Hi, Blade!
It’s been a while since I’ve made an ask! Though, you have to excuse me for the subject of my ask. Unsurprisingly, my ask will be about Arcee, and this time, I’ll be focusing on her “stealthiness”, specifically how she’s stealthy in theory but not in execution. Fair warning, I’ll be highly critical, but then again, when am I never critical about the subject of our ask? I hope it’s alright!
We’ve talked about Arcee not being the stealthiest a few times now, and look no further than when she exposed herself to the kids in the pilot episode. Yet, despite being the bot responsible for said MAJOR BLUNDER, she gets ZERO reprimands for them AND THAT TIDBIT IMMEDIATELY GOT SWEPT UNDER THE RUG.
At first, I was meh about it (besides, having the “stealthy” bot turning out to be anything but is pretty funny). But then, rather than actively working to improve her own “stealthiness” or remaining QUIET about others’ flashiness, for some reason…SHE HYPERFOCUSES ON SMOKESCREEN’S “FLASHINESS” AND IS VERY VOCAL ABOUT IT.
Haha. No. I am NOT taking that from the bot who exposed herself to THREE human children.
Look, I understand that she may not be in the right headspace after Cliffjumper passed…but seriously, did she HAVE to “take five” in a populated area??? For someone who doesn’t sound fond of humans/humankind…she sure LOVES being close to them. Yeah, she’s tailed by the ‘cons, but couldn’t she lead them outside the town AWAY FROM HUMANS?
(Note: Though, it is pretty funny to see her “declaring” she’d be protecting humankind…only for her to endanger them afterwards. Poetic.)
Don’t get me wrong, Jack’s “responsibleness” becomes questionable when he hopped on top of a random bike and claim it as his own. But even so, (and I’m not justifying his acts), it can be chalked up to “teenagers not thinking twice”. Though, that explanation would’ve been more understandable had the show not shove Jack’s “responsible” nature in our faces 24/7.
Him aside, though…IT MAKES ZERO SENSE THAT ARCEE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING SIMILAR BEFORE.
You could argue that Arcee never had humans hop on top of her alt–mode before…but I HIGHLY DOUBT that, given her lack of reaction when Jack did it (just…try to ignore his creepy line…*shivers*). If anything, she sounded mildly irritated with her “smooth operator” quip, as if she dealt with something similar before. If so, THEN SHOULDN’T SHE KNOW BETTER THAN TO STAY OUT IN THE OPEN???
It ALSO doesn’t help that Arcee’s alt–mode is canonically EYE–CATCHING. I mean, look at how it gained Jack and Miko’s attentions?To the point the latter chased after Arcee (presumably to ask the “driver” about their cool “bike”). That aside, I’ve never seen the other Autobots’ alt–modes be given the same kind of “attention” (Bee’s an exception, but his case is a bit different since it occurs in the internet). So, yeah, Arcee is THAT flashy.
((Note: Agent Fowler described Arcee’s alt–mode as “of unknown make”, while acknowledging that Bee’s is a custom muscle car. The fact that he likely knew the types/brands of vehicles that the bots turn into, but NOT Arcee’s is…concerning. He didn’t even say that her alt–mode’s modded or custom–made….
But let’s be real, Arcee’s bike mode is very spiky, which is absent from the IRL 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R that her bike mode’s based of. I don’t expect Fowler to namedrop the IRL brand, and I know the spikiness is due to Arcee’s own porcupine–like frame…but still. She REALLY stands out.
For comparison, look at the TFU bikeformers (Backlash-bike; Cameo-bike, Diabla-bike, Flamewar-bike, Swagger-bike, and Wildcard-bike and how their alt–modes resemble their IRL counterparts.
While Swagger’s alt–mode is the ONLY one directly namedropped by his character designer (I researched the rest, so it might not be 100% accurate), kudos to Jagex for making their bike modes look similar to their IRL versions. Though, I do admit that Flamewar’s STAND OUT, and I could also see the “unknown make” label apply to her imho, especially with the spikiness. Plus, I HC her turning into a Kawasaki bike as a “parallel/mirror” to Arcee’s own alt–mode as a nod to their relationship in your AU. Heh. Guess Arcee learned a thing or two from her sister))
For someone “stealthy”, Arcee sure knows how to STAND OUT, huh?
You know,Ithink she secretly likes the attention and praise, which explains her strong reaction at being called “ugly” by Vince. You’d think someone like her wouldn’t care about that, but nope. She’s as vain as Knock Out.
