Between death and eternity - Part 1 - 2/3
Jun. 14th, 2012 10:15 pmBeta: Starfire 201
Continuation: Pre-war
Genre: Adventure, drama
Characters: Prowl, Jazz, Optimus Prime
Summary: Sometimes, a war is decided by chance encounters and extraordinary persons. Optimus Prime's new consultants definitely fall into the latter category, but their harmless surface hides dark and terrible secrets that are better forgotten..
Between death and eternity
Part 1: Iacon
Chapter 2: Negotiating
When Jazz entered the seminar room two joors later, the tactician was already there and waiting. In front of him lay the maps of several cities and on the wall was a hologram of Cybertron with highlighted flight routes.
Prowl looked up, when he heard the door. "Jazz."
"Prowl." Jazz was determined not to show any insecurity. "You have already worked on it?"
"Yes. I calculated how long you would need to fly from Vos to the other cities under various conditions."
Jazz put his own data pads on the table. "Do they need long enough that we can react?"
"If we watch Vos from the orbit, the answer is yes in every case."
Jazz grinned, even though he saw no true humour at this situation. "The Vosnians wont be happy about this."
Vosnians thought a planetwide orbit observation traditionally as a limitation of their freedom. In these orns, such a step could be the spark that led to an inferno.
"If they join with the Decepticions, they are a danger and we have to act accordingly," said the tactician, not inclined to accept the argument.
"But we still have the possibility to negotiate with them and at least to turn some of them to our cause. If we built such a huge surveillance system which is nothing more than a sign of mistrust, then we have no chance to convince them of our good intentions. They would claim this as an aggression against Vos."
Prowl didn't answer and just looked at him. The intelligence agent resisted the desire to show how nervous he was. Did he already make a mistake? But it had been his honest opinion... Politically, the surveillance of Vos was a radical step, and they both knew it.
"It's the only way to guarantee the safety of the other cities." In the voice of the tactician was a hardness that surprised Jazz. "This planet's safety is the highest commandment for us Autobots. Every other way holds untold risks."
Jazz had to give it to him, that he was subtle, even as he blamed Jazz for acting outside of the moral conduct of the Autobots.
"Orbital surveillance has its own risks. The Decepticons could use it as political dynamite in their propaganda and we could lose every single neutral Vosnian."
Did Prowl really not see this? Or was all this just a trap for Jazz?
"And what do you propose then?"
Huh? He hadn't even half of all the relevant information yet! And Prowl knew that. Every opinion Jazz had would be wrong...
"If we improve the defence of the cities against ground and air attacks generally, how would the safety look then?"
Prowl nodded, Jazz had passed this test.
"In most cities this would be satisfactory, but in the cities near Vos we have too short of a reaction time. Additionally, this option would take more time than an orbital surveillance."
"Time we could use to slow down the takeover of Vos."
"How?"
"Negotiations?"
"The risk is too high."
Jazz stared at him surprised. That was it? Just like that the proposal was removed from the table? "Too risky, why?"
"We don't know if Vos is even interested in negotiations. And we have nothing significant to offer them, are hated by them and in the worst case scenario, the Decepticons will use the talks to either increase their influence or to win time before we can activate the orbital surveillance."
"But if we don't even try, we would send the worst signal imaginable to the public." Surely Prowl couldn't ignore that they would hand over a whole city-state without any fight!
"It's the decision of the Vosnians, not ours," Prowl replied.
After this, they couldn't find a compromise. Prowl insisted on the orbital surveillance because he thought that this was the only way without risking other cities. Jazz, however, couldn't help himself and thought this idea was slag. They would give up on Vos, be the aggressors thanks to the surveillance, and even strengthen the Decepticons in their conviction too!
Finally, Jazz couldn't take it any more. He jumped up and put both hands on the table in front of Prowl.
"I know your arguments, Prowl! But sometimes in life you have to take risks!"
The tactician gave him an acidic look. "Not if your risks are the lives of other Cybertronians."
Jazz flinched back as if slapped. "My risks?"
The spy's thoughts raced. Was Prowl so stubborn because he didn't trust Jazz' evaluation of the situation? Because he suspected a trap?
