#Me Grimlock don't know either

[velvetwyrme]

which deception would have an sti AND fuck cars?

in reference to: https://www.tumblr.com/penny-anna/767952128217104384/imagine-youre-a-mechanic-in-the-transformers?source=share

okay. so. first off. anon, thank you for sending me this because the idea that you read that post and just went- "hey, you know who i should pose this question to?" and sent it to me- is hysterical and i lvoe u.

anyway theres also a Texty answer under the cut if you want to read that, because i genuinely DO have thoughts about this, but i wanted to draw that comic because this ask made me laugh very hard when i saw it in my inbox.

also, the thrilling conclusion of the comic answer:

he fucked that car!!!!!!!

hi! Texty time. I think a lot of them would have/be one but not the other (either has a STI or is a Carfucker) but i included some of those here anyway because i think my thought process was funny for some of them. this is all purely my own opinions etc. etc. no basis for anything only vibes. i went through a lot of options and came to a lot of conclusions.

to reiterate the Chart for claritys sake:

Soundwave: No STI and no Carfucking. This is true across all versions of Soundwave imo. Rumble and Frenzy are a solid no on the STI front and a solid yes on the Carfucking.

Starscream: no STI, no Carfucking (despite what Soundwave thinks). TFP!Starscream specifically might have an STI though. Sorry man. Skywarp definitely has/had a STI but gets it treated on account of his trinemates. No Carfucking. Thundercracker would fuck a car but doesn't have an STI.

Shockwave: ??? - I'm not sure I want to know. "Once, as part of an experiment" was the original thing I wrote for his answer lol. True across continuities as well.

Anyway. moving on...

My actual answer for Megatron: REALLY depends on continuity. Here's a sample:

G1? Yeah, probably both. I can see it.

IDW/MTMTE? Nah. Maybe? ... Nah. I feel like if he had an STI it'd have been back when he was a miner. Would not fuck a car.

Earthspark? I feel like no STI but yes to the Carfucking. Except he feels really guilty about it after. I still haven't watched ES but this is the impression I get from him.

TFA? oh god. i don't know... i don't know....... he probably fucks cars. No STI.

TFP? Yeah absolutely are u kidding me? Yes to both.

Constructicons: I feel like they'd be a yes to both, but not at the same time, so they wouldn't have been the one/s to transmit a STI to a car. Also Hook would be ON TOP of treatment. Once they ALL got infected after combining into Devastator, and that was miserable for everyone. Nobody has fessed up to being the one who had it in the first place, but now they have treatment on hand just in case.

Also while on the topic of combiners... I think some of the Stunticons are also pretty good candidates for STI/Carfucking. Motormaster, Drag Strip and Wildrider in particular shfkgbekfbk

I considered Tarn/The DJD and Overlord just because of how freaky them guys can get, but I think Tarn runs too tight a ship for that to happen, and Overlord is preoccupied with. worse things. The Scavengers on the other hand... sorry to Misfire, I can see him giving a car a STI. Relatedly, Grimlock would fuck a car but not have an STI.

Who else................................ wait.

Astrotrain. I can see it. Okay bye im going to sleep this took me too long to reply to fhfjfbrmfbdj

[starscream-is-my-wife]

Complilation of Ratchet and Optimus in the marvel comics

I know alot of people don't like how emotional Optimus is in the marvel comics (especially with Ratchet vs the rest of the autobots at the end) but just the things they do for each other here... they love each other so much it's taking over my brain

I love the earlier issues of them bickering

Spoiler warning for the marvel comics btw

Poor guy, his bf couldn't even stay alive for the first 10 issues

The size difference is insanee + Ratchet appreciation :)

Optimus faking his death to make the autobots less reliant on him so he went on a death mission and planted a fake corpse, Ratchet held a funeral for him

Optimus of course came back, but then litterally 2 issues later HE DIED FOR REAL. Poor Ratchet worked on him for 238 hours straight and diddnt go to the funeral

After he died the autobots needed a new leader, and Grimlock took over (nobody likes this)

Optimus did come back though

Although shortly after Optimus gets lured away from the ark leaving Ratchet vulnerable for capture

I love when Optimus becomes irrational when it comes to Ratchet, he just wants to protect his medic 😭

I should make a separate post talking about Megatron and Ratchet but Ratchet died killing Megatron and Optimus was so distraught he QUITS the war and retires on the moon

Kinda hypocritical of Optimus "Dies the most of any transformer" Prime but its Ratchets first death so its probably gonna hit the hardest

Optimus did come back and put Nightbeat on the job of looking for Ratchet in case he was alive

Only to find out that Ratchet got fused with Megatron in the most messed up situation I've seen in transformers canon, I've never seen optimus look so horrified

Alot of this chapter is Optimus fighting the choice to either do the thing best for the autobots or save Ratchet, in an unpopular decision he chose to save Ratchet

OK tumblr won't let me add any more photos but after they split Ratchet ends up in Megatrons hands again and he keeps him near his throne, Ratchet can't move to run away but he can still talk. Megatron asks him why hasn't Optimus come to rescue him and Ratchet holds faith that Optimus will defeat him some day. He does eventually gets rescued by the twins and Optimus.

That's all of the times I can recall where the two interact or mention the other, I think I got most of it at least, I just want them to be happy 😭

[master-muffinn]

Asking the scavengers to hold your drink

Misfire

Not a good idea. He goes like, "yeah, sure!" but the moment you are gone he'll drink it. He does it on purpose with no regrets. What did you expect? He's a glutton and he steals food all the time, even from friends! And he won't buy you a new one either. "Sorry y/n i don't have any money on me right now"

Misfire: 0/10 trustworthy drink holder.

Spinister

He will also say 'yes'. But you shouldn't take too long, it gotta be quick! It could go two ways; either he gets distracted and forgets about your drink and you won't find it. Or the longer he looks at the drink the more suspicious it looks. "It looking at me funny, I think I will shoot it"

"NO!"

Spinister: 2/10

Grimlock

He will just stand there, holding your glass. Not knowing exactly what to do. Looking around and then on the drink without moving and looking confused. If it was Grimlock with better mentally health, then he would be the same but more protective and more confident and looking like a bodyguard.

"Nobody touch y/n drink on my watch!”

Grimlock: 8/10

Nickel

Honesty, she doesn't really want to, but she holds the glass anyway if it isn't too big. Don't expect her to hold your drink multiple times though or you will get the: “Why are you asking me all the time? Can't you just hold your own drink or ask someone else?” 😑 We know she was reliable with the D.J.D and it’s the same with you and your drink as well. The way you left your drink with her is the same way you get it back.

Nickel: 9/10

Fulcrum

"Oh okay". It's not a bad idea to ask Fulcrum. He will hold the drink with no problems…until he starts to second ask himself and overthink the situation. What if ‘someone’ he doesn't know approaches him with bad intentions and wants your drink? If that happens he will give the drink and run away. Hopefully he hasn't been shaking while thinking about it or the liquid in your glass will be less than when you left it.

Fulcrum: 5/10

Krok

Is the most ‘normal’ about it. He just holds it for you and still does what he is doing. Doesn't do anything weird with it, no drinking, just holding it. He doesn't bother asking what took you so long, unless you completely forgot about it.

However, he expects you to say ‘thank you’, or he won't do it the next time. (Krok deserves at least some appreciation).

Krok: 10/10

Crankcase

It depends. You most likely get a no, but if you ask again nicely, he'll might say yes. If he still says no, then it's better to ask someone else or he will be irritated and complaining. But if he says yes, he'll most likely just be sitting down and drinking his own drink in the other hand and looking grumpy around until you come back. If you take too long he is going to complain. "What took you so long?”

