mochifiction

[mochifiction]

I think this is my first Tumblr post? Thought I’d check out this white hot new app

(It’s James Roberts — just realised that my username gives nothing away)

There may be some MTMTE fans on here who (wisely) avoid Twitter etc and so may not know about the MTMTE Notebooks and Scriptbooks that I make available once a year

These exclusive behind-the-scenes books are essentially creator journals chronicling the evolution of the series, containing pitches, concepts, character thumbnails etc that I worked on ahead of and during the comic’s run

If you’d like to find out more, email mtmte.books@gmail.com and I’ll send you the details

Oh, and I have zero reach on here, so I’d be grateful if anyone who finds this and is a MTMTE fan could repost, or whatever the Tumblr term is

Thank you!

[mochifiction]

Guys did you also think about the fact that Bumblebee's helm into he first scene he appeared in tf one looks like an empurata helm????

Like... look at Damus' head

It makes sense for Bumblebee

He kind of was!??!!?? Cast away, ostracized, almost gone mad from loneliness and solitude. Like I feel that was a way for the animators to tell us it happened but without bringing the very dark concept of empurata in tf one-

Aaaaaah I literally pointed at the screen when I saw that in theaters and whispered to my friend "WAIT IS THAT EMPURATA? IT EXISTS?" but it was Bumblebee

[mochifiction]

Introducing: TRANSFORMERS FOR PALESTINE

Have you wanted to help Palestinians but didn't know how or didn't have a way to ? Do you like transformers ? This is a way you can directly help !!!

We're holding a raffle event to fundraise for Ruba and Iyad's families ! (You can see our introduction for them here along with vetting details)

Interest Check is OPEN from October 23-30 !!

This project means a lot to us so it would be greatly appreciated if you could fill out the form linked above so we can gauge the level of interest for this :] Artist applications will be up next week and the form for purchasing raffle tickets will be up the week after !

How it will work (subject to change) :

☆ A raffle ticket can be purchased by donating just $5 USD or more to their campaign and you can donate and enter as many times as you want !

☆ A winner (or even several if we have enough artists !) will get selected randomly every week for one month and they will get a personal commission from one of our artists !

★ We have 1 artist working with us currently but the more the merrier ! If you can't donate, you can absolutely contribute as an artist :]

Our askbox and dms are open if you have any questions at all

FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS !

[mochifiction]

AAAAA NOBODY EVER TALKS ABOUT MEGATRONUS AND SOLUS I LOVE THEM SM 😭

somewhere deep in the universe all the good things have aligned

[mochifiction]

As someone who agrees with a decent amount of the pre-war Decepticon party’s views in certain continuities, some of y’all new fans are starting to piss me off with your belief that D-16 was correct in Transformers One. As someone who does a lot of community organizing and writes on sociopolitical theory vs. practice, especially within the context of the anti-colonial struggle (as well as the Black struggle simultaneously or separately depending on the context), a lot of the reasons you all choose to support D-16 and diss on Orion are actually obscene and you need to crack open a book. I normally don’t like shoving theory in people’s faces, as I think that it comes with a pedantic demeanor that relies on belittling people and feeding a moral superiority complex amongst academics. However, this is one of the cases where I think a lot of people truly need to take the time to read into why D-16’s emotions and initial reactions are valid, but the decisions he makes in providing solutions are wrong. That being said, I will be writing a paper on D-16’s fall from grace in conversation with Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” because a lot of the ways in which Freire discusses how the oppressed become their oppressors in the name of liberation, which is no fault of their own in some areas, is relevant to D-16’s transformation into Megatron. A lot of you are thinking with a more pathos-based means of societal change without thinking about realism, practicality, and actually analyzing D-16’s character and why he does what he does. It is more so an attempt at self-preservation and closure from embarrassment (specifically from taking the bait and living as a conformist) than an actual attempt at political change. I also encourage new fans to get more acquainted with Transformers continuities to better round their perspectives, as a lot of this is turning into the “Killmonger was right” discourse, which is problematic for a lot of reasons as a Black scholar who discusses Blackness, representation, and political discourse often in their writing. Seeing these really bad takes spread online, not only hurts how people interact with Transformers media in the future, but arguably indicates a rise of certain short-sighted political philosophies that translate directly into activism.

