((Meh... it's been another month since I've last updated.. Sorry for the wait.
I've been meaning to say this in the last 3 chapters but kept forgetting - thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. Knowing that there are people out who still read my writing and sometimes even comment on it, even though it's mostly mindless rambling, is rather comforting. Now, on to part 11...
I don't own TF))
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Playing With Kids
"Jazz." Optimus Prime frowned slightly as he tried to recall the bizarre term that he had in mind. "Does the term 'i prawn ur face' mean anything significant?"
From the saboteur's audio-to-audio, slag-eating grin, the term probably couldn't mean anything good.
"Context?" Jazz asked, barely managing to stifle his laughter.
Prime's frown deepened. "Well..."
*****
From how furtively he went about, one would think that Optimus was up to some kind of embarassing, secret activity. He had his communication status to "Don't disturb me unless it's important" and his connection to the internet was as secure as he could make it. The door to his quarters was closed and locked.
No, he wasn't looking for raunchy pictures of exotic cars on the internet. He was playing what humans called an "MMORPG."
It was a rather entertaining way to learn about human culture and society - the good and the bad of it. But more often than not, it was mostly a way to find out how horrible human nature could be.
Optimus had been minding his own business, his little sword-wielding avatar mining for metal ore. And then another player had interrupted him...
"this my rock u noob" flashed across his screen - at least thirty times, in rapid succession.
Optimus thought for a moment before replying, "I send my condolences to whoever taught you grammar." He wasn't too sure if he meant it sarcastically or politely.
Apparently, the disgruntled player took it as an insult. "stfu noob i prawn ur face retard"
*****
"...It's an insult of some sort, isn't it?" Optimus concluded. "Perhaps he felt that my reaction was impolite. I ought to find him and apologize -"
Jazz leaned against the wall, his grin unwavering. "Nah. Don't worry about it. A lot of young humans play that game, and most young humans have got a lot to learn when it comes to treating others with respect and patience. Just ignore them, they'll get bored and give up eventually."
Optimus mulled over the advice as he nodded absentmindedly and returned to his game.
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((...that was strange. I went from humor to something psychological in less than 3 kilobytes of text. I think this chapter was influenced by a lot of what I've been seeing online recently... flamers, trolls, people who just feel the need to spew hate for no reason... Well, thank you for reading some of the inane nonsense that flies through my head.))