#The fact that….that Megatron did so much terrible things | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-derpy-duck · 9 months

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Ok here’s my long ass post about Earthspark Starscream.

None of this is even getting into the final episode of season one because I can’t right now. This show really did body horror and I love it so much.

I love him so so much. I love that the show doesn’t make an excuse for the way Megatron treated him and I like that he was nice. He does bad things and is selfish but also he’s not at the same time? Like horrible friend no doubt but when he was trying to escape he helped his seekers. He lead a jailbreak and he cares at least a bit about the other seekers.

He puts himself first always but also Skywarp was angry at him for not helping. Which would almost imply that at some point he used to help. He shoved her out of his way but he also pushes her out of the way do the energon monster. Was it intentional? Idk. But he did do it. And later in the episode he proves that he can be selfless. He responds well to people showing him kindness. He’s willing to work with the Maltos and follows there plans. He doesn’t even attack them at the end.

Also the fact that no one is like “yeah but you did shitty things so you deserved to be abused” is nice. ‘We’ll obviously no one would say it like that’ have you ever read a transformers YT video comment section? People like finding a way to justify the abuse others go through if they are attempting to fight back and this show says ‘no we aren’t gonna do that. Megaton was wrong to treat his subordinates the way he did.’ Starscream is a bad person, but honestly Megatron is too. His advice to bumblebee on teaching was to use fear because that’s what he did. Optimus tells him ‘don’t use unnecessary force with Starscream’ and guess what he does! I mean you could argue that he technically wasn’t using excessive force but the fact that OP felt the need to tell him not to do that shows something. Like I love this Megatron so much but he still was the leader of a glorified terrorist group. He had good intentions, but it still ended with him leading a group of terrorists.

And the bit where Megatron says he’ll take Starscream somewhere that’s safe and Starscream says ‘no where is safe with you’ is the most thing ever. I love that bit so much. Even if he’s wrong he’s still right because how could he ever feel safe near Megatron or if he knew where he was? The fact that he also automatically assumes the worst in others and is so surprised when Hashtag believed him is so sad to me. Like he’s awful and terrible but he’s also a person who has been hurt by someone who is, from his point of view, helping lock up himself and his subordinates. Starscream is a selfish traitor but Megatron has also betrayed him, his cause (typically, not that applicable to this Megatron), and his people. Also Starscream is telling Megaton to fuck off which I love.

He has the ability to emphasize with Hashtag and he doesn’t want the others to die but he’s spent so much time in an environment that fosters betrayal and constant lying that he can’t just go back for them even if he wanted to. I don’t think he cares either way, but Starscream’s backstabbing nature probably only got as bad as it did BECAUSE he was forced into situations where he could either throw someone else under the bus or be run over. He doesn’t respond as warmly to Skywarp or Novastrom when they showed up (compared to Hashtag) but he had a response. He’s almost apathetic to them but he relaxes slightly and has an almost positive reaction.

Hashtag telling Starscream that bad things happen and it isn’t always their fault was just— AHGHH! I love this episode so much. It’s looking you in the face and saying “hey. that thing you do, where you say this person deserved the abuse they got? Yeah that’s messed up and wrong.” Because people DONT deserve to be abused and no one ever does. ‘Starscream tried to kill Megatron multiple times’ then just imprison, exile, or kill him. And I know that it’s not that simple but if you try to simplify Starscream’s actions then I’m gonna simply Megatron’s possible responses. They both did bad things, we don’t see them doing the bad things in this episode so making an actual judgement is kind of hard but the episode is strongly implying that Megatron abused SS or otherwise unfairly hurt him. I mean SS kind of says it.

Starscream manages to be a really nuanced and complex character without taking away from the others around him. Like Hashtag telling Megatron to leave Starscream alone and Megatron almost shooting Starscream gives all of them more character. Megatron isn’t really WRONG for attacking SS IN THE CAVE. Because if I was Megatron I would assume he would attack the terrains. Hashtag is also a character I didn’t think I’d like as much as I do (her fake evil bit was fun). She cares so much about the people around her and is able to feel empathy for people she shouldn’t and that probably sucks a lot. It’s not a good feeling to feel bad for people and Hashtag is empathetic.

I hope he (SS) will show up more in season two as a neutral force almost like TFP. Because I don’t see him going after the terrains just because they sided with Megatron but he’s also not gonna just join the Maltos. Also Thundercracker pls pls pls. Even if he’s just like ‘fuck this noise’ and then leaves and never shows up again. Just put the Blue guy in.

Twitch trying to recruit more decepticons to Megatron is funny I love her so much.

#transformers #maccadam #character analysis #tf earthspark #tfe megatron #tfe starscream #transformers earthspark #earthspark hashtag #tfe hashtag #earthspark megatron #earthspark spoilers #earthspark twitch #earthspark starscream #earthspark skywarp #fandom #Duck screams about things

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buckysmith · 2 years

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Request from TikTok

How TFP decepticons would react if they find out that reader was starving themselves

Includes: Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave, Dredwing, Knockout, Breakdown, Predaking

HUGE TRIGGER WARNING: Mention of mental health issues and ED

Soundwave:

- He would notice it after a while

- Don't get me wrong, but he does in fact not need to eat and only knows that humans have to eat to survive.

- He would only notice it after you visited him more often.

- He can't really go out like knockout or the Autobots, but as you spent more and more time on the nemesis, he would realize that he never saw you eat anything, not even the slightest bit of a thing.

-He would ask you if you need something and you would politely denie his offer, telling him you already ate something

- You in fact did not and he knows that.

- He wouldn't want to confront you about it as long as he doesn't have a single clue what you might have and why you're lying to him about something so easy

- He would learn that eating something is in fact not as easy as he thought

- He would learn about ED. That some tend to eat way to less and others that eat to much, those who sometimes eat nothing and than eat anything.

- So you had a so called ED? He would ask himself not knowing how to approach you with his new earned knowledge.

- After a few days he would tell you what he noticed, that you eat nothing and that your starving yourself

- At first you would try to denie it, but no chance he already knows

- He would recommend therapy for you and he would do anything to help you

- In your whole recovery he would stand by your side, being your rock

- He would never judge you for your illness or try to play it down.

-He would be so incredibly proud of you for healing yourself and for trying to get over your own shadow.

Shockwave

- He would notice it pretty early

- He already had some test objects that happens to be human and he had to feed them regularly so they wouldn't die, so he would get curious why you, his human doesn't seem to eat anything.

- Don't get me wrong but this man would simply ask you why exactly you were not eating, not caring that it is a hot topic for you

-He would force you to tell him why exactly your not eating

- Whatever your reason is to starve yourself, he would simply tell you that it's not logical. Why? Cause humans needs to eat to prevent themselves of getting weak and dying.

-He would notice that his stone cold characters does in fact not help you, so he would try to comfort you.

- He would find a way with you to fight and get over your ED

- But it would need him a while to search those things up, but at least he would try his best to support you trough this hard time

Dreadwing:

- He wouldn't notice that you in fact do not eat

- But he would notice that you seems to get somehow weaker and weaker.

- he wants to know why you lost weight and look somehow ill.

-don't lie to him about it, he would notice that your lying.

-He would try to understand you but would terrible fail

- He would try to get you to eat something when he's with you and he would always praise you

- It doesn't matter to him how long it takes for you to recover, it would matter to him that your trying.

-He fought so many battles but not once was it him against himself so he would be so proud of you

- Not everyone would fight against themselves, but you are and it just shows him how incredible strong you are.

Knockout:

- He wouldn't notice it till you randomly pass out

- He would bring you back on the Nemesis, confronting you why exactly you passed out

- You would tell him that you don't know

- So he would go trough all what might cause your pass out and he would notice your lip biting when he comes to „did you eat enough"

- He would ask you why you're not eating and when the last time were you ate something

- after telling him the truth he would make sure to get you to eat.

