The Singer

Artist: Arthur Hughes (English, 1832–1915)

Date: 1866

Medium: Oil on panel

Idk about u but for some reason this reminded me of White Collar. Idk if it's because Neal's just that charming or maybe this could be a song written by some of his 'victims', but... it just reminds me of him... and his charm.

Liam: "Yeah, 'Big Lennon''. Just going to get me cigs. (Opens door to office and shouts) 'What was that question? 'Do we plan to be working with Marcus Russell in the next two years?' Don't know about that!' (Closes door, chuckling, and sits down). I enjoyed it immensely. I wouldn't go crazy about it, though. It only took me ten minutes to do. I'm not a songwriter, I'm a singer. If there's any more in the pipeline, then so be it. If not, never mind."

I've had this angsty idea for an AU of my fic The Singer for ages and wanted to share it.

Basically, what if Starscream wasn't able to stop the war? If Megatron never became a Kaon delegate and so never met Starscream in Iacon.

In this AU, Megatron's rebel faction and anti-Senate speeches would stir the Senate up. They would be worried about the warframe Seekers joining Kaon and giving the rebels complete air superiority.

So their solution is to fire bomb Vos, fulfilling the "I See Fire" song prophecy, which Starscream was helpless to stop.

His trinemate Thundercracker would be killed in Vos, causing sparkbreak for Starscream and driving him mad.

In response, Megatron's faction rallies with the surviving Seekers, and war breaks out. The Decepticons break into the Senate and murder Sentinel and the corrupt Senate.

They also discover the Singer, and take him as a war prize. Megatron hopes that Starscream can sing him insight for the war and help them win.

Starscream though, is mad with grief, and tortured by the knowledge that his last remaining trinemate, Skywarp, is trapped in an Iaconian prison.

In the aftermath of the Senate slaughter, Orion becomes a true Prime, and begins to lead the Autobots. The Autobots free most of Sentinel’s prisoners and recruit them.

Skywarp is also suffering from grief and the trauma of being locked up. He sees Megatron as Starscream's captor and joins the Autobots in revenge, fighting to get him back.

Meanwhile, Megatron is growing increasingly frustrated with the unhelpful and spiteful Singer. He sees Starscream’s outbursts and confusing songs as defiance because he isn't a Prime. When really it is mainly grief and anger at being held as a prize again and kept from his brother, while also not being listened to whenever Starscream does sing warnings or condemnations Megatron does not want to hear.

Things become nearly as toxic between them as it was between Starscream and Sentinel. With stoney silences and bitter, cutting songs, and anger and abusive outbursts from Megatron.

Starscream doesn’t know Skywarp is with the Autobots because he is kept in "protective custody", which means Skywarp doesn’t know where he is either.

The climax of things would be Starscream finally managing to get through to Megatron, maybe in a moment of clarity when Megatron recognises that he is acting no better than Sentinel towards Starscream. Megatron would finally hear his warnings about total planetary destruction and extinction.

This would lead to reluctant and distrusted attempts to seek truce talks with the Autobots. Starscream would be more lucid than ever through this process, now that he finally has a respite from visions of total inhalation.

Skywarp by this point has worked his way up the ranks and is among Optimus' officers. The moment it becomes known the Megatron is working with the Singer to organize these truce negotiations, he becomes frantic to make them succeed.

This has an influence on Optimus as well. Finally, the two sides meet for the first negotiations, and Starscream and Skywarp see each other for the first time in vorns.

Theirs is a tearful, painful reunion. A symbol of the fractures between brothers the war has caused. And as a symbol of the hope to rebuild trust and end the war.

Propaganda below