[mochifiction]

“你护着我，我护着你？”

“当然。”

Run to the future

[mochifiction]

welcome new transformers fans from tf: one, i hope you're ready to not understand anything in the fanfiction until you've read a dictionary on terminology

[mochifiction]

LETS GO

[mochifiction]

Transformers One isn't changing the established lore y'all because there is no established lore

[mochifiction]

Exactly this.

SPOILER WARNING

One of the biggest things Orion is criticized for in this film is “not following protocol,” when his actions were fueled by, not just ambition, but kindness and a deep desire to ensure the safety of others. Orion broke protocol to save Jazz, choosing the value of life over the value of his job. Orion originally tried to help Alpha Trion get up and stayed when Sentinel’s men found them until he was told to leave. These are just two examples of how Orion’s concerns have always been directed towards others. He wanted to end the mining shifts because of the brutal physical and arguably mental conditions that have definitely led to early deaths. He wanted to also remind those above them in class as well as themselves that miners have minds and power, even when disadvantaged by a lack of a t-cog. I’d even argue that them running in the Iacon 5000 could be interpreted as sending a message to those above them that they are sentient beings who truly control their energon reserves. They mine for it. They keep the planet running. It was a reminder that protocol and societally-induced markers of powerlessness are a thin line keeping them from fighting back.

Orion’s ambition isn’t stupidity and “immaturity” as Motta believes, but rather a large sense of urgency that is misconstrued because it breaks the status quo of, not just his society, but arguably some of the audience’s imposed protocols on him. People get uncomfortable when the quiet things are said out loud, when revolutionaries refuse to go about things that would get them a “pretty picture” or an “invite to the senate,” something that would be considered societally approved forms of protest. Sentinel wanting him and D-16 to parade around the mines and get people to work harder as symbols of success is that “pretty picture” reward of protest that makes the government seem like like they’ve listened, but actually only induced more complicity (It actually reminded me of the Victory Tour in The Hunger Games). Orion seemed visibly hesitant and resistant to these “rewards” because he understood that his ideas and demands were not met, that an equal society is not what Sentinel was envisioning. Orion also flipped off Darkwing, both for humor, but also for the writers to point out that his supposed short-sightedness is born out of a passion for others around him to get the justice they deserve. That is not to say he’s perfect, but what revolutionary is? What revolutionary has had perfect books on radical theory? What revolutionary hasn’t had a whopping flaw about them that you have to take into account when reading their work? Orion is real. He’s human. He himself even admits that he is short-sighted sometimes. That admission is, not just character development on his part, but also what makes him such a strong political agent. He doesn’t yield until his demands are met. He doesn’t buy into “rewards” that try to bribe him into complicity. He understands the power of studying history, which I would argue, fuels his ability to see through Sentinel’s shit and gives him more urgency to find the Matrix to save his people from more tyranny. And most importantly, he isn’t perfect. He doesn’t always say the right thing. He isn’t the stereotypical “wise man” Optimus Prime trope that people are criticizing him for not having (*cough* Danny Motta), and it’s important that he doesn’t. Being seen as a member of the common man is something Orion has struggled with in other continuities due to class, which often causes the schism between him and Megatron. However, that’s taken away in this. Orion is a member of the oppressed class who understood from the start the power of protest and vigilance in avoiding manipulation (something he practices through historical study). He knew a “pretty picture win” wasn’t good enough and actual change to save lives was. It’s absolutely brilliant.

