#Starscream (TFP)

[sealightblue]

HELPPPP IT IS REALLY THE SAME

I saw this

And immediately thought of this

Lord Starscream Emperor of Destruction

[amebanworld]

So, here we are. Finally I’m dropping by to share something I’ve been pondering. I think it's about time to speak about this openly.

You know, I've been a TF fan since my childhood, since I saw G1 Cartoon till now.

But since I'm not a native English speaker and the TF TV series have been aired irregularly at my country, I just haven't be able to follow all series when they were broadcasted. I just wasn’t able to watch all of them. I'm not interested in every single series though, just in some of them. Same happens with comics and movies: seriously I like to think Bayverse just didn’t happen.

So I’ll will tackle the series/comic sI’ve watched/read only, and not every Screamer incarnation.

Let's start…

In 80's (and earlier) cartoons, it was quite common that one of the main characters was bashed by other characters under the premise that "this chara is problematic b/c he thinks different from the others, so he must be punished". As crazy as it sounds, this was encouraged by parents supervising children cartoons’ morality. That's why Eric (from the D&D cartoon) or Rudy (from Fat Albert) were made fun of, and that is what’s happening with G-1!Starscream. Yes, I mean the regular bashing he suffers by almost every other character in the series, and mostly from his leader, Megatron. Also, this was encouraged by the idea of "Hey! They're just aliens robots! We can be harsher with them since it isn’t an average cartoon for kids." And that's how it begun.

Since the G1 cartoon (and its comics counterpart, although the mood is quite different), Screamer has been portrayed as “selfish, a disloyal second-in-command, a coward yadda-yadda", but he also has been portrayed as somebody who endures punisment from almost every other character regularly, and mostly from Meggs, as I said before. This pattern repeats itsel over and over in all TF series, no matter the plot or the setting.

Despite being so popular, most of the fandom think that "he deserves it b/c he's a traitor", or just like it as a slapstick comedy. However, over time, and since certain series and comics have more serious plots, this issue was interpreted under a different perspective by older audiences.

Starscream, no matter the continuity, suffers from PTSD and is victim of abuse.

And I fully agree with that.

Over the years, I've met many fans (female fans mostly, perhaps b/c they usually have this kind of sensibility) who loved the character and felt bad for him because they identified with him on a personal level. I've met veterans too who indentified with Screamer. Both of them just felt really uneasy about how he’s treated in comics and especially in the series. Of course, there’re many fans that just think this is nonsense and don't agree with it. However, invalidating the opinion of these other fans and brush it aside as "nonsense" means to ignore the victims of abuse and their suffering too.

So, what do I mean with "victim of (domestic) abuse"?

First of all, it doens't mean just abuse from your romantic partner, but also from your parents or relatives, from your boss, your classmates, etc. The thing is, all that applies to Screamer. Unlike other characters that just attack him during battles and such, Screamer is punched many times till almost dying by Megatron. He’s also insulted and invalidated. There’s some examples of different continuities below.

The dynamic of abusive relationships is very complex, but in all continuities we can find the same pattern: "The victim tries to flee and does something careless, then he's caught and punished by his insolence". The problem is that the victim is also a traitor and a liar, and certainly he's not a saint. Plus the abuser keeps him around still.

Why?

Summing up, it's a vicious circle. The victim thinks he "deserves" to be punished, but since he wants to be free, he behaves carelessly and paying no heed to loyalty so as to “deserve” that punishment. Meanwhile, the abuser seeks to blame (and punish) the victim from his own faults. Then, when one makes a move, the other behaves accordingly. Meanwhile there’s also calm moments where things “seems” fine. That's why Meggs and Screamer seems to get along "nicely" when nothing happens.

Eventually, the victim copies the abusive behaviour, becoming also an abuser. This is quite obvious in the TFP continuity, where Screamer does the same things to KnockOut.

Of course, the abuser is guilty, but the victim has his own faults. Usually, these people suffer from PTSD and develop a nasty behaviour towards others. They become selfish, demanding, disloyal, etc. This explains why Screamer behaves as such with almost everyone in all continuities. Usually, the victim isn’t aware (or just doesn't want to ) that he's into an abusive relationship (no matter what kind), so he’s just seen as being disloyal, stupid or something like that. Usually, only people who have suffered abuse, or are close to an abuse victim, are aware of this problem, and of how hard it is to break the vicious circle and break free.

Many fans were aware of this problem, and some years ago a bunch of them decided to let know their feelings about SS to Hasbro, so they send the company a long letter, thanks to @tyrantofthefirmament You can read their letter HERE.

And how did Hasbro answered?

I guess they get a lot of letters from the fandom, and that their marketing team will be well aware about the fandom opinions at least now, b/c it's kind of obvious that the later comics and series portrays ideas that were born in the fandom. Anyway their answer to that letter sounded like "We're glad to heard from you. We'll think about it someday. Thanks!"

