#&&. rambles !!

[clopiya]

happy pride month to canon sapphics. if you even care

[teddybarebones]

The comments about the romance is what I find especially funny. Because Padmé and Anakin aren’t supposed to be this perfect couple that you root for…it reminds me of when people critique Romeo and Juliet because “Juliet is 14, how could you condone such a thing”…as if the whole point of the damn play isn’t a critique on the desperation to find/be in true love, to the point where you will do anything for someone who you don’t actually know.

You’re NOT supposed to root for them, they are unstable from the beginning, are together for the wrong reasons, and probably wouldn’t have lasted long even if Anakin didn’t descend into fascism.

Their relationship feels rushed because it IS. He is desperate for comfort and she is desperate to help.

Their relationship feels shallow because it IS. They both want to be in love so badly that they are willing to ignore very key facts about each other for the sake of being together.

Sometimes it feels like the critics didn’t bother to try to understand anything further than what is shown on the screen.

If the Star Wars Prequels used negative reviews in their promo photos

[tuptastic]

service dog discrimination and ableism against service dog handlers isn't just petting a service dog without asking.

it's talking to the dog while they're on duty. no amount of "oh i know I can't pet you but you're so cute!" when you do so at a restaurant while she's laying at my feet makes it okay.

it's pointing the dog out to your kids and encouraging them to get excited and yell when we come close, when all I'm trying to do is grab a package of hot dogs for dinner. or allowing them to follow us around until you trigger a meltdown, and then realize you've fucked up.

it's coming up to ask me questions when she's actively performing task work, and when I inform you she's tasking you proceed to ask questions about her tasks and what she does.

it's being incessant about asking about what my dog is trained to do and what MY issues are, because you can't manage your own curiosity and emotions.

it's recording us and photographing us without my consent. there are at least four recordings of my dog and i in the world somewhere, and i believe photos of us while she's actively been tasking.

it's denying us access to locations on rules that don't exist.

it's refusing to educate yourself on federal ADA and state laws, refusing to listen when i inform you on those laws, and spreading misinformation instead of listening to handlers.

it's hiding us away out of sight so we don't "bother others" when we go out into public under the guise of making the dog comfortable, or "giving us space" when there were plenty of other options that weren't isolated and alone.

its following us through stores and public locations to gawk at my dog.

it's being denied 10+ jobs that otherwise you were loved for because you told them at the end of the phone interview "just so you're aware, I also have a service animal and will be needing accommodations" and suddenly they no longer want you, despite being okay with the wheelchair and crutches. because everyone loves the dog until they have to put in the effort for the handler.

it's speaking to the dog instead of the handler, or ignoring the handler's needs.

it's becoming a public spectacle every time you leave your home, because everyone wants to ask questions, talk to you, and fawn over your dog.

it's being the last thought for an event, or not even a thought at all, with people who know you will always have a service dog accompanying you and require accommodation in all circumstances, whether that be just the dog or dog and wheelchair. its knowing you were not included in the planning, or were expected to leave her behind and put yourself at risk.

its being asked or told to leave your dog at home, because "why do you need them? can't you just go without them?"

its becoming angry when you're asked to leave us alone, and causing the fear of aggression or retaliation for speaking up for yourself.

its people taking your aid less seriously because its a dog, and they only see a cute companion, and it can't possibly be as important as the other aids you rely on, despite her being the thing that has saved your life more than once.

its taking your pets into places they should not be because "you want them there" or "whats the worst that could happen"

its so many little things in my life that add up that most people don't even realize they do, or don't think about, but i think about them and it hurts and it sucks. it is so simple to treat service dogs and service dog handlers with respect. it is so simple to treat disabled people with respect. i want to be left alone and i want people to give my service animal the actual respect she deserves for the work she does, and i want to be included. im so tired.

[srubabu]

there will be summer and there will be singing something quick and messy and personal. cicadas are active again where i live :]

[festivating]

glinda has always been elphaba's heart's desire that's why she asks glinda to come to the emerald city with her immediately after reading glinda's note. and that's why she rereads the note in her little witchy lair and then immediately we get a flashback of them at shiz

[gnomebud]

ally and murph as a sort of excited younger duo who are fans of the rest of the player characters is actually everything to me

[littlemissnice]

let me run my fingers through your hair as you eat me out on your knees 🥺

(no additions please)

[a-vibing-potato]

I just think this is hilarious because there's ONE (1) coworker I have at work who we all collectively hate because of a multitude of reasons (including that she's shit at her job and causes more problems to happen) but she also ALWAYS. EVERY SINGLE DAY WITHOUT FAIL. Heats up some tuna thing in the microwave and it stinks up the whole backroom.

