─    Arcee’s helm bows forwards, optics shift from the treat to the spider like mechanism - observing her carefully, and then the treat again, repeating that gesture multiple times as if to catch a shift. No matter how hard she tries to look for signs of nightmare that for long haunted back in her mind, she cannot find one. 

Everything feels… genuine. And she herself, begins to feel like the mean one. This is not someone she dealt with long ago. Optics squeeze tightly shut, hearing Optimus in her processor.

     ❝ …I take your peace offering, as long as it doesn’t stun me. May it be the cost of my trust. ❞ Optics open, and bite she takes. A quick, almost forced one. But once the taste hits her palate - her entire expression switches. From tension, to relief, enjoyment. ❝ …It’s… a bisc…scone? ❞

[silkmakingsteel]

The other takes a bite. Arcee takes a bite, and considers it! Airachnid perks, hopeful- and she nods.

"Yes! Slightly sweet, though I make them in most flavors- I take care of the Decepticon Inventory, which includes ration distribution. I like to remind the vehicons of home."

[broken-crcwn]

silkmakingsteel​:

He understands! It is a bit technical when she tries to explain it. She didn’t know exactly if he had the words for what a portal was, or understood the concept- but he does.

“Anywhere on this planet,” she clarifies. “Though we haven’t fully explored the properties of them, yet. Occasionally a portal will malfunction, and send someone into the shadowzone, unable to be seen or heard. It’s better to use groundbridges safely than experiment.”

How useful would a portal like that be? Able to travel anywhere in a blink, and disappear just as quickly. This could prove useful.

The troll seems to consider this information carefully, reaching up to tap his chin with a steel claw – his right hand isn’t stone, but appears to be made out of some sort of coppery-gold metal.

“This shadowzone… This is another world? Dimension?”

[silkmakingsteel]

His arm is also beautiful- rough hewn, and handmade. The details aren't as fine as something of Cybertronian make, but Airachnid still want to take it in both hands and admire each finger. Earth ingenuity is delightful.

But he seems to prefer his own space, so she leaves it be.

"Yes! Think of it as a space just out of reach of this one. A bordering area, where things can be seen but not touched. You know dimension theory?"

[silkmakingsteel]

gckotails​:

The smaller of the duo is still breathing short and quick, but the mechanism’s motions as well as words slowly parse in her mind as tame, and concerned. Was it possible that Airachnid was being genuine? This massive thing having no malice for one so small? Finally letting herself blink and take a longer inhale to try and soothe herself the blue haired female’s features shift into something less fearful, however slight it may be.

‘I spend a lot of free time in the forest,’ she returns, ‘learned how to pay attention to my surroundings that way. Uh, and it’s okay? I do know how to get back to my home and have methods to defend myself from wayward creatures who may try to do harm to me.’ Creatures. A word choice specific over animals, but meant the same thing for those not listening closely. ‘Have you been stalking me, big…. robot lady?’

Stalking sounds so unfortunate. Airachnid doesn’t like to think of it as stalking! It implies a desire to hunt, and Airachnid is the least predatory spider around. Though she does occasionally… follow. For safety.

“No, I promise,” she refutes, sounding taken aback. “I don’t stalk things. I have a completely non-organic diet. I- it’s more akin to birdwatching? Usually I just see deer and foxes, so a human was new.”

She gently reaches down and picks something up- a feather, with blue and white coloration. Most likely from a jay. “I was checking on a nest and heard you walk by.”

Airachnid offers the feather- like a plea for peace. “I know that humans have ways of protecting themselves, but there’s always more safety in numbers when you’re under a certain size.”

[gckotails]

Birdwatching. That was more palatable. Regardless, it was still following of a type no matter the name someone gave it. As Airachnid denies again the changeling allows herself to further calm, tilting head as the pink hued femme bends down to pinch something between digits. When she procures a quill Alex finds her brows arching - and this time she does not retreat whenever that slim metal arm extends to gift it to her. It’s closer than comfortable but the gesture is read for what it is, and she acknowledges it with a tentative acceptance from between those frightful claws.

‘I suppose that makes sense. I’m… out here more often than not when I can be. It’s calm and animal watching is nice.’ 

Rolling the keratin shaft of the feather between forefingers the oily texture is noted subconsciously, the woman scrutinizing faceplates as she does so now that she had better view. They were… elegant, in an alien sort of way. ‘Have you seen anything concerning in the area lately, that would warrant protection, miss..?’

[silkmakingsteel]

"...Airachnid," she finishes. How do you explain man-eating Trolls to someone? Any death she can prevent is worth it, but it's impossible to gage someone's reaction. "And there is... a mountain lion. A grouchy, rabid mountain lion who hates humans and would sooner eat them all up than let one return home safely."

She bites her lower lip, and her fangs peek out- but her expression is strangely human, and worried.

"So before dark you need to be home. He's nocturnal."

[silkmakingsteel]

Airachnid. I have a scenario for you. Say we meet on the battlefield. How would you attempt to defeat me?

I wouldn't! Smokekitty, if you were attacking me, I would let you. I know you wouldn't really try to hurt me. We're friends, aren't we?

[shatterscreen]

Airachnid, wrong! Incorrect! I would be brutal! I would have to seem as brutal as possible, and if you do not, then it is just suspicious. And what if someone had disguised themselves as me, to gain your trust? If I attack you, you need to fight back.

[silkmakingsteel]

I don't WANT to fight back against you. You've seen enough fighting already. If I was really threatened, I would- ...well, I won't ruin the surprise. But I would be fine, and we'd take you home and help you.

[silkmakingsteel]

Troll!airachnid with colors! She can walk on ceilings.