#CYCLONUS HAS BEEN ON TUMBLR????
Text
Always seen y'all talking abt MTMTE so I finally got to reading it and I gotta say. I feel like you've neglected some Absolutely Essential details
#THE WAP???? SUS???#MEGATRON IS HOT????#CYCLONUS HAS BEEN ON TUMBLR????#old man!! if you are reading this......I am going to GET YOU#tbh i'd die for all of them. i mean all of them#if Tailgate doesn't get his curly straw I will kill everyone in this bar#it's great btw. great comic.#transformers#transformers idw#mtmte#more than meets the eye#tf mtmte#rodimus#cyclonus#tailgate#chromedome#rewind#megatron#rung#nautica#nightbeat#fulcrum#krok#oldrudshore other#maccadam#oldrudshore tf
690 notes
·
View notes
Note
Back on my Splendid kick, she, as her lovely Carrier and Sire’s child, has inherited a very large amount of "I can fix him" and looks at Getaway, frowns and decides he needs a friend. Whirl Jr. has doubts because, as she puts it "While your charitable spirit does you credit, I feel this is a poorly thought out idea as his vibes are quite rancid."
Her vocabulary is from Tailgate, Swerve, Whirl, Brainstorm, and Cyclonus, making her a strange mesh of small Victorian child, stand up comedian, and Tumblr native.
Splendid is firm that Getaway is lonely though and needs a friend.
The Tailgate Situation didn't happen because the romantic tension between Cygate got resolved too early. So now Getaway is being stalked by toddlers and having to be on his absolute best, most charming behavior while silently seething.
Splendid and Whirl Jr. constantly have a plethora babysitters following behind them, so Getaway is constantly supervised. The most bearable of which is Rodimus, who then drags Getaway into whatever adventure the girls have decided for the day. Getaway gets dragged into fishing. A lot. His daughter's determination has softened his own impression of Getaway.
Which would be great for Getaway and any plans except he never has a moment to act on them!
Getaway is dragged into positive character development, kicking and screaming because Optimus and Rodimus's kid has ungodly levels of determination that ends up with him literally 1v1-ing Tarn.
Sdfgh oh Splendid
Yes
"I can fix him" honey are you sure? Yes yes you are? Nothing we can do to stop her smh (affectionate)
Yessss on Whirl Jr saying that
Yes. Getaway's main plot has been foiled via C H I L D R E N, now he must make up a new one. That's adorable. Yes. He has been plagued by babies. We should give him one of his own. Ignore that if you wish.
Ggjkkl ohhh. Oh Getaway. Fuck yes. Splendid said "I can fix him" and proceeded to fix him kinda. A lil bit.
Wait he does what
That's gotta turn out interesting
#maccadam#transformers#yellow splendid convoy#did we ever come up with a name for this#yes#no#maybe#?#mtmte getaway#cygate#mtmte tarn#mtmte rodimus#rodiop#but oppy isn't in the picture#rba whirl#Splendid Surprise au
15 notes
·
View notes
Note
hello! I would like to ask if you ever support proships of any kind? I am not sure what half of the fandoms you have ship art in are but I just want to clarify as I don't want to follow one apologies if such a request makes you uncomfy :(
Nonono!! I don't mind at all! Making sure is probably the best things you can do, but definitely not. I do not condone proshippers actions whatsoever, it is a harmful practice that helps nobody. Trauma response or not.
If it does help you understand them a bit better on the things I post if you're ever worried about it being proship, or want to know why they aren't proships I can make a list here (Note none of these have anything morally wrong with them, so ill just be specifying the two specific things of proship) \/
Prismo/Scarab (Fionna & Cake) - The first ship I posted on Tumblr, they aren't related in any way and are both cosmic beings; they're pretty much immortal and of legal age. It's moreso the enemies to lovers appeal.
Kheirosiphon/Scarab (Fionna & Cake) - ^^ same situation, both aren't related and are legally aged adults as cosmic beings.
Scarecrow/Robot (Lost in Space) - First ship I wrote about on ao3. While they are the same robotic species it doesn't exactly make them siblings, but it was mostly up to the interpretation of the viewer on what their close relationship could be. It could've been platonic or romantic. They're also seemingly ageless as well being robots and all, but seem to be around the same age regardless.
Quirrel/Pure Vessel (Hollow Knight) - While their character designs do look similar you do start to notice in game most of the insects also look like that. They seem to be about the same age or of legal age, and only the vessels are related to eachother via the Pale King creating them, Quirrel is not a vessel nor related to them in any way.
Dredge/Singularity (Dead by Daylight) - Mostly just a crackship, I don't actually do much with it, but their dynamic is fun to write. Once again neither are related to eachother and both are of monstrous/alien origin enough to be closely sentient and alright for any sort of consensual ship material
V1/V2 (Ultrakill) - A little bit of a gray area as they aren't related in any way, but their relationship can technically be anything the viewer sees fit. They are of the same age/sentience age, but being made to look the same as a different version of a model doesn't exactly make them siblings either.
Thel Vadam/Master Chief (Halo) - Once again their writing material is lovely, and they obviously aren't blood related in anyways. And while they both are of different species, thus different ages, they're perfectly consentable adults of legal ages within their own species group. Again enemies to friends to lovers appeal ykyk.
Fl4k/Zer0 (Borderlands) - It probably looks confusing if ones never played a borderlands games but both aren't related either. While their pasts are sort of in "mystery" still and we don't get much about them, the most Fl4k has said about Zer0 is how he looks familiar. So they're both legal aged adults of both sentience and/or species, and have more of a cool friend situation going on with eachother.
Shockwave/Soundwave (Transformers) - Once more the names are similar but neither are related in any way, more co-workers than anything. Also both legally aged adults as they aren't Sparklings in any way. But one can view it as a viable ship or just that they hate eachother all the same. (I also dabble in aroace Shockwave as well so don't entirely ship this on a normal basis, sorry other WaveWave enjoyers)
Cyclonus/Tailgate & Chromedome/Rewind (Transformers) - These are both canon ships and aren't actually wrong in anyway. Legally aged adults and not related 👍
4 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hello! I was lit up by your headcanon where the person the reader meets is actually a robot holoform! Could you write this in detail with Mtmte Ratchet, Megatron and Cyclonus? You have beautiful ideas!❤(And it's okay if you don't want to do it, after all, it was a long time ago)
So I wrote the below as a set up to the actual ask. Its late, and I'm too lazy to reword it so it makes sense with the writing situation. So, just so you know! This will probably be in 3 parts. I will link the parts at the bottom of this ask.
Who knows if you're still keeping an eye on this blog or even follow me, but I'm very happy you asked me this.
I definitely didn't remember what I wrote in reference to this at first, I had to take a dive into my docs and see if I can find this. I'm so glad I did. Yes, my old writing is a bit cringey in my (overcritical) eyes, but I loved re-reading it. It inspired me in a way.
To preface, I never claimed to know a lot about MTMTE, canonically speaking anyway. I’ve only read the first three volumes (since I own them), but other than that my view of the characters has only been affected by fan-created contact. I don’t completely know the storyline of the comic series or what's happening. I just know characters really. Everything else i just make up tbh.
So, let’s dive into this! If you're like me and need some background information to set something up when reading (y/n) scenarios keep reading and enjoy my thought process. If you don’t need that extra information, I would just skip down to “Anyway, here we go!” which will be bolded so you can find it easily.
First, you have to figure out why these bots are on Earth to begin with? Undercover on a specific mission? In Hiding? Vacation? Hmmm…
I was drawn to the idea of being ”in hiding” and needing to blend in. Maybe they got separate from the Lost Light and ended up on earth and are just trying to keep a low profile. But also the idea that they are just like - fuck it, lets hang out on earth for a few years for the shits and giggles is also surprisingly plausible in my brain. (I can imagine Ratchet was just like “I need a fucking break from these idiots”)
So whichever background set-up you enjoy the most, go for it. But now, what about why they even revealed themselves to begin with… because logically why would they ever blow their cover?
Have you ever gotten so comfortable with a person and easily slip into deep conversations? Yes? No? Well that's what happened. You were talking about some trauma in your past, about how much you value truth and honesty. I’m sure (since you're on Tumblr) you’ve got some trauma that is somehow related to trust and honesty. And BOOM, the bots start to feel guilty about keeping their secret from you, especially since, at this point, there has been a lot of trust built up between you and them. (obviously if they talk about their past it will be vague enough that you could feasibly think of an earthly situation it would have happened, at least with some bots - Cyclonus I’m looking at you).
Anyway, here we go! Each bot has something REALLY IMPORTANT to show you.
Ratchet
Megatron
Cyclonus
#mtmte#maccadam#transformers#ask#holoforms#one-shot#ratchet#megatron#cyclonus#idk what else to say#also i don't have anyone to edit#besides grammerly#sorry
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
I posted 23,891 times in 2022
That's 9,107 more posts than 2021!