- He would research on how to help you with your illness

- He wouldn't be great but neither bad

- what I mean, sometimes he's understanding sometimes not as much

Breakdown:

-He would hear your tummy

- Then he would ask you if you're hungry and you would denie it

- That would happen numerous times and so he would get confused

- It seems your hungry, but he never saw you eat anything except a little salty cracker

- After a while he would ask knockout about it and he would tell him that something humans do that

- But that wouldn't really be an answer for your behavior so he would ask you directly

- After you told him what's wrong, he would be your supporter number one, helping you through the hard times and praising you for every little milestone.

Predaking:

- He would notice that you're not eating anything while being with him

- He wouldn't ask you about it, thinking you just eat at home for whatever reason

- But it seems your getting weaker, you’re always tired and your eyes look pale and dull

- after bringing you home he would watch you and now he knows you're not eating

- He would try to understand why you're not eating before asking you about it, watching you all day and basically stalking you.

- He wouldn't understand it even after a few weeks so he would just approach you and ask you about it

- you of course would denie it or at least try to

do so

- in the end you would tell him your reasons

- He cares for you deeply so to see you suffering it's spark breaking for him

- He would try anything to make you enjoy food and to eat at least one meal per day

- but he wouldn't force you, he would take his time with you

Megatron:

- He knows humans need to eat so seeing you not eating anything while being with him would confuse him

- He would ask you about it

- even if you try to lie to him he would notice it

- so to tell him the truth ist better for both of you

- he wouldn't understand your reasons

- in his eyes you're perfect and you deserve to eat and to enjoy your life

- he would suck at comforting you but he would try his best

- He would get you the best therapists and docs he( or better Soundwave ) can find on earth

Starscream:

-He wouldn't notice it

- Don't get me wrong, he adores you and wants you to be happy and healthy but because he doesn't need to eat something he wouldn’t notice it

- if you vent to him about it after getting some dumb comments from your family/friends he would ask you about it

- what exactly do mean you’re starving yourself? Why are you doing this?

- after you tell him your reasons he would try to help you

- He would suck too, but at least he helps you a bit

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ss-shitstorm · 11 months

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Okay okay the ratchet first fp au was equally heartrending but also perfect and thank you so much for going into so much detail to expound on my silly little fantasy, I love it! But if you don’t mind, I’m gonna poke you with one more question that’s bugged me ever since MC woke up and ratch op and bee had to catch her up on the last 30 years: they mentioned unicron and Optimus’ amnesia (which is another au you’re portraying marvelously well btw! I love shiny and new to pieces!), as well as a couple of the other tfp eps, but I don’t recall them mentioning synth-en? Like, at all? (Unless I totally missed it?) Between ratchet’s problems and op’s withdrawal, I figured that the tension between them like the scene where they fight and ratchet accuses op of being too soft to take out megatron and that’s why they lost cliff jumper, combined with MC’s unconsciousness, op’s guilt about it, and ratchet’s (partial?) blame for op putting her in that condition to start with and envy knowing he would’ve had more restraint and cared for her more in his mind (and them both missing her terribly and being lost without her), would kind of cause a boiling point between them? (Fun fact if you didn’t know it but the tfp writers had tossed around the idea of ratchet blaming op for elita one’s death instead of cliffjumper, but they had the Orion pax arc coming up and they didn’t want to add anymore characters or smth so they nixed it) So if ratchet spews about mc (and elita??) to op, does op snap too in this case? Do they actually come to blows? Does op even get mad and rise to the bait or does it just break his heart bc now ratchet is turning on him too and pointing out every mistake he’s made and ratchets never been that mean to him before and wouldn’t dream of saying any of it under normal circumstances but is so hyped up he no longer has a filter? I am reeling here at the possibilities! I am so fricken curious bc your unique individual characterizations of them as well as their mutual adoration for mc would give so many delicious untapped layers to that episode - and again you don’t have to answer this at all but I would love to hear your thoughts! :) thank you so much for your time!

(dude I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond to this AND that it's nowhere near as long as that other ask)

A : anon thank you for the praise about everything esp. shiny n new like goddamn I love that little thing so much, B : I had no idea about Elita in TFP until you mentioned that and I'm very glad they left that out bc I would absolutely have not fucking survived that my heart's in pieces just from reading that, and C :

I think they would have started fighting. As in, Ratchet, with 0 filter, would start laying it out how mad he is about what happened to you. He would blame it on Optimus, and at the time, he would feel totally justified in saying it.

-Optimus would be barely able to hold back his rage, but manages to restrain himself. Tells Ratchet he needs to go home, let that crap work through his system, and recharge before talking to him again.

-Ratchet would then suggest Optimus frag him because that tends to knock people unconscious for indefinite periods of time.

-Optimus looses it. Lunges for him, grabs him and fucking throttles him.

-And the second his servos wrap around his throat, freezes. Because he touched someone. He touched someone he cared about, and he did it with the intent to hurt them.

-He goes catatonic.

-Ratchet, slightly sobered, has to pry his servos off of him, digit by digit.

-Once he does, he leaves in a huff, runs off to punch Megatron in the face like he originally intended.

-But not before ducking out of sight and having the quickest, filthiest guilty-wank of his life. Doesn’t matter how mad you are. Angrier-than-god-Optimus touching you will make you cream your jeans, and marching through deception territory with a spontaneous overload looming on the horizon probably isn’t a great strategy.

-Once he gets the shit kicked out of him and finally sobers up, and realizes that entire exchange not only happened, but happened in front of Bumblebee, he decides this was, in fact, the second worst thing he’s ever fucking done. He calculates the damage done to his filters, finds that the synth-en was mostly processed by other organs, chugs the rough hi-grade equivalent of 2 handles of bourbon, and blacks out for 72 hours straight.

-Neither of them ever speak about it again.

-To each other.

-They both tell you at different times after you’ve woken up

-shock, sadness, understanding, and reason no# 234382643 for feeling guilty about coma time.jpg.

-you bring it up to Bee eventually after a loooooong-ass time.

-He’s just like “wow that sucked but I figured it was par for the course having two(2) reincarnated gods and the universe’s most overpowered 3rd wheel as a family.”

-Thank you for putting things into perspective Baybee boy.

-Reader eventually relays this to both of them.

-Everyone feels marginally less shitty.

#fp #optimus/reader #optimus/ratchet #OPtimus/Ratchet/Reader #youfic #2nd person pov #these asks are so fucking fun fam I can't even #got to check off all three of the mature labels this time fam

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frecklystars · 9 months

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ok I’ve seen a few self shippers write letters to their F/Os… today is my anniversary with Megatron. I’m still very much in my Barbie fixation so instead of reblogging a bunch of TF posts like I did for heatwave this year, I’ll just write Megatron a letter.

Happy 3 year anniversary, Megatron. One year from today, I will probably be feeling so much better. Right now, I’m staying in another dimension (it’s all pink, and there’s... actually a few things here that make me think of you... even though I’m so far away now). I’m not brave enough to return to Cybertron just yet, therefore I must postpone celebrating our special day (if you can call it special, psh don’t flatter yourself), but in the meantime I’ll say this: I love you and I miss you more than anything in the world. You have no idea how much I miss calling you stupid while you roll your eyes, and I miss your smarmy smirk when you’d say something that gets under my skin. and I miss associating you with literally every single Charlie Puth song. I know we have an on and off relationship, I know we clash more than anything else, but we have something dangerous together and it’s addicting. I love it, I know you love it too. And I miss it. I really miss it. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you — that is to say, I’ve never hated anyone the way I hate you either. But that makes you special. You’re the only one who makes me crawl back for more even when you drive me crazy. You’re quite possibly the most fun person I’ve ever been with, for lack of a better word…

I don’t know when I’m gonna feel better. More often than not, my trauma feels so unbearable, I worry I’ll *never* feel better. I worry I’ll never go back to loving so fully with my whole heart. So many things changed almost a year ago, I was hurt and in the process i haven’t been able to see you. I’m sorry about that. You must be wondering where I went, why I left all of you without even saying goodbye. but I have to eventually get better, right? This cannot be the end of it.

