#does this count as discourse I sURE HOPE NOT PFFFFFFTT

[localrobosexual]

regarding Soundwave and Shockwave

hey everyone! I’d like to take a moment of your time if I may to talk about my Protogen and Disquette characters since yesterday someone tried to get in an argument with me about them over on instagram and I’d like to clear a few things up. I did the same on my insta but thought I’d make a post here as well since the info I shared I think is pretty beneficial and helps to better explain these characters to those who are unfamiliar or confused. Heads up, this might get a little long!

now before I get started I just want to state that the issue has been resolved (at least, I’m pretty sure, the other party hasn’t responded to me since yesterday (in fact they never even responded to me at all, someone else was conversing with them about it because the argument took place while I was offline. I pointed them in the direction of this explanation TWICE and I’m pretty sure they never even read it pfffftt yikes) so I think we’re all good lmao) okie dokie? cool let’s get into it

to provide context, the opposing party's argument was that, and I quote, "This is just shockwave and Soundwave in another species not your ocs :^/"

first and foremost: yes, these characters are based off of and inspired by their respective Transformer counterparts. That was the whole point. However, they're not interchangeable! I used the basis of the original Soundwave and Shockwave as a foundation on which to build off of. Their personalities and who they are as a character has evolved and become something entirely different from the source material. They're SIMILAR, yes (again, that's the whole point), but they're not the same

plenty of people have done this before me. rotten.rabbitt on instagram, for example, has two such characters like these: a canine TFA Bumblebee and a Springtrap character that they use as a sona. The user soundwave.protogen also had the same idea as me and apparently created a Soundwave protogen character as well, though as of writing this they still haven't shown their version publicly and have not posted anything since May (bit off topic but I also had a bit of a falling out with them a while ago bc they were concerned about who would get to keep their character since we both happened to make a protogen with the same concept. Mine came first, but as I've also reassured them, I really don't mind! It was a pure coincidence that we happened to have the same idea, and as seen by the short bio they wrote out for their protogen, our characters are very different from one another. We can both approach the same idea in our own unique ways, and since neither of us actually own the rights to the original Soundwave, we kinda aren't at liberty to say who can have one and who can't. As long as their designs don't look obviously copied off of one another, I'm totally cool with it!). I've seen protogen designs for characters from Nightmare Before Christmas, Gravity Falls, and the video game Prey. I've seen a Marionette design and a Bumblebee design and an Espeon design, and even one based on Evangelion's Unit 01! what I'm trying to emphasize here is that people have done this plenty of times before me. Their characters eventually grow and change over time as the artist develops them so they become something different from the source material while still staying true to the inspiration behind them.

now, as far as my ocs are concerned, this difference is better showcased on their respective toyhou.se pages, where I actually write out and go a bit more into detail as to who they are as a character. 

is TFA Shockwave a talkative, extroverted, life-of-the-party type who's a bit of a gossip but would never admit to it? Of course not! TFA Shockwave is a cunning, sneaky, deceptive double agent. He's an excellent spymaster and very loyal to Megatron and the Decepticon cause (a cause which, mind you, my Disquette doesn't follow. He doesn't know it exists) is TFP Soundwave a quiet, introverted, clever and reserved type who enjoys puzzles and problem solving and learning new things about each of the planets he's sent to observe and document? Not really! TFP Soundwave is brutal, silent, and extremely dangerous. He executes each mission with flawless precision and almost never loses a fight. He's terrifyingly skilled and also very loyal to Megatron (who, once again, doesn't exist to my characters)

seeing more of their differences now? :0 aspects of the TF inspirations are similar, and clearly based on them, but are not quite the same 

Shockwave: smooth talker, deceptive, manipulative =/= talkative and a good conversationalist head of Cybertron intel/communications officer =/= data analyst and archivist, security surveillance specialist double agent & spy =/= generally very good at keeping secrets and info Soundwave: took a vow of silence =/= generally silent, almost never talks to those he isn't extremely close to brutal and cunning fighter and strategist =/= reserved but willing to assert his presence if the situation calls for it, very capable of handling himself extremely loyal to Megatron =/= instinctually very protective of those he's close to

now, regarding their (current as of writing this, bc Soundwave’s gonna be getting a revamp pretty soon) designs:

outright skinning is not allowed during the Protogen creation process, and colorpicking is also a practice generally pretty frowned upon in the art community (at least over on instagram it is). I made sure their palettes were similar enough to obviously have been inspired by TFs but not to the exact same colorpicked/skinned design. When I commissioned andaeroos (owner of the Disquette species) for Shockwave I made sure to first ask permission for this character to be based off of another, and if they'd allow that. I wanted to make sure both parties were on board and ok with it

to conclude, yes, these characters and based off of and inspired by their respective Transformer counterparts, but they're not the exact same character "as a different species". They have nods and hints in both their personalities and designs that give homage to those inspirations, that they were the foundation, but have since been built into something new. They're not one in the same.

I love these characters of mine with all my soul and they're not gonna change who they are anytime soon. In the relatively short several months that I've had them they've quickly grown to be some of my favorite ocs and hold a very special place in my heart.

if you've made it this far, congrats, it’s the end! thanks so much for reading! I hope this cleared up some stuff! and please, if you have any questions about these two at any point in time, feel free to send them my way! :0 I love love LOVE getting to talk about my ocs aaaaa