Prowl continues to be a berk
May. 14th, 2007 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
koilungfish14/5/07 - Rosters and Radios
"Hey, Prowl, you done hogging Teletran-1?" Blaster asked.
Prowl glanced at him over his shoulder. "No," was all he said.
"Aww, come on!" Jazz added. "You've had your head in the screen since sun-up!"
"I am consolidating a library of vital statistics," Prowl said, "which will enable me to construct a more efficient duty rotation system."
"Meanin' your axling around with the duty roster," Jazz said. Behind them, seated at the command console, Optimus Prime paused in his work to look at them momentarily, but said nothing. "Like you ain't changed it three times since spring anyhow."
"We have an operational efficiency problem," Prowl protested, turning in his seat to look at them with the cold crossness Jazz had come to associate with a Prowl disturbed from something he was enjoying. "Our patrols are never in the right area at the right time -"
"- because we're patrolling Oregon, Washington and half of Idaho, and nowhere else 'cept for a bit of New York state," Jazz interrupted. "We ain't got nowhere near full coverage, and we ain't got the manpower or the horsepower to do it."
"That’s what I'm trying to rectify," Prowl said, sounding exasperated, which made Jazz believe the battle was not yet a losing one.
"Let me guess, we're going to be getting longer patrols with fewer people on them," Blaster said, "'cause that's what usually happens."
"If need be, yes," Prowl replied, trying to turn back to his work, but Jazz had no intention of letting him off anything other than Teletran-1's main console. It wouldn't have been a problem if the Ark's internal wiring wasn't so wrecked they could only get access to the outside world from here on the bridge.
"An' I bet we ain't gonna see your shiny bumper out on patrol any time soon," Jazz needled. "'cause Vector Sigma knows you ain't been on patrol once since we set up!"
"Your facts are in error," Prowl stated, not looking at them.
Jazz glanced over his shoulder and noticed Prime appeared to have started up a new project on a sub-screen, at which he was studying very industriously. "I ain't seen you go further than Portland 'cept on roll out."
"Someone with executive powers needs to be in or close to the base at all times, and since you're working with Sunstreaker's patrol group and Ironhide insists on going on any sudden call-out Optimus has to deal with, I simply have to remain within fifty miles of the Ark at all times."
"Sheer coincidence," Blaster said with subdued sarcasm.
"Who would you rather leave in charge? Ratchet? Skids? Grimlock?"
"Sooner Grimlock than you," Blaster said, not looking Prowl in the face.
"Don't you have some enemy transmissions to monitor?" Prowl asked, trying not to show he was offended and not succeeding. "I notice from your work statistics that you're not spending a great deal of time doing your duties."
"I can't," Blaster said. "I can't get no signal in here. Too much volcano. Only way I can do my job is when you ain't using my workstation."
"This is not your workstation!" Prowl said harshly, turning around again. "This is the main console of Teletran-1 and it's used by everyone for everything."
"Well, we ain't used it today because you won't shift your aft out of that chair," Jazz complained, shrugging.
Prowl looked at him through cold and narrowed optics. "Haven't you got a patrol to run?"
"Been and come back already," Jazz replied. "An' let me tell you, I ain't built for driving across two hundred miles of scrubland. You gave me Hound's route by mistake!"
"Sorry," Prowl said flatly. "It was an accident."
Jazz tried not to seethe. "Oh yeah? Just like that 'accident' where you gave Sunstreaker the same dentin' patrol route after he bumped into you in the corridor?"
"Hound was elsewhere, and Trailbreaker uses too much fuel to do a two hundred mile route," Prowl said, as if it were all perfectly obvious.
"Hey, wasn't Ratchet complaining about having to pull rocks out of Sunstreaker's underside after that one?" Blaster said.
"Yup," Jazz said, on cue. "He said he was going to have a word with someone about putting sports cars with low ground clearance on rough terrain patrol routes. I wonder who he was talkin' 'bout."
Prowl glared at them icily. "I suppose I shouldn't expect more than insinuation from you two."
