TFs: DARE TO BE STUPID

HEY WAITAMINNIT

I was going back into the dumb taao revolution issue for purposes of hawkeye initiative

And that one page.

You know what, I started to write this here, but I just wrote a tumblr post instead. Have a link! TAAO 11 spoilers.

 

HELLO, CHILDREN, IT'S OVERTHINKING ROBOT O'CLOCK!

Spoiler: large

Just look at Swerve hating on himself in all kinds of directions here, but ESPECIALLY taking shots at the way he jokes around. He yells at himself for having a sense of humor that hurts people in physical ways. For having a sense of humor that hurts people in emotional ways. For the jokes being completely unfunny. And for being a total useless lump. He also shouts at himself for not being as religious as he wishes he was, and not being willing to really dedicate himself to it. And he also shouts about his most practical/concrete job not actually being as important as he wants it to be, and that even in that realm, he takes care of frivolous problems and only talks a good game about accomplishing something significant.

My favorite sad boy. Sadhappy boy. Lov him. Lov him 10000%. But also please someone help him be less sad.

And you know what, I was just thinking it's a crying shame we never see adorable human Nightbeat talking to adorable human Nautica, but you know what I just realized we DO have this excellent background image right here :D

 

Do you remember how I got super excited over functionist universe Starscream like..... more than two months ago? And then nothing ever happened with the fic? Guess who finally finished the thing :D (5k, sfw)

 

And since certain parties have been planting thoughts and ideas, because I don't already have more than I can handle

Spoiler: oh god this got long, I just love starscream so much

Also imagine further functionist universe fic in that vein, with Skywarp and Thundercracker both stolen away from the functionists. It's been millions of years since any of them saw each other, so it's understandable that it would take time to get used to each other again, but this... doesn't seem right for Starscream. Megatron is doing his peace through compassion thing, and he seems decent enough with them, but the moment Starscream is able to slip away from his command to come see them, things with Megatron get... uncomfortable.

There isn't much they can do about it, because Skywarp is on hella life support while they wait to salvage the supplies to rebuild his internal organs. Thundercracker would be free to go-- If he had any place to go to. It's not like the functionists have been at all good about people who want to come back to the fold. Trying to defect back tends to be a little fatal. If they try to nudge at it with Megatron, he doesn't have any idea what they're talking about. Starscream isn't around often, but he's just as confused as they are. And this is all continuing while he's playing this key, key role on the inside. No matter what personal risk he's taking or the value he brings to the movement, it's never good enough. Oh, he has this entire division of soldiers just waiting to defect? Time for a casual insinuation that is he sure he isn't planning to use them to seize power himself?

And if someone did straight-up confront Megatron, he'd be so confused. Because whaaat? This is Starscream! My old friend Starscream! Good old Starscream. Megatron isn't the person he used to be, and sure, maybe he wasn't always the best before, but he's changed now. And of course he would have gotten the empurata treatment from the government, hahaha, classic Starscream. They are just being pals and having a good, familiar time together, as pals do. With a side helping of Megatron slowly becoming the messiah figure he didn't want to be this time around. He can talk to Terminus (but Terminus isn't really helping, and just leans harder and harder on the personal hardship being for the benefit of the cause), but here's Starscream. Sure, technically not his Starscream, but so similar that it's basically the same, right? And Starscream always knew how to not treat him with that worshipful deference. He needs this. This is good. They should really spend more time together :)

Basically, I have a massive, massive weakness for a Megatron who really truly is trying to improve himself, but who has this massive blind spot when it comes to his past with Starscream, and who slips so easily back into those same toxic patterns. He might say that sure, mistakes were made in both directions. And ignore the part where Starscream started out crazy-loyal, and the escalating problems were largely as a response to Megatron's actions. No no no, we both made mistakes, that's definitely how it happened. And we are friends now, just look at us being good friends together. This was a Starscream who was primed to be just as loyal as he'd originally been in the main timeline, but then Megatron came in, and without even thinking, just started acting as though they had that same background together as original Starscream had. I love it.

HACTUALLY. You know what. I know Soundwave has delicious potential in this setting no matter how he's deployed. And originally, he read Megatron's mind and that's how he was like 'yes decepticon ideology good times this is good'. This time, Megatron isn't terribly accessible. He's way off the grid. But Starscream is accessible. Starscream is someone where the government is particularly interested in his loyalty, and want to know whether he's secretly a traitor or what. I think in his universe, Starscream makes the perfect rebellion entry point for Soundwave.

honestly, if I could make soundwave/starscream happen with that kind of setup, that would be so fun and oh my god would it be delicious

Also on a mostly unrelated note, I cannot wait until I get to the Lost Light officers paying a casual visit home in the starbladejack AU and Megatron doing this same toxic pattern thing, but in a setting where Windblade is like 'UM? MINE? and also what are you doing to him?' And also where Wheeljack has that deep established trust, etc. with Starscream. I want to see Windblade being totally confused and worried and upset and keeping her diplomat face on and splitting Megatron and Starscream up and keeping Megatron occupied until oh dear, it looks like it's time for you to leave :) And then the entire emotional fallout situation, with a side helping of worry in both directions, kind of like the rodistar verse but different. ACTUALLY, you know what, this is one of the very few times I've ever written anything ahead, because I had a thing that I didn't want to slip away from me. This skips a lot of emotions that have to be written to get to this point, but I have no self-control, SO. Windblade POV, post-visit:

I swear, I came here to write like... two paragraphs tops. I shouldn't be surprised, because I always end up doing this, but. Textwalls, eyyyyy~

 

Lore, but also.... Wreck-Gar. I'm willing to forgive a lot for some quality Wreck-Gar screentime. Also Soundwave being Soundwave and some nice Arcee content. I'm behind, and I really disliked the early flashback segments, but I'm tentatively enjoying the rest of it.

 

I'm enjoying things much more now that the first few issues are out of the way. Those were a slog, but once things got moving a little, I had a much better time.

 

There's only so long I can work on failure analyses for "jammed valves" before my mind begins slipping and I start to lose it

Or maybe your valve is stuck in the wrong position and you can't maintain the desired flow control ★~(◡‿⊙✿)

I'm looking at an extremely long workday, and it's all valves, all the way down