...I did not catch that (probably because I have no idea, mainly, who's been made up for this fic and who was a character in one of the zillions of TF series I haven't gotten to yet), I thought Chaar was either a planet made up specifically for a vaguely-alien name so there'd be Just Enough Detail during meetings and such, or a nod to another nerd fandom with creepy alien empires. Super cool to see all the work the author's laying down as maybe-foreshadowing maybe-just-worldbuilding :D
Char (with one "a") is the Zerg homeplanet one of the core Zerg planets*! It was misspelled as Chaar in a few of the mission briefings from... Brood Wars I think? [shrugs] *I am a Bad Nerd who hasn't played in a long long time, I misremembered :P
No wonder we haven't heard from mirage and the combaticons (as of chapter 39) in awhile, i think they ran into an infestation. Edit: i am dumb and didnt click the link in the first post. Chaar is 100% an isometric hell hole full of slimey bug monsters
MOVING MY POST because i didnt want it to get in the way if spocks giant backlog posts Should I keep spoilers under wraps?) Eeee! I'm almost caught up, and I can sense a big old cliffhanger looming over the horizon, because there's no way this is going to wrap up in 5 chapters. I've got about five - 1 million ideas what could be going on with Hot Rod and Springer. It's looking like some massive, years-long autobot desperate conspiracy to win the war...and I absolutely love that. I've read too many fanfics/BL/Yaois where the captive ends up liking being kept as a slave, I'm hopeful that this will turn out differently. Jazz is such an amazing character!! Spoiler: TGWP speculation because I'm paranoid (up to chapter 40) It's painfully clear why Rodimus would do something like this. I might have to write a snippet from his POV with all my speculations... I'm assuming that this isn't an AU where certain autobots failed to join the movement. Somehow, someone removed Hot Rod and Springer from the collective memories of everyone who knew about their allegience. You could probably give magic powers like that to one of the science robots....you'd almost have to either make up new tech or bring it in from the IDW comics. It's possible that even they don't know that they were autobots, they could be operating under some kind of core programming installed when they became sleeper agents (I have seen that episode of Star Trek). With his background, Jazz is PAINFULLY well suited to be an autobot secret agent in deep cover, 113 style. It occurs to me that with the sheer level of alterations they'd have to go through to hide Hot Rod, Springer, and go knows who else, they...almost would have had to have Soundwave's help. There's a freaking plot twist for you. Prowl is 85% guarenteed to still be alive. Nobody else on the autobot side could pull off organizing something like this (or Jazz, they did work closely together). I think Jazz really does love Soundwave, despite everything. Both of them are going to have to make some really hard choices in the future. If Soundwave had to choose between Megatron and Jazz, which way would he go? *rubs hands together* this is gonna be GOOD.
Spoiler: Assorted spoilers Oh, 100%. As much as I want characters like Prowl to secretly be alive because Soundwave never saw the bodies, personally, the backstory has definitely been a more messed up, well written version of the movie's massacre. I'm just waiting for Rodimus to somehow go full Prime - can't remember exactly which of the characters got hit with the faceful of 'isn't this guy weirdly familiar?' deja vu in that scene, but Hot Rod has successor to the Prime all up in his robot aura - getting felt up by Megatron and realizing just how fucked up the current regime is will probably have propelled him into the resistance off screen. I'm waiting so very patiently for it.
Spoiler jazz and megatron both got the 'now where the fuck do i know this tacky yet strangely alluring youth from because i could swear' feelings!! which to me felt very 'second coming of Jesus Christ optimus prime'
TY! I present my masterpiece Inspired by @Petra 's words of wisdom The 'U TRIED' award with that huge paragraph of text in it is still my favorite piece of 'art' we've made for TGWP.