411 posts created (2%)
23,480 posts reblogged (98%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@lattuce
@inkyvulture
@0ptiimus
@whitephobic-cyclonus
@squicksquak
I tagged 23,888 of my posts in 2022
#deposit - 23,389 posts
#nikkiverse - 1,526 posts
#animal - 1,297 posts
#dabi - 720 posts
#megatron - 646 posts
#optimus - 596 posts
#important - 590 posts
#aesthetic - 507 posts
#prowl - 483 posts
#starscream - 447 posts
Longest Tag: 139 characters
#i am only willing to forgive incorrect pronounciation of â because it seems a lot of foreigners geniunly don't seem to be able to make that
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
130 notes - Posted October 24, 2022
#4
Love the inherent homoeroticism between death sworn enemies in Transformers fiction
142 notes - Posted January 31, 2022
#3
Raise your hands if your
•simple,
•avant-garde,
•glitter,
nail art deters the enemy and makes them defenseless too.
157 notes - Posted February 9, 2022
#2
This is not a fake tweet.
267 notes - Posted September 8, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
So many people in the fandom barely now realising Stella is abusive as if in one of the first episodes she doesn't throw heavy objects at Stolas (his plants! Which I'd go as far as to say he cares about them), yell abuse at him while he's trying to calm her down and then later on she hires Striker to kill him in classical abusive ex who doesn't want their lover to leave them fashion
And ALSO! In one of the Instagram posts she holds Stolas' wrist and he looks nervous.
Did you all really need to see someone almost get physically hit on screen to realise she's abusive? Really? There are many kinds of abuse and it has been really blatant so far, but only when she slaps him y'all realise something is wrong?
530 notes - Posted July 31, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
I don't see alot of x readers for oilslick but I love him so Im gonna write one on tumblr.
oilslick x gender neutral reader
There was no telling how strange oilslicks life would become, it was absolutely all over the place. Just last week he was testing out a new freezing agent on what was supposed to be a prisoner but instead he ended up tripping and spilling on himself instead, good thing it was a faulty mixture.
Now he was trying desperately (and failing miserably) to impress you with a less than useful smoke bomb he has been constructing for quite a while now
"so...think it will work this time" the human was slouched on oilslicks desk, pulling a cigarette from out their pocket. Oilslick however was quick to nap it from your smaller in comparison hands.
"hey! what the hell slick!"
"(y/n) you know those are banned in my lab, especially around flammables!" the robot complained above.
"you didn't answer my question, slick" you rolled your eyes and smiled.
oilslick sighed in response "the ignition key seems to be working well, the liquid isn't leaking out like last time and it looks relatively stable so I should be right in believing that we have created a relatively stable smoke bomb" the chemist sounded cheerful at this fact, seemingly pleased with the work you two have put in.
"Cyclonus will be happy"
"he better be, these took forever" and on that note, slick put the smoke bomb in the testing room before holding out his hand for you to climb onto. You made yourself comfortable after climbing up to his shoulder and sitting there.
oilslick hoped that the bomb would set off and work this time, he had just about had enough of this thing not working and embarrassing himself over and over again infront of you, all he could do now was set it off and hope for the best while you lay judgement on his work from his shoulder.
the Smoke bomb key was ignited, throwing the bomb down into the testing room and closing the door quietly once he had stepped out the room. Spark of fire, good sign. smoke started to spew out the top, covering the floor and the surroundings of the room creating a sickening thick smog, Perfect!!
But things couldn't go all well for oilslick, just last second the ignition because too much end ended up exploding the smoke bomb, sending scraps of sharp metal shooting across the room at deadly force, sticking the shards into the wall. fuck...
there was silence for a second after the shock before you broke the silence.
"Holy shit Oilslick!! that was gnarly! you could kill an autobot in one blow with that thing!-" Excitement from this new discovery plastered your face, however the same couldn't be said for oilslick who's head was now looking down, groaning with stress.
How could he have fucked up again, he was sure he made it perfect this time, yet again another failure and a horrific embarrassment infront of you....
"hey...cmon slick don't be like that, I know that look and trust me your getting better at this smoke bomb stuff everyday" you piped up, patting his shoulder slightly.
He turned to you "ya think so?"
"I know so, and that bomb in there was cool didn't you see it explode? don't get so down in the dumps you big grouch cuz you've just made one killer of a bomb"
you smiled up at the bot and he smiled back. You must admit, meeting oilslick turned your life upside down but...almost in a good way, he's pretty cool to hang out with and a cute face too. Without oilslick you wouldn't have learned any if this crazy space stuff and thats pretty awesome so. whqt happened next neither of you could explain with rational thought to anyone, it just felt right.
Slick removed his Jar placing it too the side before both of you leaned in, kissing softly. Oilslick hummed in his voice box, pleased. your human lips on his felt interesting. he would have to look for into this kind of affection he had for you, for both research and self indulgent reasons. The kiss was long but both pulled away soon, smiling like teenagers after making out in a school janitors closet or something like that.
The kiss was nice, sweet and welcoming. the feel lingering on Oilslicks derma, the same went for you, you wanted desperately to lean in for another kiss but oilslick hadn't said anything yet and you didn't want to do anything else just in case.
"that was.....very nice (y/n)" Only now did oilslick realise why he felt the need to impress you so much, it was because he was undeniably falling for your charm, he wasn't sure about love
he hadn't loved anyone before, if he was being honest the word scared him but he didn't hate you, he didn't feel the need to tolerate you. He wanted you to be with him, he enjoyed your company, we wanted to hold you and kiss you more. He was excited for what the future has to bring with you, hopefully more kisses.
you chuckled softly after he broke the comfortable silence between you two.
"do you...do you want to kiss me again?"
"absolutely, I do"
--------------
end
--------------
thank you for reading! I had lots of fun writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much!!
#tfa#transformers animated#transformers oilslick#tfa oilslick#tfa oil slick#transformers#maccadams#x reader#oilslick
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
I posted 2,634 times in 2021
542 posts created (21%)
2092 posts reblogged (79%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 3.9 posts.
I added 1,982 tags in 2021
#askies - 455 posts
#brainstorm - 239 posts
#perceptor - 218 posts
#cyclonus - 171 posts
#starscream - 166 posts
#anon - 164 posts
#rodimus - 163 posts
#tfp - 138 posts
#ratchet - 135 posts
#megatron - 133 posts
Longest Tag: 136 characters
#that one post where it's perceptor saying 'what the fuck does 🥺 mean i dont speak bottom' pasted over that panel of him yelling at megs
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
idk how someone could think of cyclonus as straight like mf is literally purple that's the gay color
274 notes • Posted 2021-04-16 22:01:38 GMT
#4
idk if I saw pharma I would nail that lil motherfucker with my fly swatter BAM his ass is splattered across five different surfaces one of them including my old reliable swatter that thing has been with me through hell and back bye pharma ya fruity ass lil shit
GET HIS ASS
301 notes • Posted 2021-10-11 00:13:57 GMT
#3
Unpopular Opinion: tfp starscream looks like a wet cat
371 notes • Posted 2021-02-17 20:10:52 GMT
#2
Soundwave's younger brother, Microwave.
oh shit new cassette dropped
629 notes • Posted 2021-05-23 15:30:11 GMT
#1
can u put cyclonus in a nursing home
images you can smell
Pt 1 || Pt 2
660 notes • Posted 2021-05-22 06:02:49 GMT
Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →
11 notes
·
View notes
Note
1. At what age did you start RPing, 4. What made you choose this muse?, 29. What are your honest thought about your muse’s canon? 38. what’s the best inspiration for your muse?
1. Ooohhh... Think.. probably with 10? Granted it was in some roleplay online games that I randomly stumbled across.. but that kickstarted my love for rp definitely :D
4. OoH WHERE to start!!
I.. hm. Okay, so starting out in IDW, I was completely infatuated with Cyclonus. (Tbh, I think I just really love purple guys and doubled with skull like features- heh👀 still would love to be his friend ahdhajshajhs)
Whirl, Whirl became my fondest love though the more and more I read about him. It started with some analyses of his behaviours on Tumblr that I read, and then me going back over the comics, and reading his wiki- Whirl's just really, bloody, FASCINATING.
Like, one's first introduction is downright dark as all hell, Whirl genuinely trying to kill himself in a very manic display. A few glimpses of his unstable mental health here and there- a few pinpointers at the bullying he was recieving in the Lost Light ( I mean, the entire crew sans Rodimus showed up at that theme night wanting to punch Whirl), or Rung endorsing his self harming and not stopping him-
I wanted to understand how and why it brought him to how he is today. And my mind kinda wandered akdjjash canon adjacant of course, but to me, Whirl is a deeply, deeply broken mech that is an example of what happens when you destroy the wrong pacifist- all he wanted was to be a watchmaker, and he was a good one, but he was beaten down to his very last will until he ultimately snapped, seeing only that violence was the answer for everything, and that was his life motto then. He hadn't done anything violent or wrong, yet was punished so extremely brutally and literally everwhere he goes, he's met with aprehension and hate- hate for what he has become at the hands of his supposed family, and not hating those who hurt him. That would break anyone, knowing that literally nobody is willing or wants to even understand him anymore. So naturally, he resorted to what made him survive the Dead End: Violence, being crazy and unpredictable with no heed for anybody else.