"Yes." Slowly Prowl stood up and stepped around the table, just to stop a few centimetres away from the spy. He was bigger than Jazz and built more powerful.
Within Jazz, every cable demanded to attack or to increase the distance. He kept standing there. Maybe... maybe it was time for honesty:
"You don't trust me." No reason to talk around this. "Why?"
Prowl was quiet for a moment, then he said, "Because your body speaks of battles."
So it was his body that had betrayed him. But what exactly?
"Every Autobot has been trained for battle."
"Yes," admitted the tactician and narrowed his optics. "They were trained, but you... you're living it."
"I... understand..." Jazz really understood. That what made him so good had betrayed him. His body, his experience, his own life. Though, just how had Prowl been able to recognize the signs?
"Jazz, as you said, I don't trust you. But because Prime wants it, I will work together with you. Should I find even one single hint of betrayal, I will turn you in."
So the rules in this games were clear. Jazz nodded, absurdly relieved that he now knew where he stood with the tactician. It wasn't a good situation by far, but at least he didn't have to fear any more that Autobots were waiting in front of his apartment, ready to put him in prison or worse.
"That's okay..." he answered. "Still, I think that you ignore too many other factors with your strategy of orbital surveillance."
Back to the everyday business. Even if their personal war was important, they couldn't ignore Vos.
Prowl was silent for a few kliks, then he said tersely, "Compile your arguments and proposals on a datapad. I'll talk with Prime and find out what he thinks about the risks."
What? Was he being downgraded to the secretary of the tactician? They had the same rank!
But Jazz kept his iron self-control with the knowledge that Prowl would probably only consider his opinion through this way.
"Good plan."
"Tomorrow, same time."
And again the security protocol. "Same place."
With a short nod, Prowl left the room. A bit lost, Jazz stared at the scattered data pads.
"Well, this could have gone better."
~O~
As Prowl entered the office, Prime sat behind the desk and greeted him with a smile:
"I wouldn't have thought that you would finish this fast."
Prowl's doorwings dropped a bit, a sure sign that he wasn't happy that he would have to disappoint his superior. "We aren't finished yet. Our opinions are not compatible."
"Meaning?" asked Optimus worriedly. It seemed that his fears, that their different personalities were too extreme, were justified.
"We couldn't agree what our priorities should be. Jazz thinks we should take a few risks that could later prove valuable in this conflict, while I thought them unacceptable."
That explained why Prowl was here. They saw things so differently that they needed a guiding line. At least they were trying. "What kind of risks?"
"The protection of the cities and until which point this protection has priority over advantages later in the coming war."
Indeed, this was no small problem. "I take it that you want a completely safe method?"
"Yes."
"And Jazz?"
"He wants to take risks, so that we don't lose the support of the public."
Prowl's disapproval was clear to the Prime. It wasn't just a basic question, it was a moral conflict. Should he risk the lives of his citizens just to keep support and a favourable public opinion which he needed to win the war?
What should he do?
Optimus was intelligent. He knew that behind both decisions were many possibilities, plans, and more. Whatever he would say, maybe it would be even irrelevant in the current situation... but his consultants, Prowl and Jazz, would act accordingly to his will.
Could he really sacrifice lives that were entrusted to him for a theoretical tactical advantage in the far future?
He didn't realise that his hands were shaking.
"Sir?"
He looked up. "Prowl... why are you against taking this risk?" The tactician hesitated. "I have to know, my friend."
The younger bot seemed to slump down. "I don't trust Jazz, Prime."
Many answers he had expected, this one was not among them. "Jazz?! But why?"
So far, he had thought Jazz the ideal Autobot. But Prowl obviously didn't share this opinion.
"I don't think that he was the best choice for such a position."
"His performance has always been excellent..."
"Not because of his abilities."
Optimus stared at Prowl, nearly speechless. "You doubt his loyalty?"
"Yes."
"That's... Why?"
And for the first time since Optimus knew him, Prowl avoided his optics. "It's just a... suspicion."
