This Is Like. Part Of The Reason Why I Dont Enjoy Seeing Swindle Being A Gambler For Like. The Shits And Giggles - Tumblr Posts

to be honest with you guys, I'm kinda torn on whether or not swindle would be a chronic-overspender or a massive cheapskate

I mean. I get it: swindle is flashy. swindle has expensive taste. swindle dreams of being spoiled, of a house full of lavish things with a belly full of high-grade energon. and he damn well has enough shanix and credits to buy said things.

but would he be so bold as to spend his money on it?

a part of me says yes. I mean, swindle is living through wartime. maybe a part of him thinks that if he doesn't treat himself today, he might not live tomorrow to enjoy the comfort of his wealth. hence all the fancy mods, beautiful furniture, sleek spaceships, etc.

besides, it helps with stress. gives swindle a rush of dopamine when he purchases something costly. it's a symbol that all of his crimes and hard work have amounted to something. that what he's done is justified (at least to him). let all the glorified "morality-policing" bots clutch their pearls at his greed, at least swindle can AFFORD to indulge

that's something many bots can't do nowadays

besides, swindle is kiiinda conceited and DEFINITELY self-entitled. with a mech like that, who's surprised that he has some alarming spending habits?

but another part of me argues that BECAUSE swindle is in a war, he'd be even more stingy with his money. after all, I think it's a fair assumption to say swindle uses his wealth as a leverage. it places him in the lap of luxury. it buys him out of danger. it gains him intel from bots with loose lips. it keeps bots in debt to him. it silences his opponents. it fetches him bots willing to do favors for him (ex. mercenaries and such). apart from his wit and words, money is one of swindle's deadliest weapons

and if he spent that money on something expensive, then swindle would, by extent, be risking his life

I kinda find the latter idea more compelling

though, he could be somewhere down the middle. some weeks, swindle can't seem to stop spending. hes maxing out his credit card, filling his cart to the brim with meaningless items, piling and piling on more debt.

the next few weeks, swindle is under a strict budget, skimping meals, stressing over the amount of debt he's collected and overworking himself in order to compensate for it all

he's stuck with this dilemma. and he can never seem to get out of it. he WANTS to be able to spend on himself, wants that life of comfort he craves. but he can only spend so much before his consciousness takes over and chastises him for being reckless. the only way he ever slips back into spending is when his greedy nature comes in and encourages swindle to work harder on his business. scam a couple of bots. plan some heists. that'll get the credits rolling in. and after a nice little profit or two, swindle will be able to treat himself again, after weeks of processor-breaking hustling.

it's an endless cycle of overindulgence and abstinence. there is no middle ground. he's always on either side on the spectrum. swindle's greed might make him successful, yes, but it's also destroyed his relationship with money

I dunno. feel free to share your thoughts. I just like the idea of swindle's greed creating more problems for him, even though he argues his life has gotten drastically better ever since he out himself and money first