I also really loved his nature, his more kindhearted side. He's a mischievous gremlin with a soft spark underneath that shell- but it's under such heavy locks not even he knows anymore how to unlock it. And I wanted to try my hand at someone moraly gray with a heavy mischievous side.... and, I also wanted to have Whirl get his friends and family and maybe even a partner like I think he deserves. I am also soo fascinated with how the Empurata Procedure would / affect/s Whirl, alienating him from others and rendering him utterly unreadable and depriving him of any social affection.. incredibly cruel for his species.
Because if Whirl had perhaps been shown compassion at any point, he could've turned out much much differently, and with each day he gets compassion and love, he's slowly regaining his old self again, and learning to let his titanium heavily guarded walls down.
29. Absoloutly love it! I really only tweaked a few details, like how he got to the Senate and when and how he changed his name.. I just loove that he wanted to be a watchmaker, and what happened to him up until the Lost Light!
Granted, I believe that Whirl still has good in him, and that his chaotic, suicidial and violent side is a huge cry for help, while in the comics it's more of 'he chooses to be this because he is just that batshit crazy'.
38. Music, and John Mulaney here and there. Angsty music absoloutely fuuelllsss me and my Whirl muse :3< i have so so so many angst ideas, and I really do want to respectfully explore Whirl's more mental health history alongside his suicidial tendencies, but I also really don't wanna make anyone uncomfortable. Whirl is my muse to have fun, but equally, I'm completely fascinating and very keen on understanding what makes him tick.
#(🐦 why did the chicken cross the road?)#(the whirly chicken isn't who they seem to be)#(headcanon)#(the crow speaks)#(ask the chicken herder; me)#(thanks for the ask!)#((ajdhjahdd this got wordy but god I just really really realllyy love Whirl))
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
TRAINS
Tumblr, this is sincerely the nerdiest thing I’ve done and that’s a high damn bar. Hope you like trains.
If you’re anything like me, you enjoy trains. You think to yourself, gee, me, I like trains. I wish there were more Transformers that turned into trains. You say, there’s lots of trains out there. Why aren’t there more train Transformers? I have wondered this exact thing many times, dear reader.
There are many factors that contribute to this dearth. First, there is only one prominent character with a train alt mode in the original G1 cartoon. Second, the aesthetic choices made by most elements of the Transformers franchise since G1 have made train alternate modes difficult or unlikely. Third, it is highly uncommon for Transformers to have altmodes more than a handful of years old, or that aren’t famous or widely used at the time of their release. Considered in inverse, these challenges constitute a set of criteria that determine whether or not a train is likely to have a Transformer. The most significant reason that there are very few train Transformers is not, fundamentally, that HasTak simply don’t make many trains because of these challenges. Rather, it is that almost all of the trains toys that can be created with these constraints have already been created.
Although Transformers has featured a diversity of franchises with unique art styles, characters and toy design, HasTak have continued to draw on some of the most successful elements of the original G1 cartoon in almost all of their subsequent media. Nearly every single Transformers cartoon features Optimus and Megatron characters, and oftentimes much of the supporting cast is also heavily inspired by G1. For example, Transformers: Prime contains a Cliffjumper, an Arcee, a Ratchet, a Smokescreen, a Wheeljack, a Starscream, a Soundwave, a Shockwave, and even a Breakdown, all of whom have G1 counterparts. (ItsWalky, Transformers) Even in franchises like Transformers: Armada, where the departure from G1 templates is more pronounced, they are still invoked as a source of character names and broad strokes concepts. Armada Cyclonus is different in many particulars from G1 Cyclonus; however, both are flying evil henchmen. (ChrisMcFeely, Mendou) With the contemporary omnipresence of Generations and other CHUG lines, the already large influence of G1 has grown even more pronounced.
What has this to do with trains, you might well ask? Of all the many characters in the G1 cartoon, only one, Astrotrain, turns into a train. (ItsWalky, Astrotrain) Moreover, Astrotrain is not simply a train Transformer, but rather a triple changer; he turns into both a train and a space shuttle. (ItsWalky, Astrotrain) As noted in my Transformers: Universe essay, figures of characters with multiple alternate modes tend to be larger (although Astrotrain himself has a deluxe class figure), and often pose more design challenges. (ItsWalky, Astrotrain) This added difficulty in producing and selling toys likely has steered HasTak away from using the Astrotrain template. Indeed, although present in various comic series, convention media, and CHUG lines, a character did not use the Astrotrain template until 2020’s Transformers: Cyberverse. (MSipher) Since Astrotrain is the only template, and is demonstrably difficult to employ, the number of new train characters is severely restricted.
Of course, far from everything in Transformers is a G1 homage. Almost every franchise introduces completely new characters and designs based on the aesthetics of that franchise. However, for one reason or another, many of these aesthetics have a difficult time integrating trains. Beast Wars obviously didn’t introduce any characters that turned into trains, and Beast Wars or Machines product was on shelves for a good five years. Micheal Bay’s Transformers films, one of the dominant media pillars of the franchise since the release of the first film in 2007, focus heavily on the most sleek, modern sports cars or the most fearsome military vehicles, leaving little room for trains.
From the perspective of cartoons, Armada, Animated and other franchises largely revolved around futuristic, blocky cybertronian vehicles, which precluded the use of classic steam locomotives or even more modern diesel engines. Of course, this does not prevent the design of a train Transformer with some imagined cybertronian train mode, or a more cartoony train. Indeed, this is a route that Energon opted to explore with Omega Supreme. (RolonBolon) However, a common criticism of cybertronian altmodes is that they are somewhat unfocused, and this is particularly true of the two extant cybertronian trains. Both Omega Supreme and Titans Return Astrotrain stretch the concept of train to its very limits, and the resulting designs can be somewhat challenging to parse.(RolonBolon; ItsWalky, Astrotrain) This is not to say that these designs are objectively bad, or that this potential difficulty would prohibit HasTak from pursuing this avenue altogether. Rather, this argument is to emphasize that HasTak’s primary consideration is to sell toys. If design constraints increase the likelihood that a child will find a toy unappealing, it decreases the likelihood HasTak will create a toy with those constraints.
Trains also confront several core difficulties, independent of the aesthetic idiosyncrasies of a franchise. Trains are much larger than most other common types of vehicle, in turn making the Transformers that turn into trains much larger than their compatriots (although lord knows this doesn’t stop them from making fighter jets). Traditionally, characters that are much, much larger than their peers have, for logistical reasons, limited screen time. It is difficult for that character to be involved in the intricacies of planning a battle when they don’t fit in the same room as their allies. This limited screen time in turn makes it more difficult to sell toys.
Similarly, trains require rails to move. This creates something of an awkward dilemma from a writing perspective. Either all of your action must take place within easy reach of train tracks, or you must abandon a quite noticeable level of realism in your storytelling. The G1 cartoon opted to abandon realism, which was a reasonable choice in an environment where Megatron and the other Decepticons could themselves fly with no visible means of propulsion. However, in a more serious and dramatic show like Transformers: Prime, such a lapse would likely feel out of place and silly. Perhaps even more than size, the difficulty posed by rails complicates the inclusion of any potential train based character in a new franchise.
In the real world, trains occupy a significantly different design space than cars. Cars are a consumer good, and there are significant financial incentives to continually introduce new generations of cars. In contrast, trains tend to be costly infrastructure investments, either by companies or governments. For trains, the incentive structure runs much more towards long lifetimes, and as a result few new generations. Moreover, not only are new trains somewhat scarce, but many of the most iconic train designs are very old indeed; steam locomotives have been around for almost two hundred years.
This is a significant limitation from the perspective of Transformers alternate modes. It is extremely uncommon for a Transformer that turns into a real world vehicle to turn into something more than a handful of years older than the toy. There are some exceptions, of course; Movieverse Starscream turns into an F-22 Raptor despite the age of the plane, partially because the Raptor continues to see widespread use, and partially because it is extremely iconic. However, it is almost unheard of for a Transformer to turn into a Model-T, for example, or even old airplanes like the p-51. This is a natural consequence of the overriding imperative to sell toys; children are more likely to desire a figure that reflects something in their environment to which they have a preexisting connection. Because of both the infrequent generations of train design and the huge body of classic trains, this simple fact presents an almost insurmountable obstacle to the creation of many train Transformers.