Even so, what’s even funnier/worse is that KO is WAY stealthier–and more professional–than her! Compared to how it only took Vince’s ragebaiting for Arcee to lose her cool (also, notice how she NEARLY MADE JACK FALL OFF???), KO ONLY retaliated once the guy scratched his paint. Yes, he took it too far, but three things: A) He’s a Decepticon, B) It's in–character, and C) At LEAST he did so in a race where his opponents are ALL CARS that spared him from BECOMING THE TALK OF THE TOWN. Seriously, how is Knock Out stealthier than *checks notes* THE COMMANDER OF STEALTH TEAM???
Besides, Jasper’s illegal racing provides a good cover for the presence of other sportscars (Bee, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack). But Arcee? She’s the ONLY motorbike/sportsbike in Jasper. And yet, we’re supposed to believe that Arcee is “stealthy” despite her MANY stunts???
Make it make sense.
(Note: This is random, but I can envision Rollcage trolling Arcee by nicknaming her “ugly”, since I HC her as the type to give Autobots “nicknames”. You know that Rollcage would be as insufferable as possible once she finds out how REACTIVE Arcee is to insults.
While we’re at it, I think Rollcage has an advantage/would win in a fight against Arcee. Since Arcee never won a fight against KO, I think sportscar bots/’cons–especially those who are quick–are Arcee’s weaknesses. Plus, given her tendency to lose her cool via ragebaiting AND how her anger’s quick to cloud her judgement/movements…Rollcage definitely has a shot, especially with her build).
Anyways, when it comes to blowing her cover to the kids…I’ll admit that Raf was a victim of circumstance (which WOULDN’T have happened Arcee made better decisions…but I digress). Raf aside, how do you even EXPLAIN her blunder with Jack and THEN Miko?
Despite our gripes on Jack, I feel bad for Jack. Not only did Arcee threaten him (when she herself put them both in that situation), but she was also assigned to get him afterwards. No wonder he didn’t want anything to do withher!
Again, despite our gripes on him, you have to admit that Bee handled everything pretty well. Plus, you also see the different ways he and Arcee handled the situation. Bee was apologetic when he accidentally crushed Raf’s toy car. When it was time for him to pick up Raf, he stays in his alt–mode, waits for him in open area while also stating his purpose, and then drives off. But what does Arcee do? She goes after Jack, blocks his path (in an alleyway btw), and transforms into her bot mode–BEHIND the school–as if to INTIMIDATE him before FINALLY stating her purpose.
Guess what happens next? That’s right, Miko saw Arcee in bot–mode.
(Note: This shows how Arcee DIDN’T learn from her mistakes. You’d think she’d know by now that staying put in her FLASHY ALT–MODE IS A NO GO…BUT NOPE. Don’t get me started on how she TRANSFORMED INTO BOT–MODE BEHIND THE SCHOOL)
But rather than coming clean about her mistake that led to Miko’s sudden addition…all Arcee had to say was, “Humans multiply"???
So, not only was she being UNTRUTHFUL, but she also PINNED THE BLAME ON MIKO’S CURIOSITY WHEN SHE COULD’VE EASILY IN HER ALT–MODE???
No wonder Jack convinced Raf to be untruthful and went on that race in Speed Metal. He learnt it from The Best, after all. Arcee is such a good “role model”...*rolls eyes*.
Now, on to my bit about her (continued) mistreatment and hypocrisy towards Smokescreen (the level of hate/saltiness she has for him is INSANE).
Arcee is the LAST BOT that has the right to lambast Smokescreen about blowing his cover. She’s DEFINITELY projecting here. If anything, OPTIMUS IS THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO DO SO (and perhaps Bulkhead, somewhat, since he warmed up to Smokey Post–Human Factor AND the fact that he’s ACTUALLY STEALTHY. Those two aside, Ratchet’s mention of Alpha Trion made ZERO SENSE, Bee’s silence is nothing new, and Arcee…can shut up).
But that’s not all.
Arcee’s entire spiel later on GENUINELY ticked me off. First of all, what’s with the “in all his (Smokescreen’s) wisdom” quip when you NEVER IMPARTED YOUR OWN “STEALTH” WISDOM IN THE FIRST PLACE? (but maybe it’s for the best, given her “stealthy” track record). Second of all, you’re LITERALLY the only one taking issue with Smokescreen’s “screaming 38’s”. Don’t you have ACTUAL issues to focus on? Lastly, “making him (Smokescreen) an easy target” AND “concerned about Jack’s safety”? Seriously??? Have you LOOKED AT A MIRROR??? Have you ever done some SELF–REFLECTION ON HOW YOU DID THOSE THINGS YET NEVER SEEMED TO LEARN FROM THEM??? Heck, have you ever THOUGHT of setting aside your personal one–sided beef with Smokescreen in order to PROPERLY guide him?