I just witnessed Thundercracker earn his "You Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter" award for not being as big of a jerk as everyone else. Spoiler: TGWP slavery thoughts - 43 Silverbolt really hit the nail on the head. It's not possible to be a "nice" slave owner. Just because of that little thorny problem of counting another sentient being as one of your possessions. It's only been five years, and already it's considered natural for the autobots to be slaves. Most of the autobots have accepted this as fact because they've been forced to by their captivity. Jazz is considered priviledged by the others on cybertron because he's not abused. I don't think Silverbolt would see any kind of priviledge when he looked at Jazz, they are all still slaves. None of them are priviledged, all are at the mercy of their owner's whims. There's no way that soundwave could understand that, he already considers his family to be his possessions. Soundwave, please reconsider your worldview. Relationships don't have to be this way. Silverbolt popped in, said one sentence and became close to my favorite character in this whole story. We needed him to come in and remind us how fucked up this situation is, even without the abuse, rape and torture, being a slave is still fundementally awful. Thank you, Silverbolt, for performing this public service. Thundercracker just went ????. It's pretty clear that the decepticons stopped thinking of their slaves as people a long time ago. Even the well meaning ones like him don't see anything wrong with owning an autobot. #GETTHUNDERCRACKERADOGINSTEAD2K16 BIG EDIT Finally finished TGWP! Spoiler: TWGP whining I'm so unbelievably sad. Is this really ok, Jazz? Did you just need to be trained like a dog and shown kindness? Did you just want to be some nice man's possession the whole time? You just wanted a lover who would give you orders and micomanage your whole life? Is this..fucking stockholm syndrome?? This whole seems to have resolved like "Taming of the Shrew". It wouldn't have been so bad if Jazz had been more of a subservient character to start off with. I just... no, Jazz, you deserve so so much better than this. You deserve someone who will treat you as an equal. Soundwave is never going to do that, he doesn't know how. Jazz has to pay for love and loyalty with obedience. I don't know what the intention of this...i guess plot twist is supposed to be. Are we supposed feel good about their relationship at this point? Like "awww its so sweet and touching" or are we supposed to feel that it's cringey and fucked up? Is this supposed to be a positive development?? I'm so invested in these characters, but I don't know if I can keep reading if everything goes all sunshine and roses between now that Jazz has been properly 'tamed'. They were acting like newly weds, now that Jazz finally took that big step and gave up any hope of freedom and autonomy. It's like..marriage I guess??? I can't help but think that that was their big relationship resolution, and now the story will focus on how they face external threats together. ..... ..... I'm just going to lay hear and internally cringe. Jazz, no, please, god no. Not this bullshit again. What do you guys think, is the story going into a better place? Do I have to watch my fav become subservient because the person he loves demands it of him? What soundwave has been doing all along with Jazz is Not Okay. Now that its working, it's a million times worse. Eeeeeurrrrgh. Do not want ;_;
I genuinely do not think that is the direction it is going. Spoiler: i ramble, or how I believe Jazz is ultimately letting go of the shield to take the reigns. I think this is Jazz realizing that on the one hand he does love Soundwave, the feelings are there as questionable as they are and he cares about the cassettes a lot and these people are his now, and on the other hand realizing that outright resisting Soundwave... would change nothing. We've seen it time and time again, straight on rebellion doesn't make Soundwave reconsider, it makes him go into broken record mode, reasserting his authority over and over and over. If Jazz wants to change Soundwave, for better or for worse, he's going to have to plan ahead, he's gonna have to do it subtly, and most importantly, Soundwave has to come to the conclusion that he needs to reevaluate his worldview himself, without realizing he is being nudged that way. I think that's what the Starscream scene was meant to re-establish: Outspoken dissent, especially in the context of possibly himself being involved, makes Soundwave lock up and... quietly or not so quietly panic until things go back to ight The Way They Are Supposed To Be. Any changes have to be introduced carefully and gradually and most of all in a way Soundwave does not notice.