With all these challenges, one would not be unreasonable to ask if there are any train Transformers at all. Yet there are! For all the difficulties posed, seven Transformers in the modern era are based on trains, and even more in the later stages of G1. These figures have been created because they manage to slip through all of the barriers outlined above. An inversion of our above challenges allows for the formulation of an explicit set of criteria governing the creation of train Transformers. All of the extant train figures meet one or more of these criteria; more remarkably, almost every single train that meets these criteria has a corresponding Transformer. Phrased a different way, the most fundamental cause for the lack of train Transformers is not that, for one reason or another, train Transformers are not made. Rather, it is because almost all of the train Transformers that can exist, do.
The first criteria for the creation of a train Transformer is, simply put, that it should be of Astrotrain. Although much of the proceeding discussion concerning Astrotrain was focused on limitations, he is still a G1 character, and a popular one at that. Where cartoons have neglected him, media and toylines targeted at collectors have been much kinder. Astrotrain has received a number of figures over the years, and is far from forgotten.
Second, the figure should be in a toyline largely dedicated to licensed, real world alternate modes. This avoids all the design difficulties associated with cybertronian train modes. Moreover, real world alternate modes have something of an existing natural sample space. Where a cartoon has any number of imaginary cars it could exploit, licensed vehicle focused lines can only exploit a handful of real models from a handful of real manufacturers.
Third, the figure should be of a train that is either extremely iconic, or that has come out in the last five years or so. More explicitly, it should be a train that children can have attachment to. Although this criteria stems from age of train, it encapsulates more than that. It is crucial that Transformers has two separate audiences, because of the dual ownership of the property. Hasbro aims at American children, and Takara aims at Japanese children. In the United States, trains are not widely used, and do not have the meaningful cultural impact of, say, cars. In Japan, however, where many Transformers are at least in part designed, trains are a much more normal part of daily life, and have a correspondingly larger cultural footprint. So, for a child to have attachment to a train, it should not only be new and iconic; it should be Japanese.
The first two of these criteria are for figures, and the third is for the trains used for alternate modes. Before discussing each modern figure and its relation to the first two criteria, the third criteria will be applied to gain some understanding of the scope of the crucial limiting reagent, the pool of plausible trains. When the third criteria is applied to this pool, it shrinks dramatically. Almost every train made before 1960 falls away, eliminating most steam locomotives at a blow. Similarly, all American trains are eliminated. Indeed, even most Japanese trains are eliminated. However, there is one group that remains; the Shinkansens.
The Shinkansen is Japan’s high speed rail system. The Shinkansen is iconic, especially in Japan. One of the very first high speed railways in the world, the incredible reliability of the trains, both in terms of punctuality and safety, has made it famous.(Shinkansen) The technology and trains have been exported to other countries the world over. (Shinkansen) These trains are Japanese, they are iconic, and, in part due to their widespread usage, have frequent generations. Because of all these factors, we would expect to find Shinkansens dramatically overrepresented among train Transformers, and indeed, this is exactly what we find. Of the twenty six different train molds, fully eleven are Shinkansens. More, of the eleven, eight are of the hundreds series of trains, the series containing the very first Shinkansen. This is remarkable, because there are only eight kinds of hundreds series trains; every single hundreds series train has a corresponding Transformer. (Shinkansen) Indeed, of the other three Shinkansens, two are based on or modifications of 100 series trains. Not only are the most viable series of trains dramatically overrepresented, they are represented with a stunning completeness.
Having reviewed in general what pool of trains is viable for Transformers production, we will now conduct a figure by figure survey of the 100 series trains and the existing modern train figures to examine how they relate to the first two criteria.
0 series: Shouki
The Transformer representing the 0 series of trains is the Headmasters character Shouki. The leader of the Trainbot combiner team, Shouki was released (exclusively in Japan) in 1987. (M Sipher, Shouki) Although the first 0 series trains began running in 1964, they continued running until 2008. (Shinkansen) Moreover, their status as the very first Shinkansen makes them unquestionably iconic. Although headmasters was not a line focused on realistic vehicle modes, Shouki and his team were originally developed for the pre-Transformers Diaclone line, which was. (M Sipher, Shoki). Shouki, not being Astrotrain, meets two of our three criteria.
100 series: Leaf and Spark
The 100 series of trains is represented by two characters, Leaf and Spark. Both are members of the Liner Team combiner team, and can merge to form Sixliner. Interestingly, although they share an altmode, the two are unique molds. The 100 series began running in 1985, and Leaf and Spark were released in 1991, under the Return of Convoy line, again only in Japan.(Shinkansen; Deceptitran; Repowers) Leaf and Spark are interesting, since though they themselves are real vehicles, Return of Convoy most decidedly is not focused on that. They meet one of our three criteria, namely the third. (Deceptitran; Repowers)
200 series: Yukikaze
Another member of the Trainbots combiner team, Headmasters character Yukikaze represents the 200 series of trains. The 200 series began running in 1982, and, like Shouki, Yukikaze was released in 1987. (M Sipher, Yukikaze; Shinkansen) Again like Shouki, Yukikaze meets two of the three criteria. (Most characters are not, in fact, Astrotrain).
300 series: Desire
Desire is a retool of Spark, and a member of the Train Team combiner team. Although the TFwiki identifies him as a “Hokkaido Bullet Train” , Desire has several features characteristic of the 300 series, primarily the headlights, the high seated windows, the skirt, and blue stripe. (Dr Spengler; 300 Series) Desire was released in 1992 in the Operation: Combination line, the same year the 300 series began to run. (Dr Spengler; Shinkansen) Operation: Combination was retools or redecos of existing G1 toys, many of which were real life vehicles. Desire meets two of the three criteria.
400 series: Windy
Like Desire, Windy is a member of the Train Team, and was released in the Operation: Combination line in 1992. (Rosicrucian) Unlike Desire, and all the other members of her team, Windy is not a retool of a member of the Liner Team; rather, she is a new mold. (Rosicrucian) The TFwiki identifies her as a “Yamagata "Tsubasa" bullet train”. (Rosicrucian) The 400 series was “introduced in 1992 on Yamagata Shinkansen Tsubasa services” (Shinkansen). This, in combination with the visual features Windy shares with the 400 series, is a compelling positive identification. With her release coinciding with the release of the 400 series and featuring in the Operation: Combination, Windy meets two of the three criteria.
500 series: Railspike
A member of Team Bullet Train, Railspike was one of the first modern train transformers. (M Sipher, Railspike) He transforms into a 500 series Shinkansen, accurate down to the 500 printed on his side. Railspike combines with the other members of his team to form Rail Racer.(M Sipher, Railspike) The 500 series began running in 1997, and Railspike was released in 2001 as part of the Robots in Disguise line. (Shinkansen; M Sipher, Railspike) RID was not exclusively focused on real vehicles, as it contained many Beast Wars figures, among other things, but almost all of the autobots had real alt modes. (Siax) Railspike meets two of the three criteria.
600 series: No one
The 600 series of Shinkansens doesn’t actually exist. (Shinkansen) It could be argued that Midnight Express, another modern train toy who turns into an e4 Shinkansen, is in spirit a 600 series, as the 200 series served many of the same lines.(M Sipher, Midnight; Shinkansen) However, this argument is tenuous at best, given the 400 series served entirely different routes. (Shinkansen)
700 series: Rapid Run
The third member of Team Bullet Train, along with Railspike and Midnight Express, and one of the seven modern train toys, Rapid Run transforms into a 700 series Shinkansen, specifically, the Hikari Rail Star. (M Sipher, Rapid) The 700 series began running in 1999, and Rapid Run was released in 2001. As with Railspike, he meets two of the three criteria.
800 series: Astrotrain
Although Astrotrain’s G1 toy turns into a JNR Class D51, in 2006 he received an update in the Classics line. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) Instead of his original alt mode, Classics Astrotrain turns into the more modern 800 series Shinkansen. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) The 800 series began running in 2004. (Shinkansen) Classics was a complex line with many facets; although many altmodes were made up out of whole cloth, many were also based on real vehicles at least loosely. (Nevermore) Astrotrain, being Astrotrain, meets all three criteria.
Three modern train figures have not been discussed in the survey of hundreds series Shinkansens. Two of these are Astrotrain figures; Titans Return Astrotrain and Siege Astrotrain. Titans Return Astrotrain turns into a cybertronian armored train, and Siege Astrotrain turns into an approximation of his JNR Class D51 mode. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) Both figures meet only one criteria, namely being Astrotrain. However, this is a powerful criteria indeed and in many ways can replace the third criteria of age and attachment, especially in the current collector driven market. Although children don’t have a connection to Astrotrain’s altmode, collectors certainly do. HasTak are therefore able to sell toys, the primary driver of the third criteria.