Someone I thought I could trust did everything they could to keep me away from you. Someone really rotten spent over a year taking advantage of my kindness when I was at my lowest point, and ruined my connection with you and everyone else on Cybertron I had loved. It ruined me. I don’t know if you’d want to see me right now when I’m so broken up without you. I hate flinching when I see you, when I see everyone in that universe of yours. I hate believing you’d hurt me on purpose, because no matter how much we “fought”, I never believed you’d ever lay a hand on me. Now it’s the only thing that can cross my mind when I see you. I hate how my love with you was twisted into something so awful, I hate how this person made me wholeheartedly believe that you’d be violent towards me, for no reason other than the fact that I’m existing. I’m still in shock, it’s been months and I’m still so baffled how I’ve lost you. I hate having traumatic flashbacks when I see you. I hate the nightmares, i know it isn’t really you, but the fear towards you is still there and it lingers when I jolt awake. I hate that my insomnia is unbearable because I can’t sleep at all anymore. I hate losing you. Worst of all, I hated feeling you slip away from me each and every day for months until I couldn’t even look at you anymore.

but I’m starting to slowly but surely separate you from this person. I’m nowhere near ready to see you, but I’m not giving up on us. You used to make me feel so happy. I want that back. I promise I’m working so, so, so hard every single day to overcome this terrible pain inside of me.

one day I will kick my ptsd so hard in the ass and we won’t be apart anymore. my abuser may have ruined things but I’m coming back to you one day, even if it’s gonna take me a long ass time. I’m a little better than I was even just a month ago… can you imagine how far I’ll be in one year? The progress is slow, but it’s happening. And the people I’m with in this new dimension I’m writing to you from… they’re kind and gentle and glittery pink 24/7. They’re taking care of me and helping me get over a few triggers. but I never stop missing you. And you know I must be struggling if I’m so openly willing to admit that I miss you, haha…

I hope you believe in me. This feels like the hardest battle I’ve ever had to face. Being conditioned to believe that you and Starscream and every other Decepticon and Autobot would hurt me… losing you… it’s been the worst experience. But I know if I can get thru this I can get thru anything. I am your little warrior, aren’t I? Let me prove to you how resilient I am! Watch me get better! Next anniversary, I’ll surely be in your arms again, making you laugh. In the meantime, please wait for me. I know I’m so broken right now but I hope you’ll understand and you’ll be there when I come back. I promise I’ll come back. Know I’m thinking about you everyday and always missing you.

Just… don’t let it go to your head. Your ego is big enough already. Stupid. 🌟

#wow this actually felt really therapeutic holy shit.#anyway nobody has to read it I’m just putting it here since it’s self ship related lol #💕 I want to be the one you remember 🖤💜

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dramamelon · 5 months

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Energon Universe: Transformers #2. A collection of thoughts.

(Finally took the time to read it.)

Oh noes! Optimus steps on a deer and gets upset. *sigh* No blood or implied gore, like with Starscream squishing a human. Even on soft ground, something is gonna show after a flattening like that. Is this the sign a good guy did it or something?

Also, Spike watched it happen. No reaction beyond, "It's okay." No squeamish look you might get on the average human watching a large animal get squished like that. Maybe it was because of the lack of gore? *snerk*

Then... Optimus has no knowledge of the word "mom" despite having obviously obtained a download of a human language. I could see it as him allowing Spike a chance to explain, but it hits me as kind of silly and far too human for an alien robot. (So far, this is not painting OP as a sympathetic character to me. Just... kinda hamfisted.)

And Cybertronian history infodump. Yay. Not a bad thing as this is supposed to be a reasonable entrance for new readers, but... not feeling it as a little chat in the forest with Spike.

Also also, OP states they'd been fighting TWO centuries as compared to Starscream's one century in issue one. 🤔 Will issue three have someone say three centuries? *lol*

Flashback sequences during the infodump to confirm Megatron on Earth, though, so I guess that's something.

Cliffjumper... Not feelin' him. Sorry.

Decepticon time? Decepticon time. Let's collect some energon with the Cons, shall we? Skywarp is Skywarp. Soundwave?

Is most excellent... Bill & Ted time for Sounders, huh? Sure hope this doesn't tint my perception of Skybound Soundwave forever because I'd never be able to take him seriously. 😅

Frat boy Warp, what? Still, Skywarp is Skywarp. (It's really hard to get him wrong if you exert any effort at all, I think. 😂)

The joy Starscream gets from taking out humans is absolutely hysterical. I think this is the most I've ever enjoyed a Starscream (and I usually don't).

Oh, look. One of the humans in the plane is a Joe. Duke, as a matter of fact. Not particularly shocked. Starscream Vs Duke, coming soon.

Back on the ground, Skywarp... Oh, Skywarp, I think I appreciate you the very most of everyone we've had introduced so far. You're a beautiful blast of gremlin energy. 💜💜💜

And, oh, what's this?

Soundwave warning Skywarp? I'm reminded of Starscream's woe in issue one when Thundercracker fell apart after his rebuilding was interrupted. These Cons really seem pretty openly close.

Oh, Optimus... you were starting to not be background noise for me due to IDW. So far here? Nothing but static. *sigh*

Am I cackling over Laserbeak following Carly's van because Carly drew Optimus on the side of it? Yes. Yes, I am. LOL!

Oh shit! Squished Davey was Carly's dad! LMAO! (Sorry, I can't help it. Holy crap, I'm dying... 😂🤣😂)

Coming soon to a comic near you: Starscream Vs. Carly. XD

Uh, yeah. Not feeling the Autobots at all yet. Terrible terrible terrible. The Decepticons? Much more my speed. 💜

#maccadam #eu tf #energon universe #energon universe transformers 2 #spoilers

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transfemstarscream · 2 years

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i usually hate using the term "fanficcy" because it takes away from published writers being shitty and puts the onus of blame onto amateur writers, but i think that's why starscream felt "fanficcy" in windblade and taoo. the writer cared more about making starscream "likable" and threw everyone else under the bus just to ensure that starscream looked like a perfect little victim of circumstance rather than a villain. it's why so many people clamoring for a "redemption arc" for starscream are also missing the point because they don't want to think about all the awful things she did, they just want her to be perfect and good now.

yes! i think it's because of the disconnection, where the original concept of "starscream was a bad person before the war, she was then a victim of her environment, her 'bad' traits no longer being just a part of her but essential to her survival" is minimized into just "starscream was a victim of her environment", which in my opinion loses a lot of characterization for her. her being a victim of circumstance isn't a bad idea, but it doesn't fall in line with what we've seen: most of the things that happened to her is a fault of her own poor decisions. and that's what makes her interesting.

she betrays megatron, so she was "punished" through his abuse (physically, mentally, etc.) it isn't about how megatron's abuse of her was terrible because she was "a good person before he showed up", it's about how megatron's abuse of her is terrible regardless of what she's done. it's not "starscream is a victim of circumstance", but rather "starscream is a victim of her poor choices (which she wasn't aware would lead)": joining the decepticons out of a selfish but shared ideologic belief → a hostile environment that she could only survive if she herself was even more hostile, betraying megatron out of a complex but still selfish desire to lead the decepticons → hundreds if not thousands of years of extensive abuse at his hands, the "necessary" murder(s) of the closest people she could call friends → a lifetime of paranoia and being haunted by her essentially being an omen, and much more. awful things do not happen to starscream because she was unfortunately there, awful things happened to starscream because she made poor decisions and couldn't do anything about it. she was helpless, but not in the way a lot of people think of a "helpless victim"; she was helpless to her poor decisions that led to something she couldn't do anything about at the end. and that's tragic.

starscream is not a very good person, whether by actions or personality. she's not a fallen angel--she's just a bad person. and i emphasize both bad and person because bad people are still capable of being, well, people. this applies whether or not starscream was "born evil" or "learned evil". her being a bad person doesn't exclude her from having genuine friendships, loves, and connections to other people. the unjustifiable murders of many don't exclude her from grieving others' deaths. the atrocities she's committed doesn't mean she's incapable of doing good. she may do good for primarily selfish reasons, but the end of it is that she did something good. a "redemption arc" for starscream doesn't really work (unless you're armada starscream) because it erases the fact she is a "bad person who does good things". she can want to be good, want to be better, but the tragedy is that she just isn't and only harms not only everyone around her but herself. people aren't inclined to forgive or believe her because, just so you know, she was and is a bad person who has done many things which are bad to other people. making her perfect and good i believe ruins the tragedy of her character.