I’m totally not back for some Late Night Transformers One discourse…who said that…I wanna address something I’ve seen in some of the feedback for the film that, I don’t know, irks me…? One of these things is the fact that “Orion is an asshole” or “immature and stupid” and therefore people don’t like him. I don’t know how to say this, but…he’s like that in a lot of continuities. Orion, in most variants, is a smartass. He has a mouth which gets him both a platform and also in trouble. He also has a habit of seeing short-term solutions to long-term issues. These are things that have existed for a long time, and I think those who have been calling him unlikeable or an ass haven’t seen his variants in the source material. People who also expected him to be a data clerk and throwing a fit about the fact that he’s not also need to realize that it’s a COMIC FRANCHISE. You won’t get the same story every time, and to expect a new continuity to fall back on the sole continuity YOU want is honestly insane. If we regurgitate the same narrative over and over again, the franchise loses originality. Audiences for other franchises have also voiced disdain when their favorite pieces of media get repetitive. This is also a reminder to people that Orion Pax and Optimus do not have the same exact personalities. That’s the whole point and why some people grieve Orion’s absence. To expect him to be the likable gentle giant we know as Optimus Prime right away is an impossible demand to be met. Not only that, but this isn’t even the film relying on one version of Orion, but a mosaic of them all.

I also saw people saying D-16 switched on Orion way too quickly. I’d also argue here that other continuities did similar behavioral changes. In Aligned, Megatronus literally turns his back on him and abandons him at the Council meeting. The behavior is shockingly abrupt, which hurts Orion because he didn’t understand what he could have possibly done wrong. I’d also argue that, in this film, you see multiple times where D-16 is irritated with Orion’s sense of almost immature and irresponsible justice. It’s subtle but then leads to a quick snap. The behavioral change is supposed to be jarring. You’re supposed to feel like it comes out of nowhere.

I am half asleep writing this so I can make another in-depth post when I’m more alive, but I just wanted to remind people they only had an hour and forty minutes to display how a civil war occurs. That’s very hard to do as someone who studies and writes about revolutions and anti-colonial resistance. With the time they had, it was a good job. I only pray people read the source material before giving CinemaSins-esque critiques as well. No Transformers film is perfect. This one definitely wasn’t trying to be.

[mochifiction]

No literally this. The writers showed Orion was intelligent in so many was.

1- He was shown to have been getting irritated that a lot of the archival records were repetitive, showing HOW MUCH HE’S ACTUALLY READ. Megatron literally mentions how sneaking into the archives is notorious behavior for Orion.

2- At the Iacon 5000, Orion clearly showed intelligence in getting into the race and also performing IN the race without a T-Cog.

3- Orion recited historical information with Alpha Trion he knew from his visits to the archives. Even now he’s still a bit of a historian.

4- He was making up the best strategies he could with his limited battle experience. He was SMART in this movie and politically passionate. Conflating ambition and extroversion with stupidity is, in of itself, a lack of media literacy.

I’m totally not back for some Late Night Transformers One discourse…who said that…I wanna address something I’ve seen in some of the feedback for the film that, I don’t know, irks me…? One of these things is the fact that “Orion is an asshole” or “immature and stupid” and therefore people don’t like him. I don’t know how to say this, but…he’s like that in a lot of continuities. Orion, in most variants, is a smartass. He has a mouth which gets him both a platform and also in trouble. He also has a habit of seeing short-term solutions to long-term issues. These are things that have existed for a long time, and I think those who have been calling him unlikeable or an ass haven’t seen his variants in the source material. People who also expected him to be a data clerk and throwing a fit about the fact that he’s not also need to realize that it’s a COMIC FRANCHISE. You won’t get the same story every time, and to expect a new continuity to fall back on the sole continuity YOU want is honestly insane. If we regurgitate the same narrative over and over again, the franchise loses originality. Audiences for other franchises have also voiced disdain when their favorite pieces of media get repetitive. This is also a reminder to people that Orion Pax and Optimus do not have the same exact personalities. That’s the whole point and why some people grieve Orion’s absence. To expect him to be the likable gentle giant we know as Optimus Prime right away is an impossible demand to be met. Not only that, but this isn’t even the film relying on one version of Orion, but a mosaic of them all.

I also saw people saying D-16 switched on Orion way too quickly. I’d also argue here that other continuities did similar behavioral changes. In Aligned, Megatronus literally turns his back on him and abandons him at the Council meeting. The behavior is shockingly abrupt, which hurts Orion because he didn’t understand what he could have possibly done wrong. I’d also argue that, in this film, you see multiple times where D-16 is irritated with Orion’s sense of almost immature and irresponsible justice. It’s subtle but then leads to a quick snap. The behavioral change is supposed to be jarring. You’re supposed to feel like it comes out of nowhere.