Crankcase: 6/10

Bonus: I can see Crankcase as the typical grandpa sitting in the corner of a party drinking beer and judging/watching people making fools of themselves on the dance floor and then use it against them later.

Thank you for reading! Have a good day! ^^ Reblogs are very appreciated 🥰

Post made by @master-muffinn

[in1-nutshell]

I lied, I don't want Megatron's confession constantly getting interrupted. I want them to kiss, I wanna see Megatron being a simp for his small spider wife.

bonus

Optimus - Thank you for putting aside our differences and meeting me here. And I'd like it to be known that right now, I am not speaking to you as autobot to decepticon but as mech to mech. With that being said, I will find a way to kill you if you hurt buddy

SHOVEL TALK PLS

another thing to tag on, Im sorry I only got ideas after requests are closed, i hope when you see this you have a nice day and drink water.

Will we finally get the confession? Yes? No? You'll have to find out.

I had other request similar to this one so this will have some of their elements too.

Better context, read the last Elita One's twin sister post

Hope you enjoy!

Elita One's twin sister and Megatron confessions?

SFW, Platonic, Romance, Cybertronain (techno organic) reader

TFA

All Decepticon projects had halted when Buddy disappeared through that portal.

Not that anyone would object to it anyways.

Everyone was worried about where Buddy would end up.

Blitzwing’s personalities all agreed to work together to find her, causing a near cohesive flow.

Near, the faces would sometimes have a fit over little details in the search.

Starscream halted all his plans to overthrow Megatron until Buddy was found.

Lugnut messaged Strika to keep an optic out on the space bridges they were thinking about taking in case Buddy was around.

Shockwave was also notified about Buddy sudden disappearance.

Megatron was by far the most worried in the group.

He could still see Buddy trying to reach for his servo.

After 3 days of searching Megatron knew what he had to do.

He didn’t like it, but Buddy’s life potentially at risk and time was at the essence now.

The entire Decepticon group had flown to the city and landed in the center of the park.

There was no way he was going to message the smaller Prime, but at least showing up would do something to alert the Autobots.

Within no time most of the Autobots had shown up at the park.

Megatron walking towards Optimus.

Optimus walks to him.

They meet in the middle.

“Megatron.”--Optimus

“Prime. I have news.”--Megatron

Optimus doesn’t like the look Megatron is giving him.

They look frightened.

What could possibly…

“Megatron, where’s Buddy?”--Optimus

Megatron looks down a bit and clenches his servo.

“A portal opened inside the base. We were—I was unable to stop her from getting sucked inside.”--Megatron

Optimus and the Team’s optics go wide.

“How? When?”--Optimus

“Three days ago. We have not found a trace of Buddy.”--Megatron

“Do you think that she may have been kidnapped again?”--Optimus

“Not likely. There would have been traces of…”--Megatron

Optimus clenches his axe.

“How can we help?”--Optimus

“Firstly, a truce needs to be—”--Megatron

Optimus shakes his servo with Megatron.

“All right, next?”--Optimus

Optimus managed his team to start looking for Buddy.

Prowl and Bulkhead went to Dinobot Island to see if Buddy was around.

They came across Dinobot’s there.

They were worried that Buddy hadn’t shown up either.

Grimlock managed to organize the Dinobots to help with the search.

Ratchet, Bumblebee and Sari searched more in the city for Buddy.

Optimus managed to get in contact with Elita and tell her what was going on.

She nearly turned the entire ship around hearing that.

“Elita you can’t come back to Earth without the right jurisdiction.”--Optimus

“Optimus, Buddy is in trouble. My twin needs my help.”--Elita

“I’m with Prime on this one Elita.”--Sentinel

“What?”--Elita

“What?”--Optimus

“We have orders to get back to Cybertron and that’s what they expect. They don’t know Buddy is still alive. Ultra Magnus still doesn’t know. It’s going to give us and Buddy more trouble if we go back.”--Sentinel

“…Fine.”--Elita

“We’ll keep an optic out on our end Optimus.”--Sentinel

“Thank you, both of you.”--Optimus

“Optimus, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you know.”--Jazz

“Megatron told me.”--Optimus

“…Come again.”--Jazz

“He told us he needed help finding Buddy. She’s been gone for three days.”--Optimus

“Three days?!”--Elita

“How do you know this isn’t a trap? How do you know that Megatron isn’t lying?”--Sentinel

“Trust me, he wouldn’t be lying about Buddy.”--Optimus

“How—”--Sentinel

“Trust me on this.”--Optimus

“…I hope you’re right.”--Elita

A few days later…

Megatron is flying around early in the morning when he sees that same blasted portal open in the middle of the sky.

Something shoots out of it and the portal closes.

He looks closer at the thing and nearly has a spark attack.

It was Buddy.

“WHY CAN’T I HAVE A SAFE LANDING?!”--Buddy

Megatron dives down and grabs Buddy’s waist slowing her descent and flies upwards.

Buddy has her optics shut closed preparing for the worst.

“Buddy?”--Megatron

Buddy opens her optics and sees the shocked optics of Megatron.

Her Megatron.

“Megatron?”--Buddy

Megatron just pulls her in a tight hug.

Buddy does her best to hug back.

“I…I thought…”--Megatron

“Megatron, even after all this time, you still doubt me?”--Buddy

Megatron gives her a slightly unamused look.

“You know what I mean.”—Megatron

Buddy giggles a bit.

“I do, but sometimes it too easy with you.”--Buddy

“Too easy?”--Megatron

“Yes, like this.”--Buddy

Buddy cups both her servos on Megatron’s faceplate.

Megatron’s optics grow slightly but close them when she starts gently stroking her digit on his face.

“Is this fine?”--Buddy

Megatron just nods.

“I missed you.”--Buddy

“As did I.”--Megatron

Megatron looks at Buddy’s optics longingly.

“I love you.”--Megatron

Megatron’s optics go wide as the three words slipped out of his mouth.

Buddy’s optics went wide but then a happy smile graces her face as she pressed her helm against his.

He leans in too.

“It’s a good thing I feel the same way too then.”--Buddy

“Feel what?”--Megatron

“Love. I love you Megatron. I love you so.”--Buddy

Megatron lets a smile loose and closes his optics focusing on the moment with Buddy’s helm still resting on his.

They both come back to the park after Megatron let everyone know that she was okay.

The Decepticon’s want to high tail it to the park, but Megatron tells them to get back to the base.

Begrudgingly they agree.

Optimus is the first one to arrive at the park and tackles Buddy down.

Optimus locking Buddy in a tight hug on the ground.

“Don’t you ever do that again! Do you hear me!?”--Optimus

Buddy just chuckles and hugs him back.

Optimus helps Buddy get off from the floor.

Budy moves her way back to Megatron’s side and takes his servo in hers.

Optimus gives Buddy a look before getting the message.

Optimus turns to Megatron flashing the axe in his servo.

“I thank you for putting the war aside for Buddy, I do. And right now, still has nothing to do with the war, but as mech to mech.”--Optimus

Optimus gives him his best death glare.

“If you ever hurt her in anyway, shape, form, and I find out… You’re going to have to deal with me. And you wont like the ways I deal with things angrily; you can ask Buddy that.”--Optimus

Buddy having flashbacks to Optimus fighting a whole group of cadets because they hurt her.

She had tried to get Elita and Sentinel to get him to stop, but in the end the two joined in.

