Guided by Seekers

Examples of role reversal:

Optimus as the top/dominant partner

Optimus as the pursuer/instigator of the relationship

Dark/dubious romance where Optimus is the one in charge

I really hate to do this, but KOSA, the bill that is a mass censorship and surveillance bill that will specifically censor all LGBT content online to "protect kids", is back.

KOSA advocates have brought in support from Elon Musk (I wish I was making this up) and are trying to get him to get Donald Trump to speak out in support of it. (And they lie and tell us it's not an anti-queer bill 🙄). The reason so is because the holdouts that are stopping this from passing are...republicans. It's GOP House leaders Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson. If they succeed and put this in an end of year spending bill, it will be near impossible to get it out and it will most likely be passed. Pro-KOSA advocates were on the hill today pushing hard to pass it. They have a lot of support behind them. There is only two weeks left in congress, so if they don't succeed, it's over.

The ONLY way this bill has stalled so much so far is because of calls driven to congress. It has worked and can still work. Please, spread this as much as you can and call House leadership and spread the word! You don't have to be from their district. You can pretend to be GOP. It doesn't matter, just call and voice your opposition. Trump and Musk clearly have a lot of sway over these people and I'm really scared they will succeed at the last minute!!

Here are their numbers: Scalise: 202-225-3015 Johnson: 202-225-2777

If you don't know what to say, use either call script! It takes less than a minute, I swear.

I really hate to do this, but KOSA, the bill that is a mass censorship and surveillance bill that will specifically censor all LGBT content online to "protect kids", is back.

KOSA advocates have brought in support from Elon Musk (I wish I was making this up) and are trying to get him to get Donald Trump to speak out in support of it. (And they lie and tell us it's not an anti-queer bill 🙄). The reason so is because the holdouts that are stopping this from passing are...republicans. It's GOP House leaders Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson. If they succeed and put this in an end of year spending bill, it will be near impossible to get it out and it will most likely be passed. Pro-KOSA advocates were on the hill today pushing hard to pass it. They have a lot of support behind them. There is only two weeks left in congress, so if they don't succeed, it's over.

The ONLY way this bill has stalled so much so far is because of calls driven to congress. It has worked and can still work. Please, spread this as much as you can and call House leadership and spread the word! You don't have to be from their district. You can pretend to be GOP. It doesn't matter, just call and voice your opposition. Trump and Musk clearly have a lot of sway over these people and I'm really scared they will succeed at the last minute!!

Here are their numbers: Scalise: 202-225-3015 Johnson: 202-225-2777

If you don't know what to say, use either call script! It takes less than a minute, I swear.

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Beast Era isn't listed because the Predacons are literally different characters.

Shattered Glass isn't listed because I'm talking to the villain fans.

Rescue Bots isn't listed because there were no Decepticons (that I'm aware of).

Almost every piece of media in the Aligned universe is a different experience. Hence, the cartoons are separated.

Technically the same is true of the Unicron Trilogy, but if I just listed Armada, fans of TF Cybertron would have wondered where their show was (Energon was not going to be on the list. It gets a new lease on life).

G1 cartoon and Marvel comic are also different experiences. I went with the cartoon because the only people I've seen talk about the comic are Autobot fans.

My reaction when I'm seeing more people expressing the same sentiments I have before:

The last time I talked about this in-depth, JazzProwl was still the most popular ship in the fandom and it's not anymore, now it's MegOp. So a ship that people make a lot of weird OOC racist and bio-essentialist stuff with has been dethroned by another ship that people also do that with... but at least Jazz isn't part of it...? Sadly, the fandom in general on here and AO3 can be scarily racist, I know I've seen some truly horrid Jazz/Soundwave fic for example, like ones where Jazz becomes happy to become Soundwave's slave, or ones (that are supposedly G1-based, not Shattered Glass) where Jazz is portrayed as a scary torturer/assassin and Soundwave as a naïve Woobie who just wants to protect his children (the cassettes).

I agree with everything you said, I think it's really concerning that like, I had somebody tell me they realized the kind of character they wanted was Vortex and not Jazz?! Something is very wrong with the fandom if it's misleading people into thinking that Jazz is like that. I've mentioned before that I really wouldn't know what the most effective ways to try and improve things would be in this situation, but I do have some ideas that could help. There's been an influx of new people to this side of the TF fandom recently, and that gives everybody an opportunity to try and make sure they don't get misled.

