LJ Song Meme, a transformers/beast wars fanfic

#1 Stumble Bumble - Steve Jablonsky

A/N: This meme is like a virus and has been going around LJ like West Nile is around Arkansas. The basic premise is you put your whole playlist on random, start writing whatever comes to you when a song starts, and stop when the song ends. You're only supposed to do 5-10, but I had to keep myself sane while taking breaks from studying for my GRE.

You can download the songs at my work LJ (just click on the "homepage" link on my main profile here), and some of them really do read better with the song going like #4 (strange song, but I think it really reads better with it playing).

#1 Stumble Bumble - Steve Jablonsky

Cybertron's twilight seemed particularly dark as he stepped out of the catacombs, but it did not take long for him to realize it was not the sky which was darker but the metal around him which made up Cybertron's shell.

He always hated the color grey and its darker companion shades. They were such...depressing colors. When a mech's spark was extinguished, that was the color his body turned, and during formal ceremonies of passing during the war, mechs close to the departed painted themselves grey and black temporarily to honor the deceased. Grey and black were colors of depression.

Looking around, he could barely remember Cybertron's former golden shine during the aptly named Golden Age before the war. He had never realized it before, but he now remembered. Cybertron's gold first dulled to simple yellow, then orange, and as the war progressed, so too did Cybertron's sheen degrade. The planet he now saw was unrecognizable - black as the void of space. It was not dead though - he could tell that much from the way the planet still hummed softly under his feet. No, its darkness had a different cause.

Cybertron itself was mourning.

#2 Here I Am - Bryan Adams

Primus, this planet was dirty.

Mirage shifted on his tires in disgust and could not suppress a full shudder that went through his frame at the feeling of dirt working its way into his tire treads. Disgusting - absolutely disgusting, and they were trapped here for who knew how long. It was dirty and disgusting and held none of the class and grace he so missed from Cybertron and its spire cities, and that, combined with the fact that they were lacking so terribly in supplies and materials, made for a very unpromising start for their stay on this strange, new planet called Earth.

Scoffing his disgust, Mirage rolled forward on his tires and continued away from the Ark to meet his scouting partner.

"Whoa, sleek alt there, 'Raj."

Of course, the planet did have its positive aspects few though there were.

#3 Temporal Distortion - Chrono Trigger (remix)

Skyfire banked slowly to the right and adjusted his heading, making corrections to his star charts so his navigation and coordinates were correct. As he leveled out once more, he heard laughter over his communications frequency and could not help a smile of his own when he saw just ahead of him a tetrajet spiraling circles around a white hot comet, the jet dancing around its tail and expertly dodging its debris.

"Don't complain to me if you get a rock through your wing," he cautioned Starscream but was not surprised when his warning went unheeded, and his companion merely rolled around the comet again.

#4 Forces - Susumu Hirasawa

The ground trembled beneath the combatants feet as a rasped voice shrieked orders over the din of battle. As one, Autobots and Decepticons scattered and separated to their respective sides of the battlefield, and Autobots built for close combat traded positions with those designed for distance battle. The Dinobots stepped forward with a unified roar which almost drowned out the clanging and hisses of the green and violet mass assembling near the center of the circle of Decepticons.

With a screech of hydraulics, a front loader and a cement mixer folded in on themselves to raise their back ends into the air, and a dump truck, aided by the flight technology exclusive to Decepticons, rose to attach itself to their bumpers as they locked into position with a near deafening clang of metal. The sky itself seemed to darken in dread as a crane, an excavator, and a bulldozer followed suit, attaching to the dump truck.

A crimson visor blazed, and the booming voice of Devastator drowned out the Dinobots' combined roar.

#5 A New Day Has Come - Celine Dion

He felt his throat crumple under violet hands, and every vent in his body opened to compensate for the main shaft's destruction. His vision went red and cluttered with error messages, and he struggled desperately, fingers dragging down his attacker's arms to scrape off lines of violet paint before he found his assailant's hands and tried to pry them away from his neck even as darkness clawed at the edges of his vision.

A flash of blue brought his attention from hateful red optics. In a panic, he grabbed for it, and his fingers found their way around silver handles as if they were designed to fit. As soon as he touched it, the Matrix flared its defiance, and suddenly, the hands were gone from his throat as his attacker screamed, the light assaulting him, burning his shell, and sending him reeling away from his quarry, and the light scorched and melted the chain connecting it to its captor.