Megatron looks at the Prime for a moment before taking out his other servo.

“You have my word, Optimus Prime. For what ever its worth to you.”--Megatron

Optimus shakes it before giving Buddy one last hug.

Prime transforms and gets back to the plant to call off the search party.

After getting buried in more hugs and light scoldings, there is a mini celebration at the base for finding Buddy.

Buddy had to make many calls during the party to make sure everyone knew she was okay.

“I see the Spider survived.”--Strika

“Yes, I did Strika. I’m home.”--Buddy

“I must ask what happened though. Megatron had most of the projects stopped to go look for you.”--Strika

Buddy blushes a bit at the comment.

“Well, that’s a story for the next time you come over.”--Buddy

“I see, but one last question.”--Strika

“Yes?”--Buddy

Strika points to Buddy’s servo that is off screen.

Buddy lifts it up a bit showing Megatron’s servo carefully intertwined with hers still.

Strika’s optics go wide.

Buddy smiles sweetly.

“Hmm…I believe I’ll have to make my visit sooner then.”--Strika

“Okay then! Bye Strika!”--Buddy

Strika cuts the video call.

Megatron squeezes her servo a bit.

Buddy smiles and squeezes back.

SLAM!

Megatron and Buddy jump at the sound.

Megatron pulls Buddy closer still holding her servo.

“Lord Megatron we have the—”--Lugnut

Lugnut zeroes in on the servos.

“Oh… My…”--Lugnut

“Umm, Lugnut? Are you—”--Buddy

“ITS HAPPENING! ITS HAPPENING!”--Lugnut

“What?”--Megatron

Starscream and Blitzwing come running in and spot Megatron’s servo in Buddy’s.

Blitzwing throws his servos in the air with utter joy and relief.

“Finally! It’s over now!”--Blitzwing

“What’s over now?”--Buddy

“The endless pinning! You two have been pinning over each other for years and finally, FINALLY got together!”--Starscream

Buddy hides half of her face with her other servo.

Megatron feels embarrassed but knows that he can’t really punish them for this.

It was torture for him too.

Megatron drags Buddy away from the cheering mechs.

“Have fun you two!”--Starscream

Megatron stops and gets ready to go back and punch Starscream.

“Megatron no.”--Buddy

Megatron follows Buddy as if nothing happened.

[enigmatist17]

Continuation of this idea

---

Ratchet always knew when someone was in his medbay; it was like a sixth sense their human allies had told him about a while back. Be it the twins wanting to prank him, wayward officers trying to discreetly snag some emergency repair parts, or a particularly slippery Prime who knew where Ratchet kept his good rust sticks, no bot was safe. So when he returns to his domain after diffusing yet another argument between Grimlock and his kin, Ratchet isn't surprised to find the newly arrived human digging through some of his supplies, jumping when the medic lets out a sharp vent.

"May I help you?" The smaller being scrambled upright in surprise, squinting up at Ratchet before shaking his head.

"I'll never understand how tons of metal can move so silently." Cade looked almost awed as he looked Ratchet over before continuing his previous task, grumbling under his breath. "....Ratchet right?"

"That's right." The medic watched him pull out a few bundles of wiring with an approving look, setting it beside a mini-welder and an energon patch he'd already grabbed. "Do you know me?"

"Ah no...no I never did get to meet you." His voice catches, and Ratchet watches as the human's eyes take on a faint glow, his expression changing to one of sadness. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" The medic frowned as he leaned closer, pulling out a scanner.

"For failing you, old friend." The Cybertronian stared as Cade spoke in both his voice and Optimus' in unison, stance changing subtly to give the medic his full attention. "It warms our sparkheart to see you alive and well here."

"Optimus?" What in the name of Primus

"Yes and no." Cade shrugged, watching the blue light that enveloped him from Ratchet's scanner with mild curiosity, said bot's optics widened at the readings he received. "This is new."

"This...these readings are impossible." Cade moved to resume grabbing what he wanted from Ratchet's supplies, the glow fading from his eyes as Ratchet looked through the data.

"Don't ask me, I still don't understand...whatever this is, exactly." Cade shrugged, grinning at some tubing he found. "I was patching Optimus' chest up after fighting Quintessa when boom, it was like I was electrocuted? Next thing I know, I know everything about Cybertron and can understand Cybertronian, and Optimus can quote freaking Shakespeare and understands Earth lingo better than I do. Still weird, but really cool at the same time."

"What about you both speaking as one?" Ratchet grabbed a seat and pulled it over, grabbing a replacement strut from a higher shelf before taking a seat. "I saw that limp of his, you'll need it."

"Thanks man! I'm not the best doc for you bots, but I think I do pretty well." Cade shrugged, pushing the piece over to his stash. "Bonus for not having to dig through a scrapyard, parts for his model are kinda hard to find in a normal yard. As for the speaking thing, Optimus might be able to explain it better than I could."

"Do you not have a base?"

"Uh...not really? It's uh, the world governments are still trying to pull their head out of their collective asses in undoing the ban on bots, and we're still just moving around to stay safe."

"...what?" Ratchet can't help but remember the Decepticon plot that had nearly wiped out their entire Earthbound faction, and his spark twists in pity.

"It's a really long story that I'll leave to the big guy. I've only been around the last few years, but it...it got bad. A lot of you guys are either dead, still off-planet, or one of the few in hiding in Cuba for some reason." Cade shook his head with a sigh, stretching as he looked down at his haul. "So..."

"Come on." Ratchet let out a long, drawn-out vent as he carefully placed the medical supplies into one of his various subspaces before offering his servo. "While you might be a decent medic, I am vastly superior."

"Ego much?" Cade snorted as he hopped onto the offered limb, yawning as he was placed onto Ratchet's shoulder before the white and red mech headed out of the medbay.

"I wasn't given the title of Chief Medical Officer for having pretty optics." The medic grumbled, this time getting a full-on laugh from Cade as he traveled the halls of the Ark, heading toward the room that had been turned into a home away from home for their human companions and liaisons. The alternate Optimus was sitting in his alt mode, Ratchet's years of practice as a veteran medic shrugging off the suspicious EMF field that washed over him, only to fade just as quickly. "Optimus."

"Ratchet, it is good to see you." Optimus slowly transformed as Cade was set down on the ground, Ratchet pulling out the supplies and trying to gawk at the bot, who was far taller than he needed to be in his opinion. "I see Cade escaped your wrath unscathed."

"This time, don't think you'll be allowed to rummage through my medbay again unsupervised." The human rolled his eyes as Ratchet chuckled, scanning Optimus before the other could protest. "What in the Pit happened to you?"

"That...is a long story." The weariness in his voice kept Ratchet's snarky answer at bay, merely holding out a servo toward Cade.

"I'll need some of that tubing you grabbed and the green welder on your left." The inventor nodded and grabbed the required items, Ratchet tapping above some of the worst injuries on one of Optimus' legs. "Open up."

"As you wish." Battered plating pulled back to allow the medic access to his inner workings, the silence between the three heavier than any of them wanted it to be. It broke when Cade decided to stretch his legs, patting Optimus' armor with a murmur Ratchet couldn't quite catch before he wandered out of the room, leaving the two alone.

"Cade has done a good job with your repairs, reminds me of Raoul." Ratchet hummed as he replaced the fractured strut he'd eyed earlier.

"Who is Raoul?" The taller bot let out a relieved purr when the new piece was inserted, and the dull ache he'd been dealing with for days was finally gone.