"And I guess I can't expect to do my job," Blaster griped, tapping his foot. "Man, I can't pick up nothing in here."
"Then go outside," Prowl said, back in his isn't-it-perfectly-obvious tone.
"You see a hundred-foot antennae sticking outta my head?" Blaster asked.
"Blaster, you have a four thousand mile radio range," Prowl said. He'd have difficulty getting more condescending.
"Yeah, and the 'con base has an interstellar transceiver that's jamming me outta everything east of Iowa!" Blaster protested. "I need the Ark's big transmitter to reach New York!"
"Use your remote signaling hookup," Prowl said tersely. "It's what it's there for."
"I can't," Blaster said, voice utterly without humour. "Too much volcano."
"And how long has this been a problem?" Prowl sighed.
"Since I came back on-line," Blaster said, starting to sound irate.
"Hey, Red Alert's been saying the same thing since he woke up," Jazz quickly interrupted, before Blaster could lose his cool. "And ain't we been having the 'hex of a time keeping in contact with the New York base? Heck, we even lost contact with Cosmos a few times, and he was hovering right over us."
"Are you just here to remind me we have a problem with radio transmissions due to the electromagnetic interruptions caused by the volcano?" Prowl asked. "Or can you actually suggest a solution?"
"Build a dentin' radio tower?" Blaster suggested, visibly irate now.
"Blaster, how many times -" Prowl started.
"'Cause the humans don't want us building nothing," Jazz interrupted, mostly because he could say it in a third of the words Prowl was going to use.
"Dents!" Blaster cursed. "How the 'hex are we supposed to protect them if we can't even set up a decent receiver? Man, I tried standing on top of the volcano and I still can't get the BBC -"
"Pardon?" Prowl said, cold as an Iacon winter.
"Err..." Blaster mumbled.
"Well..." Jazz failed.
"Let me guess," Prowl overrode them. "You just want to use Teletran-1 to pick up radio broadcasts from beyond the Decepticon jamming zone?"
"But it's John Peel!" they both protested at once.
"That's-"
Before Prowl could say what he thought, they were interrupted by the sound of Optimus Prime trying not to laugh. "Prowl," the commander said, rising from his seat, "I think you've been working on the new roster for too long. Perhaps you should take a break."
"But, sir-" Prowl protested.
"It can wait," Prime shushed as he walked over. "Let Blaster and Jazz listen to their radio show." He fixed them with a dry look. "Just as long as you don't play it where I can hear it."
Blaster whooped, Jazz gave the big boss a thumbs-up, and the two of them pounced on Prowl with intent to drag him from his seat.
"Whoa," Blaster said, getting a look at the screen, and the damning little data table sitting in the centre of it.
"Dude, harsh!" Jazz added, looking disapprovingly at Prowl.
Optimus Prime leaned over to look as well. "Prowl," he said, quiet tones filled with deep disapproval, "I don't think it's appropriate to allot Autobots patrols based on whether or not you like their attitudes."
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-15 10:51 am (UTC)I have no idea how I get this many reviews sometimes. This one seems to have been unusually popular.
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Date: 2007-05-15 11:37 am (UTC)Thank you for the kind comments towards Fleetwind. You know, until you had voted on him for the 28 business, I never really had an idea you were much more than aware of him at all? :)
I've never really seen the point of giving a review saying "Meh, I am indifferent to this fic." It always begs the question of why you're reviewing.
That depends on why they're indifferent (and whether or not they're sharing why they're indifferent). If the person's indifferent due to subject matter, then there probably won't be much help for it. But if they're indifferent due to writing style, even if they're not able to peg exactly what about the style turns them off, it's useful to know that much. Also, if the majority of peoples' reactions is indifference, that itself suggests work that needs to be done by a writer, but the problem is, the majority of indifferent people tend not to say anything at all.
It's why I occasionally think throwing polls in on my entry. I find that I get a lot more votes in polls than I get responses in general (and it sometimes lets me learn things I didn't know, such as your fondness for Fleetwind), but on the downside people tend to view polls as, "If I do this, I don't have to bother giving any typed feedback." But... I dunno. General percentages of how many people liked, didn't like, were indifferent to, or just didn't read might be useful...