#she wants to change. she wants to be better. but she just can't be either.

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cosmics-beings · 1 year

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I personally think that TFP made people care MORE about the abuse Starscream went through. I "blame" it for people not shipping Megatron and Starscream as much or going after megastar shippers because of the abuse. I think some shows make it funny, but Prime def didn't because people can't ship megatron and starscream without people mentioning the abuse. or at least fans don't make fun of it

I agree to an extent, my personal opinion tho is that prime did make it funny. Because it's used in mostly humorous undertones in tfp or at the very least, written in ways where it's made to seem that starscream 'deserves' it? like it is never actually tied to his trauma or how he acts, and the other characters just don't give him grace/nuance. i do agree tho that i think tfp has changed how some fans view starscreams' abuse, and even if it isn't a ton, i think it's enough to actually start conversation. because as many people as i've seen take it seriously, i've also seen people mock him for it, because i personally do not think tfp does a great job at handling his abuse. especially with how he interacts with other characters and how he is never seen as a victim. the way tfp has him, ESPECIALLY in predcaons rising he imo is seen as worse than megatron and the other cons.

now, moving on to megastar. i'm gonna state this - i get why people don't like megatstar and im not gonna fault anyone for not liking it. like, i ship it (it is my transformers otp- and i will not stop shipping it!) but i do realize why people don't like it. but i guess for me, i ship it in a way that addresses a lot of the abuse and makes it comfortable for me to ship it because clearly, on this blog, it's obvious i hate the abuse starscream goes through. that said yeah i dont mind if people, especially starscream fans don't ship it. and i don't really engage with a lot of megastar content because personally, i don't like how there is a lot of abuse in the ship. this also isn't me saying my view is better or right compared to others, i just don't like engaging with the vast majority of megastar content because a lot of it is heavily abusive.

my issue is when 1.) those people are very hateful to the shippers nad harass them and 2.) don't like megatstar on the basis of it being abusive and then go and ship other equally abusive ships.

i like megaop, but when i see people turn their nose to megatstar but ship megaop, that's strange to me, because how megaop is presented it is also toxic and abusive in many canons - on both ends. TFP is a very great example of it- if the orion pax episode was not enough, the fact that megatstar in tfp, but in multiple contuinities will purposely hurt people optimus loves just because he knows impacts him, are abusers tactics. abusers will hurt people they know their partners love. never mind the fact that there is physical abuse on both ends, even if they are fighting.

and there is still, again, depending on the contiuinity, a power imbalance. megatron was a slave in some versions to start off with, and confided a lot in optimus about wanting liberation and freedom. optimus listened and learned under him and then betrayed him at the very end, becoming a prime and taking the position and liberty that megatron needed. that immediately put optimus at a place of privilege and power over megatron, and put him in the same level/caste of people who enslaved him. and more than often optimus never actually realizes this. it may not seem like abuse to a lot of others but the dynamics of slavery/privileged person to me, are kind of uncomfortable. and never mind the fact that they both try to kill each other, they both beat each other, they both hurt those close to one another. they do terrible things to each other. maybe the idea is that 'they can fight back against each other fairly, so it's not abuse' or their friends, to lovers, to enemies dynamic is too strong for people to call it abusive. but i mean yeah that's my issue.

if you're not gonna ship megastar because of the abuse, that's fine. but maybe leave megastar shippers alone i guess, stay out of the tags, and if you ship other abusive ships but preach about how problematic megastar is im looking at you sideways!

#should i tag this #i feel this is like discourse within discourse #so it's gonna stay in my lane

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thatboxylady · 2 years

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How are your headcanons misanthropic?????? All your stuff seems pretty fine nowadays. I think the ""worst"" thing I've seen from you was during your Beast Wars years treating the Maximals like they were all racist against Predacons, but that might be the closest thing and even THEN it was not a major recurring theme or even a real deterrent.

OH DEAR GOD you followed me over from my Beast Wars stuff? How are you still here?

I think the criticism mostly (?) stemmed from me having "evil" aligned human OCs who I have no compulsion to redeem, some of who are included in another author's fanfic as part of an overarching collab. There are certain people IRL who I think need to be dunked into a dumpster and never retrieved in the same way. We know that these kinds of people exist, so it's not that farfetched.

More under the cut because this ran long haha. Jeez though, thanks for being brave and sticking around this long!

Not only am I mean to these characters, but I largely imply that they have very few redeeming qualities because of their inability to understand why they're such terrible people in the first place. Coupled with their unwillingness to change, the same idea applies to someone who is openly homophonic and can't grasp how that's bad. Someone like that is someone I don't want to pull out of the fire. I want to push them in. They either have to save themselves or feel what it's like to be vaporized.

Molly Thatcher, Alexander Reichold, and Dr. Walker (who is not necessarily an extremist but very clueless in his gross opinions about autonomous robots) are examples of those OCs.

I think the fact that I don't view Neotopia as a true paradise rubs some people the wrong way. Paradise is what we make it, and there will always be people who think that groups of minorities should not exist in the same space as them. It keeps happening over and over throughout history. The best you can do to stomp those awful people out and fight the injustices where you see them. It's why we encourage people to punch fascists in the face and be unapologetic about it.

ALSO omg. I am SO sorry if my Very Bad Writing from high school came across like that. Adshadskjhkjsa. That was never the intention but I'm glad you weren't turned off from it! I think I was very bad at expressing my thoughts in writing back then.

I want to say that while there is a great deal of anti-Predacon sentiment because of what the Decepticons did (and how the Predacons themselves have even stated that they're treated like second-class citizens in the run of Beast Wars), in no way is every Maximal racist about it. The bad opinions are just from the very small but loud minority that find themselves influenced by Maximal Elder propaganda and the fact that the Tripredicus Council doesn't actually have Predacon welfare in mind. Cybertron is a mess. If those people stopped being loud then there wouldn't be a problem. Megatron might not have been so driven to steal the Golden Disk....

Then again, maybe he still would have? I think his actions in Beast Machines are much more largely influenced by whatever happened between the end of BW, ripping himself off the hull of the Autobot shuttle in transwarp, and ending up on Cybertron somewhere further in the past than when the Maximals finally arrive home. No one becomes so unhinged that quickly between a show and its sequel. I might write about it.

Megatron made the planet worse during BM but it's fine now because everyone was saved and turned into furries. Nature healed. Optimus Primal died for your sins and now no one can tell who the hell is what faction descendant because being transorganic made everyone look like this.

#sorry for making fun of cheetor's face haha #they're my ocs and I'll drop them out of a moving aircraft to make them go SPLAT if I want to #boxy answers asks #WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE come off anon be my friend and talk to me more about robots

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kryptonitecore · 3 months

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Reread: Transformers: Devastation

I spent at least a few pages of this comic completely unaware that there was a Warsaw in Indiana, and I was very confused as to how the Autobots were supposed to drive from America to Poland in less than a day. The geography of this series is somewhat in flux though, as Brasnya has now progressed from a ‘breakaway Soviet state’ to a ‘former Russian state’, which is pretty impressive in a few hours.

The art had some pretty nice moments in this comic, with some very deliberate visual parallels between Optimus and Megatron and some really nice colours, courtesy of Zak Atkinson. The art is variable, however - most of it is by E. J. Su, but there is an issue by Robby Musso (which I wasn’t as much of a fan of…) and one by Nick Roche, which I really liked.

Compared to its predecessors the tone is more comedic, with quite a few reaction shots and quick jumps between characters and groups, or at least that’s how it starts off. A high point of ridiculousness - and it’s intentional ridiculousness - is the fact that the Decepticons on Earth decide to wake Starscream up from the equivalent of a medical coma rather than have a conversation with Megatron themselves about how all of his plans lately seem to have been terrible. I can only say that I am disappointed we did not see more of that conversation.

