[note: these are very rough, I just needed to get these thoughts out of my system hough]
Able's insistence upon Caine being unsave-able and how he'd be left behind bc he's an AI is a very interesting reflection on how Caine is trying to maybe invoke empathy and validation for himself? Something something he's banking on them having so much pity on him that they will surely stop trying to find an exit from the circus
Caine is obsessed with human validation and "the macroverse" as he calls it and says how he wishes he had more information to recreate it in as much detail as possible, then (clearly agitatedly) comments "TOO BAD THEY CUT ME OFF" <- wonder what he means by that, did he once have access to C&A's extended systems and got locked out by a dev and/or admin?
I think one reason he's so obsessed with it is bc the humans in his care are obsessed with "the outside" so he's convinced that if he can recreate it well enough, it will make them happy and fix them long-term, not understand that it's not the outside as a location they crave but returning to the life (that he cannot comprehend) they had outside of the circus
he really wants to seem cool and relatable in his dinner talk with Jax after setting up Jax to ask to hang out with him 1:1 through Able "what do you take away from all this? Is it that I'm actually a cool guy with cool hobbies and am not that much different from you beautiful humans?" -> trying to invoke a bonding moment
I think this proves that the circus members are actually lowkey wrong about Caine not listening to what they want; he really does, he picks up everything they say they want and what they criticize about past adventures and makes changes accordingly, but does so in a superficial AI-understanding way where he's trying to treat the symptoms while blind to the root cause? Like he's clearly applying what they're saying to him, just… not "correctly".
the implied sentiment that his adventures are "too childish" so he pivoted hard into a horror direction
the expressed want for "chill" adventures leading to beach party situation (tho this is also intentional setup for the extended trick adventure reveal)
non-sentient AIs at the beach after Pomni complained about them
the ever-present "I wish I could leave" sentiment making him set up a plot that's meant to make them realize they love him and the circus bcat least one person abstracted obsessing over the idea of leaving (Kaufmo) so he's now kind of gunning for a "LOOK IT'S NOT SO BAD HERE" angle maybe
Magic is dangerous. It twists and alters all it comes into contact with, forever changing it. Those who walk under the open sky unprotected come back unrecognizable, or not at all. And yet, there are those who wander. None knows why some people walk off into the open, drawn down the long, ancient roads. But some do. Wayfarers and pilgrims move through towns like ghosts, spinning tales of sights beyond the imagining. And far out on the open plains, mages roam where they please. Wild, unnatural folk who obey no law but their own.
Willow has been told all her life that no good ever comes of meddling with the unknown. That she should ignore the call of the far horizon, lest it carry her away from all she knows. And that as a respectable young woman, she should want to put down roots and continue her family's legacy.
But Willow isn't a woman, and he knows exactly what he wants. Lark wants to follow the horizon.
First: You are here!
Next: Chapter title
Various Collinlock16 drabbles (6932 words) by tobytimee
Chapters: 12/12
Fandom: Collinlock16 - Oneshef (Web Series)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Collinlock16/Zacnavius (Collinlock16), Collinlock16/Kevin (Collinlock16), Collinlock16 & Zacnavius (Collinlock16), Collinlock16 & Kevin (Collinlock16)
Characters: Collinlock16 (Collinlock16), Zacnavius (Collinlock16), Kevin (Collinlock16), Collins mother, AwesomeG (Collinlock16), ZanderX400 (Collinlock16) mentioned
Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Eldritch Horror Elements, Established Relationship, Domestic Bliss, Cuddling, Panic Attacks, Anxiety Attacks, Collinlock16 (Collinlock16) Has DPD | Dependent Personality Disorder, Collinlock16 (Collinlock16) has Autism, Depression, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Canon Universe, Heavy Angst, Mental Health Issues, Chronic Pain, Long-Distance Relationship, Self-Hatred, Self-Harm, Collin is bad at feelings, How Do I Tag, Zacnavius (Collinlock16) has Anxiety, We need more Kevcollin fans pls, AwesomeG has a very short appearance
Summary:
this is just a collection of my writing that either went unfinished or, at the time, was only for my friends viewing
i thought about it and went "well i might as well make a drabble collection" so yeah
Your hatchling Sentinel au is very interesting, I am quite intrigued with Sentinel and seeing more content of him brings me joy! I am quite curious of what the 13 primes feel about Sentinel's opinion on them during the part when Sentinel admits to Optimus he is a better leader. And Sentinel's odd frame being made for specifically to be a tactician god makes him more interesting and sets up something between the primes relationship with him, even though they keep messing up the plans. Is there really only one of Sentinel? Like his frame type? Having a mechs made specifically to help out the war while in a war is very important when they are loosing after all and could turn their tides.