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Date: 2007-05-15 02:09 pm (UTC)That said, catch me in a good mood [viz, when I'm not doing anything else and/or am just generally perky] and I will respond to being poked for feedback. After all, I poke other people, it'd be churlish of me to resent being poked in return.
I like Fleetwind. It stands to reason that, somewhere within an empire built on enlightened self-interest, there's someone in whom that enlightened self-interest manifests as intelligent cowardice. I'm vaguely tempted to write him, if I could think of something to do with him.
Possibly you need to post polls with your fics? A short review poll, perhaps; "Did you think this fic was a) great b) okay c) meh d) contained errors e) sucked" sorta thing? Might be worth trying to see how it works ... who knows, it might provoke people into giving longer responses. Another thing is, at least for me, I'm leery of giving critical feedback simply because it seems like every time I do I get yelled at for being a bastard.
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Date: 2007-05-15 02:43 pm (UTC)Well, see, again, that just says to me that I'm probably better off not poking. XD
[Comments about catching Koi at the right time]
Well, see, I don't like to be poked (my annoyance with pokings isn't just the jealousy factor; I've mentioned plenty of feelings that have little to do with my own pettyness), so I don't feel comfortable in poking other people.
That said, catching you in a good mood that doesn't also involve you being too out of it to respond seems a task in and of itself. ;)
Koi likes Fleetwind! Hoorah!
Well, I have no problem with him being borrowed, as you know, but if you find you just can't use him anywhere, then you can't use him, and that doesn't bug me. Given how little I write, really, it amuses me that my characters worm their ways as many places as they do! :)
Koi gets yelled at for crit.
Yeah. We all like to think we have thick skins when it comes to feedback, but often they're not as thick as we think. One method some people try to use when criting to soften the blow is to sandwich the critical meat with compliments on either end. Of course, there are fics out there that are such that it's hard to find two compliments on them, although most of the people on my flist at least have the, "Sentences are put together well from the technical stand-point" thing going for them.
(You'll note I don't bother about this method with you. You've shown yourself to have thick enough scales.)
An additional problem that you face, if you'll allow me another moment of frankness, is that whether you like it or not, you are a Big Name Fan. People automatically put more weight on what you have to say, whether they're doing it on a conscious level or not. Thus, a negative comment from you automatically seems much worse than it does coming from, say, me. This is because people hold you and your opinion in higher regard. It's silly, but it's the way it is. You and I have our disagreements, and honestly, a lot of my frustration with you and with those disagreements is not directly with you. It's with other people. You, Wayward, other Big Name Fans... I don't know if you realize or not how often folks like me run into people who defend their ideas with logic like, "It's so because Koi says it's so." My problem is not with the fact that you, for example, hold a divergent opinion. It's that I have witnessed other people reject things that disagree with the mighty Koi on the basis of Koi Says It Is So.* It's silly and absurd that people do this, and it is not your fault at all, but the fact is it happens, and you're at the center of it, whether you want to be or not.
* This is, in fact, why Robo-Smasher has become such a big stickler with me. I don't have a problem with you and Wayward not liking that origin. I have a problem with basically being told I'm wrong for liking it by other people because you or Wayward Say It Isn't So. I know it's not your fault, but it's there anyway.
I apologize for running long. I have the wordy today!
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Date: 2007-05-15 03:30 pm (UTC)Well, the more often you try, the more likely you are to catch me in the right frame of mind :)
It might be fun to write him. I'll have to see if an idea turns up.
Yes, this is true. I've just had some bad experiences with little morons who couldn't understand that I was criticising their work in the hope they'd write better. Then again, most of the people around here are a bit more mature and intelligent than that ... Possibly I shall go for the polite "I have crits, do you want to hear them?" line.
Of course, the other side of being oversensitive to crit is being undersensitive and refusing to take into account that people are telling you that things are *wrnog* with your fic, and they need fixing. Instead of which some people just carry on regardless.
