Pet peeves in Stunticon characterization
1. Wildrider as a mini-Motormaster
They both have a lot of grey in their paintjobs and they’re both violently destructive, but Wildrider is sometimes portrayed as cruel and malicious as well. At that point, the only thing which distinguishes him from Motormaster is that he has an insane gleam in his optic, or he grins insanely, or giggles insanely, or drinks energon insanely, or whatever.
But what does insanity really mean, for a Cybertronian in general or for Wildrider in particular? Few fics really address that, but I like the description of him in Dragoness_Eclectic’s Excited Dead End, where a bored and hyperactive Wildrider decides to release a group of Autobot prisoners (he also roller-skates on his ankle-wheels, which I thought was adorable).
"Wouldn't that be a riot if the prisoners all escaped their cells and got weapons and ran around trying to shoot their way out and stuff?" Wildrider said, jumping up from his seat. He grabbed Dead End by the shoulder and tugged. "Come on, let's go!"
Dead End's visor flared with violet light and he scrambled from his seat to follow Wildrider, pushing his way past the oblivious, cheering spectators. "Yes, that would be a riot. Dare I ask what you are up to?"
In other words, he has little awareness of rules, much less respect for them. In my fics, I extend that to him being selective of reality in general. Wildrider lives half in the actual world and half in his own head. And since he’s not quite sane, that means he sometimes believes, says and does very bizarre things.
I also like anon_decepticon ’s take on Wildrider - he’s got extremely poor impulse control, which fits in with the hyperactivity. Couple that with his tendency to do the utterly unexpected, and it’s clear why he’s the terrorist of the team. He strikes almost as randomly as lightning but just as destructively, and whatever his enemies do to try to stop him, he can think outside that box because he was never in it in the first place.
2. Motormaster as the village rapist
First, a confession. I’m also guilty of making Motormaster resort to rape. If he ever wants to really punish his team, as opposed to slaps or punches which they can more or less roll with, rape is an option. And given that Motormaster is a sadist, I’m not surprised to see him pick that option when it suits him.
What bothers me, though, is an overreliance on this particular trait. As in, some hapless Autobot prisoner is brought in and Motormaster promptly runs to the brig to rape him. Or this is what Motormaster always does when it comes to chastising the troops. At that point, it usually stops being horrific and starts being more or less mundane.
Rape is also no substitute for psychological abuse, which can be more calculating and disturbing than non-con. I love it when Motormaster keeps his subordinates in line through that kind of thing - playing one against the other(s), convincing them that they’re worthless or cowards, forcing them to do something that doesn’t involve sex and so on.
Well, maybe “love” is too strong a word there. But a cold, in-control and viciously creative Motormaster tends to be far more fun than a crude, oafish HULK SMASH type. Motormaster is brutal, but not brutish. There’s a difference.
3. Motormaster as a fratricidal idiot
I’ve read two fics now where Motormaster either came close to murdering another Stunticon or made another Stunticon believe that said murder was imminent. In the normal course of events, you understand. Just another ho-hum day on the ‘con base.
Arrgh.
I’ve written a fic where Motormaster plans on killing his entire team. But he’s doing that because they stabbed him in the back, left him for dead and told Megatron that the Autobots deactivated him. Now he’s lost everything he valued - his position in the army and his place as the Stunticon leader - so he’s all set to go on a roaring rampage of revenge.
That’s different from Motormaster using the threat of murder to routinely chastise his team. Or worse, Motormaster beating one of his subordinates until the unfortunate victim nearly dies, but being blissfully unaware of this possibility until someone points it out to him.
Motormaster is a sadist, not a fool. If he felt an urge to murder someone, he’d go after the Autobots. What good would it do him if he killed one of his own team? Even if Megatron somehow overlooked that, I can’t see him being too happy at the loss of Menasor. How much use would the rest of the Stunticons be to the Decepticon cause, especially with the survivors being only too aware that they could be the next to die?
Like a lot of sadists, Motormaster knows how far he can go with each of his team and knows how to work the cycle of abuse so it suits his plans and requirements. Murder would end it all for him as well.
4. Woobie!Breakdown
This particular specimen is as bad as woobie!Fireflight. It’s clear from the cartoon that Breakdown is nervous and hesistant compared to the rest of the team. And he has reason to be, thanks to his paranoia. It’s also plausible that Motormaster would be annoyed (at the very least) by this weakness, and if there’s a pecking order in the gestalt, Breakdown is likely to be fairly low on it.
What I find less easy to believe is that Breakdown is the punching bag of the entire team - or worse, of anyone else among the Decepticons. The latter is especially strange given that Motormaster isn’t likely to stand by while someone else abuses one of his team. That’s his privilege, and his alone.
And Breakdown, for all his fears of being watched, is a Stunticon. He’s got a forcefield, he’s got weaponry and he’s got speed. He’s also got what none of the others have - an engine that can sabotage other mechanical devices. So while he has no choice but to take abuse from Motormaster, it would be great to see him fighting back when anyone else tries to bully him. He can - and probably should - ignore insults, but he shouldn’t be a shivering, battered doormat either.
