Applechime, whenever you arrive to announce the coming of new content like a blessed harbinger of TGWP, it reminds me of a Taylor Swift quote. "Whenever TGWP causes Emotions:
Spoiler SHRIEEEEKS AND THATS WHY SIDESWIPE WAS THERE!!! omg omg omg mirage with the invisibility, hound with the holograph projecting, jazz with the plotting, sideswipe to?? idk protect the two weeniebots?? VIVA LA REVOLUCION!!!!!!
sHRIEKS Oh my god, I wanted to believe, but didn't think I could, and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahahahaha, I was failing to fall asleep and refreshed kintsugi on the off-chance there'd be something interesting, and there was. Wow, I-- I don't even know how to process this. I just need Soundwave and Jazz to be back in the same room, immediately Spoiler: because i meant to stop there but have no self-control why do i even bother trying And this happens right after Soundwave's core programming breaks under the stress. Holy shit. Holy shiiiiiiiiiiit. I'm still not sure how much active role Jazz played, because he's been so locked down, but he at least contributed, and !!!!!!!!!!!!! I want him and Soundwave talking. I want them being intimate without Megatron hanging over the whole thing. I want Jazz getting Soundwave to admit that things are better if the Decepticon empire falls apart. I want Jazz admiring Soundwave for his caution and the steps he took to limit Jazz and Soundwave letting go of Megatron and admiring Jazz in return. And I want all the complicated emotions that come with it, because Soundwave's fears for his family, and the way some of his cassettes had never known peace, that was important, and that was legitimate. And Jazz may have been acting for the greater good, but he still made the mech he loved miserable in the process. And with Soundwave letting go of Megatron as his Ultimate Loyalty, he's in a better position to admit that the slavery was awful and unjust and that the things that have been done to the captured Autobots are wrong. Oh my goddddd, I need this immediately. I want Soundwave in Jazz's head feeling the music and emotion that goes along with love I want Hound and company springing the enslaved Autobots on Earth, so that when (if? but probably when) Jazz and Soundwave make it to Starscream, there are results, right there, there's joy for Jazz and triumph. And he and Skyfire can be like sooooo yyyyyyep, in love with a decepticon, fuck us, amiright??? I just. I never thought that after the update in Megatron's quarters, I hadn't thought it would be possible for Jazz and Soundwave's reunion to get more emotional. I can't tell how the emotions are going to swing, but I know it's going to be so intense I can't stand it. I have a powerful need.
AND ANOTHER THING Spoiler Okay, but consider. How heartsick must Soundwave be over all this?? He's gone out of his way to take Jazz under his roof (as a slave, cough cough >_> ), keep him there, protect him, and even the other cassettes talk about how Soundwave is doing absolutely everything he can to make Jazz happy. And in return, Jazz has helped destroy everything Soundwave has worked so hard to build. Soundwave had a home after so, so, so long where his family could be safe and at peace, the planet was nominally united under one benevolent ruler, there was unity, society was rebuilding. And that's all gone now. The Decepticons are splintered, Megatron has lost it, the citizens are all over the place, everything is going right to hell. Soundwave has been put in a position where he's being forced to send part of his family on a suicide mission, at least indirectly because of Jazz. (addendum: I can't say how much credit Jazz deserves, but I'm working under the assumption that he deserves at least some credit) Soundwave just fractured his core programming over how much he loves Jazz, and immediately learned that Jazz has put him, his family, his commander, everyone he cares about or has loyalty to, in this awful position. Like goddamn. And holy shit, this is with all his cassettes loving (or learning to love) Jazz too. I mean, yes, he is a slave and they are his masters and that is emphatically Not Okay. But this whole family, even Ravage, has opened up their hearts to Jazz, and Soundwave learns about this betrayal. Megatron just said that Jazz obviously loves Soundwave. But how is Soundwave supposed to believe that at this point? Short of hitting Soundwave right in the cassettibot weak spot, there is nothing Jazz could have done to hurt Soundwave more. Just imagine, fighting through this war (where he didn't even necessarily want to be involved, but he had to support his cassettes and once tensions rose, the other work was dying out) that dragged on forever, where Megatron talks directly about the hard times they went through. Coming out the other side into tentative peace, and immediately getting hit in the face with exactly what would have happened to his whole family if