Fuzipenguin asked: Any Bluestreak headcanons you'd like to share?

Oh, god, tons. XD

My favourite Bluestreak is a badass. He’s been through hell and back (although what constitutes that hell depends on the AU), and he is indisputably a little damaged. But he is far stronger than people give him credit for, and it’s a testament to his inner strength that he hasn’t come out the other side of his hell jaded and mean-spirited.

(Sometimes I like to think he plays naive and “young” for his own advantage, because people expect that of him… They see a chatty younger mech and just make assumptions. Anyone who underestimates him usually gets it thrown back in their face.)

He loves video games, and will quite happily stomp anyone in a fighting or racing game. (He and Sideswipe have a good-natured rivalry going on for King of the Console when it comes to fighting games.) He’s a terrible cook/mixologist, though. 

Before the war he was a merchant. What he sold varies depending on the story/AU/backstory, but it’s always some kind of artisan craft (think glasswares or ceramics), or sometimes the materials to create art. On Earth, he misses making things with his hands, but he doesn’t have a lot of chance to practice his craft there.

Because of the trauma he’s endured, he’s got a lot of “noise” in his head, which is why he talks so much. (Anyone with severe anxiety might sympathize with him.) There are only two times that the voices in his head go quiet. First, when he’s on the battlefield using his skills as a sniper: analyzing the air currents and distance and movements and everything else that goes into making him a deadly shooter leaves no space in his processor for anything but his calculations. But he can’t function socially when he’s in that headspace, so he can’t “stay” there. The second time is when he’s plugged into another mech’s processor (ala plug-n-play interfacing). Having another processor paired to his calms the nerves and soothes the anxiety, and he can finally be calm and relaxed. Getting a good overload out of it doesn’t hurt, either. :)

There’s probably more that aren’t immediately jumping to mind, but I have so many Feelings™ about my boy that I could probably just go on all night. ^.^

fuzipenguin asked: any favorite headcanons about the twins?

Hmm! I think most of my headcanons come directly out of fanon and stories that I’ve read: Sunstreaker as an artist, Sideswipe as a prankster. Sideswipe often says/does things without thinking them completely through,while Sunstreaker is a bit more contemplative.

Something that has always been part of their character makeup in my head, though, is that Sunstreaker is almost painfully shy. That makes him seem standoffish to the other Autobots (especially when viewed next to Sideswipe’s exuberance), and other’s reaction to the standoffishness is a little unfriendly, which makes Sunstreaker feel even more shy/isolated… etc, until it evolves into the prickliness that he’s often portrayed with. I’ve written one story specifically about a really shy Sunstreaker, and it was a lot of fun playing with that.

The other thing that I’ve often thought (but that I haven’t worked into any story in a serious format… yet) is that the twins are literally the same person, just divided up into two bodies. So they’re basically an extreme example of nature vs nurture: their life experiences and how they interpreted what’s happened to them in their lives is what helped shape their personalities. At their cores, they are identical… They just react to things differently.

Like I said, I haven’t gotten around to working that into a story in any concrete fashion, but it’s something that’s been in the back of my mind every time I’ve written them. :)

I’ve always liked writing Bluestreak with a bit of an edge. He can be cute and he can be sweet, but underneath that is a backbone of steel. Even when I’ve written him as someone who’s naive, it’s an act… A mask he puts on so that others can’t see his real agenda. Yes, he’s nice, but damnit, he’s not a pushover either. In Ghost of the Howling Plains, he shows his mettle even though he’s been badly hurt, and in Renegade and the Hound… Well, that’s my favourite Bluestreak. :) He’s someone who’s determined to stand by his convictions, regardless of what they cost him, but he looks out for others as well. He’s sweet and badass at the same time.

Two of the little ficlits that I really enjoyed writing were this one, where he’s a Decepticon, and the Shattered Glass AU, where he’s actively sadistic as he’s taking Thundercracker apart. They both have such a different view of Bluestreak from the usual “aww, isn’t he sweet” you often get in fanfic. 

For the Decepticon!Bluestreak, I am headcanoning him having his own agenda. He feels betrayed by Prowl and Smokescreen (the reasons of which will come out in the story) and saw joining the Decepticons as a means to an end. How much of his cruelty is an act that he puts on to ‘fit in’ with the ‘Cons? That’s something I’d have to explore in the story. ^.^

I think that’s one of the reasons I like writing Bluestreak and Hound so much - there are so many different ways I can take them.

balloonarcade

“This street is under our protection,” said the other, stared down at the small disposables. “There’s a toll to pass.”

Rewind skidded to a stop, his posture tense. “Aww, no, not again…”

Looking at his friend, Shadow frowned. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Look,” said Rewind, trying to sound reasonable. “I just got mugged last week! I hardly have anything on me now.”  

“Then you should know how this goes,” growled the first mugger. An oily smile crossed his face. “Give us what you do have, and you can go about your business.”

The other large mech loomed over Shadow. “Both of you,” he said.

Seeing his friend balling his hands into fists, Rewind put his hand on Shadow’s arm and said, “No, stop. It’s not worth it.” He looked back up at the thugs. “We’ll cooperate.”

“Big mechs, picking on disposables a quarter your size,” Shadow said, curling his lip. 

“What are ya gonna do about it, trash?” the first mugger said, shoving Shadow’s shoulder.

With the distinctive sound of a transformation cog spinning, Shadow shifted into his alt mode and activated his flash. “THIS!” he yelled.

“Augh! My optics!” the first mugger yelled, covering his face with his hands. His companion stood dumbly next to him, blinking rapidly as he tried to readjust his optical sensors that had been blinded by the bright light.

Switching back to root mode, Shadow grabbed Rewind’s hand. “Come on - run!” He pulled the data slug past the muggers and down the street, running for the relative safety of the bar he knew was open on the corner.