"Suspicion," he echoed flat, unbelieving. His tactician didn't have baseless suspicions. "Are you sure that your mistrust isn't influenced by your personal sympathy towards him?" "Silence. "I take this as a 'no'. Prowl.... I want you both to at least work together. I trust both of you. And if you trust me, then trust Jazz, too."
For a moment the tactician didn't move, then he inclined his head. "As you wish, Prime."
"Good." Optimus felt the early twinges of a processorache."What would be your proposal if you trusted Jazz? What risk would you take?"
Prowl looked far away, as if he was seeing something else entirely, a sure sign that he was doing a few entirely new calculations. Eventually he said:
"Jazz' arguments are not entirely wrong. If we calculate within ten cycles, I advise taking no risks. In a war, though, which can easily last a vorn or more, I would take risks to a moderate extent and give the Department of Communication precise instructions.
"I understand." Deep down Optimus felt as if someone had hit him. Revulsion against himself bubbled up. Would he, the protector of Cybertron, really fall so deep as to put lives deliberately in danger? He wasn't aware that his face betrayed his thoughts.
Prowl's wings twitched and he took a step forward. "Prime.... sometimes one has to do things, that are not the best."
"Yes..." His voice sounded constrained. "Still..."
It was rare that Prowl let his professionalism fall away and became a bit more... emotional. Though nowhe couldn't really appreciate it. Too much he felt as if the words he had to speak would destroy a part of himself.
Prowl understood his dilemma. "I know. Just say... Must we Autobots do what is the best for all Cybertronians in the long term?"
A simple answer. "Yes."
"Understood, Prime. In an orn the report will be completed. I wish you a good orn."
Optimus could only look amazed after the tactician left. Prowl had saved him from saying it. Of course, it would change none of the facts, but it was a big difference between giving an order which denied everything you stand for or to follow your own morals. This difference would only mean something to Optimus, but maybe this was the reason he felt a wave of gratitude for the tactician.
Prowl had made sure that tomorrow he could still look at himself in the mirror.
Now, he only had to trust in Jazz and Prowl, that they would find the way that was the best for all.
~O~
To say that Jazz was startled as Prowl entered his office without any warning (what happened to his door ping and lock?), would be an understatement. Reflexively, he pushed his chair backwards to put distance between his visitor and himself and grasped the laser pistol he always had with him. Only as his fingers slid themselves around the handle, he came back and froze.
With a blank expression, Prowl still stood in the door, then let it slowly slide close. They were cut off from the outside world.
Jazz cursed in his thoughts. No mistakes! If this hadn't been a mistake, he could call himself Unicron! He nearly had shot down the right hand of Prime. Good work, Jazz. Really. Before this, he hadn't realised how much the tactician had unsettled him, but now that his old instincts came back...
"If I had any doubts that you're more than an Autobot, they have now disappeared." Prowl sounded cold.
"Will you bring me before Prime?" And announce me a traitor? Kick me out of the Autobots?
"No."
"No?" Surprised, Jazz looked at him. Hadn't that been his goal?
"No... under one condition."
Condition sounded bad. But still better than his other possibilities. He already saw himself as a branded traitor being chased out of Iacon. "What do you want?"
"That you wear this from now on." In a single fluent movement, Prowl threw a small round microchip towards Jazz, who caught it with ease. "I wanted to put it on you without your knowledge originally, but this way is better."
Jazz examined the chip in his servo. It was the newest technology of the Department of Science, nearly untraceable if you didn't know where to search. On a secret frequency the chip sent the location and frame workload non-stop. Through this, one could determine where the Autobots where and more importantly, if they were fighting. Jazz gave the chip some of his agents, so that he would be able to help in an emergency.
There were probably worse punishments for nearly shooting the tactician.
"I won't be able to wear it on certain sensible missions in Kaon and Vos," offered Jazz with some concern and put the microchip beneath his armour.
"Acceptable. By then I will have gained clarity about you."
Jazz nearly made a face. Was that good or bad? But Prowl was already talking again, as if the whole incident had never happened:
"I have considered your information and spoken with Prime. In my opinion the orbital surveillance is necessary, but your arguments shouldn't be overlooked." He gave Jazz a data unit. "These are my proposals and calculations. Please read through them by the next meeting, so that we can come to a decision fast."