I am half asleep writing this so I can make another in-depth post when I’m more alive, but I just wanted to remind people they only had an hour and forty minutes to display how a civil war occurs. That’s very hard to do as someone who studies and writes about revolutions and anti-colonial resistance. With the time they had, it was a good job. I only pray people read the source material before giving CinemaSins-esque critiques as well. No Transformers film is perfect. This one definitely wasn’t trying to be.

[mochifiction]

I’m totally not back for some Late Night Transformers One discourse…who said that…I wanna address something I’ve seen in some of the feedback for the film that, I don’t know, irks me…? One of these things is the fact that “Orion is an asshole” or “immature and stupid” and therefore people don’t like him. I don’t know how to say this, but…he’s like that in a lot of continuities. Orion, in most variants, is a smartass. He has a mouth which gets him both a platform and also in trouble. He also has a habit of seeing short-term solutions to long-term issues. These are things that have existed for a long time, and I think those who have been calling him unlikeable or an ass haven’t seen his variants in the source material. People who also expected him to be a data clerk and throwing a fit about the fact that he’s not also need to realize that it’s a COMIC FRANCHISE. You won’t get the same story every time, and to expect a new continuity to fall back on the sole continuity YOU want is honestly insane. If we regurgitate the same narrative over and over again, the franchise loses originality. Audiences for other franchises have also voiced disdain when their favorite pieces of media get repetitive. This is also a reminder to people that Orion Pax and Optimus do not have the same exact personalities. That’s the whole point and why some people grieve Orion’s absence. To expect him to be the likable gentle giant we know as Optimus Prime right away is an impossible demand to be met. Not only that, but this isn’t even the film relying on one version of Orion, but a mosaic of them all.

I also saw people saying D-16 switched on Orion way too quickly. I’d also argue here that other continuities did similar behavioral changes. In Aligned, Megatronus literally turns his back on him and abandons him at the Council meeting. The behavior is shockingly abrupt, which hurts Orion because he didn’t understand what he could have possibly done wrong. I’d also argue that, in this film, you see multiple times where D-16 is irritated with Orion’s sense of almost immature and irresponsible justice. It’s subtle but then leads to a quick snap. The behavioral change is supposed to be jarring. You’re supposed to feel like it comes out of nowhere.

I am half asleep writing this so I can make another in-depth post when I’m more alive, but I just wanted to remind people they only had an hour and forty minutes to display how a civil war occurs. That’s very hard to do as someone who studies and writes about revolutions and anti-colonial resistance. With the time they had, it was a good job. I only pray people read the source material before giving CinemaSins-esque critiques as well. No Transformers film is perfect. This one definitely wasn’t trying to be.

[mochifiction]

you think minimus has ever accidentally tripped in the magnus armour and it just, like,, breaks into pieces like lego? 

[mochifiction]

If you have enough funds, please consider donating to

Guide on donating e-sims

[mochifiction]

I Saw Transformers One Early Last Week. Let’s Talk About It!!! (SPOILER FREE)

EXPECTATIONS

I’m going to be honest, I had very very low expectations for this movie for a multitude of reasons. The first was the cast, particularly choosing celebrity hires instead of professional voice actors for a franchise where dialogue delivery means SO MUCH historically and the present. I like Chris Hemsworth, I do, but I am so attached to Orion Pax that I did NOT see him as someone fit for the role. I was also afraid of it becoming a WFC situation where the VA tries TOO HARD to be Peter Cullen. I am also a huge fan of Elita One, and Scarlett Johansson was not my first choice by any means. The one thing giving me hope was the fact that Scarlett and Chris interact SO WELL in their films together and in press releases and they do give off that Orion and Elita energy sometimes. Regardless, I was skeptical.

