Comment on Decepticon Truths

  1. QoS on Chapter 1 Mon 20 Oct 2025 12:02AM UTC

    And Kickback came into clutch! I rarely see insecticons in fics.

    There's another Insecticon who's going to appear later on and who has more screen time than Kickback, but she's an original character. And speaking of original characters, yes, many of the background characters are ones I came up with.

    “For me or the attacker?” At least Megatron’s knows what’s up. Their dialogue is always so good.

    Thanks! I love it when characters express their mutual unwanted attraction by snarking at each other.

    I think your versions of these characters really clicked with me this chapter. Going into a fan fiction, I always have a preconceived notion about how characters should be and act, and everyone has their own image of the characters in their minds.

    They don’t come off as OOC, but they feel like they’re both more well-adjusted and capable of emotional regulation. Which makes sense for a pre-war fic. It also makes their relationship feel more grounded. I really like it because it gives them more breathing room to actually connect with each other.

    I appreciate this a lot because I've been keeping my fingers crossed that my take on Megatron and Starscream works for readers. Especially Starscream, because in most of the shows and fanfics I'm familiar with, he's depicted as being neurotic, unbalanced and extremely emotional. But if he was like that, this story wouldn't happen, because he'd have either crumbled under torture or screeched out the truth to Megatron a long time ago. And I enjoy writing romances that involve characters whose reserve and self-control conflicts with their growing closeness to someone else.

    I also figured that Megatron has to be capable of keeping his emotions in check because he isn't in a position where he can afford to indulge them whenever he likes. He's a politician who needs to recruit soldiers and build alliances, neither of which can happen if he's seen as temperamental and unstable. So even though he'll have his emotional moments, including a few where his temper gets the better of him, his relationship with Starscream will be one where they both behave like mature adults (most of the time, anyway). They just happen to have very, very different priorities right now.

    And the last scene was so hot. It made me kick my feet and giggle stupidly. Megatron feeling desire but being unable to act on it was so well written.

    I thought of adding an extra tag to this fic saying "here beginneth the smut" or something similar. Much as I enjoy writing sex scenes, it took a while for those two to finally grow close enough for that, so I'm glad all of you were patient enough to wait for it!

    Thank you for gifting this part of the series to me.
    And thank you for the chapter. Reading this fic has become a normal part of my routine that I can look forward to.

    You're more than welcome! Thanks for your review, and reading all these awesome comments from readers has become a fun part of my Sunday as well. ☺️

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    1. EarthtoSpaceling on Chapter 1 Tue 21 Oct 2025 03:03AM UTC

      Rereading my comment. I realized the character analysis might have come out of nowhere. What I meant to say is that during this chapter, I suddenly had an epiphany where I could envision them as you do/ understand your interpretation of them. Idk if I’m making sense. 😓

      I really like when Starscream is portrayed as neurotic, but it also sucks when it completely invalidates his competence and strengths. Toning it down definitely helps bring some of his better aspects to the forefront that are often overlooked.

      I agree that modern incarnations of Megatron should be more intelligent at least politically (one of the reasons I hate his TFP version). For a leader of a revolution, he has to be emotionally functional enough to rile up the masses. Having anger issues doesn’t make someone a brute.

      Also, I kind of envision his temper as if it’s constantly bubbling under the surface, kept in check but always there, and awful when he expresses it.

      “Here begineth the smut” -lol
      Tbh I didn’t feel impatient at all cause the plot is just as interesting!

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      1. QoS on Chapter 1 Tue 21 Oct 2025 03:38PM UTC

        Rereading my comment. I realized the character analysis might have come out of nowhere. What I meant to say is that during this chapter, I suddenly had an epiphany where I could envision them as you do/ understand your interpretation of them. Idk if I’m making sense.

        That makes a lot of sense, and character analysis is something I think about a lot, so it's welcome at any time. I'm also pleased that my interpretation of them clicked with you, because like I said, I know I'm doing something quite different from a lot of fics.

        I really like when Starscream is portrayed as neurotic, but it also sucks when it completely invalidates his competence and strengths. Toning it down definitely helps bring some of his better aspects to the forefront that are often overlooked.

        It occurred to me that there's no real definition of "neurotic", so one person's "annoyingly neurotic" might be another person's "realistically and interestingly flawed". Starscream could well be considered kind of neurotic in this fic, since he's struggling with PTSD, not to mention secretive to the point where it could be a danger to his well-being (if Megatron finally has enough of this stubborn refusal to cooperate and kicks him out). He's also determined to deal with his problems solo rather than relying on anyone else for help, and that's a fault which persists for way too long.

        But I was a bit concerned that I'd erased too many of his canonical flaws, like selfishness, cowardice, disloyalty and so on. Still, if none of those were evident in TF:One Starscream, maybe my version wasn't going too far either. And as you said, the psychological issues should be counterbalanced by his intelligence, determination and other positive traits.

        I agree that modern incarnations of Megatron should be more intelligent at least politically (one of the reasons I hate his TFP version). For a leader of a revolution, he has to be emotionally functional enough to rile up the masses. Having anger issues doesn’t make someone a brute.

        I stopped watching TF:Prime after Breakdown was killed, so now I don't remember what that show's version of Megatron was like. The only scene of his I watched more than once was when he fights and defeats the Insecticon, because that was great. And I absolutely agree that the leader of a revolution has to be able to influence potential followers and to navigate complex, changing political currents, neither of which he can do if he's unable to regulate his own emotions. He can be ruthless and vengeful without going hulk smash at every enemy to cross his path.

        “Here begineth the smut” -lol
        Tbh I didn’t feel impatient at all cause the plot is just as interesting!

        Thank you! I look forward to seeing what you think of the rest of the plot, because everything's going to happen pretty fast from now on. Except the smut. Megatron's going to take his time to make that good. 😛

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