The spy took the data unit and viewed it. Prowl had really deviated from his radical standpoint and took up a few of Jazz' arguments. None of it was perfect, but now a compromise was at least possible.
"Has Optimus Prime said something important?" Jazz asked
"Yes." Prowl got, if possible, even more serious. "Prime's command: do what is the best for all Cybertronians in the long term."
Jazz was silent as he processed the order, then he said quietly: "Even if there are avoidable victims?"
"Yes. The best in the long term."
He saved the command of his Prime in his deepest and safest memory file. "Order accepted. For Cybertron."
Prowl nodded and for the first time, Jazz saw behind the cold façade some of the warmth of the true mech. "For Cybertron."
The tactician left the office.
~O~
~silber
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Date: 2012-07-05 02:17 pm (UTC)Well, it wasn't supposed to be a backhanded insult, because what I've read so far I really liked. It's much more serious and dark than teh series, but worth the read.
I've seen them, but not yet looked into them, because at the moment I fear a "White-Collar-Fan-Frenzy" at I'm busy enough. ;) But I'll not forget them, thanks
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Date: 2012-07-06 08:41 pm (UTC)Yes, I know, I was just kidding. I have the first IDW Collection, so I have at least read that and I was really impressed by the background Megatron got and the others, too. It's far more polished than the tv series and feels more aimed at adults, which is only good.
LOL But there IS a chance that you won't even like White Collar (using 'WC' for it... doesn't seem right *g*), though I doubt it...
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Date: 2012-07-07 02:31 pm (UTC)Of course there is. ;) But I'll take the risk.... after exams.(WC - reminds you of Weiß Kreuz?)
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Date: 2012-07-07 04:10 pm (UTC)WC = water closet *facepalm*
PS: Did you watch "Mission: Impossible Phantomprotokoll" already? Did you see who plays William Brandt? *squee*
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Date: 2012-07-08 06:55 pm (UTC)... no sure what it says about me, that I truly did not thind about that. O.o
Nope. I didn't. Good?
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Date: 2012-07-10 10:37 am (UTC)That your mind is not in the gutter. *pats shoulder* That's a good thing, don't worry! ;)
Well, just look at my icon, that should give you a HUGE hint how good that movie is (besides me squeeing and writing FF for it despite the fact that CLINT and Loki occupy my brain) *hint hint*
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Date: 2012-07-10 02:26 pm (UTC)I hope that they're not normally watched by adults. On the other hand... do you My little pony, friendship is magic?! I thought I read wrong when I discovered that a signifcant part of the fandom is a) male b) over 20. They're called bronies.
... To be fair, I've then watched the show in disbelief and liked it, too.
Ah, good to know. My mind retains a few shreds of its sanity. ;)
*looks* *grins* Well, if that isn't a convincing argument...
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Date: 2012-07-11 10:32 am (UTC)Yeah, I heard about that but have not (yet) watched a single episode. Although of course when I was a little girl, I was totally into My Little Pony - amongst other things ^-^" Would you rec the show?
Yeah, so go and watch! The movie does not only have Jeremy Renner in the role of William Brandt, a chief analyst for the IMF, who has to tag along on Ethan Hunt's latest mission impossible (and has his own secrets ^.^), but a really nice balance between character development, crazy stunts and (in comparison to the other three parts) subdued/believable action. It's not all over-the-top action scenes and whatnot; I really enjoyed watching it for the movie itself, not just because of Renner :) My father though complained that it was FSK 12 - I had to destroy his illusion that there is a FSK 16 version LOL
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Date: 2012-07-13 12:13 am (UTC)Mmh, difficult to say. I just saw the first 5 episodes, and the forst 2 were more of a prologe... but yeah, somehow that show is funny and sweet and about friendship and has some really great themes. So, I would say one should at least watch 3 episodes...
Just saw Shutter Island yesterday. I really needed faaar too long to recognize that the second detective is the same actor as bruce banner in avengers. ^^"
So, Mission Impossible is next on my list of movies. ;) It sounds really good.
