#Sparkpulse Chats Transformers

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Have I ever mentioned my fanatical love for the Forge of Solus Prime? Honestly, I don’t even think of these shots as featuring Ultra Magnus, awesome though he can be. I just sit and look at it sometimes and think “Primus, that’s a beautiful hammer.” I’ve adored the Forge of Solus Prime ever since it’s first appearance. It’s definitely my favorite Artifact of the Primes. And in these shots, what I can’t help but think of looking at it is just how big the Thirteen were. I mean, look at that hammer, right? The head of it is practically as long as Ultra Magnus’s entire arm, minus the massive shoulder pommel... things. But when you look at it in the hands of it’s original owner...

There’s Solus Prime leading the charge against Unicron with her fellow Primes. I’ve always loved that, by the way, that the one swinging a hammer charged first. She just wants to smash that into Unicron’s face so badly. But I digress. If you look at the size of the Forge, glowing brightly, the head is only about as long as one of Solus Prime’s upper arms, from shoulder to elbow. It’s a bit more than half the length of her arm, not even close to the whole length like it is in Magnus’s hands. Which I think gives a pretty neat idea of the actual scale of the Thirteen Primes. Simply put, they be huge. Especially Prima, right there at the front, when you consider that the sword he’s wielding one-handed that doesn’t even look that long in his hands is the Star Saber... I mean, come on, here’s Optimus using that one both one- and two- handed...

That thing is huge. Optimus needs both hands to get a really, really good swing with it. But I like using the Forge as my reference better, because totally biased towards hammer.

I cried a little when they broke the Forge...

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Seeing as like, 90% of the characters are coded male…what’s your favorite OTP/BrOTP?

You can answer either or both, just remember to tag accordingly! Am I gonna regret this? Maybe. …what’s gonna work? teeeeeeeeeamwork!

....... hello, my name is Sparkpulse, and if you follow my blog, you know my OTP. Aw, man, I had these ideas on how I was going to describe what makes Knock Out and Breakdown just perfect to me and all the meta and headcanons that go with them but honestly, I don’t even know where to start. Their attitudes towards each other, the humor they share, the way Knock Out just slowly starts falling apart without Breakdown until in the end he switches sides so easily, the Decepticon cause had nothing for him without his partner. The very idea that Breakdown would sit and help Knock Out with his buffing, his personal maintenance... in Sparkpulse Headcanon Land, helping someone with personal maintenance can be very intimate. It’s a sign that you trust someone enough to put your wellfare into their hands. It’s a sign that you love someone enough to want to be sure, personally, that they’re in top shape. And man, these two just sit and spoon-feed me that without ever actually showing it on screen. Then IDW had to pick up the slack and come on, be nice for me. Aaah and Takara’s latest little comic run just makes me want to sing, it’s perfect, it’s so perfect. I seriously can’t give a coherent reason why I love these two so much. I’ll just gush endlessly. So let’s move on.

Ratchet is, of course, one of those characters that people get very passionate about, especially who he’s paired with. Especially the RatchetxOptimus fans. Sorry to those guys (and I can feel my brother judging me for saying that) but for me, it’s Wheeljack all the way. Because Ratchet and Wheeljack have the one thing that gets me every time; they make each other grow. In adjusting to one another, they learn to compromise. They learn to do things for one another. Wheeljack comes back to the team for Ratchet. And he sticks around. He plays nice because it will make Ratchet happy, or at least make things less difficult for him. And when the ‘cons grab the medic, it’s Jackie who gets out the toolbox and works with Rafael to get him back. Wheeljack matures through his interactions with Ratchet, and Ratchet opens up in return just a bit. So yeah. I ship it.

I also have a massive weakness for Cliffjumper, Arcee, and what could have been... and in the same vein, I look at Megatronus and Orion Pax as the ultimate dagger to the spark. It could have been so good, but it went so very, very bad. I do not (typically) ship Megatron and Optimus Prime despite the fact that yes, they, too, make each other grow. I just can’t. It fell apart so very, very tragically. But oh, what could have been...

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Have any cool Cybertronian headcanons? Of course you do! Share them here! It can be about a character, Cybertron itself, Cybertronian biology, etc.! Whatever floats your boat!

Oh, Primus, where do I even start? How do I give you guys just the tip of the iceberg residing in my head? I have dozens of these things, I really do. Okay, let’s pick a simple one: Alpha Trion. One of only three of the Thirteen to not have “Prime” affixed to his name, I think that originally, he actually did. I have a headcanon that Alpha Trion, at some point, changed his name to allow himself some anonymity on Cybertron. Because most of the other Thirteen Primes, everyone knows their names... except for the Thirteenth, of course, whose name was written out of history with the Quill and the Covenant. It’s actually not possible for the general populace to remember his name because the other members of the Thirteen, specifically Alpha Trion, deliberately protected him at his own request.

But everyone else in the set? Even Megatronus, who discarded his name when he left Cybertron, “forevermore” to be known as the Fallen? He didn’t discard it all that well, Megatron still borrowed it. People still know it. The legends lived on. Solus Prime’s name is commonly tossed around, everyone knows her, too. “Sweet Solus Prime!” says Fixit, often. Okay, so that’s RiD15, but it’s still the same continuity. So we definitely know that at least some of the other names, if not all of them, have survived. The Thirteen are one of the most important parts of the lore of Cybertron, right up there with Primus and Unicron themselves. So for nobody, not even Orion Pax, to look at Alpha Trion and go “Hey, don’t you have the same name as one of the Thirteen?” In the book Exodus, a young Orion Pax wonders... even suspects... but never, ever gives thought to the name. Yeah. I think he changed it back there somewhere. After all, there’s (very vague) evidence that in some continuities, Alchemist Prime did the same thing. There are hints that in some storylines, Alchemist walks Cybertron long after the war has ended under this other name. And nobody suspects a thing. I think Alpha Trion did that, too.