[:: preens shiny scales!:: Indeed I do :) ]
... I'm a BNF? Bwuh? Since when? What did I do?
I generally think that, when it comes to fandom theories, you can discount the opinion of anyone who says "this is so because So-and-So said so". If they can't explain it on their own, they probably don't understand it, and if they don't understand it, they're probably misapplying it. [That said, I now wonder who on earth is touting my overanalysed ponderings.] Add to the fact that I am, in fact, entirely capable of being flat-out wrong, or holding a teneous position on something purely because I like the idea, and "because Koi said so" is a pretty feeble reason for anything.
[Who ARE these people?]
Seriously, anyone telling you you're wrong for liking the canon over my about-face overinterpretation of the canon is daft.
No problem. I haven't got anything to do other than write today's ficbit and watch cartoons. It's bucketing outside!
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Date: 2007-05-15 03:54 pm (UTC)Koi, I originally joined the Cell because I had seen on ff.net that both you and Wayward were there. I was a groupie. I like to think I've gotten over that starry-eyed stage, but it was there, and if it was there for me, it's there for other people.
Hell, I can see it at times in oro, when a single person slips and calls you "he" or "she", and suddenly an army of oro regulars is taking notice and "Ooooooh"ing and "Ooooooooo"ing like some sort of crime has been committed. There was one point when you were in there and I actively complained about your feedback poking, and was met with a chorus of three or four other people, "Oh, but I don't mind!" because I dared to express disapproval.
Koi, there was a Koi Kult. Like it or not, wish it was gone or not, it was there.
You may not want to be a BNF, but I find it pretty hard to believe that you are completely and utterly unaware that you are.
Not entirely related to the BNF thing, you are a good writer with high and very particular standards. Your approval is hard to get, and thus is often sought after. Because your opinion is this highly value (due, largely, to respect of your abilities as a writer), negative crits with nothing to soften the blow can hurt more.
As for the "I have crits, do you want to hear them?" line, that may be a good idea. I've used similar results with people I'm not comfortable with criticizing, usually to good effect.
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Date: 2007-05-16 01:24 pm (UTC)I'm not very good at positive criticism/praise for most fics in as much as I judge all writing on the same standard, fanfic and timeless classics alike, and generally I criticise everything on a "this is what it needs to be better" level. Perhaps I am just too much of an ingrained bastard?
Hopefully that line will work, yes.
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Date: 2007-05-16 02:07 pm (UTC)I'm not encouraging the vanishing act... more just jibbering over the pros and cons. Personally, for me it seems too much like work. :)
I'm not very good at positive criticism/praise for most fics in as much as I judge all writing on the same standard, fanfic and timeless classics alike, and generally I criticise everything on a "this is what it needs to be better" level. Perhaps I am just too much of an ingrained bastard?
Koi, if you are judging fanfic on the same level as timeless classics, you are almost certainly being too harsh. We are writing stories based on a 80's children's cartoon. Doesn't the idea of judging the Transformers cartoon on the same standards that you'd judge Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz or such on seem a little absurd? The cartoons are fun, but they are generally not very serious, and for me one of the highest (and rarest) compliments I can pay to a fic-writer is, "It feels like an episode," with all the pleasure and fun and doesn't-take-itself-too-seriously aspects that implies. A fanfic that's written on the level of a literary masterpiece may be a joy to read, but something can be fun and enjoyable while falling short of that level. That, and while "this is what it needs to be better" advice is all well and good, sometimes it's nice to hear from an outsider, "these are where your strengths lie." When you're not filling in for it, we are often our own worst critics, and hearing we've managed to get something right makes it easier to face what we've got wrong. ;)
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Date: 2007-05-16 02:08 pm (UTC)Er... I mean, "I had heard of you for several months..."
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Date: 2007-05-16 03:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 03:40 pm (UTC)But you remember that random discussion about your Megatron/Starscream bit that cropped up a couple years ago in a fanfiction discussion community, reviewed and talked about by people who never interacted with you? (Along with that very strange star-dog troll...)