"A human ally I've been training to provide medical aid in the field, he became interested after helping us a few times. He's quite the natural at it as well, and don't ever mention it to Tracks, he'll never shut up about it."

"Tracks...I don't know if he's still alive." Optimus shook his helm with a frown, searching his processor for anything he may have heard.

"He might be, you never know." Ratchet gently squeezed his shoulder, the Prime almost immediately leaning into his touch like his own did. "Optimus...what happened to you? You know you can confide in me, no matter where we both come from."

"It is a friendship I cherish deeply." The battle mask that Optimus had kept on when he transformed receded, and Ratchet felt his spark warm at the trust. "A large portion of humanity turned against our entire kind after we were betrayed by a close ally, which resulted in the destruction of a massive portion of Chicago. A majority of us went into hiding when Lockdown arrived to Earth, and he..." Optimus' vocalizer fizzled out, covering his face with one servo as he let out a slow vent. Optimus couldn't tell him how he'd seen Ratchet's execution, and how, later on, his body had been melted down for the disgusting notion of human greed. The anger was still there within his spark, a big reason that he kept moving around with Cade, unwilling to give humanity another chance at taking what little was left to him and his race.

"I know you did everything you could, Orion." Ratchet's spark felt overwhelmed with sorrow as he moved to embrace the Prime, his EMF field surrounding the other with as much comfort as the medic could pull from himself.

"I was in stasis, I should have been there, not hiding in some building like some sort of coward." The anger threatened to spill into his own field like a tidal wave, and Optimus cycled his optics off with a soft growl. "I am a Prime, I have taken worse injuries."

"I don't know how he is in your world, but Lockdown fights dirty and has taken experienced mechs down without batting an optic. You are not infallible; no matter what that Matrix feeds you, you fall like the rest of us. I know I would have said the same thing to you, so I'll say it to you now." Ratchet pulled back with a fond look, waiting for Optimus to look up at him. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

"I am too, you deserved to see the end of the War."

[authoratmidnight]

So, now that I've finished watching (rewatching technically) Transformers Animated I wanna babble about it a bit.

My short, spoiler free take is: It's actually really good and I like what they were doing in this universe.

Longer, not spoiler free rambles under the cut-

So like, I did watch this a long time ago, when it first aired. Problem is I really don't/didn't remember like, anything? Or like, major plot things.

A non comprehensive list of things I /did/ remember from Animated:

Prowl was my fav bc b/c a ninja motor bike is cool

I loved this version of Bumblebee. His design looked like a lil kitty cat, a lil tiger, one of my fav Bees. Just a lil guy. Lil baby.

Black Arachnia, her hitting on Optimus and once being Elita One

the Dinobots, Grimlock specifically. love me some dino robots

the 'Sari is the a robot' reveal

their space ship transforms into a massive robot

Blurr gets cubed and everyone debating on if he was alive or not (he is. as pointed out, bots turn grey here when they die and cube!Blurr was NOT grey, so that's some fridge horror for you)

Prowl died and I was VERY sad about this

Weird Al voiced a robot called Wreck Gar and there was a 'dare to be stupid' reference in the episode

So like, while I don't remember-remember it, I remember things from it and I seem to recall I did enjoy it (given I recall Prowl's death I clearly DID watch it to the end so I clearly didn't hate it). And upon rewatching it I can 100% this appealing to younger me (quick math says I would have been, about 16 when it aired. which is older than I thought tbh).

It wasn't my first foray into Transformers either, tho I think the first one I probably really enjoyed and watched all of. I seem to recall watching some of Beast Wars and Armada (legit the ONLY part of Armada I remember was that bit where Optimus died out in space lmao), so I knew OF Transformers to some degree. Plus I think I'd learned surface level information from my dad. But it was the first series I did fully consume and enjoyed. So I could have done worse. But given I don't actually remember my first watch of it too well I can't say if it was better or as good as I remember b/c I don't remember lol. But it is good.

That said, what ARE my thoughts on it?

The Story/Setting:

Knowing what I DO know about Transformers now I can see how different it is from most continuities and how the lore differs (Prime and Magnus just seem to be like, ranks/titles, and Prime doesn't seem to hold nearly the weight as in like every other continuity). But like, I don't hate it. It's actually kind of a fresh change. And it does some unique things, like how characters can just be, taken apart and still live so long as their spark remains undamaged/their body isn't to badly damaged (we literally have heads getting popped off like barbie dolls and everyone is fine lol).

It manages to flop between goofy as fuck and, actually a bit grim at times, and it works (once again, solidifying my belief that Transformers is and always has been, funny as shit and people who poo-poo on the humor are boring edgelords)

I kinda fuck with this universe actually, wish we HAD gotten that s4.

And the changes it makes to the CHARACTERS to fit with the universe is neat too and it, kinda works.

The Characters:

So like, this version of Optimus (and the main core cast of Autobots really) is like, just A Guy. Like, the most Just a Guy that Optimus could possibly be. He's not this war weary, battle hardened warrior and great renowned leader. He is literally just A Guy. The equivalent of a college drop out. And the meeting with Megatron at the start of the series is literally their first meeting. No history here.

And I think that's kind of an interesting take. (Also I found a really funny fic the other day that's basically 'Megatron realizes that the 'elite warriors' they've been fighting are in fact just Some Guys and the revelation is MORTIFYING' i'll link it later).

Prowl. I'm sorry but this my guy. This is my Prowl. I know he is totally different than like every other Prowl in existence but UNFORTUNATELY this was my introduction tot he character and the robo ninja that turns into a bike imprinted on teenage me's psyche b/c honestly that concept fucks. He's my favourite and I was super sad when he died.

Also just 'robot ninja' is fucking cool haha

I loved this Bumblebee's design, it slaps. He's like a lil kitty man. He's so much fun. Yapped so much that when they made the movies they're like 'ok we NEED to shut this guy up' haha.

I think I totally forgot Bulkhead was in Animated but like, I love this dude??? Don't get me wrong I like Prime Bulkhead as well but Animated Bulkhead just, is so fun, and they did MORE with him aside from 'smashes shit real good'. He gets to have a special interest and be good at ONE (1) thing and that's space bridges. And he picks up art as a hobby! He has character and personality, I love it.

Honestly, the Autobots just being a bunch of regular guys (well, 4 regular guys and one war vet who REALLY wishes he'd retired long ago) is such a fun dynamic to have instead. And it works.

The Voices:

So like, I know Peter Cullen is THE voice of Optimus (despite the fact that I think more people that aren't him have voiced the character than he has but I digress) but in this case, NOT casting him actually makes sense. As I said, Optimus here is just A Guy. And a young one as well. Like Orion in Transformers One. So the deep, older sounding voice of OP Optimus wouldn't fit the character. And this voice does.

I DO however find it really funny that the voice actor for Optimus (David Kaye) previously voiced Megatron in other Transformers series. Man could voice a whole Optimus-Megatron fight on his own now.

Honestly, all the voice choices fit the characters as established in this series.

Special mention to Shockwave, who apparently is voiced by his OG VOICE ACTOR. That's kinda dope. And he has a perfectly spooky voice (also I really enjoyed this version of Shockwave. Man is out here being Megatron's specialist little boy and loving it)

Also I love that the opening is just a remix/modernized version of the OP opening that we all know. That's cool and it slaps.

Yeah, TFA does aim a biiiit younger for it's audience than some series but that's not a bad thing and it's still a damn good show. It's not like "kiddy" in that patronizing way. It's good and it holds up well I think.

Also here's that fic I mentioned earlier, go read it it's funny.

