Spoiler They panicked and Grimlock made the decision for them while they tried to huddle, of course. (Not-Sari Not-Sumdac and her 6 giant robot dads and one absolutely disgusted robot aunt)
Spoiler Yeah the writing wasn't great but would it be totally out of character for Bumblebee to not grok that? Dude's forged and loves changing up his frame. He's the cis friend who doesn't really 'get' dysphoria. And he's not wrong that now that Starscream has a solid image to reference he could get his frame rebuilt... if he wasn't in prison and had the money, that is. I read that as Bumblebee trying to be optimistic and going 'look the world PROBABLY won't really end and I doubt you'll be in prison forever and then you can get changed up!' and not grokking why it's bumming Starscream out so much in the now.
Spoiler i mean i also am still confused because like... why is bee saying that 'some of this is on you' like screamer didn't confess everything on live TV, plead guilty at his trial, and willingly go to jail, partly on Bumblebee's urging.
Spoiler Bee's referring to the crimes Starscream committed that he later confessed to? But the smile means he's not seriously ragging on Starscream either. He's concerned about Starscream's mood and trying to piss him off to jiggle him from 'sad' to 'mad', I think.
Spoiler like i'm just confused as to WHY he'd say 'you need to admit some of this is on you' when starscream literally already admitted that it was ALL on him. to everyone. it doesn't make sense to me as a remark someone would make. and it doesn't really make sense to me how starscream apparently... forgot? that he is the one who got himself there. all his dialogue sounds like it's from a scenario where he nearly got what he wanted only to fall down at the last hurdle because windblade won against him in the general election?
Spoiler I think the "some of this is on you" is about the body dysphoria, not the crimes. In that Starscream's frequent body changes could have brought him closer to his intended shape, but didn't. Which makes Bumblebee's remarks even more callous, and is only understandable if Bumblebee has no idea what it's like for the Cold Constructed; after all, his spark managed to figure out the right type of body, why couldn't Starscream do the same?
Spoiler I mean, I think that's literally it? He's forged. He's got no idea the kind of disconnect Starscream has going on.
Spoiler Also, interesting that organics can use spacebridges but not transmat suites. Supposedly they're both using transwarp tech, but apparently in different enough ways that one is fatal to organics and the other admits them just fine.
Spoiler: ll 15 The thing is the idea of using the organic ability to reproduce to produce more sparks isn't... dumb? It's sound. The problem comes in with harvesting sparks... both ways, although cybertronians don't seem to understand the problem with the second round. Like the Scavengers immediately jumped to 'we have to extract her spark and get her in a proper body!' as like, the ethical thing to do? But I don't think it would be, and the waters get even muddier if it's a spark that FORMED in an organic body... then it IS the right body for that spark!
Spoiler: LL As far as the Scavengers know, anyway, I don't think any of them are exactly experts on organics. Or transwarp tech, since engineering and robot medicine are apparently related but distinct fields.
Spoiler The Magnificence confirmed it, though. No idea how much the Magnificence knows about organics, but so far it hasn't lied to anyone as far as we know.
Ah, right, I didn't realise on my first read-through that the spiky word bubbles were specific to it and not just someone Panicking, that makes sense
Spoiler: LL15 The "purpose built mechanical body" bit makes it sound like Scorponok is going for cold construction right away, without any real regard for "the right body". Bludgeon at least was going to use the pools of sentio metallico he found, although if that, like sparks, is a really finite resource then cold construction might be the only way to go in the future. At least some of the Scavengers have no problem with killing organics; Fulcrum and Nickel at least are strong Technoists. If they can get a spark to a mech body in the bargain, all the better.