Somehow, he found the strength to stand, and Hot Rod held the Matrix high over his head. His overheated optics focused on it as it seemed to speak directly to his spark.

Arise, Rodimus Prime

"Optimus..."

#6 Wonders Never Cease - Morcheeba

Hound was a fairly easy-going mech, really. He was easy to get along with, cheerful, and supportive of all of his friends and comrades. However, even he had his own little jealous streak, and that was geared toward the infamous twins and Tracks.

Oh, no, he was not jealous of their appealing appearances as most were. He could not have cared less about that. No, he was jealous of their abilities to both drive over Earth's organic ground as well as take to its fascinating skies. Tracks' flight capabilities were tied to his spark itself, and the twins were simply lucky enough to be some of the few compatible with the jet pack technology. Primus, what Hound would not give to have their ability to fly for just one day.

However, he could not, so he contented himself and his endless curiosity with the humans' "internet". Pictures of the mountains, forests, deserts, and oceans he so wanted to see for himself but could not reach on land would have to suffice.

#7 I Drove All Night - Celine Dion

The night was colder than normal, the stars shining brightly overhead as the moon cast its silver glow upon the ground. It lit the road perfectly, almost enough that he did not need his headlights, but he left them on so he would not pass up the exit he needed despite the fact that he knew exactly where it was by spark. He coasted easily down the ramp and continued on a small dirt pathway almost too narrow for his large, nearly oversized vehicular mode, but it was not long before he rolled to a stop in the long grass of the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

As he folded out of his secondary mode and into his primary, Optimus Prime lifted his gaze to the sky. It was really unnecessary for them to meet so far outside their territory, but he found Autobot City quite embarrassing a rendezvous point since everyone knew by now what they did behind his quarters' closed door, and the Ark's orange shell was confining and stifling in addition to the fact that it was not at all soundproofed, and all the few remaining Decepticons could hear them, so that was embarrassing as well.

The roar of turbines filled his hearing, and Optimus jerked his gaze to its source only for the streamlined silhouette against the full moon to remind him of the main reason why he preferred to meet on the cliffs.

Primus but Starscream was stunning by moonlight.

#8 Before the War - Helloween

Some wondered how it was that Megatron was able to maintain control over such a vast army as the Decepticons for as long as he did. Most knew without having to ask, and those few doubters who remained did not maintain their doubt for long. All they needed to witness was one battle, and they were convinced. Megatron's black hands tore apart the shell of nearly every mech who defied him or dared to stand in his ways, his optics blazed with the fury of the stars, and his elegant white frame gave him the grace of a ghost yet also granted him the horrific visage of a demon when he was spattered with the vital fluids of his unfortunate victims.

However, some believers saw the white tyrant in battle and viewed him not as a great and powerful warrior but as proof that, as long as he lived and remained in power, the war would never end.

War was an addiction to him - once the Great War started and he felt the crumpling metal of his adversaries beneath his hands for the first time, he quickly grew a thirst for it. None mattered to him - if they obeyed him, he let them live, and if they did not or if they failed him in his endless search for the perfect battle, they were properly...dealt with. After all, why waste time and resources with those who did not see the beauty in war and death as he did?

#9 All or Nothing - O-Town

Skywarp knew he should not have been so jealous, knew it was only a habit which would be broken in time - after all, he was the first one since the war tore Thundercracker from his last mate. Still, it made his spark flinch when he saw his wingmate staring out the balcony at the sky with that sadly longing look on his face, and it hurt even more when Thundercracker cried out his name when they interfaced. He always apologized afterwards, and it was obvious even to Skywarp that his wingmate did not mean to and truly regretted the slip of his vocal processor, but still, the jealousy remained, and he feared it would until Thundercracker finally let go and saw not Mirage in the throes of passion but Skywarp and Skywarp only.

#10 B4U - Naoki

"I still can't believe they managed to talk RedOctane into making them one their size," Spike muttered through his utterly shocked stupor to Carly who was just barely containing her laughter. Still, despite the utter bizarreness of the size of the board in front of him - and the fact that Blaster and Optimus Prime were making the ground quake enough to very likely register on seismic meters in the nearest city with their competition - it was rather invigorating and amusing to see that, no matter the differences in their species, even giant alien robots could thoroughly enjoy Dance Dance Revolution.