Of course not. Because that’d mean Arcee has to own up to her mistakes and APOLOGIZE. Two things she’d NEVER do because she’s perfect.
I hate it here.
((Note: You know, the reason why Arcee HYPERFOCUSES on Smokescreen’s “flashiness” may stem from her JEALOUSY. Think about it, she loves it when humans compliment/praise her alt–mode. So, when she sees the New Guy with a flashier paintjob AND alt–mode? It all makes sense now! Good to know that Arcee is vain and borderline narcissistic! (I’m being sarcastic btw…or am I?))
In conclusion, the more we talk about it, the more it becomes clear that Arcee really is stealthy in theory but not in practice. With that being said, either Wheeljack or Smokescreen himself should’ve been the commander of Stealth Team. You know, for ACTUAL stealth (and character development for those two, given how TFP did them dirty).
That’s all I have for now, Blade. Excuse me for the…lengthy stress–inducing ask, but I’ve been focusing more on Arcee’s “stealthiness” and…yeah…it’s really ironic. Anyways, I hope I’m not too all over the place with this one. Thank you for reading, and hope you have a pleasant weekend, Blade!
Hi Jazzi!
It's definitely been a while, and I don't mind at all! Yeah, Arcee deserves whole essays critiquing her, especially thanks to the fact that TFP prides itself for its "realistic" approach to a Transformers show when it also gratuitously tries to eat its cake as well by having Arcee do whatever she wants while getting away with murder.
Yeah, Arcee's "stealthiness" would've earned her so many reprimands from Optimus in just Transformers: Cybertron. For context, Optimus was planning for the Autobots to just quietly inspect other planets for the Cyber Planet Keys, grab them, leave without disturbing the natives of the planet the Keys were on, and then go home and close the black hole that was threatening the universe and not bother anyone. When Hotshot fessed up that he'd broken protocol (he failed to mention why he did so - to be fair, the poor guy was so tired and fatigued he passed out seconds later), Optimus told him in no uncertain terms that he'd endangered the mission and all. Arcee would've gotten the exact same kind of treatment in Cybertron had she been transported to that universe.
Oh it's definitely cute - until she keeps harping on "stealthiness" while never practicing what she preaches. Don't get me started on how the show pats her on the head for the atrocious behavior she gets away with.
I repeat: The Unicron Trilogy (first and third installments, because the second one was a direct sequel to the first show) had the kids' involvement make more sense because they were out hiking on their own and stumbled across the Transformers rather than the stupidity of TFP's attempts at dragging the kids into the show.
You know, Arcee's whole behavior here makes no sense. Ignoring for a moment the pure venom with which she delivers the line "So unless anyone minds...think I'll get back to protecting HUMANkind", that sounds ODDLY directed at Optimus, as if passive-aggressively blaming him for Cliffjumper's death, but she LITERALLY GOES INTO TOWN TO, ironically enough, SULK.
(That's not just poetic irony - I'm starting to believe that was intentional. I mean the logical thing to do would be leave Jasper and draw them out of the location with a large human population to at least prevent her cover from getting blown. The fact that Arcee stops at an ACTUAL DRIVE-THRU while KNOWING the Vehicons are there.....it was on purpose. She WANTED human casualties, I'm convinced of it now.)
It absolutely could have been chalked up to teenagers "not thinking twice". The problem is, I have never seen any teenager hop onto a random bike, let alone get their hands all over it. What makes this worse is that it is COMMON for the "biker gangs" to be seen primarily in the American Southwest, albeit they're the ones you see driving Harleys and the like. From what I can gather/surmise, "sport bikes"' (like Arcee, take back your venom against Smokescreen you supermodel of a "warrior") owners tend to be more chill than the biker gangs. That said, it is widespread knowledge to NEVER MESS with someone's bike, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE OWNER IS. The only exception is if you're a big rig driver like Snowman from Smokey and the Bandit (highly recommend you find the scene of Snowman driving over the bikes of the biker gang who beat him up. Big rigs >>>> bikes every time.) Jack doing this, and then the whole show proceeding to shove down our throats that he's "responsible" is a walking contradiction, ESPECIALLY when we learn he's home alone with his mom. If that's the case, he's going to be the poster boy for manners and discipline; what we SEE HIM DO actually aligns with the attitude of a rich kid who's never been given a slap on the wrist for any wrong he's done. So the whole sequence with him there just purely contradicts with everything they try to set up with him and Darby Senior-ette later.
Wait....that's a good point.