Does anyone have recommendations on good social norms for beginners? I'm looking to start conforming more but I'm not sure which norms will provide the most social currency. Thanks

[biocrafthero]

Every day I learn something new about Bionicle's world building. What do you mean the entire story is, in-universe, translated from Matoran text into earthly languages

[fireflower-art-stash]

Me!! *taps the screen expressively*

Mememe that's me!

I'm medium functioning absolutely and it's stressful bc I've thought for many many years of my life I'm in the "Grey Area" with how I view my needs and how I feel others may interpret my abilities.

Not too outwardly "well off" enough or "bad off" enough to be seen/heard properly. >:/

Very frustrating.

On the outside I'm chill (mostly) and inside explosions are constantly going off and it's not so bad all the time and some of them even sound kinda cool but sooooometimes all I can hear is the explosioning and it can be tiring to exist. :]

A positive of all that though is most often I feel like an entirely new breed of human and it's kind of neat to view myself that way. It can also feel quite lonesome a lot of the time, because of this! But I'm working on making peace with it. :]]]

"The gap between high-functioning and low-functioning Autistic people is too wide. This is why they need to be two separate diagnoses."

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

There is no gap, there are people there.

THERE IS NO GAP, THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE!

MSN Autistic people exist. Separating the spectrum is to leave us behind. Stop forgetting about us.

[inkwelldesires]

Spencer around a bombshell is actually so funny. He’s smart, brilliant, borderline terrifying in an academic sense—and then she walks in wearing lip gloss and a low ponytail and he just short-circuits. Can’t make eye contact. Talks too fast. Talks too little. Drops things he wasn’t even holding. She laughs at something he says and he forgets what month it is. She leans too close and he has to physically reboot. She’s not even trying—just existing—and he’s over there reciting Pi in his head like the sexy nerd he is.

[telemachea]

everytime i read cicero im like what possessed him to fucking say that

[srubabu]

im extremely bad at showing emotions and i also got a very bad case of RBF. sometimes it creates pretty funny situations because what do you mean my best friend was scared of me when we first met. well! because thats what it probably looked like

(the situation above happened in college btw. the funniest thing about it is probably the fact that i was practically her substitute teacher that day)

[biggirldreaming]

if your cock twitches don't worry it's just me giving the tip a kiss 🤭

(no additions please)

[lieutenantmilishepard]

Hey so like do you think that the fandom is way too hard on Starscream while giving Megs way too much leeway

YES

THANK YOU

OMFG

Where do I even begin????

Look, I understand that most Starscreams are jackasses in their own way and the scale of how evil they are often depends on the continuity.

You either get a redeemable heroic Starscream like Aramda, or a straight up evil Starscream like Skybound or Cybertron. Every other version is a mix of these.

But fans writing fanfics and comics where they simply make him a more likable and redeemable character is not taking accountability away from him.

THATS WHY ITS CALLED A REDEMPTION ARC.

This is super prevalent in Gen 1 and Earthspark.

Which, just a friendly reminder are NOT connected or canon to each other at all. The reason people seem to assume that, is because of those flashbacks using the Gen 1 art style that came up when Alex was talking to Robby and Mo about the Transformers in the first two parter. This along with some parallels to Gen 1. How many times do people have to repeat this? It’s so obvious that they’re not in the same universe, otherwise Starscream’s ass wouldn’t even be there along with a bunch of other characters.

I could rant about all the versions of Starscream that deserved better, but for the sake of this post I’m just gonna talk about Gen 1, Armada, and Earthspark.

~

First off, Gen 1 Starscream has definitely done bad shit, a lot in fact. However if we look at as to why he’s doing that bad shit, almost all of it trails back to Megatron being a shit leader who only keeps him around to be a punching bag. I’m not saying the bad shit Starscream did was right, that’s not the point here. I’m saying he’s clearly doing it for a reason, and it’s clear that he believes in the Decepticon cause, but not the moron who’s leading the Decepticons.

I’m only gonna say this once, Starscream loosing or making bad decisions does not mean he’s stupid. This dude is actually fucking smart, people seem to be forgetting this guy was a scientist or is one. He also throughly plans out most of his actions in advance or throughout long periods of time. Most of the time he only fails because he fucked up last minute or he just had bad luck.

Megatron barely plans out anything throughly and just expects everything to go right because he’s not the one doing most of the field work. He kinda just expects Soundwave or the other Decepticons to do the planning for him and just wing it hoping they don’t mess up, otherwise Megatron will punish them at best, kill them at worst.

People seem to forget that Gen 1 Megatron is one of the biggest jackasses out of all his future counterparts. This dude rules purely out of aggression and intimidation, he has little to no respect for any of his men outside of Soundwave. Even then Soundwave literally sat and did nothing as Starscream threw him off of Astrotrain. In fact he barely even reacted until Megatron came back as Galvatron, and the other cons also reacted because they saw what happened to Starscream and knew that if they didn’t do what he said they’d be next.