Nevertheless, the book carries on with the Weird Moments™ that have bedecked previous issues. From the utterly godawful holo-avatars (I was particularly distressed by Rodimus’ ponytail and wraparound sunglasses) to another moment where Megatron just has a mouth laser, there are plenty of mildly strange moments to enjoy, especially since this is where Furman clearly starts bringing together a lot of the plot-lines that had seemingly disappeared, so every character that has so far shown up in one Spotlight is suddenly making a return.

The central evil plan of Scorponok/Machination is, as all great evil plans are, mostly nonsensical, and this book has no problem with making fun of the whole concept of Headmasters while still using it. Some of the body horror surrounding Sunstreaker is still effective, though, especially when they let Nick Roche take over for an issue… Speaking of Roche, he has some really excellent alt covers for these issues, this having been a favourite for a while:

It’s important to spend quality time with your evil faction members and make some happy memories.

In what’s becoming a bit of a theme in what I’ve been reading from IDW1 recently, Megatron’s contempt for his own army is clear, particularly his contempt for Sixshot who, despite being a Phase Sixer, is still pretty disposable. Another notable feature of Furman’s Megatron is the sheer confidence, I mean: ‘I serve the Decepticon cause’, ‘Then you serve me’. This mixes interestingly with some of the later stuff…

There are a couple of nice moments for Rodimus in this, too, especially with Hardhead when he insists on disobeying orders to try and rescue Sunstreaker. It’s interesting that the Reapers (from Spotlight: Sixshot) come back and Sixshot is allowed to carry on with that arc, but Galvatron and his crew felt extraneous, especially considering they showed up when there were already about a million things happening in the final issues. Nevertheless, this is probably my favourite of the Furman miniseries.

#transformers #comics #the grand reread 2023-2024 #rereading!#transformers devastation

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searchingforatrail · 9 months

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It really does bother me though that people are trying to gloss over/excuse what Starscream did to Novaspark and Skywarp though. He was abusive to them, and that was the point. That he treats them how he was treated, that’s why he was called out.

Please don’t pacify him for kicking his sisters and leaving them to die. That was a part of his development and redemption. The fact that they were willing to go to Megatron (or at least didn’t disagree with Twitch and debated it in the season) most likely means that Starscream has treated them badly for a very long time.

I talked about it here, but the fact that it was normalized for them means they’ve been used to it.

And Starscream mistreating and abusing people isn’t a new thing. Just like Megatron abusing Starscream is consistent with his character, Starscream abusing others is as well. I’ve written multiple essays about his relationship with Knockout in TFP as well, but it’s not a new thing.

Starscream acted abusive like Megatron! That was the point of the episode as well. Glossing over that, calling their relationship positive and dismissing the valid concerns about how he treated them is ignoring how abusive he’s being towards them.

And it bothers me largely because I tend to get uncomfortable because they’re women, and people are seemingly alright with it.

Starscream being abusive to the other Seekers and being called out was partly the point of the episode!

You can’t hold Megatron accountable for how badly he’s treated Starscream and ignore what Starscream has done to the other seekers in the same sentence.

“well he just kicked them” or “he was just upset”.

He physically harmed them and nearly let the people who rescued him die. That’s an issue. That’s abusive, and by their body language you can tell they’re used to it.

“It was just a little hit” Do you know how terrible that sounds? Megatron isn’t the only one on the path of redemption in Earthspark. Starscream is too. And part of that redemption is calling out his own abusive behaviors towards others.

It’s a huge disservice to the character to ignore that.

I’m just seeing so much of that, of people dismissing what they’ve been through. Novaspark and Skywarp have been brutalized through the entire show. And even when the narrative goes out of its way to say “Hey, Starscream is treating them JUST like Megatron treated him” people still excuse it. That’s not okay. And i’m not gonna shut up about this lol

#nova spark #skywarp #starscream earthspark #earthspark spoilers #transformers earthspark #physical harm and abuse is ok when it's women ig

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my-writings-and-musings · 3 years

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Can i get a liaisons that is very good at calming peaople down with her beautiful voices by singing song to let the lost light crew calm down?

With, maybe megatron, ambulon, eung, fortress maximus, brainstorm?

I love u❤

❤

Megatron

For obvious reasons, his life hasn't been very full of music, so getting to hear a beautiful voice singing just for him has a very profound effect on this bot. He'll melt at the sound, leaning towards the liaison and relaxing for reasons he doesn't quite understand. It's enough to make him fall asleep if he's had a particularly long day, but he's too reserved to ever make any requests. He just hopes they'll sing for him...

Ambulon

Stressed out as this mech is, he doesn't expect something as simple as music to have much of an impact, so you can imagine his surprise when the sound actually melts away all his anxiety. Being a medic is hard work, even if you're accustomed to it, so there's nothing he loves more than ending the day with a song. He especially loves it when he gets head pats while listening, just... please don't mind the paint.

Rung

A fan of the arts for sure, he's still hardly accustomed to being offered a front row seat to a personal concert! He can sit and listen for hours at any time of day, provided he has time, and there's no rush for his little songbird. The skill it takes to carry a tune, the fact that they will do such a thing for him, the beauty of their voice... He adores it all.

Fortress Maximus

Having started his life in a place without song, he never really expected it to have much of an impact on him, but he was willing to listen for the sake of the liaison. In fairness, he could hardly expect to drift off as he did, optics growing heavy as the tune relaxed him in ways he never could have anticipated. He feels terrible about it when he wakes up, but with some reassurance he begins to ask the liaison for a little song whenever bad memories keep him from drifting off.

Brainstorm

Always buzzing with plans and ideas, this brilliant mech often struggles to sleep, as he finds his mind is just far too busy. So, when he happens to hear the liaison singing and it soothes him... He's hesitant, but he just has to ask for more. When they offer to sing just beside him, a hand stroking his helm, he's beside himself with gratitude. To be able to rest and just relax a while is a peace few bots get to know.

#transformers #maccadam #mtmte #more than meets the eye #lostlight #lost light imagine #idw #tf #ll #my writing #my asks #requests #megatron #ambulon #rung #fortress maximus #fort max #brainstorm

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skippyv20 · 2 years

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M’s Pyrrhic Victory

Hi Skippy, Merry Christmas 🎄🎁!

I wanted to throw a few things out there for everyone disappointed at Megatron’s ’victory’. Really, in the scheme of things, she might have ‘won’ a tiny little skirmish, but she has gone down in flames in the big picture. This is someone who thought she would be a great humanitarian, politician perhaps, and hobnob with the A list elite billionaire class. Their foundation is barely tottering, the only celebs associated with her is through her PR, the rest run in droves. Ditto for politicians. She is a terrible public speaker, and worse writer. She has no charisma. She would like to be an iconic beauty and fashion idol but while reasonably attractive she has never been a great beauty even at her prime, and her fashion sense is abysmal. She would like to think of herself as being the paragon of motherhood, but except for weirdly photoshopped photos and the back of some little boy’s head, not much to offer there. Harry looks unhealthy, pale, and aged. God knows how much of his money has went to PR to try to make the world worship St. Meghan, the Flower of LA! The fact is, while she did a exemplary job of social climbing, she has no personal goods to offer and she knows it, hence clinging to Harry like a barnacle to the point of being embarrassing. He has always been her ticket and she is diving down in flames...her parents did her no favors by telling her how wonderful, special, exceptional she is and allowing her to be a spoiled brat with no character. Now at middle age, she is learning that actually she is an unlikeable a-hole to most and millions of dollars of PR isn’t going to change that. This little court thing she ‘won’ has showed the wide world she is a conniving, lying jackal.

So to sum up, she has won nothing. When the shine of her little ‘win’ fades for her, she will be back in her sad gilded life poring over negative comments about herself, glaring jealously at articles of Prince William and Duchess Catherine, and setting her rabid fan club on anyone who dares criticize her. All she has now is a big tacky McMansion, a British prince who is fast losing royal cred, and a few little scraps of Diana’s jewelry to take comfort in. Not much of a victory 😉.