The last remaining modern train figure is… unusual, by any metric. Released in the 2014 japanese exclusive toyline Transformers:GO, Optimus Exprime is a version of Optimus Prime that can turn into a train resembling a 700 series Shinkansen, a Dragon, and can combine with other figures from the line.(SanityorMadness) This figure meets zero of the criteria, on its face. Speaking personally for a moment, I honestly don’t know how this exists, or why. It appears that one day, Takara simply decided to… make a train Transformer. In many respects, this undermines the primary thesis of this essay. It is not part of a line oriented towards realistic vehicles, it is not Astrotrain, and it's not readily identifiable as a 700 series, but rather cartoonish and genericized. If Takara made such a thing once, what is to prevent them from doing it on other occasions? Perhaps, as argued with the Astrotrain figures, the sheer power of the name Optimus Prime is enough to overcome all the strangeness of the figure and make it attractive to children. After all, G1 Optimus Prime has turned into some truly silly things. This appears to be a reasonably compelling argument, enough to at least award the figure half a criteria. Although Optimus Exprime is exceptional, the fact that it is an Optimus Prime figure makes it work where a new character might, unfortunately, not.
As mentioned previously, there are some 15 train toys that have not been discussed here, all from G1 or immediately subsequent japanese toylines. Almost every one of these is either part of the Trainbots, the Liner Team, or the Train Team, and almost all of them are Japanese trains. Although many of these are older trains, I suspect many of them, like the JNR Class D51, are iconic in their own way, although this is difficult to verify without much more in depth research. Moreover, despite the age of the trains, these figures were created in an era in which almost literally every figure was based on a real vehicle, regardless of the obscurity. Although this essay is somewhat more expansive, the general scope of the Transformers Aesthetics survey does not include G1; as a result, these figures have not been given as much attention here.
Other than the hundreds series, there is one other primary series of Shinkansens that is not as well represented in Transformers, namely the E series. There are some compelling temporal reasons this series has been ignored. The E1 was released in 1994, in the thick of Beast Wars; Takara would have been unable to release a new train figure at the time. (Shinkansen) The E2, E3, and E4 were all released at the same time, in 1997. (Shinkansen) As mentioned previously, the E4 was released as Midnight Express; it makes sense that Takara could only release one of the trains from this generation, especially given that they had chosen to use two other train figures to make the 500 and 700 series at roughly the same time. Simple explanations are more difficult for the E5, E6, and E7, which were all released much more recently. (Shinkansen) The explanation may to some extent lie in the shape of the E series; unlike the hundreds series trains, the E series does not tend to be sleek and bullet shaped, but oddly duckbilled. (Shinkansen) Perhaps the explanation lies in the aesthetics of the then concurrent cartoons; it would have been quite difficult to work trains into either Transformers: Prime or Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015).
This almost completely exhausts the pool of available trains as defined by the three criteria outlined above. Most of the other Shinkansen trains are either very niche, or some variation of the 700 series. (Shinkansen) Although it would take further research to verify, I suspect that subway cars and regular commuter trains are significantly less iconic in Japan, and therefore suffer greatly under the third criteria.
So, although there are many, many kinds of trains, for one reason or another, most of them are very difficult to make as commercially successful Transformers. Those trains that have the potential to work have almost all already been created. Moreover, those trains, like the E1, that might have at one point been viable but were not made as toys due to an accident of timing are now supremely unlikely to see release; the E1 is almost 25 years old. (Shinkansen) Although Takara has demonstrated a willingness to make a random train in the past, it was tied to Optimus Prime, arguably the strongest single Transformers character. Moreover, Takara acting on their own is increasingly unlikely in the wake of the brand unification initiated during Power of the Primes. While a train figure could theoretically be made for an older train or a less iconic, non-Shinkansen train, the difficulty these toys might encounter at general retail will likely keep them from existing. Moreover, Siege Astrotrain is, in many ways, the definitive version of the character, being hyper accurate to his robot mode and both vehicle modes. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) It is unlikely Astrotrain will receive another update for some time. This means that any new toy of, say, the E1, or a subway car, would require a new character. Given both the aesthetics of the recent Transformers: Cyberverse cartoon, and its recent end, it is unlikely that a new character with a train alternate mode could find a home there.
What does this imply for the future release of train Transformers? Depending on the aesthetics of the next cartoon, we might see a release of an E8 when it begins service in 2024. (Shinkansen) However, given that the last cartoon that meaningfully involved real vehicles was RID 2001, it seems unlikely. It seems that the hundreds series is more popular than the E series; it is possible that if and when the 900 is released, we would see a figure of that in some way, shape or form. However, the gap between the releases of hundreds series trains appears to be 5 or so years, and the 800 came out in 2004, and on a more minor line at that. (Shinkansen) Moreover, JR seems to be favoring upgrades to the 700 series, with the N700 in 2007 and the S700 in 2019. (Shinkansen). A possible 900 series seems a long way off indeed.
Given the limited potential of future trains being released, it seems the greatest chance of new train figures being realized as figures lies in HasTak choosing to revitalise some of the G1 designs. There seems to be something of a good chance of this; Takara revealed a banner with a silhouette resembling Raiden, the combined form of the Trainbots, that appeared to hint at a masterpiece release. (william-james88).
Although Siege and Earthrise have been releasing updated micromaster figures, there has not even been a whisper of a rumor about the micromaster sixteam combiners being revitalized. Updated versions of the Liner team and Train Team seem quite unlikely, especially given the shift in emphasis of Kingdom to Beast Wars. Overall, it seems that the next release of a train in Transformers will come from Masterpiece Raiden.
Well, dear reader, there you have it. Why aren’t there more Transformers trains? It turns out they’re quite difficult to make successfully, and many of the trains that could be used in this way have already been taken. In many respects, it’s truly amazing how many train figures we’ve gotten over the past few years, and how complete in particular the hundreds series is. The past is expansive, the future is somewhat bright, although more limited than one might wish. What more can one ask for?
Well, a really sick steam locomotive. Or one of the BNSF trains. How cool would that be?
Choo choo.
Works Cited
ChrisMcFeely et al. “Cyclonus (G1)” TFwiki.
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cyclonus_(G1) Accessed 9/20/2020
Deceptitran et al. “Leaf” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Leaf Accessed 9/20/2020
Dr Spengler et al. “Desire” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Desire Accessed 9/20/2020
ItsWalky et al. “Astrotrain (G1)” TFwiki.
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Astrotrain_(G1) Accessed 9/20/2020
ItsWalky et al. “Transformers: Prime (Cartoon)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Prime_(cartoon) Accessed 9/20/2020
Mendou et al. “Cyclonus (Armada)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cyclonus_(Armada) Accessed 9/20/2020
Monzo et al.“Beast Wars:Transformers(toyline)”, TFwiki,
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Wars:_Transformers_(toyline) Accessed 4/25/2020
M Sipher et al. “Astrotrain (disambiguation)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Astrotrain_(disambiguation) Accessed
M Sipher et al. “Midnight Express (RID)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Midnight_Express_(RID) Accessed 9/20/2020
M Sipher et al. “Railspike (RID)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Railspike_(RID) Accessed 9/20/2020
M Sipher et al. “Rapid Run (RID)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rapid_Run_(RID) Accessed 9/20/2020
9/20/2020
M Sipher et al. “Shouki” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Shouki Accessed 9/20/2020
M Sipher et al. “Yukikaze” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Yukikaze_(Headmasters) Accessed 9/20/2020
Nevermore et al. “Transformers: Classics” TFwiki.https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Classics Accessed 5/11/2020
Repowers et al. “Spark (ROC)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Spark_(ROC) Accessed 9/20/2020
Rolonbolon et al. “Omega Supreme (Energon)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Omega_Supreme_(Energon) Accessed 9/20/2020
Rosicrucian et al. “Windy (OC)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Windy_(OC) Accessed 9/20/2020
Saix et al. “Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)” TFwiki.https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Robots_in_Disguise_(2001_toyline) Accessed 6/13/2020
SanityorMadness et al. “Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(WFC)/toys#Go.21 Accessed 9/22/2020
S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Astrotrain(G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Astrotrain_(G1)/toys Accessed 9/20/2020
William-james88 “Possible Masterpiece Raiden Coming” Siebertron https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/possible-masterpiece-raiden-coming/44268/ Accessed 9/20/2020
“300 Series Shinkansen” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_Series_Shinkansen Accessed 9/20/2020
“Shinkansen” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen#Types_of_lines Accessed 9/20/2020
8 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Sorry I’ve been so MIA here on Tumblr, I’d like to fix that (thank you all for still loving all the Lost Light Fest stuff I posted! I really means a lot to me!)
TFNation 2019 has come and gone, and once again, here are the art pieces I contributed this year:
For some of the guests shown in the official programme:
- Animated Bulkhead (for Animated showrunner Marty Isenberg)
- Beast Machines Jetstorm (for his voice actor Brian Drummond)
- G1 Grimlock (for his voice actor Gregg Berger)
- RiD Sky-Byte (for his voice actor Peter Spellos)
And for the colouring book that was available (if anyone coloured these pages, I’d love to see it!):
- Team Rodimus from Energon
- Armada Cyclonus
Take care all, hope you’ve all been well! I promise I’ll try to be around more often! :D
- Kris
206 notes
·
View notes
Text
RULES (New! Updated, BADABING)
Welcome to Headcannons in Disguise! It has been a long time since I have rewritten the rules, but now is a great time to.
