Revenge of "Wing Shift"

[beckyh2112]

You know, the constant bashing of Megatron is getting kind of annoying. Ohnoes, everyone thinks he's a horrible leader who has lost sight of the Decepticon cause. Ohnoes, he's so terribly incompetent and possibly insane. Ohnoes, he has a small dick

Comments

[childofatlantis]

I think I may have identified your problem: you are thinking about the plot. In a fic dedicated to utterly daft yet oddly charming soap opera-esque sessions of messy sex. :D

(I have noticed that Megatron and Starscream seem to be the characters in this fandom who suffer from the "either/or" syndrome the most - people who like Starscream tend to bash Megatron, and vice-versa. Because if they're rivals, clearly they can't BOTH be cool characters! One of them has to suck! And Starscream is a darling emo woobie didn't you know? Except there's a lot more people who love Starscream than people who love Megatron, so poor Megatron gets the worst of it.

*has embarrassing crush on Megatron and loves Starscream far, far too much, resulting in 90% of fic involving either of them leaving me mildly irritated*)

[beckyh2112]

I can't help thinking about the plot. It keeps thrusting itself in my face and bashing my beloved Megatron!

Yes, when push comes to shove, I will choose Megatron over Starscream every time. Especially since Starscream seems to be roxxoring boxxors in this fic just fine.

I've never quite understood why people love Starscream more than Megatron, but I've never quite understood the attraction to Starscream in the first place. I enjoy the character and enjoy writing them, but I just do not grok how he gets the screaming fangirls.

[tarajcl]

-keeps thrusting itself in my face-

D: Pelvicthrustingbadficnooooooooooo

(And G1 Starscream is kind of boring when he's not being funny by doing something stupid. Maybe it's the immortal thing? Which would explain why Rampage has collected a little consortium of woobiefying fans?)

[beckyh2112]

Oh, Rampage. I love Rampage. He's an excellent, excellent monster. So very, very creepy.

And I love his voice. Mmmm, Rampage voice.

*does not need to woobiefy him, since my main attraction is a) voice, and b) cannibalistic immortal psychopath*

[tarajcl]

I'll see your cannibalistic immortal psychopath and raise you a cannibalistic immortal psychopath ZOMBIE! \o/

Although Rampage is still creepier. The voice.

[beckyh2112]

I need a Rampage icon. Mmmmm.

[tarajcl]

*points up* Want, take, have. Or not.

[beckyh2112]

Hmm. Is pretty. *pets it*

[charles_rb]

If it eats your fingers and then laughs, you have only yourself to blame.

[childofatlantis]

'ware teal deer! You made me stop and think about why I like Starscream and now I am GOING TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT.

I can't speak for others, obviously, but for me (on the 'serious' front, rather than the Screamer-you-IDIOT-now-I-cannot-stop-laughing side of things) it's that he has the potential to hit several character concepts I adore - trickster, traitor, dancer, mind like lightning. I tend to visualise personalities as natural forces/elements, and he's my favourite of them all - wildfire. He's pure chaos embodied, not even consistent to his own aims - he's clever and quick but lacks the balance, the self-control to make full use of either trait - but he's oh-so-beautiful as he rushes to destruction. His ideal environment is fighting for his life against an opponent who's just too slow, too stupid, to keep up with him

[beckyh2112]

I've actually seen the trickster-archetype brought up explicitly in relation to Starscream by a writer I deeply respect. I can see where you're coming from, and the imagery you use to describe him just makes me want to fall in love with the silly bastard.

I'm not sure if I can put my finger on what it is that draws me to Megatron. He is the warrior, the conqueror, the warlord of a thousand thrones. He does not shrink from battle; he leads his men into it.

He is ruthless, he is clever and tricksome to his enemies, he is merciful to his followers (Starscream, especially).

He inspires. The Decepticon cause is his cause because he created it, because he gathered people together and gave them something to believe in, a reason to follow him.

But even having said all of that, I still feel as if something stands just beyond my grasp regarding him.

[childofatlantis]

Yes, that sounds right for Megatron. The image for him is a thunderstorm - all that power, rolling in, massive and unstoppable and filling the sky - black as pitch, but with lightning crackling between the layers.

As I said, I love Megatron almost as much as Starscream. The only thing I would say that makes them less than equal in my affections is that Megatron is less flexible than Starscream. I can quite happily read "good" Starscream or AU Starscream or repentant Starscream so long as he keeps his fire - but it's much harder to situate Megatron outside of his usual environment and keep the rolling thunder aspect.

I think I've seen that same fic, actually - is it the author who has done various post-season-3 Skyfire/Starscream fics, and a bunch of stuff about Dead End? *can't recall her name* She's one of the people who does not-quite-evil-Starscream well.

[beckyh2112]

Dragoness Eclectic. ^_^ She is luvverly.

And yes, the rolling thunderstorm imagery fits Megatron quite well.

I don't think one can ever take Megatron out of battle and keep him quite the same. He is not suited for peace, and I suspect that even if he was involved in something like policing or gladiating, he would still be rather unhappy.

I think it would be difficult to turn Megatron into a force for good, but not impossible. He and Optimus Prime do have a canonical history of teaming up when there's a threat bigger than both of them out there.

The problem is, I suspect, keeping a steady stream of 'big nasty threats to Cybertron' coming long enough for both them and their followers to adjust to a different way of doing things.

[childofatlantis]

Funnily enough I've just been pondering a plot to try and turn Megatron into a force for good without losing what makes him interesting, though it's movieverse. Would be interested to know what you thought of it.

[childofatlantis]

Okay, so, I've just thought of something, because I spotted that you've done Sailor Moon fic... were/are you, by any chance, one of the people who couldn't for the life of them understand what all the Dark Kingdom fangirls saw in Zoisite?

Because I was one of the Zoisite fangirls, and I've already established an awful lot of parallels between him and Starscream in my mind. :)

[beckyh2112]

... I do not remember. I was never much involved in the Sailor Moon fandom as such - I lurked a lot over there.

I do remember that I liked Jadeite and Nephrite more than Zoisite, though. >_>