Merry Christmas, all! Love and pandas 🐼, Skippy ❤️

Thank you! Perfect! merry Christmas and love and pandas to you and yours!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤

#submission

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breakdownsbuttlights · 3 years

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Dratchetparty: Old Bones

First Aid didn’t have Ratchet’s touch. Why did Drift expect him to? Because the apprentice had surpassed the master in so many other ways? He was good. In fact, he was the best. Ferociously intelligent, asked all the right questions, took risks guided by a clinical intuition that was both courageous and wise. And he listened, which Drift appreciated. Not many people listened to him, even now.

But he didn’t have Ratty’s light hands. Nobody did. Nor did he have Ratty’s way of getting the worst over with before you even noticed he’d started. Or his clever trick of tweaking a wire to distract you when he knew something would hurt. Nobody could anticipate pain the way Ratty did and head it off at the pass. When First Aid clicked Drift’s new ankle joint into place, Drift winced.

“Sorry.”

It wasn’t Aid’s fault. It was Drift’s for letting himself be spoiled by Ratchet’s care. And Ratchet’s for never insisting that he have another physician. Drift’s final frame: that was Ratchet’s labour. When they became lovers, when they married, when they settled down to live out their days together -- all though that time, Ratchet continued to perform Drift’s repairs. It wasn’t proper; they both knew that. But it became one of their deepest intimacies. Nobody knew Drift’s body like Ratchet did. And nobody had the nerve to tell Ratchet he shouldn’t be the one to look after it, nor to tell Drift he couldn’t have his choice of doctor.

When Ratchet was dying, he had done two things. First he’d approached Ultra Magnus to help him draft a will so ironclad it would withstand any assault on Drift’s claim to their shared property. And then he’d approached First Aid and asked him to take over Drift’s medical portfolio. It was the only time Aid ever saw Ratchet weep.

It was also the first time he saw, in writing, how old Drift was.

Aid finished the adjustments to Drift’s ankle and went into the next room to consult the readouts from his scans. They were in the process of relocating Drift’s front wheels, which were at his feet; Drift had been feeling their weight more and more and wondered if they might be better situated closer to his core. The backwards vault of his transformation sequence was straining him too, but that was something they’d tackle when they overhauled his magnetics. One thing after another. Was it because he no longer had Ratty that he felt so decrepit? Or had Ratty’s death simply come at a time when he was entering a new life phase— the one where everything stopped working as it should? “Just look at me, kid,” Ratchet loved to say, as both a warning and a joke.

It was while Drift was waiting for First Aid to return that he spotted it. Right there, next to the slab, with the pressure gauges and multimeters and the other diagnostic equipment. Sitting so innocently with its lights off and its sensory arm crooked downward and off to one side. Had he ever learned its proper name? Ratchet had probably told him at one point, but since it was the subject of an argument between them, Drift had made a point not to listen. He’d called it the death clock and had hated it more violently than he’d hated any sentient machine. He couldn’t help it. It was the certainty of its knowledge that he found so obscene: the way it put the end of Ratchet’s life on the calendar as if it were a holiday, or the date of an appointment. It didn’t occur to him then that Ratchet, who already knew he was dying, was only using it to decide how best to spend the time he had left.

It was only an instrument. That’s what Ratty had said. It even had a switch labeled on/off-- Drift reached out and flicked it without even thinking, and its soft orange light brightened and hummed. It looked gentle enough. Was it so terrible? Was it so terrible to know?

The light tingled a bit when he put his hand under it, but what startled him was the counter flashing, its digits scrambling as it calculated his numbers. Drift willed himself to say calm. Say it: I am old, there won’t be much time left. It wasn’t so hard to accept. He’d felt so tired lately. His wheels were heavy and it hurt to transform. Time spilled out across the slab. Mederi had scrambled so many of the certainties he held about the Afterspark, but he still believed Ratchet would be waiting for him when the time came. The thought pierced him with a deep, sweet ache. Ratty!

The digits settled. Drift cocked his head, then cocked it the other way. This couldn’t be right. They were telling him his age; he knew that already.

No: the counter was going backwards. It was counting down. It wasn’t telling him how many years he’d lived; it was telling him how many he had left. The numbers were exactly the same.

Drift switched off the death clock and sat very quietly on the slab, waiting for First Aid to get back with the results about his wheels. When that matter was resolved, they’d move on to magnetics and Drift’s transformation sequence. He was old—older than Megatron—older than anyone else except for Ratchet, and Cyclonus, and Tailgate. Ratty had maintained him so lovingly and with such skill.

He was exactly halfway through his life.

Read all chapters on AO3.

#dratchetparty #dratchet #drift #first aid #ratchet #maccadam #idw #better late than never

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silkling · 3 years

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Of Newfound Knowledge and Truths of a Yesteryear

Of Moments in Life AU

———————————————————————————————————

Heatwave stood on his small training platform, punching the wooden dummy and trying to ignore the rage bubbling in the back of his processor. That morning, he’d read some of the data-pads that High Tide and Optimus had left, the ones Blades had read when Dreadwing first crashed on the island. What he’d learned had made him angry, and he didn’t understand how his teammate hadn’t been angry, too.

The Decepticons…the pads had a lot of information on what the ‘Cons had done throughout the War. The information had definitely been censored and sanitized, probably intentionally so his team wouldn’t be exposed to the full horrors of the War through the data pads, but it had still been enough for Heatwave to understand.

Dreadwing had said that the Decepticons started as a social revolution. But they were certainty far from that, now. The Rescue Force, Praxus, Iacon…they’d destroyed everything that had stood in their way, not caring if those they crushed were even involved in the War or not. It made him angry, his rescue protocols screaming with rage and loss in his processor.

As the conflicting emotions peaked, he heard the sound of pedes behind him and turned to see Dreadwing. Heatwave stepped away from the training post, the platform lowering to the ground as he crossed his arms and frowned. He liked the former Deception. He hadn’t spent as much time with him as the rest of his time, but he big bot was never violent or mean. He was a little blunt, and seemed to be a bit overly aggressive in his solutions for Heatwave’s peace-orientated processor, but he wasn’t a bad bot. At least, he didn’t appear to be.

Dreadwing seemed to notice his internal distress, because the larger bot pinned him with a considering and slightly concerned look. “You seem troubled, little one.” he rumbled.

“I’m not little.” Heatwave answered on reflex, mildly indignant. He didn’t understand why the Seeker referred to him and his teammates like that. Well, he supposed he did. They were all little, compared to him. “And…I guess I am.” He looked up at Dreadwing, a hard frown twisting his features.

“So I see.” Dreadwing, for his part, now looked ever so slightly amused. “And what is it what is causing you such distress?”

Heatwave made a frustrated noise, his vocalizer clicking in a sort of nonsense babble as he tried to think of how to explain. “I just–I don’t understand. How could they have done…everything they did?”

“What are you talking about?” Dreadwing asked, confused.

“I read the data lads Optimus and High Tide left! I learned about some of the things the Decepticons did!” he snapped, frustration and anger bleeding into his tone in place of previous confusion. Just the thought of what he’d learned was enough to make his spark sing with rage.

“Ah, now I understand.” The Seeker stated, his gaze becoming solemn and understanding. “And what did you learn, Heatwave?”

“You know what!”

“I do not. Your data pads are Autobot records, youngling. While I have no doubt there is truth there, I am also quite sure that much of that information is highly biased or just pure conjecture.”

The fire truck scowled. “Oh? So the Decepticons didn’t destroy Praxus, which was supposed to be a Neutral city?”

Dreadwing paused. “They did. It was before I joined, but they did.”

“And you’ve probably done a lot too, haven’t you?” He demanded. “Killed a lot of innocent bots, destroyed a lot of lives?” he was angry and hurting and he didn’t understand how Dreadwing could have joined a cause that was so horrible unless he was, as the human say, cut from the same cloth. But he couldn’t be, everything Heatwave had seen from the Seeker since his crash on the island directly conflicted with what the youngling had learned of the Decepticons. It just made him confused and left his spark aching.