It happens. You put your stuff out on the 'net, and there's a chance any name attached to it will crop up in surprising places.
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Date: 2007-05-16 07:41 pm (UTC)I thought that was a one off ... you're right though. The net is vast and one should not be surprised when it catches a fish :: shrugs::
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Date: 2007-05-16 07:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 03:35 pm (UTC)As for vanishing ... I did basically nothing for three/four years whilst I was going through the worst of CFS. If people still remembered me after that, going away and coming back later would be silly.
[On the other side, if I'm a BNF, when do I get my free laptop? ;D ]
'Level' was perhaps the wrong word. I have a sort of sliding scale in my head, from 0 to 10. Only a very few things I have ever read rated a ten. Most published books make a 6. Most fanfic makes a 4. Really good fanfic - e.g. Luna's Wisp - I rate more highly than a lot of published work because it succeeded *as a story* where many published stories fail. I'm not saying we should all write literary masterpiece fanfic. That would be daft, because if we achived it, we couldn't publish it, and then we would feel sad.
In the end, fandom or not, I'm judging a piece of writing on whether or not it's technically competant, whether or not it's interesting, and most of all whether or not it succeeds *as a story*. Fandom is subject matter - hell, the Iliad is Greek RPF ;) - so you have an external frame of reference for the plausibility of the plots and the cohesion of the characters. However, even if you get it spot-on canonical and totally in character, a fanfic can be dull as ditchwater because it fails to tell a good story - there is no conflict resolved, there is no sense of an idea behind the text, there is no *point*.
Unfortunately, a lot of people I try to offer crit to seem to be their own best reviewer rather than their own worst critic. Hence why I left ff.net :: shrug::
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Date: 2007-05-16 03:45 pm (UTC)Me, while I don't mind trying to write enjoyable fic, I'm not even making an attempt at churning out masterpieces. You can see some of my thoughts on the matter in my recent "Epiphany" post. I suspect part of why I've given up on asking you for feedback is for fear of "wasting your time" and "not measuring up." But at the end of the day... this isn't a job, this is a hobby. I will never be a professional writer, I’m not trying to be a professional writer, and if all I'm doing is entertaining a few close friends? Well, that's time well spent. Any improvements I make are just bonus.
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Date: 2007-05-16 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 04:17 pm (UTC)The reaction stems from a person's motivations for sharing their fic to begin with. Not everyone is looking to improve their writing, and not everyone is looking to bolster their own ego. I know that when I share the stuff I've worked on, I tend to do it only with the small group of people I interact with regularly. This is part because these are the people I know well enough to respect their opinions, but also because these are people that I am fond of. It's a very normal thing, when a person likes something, to want to share it with people they're fond of. Let's use music as an example. If there's a song I like, I will often send it on to Luna or someone. I gained pleasure from the music, and if I can share that enjoyment with someone I'm fond of, it increases the original experience for me.
Now I'll apply that to creative endeavors, not in large, impersonal environments like ff.net, but on the more personal level. If I write something, and I'm proud of it, I want to share it with those I care about, not just so they can tell me how good and wonderful my work is or so they can find the typos or whatnot for me, but because I like those people and am hoping that something pleases me also brings pleasure to them. While the pleasure of writing it is certainly important, so is the knowledge that I've created something for the enjoyment of someone that means something to me.
Koi, I suspect there's a connection between that sort of reasoning and the problem you're running into. Some of the people - again, ff.netters, but the people with whom you interact with - are sharing their work with you partially for the chance for improvement, yes, but also because they are hoping to bring something to you that you might enjoy. As a result, for these people, when you give no indication that you took pleasure in the work at all, it's a bit painful. It's also another reason I try not to pester; I worry if I have to pester someone too much to look at my stuff, they'll resent it, and therefore take no pleasure from it, and therefore I defeat a good portion of my purpose.
Everyone assumes that feedback is either for improvement or ego-feeding. I think the reason I just gave is often overlooked, but it's there under the surface in most of the interactions I'm involved with.
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Date: 2007-05-16 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 07:45 pm (UTC)