Let's help new fans who want to know more about this popular transformer, Jazz, find good canon media that focuses on him

Posting things like GIFs, screenshots, or fanart of Jazz moments from canon sources will also help show people what he's like and get them interested in the real character (or realize they're not actually interested in the character which is also okay)

Similarly, we can show people who might've become interested in JazzProwl what the actual dynamic between those characters used to be like which will help them know what is and isn't fanon

Of course, I'm a canon-centric writer, so the first time I sit down to write something from Jazz's perspective, I'm left realizing that he's... Not that? Yeah, he's more spontaneous and extroverted than Prowl, but he's also capable of accommodating for a partner? Like... He's chill. He can be comfortable at a party or spending a quiet evening at home. And he's also a freaking adult, he can have conversations about boundaries and negotiate compromises and stuff.

I also tend to mostly reference from the pilot when I write G1 Jazz (y'know, because the rest of the series kind of dropped him actually acting as an officer), so it frustrates me when he's written as hating or avoiding paperwork in favor of having fun. All of the G1 Autobots are more laid-back and immature than is realistic for their circumstances (it's a side effect of being heroes in an 80s children's cartoon), and Jazz is near the top of the Autobot food chain. You can't tell me he's incapable of being serious and doing the boring parts of leadership.

That being said, I have written Jazz as an antagonist before (he's not special in that regard. Other villains in my roster of unposted WIPs include G1 Optimus and Soundwave, neither of whom are normally written as villains). But like... I don't like Sadistic Assassin!Jazz. I write him the same way as an antagonist as I do when he's a protagonist, he's just less friendly if you're a Decepticon. A lot less friendly.

(Also, since the original ask mentions him being written as a nymphomaniac, I feel like it bears mentioning that my Jazz is on the ace spectrum. Likes to watch and to take care of a partner, but not always interested in participating beyond that. This was not an intentional match for Prowl, whom I also write as ace, but it does simplify their sex life. Which does exist, they still have attraction and libido between them. Just not both in the same bot. Because I like writing about different kinds of asexual experiences).

Anyway.

Is Jazz even more extroverted than Prowl is? Or is he just more socially adept? Jazz did do things like stand out in the snow alone for ages after all, and rarely seems to open up to people about his own deep struggles. I feel like there are many different ways to interpret him and his behavior, and so many interesting questions about him, but fanon can just cause people to make assumptions that can last a long time like what you're describing and I find it sad. Jazz is hardworking in literally all versions of the character I'm aware of and any kind of disagreement between Jazz and Prowl about working vs. slacking off is totally made up and does not exist. Any kind of significant argument I'm aware of between these characters was based around things like moral values or tactics, and Jazz's skills are highly valued by the Autobots including Prowl in canon.

It's like... genuinely shocking to me how much parts of fandom don't want to explore Jazz sometimes. I will still always find it baffling that IN G1 Jazz and Prowl had a shared spotlight story where they seemed to be best friends who had an incredibly traumatic shared backstory that hurt them so much they faked amnesia for millions of years to avoid dealing with their guilt and pain, yet for ages, JazzProwl was the most popular ship in this fandom and basically no shipper ever mentioned this. It was referenced in zero out of thousands of fics. It just goes to show that really, JazzProwl was this totally fanon thing that had no relation to either of these characters or their friendship.

When it comes to neurodivergence, I actually feel like Jazz is incredibly easy to interpret that way as well. His voracious appetite for information, his tendency to become very focused on things he's interested in, his vibe of being really fascinated by humanity's culture but kind of distant from it as well, the way he acted when he couldn't remember who he was... that time he literally didn't transform because Madonna was playing and he felt it would be rude to cut off the song... lol

I think there's so much to dig into with all of these facts, but sometimes I feel like instead of looking at his canon traits, fanon comes across like it's playing into offensive stereotypes about Black men and boys being disruptive or something instead.

Well. EarthSpark Tarantulas is very different from IDW Tarantulas. And Prowl is supposed to be coming to EarthSpark. And I don't care what relationship they have or whether they even appear in the same episode, as soon as Season 2 comes out, I'm getting Prowl laid.

I too have a specific type of Prowl I like that many fics I saw of them dont have, though I still enjoy reading them. So I'm excited to see what your version is like, even if we end up having different Prowls!

Thanks! I have like, 5 other fics that I need to work on right now, so that one is sadly on the backburner, but hopefully I can get back to it before too long.