Revelations

[hira492]

I'm on Season 1 Episode 20 of Earthspark and i don't know if I like it??? There are some cool episodes but some are just??? Okkkkk?? Optimus is such a dumbass in the show and I'm not sure if it's in a good funny old man way LOL

I like most of the Terrans but JB makes me so mad most of the time. I don't usually have a problem with characters that are big and sweet but a little dumb BUT MAN THIS BOT IS KILLING ME SOMETIMES. That episode with Grimlock...

Bee is the best character in the show, fr, so I might still watch it for him but damn. I wouldn't say it's a bad show but it ain't good either LOL The things I do just to see my funky little robots

[teal-blue-genesis]

I know it's been going around for a while that Bumblebee is an over utilized character. However this isn't true, in fact, I would say Bumblebee is miss utilized. Here's why...

Way back when transformers was first starting out with the Sunbow G1 comics, Bumblebee wasn't the sunshine child character who was part of the main cast. In the character profiles Bumblebee function was put as Espionage, meaning Bumblebee was a part of either the Spec Ops or as an spy(agent), or both. However, when the T.V. series of transformers was created and aired Bumblebee was put in the main cast by him having a friendship with Spike, making him popular with kids.

And since, Hasbro focuses on toy sales, Bumblebee who was the more friendly and sunshine character in the G1 T.V. series led to them having that role be the basis for Bumblebee's character.

I admit, since the Sunbow comics came out a long time ago, I don't have the full on stories. However, forums discussing and going over the comic issues have helped. In fact, while yes Bumblebee does have some issues regarding whether the team needs him, he is actually really cunning, and as one forum put it manipulative.

There were several moments in which Bumblebee and then as Goldbug showed this. Using the "Cute little autobot" act to his advantage. Such as when he exploited Blaster who wanted to get even with Grimlock. Or that time in UK "Victory" when he had shamed a broken Ultra magnus to the point that Ultra was pushed to fight Galvatron again.

Really, Bumblebee character should be one that is always wearing a mask, putting on an act, and in the background. Still having that curiosity, Courage, and need to prove himself to his fellows. However, Bumblebee character acted like they were in their 30's which suits them, not a late teenager, or type of Hot Rod/Shot character.

Bumblebee character isn't a kid. Nor is he Optimus prime's child. The characters that fit that role would be Hot Rod or Hot Shot.

Also, Bumblebee is supposed to be one of the shortest and weakest characters. Seeing a lot of the more recent continuities give the character a bigger size and alt mode, seeing tfp Bumblebee be taller than Acree had me going "wait what!?" It makes more sense for Bumblebee to be the motorcycle and Acree as the car.

Honestly, bayverse could of had the spy role for Bumblebee work a whole lot more. Especially, in how Bumblebee was the one to keep all the other autobots hidden. Or the one to infiltrate KSI to find out what was happening to the Autobots corpses.

[lifetimeshipper]