Now for the big thing: I was very nervous how they were going to handle the politics and the buildup that leads to Megatronus and Orion’s separation. It is no secret that Pre-War Cybertron in many continuities begins with a very corrupt and fascist Senate. Corrupted Senators, capitalistic manipulation and unethical abuse, dehumanization, corporal punishment, you name it, Cybertron had it. The concepts of functionalism, shadowplay, mnemosurgery, and empurata also come to mind. It is also no secret that the United States is on the brink of total fascism. A lot of Pre-War Cybertron’s themes, particularly the Decepticon cause in its early days as a movement, emphasized the elimination of the oppressive regime and reconstruction with an end to the very infrastructure that caused class division and brutalization of Cybertronian bodies. Not only this, but Megatronus and Orion’s schism often comes because of class, particularly privilege and lack thereof, which is something that often happens in revolution. Those with more privilege often think that reform can happen underneath the system that looms over them, just with a switching of a guard and elimination of a few policies. They are often ones who partook in and benefitted from the system by birth or for the sake of survival. Those who come from the lower classes want to burn the entire system down, understanding in its entirety that its very infrastructure is unstable and is not sustainable, no matter who is in power. Examples of this divide despite deep friendship and similar ideas is Andres Bonifacio and Jose Rizal of the Philippines (as a Filipino). Orion, in most cases coming from a privileged background, saw hope in simple reform after extracting the corrupt portions of the federal structure. Megatronus, who fought his whole life to be deemed as sentient, understood that the entire system was diseased and could not go on. It would just eventually continue its horrid practices. I can go on a tangent about this, as someone who studies and writes on anti-colonialism, but that’s another post for another day. My concern based on the trailers was that it would address NONE of that and there would be some watered down conflict that removed the nuances and political passion behind a lot of other continuities. The trailers, to me, were not giving me enough proof that it would be handled correctly.

Initial Experience

My theater was filled with mostly adults of various ages who were fans of different continuities. Some people were even talking about how they thought the movie was going to suck, including me with my dad, who has been a fan since G1 in the 80s and was going in blind. However, throughout the entire film, the whole theater was laughing, gasping, cheering, clapping, and screaming. Afterwards, there were people who were literally talking about how it was the movie they’d been waiting for after years of disappointment. Someone literally shouted when leaving the theater that he was so excited for September when everyone else could see it. My dad, who has not been a fan of recent Transformers material, talked nonstop about how much he loved it. Me personally, I was BRIMMING with excitement afterwards, which is huge given that I was ready to criticize the movie’s every move. Let me get into why- note this is SPOILER FREE.

Orion Pax

Believe it or not, I really liked TF1’s Orion. He was witty, had the snark of Aligned Orion, and clearly had a goal in mind: to entirely shift the status quo by breaking the class distinction. He was extremely optimistic like most versions, something that is often criticized in the fanbase, and is also criticized in the film. However, the qualities that G1 created and the Bayverse destroyed were THERE. Orion was a DORK. He was KIND. He CARED for people deeply, even if they weren’t necessarily thinking about him. He was a KNOWN PROBLEM-SOLVER. His intelligence is noted MULTIPLE times. He really is authentically Orion. I’ll do a more in-depth analysis in September.

Megatronus/ D-16

Now, THIS MAN WAS AMAZING. I am so used to the source of his anger being solely lower class-based oppression amongst other things relating to that. The film offered another option, which I will not disclose, but I thought it was a wonderful addition. I will keep my mouth shut about D-16’s personality in this film because it’s a secret, but just know this new take on Megatronus was a bit refreshing and gives new material for both fan continuity writers and fanfic writers.

Elita

I was honestly scared to see how they would portray Elita, especially with their track record of solely making her Optimus’s love interest and killing her off. I also was afraid that they would turn her into a white feminism caricature, which I can go into depth about for clarification if anyone needs it. However, the writers take feminism for Elita and take a much more in-depth route. I found her well done. She was giving mother in this film, absolutely brilliant. There will be an analysis on her as well in September, especially since they have so much intended room for her.