And that’s whay they did on the later series, it seems.

Let's check it…

*TFP: SS is written so randomly here. First, he's a serious threat; in the second season, he breaks free and joins the Abots or is just on his own (the best part), and finally, in the third season, he joins Dcons again, and Meggs punches him for any random reason. Finally, he dies.

*Armada Trilogy: he's written as a tragic character. He ends up being a hero and dies saving the day on the first season. Later on, he's resurrected as a zombie with no memories. Finally, in the 3rd season, he becomes… what the heck?? He doesn’t seems to be the same character!

*War for Cybertron Trilogy. Well. Here, he's closer to his G1 Incarnation, despite he wasn't a scientist and he was under Jetfire's command till the white jet joins the Abots. The same tropes are repeated, till Blacharacnnia teams up with him and he meets Unicron in a Lovecraft- like scene. Afterwards, the writers got wild and gave him the arc to be an anti-hero, warning everybody, who actually barely believe in him. At least, the writers tried here to give certain credit.

Starry meets Cthulhu... eeer, Unicron.

*IDW comics. Perhaps the most developed incarnation. Here, the problems of abuse and trauma, along his faults in the GreatWar, become an issue that must be solved. He becomes a Cybertron ruler, makes a friend (Metalhawk) then kills him… and later, he regrets it a lot. Bumblebee appears to him as an hallucination and befriends him (his only friend is imaginary). WheelJack has a soft spot for him, but this isn’t enough. Then, Windblae appears, who is oblivius of the Cybertronian war. And well, things happen and he isn't disloyal anymore and learns about his true self. Perhaps this is the only series where his fate is different.

Bee facing Screamer in his own hallucinations...

*EarthSpark. These series tries to mix up G1 with IDW. War is over, the Earthling TF are born and Screamer is jailed in a corrupted human facility, till he manages to break free. At this point, an Earthligh TF, Haghstag, knows about his trauma and helps him. The whole first season deals with Dcons as people with his own lifestory and traumas, and how important redeption is. Starscream fits this plot…

Haghstag and Screamer... and he's smiling.

Till the following seaons where the writers just ignore everything and they come back to the same old plots again and again in a very creepy way.

The thing is, Starscream nor talks about this with others, neither uses it as an excuse for his behaviour towards his companions. That goes against the Decepticons ideals, but also that would make him to look "weak", or he just doesn't want to admit it despite his pain. Dcon's are usuallly portrayed as horrible people, after all.

Anyway, the fact is Hasbro and their writers just don’t dare to tackle a character arc to give him some reliable background or credit. They show some hints here and there of "perhaps he's victim of abuse/he suffers PTSD", and later, they brush him off. This is kind of obvious for every continuity discussed here.

So why? I just don't get it. And that's why I find this is a problem. I just don't want to see the same old story again and again, with a character that is basically a punching bag on one hand and a baddie on the other. (Skybound comics aren't included here since it's an ongoing series by now). If the writers dared to write a redenmption arc for Megatron. Why not for Starscream?

(Special thanks to @sandalwood03, who edited my broken English into something nicer).

[iglantin]

[linuxealcipher]

They are hanging out guys, starscream doesn't want to scream at all.

[lynxmov]

Finally finished working on this glamorous bird

[rcaotic]

Can't get over the fact that G1 megatron transforms into a literal gun and like needs Starscream to shoot with him bc HES A LITERAL GUN

[violetaquadelight]

When u accidentally landed on a Decepticon territory.

[jaysdoodlehell]

Day 3 - Violence

For this day I've decided to redraw one of the scenes from tfp that shows how big of a menace Starscream's claws actually are.

[xixistar]

How do you think would Starscream look at you at night like a cat with “car light” looking eyes? O-O

... I guess, this thing definitely WILL 'admire' you at night with those very beautiful eyes :3

Starscream, most likely, could not always sleep peacefully in some human house 🙄, so the last thing he could do it's.. inspecting absolutely EVERYTHING that is in the accessible territory. Including his beloved human, you know?

with, uh, a loud purring too

but I don't think that Laura really likes the way 'her wife' starts cosplaying a boogie man with wings

"can you be normal just for a few seconds"

five nights of Starscream with Cybertronian inside your house, hur hur hur hur hur 🐟

[sealightblue]

what about tfp starscream >:] no ideas just make him look silly

hey bestie! i drew u the sluttiest tfp starscream i was capable of just for you 🙏 he slays a lot (my gf confirmed)

no lettering:

bonuses ✨💫🌟

[ixiatheflower]

TFP STARSCREAM IN THE ANIMATED STYLE✈️💫

╔══ ✿ ❀ DESCRIPTION ✿ ❀ ══╗

BACK ON THE GRIND PEOPLE 💪

If you don’t know what this is I don’t blame you it’s a crossover project me and my friend @alienszarecool have been working on for a while.