The GrimBee Story

Chapter 15

~~~~~~~~~~

Grimlock lays beside Bumblebee thinking about what they had learned about Ripjaw and Amberblade. If they managed to get one of them then the other would go into a rage to get whoever was captured back. They'd have to get both of them at the same time, and he had an idea on how to do just that, "Bumblebee, you awake?"

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"I may have an idea on how to get Ripjaw and Amberblade."

"What is it?"

"I was thinking maybe I could try to lure them in by joining them. I could tell you where their base is and you guys can come in, and we get them at the same time," Grimlock explained feeling proud for coming up with a good plan. "It's a good plan, right?"

"No, that is a bad plan."

Grimlock tilted his helm in confusion, "How is it a bad plan? I thought it would be easier since Ripjaw's trying to get me to join him. Also, I've really thought about this."

"Because you're talking about going into his team. What if it's a trap?"

"I can handle myself, and it's me that they're going after."

"To use you to get to the rest of us."

"Why would he use me to get to you guys? What's the point in that?"

"Maybe he wants to manipulate you and turn you against us."

"Bumblebee, I would never turn on you or the others," Grimlock told him feeling a heaviness in his chest. "Do you trust me that little?"

"It's not that, you just get confused easily and a bot can pull a fast one over you if you don't know what's going on."

Grimlock sighed as he sat up, Bumblebee was right.

"Grim, I'm not trying to sound mean, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know, I just wanted to help you out as I did with Diamondback."

"I know you do and that was a nice idea you had there."

"You just don't want me to get involved."

"I'm not saying that."

"Then how can we get Ripjaw and Amberblade?"

"I don't know, but we'll have to figure something out because I know we can't get them one at a time as the other will do whatever it takes to free the one we captured."

"That's what I was thinking too. We need to get both of them."

"Yeah. Well, we'll figure it out later, we need to get some sleep."

With a nod, Grimlock laid back down wrapping his arms around Bumblebee and holding him close. Bumblebee snuggled against him as he went into recharge.

"Good night, 'Bee," Grimlock whispered as he fell into recharge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, Grimlock and Bumblebee were on patrol, keeping a lookout for Ripjaw and Amberblade, "We should split up to cover more ground," Bumblebee suggested.

"OK, if either of us runs into Ripjaw or Amberblade we call for backup?" Grimlock asked, he was worried for Bumblebee's safety. I hope we don't run into either of them.

"Yes."

"OK, should we meet back in thirty minutes?"

"Yes, in this spot in thirty minutes."

"Will do, see you in thirty," Grimlock called as he headed in another direction.

"Alright," Bumblebee called back as he headed in the other direction.

Neither of them knew that they were being watched from the shadows. Amberblade smirked as she silently followed Bumblebee.

Bumblebee was walking along looking for any sign of the 'Cons when he heard a noise. Jumping out from the shadows, Amberblade pounced on Bumblebee, pinning him to the ground. Bumblebee tried to get her off him but to no success.

"You're coming with me," she growled as she tossed him into a boulder. Bumblebee grunted as he fell to the ground then everything went dark. Amberblade squeed to herself as she picks up the knocked-out Autobot. Ripjaw's going to be so happy when he sees this. She thought happily as she dragged Bumblebee back to base to show Ripjaw, "Ripjaw!" She called out once she got there.

Ripjaw slowly walked out of his room with a yawn, "What is it, Amberblade? Did you find some Energon?"

"Nope, even better," she says as she shows him Bumblebee.

Ripjaw's optics widened in shock, "Where did you find him?"

"In the woods, he was walking around by himself."

"You idiot," he growled softly. "The Autobots never go anywhere by themselves!"

"He was alone, I didn't see any of the others."

"Just because you didn't see them doesn't mean they aren't somewhere close by watching!" He roared.

"The Dinobot was there but he went in another direction, and if any of the others were there they would have attacked me to save him and not hide in the shadows."

"The Dinobot was with him?" Ripjaw asked in an eerily calm tone. Bumblebee slowly awoke with a soft groan, trying to get up he found himself tied up.

"Yes. I know you would rather have the Dinobot but I saw the lieutenant here as easy pickings!"

Bumblebee looked up to see Ripjaw slowly getting closer to Amberblade, "Easy pickings?" He asked as he mimicked her.

Amberblade looked over at Bumblebee, "Oh, you're awake."

While she was distracted Ripjaw raised his servo. SLAP! Bumblebee flinched as Ripjaw hit Amberblade. Amberblade held the side of her face plate as Energon started dripping from Ripjaw's claws, she had a look of surprise on her face before she turned to look at Ripjaw with a scornful look. "Do not look at me that way," he warned, "By bringing him here the Dinobot will follow his scent which will lead him here!"

"So what do you suppose we do!?" She hissed at him through clenched dentures.

Ripjaw transformed and stomped on Bumblebee, "Get rid of the problem," he growled as he lowered his jaws to Bumblebee's chest.

Amberblade just left him to his work as she went to find something to help stop the Energon leaking out. I can't believe he hit me. I thought we were beyond that... I thought he loved me.

Bumblebee kept his optics on Ripjaw's large fangs, "And we actually thought you cared about her," he suddenly said.

Ripjaw looked at him, "That's none of your concern, Autobot!" He growled at him.

"You made it my concern when you hit her," the Autobot countered.

"If you must know I do care for her, but she made a stupid decision."

"That doesn't give you the excuse to hurt her like that. Hasn't anyone told you that it's not nice to hit a femme?" He asked as he glared at the Spinosaurus.

"I do what I want with whoever I want."

"Is that what they told you when you joined Thunderhoof's old gang?"

"I've heard enough!" Ripjaw growled before he slammed Bumblebee against a wall. Bumblebee let out a pained yell as he fell to the floor before he went unconscious. Ripjaw took Bumblebee out of the base to put him where the Dinobot could find him so he wouldn't come snooping around the base.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Wolf-Con and the Cadet

Chapter 1

Next Chapter

[quietbluejay]

Spotlight: Shockwave (1/2)

yeah we're sticking in the spotlights

tldr he forgets to consider the chaos factor

"…and launched into space"

"distant planets with a specific geological profile are targeted"

then...

it cut to Shockwave observing this landscape at night, in a thunderstorm. all the plants are dead

"Much later...I turn proactive"

"Ultimately I serve only one master..."

"...pure logic"

he sets a device down on the ground, which explodes

you know compared to the other characters he doesn't feel as wildly off like he got more depth as time went on but he's still the same shocky

hehe

IIITS THE DYNOBOTS

Grimlock: I smell payback

one of them looks up from the controls

Slag: not so fast, Grimlock. Those energon readings are off the scale!

Slag: we go down there without some kind of protection...

Slag: we'll be in stasis-lock in nano-klicks

Grimlock: Don't give me problems, Slag…just solutions. We owe that one-eyed freak.

"And Prime, he said to forget it, but I can't..."

there's a shot of Optimus and Grimlock arguing, and Optimus poking him in the chest

"Won't"

so Grimlock says, find a way, because he's going to end this, whatever it takes

i mean, he is right that grimlock should forget it instead of going off on revenge quest but it kind of sounds like optimus can't deal well with grimlock then again, who can

friend: Misfire me: oh man pre-brain injury grimlock and misfire working together me: against Shockwave friend: jfdasdskla;;fdj peggy sue grimlock and misfire friend: "thats my emotional support decepticon" me: the dinobots are so confused me: Misfire is also confused

"Evolution cannot keep pace with the transitional phases of the biosphere"

blah blah they face certain extinction

so do we

"we either evolve..."

"...or die"

there's a shot of a dehydrated mammoth collapsing in the desert

"The global dampers will regulate the ongoing geological reaction. In due course, the new ore seams will settle, become inert. All I need....

....is time

im…pretty sure the mammoths didn't just collapse like that from heatstroke at the end of the ice age

tldr this is the only way if they want to move fast

Grimlock: look again. Find me something with some…bite. Unless the plan is to make Shockwave die laughing.

he manages to find some dinosaur bones and shows a hologram of a T-Rex

Snarl: well?

Grimlock: perfect!

tfw your car keys aren't working

he figures it's either broken or not there

there i just summarized like 50 words

ohhh I don't like that

"...explodes!"

he tries to fight the dinobots

he was expecting Megatron or something

No one expects the Dinobot Inquisition!

instead, it's these guys

the fight is on!

"I attempt to apply rationality curves, logic filters. And fail.

while he's bluescreening, he hears bits of what the Dinobots are saying

he made them a laughingstock, it took forever to heal, etc etc

he puts it together that they're mad at him

Shockwave is the woman doing math meme right now

"and then it hits me"

skdfjhsldkfhj he's literally "does not computer return to cucumber error"

he shuts down his higher brain functions and activates rage.exe

the Dinobots stare, slack-jawed, as he is surrounded by flames

the dynobots are teaching him how to feel again uwu

I made a meme but I'll make a separate post

incredible

what an alt-mode

the dynobots are…making me feel so many things how do i deal with these emotions

the battle's clearly over, he thinks as he looks over the supine forms of the Dinobots

but some people don't know how to quit, he thinks, as Grimlock gets up

but all the grit and tenacity in the world can't beat the laws of the universe

he freezes Grimlock

and thinks about chaos

heh