Given she's Miss Reacts to The Slightest Provocation, she should've done something like creating a hologram next to him to chase Jack off (yeah that part...how were viewers NOT supposed to see a romantic subtext between them?), and given how he didn't notice his crush and her pal approach, it would've been the logical thing to do: let the hologram appear and tell him to get lost before bailing out. Simple as that. ("Come on, smooth operator. Wrap it up." Yeah 'Cee's familiar with this thing, or at least witnessed it; Cliffjumper was better with his illegal parking. Also, this whole scene of Jack and Sierra is giving me uncomfortable Sam/Mikaela vibes...) Miss I Work Alone should be out in the desert somewhere, not in public.
I mean, the fact that Miko is sitting still after school hours to draw a bike says a LOT about how unusual her alt-mode is. ESPECIALLY when you consider she is literally the only bike in Jasper throughout the show. Heck, she's the only bike IN THE ENTIRE SERIES that we ever see (wait, I don't recall a bike-former in RID2015 outside of Fracture....)
First of all, I thought Bee's windows were tinted? This guy saw through them??? Anyways, the fact that "sporty muscle car" is the only descriptor for Bee says a lot about Bee's choice of v-mode. Seriously, you've seen one Camaro/Camaro knock-off, you've seen 'em all - though again, the custom paint job is a sign that a street racer is in your vicinity. "When you're a superstar, you're paparazzi bait" I had no idea Miko was talking about Arcee this whole time (I can be evil when I want to be, hehehe.)
("And of particular note...numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle, of unknown make." WAIT, HE LOOKED RIGHT AT ARCEE.
Now, to divert topics here real quick....Bumblebee got his alt-mode called two different types of brands at two points in the Aligned Continuity. But if Bee was simply "a custom black and yellow muscle car", while Arcee was "of unknown make".....HOW IN THE WORLD DID SHE GET THAT V-MODE?! DID SHE SCAN AND COMBINE LIKE THREE DIFFERENT BIKES?!?!?! Seriously, what is up with this girl and her behavior? How did she get past A LITERAL GOVERNMENT AGENT who can't ID her alt-mode?!
Okay, so this is her canon bike mode with better lighting, I hope:
And this is a blue 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R:
Not only is this noticeably different from TFP Arcee's v-mode, but it's actually so much softer and sweeter. Like I want that one. And the fact that Fowler didn't name it....oh boy Arcee, get a grip on your ego.
So, lemme show comparisons this way (sorry some of those links didn't work, and please read the image descriptions):
Even if these are all guesses, they align very well with the models Jagex used. It's a little scary, and even without my AU, Flamewar in TFP is obsessed with Arcee, it only makes sense that she would look like her in her "stalking" of the Two-Wheeler. But, to your comment about my AU, there's definitely a lot of similarities between the sisters, with Arcee still carrying over many of Flamewar's traits that she most likely picked up from her in their youth.
Stealthy, thy name is NOT Arcee. And for someone who is constantly preaching about the rules and "being a team player", it sure holds zero meaning when she's called "a chunky clunky trike" and "ugly". So....her ACTUAL foil is Knock Out. That makes sense *smiles innocently*
Remind me again, why are we letting her near CHILDREN 24/7?!
Okay so one, "European design?" KO's is at least recognizable, and while this scratch is hilarious for the reasoning behind KO getting mad, it at least makes sense as opposed to simply being called ugly (especially since that paint scheme is way more expensive than Bee's.)
Okay so, this looks to be Knock Out's way of "having fun" with humans, because no way Mr. "Hey watch the paint!" would have done this otherwise.
And here, that was malice aforethought. Which all lines up nicely with how Knock Out is an amoral, vain Decepticon who gets in a snit when someone messes with his paint job.
"You scratch my paint, I scratch yours." Sums him up. Funny how Vince ragebaiting Arcee also sums her up, especially as the series progresses.
Revoke that title, now. Also sweet Smokescreen's taller than Bee and the Two-Wheeler!
It doesn't make a lick of sense, and with the alt-modes of Bee, Wheeljack, and Smokescreen, it's totally believable once we learn that Jasper has an underground racing scene, even if most would actually look at Smokescreen's v-mode and think he's a famous racer. It still makes sense even then, not the lone, UNKNOWN MODEL BIKE BEING DRIVEN BY THE TOWN'S BROKE KID.
(Ironically enough, I see Rollcage as a gremlin in many ways. Like the fight I keep envisioning between her and Bulkhead has Rollcage purposefully getting under his skin and driving him nuts to the point she wins the match - all while cackling away because he's such an easy mark. Put her up against Arcee, she's walking away with numerous wins and bragging about it. And that's before we get into her build!