Now on a side note I’m aware Starscream threw the Insecticons along with his own brothers Skywarp and Thundercracker off the ship as well. This was honestly beyond fucked up that he did that to his own brothers. And I’m wiling to criticize the hell out of the writers and Starscream in general for that, but this was Gen 1 so some things characters did were just bound to not make sense. Notice to mention a good chunk of the lore we know now didn’t exist yet. Just wanted to clear that plot hole.

And also anytime Megatron got close to killing Optimus or in the movie where he did kill him. Notice how he often almost gets both himself and his men nearly killed in the process.

Meanwhile BW Megatron killed Primal and didn’t even have to throw a single punch (But that’s a post for another day.)

Going back to Starscream, this Starscream can absolutely be redeemed. If the Autobots were a bit more thoughtful and stopped to think, “Hey the way Megatron treats Starscream is kind of fucked up maybe there’s a chance he might want to join our side.” Or there was a moment where Starscream took time to realize that even though he wants better for the Decepticons, almost none of the cons will listen to him because they’re so caught up in Megatron’s bullshit. Even if Megatron died and Starscream took command they’d mention Megatron nonstop and even try to bring him back instead of even trying to give him a chance.

In fact, there’s literally a comic about that.

My point is, there is no way this Starscream could usurp Megatron and succeed. It’s not because he’s bad at leading, but because the other Decepticons wouldn’t let him. They’d be too brainwashed by Megatron’s cult mentality to admit that Starscream could be a good leader. That’s usually the reason why we never see him lead without someone having a problem with it.

We even see that in other continuities Starscream also wasn’t exempt from continuing the cult mentality because at times he ends up acting the same way Megatron did as a leader instead of trying to stop the cycle of abuse.

My ideal redemption arc for Gen 1 Starscream would be that he realizes he’s never gonna usurp Megatron even if he did kill him, because cult mentality isn’t something that goes away just because the leader isn’t there. So he joins the Autobots after realizing he could be better and have a competent leader who doesn’t treat him like a punching bag and is willing to give him a chance to make up for the bad things he’s done.

The best thing to come out of this?

SKYSTAR OF COURSE

~

Now let’s talk about Aramda, I’m gonna keep this one short since I don’t remember enough of Aramda to give an in depth explanation. I will give a better analysis when I rewatch it.

I’m probably gonna get some things wrong so heads up.

In Armada, we see that Starscream sees Megatron not just as a leader but as a father figure. It’s implied that he was a child soldier and the Decepticons are all he’s ever known.

Let’s just say that this Megatron is one of the most outright abusive Megatrons out there, he straight up left Starscream behind to be killed by the Autobots, and beat him up so bad that the other Decepticons were literally telling him to stop.

And even though this show is pure trash let’s not forget that in Energon, Megatron literally broke an already memory wiped Starscream psychologically, then wiped his memories again and made him his personal servant. Trapping him once again in this abusive cult environment.

This Starscream pretty much was redeemed but he got screwed over by both the characters and the writing. Not only was he bullied into going back to his abuser by the Autobots who can’t READ A FUCKING ROOM. He sacrificed himself to prove a point leaving behind his basically adopted human daughter, and Megatron did fuck all about this.

Then Energon had a chance to have a revival arc where Alexis remembered Starscream and brought him back to the good side but NOOOOOO WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS.

Anyone who says that Starscream has always sucked and isn’t capable of redemption and that’s just how he is, has clearly never watched Aramda.

~

Now last but definitely not least, Earthspark Starscream.

All I have to say before this segment is..

FUCK YOU HASBRO, YOU CANT LET US HAVE ANYTHING NICE.

Anyways, let’s start with the fact that once again, this is not supposed to be Gen 1 Starscream. So any of his actions do not apply to this Starscream whatsoever.

People who think that Starscream suddenly going evil again in Earthspark is just typical Starscream, and it’s completely in character for this version of him, need to go back and watch Season 1. Because where in the FUCK was this kind of behavior foreshadowed or hinted at?!

Now before anyone brings up that section about him in the one guide book or that deleted scene where he was planning to break out with Soundwave. I would like to remind you that his whole scheme was to simply break out of prison and get back at Megatron, at no point does he mention actually harming anyone or even Megatron himself. He just wanted to see Megatron suffer the consequences of his actions.

I don’t see how that’s supposedly super evil.

Just so I’m clear here’s the scene itself, so you can see what I mean.

As for the guide book, that was most likely written well before the show was even halfway released. Also even if it was before the episode where he meets Hashtag…Did people just simply not stop to think that if he was planning to go bad again, this interaction with the one person who chose to hear him out and helped him caused him to oh idk..

CHANGE HIS MIND? RETHINK HIS PLANS?

Seriously how in the hell do people not get that his mind could’ve been changed? In Earthspark it’s clear that what he really wants is Megatron to take accountability or just deal with the consequences of his actions after jeez let me see…ABADONING HIS PEOPLE??? All Because he started to miss the Prime pussy that badly???