Worldbuilding and Additional Characters

I think that with about an hour and a half, it would have been SO HARD to create an entire world of deep political brutality and nuance like the comics directly. So, I think the writers created a framework that was good enough to convey the fascist undertones of Cybertron while also leaving so many avenues to explore and elaborate on for future films, whether they be prequels or sequels. Some characters were added in with a bit of context, but no in-depth explanations. While I would normally say that’s a downside, I think that it was actually really smart on their part. If you tried to add all of these complex stories from the comics in an hour and a half film combined with everything else, it would have likely been underdeveloped and left more questions and holes than answers. By removing that, I think that it was a smart move to expand on in their own time and with good pacing. Besides, the presence of some characters was very enjoyable and kept the audience I was with wanting more from them. Not in a “there wasn’t enough of them” way at all, but instead a “they were so cool in the short time they were here I need more now” way. Everyone in this continuity gets a new and different start. I honestly think it would give fan continuity writers motivation to continue what they’re doing, now that basic and consistent pre-war plot lines have been redone. I think for how long the movie is, they did a great job.

Additional Thoughts

I think that everything was pretty well done. The pacing was especially important, given we were supposed to witness a buildup in such a devastating “divorce”. That isn’t done lightly, and they made sure that they built it up enough to where the final blow was devastating. It was SO DEVASTATING that people in my theater were gasping left and right. The comedy was well done, as someone who hates poorly-written jokes for laughs. It fit into the characters’ personalities well, that’s what made it work well. It didn’t feel forced because that’s just how that particular character is. I also think that, as a fandom, sometimes we get too wrapped up in very specific characterizations of these individuals to the point where we refuse new ideas. I was extremely guilty of this. However, this film was truly made by someone that loved the franchise and knew exactly what the fans wanted. Brian Tyler, who did the score for TFP, also doing the score for this film was proof of that (as someone who absolutely ADORES film scores as a musician) There was a good amount of brutality within the rating of the film, so bayverse fans who are itching for something shockingly horrible are in for a surprise. I also think that it knew its boundaries well and moved not to push them while also being considerate of certain audiences who may be a bit younger. It was a good restart, especially for animated Transformers films, and I think that they can really build it into something great. This was a very sound foundation and I was not disappointed.

ALSO, THERE IS A MID AND POST-CREDIT SCENE SO DON’T LEAVE IMMEDIATELY

[mochifiction]

Am I back with more Transformers Bloodborne designs? Yes! I would also like to say that, in terms of the structure of Cybertron in this continuity, I have made some adjustments that are different from the posts I’ve previously made. However, I think that they were done in the continuity’s best interests! So, please meet Elita One: The Prime Minister of Carcer! Elita is not of noble blood. Rather, she was an attendant for the previous Prime Minister’s conjunx endura. She learned early on that, if she was not part of the upper class, most importantly if they did not see her as worthy of their time, she and others like her were no better than cogs in a machine. So, she remained calculating, playing her part. However, she was quick to learn in her work that the Prime Minister had exported Carcer’s resources without any intent of advocating for aid on behalf of Carcer to the Cybertronian Senate. Elita understood that things could stand as they were no longer, instead working on unifying Carcer’s people in secret. She used her privilege and knowledge to provide aid, setting up hidden libraries of literature and energon. She taught what she learned in a world they deemed so impossible to engage with. The people loved her, stood by her, and had great faith in her. Elita was a vessel for the people, determined to bring justice and independence to Carcer as their own intergalactic state. Revolution didn’t come overnight. It took quite some time, but by the power of the people, Elita took the role of Prime Minister and made it very clear upon her first appearance to the Senate that she did not yield to any banner, flag, government, or man unless they were of Carcer. She surprised senators with how she saw through false promises. She even called out the abuse some senators inflicted on their own attendants. It was through this she developed friendships with Soundwave, the attendant of Senator Ratbat with supposed “magical” properties. Her open criticism of the Senate also earned her a deep kinship with Senator Shockwave, who invited her to his charity galas and discourse meetings with those under his reign. He was a genuine man, a GOOD man. Elita saw early on they had the same interests, and they corresponded frequently, even if she was not on Cybertron. It was through him she met the darling scholar Orion Pax, Iacon’s best student. It was the two of them that sparked the embers of reform and resistance when Shockwave was murdered. She refused to let the Senate forget it. Senator Shockwave was their last thought before the end.

[mochifiction]

This is how many bullets they shot on a fucking kid.