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Date: 2012-07-14 08:48 am (UTC)I'll go see if YT has some episodes to offer. LJ in general seems to go quite crazy over the colorful horses ^.^
Somehow, I forgot about Shutter Island in favor of Inception *puts it on list*
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Date: 2012-07-15 11:40 am (UTC)Bernd Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Dtlj685U4
Yes, I really didn't think much about the horses... until the moment I Potter forum went crazy with it. It was the anti-slash, male, dark lord potter forum. And the fans were mainly above 20, male, and with a high standart and a good education and I was like: ...what?! o.o
Shutter Island is really good. ^^
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Date: 2012-07-16 09:31 am (UTC)Oh, darklord!Potter is an intriguing idea! I love AUs where Harry goes dark or is raised by Voldemort and all some such :)
Did you watch Inception, too? Leo is coming along nicely LOL I hated him in Titanic, though! Everyone (-girl) was sobbing but I cheered when he finally drowned and the movie was over!
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Date: 2012-07-16 11:40 am (UTC)Really? I've read nearly every darklord potter ff between 2005 and 10, after that I started with TF... still, if you're interested...
I did. Titanic was the best thing the musicians. And I did watch Titanic for the first time... 4 months ago? In 3D?
Yeah, they were so stupid, that the nearly deserved to drown. Both of them.
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Date: 2012-07-17 07:34 am (UTC)Congrats that you managed to escape the sinking ship for that long! I'm impressed! I was at the point where I got aggressions just hearing Celine Dion whimpering her "My Heart Will Go On" *shudders*
Second that! :) Though the whole cinema hall hated me and my guts LOL Ah, good times, that ;)
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Date: 2012-07-18 11:28 am (UTC)*laugh* Yeah, 10 years isn't bad, right? But the 3D cinema caught me. Watching it then, was allright. I even enjoyed the sinking... I think I was near crying when the musicians kept playing, but the scene were she's lying on those planks and freezing?
I was "Die, please, die and be gone and silent! He died because of your lack of intelligence."
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Date: 2012-07-18 08:41 pm (UTC)I love TMR/HP :) "Kiss or Kill" was great; I think I rec'ed you that one together with all the other stuff, like Naruto and WK...?
Were the 3D effects good? Mostly, they always seem plastered on without any sense; just to make more money. The musicians were great *nods* Very admirable.
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Date: 2012-07-19 04:48 pm (UTC)Wie gesagt, wenn du mehr Aktion willst, hab ich auch. ^^
Puh, kann sein. Ich habe es auf alle Fälle gelesen? XD War sehr gut.
Sie waren okay, würde ich sagen. Aber nicht umwerfend, vielleicht liegt das aber auch an meinen Augen? MEin Optiker sagt ich könnte da Probleme haben. :/
*hat sich den soundtrack mit den musikern geholt* Wer braucht den Film wenn er die Musik hat?
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Date: 2012-07-20 08:17 am (UTC)Wundert mich nicht, wenn Du Dich nicht mehr erinnerst, bei den Mengen an FF, die wir beiden konsumieren XD
Meine Mutter hat das Problem, dass sie überhaupt nicht 3D sehen kann, jedenfalls nicht mit den Brillen, normal im Alltag ja. Vielleicht habt ihr das gleiche?
Oh, echt? Bei Amazon? Wie heißt das Stück denn?
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Date: 2012-07-22 01:46 pm (UTC)Yeah, da stimm ich mit dir über ein. Kennst du die Avenger/HP Crossover?
Nun, würde icha uch nur 10% der menge die ich an ff lese als bücher kaufen.... ich glaube ich hätte ne bücherei mit mehreren tausend büchern. Wenn nicht zehntausende.
Mmh, kann sein. Ich bin ne ziemliche Fledermaus mit 5 dioptrien.
Ne von ner Freundin. Sie meinte es gäbe 2 Soundtracks, einen schlechten und einen guten. Sie gab mir den guten mit vielen irischen Liedern.
Edit: Aber ich such es dir mal raus. Hab bloß grad keine Zeit, sorry.
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Date: 2012-07-24 12:11 pm (UTC)Interessanter ist der umgekehrte Fall: Wie viele FFs gibt es, von denen Du so überzeugt bist, dass Du sie als Büchern kaufen würdest, wenn es ginge?
