pst hey also Spoiler Imagine Starscream, where he.... didn't quite spend enough time experiencing that new body to fully know how to recreate it. But knowing that it's OUT THERE, that there's something he can work towards, there's a way to exist where he feels like he belongs in his own skin. Even if he can't have it right this moment, and even if it's going to be a long, slow process trying to get back to that point, it's a point that EXISTS. There isn't something intrinsically wrong with him, there's a body out there that's the right body and even if he can't tell where the finish line is, he knows there is a finish line and existence doesn't have to have that constant undercurrent of wrongness to it.
And Spoiler Windblade, too - she saw it. She helped MAKE it, in his mind. and if he lets her, asks her to - she'd help him with that, too, right?
I made a little noise out loud, oh my god Spoiler Also! Another thing. Because the number of mechs we saw wasn't ACTUALLY that many and there were important people missing from the mix, like thundercracker and skywarp, and if you wanted to get into ways people have shaped him, there's like, rattrap and megatron and all kinds of negative stuff. I'm guesssssssing that in a meta sense, it was because this artist isn't really about the drawing-massive-crowds-of-specific-individuals sort of thing, but I sure do like overthinking fiction, so. What if. Starscream still being very screwed up over the trine and how it fell apart. Which I have brought up elsewhere, usually flavored with angry denial that anything is wrong at all it's not like he CARES or anything. But if we're going to go with positive, supportive relationships.... they were from before the war up until right near the end of it, and it's only in NYC when things start truly going to pieces. Starscream is still plenty fucked up over Metalhawk, given the things he said to Bumblebee. It's impossible NOT to think about Megatron, given all that damage. But, like..... a very specific flavor of denial where he aggressively, aggressively DOES NOT THINK ABOUT THEM. Which makes it hurt worse, when he picks apart his memories of that and... they're not there. Shockwave is there, but not them? Even in a dream world, they won't help him?? No, not exactly, it's more like you just don't have a reason to avoid thinking of Shockwave, but putting those pieces together is hard, especially once you've already landed on this painful conclusion that fits your recent history so well, and everything is pain and I love I love I love Alsooooooooo they all made a point of matching frames for a long time. In theory, Thundercracker and Skywarp have their own not-just-a-recolor frames. As do lots of other people, but other people didn't have as much... deliberate PURPOSE behind the bodies they chose to wear. As far as alien psychology goes, I bet there could be something really excellent and interesting in there about how even if this body isn't the right body for me, it is the right body for belonging with them. It's the right body because we match and we belong together, and that helps. Makes it hurt extra when the trine falls apart, and Thundercracker is chilling on earth without access to any real alterations, Starscream is tearing through frame after frame trying to find one that fits, and Skywarp is off doing his own thing and it was only a few years ago when they were all sharing the same frames on purpose, but that's all gone now.
But also, Spoiler Please stop tearing through governmental budget for a new frame every few weeks, Starscream. Although hopefully now that he's got a glimpse of the end-goal he'll slow down, and we dunno how much of the old frames were recycled.
Spoiler: TAAO12 I like that Windblade firmly believes that each spark has a specific body it is meant to be in and in turn that each spark designed according to the will of the Cybertronian God. In particular I like that both Windblade and Liege Maximo seem to espouse this, that the body is a measure of Truth. To be in the wrong body is to live a falsehood, to change it is merely to change what lie you are living. In particular particular, I like how the Functionists also believe this, and indeed have it as the central argument of Functionism: your body is matched to your spark, your spark designed by Primus. How far is it from there to "you have the body you do according to a Divine Will, etched into your spark"? Notably, even in his True body, Starscream is still a flyer. Megatron recruited him because the Decepticons needed air support. Anyway, Windblade eating Vigilem was super cool and I hope his influence shows through.