#11 Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

She did not know his name - she knew very few names of those who were directly involved in the war since, admittedly, Blaster was rather overprotective of her. After all, femmes were rare, and femme cassettes were even rarer, so he kept her out of the battle lines, an easy enough task since her primary function was for boosting morale anyway. Still, Rosanna knew enough to know he was a Decepticon, but she did not care. She knew he was a good mech deep down - past his purple and blue frame and the scars it hid and protected. He hated everything around him, and she saw little more than anger or sadness when she saw him from a distance. However, when they were together in the shadows like this, the glow of Rosanna's blue visor mingled with the crimson glow of the scarred Decepticon cassette's, and when she reached up to touch his face and he pressed into her palms for her warmth, she could tell he was not a completely lost cause. He just needed someone to understand.

#12 Sudden Change - Wild ARMs Alter Code F

They knew something was seriously wrong when the wind picked up and began blowing against them. There was no wind in space. Panic overtook the processors of every mech on the Moon Base as they ran for the nearest evacuation pods, anything they could do to escape the thing which drew closer and closer to the horizon, its gaping jaws open and sucking in Cybertron's satellite, but most fell victim to its gaping maw when impossibly long pincers impaled the Moon Base, and Unicron began to feed.

#13 Gravity - Maaya Sakamoto

Sometimes, it was just too much - the war, the worry, the pain, the expectations, the waiting, the suffering, everything. They had been fighting for so long he could barely remember the beginnings of the war, his memory block filled near to capacity with little more than screams, explosions, hatred, hurt, and desperation, and now the war not only encompassed their world but another, one full of fragile organic creatures which could not endure the pain and torment of their war the way they had for so many thousands of vorns.

When it became too much, Optimus liked to stand in the rain. If it was not raining near the Ark, he drove to where it was. He focused on the rain, concentrated on the feeling of the water flowing down his chassis to soak into the ground, and he tried to let his worry and his fear and his sadness flow with it to leave it behind in the dirt when he left again to return to his obligations.

#14 Metal Invaders - Helloween

It was like a scene out of one of those science fiction thrillers his father was so fond of watching. Jets swooped down from the sky on a crash course for the pavement, but before they crashed, they jerked in flight and folded themselves to an almost humanoid shape. Cars swerved and tires screeched as those unfortunate enough to be on the road when the metal demons landed tried to spin around and flee, others crashing into buildings and exploding when their drivers dove out of them and simply ran. Still more cars swerved around the chaos, and the new cars' frames buckled just before they stood to confront the demon jets, and Spike could only stare in mute shock as a large blue and red truck leapt forward on two legs to grapple with the lead demon.

#15 Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits

Fascinating as Earth was, it was simply too different for many to feel comfortable with their extended stay there. The dirt was grating and uncomfortable, the skies were bright and foreign, and the weather was strange and unpredictable. There were select few similarities, and those more homesick than most clung to them desperately - Tracks sequestered himself in the cities and pretended the skyscrapers were the familiar spires of Iacon, Blaster enveloped himself in music and pretended the art was not forgotten on Cybertron, and others focused on the stars and tried to find their home among them.

Still, the unfamiliarity and uncomfortable surroundings did not prevent them from doing their jobs - they continued to protect one another as well as the creatures on the planet. They found just as many similarities between themselves and the humans as there were differences, and most eventually lost their discomfort. Others continued to isolate themselves with their own kind and waited quietly for the day when they could return to Cybertron. No matter the similarities they found, Earth was still not home.

#16 Comatose - Skillet

The starry night sky seemed much emptier the last two months. He found himself watching it for hours, from the very klik he entered his private quarters until sunrise without a breem of recharge. He knew it was not healthy, but he could not quash his endless worry. The expedition had been gone and unheard from for two months, and although he knew Starscream said it would take at minimum three for them to reach the planet they had slated to survey and that they would not contact Autobot City on Earth until then, Optimus worried every astrosecond that something had happened.

He felt ashamed for it, but he knew his worry was not solely for the well-being of the expedition team itself. His obligations at Autobot City seemed so...trivial without Starscream's frequent visits or his snappy comments on how worthless it all was with no war to require such precautions and reports. Optimus' fingers ached to slide over those flawless, curved wings and draw forth those wonderful whimpers from Starscream's still raspy vocal processor, to circle around the blades in his turbines only to have it planted in his face in an attempt to make him stop - he never would have admitted it aloud to Starscream, but Optimus secretly loved it when he did that. His mask ached as well, as if the mineral it was made of yearned for the Decepticon leader's curious and talented fingers to trace its surface and press against its edges.

A sigh huffed out through his smokestacks, and Optimus again concentrated on the sky, his imagination trying to place Starscream's silhouette against the moon.