"Arcee. You know better than to engage the enemy alone." I'm sorry Optimus, but have you met this entitled bratty half pint? Knowledge constantly pursues her, but Arcee is too quick to be caught by it.)
Raf makes sense. Miko does not.
"I don't exist. Tell anyone about me, and I will hunt you down." Yeah 911, we got someone who is threatening a child, please call the authorities. This was a bad setup from the start...
See, THIS is a face that is remorseful (annoying as the face is.)
And this is proper etiquette: waiting for the human to enter and then leave.
Yet Arcee, the beloved creator's pet, bullies and exposes herself to COUNTLESS PEOPLE AND LISTENING EARS, gets ANOTHER HUMAN INVOLVED, and blames it on the girl who went after her when she knew she'd been the object of said girl's attention.
(At this rate, Arcee learning from her mistakes would be OOC.)
Oh yeah, Arcee is oh-so-perfect a role model *throws the Bayverse Dinobots at her*
Yeah, here we go (agreed. Worst part is how Arcee's favoritism even among the fandom makes it so that her hate of Smokescreen is "justified.")
"Is THIS what you learned while serving Alpha Trion?! I highly doubt he would have condoned such irresponsible behavior!" YOU MEAN THE BEHAVIOR THAT BUMBLEBEE AND ARCEE GET AWAY WITH ON A WEEKLY BASIS, FATFACE? THE BEHAVIOR THEY EXHIBIT DESPITE BEING ON EARTH FOR *THREE WHOLE YEARS* TO SMOKESCREEN'S BARELY ONE MONTH STAY ON EARTH?! ENOUGH WITH THE FAVORITISM, YOU RUST BUCKET!!! And how in the world does Alpha Trion factor into this? Like, the dude has no idea about humanity, why should Alpha Trion care one way or another about Smokescreen transforming in front of a human, LET ALONE WHEN NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU HAS BOTHERED TO TEACH SMOKESCREEN THE ROPES?!?!?!
"Blowing your cover, is not okay." Woman I get Smokescreen's paint is really bright, but stop using him as a mirror. The man is better than that, and if you need to give yourself a daily reminder about not blowing your own cover, go take a trip to the Arctic to make use of the glaciers. Smokescreen's a living being, show a little itty bitty part of that "compassion" you're so well-known for. Gosh, times like this I wanna vaporize Arcee.
Oh it never is with this two-faced toothpick.
The fact that she's so possessive over Jack that she'd rather have the walking plot device in her clutches than let Smokescreen take care of him - who has successfully snuck up on Decepticons, evaded capture/serious injury, and has ACTUALLY WON BACK THE APEX ARMOR WHILE ALL DARLING ARCEE DID WAS POINTLESSLY SNARK AT HIM RATHER THAN SHOW A MODICUM OF CARE FOR HIS SAFETY - says a lot about her priorities, NONE of which are good. Because guess what dearie, Smokescreen makes a better guardian than YOU. He helped boost Jack's non-existent confidence without ever getting involved in a street race that called attention to either of them, AND DID SO WITHOUT TRANSFORMING OR OTHERWISE CAUSING HARM TO A HUMAN, WHICH YOU'VE DONE COUNTLESS TIMES!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, she's soooo perfect that she can't see beyond her own nose and has to belittle anyone else who accomplishes something she never could. If we tried getting her off her high horse, it might just kill her - but maybe I'd like for that to happen. Just once, somewhere, let Arcee meet the demise she deserves.....
I hate it here too.
(Oooo, that's a good point - it would also explain why she always tries going for Knock Out in the show. Man, this woman is so self-centered and narcissistic, it's insane. I mean really, up until Smokescreen arrived, the only one with a flashier alt-mode was Knock Out, and now that Smokescreen's got one that's even better than either of theirs combined, and is getting win after win under his belt, it makes so much sense why she's beefing with him.)
Oh yeah, and I hate how she's propped up as the "best Arcee" by so many people. Wheeljack would've been great in a leadership position, especially if Smokescreen were his SIC. Like imagine Smokescreen helping streamline Wheeljack's more widespread damage-dealing combat style while they sneak behind enemy lines. It'd be awesome (yes, the character development would've been so good for them - and while we're at it, just bench Arcee indefinitely. That's quite possibly where she can cause the least amount of damage.)
It was certainly a trip, Jazzi. You didn't strike me as all over the place or anything; I just hope I satisfied with my reply. I'll have to look at other things though, because I confess this was rather draining - or I just over-exerted myself in doing my best to answer between this, the heat, and the storms that didn't come but thought would arrive XD. Thanks, and I hope you have a good weekend too!
Take care, and let me know if I missed anything!