The Seeker in question was silent, observing for a moment before he dipped his head. “I have. I have done many, many terrible things. I never killed sparklings or younglings, but I have killed countless Autobot soldiers and slain more than a few Neutral civilians on Megatron’s command.” He said softly. “I have aided in the stripping and destruction of planets, and I have directly contributed to the death of our homeworld. I do not deny any of this. I am not trying to escape my past, Heatwave, or to deny the crimes and atrocities I have committed.”

“Then why did you do them? Why are you here? Why should we let you stay if you’ve done all of that?” He didn’t actually want Dreadwing to leave, and the knew the others would want him to either. But he had just admitted to having committed horrible acts. Heatwave didn’t know what to think.

If the harsh questions bothered him, Dreadwing didn’t show it. “I did what I did because, at the time, I believed I was in the right. You know how Cybertron was in the Golden Age. You know of the emurata, of Functionism, of the caste system and how it was structured. Don’t tell me you don’t.” he said. “I rose from a system that sought to oppress me, and I turned to the only option I saw at the time. The Decepticons. It was wrong, and I have come to realize that.” He paused, tilting his head slightly. “I am here because I have little elsewhere I can go, and because I find myself growing fond of this place. I am here because Primus has granted me a second chance, an opportunity to do better and to be better, and I intend to take it.” Dreadwing took an extra moment to consider the last question. “You likely should not.” he answered. “I cannot change what I have done, all I can do it try to make amends and hope to find redemption one day.” He met the youngling’s gaze evenly. “But I would like to stay, if you would allow me the chance to pursue something better here.”

Heatwave held his gaze, then sagged and looked away. “Fine. I don’t even want you to leave anyway.” he sounded tired. “I won’t make you go. I don’t think I could. The others like you, and so do I. It’d just do more harm than good to everyone involved if I made you leave now.” he glanced up. “Just…tell me why. Why did the Decepticons do all of that? I don’t understand.” he sounded frustrated and helpless.

Dreadwing softened, his wings dipping down just slightly as his frame relaxed. “The Decepticons did not rise from nothing, little one.” he rumbled.

“What do you mean? The data pads said Megatron came out of nowhere and built them up before anyone realized what was going on.” He said, his anger abating in face of his even more confusion.

Dreadwing scoffed. “I am certain that many Autobot’s believe that.” his lips curled faintly, displeased. “That is, however, as far from the truth as you can get.”

“Then why would Autobot data pads contain that information as if it were fact?” he demanded, crossing his arms.

The Seeker hummed, tilting his head. “Perhaps, if you wish to have this discussion in its entirety, it would be best to sit somewhere?”

Heatwave paused, then nodded. “Lounge.” he said gruffly, leading the way. Once there, he dragged over a beanbag chair and settled into it comfortably, leaving the couch to the former Decepticon.

“To begin, I must ask how much you know about the Autobots and Decepticons as a whole, as well as how much you know and understand the political and social climate of the Golden Age.” Dreadwing stated.

Heatwave frowned. “I know what you told us when you first arrived.” he said, tilting his head. “I also know that the Autobot’s end goal is the restoration of Cybertron and the revival of our race. I know the Decepticons want to take control and lead Cybertron by force, and that their end goal is to put ‘Cons in charge and remove lots of freedom from bots under their rule.” he said. He crossed his arms, staring at a point on the floor as he tried to think. “I know that the Senate used to rule Cybertron during the Golden Age, and that they weren’t very fair and a lot of bots suffered, and that some of their regulations and punishments were extreme.” he tilted his head. “I know the caste system made the bots in the lower castes struggle a lot.” he seemed almost ashamed at this point. “I….I never paid the most attention to that, though. I was in the upper-middle caste, and my Function was something I already wanted to do.”

“Rescue work.” Dreadwing guessed.

The firetruck nodded. “Yeah.” he admitted.

“Then you know much of the very basics, though your knowledge lacks in the complexity and finer details of the full scope of the situation.” he rumbled. “You are correct. The Autobots fight for a restored Cybertron. But your knowledge of the Decepticons is…not entirely accurate.”

Heatwave’s engine growled with displeasure as he just grew more helplessly confused. “What?”

“The Decepticons do seek control, and they do seek to rule over Cybertron. That is true. It is also true that their goal is to see to the destruction of the Autobots. But it wasn’t always so.”

“Yeah, you mentioned they started as a social revolution.” Heatwave said, starting to calm down once he realized he’d be getting his answers, and without all the vagueness that came from Optimus whenever he tried to ask the Prime about the War.

“They did. But Megatron not rise from nothing, as the Autobots are so fond of believing. He rose from foundations that were already very deeply rooted. Functionism was a plague and the caste system was a rot that had sunk deep into the very core of our world.” he said, voice soft and somber. “It was a rot that infected only the oppressed and the beaten; it affected the lower castes and the undesirables, and those who lived comfortably in the higher castes did not feel the affects of it.”

“Undesirables?” Heatwave echoed, confused.

“Bots who did not fit into the world the Senate wished to portray. They wanted a Cybertron where every bot had a singular Function and operated according to that Function and ONLY according to that Function. They wanted a world where all those who were not of the Senate were subservient to them and obeyed them without question. They wanted a world that operated under the beliefs and celebrations and social structure they approved of. Those who did not fit into that world, and who could not fit into that world, were deemed undesirable.” He cast the youngling a meaningful look. “For the Senate, that included flight-frames. It is why they were so eager to see the spread of anti-flyer sentiments, to confine flyers, whether they were Seekers or not, to a single city. Flight-frames have a different base coding to ground-frames, and the Senate were all ground-frames. In their optics, flight-frames were a danger to their rule because flyers, by the nature of our frames, do not fit seamlessly into a Functionist society.” he paused. “It certainly did not help that the social structure, belief system, and cultural behavior of flight-frames was radically different to that of ground-frames, and that it was radically different to what the Senate was trying to enforce.”

Heatwave was silent for a long moment, considering what he was told. “But…you said the caste system was a rot. What did you mean?”

Dreadwing hummed, his fingers tapping a pattern on the couch; it was a very human gesture, one he had picked up from the Burnses without even realizing it. He had to word this carefully. Not because he wanted to manipulate the younger bot, but because it was a complex situation and a rather unpleasant one. “You said we’re were of the upper-middle caste.” he said carefully. “And that fits with your frame type and your Function. But have you never thought about the types of bots that fill each level of the caste system?” he asked.

Heatwave furrowed his optical ridges, shaking his helm. “No…” he said slowly. “I know…I know artists were considered among the lowest tier of the high castes. I know scientists and medics were high caste, and that the only bots above them were politicians.” he said.

Dreadwing smiled faintly. The young bot was starting to understand on his own. “Indeed. But those bots only made up a minority of Cybertron’s population. What of the others? What of the common laborers?”

“You mean, like, cleaners and construction bots? You’re right, they were more common than scientists, medics, or artists.” he said. “Like Boulder. He was originally a construction bot.”

He nodded. “They were indeed more common. But what caste did the Senate assign to them?”

“The…the lower caste.” Understanding was starting to bloom in Heatwave’s optics. “The lowest caste, for most of the laborer frames.” he realized. “That means…Boulder was from the lower castes.”

Dreadwing hummed agreement. “He was. If you wish to know more, then you shall have to ask him yourself. It is not my place to tell you what he experienced.” He sighed heavily. “But I will tell you that the lower castes, the bots who made up the majority of our people, did not often lead pleasant lives. They received little pay for their work, could not often afford decent fuel, if they could afford any fuel, and most of their pay would have to go to maintaining their living space. It oft left them overtired, overworked, and very, very hungry. It did not help that many of them had dangerous Functions, dangerous jobs, and after paying for their living quarters and fuel, they did not have the shanix for medical care. It meant the lower castes were forced to choose between their need for fuel and their health.”

Heatwave swallowed, his optics blown wide. “Oh.” he whispered. “But…why didn’t they do anything?”

Dreadwing looked almost melancholic at his question. “Most of the lower castes simply did not have the time or energy to fight against it. They were too tired, too hungry, to injured or sick, and were forced to focus purely on their own survival.” he stated. “And those few that did try to speak up…” he trailed off. “The Senate was not kind to dissenters, little one. If they did not use empurata on those who protested their systems, they used other means of punishment and silencing.” his tone was grim.