Spoiler Okay, I can't tiptoe around this anymore. Have you, uh. Been reading the same story we have? Because this entire story has been set up as Jazz and Soundwave slowly undermining each other emotionally to complicate their respective senses of loyalty - Jazz is slowly dragging Soundwave toward the Autobots' resistance to Megatron, politically and on a personal level, while Soundwave and the cassettes are slowly worming their way onto Jazz's list of priorities. Watching that happen - both of them changing each other, despite their best efforts to resist it - is half the damn appeal of the trope. Moreover, we still have no idea how much of what Jazz says and does is an act and how much is real, hence speculation in this and the general TF thread about how much the songs Jazz uses to organize his memories are actual reflections of his innermost thoughts; there's still the option that it's all been a lie on Jazz's part and he'll flip on Soundwave the moment it's over, but it's much more deliciously twisted and thorny and fun to read if they've both gotten knotted up in each other and can't figure out how to navigate the messed up master-slave power imbalance in relation to the shitty political situation How did you read this as Jazz "giving up any hope of freedom and autonomy"? The story has already been about the two of them facing the external threats of Megatron's abuse and Decepticon politics together, and Jazz has been subtly dancing along what Soundwave can tolerate as far as outright treason talk goes. This has probably been set up as one in a matching set of key relationship moments - Jazz has (we infer) acknowledged he's emotionally compromised by Soundwave and the cassettes and has to readjust his plans for overturning Megatron's regime around them, and now we just need Soundwave to get tipped into admitting Megatron needs to go, which will apparently necessitate him overthrowing carrier loyalty protocols as well as his abuse victim instinct to shut down whenever Megatron explodes on someone, and suddenly we'll have a delicious, delicious new field of moral anbiguities and conflict ripe for the harvest. We're not at the point where they can debate these kinds of things freely - between Megatron, Shockwave, and Starscream, it's been hard enough for the two of them to stay afloat and alive in all this fuckery. If you think this is going to end with Soundwave keeping Jazz as a slave and Jazz being a-okay with that, instead of Soundwave getting lured into helping overturn the system and having to deal with the fallout, I'm not sure where you think this fic is going Basically, you're reading this incredibly uncharitably. The fic has a lot more depth and awareness of itself and the messed up nature of the slavery situation than you seem to be giving it credit for :T
"Look, this is rated T, clearly it is safe to read in class," I said, 20 minutes ago, making a mistake #I don't know what I expected
Moreover, Spoiler For Jazz, by now a lot of his plans must hinge on being in close quarters with Soundwave aka one of the top Decepticons and head of surveillance - that's a huge asset for a saboteur working behind enemies lines, there's no way he's failed to take advantage of this as much as possible regardless of his endgame. It is entirely in Jazz's best interests to persuade Soundwave that he's legitimately falling in love with him, because that guarantees Soundwave's vested interest and protection as well as continued access to Soundwave's equipment And because Soundwave is messed up in the head, the easiest method for keeping his sympathy is to act like Jazz is falling for him within the context of the slave relationship, because it still pings to Soundwave as somewhat similar to carrier-cassette protocols and that subservient-but-loved dynamic is what's going to help Jazz slam dunk Soundwave into the rebellion camp. Because I'm convinced that before the end of this, we're gonna see Soundwave choose the cassette protection carrier instinct over the vague loyalty to Megatron protocol, and Jazz will milk that opening for all it's worth
Spoiler: Power dynamics and unreliable narrators I guess I can see being afraid because so often fics with great premises go off the rails. But TGWP has been going for, what? 4 years? 5 years? And it seems very much to me that Peacewish knows what they're doing, and has a longform plot in mind. You yourself pointed out how any 'bubble' of 'happiness in slavery' got popped by Silverbolt, and the fic emphasizes that even though Jazz seems to be genuinely falling for and caring about Soundwave, his number one dream is still freedom, not just for himself but for others. Jazz isn't giving in to Soundwave, he's sticking around because while he could have run off, his own personal freedom isn't his endgoal here. He's got a much larger endgoal and other people to free... including, ironically, Soundwave.
Fwiw, on the LJ comm Peacewish is very firm on how all of these power dynamics are unhealthy, and occasionally pops in to talk about it between posting updates.