Spoiler You know, I only just pieced together that windblaede and liege maximo are sharing a philosophy there, because they're coming at it from such opposite directions, and that's.... WOW. That's cool. Because Liege Maximo is talking about how a person who changes over and over can't be trusted, with the implication that someone honorable/etc will be secure in their own body. While Windblade is horrified at the idea that mechs were forced into bodies they were never connected to, and thinks that everyone should be allowed to grow into the bodies they were meant to have. At a core level, they're both arguing in favor of people existing in a form representative of their 'true self', it's just... Liege Maximo seems to be coming at it from a perspective of someone who doesn't understand WHY a person would be in a not-true body, unless their core self was something corrupted. He doesn't get that dysphoria... is a thing. Actually, you know what? Liege Maximo was imprisoned through the whole cold construction business. He legitimately doesn't have any idea that this whole putting-people-in-the-wrong-body thing even exists. I don't know where to take that, but it's FASCINATING. There's something I can't quite piece together here, about Liege Maximo having a reputation for a silver tongue, but that he seems to think that your form is its own type of honesty. And also the way Vigilem kept presenting in multiple ways with Windblade in her head, including a blended horrormouth body. I don't know exactly where to take this, but there are a lot of fascinating fragments of ideas floating around. Also............ I'm way way way hung up on the way Windblade says her spark will burn away anything that isn't true. Is there nothing to Vigilem that's true? Nothing at all? I need to assemble some coherent thoughts about bonds and loyalty with him and Liege Maximo and the implications that they were seriously wronged before that, and the additional implications of ten million years of imprisonment/slavery. Plus Windblade being very religiously invested in creation and Titans carrying hot spots inside them. There is some REALLY fascinating stuff going on.
Spoiler The best way to deceive someone is with something that is mostly true. The best way to convince someone is to start with something they believe, regardless of whether what you're trying to convince them is true or not. Liars care a lot about truth, and indeed, I'd trust Liege Maximo to know more about it than Windblade. Windblade is just weaning herself off of an authority structure and the blind faith and trust involved that she has been steeped in all her life; Liege Maximo has had a long time to hone his ability to separate facts from fiction, and to separate people from their facts. I wouldn't be surprised if Windblade's spark of Truth could be sidestepped, manipulated, subverted by a Master of Lies.
Spoiler: taao 12 One thing that struck me is that over the series, we've seen a lot of the prejudice that cold-constructed bots get what with religious fundamentalism and such, and Windblade reacted with horror as well, but it's the difference between "you were made wrong" and "the people who made you like this wronged you." She wasn't disturbed by Starscream being cold-constructed, she was horrified FOR him because of the ways it fucked him over from the start, and I thought that was a really interesting difference.
Spoiler Do we have much input from cold constructed bots about how they feel? We heard from MTOs, but what about bots that were cold constructed before the war? Also, do sparks spliced from the Matrix rather than born from hot spots have intrinsic forms as well?
Fun fact for the Young Justice cartoon fans here: Greg Weisman, showrunner of YJ (and Gargoyles, and Spectacular Spider Man, and some of WITCH) wrote an episode of TFP. Specifically, he wrote Plus One, aka: and
agdsfhdgjhk I'm not sure what I will do with this knowledge except be convinced that he's read TF-fanfic. Probably the porn corner. Probably a lot of it. Oh jesus.
/shameless self promotion/ So my friend and I have been rping a TFP / Voltron AU for a couple months and we decided to make a blog about it. https://voltronindisguise.tumblr.com/ Right now, all we've got up is the AU synopsis, but it's an interesting read....if you are into something that should probably be a multi chapter fanfic but we are both way too lazy to write it.
Spoiler: I paused at the wrong time and accidentally caught a tender moment watch those hands, Skywarp.
Ok so at the stream we had a great idea What if the main song from the movie 'The Last Unicorn", but instead of unicorn, it's Unicron. "And it seems like all i s dying and would leave the world destroyed in the distance hear the laughter of the last Unicron" I'm alive, Still alive I'm doing science and I'm still alive" (courtesy of all the cool cats in the transformers stream)
http://onwardmotley.tumblr.com/post/164059551881/brandxspandex-munchllax-windblade-i-will (Spoilers for taao 12)
.....JESUS. That's beautiful. This was already an amazing issue, but that elevates it to a whole new level.
