I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".
Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"
Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)
Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say
Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.
I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.
In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.
If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.
But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.
Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.
"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."
It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.
...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.
(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)
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Hello! I like to ask/request, if you have time, could you do the TFP Decepticons and Autobots, of your choice, and with human Reader? Romantic/Platonic
Reader adopts twin sparklings or cybertronian babies, Girl and Boy Twins, and Reader doesn't know what species/race/alien the twins are, yet Reader's raising and loving the twins as their own. Same with the twins and their kinda Mama's kids (?), they're very attached, love, and also very protective of their human parent…
Then One day, they meet them, the Autobots/Decepticons, and that bot/con kinda like or act as parent figure, being co-parent to their adopted sparklings, and also having feelings for the Human reader.
Gn human reader with sparklings encountering TFP autobots/decepticons (pt1?)
Grrr tysm anon for the request, I had a lot of fun with this! I was gonna do hcs with several characters but I got carried away with a Bumblebee scenario- so um yeah here's that. I plan on doing a follow-up at some point with more characters (hcs) for this but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer! Hope that's okay :))
Bumblebee-
You were out looking for more of the blue substance your twins fed on. It had been a couple days since you ran out, and the twins were getting restless. The girl, which you had named Goldrush, started gnawing on her brother, Darkage. Darkage didn't take to kindly to that, swatting her off of him with a surprised squeak.
You sigh. "What am I gonna do with you two?" You chuckled, waving the twins back over, not wanting them to wander off as they bickered. As you walked off the road and towards a cave that you hoped would have some more, you heard an explosion.
The ground shook, nearly knocking you off of your feet, before you saw a yellow car, followed by 3 purple cars, racing towards you at an incredible speed. With a yelp, you dive out of the way, the twins landing next to you in a pile. "You okay?" You ask, worridly turning to the twins. They nod, with Goldrush looking slightly agitated at Darkage for landing on her.
A dark shadow looms over you as you look up to see one of the purple cars, now having transformed into a tall bot, reaching down to grab you. With a frightened screech, you duck out of the way. The twins rush in front of you, standing only a few feet taller than you are, growling and snarling at the purple mech.
Before it has time to react, a yellow bot slams it in the side of its head, sending it flying out of your view. The yellow bot looks down, noticing you and the twins, and starts beeping as what you could only describe as confused.
You hesitate, not sure if it- he?- is hostile or not. He looks an awful lot like whatever your twins are, but way bigger. You figure he's probably a completely developed version of whatever species Darkage and Goldrush are. He reaches out to you, seemingly offering a hand to help you up. The twins growl at him nervously, waiting for you to make a move.
Unsure of the situation but not wanting to make the twins more anxious, you accept the yellow bot's hand.Once you're standing on your own two feet again, the twins calm down. The yellow bot transforms back into a car, opening the door as an invitation for you to get in. You figure that if he's the same species as Darkage and Goldrush, he'll probably have some of that blue junk you need. You shrug at the twins and get in the car as they latch onto the roof.
A short while later, you end up driving inside of a mountain in the middle of who knows where. "So, uh, where are we, anyways?" You ask, not really expecting a coherent answer from the bot that speaks in beeps. As expected, he beeps a few times before stopping inside of some giant base. He lets you out of the car, and the twins jump off as he transforms again.
"Bumblebee! You're back!" You hear a kid shout excitedly, before seeing a short boy run over. The boy quickly takes notice of you, as does a large white and orange mech. "Bumblebee, you brought another human here?!" They shout in unison. The mech sounding displeased- while the boy sounds thrilled.
"Uh. Hi?" You say nervously, glancing behind the boy to the large, and clearly annoyed, mech. "I-" The white bot pauses, looking behind you to the twins. "Are those... sparklings...?" He questions, looking at you with bewilderment and suspicion. The yellow bot, who you assume is named Bumblebee, now turns to look at you, as if he just realized the twins were there.
"I guess? I don't know." You shrug nonchalantly. "So... are you gonna introduce yourselves or just stare at me?" You questioned teasingly.
"The name's Ratchet, but-" Ratchet gets cut off by the young boy, who eagerly introduces himself. "I'm Rafael! You can just call me Raf- as you probably figured out by now, he's Bumblebee." Raf gestures behind him.
You smile brightly at him. "I'm (y/n), and these two are Darkage and Goldrush." You say, gently grabbing one of each of their hands and leading them closer. Ratchet tries to speak again, but Bumblebee cuts him off with more beeps. "Oh, Bee wants to know if they need energon," Raf tells you, looking at the twins.
"Energon?" You question.
"Yeah, the blue stuff that cybertronians eat." He replies.
"Blue stuff... OH! Yeah, we've been looking for some for a while now. They could really use it." You say, happy to know that you'll be able to feed the twins soon. "By the way, how can you understand Bumblebee?" You look at Raf quizzically. Raf explains to you how Bee communicates through noises while Bumblebee runs off to get some energon for your sparklings.
At this point, Ratchet has given up on trying to talk to you, and is now inspecting the twins for any injuries. Soon, Bumblebee runs back in with an energon cube in each hand. He kneels to the twins' level, and carefully hands one to each of them. Beeping sweetly, he coos at them, before noticing you and the others staring at him. Looking embarrassed, he turns to you and starts rambling about how cute they are.
With Raf's help, you're able to understand him, and the two of you start getting along remarkably well. He goes out of his way to spend time with you and the twins after missions, and he tries to teach the three of you some combat skills, to varying degrees of success.
The twins cling to Bee like glue whenever he's around, riding on his back or grabbing onto his legs, while Bee lets you rest on his shoulder. In Bumblebee's free time, he teaches you and the twins about Cybertron before the war.
As Darkage and Goldrush get older, bigger, and stronger, you and Bee are able to properly train them. With the twins starting to go on missions, Bee takes you out with him so you can supervise your sparklings.
To the cons' surprise and dismay, you and Bee make an incredible power couple/duo on the battlefield, in spite of your small size. The two of you are inseparable, and with your newfound family, you're just about ready to take on anything.
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