Earthspark Megatron honestly is one of the top 5 shittiest Megatrons. At least with other Megatrons they’re honest about the fact they’ve never really changed and or never will change. This fuckwad tries so damn hard to paint himself as a changed man and a villain turned hero that he causally forgets that he straight up abandoned not only his soldiers, but also this entire cause that he created and led in the first place.

Motherfucker you were the one who started that damn war. The least your ass could’ve done was ask which Decepticons wanted to go with you and which wanted to stay and then warn the ones who chose to stay that they will become enemies and he’ll have to go after them.

No instead you choose to leave them entirely and force them to go on the run, fend for themselves, and be hunted down when they’re just trying to survive. You are literally less aggressive with the cons actively harming people than you are with Starscream who on screen hasn’t even TOUCHED A HUMAN.

Just so I’m clear I’m mostly talking about Season 1. Don’t even bother bringing up Season 2 and 3.

If you go back and watch “What Dwells within” you’ll see that Megatron attacked first.

Starscream was literally only defending himself. And Let’s not forget the fact that as Hashtag was being taken by the dweller, Starscream actively went after it to save her while Megatron just stood there, watching, and did NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Changed man my ass.

As for leaving Soundwave and Swindle behind, was that scummy of him to do? Yes, however there was no way he could’ve gone back for them. The Energon shields clearly blocked them off and they can’t just run through them.

Also If you watch that same scene, notice how Starscream actively let Skywarp and Novastorm go ahead of him in Jet mode as he actively stayed behind them. Once he reaches the exit he causes a cave in to block it off so the G.H.O.S.T agents wouldn’t chase after them.

Yes, I know he mentioned taking the Maltos hostage, but that didn’t outright mean he was going to hurt them. He was most likely gonna be bluffing and then just let them go as he and his sisters took off.

And the scene where he seemingly left them all behind including his sisters? Again, did you not stop to think he was trying to distract the dweller to get it away from everyone else??? And that Hashtag may have guessed that as well???

Did we just forget how to use our brains or something? Just because it’s a kid show doesn’t mean there’s no nuance to it.

Last thing I should mention is that, if this Starscream is sooooo evil and Megatron is freaking out about him, why can’t we see why? Why can’t you show us any flashbacks of him actively wreaking havoc and supposedly being this super evil and unpredictable Decepticon that Megatron so desperately needs to take out????

If we had seen ANYTHING that justifies his need to basically kill him, then MAYBE fans wouldn’t be so hellbent on writing redemption arc fanfics for him.

All of this is why his actions in Season 2 don’t make a lick of damn sense. Why would he just flip a switch that quickly?? It doesn’t help that the overall writing is horrendous and doesn’t even give him that much screen time. We’re just supposed to sit back and deal with the fact that he’s super evil again. Meanwhile Megatron gets zero flack for anything he’s done. Once again avoiding accountability.

And when Prowl in Season 3 has a problem with him being with the Autobots, we’re supposed to see him as entirely in the wrong. When part of the reasoning for his behavior makes complete sense.

~

If anything we’re taking more accountability away from Megatron then we are with Starscream. Ya’ll need to understand that a good chunk of Starscream’s actions are because of Megatron’s dementia ridden ass either abusing him or just being a shit leader all together.

Starscream isn’t always just some one dimensional ego maniac who thinks he can lead the decepticons just because. He’s someone who’s fed up with Megatron’s bullshit and wants it to end. He just wants one moment of peace that isn’t being slapped around or ridiculed by Megatron or the other Decepticons. He does evil shit because he’s often still in the antagonistic role, and he’s most likely repeating the cycle of abuse Megatron created.

How is simply wanting a competent leader and nonsensical abuse to stop a bad thing?

Whether or not Starscream descents into full on villainy or ends up changing for the better is all up to the continuity. Not all Starscreams have to be an evil piece of shit, we should have one that actually gets redeemed and makes up for the bad shit he’s done.

We also need more continuities where Megatron gets called out on all the bullshit he’s pulled throughout the war, and the fact that he started the war in the first place. With him actually realizing he did all that shit and needs to make up for it if he’s willing to change.

In conclusion, writing a fanfic about Starscream having a redemption arc and painting Megatron as the one in the wrong as he should be is not taking accountability away from Starscream. It’s not just making him a woobifed character who did no wrong. It’s giving him a chance to become a better person and realizing that Megatron doesn’t define who he is and that Megatron is the one who needs to be called out for all the bullshit in the war.

~

Man that was way too long.

If you made it all the way to the end thank you for reading this really passionate rant.

I’m glad this question was asked because I’m sick of tired of this bullshit of blaming Starscream for everything but not even bothering to mention Megatron.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk. 👍🏽