We stopped working on it due to life and stuff but I’m starting to continue writing for it and drawing designs‼️

It’s going to start out as a fanfic but it might turn into a comic, just depends on what we feel like.

If you’re interested in Transformers: Aligned Sparks consider following so you can see any updates ^^

Also I’m sorry I keep drawing Starscream, next i’m drawing Optimus, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Soundwave.

If you want to see Megatron, Ratchet, Arcee, Knockout, and Breakdown in the TFA Style go follow @alienszarecool they’re going to be drawing them.

ANYWAY GOTTA CUT THIS OFF BEFORE IT GETS TOO LONG BYEEE‼️

╔══ ✿ ❀ WARNINGS ✿ ❀ ══╗

❥ None ^^

╔══ ✿ ❀ ABOUT ME ✿ ❀ ══╗

Hello there! I’m Ixia! ^^

I am an artist, editor, and writer, creating content for my interests such as!

❥ Transformers

If you enjoy these franchises as much as I do, take a look at my work and follow me if you choose so!

Have a wonderful day!!

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https://ixiacard.carrd.co

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❥ Procreate

[xx-theblack-vixen-xx]

I don't know what starscream is but you're always welcome to yap about it :D

DXFCGCNVRHUJBK OKAY SO STARSCREAM IS A CHARACTER FROM TRANSFORMERS,, HES THE SECOND IN COMMAND TO THE DECEPTICONS, THE 'bad guys', ONLY UNDER MEGATRON HIMSELF.

STARSCREAM IS THE SECOND IN COMMAND, THE PRINCE OF VOS, AND MY BIGGEST KIN EVER,

PATHETIC WET CAT!!!! HES SUCH A SEAGULL I NEED HIM TO BE SWADDLED IN A BABY BLANKET AND GIVEN HOT COCOA WITH EXTRA MARHMALLOWS AND TO BE GIVEN A KISS ON THE FOREHEAD AND TO BE TOLD HE'S DOING A GOOD JOB AND THAT TDRYK^RCFYVG

HE GETS HIT BY THE LEADER OF THE DECEPTICONS (MEGATRON) OFTEN, AND HE HAS ANXIETY, HE FLINCHES AT EVERY MOVEMENT AND HAS HAD TO LEARN HOW TO LIE AND ACT CUTE TO AVOID GETTING HIT AND BEATEN AND I'm,,,

MY POOR BOY

LLOK AT THAT THING IT HAS ANXIETY AND PTSD

HE ALSO KEEPS TRYING TO KILL HIS BOSS BECAUSE HIS BOSS SUCKS ACTUAL ASS AND KEEPS DOING DRUGS INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY DOING ANYTHING TO HELP THEM WIN THE WAR,

STARSCREAM IS MUCH MORE COMPETENT AND A MUCH BETTER LEADER THAN MEGATRON EVER WAS,

AND HE KNOWS HOW TO USE THE LIMITED RECOURCES THAT THEY HAVE, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT THE DECEPTICONS AND AUTOBOTS ARE AT WAR IS BECAUSE OF THE FACIST LEADERS THEY USED TO HAVE AND ALSO BECAUSE OF DWINDLING FOOD SOURCES,

MY BOY KNOWS HOW TO RATION AND HOW TO BE RECOURCEFUL,

AND HOW TO HUNT FOR ENERGON (their food source) EVEN WHEN HE WAS ABANDONED AND EXPERIMENTED ON AND COULDNT FLY ANYMORE AND HAD TO ASK THE ENEMY (autobots) FOR HELP IN EXCHANGE FOR INFORMATION.

MY BOY IS SMART, MY BOY IS STRONG, BOY IS FAST, BOY IS OVERPOWERED BUT HE HAS ANXIETY AND A FUCKTON OF SELF DOUBT SO HE'S ALWAYS SECOND GUESSING HIMSELF AND HE COULD TOTALLY TAKE OVER THE DECEPTICONS IF HE WASNT SO ANXIETY-RIDDLED!!!!

LIKE THESE ARE HIS FUCKING STATS?!??!

LIKE MY BOY COULD TOTALLY TAKE OVER THE WORLD BUT HES TOO SCARED THAT PEOPLE WILL HATE HIM AND STOP TALKING TO HIM AND HIT HIM AND

AND THERES SO MUCH MIRE BUT IM NIT GONNA MAKE U LISTEN TO ME YAP FOR HOURS

[coinjarred]

Some starscream sketches I whiped up real quick, wanting to practice drawing transformers moar :333

[mouseymousey]

No one:

Starscream in Transformers Prime:

[rcaotic]

Some Transformers prime memes I made with a friend @forreal-forreal42 enjoy

(Spoilers...kinda)

[ramunaee]

COMPLETELY forgot to post this one my bad lawl