back in the present, Shockwave decides to steal their ride

there's a shot of him speeding off in the ship

Shockwave: all I need...

grimlock: all according to keikaku

the volcano erupts!

and now...

wait, Cybertron? thought it was uninhabitable well this is a while ago so i guess thunderwing was fairly late stage

from his high throne, Megatron tells someone to conduct a full investigation into all of Shockwave's current and archives projects

"Do you understand?"

megatron, no why would you give that to bludgeon

I'm going to make a separate post for the stinger

[duhragonball]

Next Steps

I finished watching all the Evangelion stuff that I had planned, but I find myself still trying to figure things out about the show. I planned to be done with NGE in April, but it's becoming clear that it's not done with me.

Yesterday, I was talking about this Folding Ideas video from 2013. That was back when Dan Olson was still doing the puppets, but I had seen the video before and purposely avoided it, because it was about Evangelion and I didn't want to get spoiled. The video offered some insightful commentary on EoE, but it also pushed the "Anno's Revenge" theory of the movie, and from what I've read on fan wikis, it seems to have been mostly discredited? I think? It could just be that the wiki editors have an agenda, but I suspect that agendas were what led to the "revenge" theory in the first place. Having two endings to the same story will invariably split the fandom. Each side prefers one ending over another, and they're naturally going to push theories to explain why the other ending exists.

Also, the fan wikis aren't always aligned with themselves. That's Lilith up at the top of this post, and I've read two different versions of what that thing is on her face.

It's a mask that was placed on her face when she was strapped to that cross by SEELE. That's why it bears the SEELE coat of arms: seven eyes over a triangle.

It's Lilith's face, or if it's a mask, it's her mask, originally. SEELE's coat of arms was inspired by Lilith's appearance.

This would just be an interesting bit of trivia, except there's two contradictory explanations here, and that leads me to wonder if both of them are bullshit someone made up on the fly. When I first saw the character, I assumed those craters on the "mask" were meant to resemble the moon, but one of the wiki articles I read suggested that it was just wear and tear on the surface, which sounds kind of cheap.

I could probably get to the bottom of a lot of these things, but it would take time that I don't have. I'm starting a re-read of Jojolion next week. The more I think about it, Neon Genesis Evangelion demands a deeper dive, and I'll have to do my homework and rewatch the whole thing now that I know how it ends.

This is probably just as well, since I did want to go through the Rebuild movies. There's four of them and I own the third on Blu-ray, so I might as well see it through. Mostly, I kept wondering when Asuka would get her eyepatch in the original series, and it never happened. Turns out that's a Rebuild thing. So there's still pop culture landmarks that I've yet to see.

The more I think about it, the more I begin to see that the true appeal to this thing is trying to make sense of it. People have called End of Evangelion the greatest animated film of all time, but that's crap. It's not even the best film with a Toei logo and characters who strangle each other.

I mean, it's no shame losing to the best, but let's be real here.

So the fascination clearly lies with the analysis. Watching the show was just the first step into a larger world. I wasn't prepared for that, but I can't just turn back either.

What I'm saying is that I'll return to this someday. I need to bone up on some of these commentaries, and try to sort fact from guesswork, and then see how far I've come. Then again, it's 2024 and I'm still touting Transformers the Movie as a cinematic masterpiece, so maybe I've been standing in place for four decades in a row. Well, I didn't need to look up why Grimlock is awesome, so not everything has to be so damn enigmatic...

[steelthroat]

You should tell me more about opfire ahaha

Oh- well ahahaha I really don't even know why I like them. I like many rarepairs really...

But they're cute, I can definitely say that

Like idk even just looking at the g1 cartoon continuity either taking things seriously or keeping them silly you can play around with them.

Throw random situations at them and see what happens.

Regarding other continuities... mh well idk, I'm reading the marvel comics atm. Skybound is too short to determine anything but I liked the interactions so far (before the you know... death).

The Netflix trilogy... listen I like the spin on Jetfire's character. I like that show in general but Jetfire and Impactor (ratchet/impactor for the win) were my personal highlights from the first season. Idk they never really interact a lot but I would write a fuckton of angsty shit about them.

Mhhh ah speaking of G1 throw Grimlock in the mix for added chaos. It's funny. Or confusing. Still entertaining tho.

[in1-nutshell]

Hello! I read/saw one of your writings (Steeljaw and his pack reaction to Bot Buddy with the personality of Perrito from "Puss in Boots the Last Wish") and you did a good job and I love it!

If it's okay can you continue or do this same request with other Steeljaw's (previous) pack members, as well?

Also Thank you!!!

Let's see what other horrors Buddy will unleash on the unsuspecting Con's.

Steeljaw and pack reaction to Bot Buddy with the personality of Perrito from Puss in Boots the Last Wish (continuation)

SFW, platonic, Cybertron/ Bot reader

Scowl

Scowl stumbled quite literally on Buddy.

He was going to go to what seemed like an abandoned lot. He wacked a bin when he heard a yelp.

Surprised, Scowl went to the bin and saw a mini con pop out.

"Oh! Thanks for the help friend! I've been stuck there for a bit. Steeljaw wanted some more steel beams so I was trying to get some, but I got stuck! So, thank you again!"-- Buddy

"... Umm you're welcome?"--Scowl

He helped Buddy out a bit after seeing their pitiful attempts to drag any of the beams.

Scowl ended up bonding with Buddy while getting the materials for this Steeljaw guy.

That being said...

He gets attached really quickly.

Buddy is just so small and fragile looking. If he'd sneeze he was sure he would send Buddy flying back a couple yards. Scowl was bigger, stronger, and much bulkier than they were.

As much as he hated to say it... He has to remember how Grimlock handled smaller things.

He was not prepared for the untold backstory Buddy had to tell. He doesn't know what was worse. Hearing the story or hearing it in such a casual form.

"Wow! You're so strong Scowl! You remind me of one of my friends. He was so strong that he put a ton of scrap metal on me! I found a pretty slab of ions from that day!"--Buddy

"... You're friend... They tried to bury you?!?!"-- Scowl

"Yeah! But I'm telling you the slab was the prettiest thing!"--Buddy

Scowl has told Buddy if someone hurts them, to let him know so he can pay them a visit. That bot will be nothing but scrap metal when he's through.

Drag Strip

Drag Strip has had his fair share of peculiar friends.

Look at Wildbreak.

He met Buddy while trying to look for Wildbreak and the others. And he might have had another incident with ice again. Thank goodness it was just his pedes.

Bad news was it was his pedes. He couldn't exactly move well.

Enter: Buddy

"Hello! Wow you seem to be in a bit of a pickle!"--Buddy

"Yeah I know... Why don't you pass me that crowbar over there?"--Drag Strip

"Sure thing friend! Hey after this you want to go out for a drive? I know the best spots around here and the best shady parts too--"-- Buddy

"...what did I get myself into..."--Drag Strip

The next thing he knows Buddy becomes a third shadow. Second being Wildbreak. He is starting to think that he might attract weird bots.

Drag Strip is unnerved hearing some of Buddy's backstory. It's not something he expected.

You're so lucky you have friends that stay with you all the time Drag Strip."--Buddy

"I guess, but he can be such a pain in the afterburner,"-- Drag Strip

"Maybe, but I have to follow my friends everywhere. They usually end up running. They like playing tag a lot of the time."--Buddy

"They run from you?"-- Drag Strip

"Yeah, but I always find them eventually. Where are you going?"--Buddy

"I need to tell Wildbreak something."--Drag Strip

He is ready to throw down with anyone who decides to treat Buddy like a lesser bot. Drag Strip makes sure that Buddy is either with him or Wildbreak at all times.

Wildbreak

Wildbreak was looking for Drag Strip when he found Buddy.

They had gotten separated when the Autobots had ambushed them.

He ended up under an abandoned bridge when a storm came by. It had started thundering when he felt something touch his pedes.

"Excuse me? You're kind of crushing my tail."-- Buddy

"What? Oh! I'm sorry!"--Wildbreak

"It's okay! I don't like the storms either."--Buddy

"...It gets too loud..."--Wildbreak

"You can hold me if you want. I'm trained in the arts of therapy cuddling."--Buddy

"No I'm --"--Wildbreak

CRASH!

"... You sure you don't mind?"--Wildbreak

"Not at all. Just don't dent my armor too much."--Buddy

"Right, sorry."--Wildbreak

After that night, Wildbreak is now best friends with Buddy. Even after they find Drag Strip, Wildbreak doesn't leave Buddy alone. If he is going somewhere, Buddy is going with, and he doesn't mind at all.

His spark breaks when he hears some of Buddy's backstory. He could never imagine his friend in these scenarios.

"You have so many stories Wildbreak!"--Buddy

"Yeah it's been a crazy time. But bots like Drag Strip make things a bit better."--Wildbreak

"Oh! That reminds me a story! One time a had this friend who put me in a box and, and threw me off a bridge! It landed in the acid wastes, but I got out of there before it landed in the acid. I saw the prettiest sunset that day. And --Wildbreak are you crying?"--Buddy

Wildbreak full on sobbing holding Buddy close.

"...no ..."--Wildbreak

If anyone came near Buddy with intention to harm, it is on sight. Wildbreak is ready to drop kick anyone who comes near Buddy. No one is going to hurt them while he's around.

[falliay]