1. I will not write Rape, Pedophilia, Sparkling/Children abuse, Sexual harassment and suicidal themes. I have the right to not do your requests!
2. NSFW will be tagged, however due to the tumblr ban done quite recently, this might be difficult for me to achieve. So for right now, NSFW is on HOLD.
3. If you are Map/Nomap/Transphobe/Terf/ you are not welcome here. Just saying.
4. No OC’s please.
5. You can request up to THREE bots. No more than that. One bot for Drabbles please.
NOW TO EXPLAIN WHAT I WRITE FOR
Mod Voli (Me) writes for: Animated, G1, Prime, Armada, MTMTE/Lost Light, and Cyberverse
I write the following:
Scenarios: Scenarios are if someone gets put in a certain situation. (Ex.Imagine *insert 3 characters* reaction to their human/bot s/o dressing up as them for Halloween)
Matchups: This is a little thing I do sometimes. It usually involves someone telling me about their personality and I match them up with a bot! (Make sure you mention what universe please!)
Drabble: Basically you send me in a headcannon of a ship and I write a tiny drabble on it for you! (Ex. Tailgate is trying to cheer up Cyclonus and starts making tiny drawings for him)
65 notes
·
View notes
Text
Because I’m spiteful and I want to share this information with people who may not know about it; Transformers over the last few years in the IDW comics have been exploring gender roles and queer themes. So, as a fuck you to Tumblr’s tagging system; here is a sort list of canon Transformers who said gay rights.
Ramble cut underneath.
Knock Out from Transformers Prime. Although, not out right stated in the show, the artists alluded to it a lot. In the second Windblade mini series, it is conformed that he is a transformer equivalent of a marriage with his partner, Breakdown.
Chromedome and Rewind from More Than Meets the Eye. The original gays and the ones with the most fleshed out backgrounds. They do fall under Bury Your Gays, but with time and space being fucked in the IDW line it’s a trope with a loop hole.
Prowl from More than Meets the Eye. Did you know that Transformers can have bitter exes? Well, Prowl is the saltiest boy that has ever lived. He literally flipped that table cause his ex didn’t want to talk to him anymore.
Cyclonus and Tailgate from More than Meets the Eye. Aka a sad old man gets a tiny boyfriend. Cyclonus at first isn’t much into the whole romantic thing like Tailgate is, he’s actually downright abusive to the little guy, but it’s generally really sweet to watch their relationship grow over the issues of MtMtE.
Acree from Robots in Disguise. That’s right. That pink compact that you had in the 80s went on a murdering spree and is stealing all the local femmes. Hide your kids. Hide your wife.
So what about transgender/non binary robots? I got you fam.
In the Transformers universe, the bot picks the pronouns they prefer and often switch between them. This gets brought up a lot in the IDW comics cause what is gender when you are a mighty morphing giant robot?
Because IDW doesn’t like to play by the rules; they decided to play with this concept.
Anode and Lug from Lost Light. Look at these two beautiful lesbians. Both bots, in canon, started out with he/him pronouns then switched to she/her. Both of them only became comfortable with their gender after fleeing Cybertron and experiencing other races and their gender identity.
In short, all transformers are gay and you can’t censor it, Tumblr.
5 notes
·
View notes
Note
For the fandom/ships meme: B, D, I, J, K, Q, T, U, V, W, X, Y. (I mean, I like everything you say on fandoms, so you knew this would be fairly comprehensive.)
B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.
Oh man, there are lots for sure!! I’m a sucker for a well-written crackship, and I know I have fun writing them too :P From the last ask, starscream/optimus and jazz/soundwave were both things I’d never considered until I read a really amazing fic, and now I adore them both. Or ratchet/skywarp. That fic didn’t even GO there, but now I have a wip of my own and have already been experimenting with drift/ratchet/skywarp because why make any sense at all when i could so easily make LESS sense :P
I do it to myself too, I tossed off the idea of cyclonus/starscream as a joke, my “friends” encouraged me, and oh god suddenly I’m two fics deep in a series with at least four separate fics planned for the future. Oooh, or in a different fandom for a change, @veliseraptor threw me RIGHT down the steve/loki pit, and I’m never leaving, this is where I live now.
D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.
HMMM. I think... I don’t dislike many ships in the franchises like homestuck or transformers, where there’s a giant cast to mush up against each other. I guess I wish I had a bit more natural enthusiasm for brainstorm/perceptor. It’s really cute and I definitely do like it, I just can’t muster up much enthusiasm for perceptor in general, which puts some damper on it. I do like it a decent amount, I just wish I liked it more.
I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?
It’s made me... wary of some fandoms. Or fandom in general, in some ways. Steven Universe, if I get involved with that again, it’s going to be art and no words, because the moral policing atmosphere is just getting to be Too Much. If I wasn’t rolling around in a universe populated by nigh-immortal space robots, I’m sure there would be other stuff too, but I’ve been pretty sheltered.
J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)
Boku no hero academia is the most recent one, I think. I don’t know if I’ll ever participate in things, but I finally read the manga and loved it a lot! I caught the edges of the buzz about the Imperial Radch books, and I don’t know if I would have ever read them if I hadn’t had prior awareness when my friend brought them up, and these are some of my favorite books EVER, so I’m glad tumblr clued me in XD
K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?
Oh no, this is HARD :c The trouble with casts of thousands is that nobody can dominate the focus too hard. But when a story is super-focused on a character and how they Develop, I tend to drift away. Umm. Cyclonus and Whirl both hold a special, special, special place in my heart. Megatron probably has one of the more dramatic development arcs, even though Cyclonus and Whirl both own my heart.
Or. I know it’s not the real question. But I love characters where the story WRECKS them, even if it doesn’t quite follow through on putting them back together again. Whirl is a long ways from where he used to be, but still definitely has issues. But oh man. Prowl. STARSCREAM. The transformers comics took two proud, cold, capable assholes and broke them DOWN. And it was GLORIOUS. It’s not really the same as a development arc, because they’re both still... not in good shape. But I wouldn’t care so much if I hadn’t seen where they started and what happened to do this to them. It’s negative development, but it’s so tragic and tasty and gives me such interesting material to think about!!
Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why.
Ahh... Avatar, probably. Of all the fandoms I’ve participated in on here, that’s the one I’m least likely to return to. I think the problem is that after I did Avatar, I rolled around in Homestuck. I moved from there to Transformers. I dabbled in Marvel. The Avatar universe is very interesting, but the cast is much more limited, the universe is more constrained, and there’s One Canon.
Canon doesn’t necessarily mean that much to me, I’ll cheerfully multiship no matter what. But it’s different thinking ‘well this is canon, but what if... Other Thing’ versus ‘lmao does anyone even know how many separate continuities there are at this point’. It breaks my brain wide open. I don’t start from canon and branch out. I think that ‘well, optimus and megatron have classically had characters and shippy dynamics shaped like X, Y, and Z, so I can pick and choose bits and pieces of settings, scenarios, backstory, supporting cast, the possibilities are ENDLESS--’ Homestuck plays a lot with the idea of continuity and comics universes are one of the closest parallels I can think of to the mess that is transformers. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to playing in smaller sandboxes at this point XD
T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?
Autistic Cyclonus. Fite me.
Or, Starscream with his history and current mental health reflected in disordered eating and sleeping, with a persistent food-hoarding habit. I would say fite me, but actually, read my stories where I stick it right in the text and see how nicely it works.
U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.
Different fandoms? DIFFERENT fandoms?????? D:
1. Transformers: Starscream - he’s just... the complete disaster package. He’s vain and egotistical, competent and dangerous, but never manages to succeed and make it LAST. In IDW, he beat out massive odds to get where he is, and survived by the skin of his teeth, and has struggled and STRUGGLED and is prone to being his own worst enemy, and has sabotaged himself enough that he’s barely staying afloat despite sincerely wanting to try his best. I’m weak against all of these things.
2. oh god how am I supposed to pick a favorite homestuck character this is CYBERBULLYING. Okay. Um. I’m going to say Equius. There’s something about the Zahhaks being so stiff and cold and rigid and distant, but also somehow way too close, and swinging between antagonistic and desperate to please. I’ve done better words about Zahhaks in the past, and I’m starting to get sleepy right now, but I am ALWAYS a sucker for the characters who are a mess of contradictions and prone to sabotaging themselves :P
3. Steven Universe: Jasper - Ahahaha, one last self-sabotaging love of my life. She’s different from those others, because she’s been pretty much at the top of her game until very recently. But her issues!!! Everything to do with being the Perfect quartz (from a failed colony, belonging to a dead diamond). The pride and self-doubt are a delicious combination, especially once she gets a taste of fusion and the sense of belonging that comes with it. If I ever did write steven universe, it would have to be about here. Those contradictions and the way they pull you apart, that’s the same thing that draws me hardest to starscream, but it’s hard to do justice to the emotions when you’re writing about them, it’s got so much more impact when you show them directly instead.