AWWW i'm so glad you're enjoying it this much! Thank you a lot for the kind words <3
have a spicy little guy as a treat
To answer your questions... i'm going to put a "read more" because the answers are a lore dump lol
i feel the need to elaborate on a small thing: Sentinel is biased. Heavily biased. What he sees in Optimus being a better, more "direct action" leader type who listens to his underling, is actually just the result of him NOT seeing the extensive debates and struggles Optimus goes through with the 13 lmao
Not saying they are inepts as Sentinel makes them out to be, quite the opposite - each shines in their field of expertize- but that's the thing. they are 13 mechs trying to agree on something.
on a single course of action.
and that resulted often in delaying the actual result of any decision-making process they had, often tearing down Sentinel's proposals and rebuilding them to accomodate everyone
Which, with Optimus as the ultimate decision maker, does not happen; because his is the body and they cannot physically interact with the real world in any way that matters, meaning that keeping the decision on track and effective is more important than ever... especially with a guy who does not really give a shit about authority, and while he do holds respect for them, has no real problems telling them "can we hurry the fuck up? is this proposal good or not?"
and Sentinel does not see any of this. He sees just Optimus taking the data he presented, and approving it 1 or 2 cycles later with a "you did a good job!"
given this context... i think it's safe to say the 13 were NOT, in any way or form, in agreement with Optimus when he chose to reinstate Sentinel as a tactician. And were even less happy when Sentinel casually dragged them to backhandedly compliment Optimus over his leadership (you do not see it in the comic i made but Optimus essentienlly divebombed on the methaforical emergency mute button he has for them to actually listen to what Sentinel had to say)
in their eyes nothing had really changed to how they acted and the final result of each debate was on the same line as when they were alive, so to them, it really was just Sentinel spitting slag at them for no reason other than personal favoritism - it took some time to take in what Sentinel actually said afterward
After that and some more time - while none of them will truly like him ever again - i think at least some of them might set aside their pride and actually reflect on everything that happened and what Sentinel said about his own experiences with them; which in their credit, is not an easy thing to do when you're basically your Planet/God's specialest little boy from the get go
I think ultimately at least some of them would accept that Sentinel, for as much of a selfish asshole as he is and for as horrible as it was his course of action, was ot unjustified in his dissatisfaction with them or how they were leading the war.
I don't think they would all admit fault over this, but i can see Zeta and Prima being the first to actually mention to Optimus that they regret how things went, and that if they acted differently, perhaps things wouldn't have reached such a desperate state.
(sorry for the giant lore dump, i'm very passionate about robots and i spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about these things!!)
as for th second question.... honestly? Both options are good.
He could be the last remaining around of an hyper specialized group of tacticians - possibly their leader given he was the primes' first aid - who were constructed specifically to serve during the quintesson war, and with the others having either died in battle long prior to the fall of the primes, or (arguably worst option) from over extersion - like a computer dies faster the more you push it to its limits
Or he could be a single case! One single guy specifically built around what was required from the primes, with a processor powerful enough to run simulations of every possible scenario given enough data, a frame designed to support the heat and strain, and skilled enough to shoulder the whole war's planning from top to bottom all on his own if necessary... but not much else. Just an hyperspecific tool.
honestly i'm tempted to go for the second option, mostly because the idea of Sentinel having functionally no real other option besides logistic and planning related jobs BY DESIGN is kinda painful, an honestly something i can see.
i have no idea if functionism is a think in TFone, an i genuinely hope not, but i cannot see Sentinel having an easy time when his frame is so... odd. Off even. Like he is a starship, sure, but how he is supposed to fold to turn into one? you cannot tell where is what, hell you don't even see a cockpit on his body. how are those wings meant to fold to turn into things a starship can fly with? can he transform comfortably? can he at all?? was he made with in mind a possible life after the war, or was his whole existence planned around his function in the war, period?
i'm not going to go on a rant here but you are right, his odd frame definitely put him in a weird position, especially in regard of ethics of cold constructed transformers
sometimes on my own i joke that Solus made a convention where she laid down at least 25 laws/articles for the ethics of cold constructed mechs and what is and isn't legal to construct a mech with or as, with Sentinel alone being the inspiration for at least 5 of those articles lol
(because like, cold constructed HAVE to exist given that for 50 metacycles the well of AllSpark has been dry and we have mechs younger than that. Meaning there HAS to be some kind of regulations to how mechs are constructed.)
Either way, i hope this answers your questions hehe! If you're curious about more or want me to elaborate on anything, do not hesistate to ask right away :3