So, on the Dinobot Brainstorming/Indulgent Dinobot Idea Dumping:

I imagine they evacuated the Ark on a shuttle when it hit the atmosphere, adopted said Dino modes, and had a fight with Shockwave (because The Magenta Cyclops Man always seems to pick a fight with them at some point) that buried them underground until the other Autobots got them out.

I know this almost certainly won't all make it into your depictions of the Dinobots when you decide to flesh them out, but I'd to posit a few backstory things as well:

Grimlock was a gladiator-turned-mercenary who was taken under the wing of the ex-military bot Scorn. Scorn's teaching about "the strong defending the weak" was the main reason Grimlock decided to join the Autobots instead of the Decepticons.

Slag was also a mercenary under a very prominent group… many of whom died and were replaced over time. Slag never truly got over (most of) their deaths.

Sludge was a construction worker with a crane alt-mode.

Swoop was an aerial stuntbot who worked in and/or came from Vos. In addition to his "friendly" rivalry with Powerglide, he developed a very unfriendly rivalry with the Predacon Divebomb, who straight up "stole" Swoop's original name after beating him into the ground (this actually happened in the Marvel UK Transformers comics).

Snarl… I don't really know about Snarl. Cargo Hauler/Robo-Trucker, maybe?

They (the Dinobots as a whole) were originally part of a proper Autobot military unit, the Lightning Strike Coalition… most of whom got eaten by Insecticons in an ambush.

OH THIS GETS SO INTERESTING!!! Having so little knowledge about the Dinobots makes it difficult for me to write them rn so this is very helpful indeed

Thank you for sharing!

The most important thing when it comes to the Dinobots - in my opinion - is the way they get their alt modes. I will have to brainstorm that a lot more.

I’m not sure if I’ll make Shockwave be the reason they’re like that or if it was done by choice.

I also want to know about Paddles, the forgotten Dinobot - I NEED to read it

I had no idea about the existence of the Lightning Strike Coalition either. That’s 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[cleverthylacine]

That good old interest-based advertising. Also, Headmasters. And my brother.

I have a confession to make and that is that I actually do allow interest-based advertising because:

I don't have much to hide

If they don't take my interests into account, the things they try to sell me because I'm a lady (albeit an NB one) over the age of 50 make me so fucking depressed I could scream but I don't have the energy. I would rather they know way too much about my Hot Topic purchases and robot and doll collections than get ads for ... what advertisers think old people stuff is. By all means display your incredibly unsettling knowledge of my id and sell me robots and things that look like robot dicks and fashion dolls and fancy clothes...instead of trying to sell me adult diapers and cheap insurance that actually isn't. And homeopathic remedies for problems that I may or may not actually have, but I also know that homeopathy is BULL$HIT.

Anyhow this is brought to you today by;

"Yes, shopping app, I would absolutely love to have that self-transforming remote control Grimlock, he is hella cool and very cute and I really do want him but....first you're going to have to find me the $1700 plus taxes and shipping that I will need to acquire before I can hit that button."

G-d help me if they ever do Soundwave with a little Ravage that comes out of his chest and also transforms.

In other news, Headmasters is still fucking stupid and I still fucking love it.

IDW did all this binary bonding with aliens stuff. I actually do find "Fortress Maximus can turn into a giant head and make his spaceship sapient" much easier to understand.

It's just the plots of this show that are dumb.

Giant Venus Flytrap in a San Francisco office building

Let's blow up Mars

Let's make a big important detailed plan and not tell Scourge and Cyclonus about it, because it's not like they're guaranteed to fuck everything up if we don't.

Kiss Players had a better plot than Headmasters, when they actually like, were doing the plot and not panty jokes.

Also I still after 20-odd years want to scream at Carly and Arcee in this show. I know it's a product of 1980s japan but like, if the grown men/male mecha are unable to do a job, it's frustrating to watch Carly send Daniel or Arcee send Wheelie to do it, because those are children and Arcee and Carly are not.

As a non-Chromedome-liker, I am also amused at how dumb he is in this show.

My brother has developed a new and annoying way of asking for money that I've already told him I don't have. He calls my mom and tells her that I won't help him, so then I have to tell her, too, that yes I just got paid, but they raised the price for the medicine I need to brain from $5 to $40 because they don't like the dosage my doctor prescribes, and the landlord has my rent cheque in hand and is presumably going to cash it, and I also need to eat.

She understands this, at least. I just feel bad for her.

I feel bad for him too, but nobody told him that he needed to rent a U-Haul and move the second he got his new lease without asking either of us if we could afford to help pay for it (we can't.)

[rubiksicosahedron]

Remixing the Speaker in Dreams - Introduction

The Speaker in Dreams is a 3.0 edition adventure made by James Wyat in 2001, intended to be the third installment in a series of adventures that would eventually be called the Ashardalon Saga. The adventure centers on a town called Brindinford besieged by a mindflayer named Ghaerleth Axom.

Overall, it has some neat enemies and a misdirect right in the middle before the city is besieged by fiends! However, the adventure structure is weak and prone to breaking--to be honest most non-dungeon-based adventures have this problem, regardless of edition. So, I have decided to remix (ala the Alexandrian blog) and put it up for anyone who might need it. Please, take what sounds interesting and leave what doesn't. My players are partway through my version of it, and I will update this blog as they go.

This is the first adventure in the Ashardalon Saga to not be a large dungeon crawl (see: The Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury, both of which were included in Tales from the Yawning Portal for 5e). Instead, it was pitched as a site-based encounter. Unfortunately, the adventure’s formatting makes this obtuse and hard to structure. It does include a nifty flowchart (I believe all good adventures have these) which helps the reader understand how the adventure is meant to go. However, there aren’t real connections for the players between these encounters, which puts a lot of work on the DM. I also believe that this gets way more interesting as a mystery, so we are going to remix this adventure using a node-based design, which will funnel to the false ending of the adventure.

The adventure uses 3rd editions Gather Information skill to give the players a few rumors, that are going to point them either to The Wererat Hideout (a Bell Tower, Encounter 12), a warehouse some Grimlocks are staying in (Grimlock Warehouse, Encounter 11), or to an encounter at a local Shrine(Cry in the Mist, Encounter 14). Each of these rumors are barely accurate and hidden behind an increasing DC.

What I don't like about this is how, from a surface level, the adventure looks non-linear. "Look! A branching flowchart!" However, nothing really comes of either of these branches. There isn't even anything to connect them to the actual threat, as far as the players can tell anyway. The Grimlock Warehouse isn't even involved in any conspiracy, they just know about the cult and want to trade magic items with them. How the players are supposed to know that is beyond me.

Ghaerleth Axom (referred to as Axom or ‘the mindflayer’ for the rest of this adventure because that name sucks) has been speaking in the minds of different sorcerers in the city and has created a small cult who call themselves “Those Who Hear” led by a woman they refer to as The Blessed. The reason the writers create this second group I think is to add some mystery and give the players lots of ups and downs before the final confrontation. This way, the PCs can feel like they accomplished something great (which they did!) and the villains can seem even more evil when they summon lots of fiends to enforce the city’s new martial law.

However, Axom’s motivation per the text doesn’t make any sense.

In the original adventure, Axom is a rogue mindflayer who wants to create a new empire with himself at the top. So he travels to the world above, mind controls the baron, and summons a ton of devils. I don’t understand how this connects here. He gets to control a city, I guess? This didn’t feel very real to me, so let’s change his backstory slightly:

While in the Underdark, Axom was just a normal mindflayer when demons began terrorizing and destroying the city these illithids had taken over. This separated Axom from his Elder Brain and shunted him into the caverns there. Axom does still have the ambition to become an emperor (I think all mind flayers do), but he doesn’t want to make it in the World Above (due to all the heroes and whatnot) and definitely can’t fight all these demons on his own. So instead he discovers an army of devils that he could summon and makes a deal with their leader. If he can supply them with a Gate and a city ripe for the taking, they will grant him a contingent of devil soldiers to go take back his city.

I like this story more for a couple of reasons. First, it humanizes the villain without making him a character the PCs will likely agree with or ally with. Second, it makes this city he takes over important. A big part of this adventure is the city, which becomes its own character. The web supplement goes into a truly staggering amount of detail about each district of the city. Brindinford has a large Temple of Pelor, which the adventure makes a point of burning down right before the big finale. I think this gets way more interesting if the Temple is important to Axom’s plan (more on this in a later post).

The adventure splits into two parts, before and after the destruction of Those Who Hear, and that is a useful distinction for us, so we are going to keep it.