I'm curious what your favorite type of Prowl is, if you want to share! I find a lot of fics tend to treat him as like... Really cold and mean? I'm trying not to go on a rant, lol. But I'm so tired of fics where most of the Autobots are sympathetic to some Decepticon's plight, and then there's Prowl on the sidelines acting like said Decepticon's continued existence is a personal affront.

Also, a lot of people compare him to Soundwave (probably because he's perceived as cold and emotionless). My preferred take on Prowl is more like the Autobot Starscream, though - he's not trying to take over, but he pushes back on Optimus' plans if he doesn't like their odds of success, resists following orders if he considers them the wrong course of action, and is willing to do his own thing if he's not being listened to (I also inadvertently gave him a host of disorders by leaning into the thing in his G1 tech specs about how he doesn't handle the unexpected well, lol. The autism and processor crashes were deliberate, the social anxiety, generalized anxiety, temperature regulation issues, and absence seizures weren't. Turns out that if you sit down to explain why unexpected events lead to crashes, there's a ton of comorbidities and contributing factors).

So yeah, my Prowl is a bit of a mess, psychologically. And has an unhealthy relationship with morality (and Optimus) because he has low empathy and according to some people, that makes you a bad person. So even though he wants the best outcome possible for as many people as possible and is against causing harm when it doesn't accomplish anything, he struggles to feel like a good person and is susceptible to manipulation through moral attacks (this is totally not me expressing my frustration with the way both canon and fandom like to paint him as a villain for having perfectly reasonable concerns about his enemies).

But like, it is really hard to find good fics with those elements? Usually, it feels like the authors copied and pasted a safe bdsm article in the dialogue of one of the characters... and don't let me start with the anachronistic stuff, the whiplash of seeing a dude from pseudo-medieval europe talk about "scenes" or "safewords"...

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G1 Optimus is one of the most confident, self-assured characters in the show. He has a strong, commanding presence, gives orders easily and firmly, and stands his ground on the rare occasion those orders are called into question. I understand wanting to give a character flaws, but of all the flaws to give him, why the one that tears down his entire character?

Like. I get that people can present themselves as strong even when they feel weak, and it makes sense for a leader to do so. But this is a mech who often comes across as fairly laid back, and even playful - he experiments with slang, he plays basketball, he trash-talks his enemies in the middle of combat. If he's haunted by the guilt of a war gone on far too long, he's doing an amazing job of hiding it.

And it's not like he doesn't have canon flaws people could play with, because he's confident to the point where his strengths actually loop back into flaws. He doesn't take criticism very well. He's constantly running off on his own into traps and other dangerous situations. He rarely admits to, much less apologizes for mistakes. Frankly, he can be a jerk.

I just. I get adding depth and nuance to flat characters. I get taking characters who were never developed beyond one or two key traits and fleshing them out properly. I even get dropping or reworking bits of canon characterization, because when you have so many episodes written by so many different people, it's inevitable that you'll get bits that don't work (especially when a character is put in a role that was clearly written for another character. God Gambit, I'm looking at you).

What I don't get is taking one of the most established characters in the show and inverting his entire personality. If it's for an AU or something, sure, do what you want. But how does an entire fandom look at G1 Optimus and go, "I love him. Let's change everything about him"? How does one of the strongest characters in the show get consistently written as a doormat? (Don't get me started on MegOp. I've seen Optimus reduced to Megatron's submissive wife so many times that if they aren't literally fighting for dominance, I don't want it).

This is, after all, the guy who:

- Casually refers to Decepticons as 'unfeeling machines' (very peace-loving to dehumanize one's enemies like that).

- Lied to his sister about the fact they're related, presumably so that she'll go on being his girlfriend. Or, at least, that seems to be the implication, and it's clear that he finds it funny.

- Handwaves mind-control tactics so long as it's 'for a good cause' - one that benefits the Autobots, natch - despite high-minded rhetoric about freedom being the birthright of sentient beings. (I guess some sentient beings count more than others, lol)

- Jokes about domestic abuse/violence on more than one occasion.

- Endlessly walks into traps and makes other remarkably stupid decisions that do not mesh well with his reputation as a Great Leader.

- I could go on.

If you're getting the sense that I don't like the guy, you would be correct. But I do think he's fascinating. He strikes me as a cult leader who has bought into the notion that he is divine and infallible, and he'd be an amazing villain - if only the fandom was willing to go there.

But folks are pretty much used to the soft, squishy cinnamon roll, overflowing with kindness, compassion and fatherly wisdom - to the point where it has supplanted Op's actual show personality. I know that's just a thing that happens in fandom, but I do wish it wasn't quite so... uniform? 😅