Spoiler: OP annual liveblog First impressions: optimus put your goddamn face back on, nobody likes this CLASSIC FILM OF HIS YOUTH! This is adorable! The best! <3 WORLDBUILDING! Dramatized history, mechs playing PRIMA! I want to see the filmmaking culture and what sort of superstar would land these sorts of roles, and like, remaking bodies, how much of that goes into starring in a film, etc. But oh my god, you nerd, you're watching movies to figure out how to rule an empire? Dorrrrrk. <3 Chuckles. Also this dialogue is hilarious, but I'm also thinking about how Thundercracker has already previously done some self-sacrificial shenanigans with bombs, and he didn't die or anything, but he knew he wasn't going to come out of that situation 100% fine (another dork!!!! if skywarp shows up to be an adorable dork too, I'll have the full set) .....this humans growing to giant size when being hit by nuclear explosions is making me =_= in light of recent LL developments My god, they're both so precious. I love them. NERRRRDS "You understand human culture better than any cybertronian" ....oh dear XD Ohhhh my god he tears up. Oh man. Oh wow. This is TOO CUTE "Y'all, ah do declare ah'm fixin' for a beatdown!" god READING GLASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Counter-myths, omg Also, I'm not sure if anything will be clarified or if it's just part of the joke of starscream rewriting the past, but in taao we sawwwww a line of mass-produced starscream-looking types and that would be the most logical reason for them to start form an aesthetically similar spot Tankor the makeup artist, yes plesase Proxima minored in photography. Is she camien? Because I sure hope she's camien Also Acid Storm, god, all I can think about with him anymore is Coming To Terms XDDDDD Starscream (heroically): [dialogue] pfffft I love all of these dorks Megatron blasts his fusion canon at Air Force One, the (non-sentient) airplane owned by the Earth president of U.S. America Starscream (loudly): Noooooooooo! Cut to Air Force One, blasted whoever wrote this was having way too much fun and I am jealous Awww, Dirge :< But I like this kind of filling in the gaps for character stuff "I think this movie needs some new perspectives." oh no HE GAVE UP ON THE SUSAN JOURNEYER SCRIPT??? UNACCEPTABLE >:C oh my god thundercracker no don't watch dogville AAAAAAAAAA OUTLIER WORLDBUILDING :DDDD Oh man, I was actually getting a little close to something with that one functionist universe fic. Nice. "I could teleport anywhere... and you could boom loudly" Also I was pretty certain we'd be getting everyone disagreeing on how the past legit happened, but these rewritings are pretty precious so far. Ooooooh w o r l d b u i l d i n g 'You think the decepticons were just a way to keep ahead of people he made mad?' 'Of course I do. What do you think the decepticons meant to anybody?' OuO SKYWARP TELL ME MORE ABOUT U It's interesting that Metrotitan announced that Starscream was the chosen one, etc., and that he was also the titan who Optimus brought off to earth to colonize a shiny new world. I don't know what that means, but the power struggles between these two are very interesting to me. 'it was just a random wounded titan saying nonsense?' Okay I don't trust a single word that comes out of alpha trion's dumb stupid mouth, so now I'm really interested in what's up with metrotitan in the background of all this plot nonsense IS THAT IS RODIMUS IN MOSTLY BLACK PAINT A BAYVERSE REFERENCE????? seal your paint awww, I need more robots playing with dogs, this is important stuff. More cliffjumper in general!!!!!! AWWW, MARISSA Nooooooo, Starsceam did have historical movies and talking heads and oh my GOD the bayverse jibes make me crack up every time, jesus christ XD Ahhhh, thundercracker, you're so DARLING OH MY GOD, HE'S GOING TO ACT IT? YES (tankor makes an adorable megatron) 'wazzzpinator juzzt wanted craft servizes...' Scientist starscream! THANK! I didn't need canon confirmation to run with that out-of-series background, but I appreciate it regardless 'and whatever, maybe one of you can suddenly be other places or something' omg 'we were rivals for power, metalhawk. then you died and we stopped being rivals. unless you come back to life for a while. but for now, we're on the same side. except one of us - you - is dead, and unable to do anything.' 'in the name of my dead rival metalhawk, who, despite the rumors, i absolutely didn't kill or anything--' Oh, I spy needlenose int he background of that action scene. IS AILERON PLAYING WINDBLADE??? I LOVE IT Awwwwww, THUNDERCRACKER ;-; You're a sweetheart. You're a good boy. Those lines are sappy and overwritten and this comic is written with them meant to be that way, but you're a good boy with a good heart, and you twigged onto the thing. And Starscream likes the movie. And Thundercracker still wants to help Starscream! 'this will be the next Birth Of Cybertron, except, you know, not hella-racist.' oh my godddd XDDDD What. What?? WHAT???? 1) DON'T HURT BUSTER, 2) don't hurt thundercracker either what the fuck is wrong with you guys, 3) GOOD ON THUNDERCRACKER for being a good fighter 'I thought [the quips] just flowed out, but I guess not. sorry I snapped at you.' What an excellent boy Ohhh, that was PRION? They've got a space bridge up to Prion? Does that meant their Titan is still alive, or did they have to go find the place manually? Did TARN and company direct people to Prion, since they're the ones who landed the only survivor?? Oh my god, rumble and frenzy. GOD. (also these bayverse digs literally have me cackling) SKY-BYTE Thundercrackerrrr :((((((((((( 'you must be a real triple threat' 'you're thinking of my friend blitzwing' GOD awwww, BABY ;-; Oh man. This is seriously too cute. YOU DESERVE THIS, HONEY!!!!!!
Spoiler It's an obvious birth of a nation reference but I just put together that this is a super weird movie for Starscream to be nostalgic about. I'm pretty sure this movie's been referenced before as (functionist?) propaganda. You are the object of its hella racism, Starscream. It's you. ...Between this and OP 16 there are several ways in which I don't think the writers quite got where Starscream is at post-TAAO.