They both have a lot of grey in their paintjobs and they’re both violently destructive, but Wildrider is sometimes portrayed as cruel and malicious as well. At that point, the only thing which distinguishes him from Motormaster is that he has an insane gleam in his optic, or he grins insanely, or giggles insanely, or drinks energon insanely, or whatever.
But what does insanity really mean, for a Cybertronian in general or for Wildrider in particular? Few fics really address that, but I like the description of him in Dragoness_Eclectic’s Excited Dead End, where a bored and hyperactive Wildrider decides to release a group of Autobot prisoners (he also roller-skates on his ankle-wheels, which I thought was adorable).
"Wouldn't that be a riot if the prisoners all escaped their cells and got weapons and ran around trying to shoot their way out and stuff?" Wildrider said, jumping up from his seat. He grabbed Dead End by the shoulder and tugged. "Come on, let's go!"
Dead End's visor flared with violet light and he scrambled from his seat to follow Wildrider, pushing his way past the oblivious, cheering spectators. "Yes, that would be a riot. Dare I ask what you are up to?"
In other words, he has little awareness of rules, much less respect for them. In my fics, I extend that to him being selective of reality in general. Wildrider lives half in the actual world and half in his own head. And since he’s not quite sane, that means he sometimes believes, says and does very bizarre things.
I also like anon_decepticon ’s take on Wildrider - he’s got extremely poor impulse control, which fits in with the hyperactivity. Couple that with his tendency to do the utterly unexpected, and it’s clear why he’s the terrorist of the team. He strikes almost as randomly as lightning but just as destructively, and whatever his enemies do to try to stop him, he can think outside that box because he was never in it in the first place.
2. Motormaster as the village rapist
First, a confession. I’m also guilty of making Motormaster resort to rape. If he ever wants to really punish his team, as opposed to slaps or punches which they can more or less roll with, rape is an option. And given that Motormaster is a sadist, I’m not surprised to see him pick that option when it suits him.
What bothers me, though, is an overreliance on this particular trait. As in, some hapless Autobot prisoner is brought in and Motormaster promptly runs to the brig to rape him. Or this is what Motormaster always does when it comes to chastising the troops. At that point, it usually stops being horrific and starts being more or less mundane.
Rape is also no substitute for psychological abuse, which can be more calculating and disturbing than non-con. I love it when Motormaster keeps his subordinates in line through that kind of thing - playing one against the other(s), convincing them that they’re worthless or cowards, forcing them to do something that doesn’t involve sex and so on.
Well, maybe “love” is too strong a word there. But a cold, in-control and viciously creative Motormaster tends to be far more fun than a crude, oafish HULK SMASH type. Motormaster is brutal, but not brutish. There’s a difference.
3. Motormaster as a fratricidal idiot
I’ve read two fics now where Motormaster either came close to murdering another Stunticon or made another Stunticon believe that said murder was imminent. In the normal course of events, you understand. Just another ho-hum day on the ‘con base.
Arrgh.
I’ve written a fic where Motormaster plans on killing his entire team. But he’s doing that because they stabbed him in the back, left him for dead and told Megatron that the Autobots deactivated him. Now he’s lost everything he valued - his position in the army and his place as the Stunticon leader - so he’s all set to go on a roaring rampage of revenge.
That’s different from Motormaster using the threat of murder to routinely chastise his team. Or worse, Motormaster beating one of his subordinates until the unfortunate victim nearly dies, but being blissfully unaware of this possibility until someone points it out to him.
Motormaster is a sadist, not a fool. If he felt an urge to murder someone, he’d go after the Autobots. What good would it do him if he killed one of his own team? Even if Megatron somehow overlooked that, I can’t see him being too happy at the loss of Menasor. How much use would the rest of the Stunticons be to the Decepticon cause, especially with the survivors being only too aware that they could be the next to die?
Like a lot of sadists, Motormaster knows how far he can go with each of his team and knows how to work the cycle of abuse so it suits his plans and requirements. Murder would end it all for him as well.
4. Woobie!Breakdown
This particular specimen is as bad as woobie!Fireflight. It’s clear from the cartoon that Breakdown is nervous and hesistant compared to the rest of the team. And he has reason to be, thanks to his paranoia. It’s also plausible that Motormaster would be annoyed (at the very least) by this weakness, and if there’s a pecking order in the gestalt, Breakdown is likely to be fairly low on it.
What I find less easy to believe is that Breakdown is the punching bag of the entire team - or worse, of anyone else among the Decepticons. The latter is especially strange given that Motormaster isn’t likely to stand by while someone else abuses one of his team. That’s his privilege, and his alone.
And Breakdown, for all his fears of being watched, is a Stunticon. He’s got a forcefield, he’s got weaponry and he’s got speed. He’s also got what none of the others have - an engine that can sabotage other mechanical devices. So while he has no choice but to take abuse from Motormaster, it would be great to see him fighting back when anyone else tries to bully him. He can - and probably should - ignore insults, but he shouldn’t be a shivering, battered doormat either.