he'd died in that war. He had a home, a home that wasn't part of a military encampment, and the building was shitty and damaged and nobody else wanted it, but he made a home where his family could live together at peace. And he took Jazz in to protect him... and now, evidence suggests that Jazz was key in destroying all of that. How is Soundwave supposed to believe anything Jazz ever did with him was genuine, now? I mean, I think it's writ pretty clearly on the page, and also I am a time-traveling fanfic reader and not living in the moment like Soundwave is. But he knows that Jazz has faked obedience to fuck over his masters before. He's seen Jazz let himself be intimate with all kinds of people Jazz despises to further his own goals (mostly protecting people, but still, to further his own goals). He knows that Jazz lies, even while the trust between them is growing. How is he supposed to believe that anything Jazz did was genuine? I think it's pretty fascinating that he has the telepathic power to clear this all up... and Jazz has defenses he can't get around, and Soundwave has negative understanding of emotions expressed in indirect ways. Oh my god, dude, if you could just understand music, this would be so much easier. Even just lyrics! Just the lyrics!! I do think that Jazz does love Soundwave, and he didn't want things to get this bad for Soundwave in particular. If Soundwave had been a little more open with him about how the situation was deteriorating politically, I feel like he would have given Soundwave any advice that would have protected just Soundwave's family, even while the rest of the empire went to hell. And I don't think Jazz had as much control over things as Soundwave might think. Soundwave had him locked down so, so hard, and he was in his mind right after the battle on earth. But holy shit, what an awful position for Soundwave to be in right now. If Jazz lets Soundwave in his head and guides him along, I think it might might might be possible for Soundwave to get some kind of emotional understanding of the music he's hearing. It's been such a theme in this story that he doesn't understand that I'd totally believe that this would be an upcoming plot point. And given that Soundwave knows how Jazz lies and thinks Jazz has betrayed all his trust, I can't think of a better way to clear up how heartsick he must be. There's so much to think about here. I'm still reeling from all the emotions in that update. I just can't get over that feeling of betrayal, knowing that you just fractured your core programming for sheer love of someone, and then immediately finding evidence that they've been working to destroy everything you've tried to build and protect.
*deep breath* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK!! FUCK!! FUCK!!!!!!! Spoiler ITS HAPENING HOLY SHIT oh man oh man oh man i CALLED IT!!!! I CALLED THE CHIROLINGUISTICS!!! CALLED COSMOS!!! DID NOT CALL THE GAME CHIPS!!!!! oh my god, o my god, oh my god...... i did not see that coming at ALL, ohhhh my god..... I'M SO PROUD OF U JAZZ!!! my sneaky clever determined Childe, U DID IT!!!! oh but POOR CASSETTES!!! POOR SOUNDWAVE!!! but GO JAZZ!!! ohh my god, and yknow soundwave you still don't really Get It do u??? you don't think that jazz can be actively working to destroy your empire and still love you and your family???
OH MY GOD, I CAN'T BREATHE WITH HOW AMAZING THAT WAS!!! Spoiler: nothing much but I should have had more faith in Jazz. I thought the chirolinguistics was a reasonable-probability bet, but he was so restricted that I couldn't see him having very much control. But the games!!! Just. !!!!!!!!!!! I still think they need to all of them get their asses out to Vos. The city is too dangerous, Megatron is too dangerous, he will 200% kill Jazz if he gets an inkling of this happening, and he'll probably kill Soundwave in the bargain for letting in happen. Or maybe not Soundwave, because he's valuable, but... how many cassette deaths will it take to punish him adequately for failing Megatron? And I need Soundwave and Jazz to reunite and talk before this goddamn thing gets so intense that I have a heart attack, oh my god
Oh man, I LOVE it. Spoiler Also my mental model of Lacuna just started cackling at the fact that Jazz was using chirolinguistics right under Soundwave's nose, and Soundwave didn't catch it because he was so focused on the audial. It does her mute spark good.
Spoiler awwww, even ravage doesn't want to believe jazz would leave them :C But also, just LOOK at all that new context for why Jazz kicked and screamed so hard to be brought on the earth mission :3c
So I just came here to collect @applechime receipts, but it also occurs to me that it's really interesting that all the seekers were so ready and fast to bail with Starscream....... Even when Starscream had literally done nothing wrong. Really speaks to how everyone can see how unstable and dangerous Megatron is.