Ich habe mal gefragt und meine Mutter meint, dass es genau daran liegt. Ihr linkes Auge hat 5,75 und ihr rechtes 5,25 Dioptrien. - Meine weiß ich nicht, aber ich glaube es sind weniger als 3.
Cool! Danke im Vorraus; aber lass Dir Zeit! :)
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Date: 2012-07-24 01:41 pm (UTC)Einige. :D Es gibt ein paar FFs, denen würde ich sogar das Geld Kapitelweise geben. XD
mmh, ich habe links mit Hornhautverkrümmung 5,0 und rechts 4,75 glaube ich...
Nicht vergessen: Soundtrack2, Titanic ;)
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Date: 2012-07-25 11:30 am (UTC)Was gut zusammen passt, ist SPN mit Criminal Minds z. B. Ich finde es immer wahnsinnig spannend, wenn das Team denkt, Dean sei ein Serienmöder oder so und dann finden sie heraus, dass es tatsächlich Dämonen etc. gibt. Aber die FFs müssen sehr gut geschrieben sein... Ich persönlich habe auch gar keine Ambitionen, ein Crossover zu schreiben...
Ja ich auch XD Aber so viele sind es gar nicht, im Vergleich zu der schieren Masse, die ich gespeichert habe. Vor allem sind drei Star Wars FF plus "Atlas" aus Star Trek - schade das die Copyright-Inhaber sich was gegen eine Buchveröffentlichung haben werden T-T
Ah, danke! Ich schaue dann mal auf Amazon!
PS: Unglaublich, aber ich habe gestern eine PM gekriegt wo ich gefragt wurde, ob jemand mein "Like Sardines In A Can" ins Chinesische übersetzen darf! °-°
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Date: 2012-07-30 12:34 pm (UTC)Naruto - muss ich zustimmen. Deswegen ist Naruto/Bleach eigentlich das einzige was wirklich gut funktioniert.
SPN/CM - oh ja. Du bist auch fan solcher Crossover? :D Ich lese da jedes. Auch SPN/Numb3ers geht gut. Aber sehr gut geschrieben ist ein muss, ja, denn man kann keinen Charakter einfach mal schnell verändern...
Ambitionen for Crossover: Ich hatte da schon mal ein paar. Mal sehen, wann ich nachgebe...
Manche FFs sind halt besser als veröffentlichte Bücher... das ist das wunderbare an FFs. Aber es ist schade, dass sie nicht veröffentlicht werden können, ja.
PS - ersthaft? Wow, gratulation! Das ist wirklich toll! :D
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Date: 2012-07-31 09:59 am (UTC)Ich weiß fast nichts über Bleach, außer was so in der AnimaniA stand, deswegen kann ich dazu nicht wirklich was sagen.
Stimmt, es ist dann echt schwierig, den ganzen Charas gerecht zu werden. Die SPN Seite des ganzen geht ja noch, aber da die Leute vom BAU sich mit Psychologie etc. auskennen, ist es doppelt schwer, sie glaubwürdig zu schreiben; würde ich mir nicht zutrauen!
Ambitionen zu Crossovern habe ich im Moment keine.
Fand ich auch ^-^" Ich habe am Endergebnis zwar nur noch die Namen erkannt, aber toll war es wirklich. Ist schon ein großes Kompliment, wenn sich jemand so 'ne Arbeit damit macht. Hätte ich nie mit gerechnet!
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Date: 2012-08-01 10:03 am (UTC)Bleach, tja, ähnlich wie Naruto vom Gefühl her.
Ich hab mal ein Semester einen Kurs in Psychologie belegt, aber das wird dafür kaum ausreichen. Die vom BAU sind einfach ne andere Klasse und entweder man verlagert sie fast ganz ins Private oder... man muss nachlesen.
Es ist richtig schwer Chinesich zu lesen. Ich kann zwar ein paar Zeichen, aber bei jedem längeren Text scheiter ich. Aber es ist toll, dass es Leute gibt die so etwas machen, vor allem in Sprachen in denen nicht so viele English sprechen.
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