V - Which character do you relate to most?
Ooooooh. This. Is tough. Ironfist is the melancholy answer, Nautica is the upbeat one. They’re both spergy engineer types with interests all over the place, who get so ENTHUSIASTIC and excited, and I’m not nearly as outgoing as either of them, but god do they ring familiar to me XD Or, Cyclonus is also a very valid candidate. Internet spock is an uncommunicative recluse, but that’s still a lot more outgoing than irl spock, and Cyclonus is many emotions turned RIGHT inward, even when it would be really, really useful to express them just a LITTLE. And all the plot that goes down between 47-55 with Cyclonus, god, it’s not like I’ve ever done anything like that, but it hits me right in the weak spot.
#spock replies#long post/transformers#starscream#steven universe#jasper#homestuck#equius zahhak#solluxisms
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
LL #1 thoughts
LL#1 felt frenetic. I think that’s the best word for it.
alright, hiding most of this behind a cut because this isn’t a well considered review, it’s just literally some of my thoughts.
frenetic pacing: I assume this is mostly due to the sheer amount of content being covered. But also: there are so many scene changes on page breaks? Which I feel like definitely contributed to the mood.
super weird reading a thing that you’ve seen tons of panels from on tumblr: yeah, not much too add to that, but it’s really weird. Also, replacing actual narrative tension with suspense about the reveals (i.e. knowing that something bad is going down with that decepticon but not knowing when it’s going to happen)
page 1: Cybernoughts are a lot smaller than I thought/remembered. Anode is going to have to try hard to win my affections because this indiana jones act isn’t winning me over yet. Partisan kneecaps is a good line.
page 2: I would die for Lug. I am very charmed by her.
page 3: teleport bracelets are an excellent idea and someone should invent some. Actually, if they’re a thing you can just make the fact Brainstorm hasn’t is a little weird. Pacing is still good thus far, you’re just a little perplexed.
page 4: Oh, of course, it’s a flashback! And Censere is here! He’s really Doctor Who-ing it up in here and his cape looks fabulous. I like that the page makes it unclear if Anode actually grabs Lug’s hand...since I have a vague notion of what will eventually be revealed.
page 5: Why is the background of this splash page so low resolution? It feels weird.
page 6: Okay, we have now spend 6 of our precious pages on Anode and Lug and none on the entire rest of the cast. I’m a little dubious about this pacing decision. I’m a little confused by the framing at the start and whether Lug is supposed to be in a pod or not? That may be intentional. And hey, Magnus! Cool.
page 7: Anode might not want to listen to a longwinded speech on the Cybertronian civil war, but I would. Also, the vague cut to outside the fortress is...disturbing. What with the bodies and all. Having Anode antagonize Magnus in her first appearance makes me feel on Magnus’s side. meh. Also, what is up with his chin? It is wrong. But the return of the Magnus practices jokes brick joke is good stuff.
page 8: This page is doing way too much. Nautica, Velocity, Roller and Rewind get a pair of panels between the four of them. And then we’re introduced to some sleazy looking Decepticons who I guess we’re gonna hate. Rapidfire appears to have an incredibly tiny waist.
page 9: Good good stuff but frustrating that it doesn’t get more time. Tailgate is so naiive that he doesn’t seem to understand that all the decepticons that they killed were people? It makes me cringe a bit, but I assume that is on purpose. Cyclonus, on the other hand, has gone through grad school as far as character development is concerned.
page 10: ANOTHER scene switch because we couldn’t look at the same character for two pages running. Ack. Swerve. I felt horrible this whole page because it kept being funny whilst also reminding me Skids was dead and I felt like I was having the wrong emotions. ALSO: SWERVE WHERE THE HECK DID YOU PUT THAT BADGE AND ALSO WHY.
page 11: this page had the highest ratio of ‘seen it’ panels to ‘new’ panels which made it a very strange reading experience. Also, I guess writing 40K words about ratchet and drift has solidified by dratchet shipping a bit because I kept resenting how little screentime ratchet and drift get together. Also still a bit prickly about how easily Drift accepted Rod’s apology back then.
page 12: my god this page. This page also wanted me to feel multiple emotions so distinct that I felt bad for not being able to pivot emotions fast enough. We dwell on Ravage’s death for a single panel, interrupted by weird slapstick comedy. agh
page 13: I like the den. It’s nice. I’m not sure if they mean like an animal den or a sitting room? Ratchet and Drift stand next to each other. For all appearances at this point JR has Doctor Who season finale’d the geobomb (huge cliffhanger end of season turns out easily solved immediately in the next season) which is irritating. Pretty sure it’s how they shifted universes but we’ll see. Also “Aw Rung - has no one told you?” is a horrifying pivot back to skids and feeling awful
page 14: I want to feel sad but this page is insistant I instead feel intense confusion, concern for rung and horror. I don’t know what’s happening here and I don’t like it. rung honey are you okay
page 15: oh look we Worf’ed Cyclonus. I’d like to see that fight cause anyone that can beat up cyclonus has got to have moves. also, his chin is wrong and I don’t like it. You can definitely see how this drama is going to shake up and I do not like. I like plots where people communicate, think about their actions and make good decisions. (this is partially a lie but ah tailgate stopstopstop and think. also, maybe see if Cy is okay first? does he need to lie down? should you call velocity???)
page 16: oh my fucking god these page transitions. Drift why the heck did you bring your Great Sword into the teleport chamber? Anode, honey, mind your business and do not touch my boy or his sword without his permission. Also, anode, did you just explode my boy? what are you doing
page 17: well, if this is a vision from Primus, Primus is pretty fucked up. Why is Grimlock there? what the hell is happening? why is there pharma (the terrible doctor) but not ratchet (the best doctor)? The wiki tells me the words on the ground mean PREPARE, CONFRONT, REPEL...which I guess will mean something eventually. I hope this vision isn’t literal because while that would be a terrifying final showdown...it would also be intensely silly.
page 18: aaaaaaaah ratchet and drift talking. last time this happened I told you the truth. is he references his vision before the Lost Light took off? Or has he been collapsing/having visions while traveling with Ratchet? Is there a chance we could see some ratchet & drift adventures??
Why are you in such a hurry, Rod? If you want Cy in charge, find him and tell him, don’t tell Whirl to tell him. Also, there are practically 0 adults left in this fortress.
AND OKAY. I need to complain about this teleporter some more. How the HECK do they fit TERMINUS, ROLLER and MEGATRON in there simultaneously? let alone them and the rest of the bots? I am so deeply confused.
page 19: nobody bothers to help drift up because they’re all monsters. Also, saw the functionist universe thing coming a mile away (because spoilers obviously). Rewind is very cute here.
page 20: ooooh reveal. the pacing here feels good but all my bots have such cute facial expressions that i’m very distracted from the horrible reveal.
page 21: DRAMA! Senators can fly! Multicolored Rung-styled protestors! more judge dredd bots. And huh, Megatron’s badge is still red. I guess he didn’t want to paint over bumblebee’s badge? Or maybe he felt memorializing ravage with a blacked-out autobot sigil was weird.
...overall, I liked it, obviously. I feel like the anode and tailgate plots are going to be that sort of awkward secret keepy plots that make me feel bad, but the functionist stuff and whatever the heck is going on with Rung is exciting! there is just...so much. So much. We needed a bigger cast?
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
My idea for a Transformers Series
So I’ve been running this idea in my head off and on for a number of years, changing it up here and there based upon whatever toys I had at the time. It’s gone by a number of different names, but these days, I like to call it Transformers: ‘Till All Are One, because the title fits, and stealing from the comics’ titles seems to be a thing these days.
Though there’d be a lot of guest stars, it would primary focus on two groups. The Autobots (Orion Pax, Kup, Perceptor, Springer, Blaster, Arcee, Blurr, and Hot Rod) and the Destrons (Megatron, Cyclonus, Soundwave, Blitzwing, Scourge, Crasher, Skywarp, and Slipstream).
Millions of years ago, the planet Cybertron was a war-torn world, until one brave Autobot discovered the lost Matrix of Prima, the first Prime, and formed the Council of 13. This ushered in an era of peace. Cybertronians colonized many worlds throughout the universe, and their peacekeeping and exploration arm, the Autobots, were renowned throughout for their heroism. This is a universe where, if you’re being invaded, plagued by natural disasters, or even need a diplomat, you call in the Cybertronians. You’re happy when they show up.
The greatest of these were brothers-in-arms, Orion Pax and Megatron.
