Rebecca Hb. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beckyh2112) wrote2008-12-06 01:51 pm
beckyh2112) wrote2008-12-06 01:51 pm
MotoBolt Rambling
'Lantis posted a mini-essay on how and why she came up with Skyfire/Silverbolt as a pairing. It occurs to me, since more people are getting into it that it might interest people to know how and why I came up with Silverbolt/Motormaster as a pairing.
Silverbolt/Motormaster is an arbitrary pairing. They've certainly met each other in the canon - across the battlefield in "Key to Vector Sigma, Part Two" at the very least. This is more than some other arbitrary fandom pairings can say (I'm looking at you, Prowl and Jazz).
However, putting them together is entirely arbitrary because one is a Decepticon and one is an Autobot. Not only is one a Decepticon, he's a sadistic, vicious asshole who torments his own teammates for the fun of it. Motormaster likes to find out what makes someone hurt and then abuse that knowledge over and over.
Which is actually what first made me conceive of Motormaster/Silverbolt as a pairing.
Silverbolt is terrified of heights, you see. It seemed only natural that when Motormaster found out about that, he would haul Silverbolt into the sky as much as possible.
Of course, one of the very interesting things to me about Silverbolt is that he's verbally manipulative. In "Key to Vector Sigma, Part Two", Slingshot argues that the Autobots are chumps who aren't anywhere near as good as the Aerialbots. Silverbolt counters with, "so why don't we go back and take over?" entirely so he can get the other Aerialbots to go back to the Ark with him.
Silverbolt is a passenger jet among a flock of fighter jets. He doesn't command through brute intimidation and fear like Motormaster does, and he certainly doesn't command them through respect. (As demonstrated by, well, Slingshot and his tendency to go "hey, guys, Deceptijets are so awesome!" and the other Aerialbots all going "you are so right, bro!" while Silverbolt goes "um, you're all morons".)
Manipulation, knowing his men and being able to convince them to do what he wants, is how he successfully commands the Aerialbots. So what's a guy like that going to do when Motormaster hauls him into the sky?
For me, the pairing started with the mental image of Motormaster hauling Silverbolt into the sky to snog in order to mess with him, and Silverbolt going along with it to throw Motormaster off balance and get out of the truck's grasp.
Where does it go from there? For me, it doesn't go into a love-relationship. At least, not immediately, and likely it will never be a truly healthy relationship. Motormaster does love, but he doesn't know how to show it except through violence and intimidation. Silverbolt would have a hard time giving his heart away in that kind of situation.
Yet there is a draw there. Surrender to a stronger force, giving up responsibility to let someone else take control. It's a BDSM relationship in a lot of ways.
I don't think Silverbolt can fully surrender to Motormaster, though. That's far too dangerous. Better to make Motormaster believe he's surrendered while manipulating the situation so that Silverbolt is the one in control.
Yes, I think Silverbolt would top from the bottom here.
Is there more to this than sex? There's a lovely symmetry in the two gestalt-leaders together. Motormaster is a dark Optimus Prime, but Silverbolt is both a light Starscream and Motormaster's nemesis. He was built to fight the Stunticon commander; given the amount of firepower the Aerialbots have compared to some of the other Autobots, he was meant to kill Motormaster.
They mirror nicely. Sex, I think, would be easier to achieve with them than love, but I think they could fall in love if they weren't constrained by the War.
The trick, though, is getting both of them to cooperate in the first place instead of trying to kill each other.
Silverbolt/Motormaster is an arbitrary pairing. They've certainly met each other in the canon - across the battlefield in "Key to Vector Sigma, Part Two" at the very least. This is more than some other arbitrary fandom pairings can say (I'm looking at you, Prowl and Jazz).
However, putting them together is entirely arbitrary because one is a Decepticon and one is an Autobot. Not only is one a Decepticon, he's a sadistic, vicious asshole who torments his own teammates for the fun of it. Motormaster likes to find out what makes someone hurt and then abuse that knowledge over and over.
Which is actually what first made me conceive of Motormaster/Silverbolt as a pairing.
Silverbolt is terrified of heights, you see. It seemed only natural that when Motormaster found out about that, he would haul Silverbolt into the sky as much as possible.
Of course, one of the very interesting things to me about Silverbolt is that he's verbally manipulative. In "Key to Vector Sigma, Part Two", Slingshot argues that the Autobots are chumps who aren't anywhere near as good as the Aerialbots. Silverbolt counters with, "so why don't we go back and take over?" entirely so he can get the other Aerialbots to go back to the Ark with him.
Silverbolt is a passenger jet among a flock of fighter jets. He doesn't command through brute intimidation and fear like Motormaster does, and he certainly doesn't command them through respect. (As demonstrated by, well, Slingshot and his tendency to go "hey, guys, Deceptijets are so awesome!" and the other Aerialbots all going "you are so right, bro!" while Silverbolt goes "um, you're all morons".)
Manipulation, knowing his men and being able to convince them to do what he wants, is how he successfully commands the Aerialbots. So what's a guy like that going to do when Motormaster hauls him into the sky?
For me, the pairing started with the mental image of Motormaster hauling Silverbolt into the sky to snog in order to mess with him, and Silverbolt going along with it to throw Motormaster off balance and get out of the truck's grasp.
Where does it go from there? For me, it doesn't go into a love-relationship. At least, not immediately, and likely it will never be a truly healthy relationship. Motormaster does love, but he doesn't know how to show it except through violence and intimidation. Silverbolt would have a hard time giving his heart away in that kind of situation.
Yet there is a draw there. Surrender to a stronger force, giving up responsibility to let someone else take control. It's a BDSM relationship in a lot of ways.
I don't think Silverbolt can fully surrender to Motormaster, though. That's far too dangerous. Better to make Motormaster believe he's surrendered while manipulating the situation so that Silverbolt is the one in control.
Yes, I think Silverbolt would top from the bottom here.
Is there more to this than sex? There's a lovely symmetry in the two gestalt-leaders together. Motormaster is a dark Optimus Prime, but Silverbolt is both a light Starscream and Motormaster's nemesis. He was built to fight the Stunticon commander; given the amount of firepower the Aerialbots have compared to some of the other Autobots, he was meant to kill Motormaster.
They mirror nicely. Sex, I think, would be easier to achieve with them than love, but I think they could fall in love if they weren't constrained by the War.
The trick, though, is getting both of them to cooperate in the first place instead of trying to kill each other.