Heatwave chose not to ask what those “other means” were. He had a feeling he didn’t want to know. “It…it was really that bad?”

The Seeker bowed his helm. “Ask Boulder or Blades. They would know the best of your teammates.” Though, he had his suspicions about the means of Chase’s creation, and if he was right then the police bot might also know how bad the Senate could be.

“Boulder, I get. But why Blades?”

“The little flyer once told me that one of his brothers was a flight-frame. He would not have experienced the cruelty directly, as he was a ground-frame on Cybertron, but he would doubtless have experienced or seen it through his brother.”

“Oh.” Heatwave was starting to get the feeling that he didn’t know as much about his team as he thought he did. He really needed to fix that. “I guess I understand why the Decepticons rose to quickly then, if things were really that bad for so long.”

“Indeed.” Dreadwing agreed. “But there is one more thing you must understand.”

“Which is?” Heatwave was feeling a little sick to his tanks. He hadn’t been aware the situation on Cybertron had been so bad, but then again, he’d lived a good life. He’d had all the fuel he needed, he never worried about his health or safety, his living situation was pretty much always assured, and he actually enjoyed working according to his Function. He wouldn’t have experienced the rot Dreadwing mentioned, so it only made sense he wasn’t entirely aware of it. That didn’t get rid of the guilt, though.

“The Decepticons are made up almost entirely of flight-frames and those of lower castes. There are certainly some of those among Autobot forces, but the grand majority of them are Decepticon.” Dreadwing pinned Heatwave under a severe look. “What does that tell you, little one?”

“It tells me that the Autobots are mostly ground-frames and bots from the middle and upper castes.” he answered, suddenly understanding the War in a whole new light. It certainly didn’t excuse what the Decepticons had done, but now this…this made it a lot easier to understand.

“Indeed.” he agreed. “The Decepticons originally rose on the backs of bots who were beaten down and had little else to lose, bots whose only crime was to want a better life.” he said. “When the Senate, and later the original Autobots before Optimus Prime, attempted to beat them back down to their “proper place”, they fought back for the freedom that should have always been theirs.” His gaze went distant, as if remembering something from long ago. “The Decepticons were originally a freedom movement, little one. It was only as time wore on and the spilled energon between the factions soured that they lost their way and forget their original mission.”

“And now?”

“Now, because so many Autobots are ground-frame or originated from the higher castes, they do not understand why their enemy continue to fight. Certainly, many Decepticons fight because they wish to destroy the Autobots, but there are many, many more who only fight because they fear that an Autobot victory means a return to the ways of the Golden Age. It is something that Prime and his bots simply do not, and perhaps never will, understand.”

“So most of the Autobots…they weren’t bots who were hurt by the Senate.”

“No.” Dreadwing agreed. “Prime’s team on Earth is a good example. Prime himself is formerly of the lower-high caste, as he was a former Archivist. His scout was upper-middle caste, and while he was too young to receive his Function at the start of the War he would very easily have made a successful racer. The femme-bot was an Enforcer, also considered upper-middle caste. And of course, the medic. Ratchet was famed, even before the War.” The Seeker smiled sardonically. “He was quite firmly in the highest castes. All of them operated according to their Function, and all of them were content with it.” He tilted his head. “The only bot on Prime’s own team who does not fit that mold is his Wrecker, who was once a construction bot. He is the only one who might truly understand.”

Heatwave nodded, looking own at his lap. “I think I get it now. This war…it’s not going to end until the Autobots understand that stuff, is it? Because they won’t understand why most of the Decepticons keep fighting, why they started fighting in the first place.” he said, looking up to meet red optics.

“Yes. You’re very intelligent, little one. You learn fast.” Dreadwing slumped slightly, releasing a heavy vent. “You are correct. So long as the Autobots do not understand, then the Decepticons, at least those who only fight out of a fear of a return to the old ways, will never stop what they are doing.”

“You really know a lot about this stuff.”

“I am a Seeker, Heatwave. I experienced much of the Senate’s cruelty directly, as did most of my frame-kin.”

The Rescue Bot nodded, subdued. Now he understood. A part of him wished he didn’t, but he was glad he did. He sighed, meeting Dreadwing’s gaze again. “I think I owe you an apology, then. I judged you based on incomplete information.”

Dreadwing bowed his helm. “Thank you, little one. As I said, I certainly committed horrible acts, and I can never undo what I have done, but now I only make to make amends as I move forward.”

Heatwave nodded, smirking and straightening up. “I think you can. And lucky for you, we’re here to help.” he said.

Dreadwing blinked, before he chuckled, his wings lifting as the mood brightened. “So you are. Thank you, youngling.”

“We’re Rescue Bots.” Heatwave grinned. “Helping others is what we do.”

“So it is.” He agreed, looking amused. “And perhaps, I can also help you?”

He blinked, taken aback. “Me? How?”

“I have noticed you practicing with your sparring post. Your form is acceptable, and I am aware that the Rescue Force trained its Teams to have combat abilities, but I can help you improve. Your current skills will help you fight if a rescue mission were to go wrong, but if you wish, then I can help expand and improve your combat capability even beyond that.”

Heatwave blinked. “You’ll teach me how to fight.” he stated.

“I would be glad to, if you wish to learn. There may come a day when you must fight a true enemy, and if that day comes then greater combat skill may be helpful.” Dreadwing pointed out.

Heatwave narrowed his optics, considering the unsaid implications of that statement. “…you think the War might come to us.”

“Perhaps.” he said grimly. “I pray that it does not, but in the event it does I think it is better that you are prepared to fight against an enemy who truly wishes to see your spark go out.”

He nodded, gaze firming. The others would need lessons too, in that case. The Rescue Force did teach them all basic combat, in the event that they needed to fight off anything that might be threatening whoever or whatever they were rescuing, but their combat training had been pretty basic. If Dreadwing was right, and there was a possibility of Sigma-17 one day facing an opponent that wanted them dead, then they’d need to shape up. He stood, hands curling into fists as his shoulders lifted and determination burned in his spark. He stared the Seeker in the optics.

“Let’s do it.”

Dreadwing stood, a faint smile curling at his lips, and clapped a hand on the youngling’s shoulder. “I look forward to it.” he said, a hint of pride in his tone. Heatwave was so very young, but already he was shaping up to be a fine mech, a fine leader.

Heatwave himself only grinned, blue optics bright. “So do I.”

He’d learned a lot today. Not all of it had been pleasant, and a distinctly unpleasant feeling still curled in his tanks, but he was glad to learn what he had. The past was dark and violent, he’d come to realize. Cybertron’s history was steeped in shadows and darkness and Heatwave was certain that he still didn’t know everything, that Dreadwing had certainly omitted many of the worst of the details. Given all that, he really couldn’t find it in himself to be surprised that the War had happened.

Now though, wasn’t the time to focus on the past. Not Cybertron’s past, and not on Dreadwing’s past either. He tilted his helm up to turn his grin on the larger bot, leaning his weight into the hand on his shoulder and enjoying the small physical contact. Yes, he decided. Dreadwing’s past didn’t matter, not here. All that mattered was what was to come, and Heatwave was determined to meet whatever the future held for them head on.

For himself, and for his newfound family — all of them, even its newest addition.

———————————————————————————————————

Here it is, folks! The next installment in “of moments in life”! This one goes a little deeper into Pre-War Cybertron’s social/political climate. Heatwave got a massive reality check. He was sorta privileged, by the standards of the Golden Age, and he’s being forced to realize what that meant and what it blinded him to. Poor youngling, his entire worldview just got rocked.

As for Dreadwing, he now has another son! The next installment will be tHe Blades and Dreadwing one. It’s gonna be sad. They’re gonna talk about their brothers. That’s all I’ll say! I have prompts fo write for before I can get to it, so it’ll be a bit, but stay tuned, it’ll come out! Anyway, hope y’all liked it! Let me know your thoughts!

Until next time, folks!

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