On a mission to protect an alien world from deadly invaders, Orion and Megatron lead their teams into battle, alongside other Autobots. During this conflict, Megatron is blasted into a chasm, seemingly lost. Orion and the others press on, but are stymied against the invaders. Fortunately, Megatron did not die, and makes his reappearance saving the others. The day is saved. But something about Megatron seems different… he’s colder, harder, more brutal. Orion writes it off as a temporary side effect of his near death experience.
Later, Pax and Megatron’s teams are acting as security for a peace conference for another pair of alien species. But just because the peace agreement can be signed, Megatron kills both rulers, declaring that both were weak and unfit. His team stands with him and battles Pax’s’s team, until they make their escape.
This would cover the first half of the series, with Pax’s pursuing Megatron’s, and both sides gaining new allies from other Autobot teams. One major conflict would see Pax alone, fighting Megatron’s specialized troops, the Combatrons and their combined form, before eventually being rescued by the Technobots. Other highlights would include Science Station Alpha (home to numerous scienecy Autobots like Jetfire and Wheeljack), the Wreckers (led by Ultra Magnus), and the Mayhems (led by Bludgeon).
Another mission would see Pax’s team, having lost Megatron’s trail, responding to another distress call from an Autobot team, the Dynobots. On that planet, they would discover monstrous robotic creatures hunting them, and the remains of the Dynobots’ ship. They would eventually discover those creatures ARE the Dynobots, now the Dinobots, reformatted to survive this hostile world and its hostile creatures.
Eventually, Pax and his side would capture Megatron and his followers, and bring Megatron to trial before the Council of Thirteen. Led by Sentinel Prime, with the rest made up of Star Saber, Victory Leo, Metalhawk, Fortress, the Minicon Sparkplug, Dail Atlas, Shockwave, Scorponok, Ratbat, Thunderwing, and the paired generals, Obsidian and Strika. Megatron would make an impassioned speech about the rightful peace of tyranny over the lesser species… and the Council would break over it, with Shockwave, Scorponok, Ratbat, Thunderwing, Obsidian, and Strika siding with him. Full conflict would escalate, and Sentinel Prime would be killed. Soon, it would seem as though the whole Cybertronian race has erupted in Civil War.
Alpha Trion, however, would reveal what has happened to Megatron, by first telling the origin of their race. In the beginning, the Light Gods warred with the Dark God Unicron, until only one remained. The Light God Primus destroyed Unicron, scattering his essence to the cosmic winds. His energy mostly depleted, Primus transformed himself into a world, Cybertron. From that, he breathed life into 13 beings…
Prima, keeper of the Matrix, and the first Prime.
Liege Maximo, the Warrior
Megatronus, the Gladiator
Artemis, the Hunter
Vector, Master of Time
Micronus, the Explorer and first minicon
Onyx, the first beast
Nexus, the first combiner
Amalgus, the first multi-changer
Solus, the Maker
Loci, father of the Titans
Inquirius, the Seer
…and Apha Trion himself.
It was these 13 who began Cybertronian civilization. Primus had charged them with creating a new race to guard the universe in his place, and to that end, Solus crafted Vector Sigma, to which they each contributed a portion of their sparks, so that Cybertronians descended from each of them would be born.
But even in destroying Unicron, some small part of his dark energies remained with Primus, and he passed these dark energies to Liege Maximo and Megatronus. It corrupted them, turned them against the others. They killed Solus and set the civilization of Cybertron to war. One by one, the Thirteen died or left Cybertron, until only Alpha Trion remained. Worse, the dark energies of Unicron had spread throughout the universe when he was destroyed, leaving little hidden pockets of corruption throughout it. To most beings, they were harmless. But to the 2/13th’s of the Cybertronian population descended from Liege Maximo and Megatronus… they were instantly corrupting, bringing out the very worst in them. And worse, acting like a virus, spreading one from host to any other receptive beings. Beings like Megatron and his followers. On that alien world, Megatron had plunged into a wellspring of this energy, and come out with his worst impulses and desires brought to the surface.
And now, Alpha Trion declares, the Cybertronian race will need a new leader. He bestows the Matrix upon Orion Pax… transforming him into Optimus Prime.
From here, the conflict only escalates, taking teams of Autobots and Destrons to the far corners of the galaxy, awakening the lost Titans Omega Supreme and Trypticon, encountering the sinister Quintessons and rescuing the wildboy Cybertronian Wheelie, finding the lost Autobot Colony of Junkion, the hidden school of Cyberninjas and the warriors Drift and Nightbird…
Until the conflict finally reaches the planet that was directly below when Primus destroyed Unicron, the place that holds the bulk of his essence. A massive battle wages, with Optimus Prime taking on Megatron personally. Losing, he desperately reaches out to his brother in arms, his friend.
For a moment, Megatron is himself again. But it matters little. Bringing so many Cybertronians who hold a part of him to this world has awakened Unicron. He drains the dark energy from the Destrons, freeing them, and transforming the world to his familiar form. The Cybertronians flee into space…
But Megatron and Prime are trapped within. They battle to the core of Unicron, brothers in arms once more. There, they realize that they could destroy Unicron, but it would cost them their lives. Prime could open the Matrix, while Megatron holds off Unicron’s defenses…
Instead, Megatron rips the Matrix from Prime, and hurls him from Unicron. Megatron knows that, however corrupted he was by Unicron, the impulses were still his, the plans for tyranny still his, his weapons that slaughtered many. There can be no forgiveness for him. He begs the universe, begs Primus, to let him have enough good left in him for this. He opens the Matrix… And sacrifices himself to destroy the Dark God…
The universe is saved, but the reputation of the Cybertronians may have been irreparably damaged, the Matrix is seemingly gone, and Orion Pax has lost his brother…
@cryoverkiltmilk, @thefingerfuckingfemalefury, @alchemyprime, you’re my TF buddies on Tumblr. What do you think?
8 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Edit: Okay, at long last the femme zine is uploaded! Thank you so much to everyone for your patience with the long, long time it took me to assemble it. My life’s been a bit hectic with two jobs (meaning 17.5 hour work days when I’m doing both in the same day), holiday panic, and my Grandmother’s being tested for cancer, so.... thank you for not getting too upset with me. For my contributors, I’ll be checking my emails with you to see if I’ve got your requested Transformer in there, and if not I’ll email you about who you would like me to draw for you. :) Without further ado, here’s the second femme zine.
Hi! Okay so last year I did the first Femme Zine largely because I really wanted a collection of femme art to look through whenever I felt like looking at femme art (which is… Fairly often. As in, weekly), especially since a number of them don’t get much spotlight at all. There was more interest than I’d expected, which was really fantastic, and some people were also interested in a second femme zine so that’s what this is. :D The submission period is almost half a year because I want to make sure that everyone who’s interested has plenty of time to get something done, especially if they have various things that result in them taking awhile to complete a picture.
There isn’t a maximum up number of submissions since this zine, like the first one, is going to be purely digital (I considered looking into printing, but the idea quickly became overwhelming, so that is a possibility for next year).
Start date: February 18th, 2017
Deadline: August 19th, 2017
- This is to ensure that people can still submit even if their schedule is busy or if they have something like RSI that makes drawing a full picture take awhile (especially if they want to draw more than one piece).
- Please note that you can post your submissions on Tumblr, dA, AO3, etc. whenever you want. Just link to the submission post so that others can check it out and see if they want to contribute too! :)
Character list
- The zine isn’t accepting OCs, as the goal of this zine is to show art of official characters.
- Humans (i.e. Carly, Astoria, Varity) are acceptable, since the zine is also accepting holoforms so there’ll be humans in the zine anyway and the human ladies don’t get much spotlight either.
- Female holo-avatars for characters who are referred to as mechs/males (i.e. Cyclonus) are accepted. If you see a character as female that official media says is male (i.e. Soundwave, as I’ve seen people apply female pronouns to the character) we can certainly discuss adding them.
What contributors get: A thank you drawing from me of a favourite Transformers character (busts, waist ups, or full bodies with flat colours or simple shading and patterns in the background if it works with the image). If you draw multiple images, I can draw multiple characters in one image, or a selection of images for you.
Where to send submissions: [email protected]
Subject line: [Femme zine 2 submission]
Info to include in the submission email:
• Name of the character you’ve drawn (so I can put it under the little preview image on the
contributor page)
• Preferred username for the contributor page
• Preferred blog/profile/webpage link for the contributor page
• (Optional) A donation button/commission post link to put on the Itch.io page once the zine is complete
Note: Contributor emails won’t show up on the contributor or Itch.io pages unless the contributor requests it
File type (and other) requirements are in the second and third pics at the top of the post. :) I look forward to seeing what you create~!
Credit: The images in the ‘header’ image were made by @dronesandsweekers, @idigoddpairings, and @jo-robo for the first zine.
137 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
albinouzimport-blog
Untitled
yznej-blog
Sin título
erixpearl-blog-blog
Flora Pearl
pastelmilky
Pastel Milky's art