In my head I like to call him “Trios Prime” and he can deal with it until my idea is either shot down or made canon with a better name.

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As we know, Transformers is a show meant To Sell Toys. You got any? What’s your favorite? Which one wants to make you throw it across the room in frustration because dear God, please help the poor child that attempts to transform that First Edition Bumblebee??

Yeeeah, I have a lot of Transformers. The favorite in my collection is pretty easy, doesn’t really take much thinking about... and pretty predictable. As I posted last year when I got the second part of the set...

I have my bebes. I also have tinier versions of my bebes, and they sit on my night stand next to my bebes like a little family. They have offspring! Yay!

But! I also have a few other gems that I dearly love, so let’s get showing off...

It’s funny because with anything else in the world, obvious recolors designed to sell product annoy me. But when it’s Seekers? Sign me up, I want all of them! So here are Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Slipstream!

And because I think they need some love, too, here’s... the entire Autobot cast, actually, of Transformers Prime. Including the humans. Most of these are also First Edition, although Optimus and Magnus are both Weaponizers. Why do I not have a similar picture of the Decepticons? I have no idea. I need to take one. Hmmm...

For some reason I also have no pictures of my Shockwave’s Lab set (gotta love those ComiCon Exclusives I keep getting for Christmas) and that’s just weird. I also don’t have pictures of the two Knock Out Beast Hunters retools... which might be for the best. But yeah... I collect.

And no, I would never throw a single one of my bots, because I love them, so there.

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What’s your favorite (or if you can’t chose, Top Whatever) episode of TFP? What made it stick out of the bunch?

Whoops, I missed a day! And on a fun question, too! Well, let’s break it down by season!

In season one, my favorite episodes are easily Deus Ex Machina and Speed Metal. These two episodes introduced my favorite characters, and set the standards for their personalities and interactions. However, Scrapheap and Stronger, Faster also rank highly on the list. One set off my love for Rafael Esquivel, and the other is just outright hilarious... and shows that Ratchet might have some feelings about the war that he’s kept to himself quite a bit. I like the twist on his usual character and what it says about what might lie beneath.

In season two we get the Orion Pax three-parter, which offered some amazing backstory and fleshed out Optimus Prime a lot. The Human Factor amped up the creepy just a bit, and I loathe what they did to Breakdown, but Knock Out’s revenge still manages to secure this one on my favorite’s list. And this season also gives us both Grill and Patch, my two favorite recap episodes ever. I’ve never before seen a recap episode in another series that I would watch just for the fun of it. 

Season three hails with Plus One and, ironically, Minus One... the two really have nothing to do with each other, but I love them both. Plus One has some fantastic human interactions and plenty of my favorite mech, and Minus? Primus! Watch it for yourself! Thirst also ranks high, as I get to see the end fates of my least-favorite character in the series. If I go too much into specifics here we’re going to have a twelve-page essay, though!

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It’s not a TF series without a few pesky humans. Fortunately, TFP gave us some pretty solid ones! Who’s your favorite human sidekick?

Oh wow, I don’t even have to think about this one. I love the cast of humans of TFP... mostly. I love Miko, I love Jack. I adore (and ship) Fowler and June. I remember Vogul, and I call him Vogul. I chuckle at Sierra’s attempts, and I feel a bit bad for Vince because seriously that poor dumbaft has no idea what he’s getting himself into constantly picking on Jack. I really, really hate Silas for very, very personal reasons, but I guess there’s got to be one you don’t like in every series, right? But man, when it comes to my favorite human of all...

Rafael Jorge Gonzales Esquivel!

Sorry, I just love the way his mother yells that.

I adore the scrap out of Raf, though. No other human gets the “precious baby!” response out of me the way he does. I mean, come on...

Look at this precious, precious boy!

But it’s not just that Raf is, admittedly, adorable that drives every ounce of “big sister” in me into overdrive. This kid tugs at the spark, he really does. He’s super intelligent, soft-spoken, and sweet, ready to forgive the big robot that stepped on his toy car with no hesitation and no fear... but he’s also lonely. He has a habit of wandering off to play by himself when he feels ignored, trying to amuse himself in his own ways (pilot episode and Scrapheap, anyone?) without complaint. He’s used to being by himself, and that’s just a little bit spark-breaking.

When someone does pay attention to him, that person becomes the number one in his life... as evidenced by a young boy sitting there simply rambling to Bumblebee when the scout is unconscious and probably can’t even hear him, just on the slightest chance that maybe his best friend can hear... and might just be a little bit lonely, too. His actions are compassionate enough to even thaw the spark of Ratchet, who admittedly needs a figure of comfort and encouragement in his life. And between Bumblebee and Ratchet we learn that this is a child who will do everything he can for the people he cares about, putting his all into every action, even if all he can offer are words. He’s the saving grace of Team Prime on more than one occasion, and goes the greatest lengths to see his ‘family’ back together after their scattering at the end of season two.

I just kind of want to wrap him in hugs and cuddle him and protect him forever, you know? I would totally pull a Miko on this, one, I really would...

I mean, come on. How could you not want to try to make this child smile?

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Drifting back to the serious, TFP had its moments of quiet and mourning, of loss and friendship. What was your favorite heartfelt or heartbreaking moment of the series?

Hoooo, this is a hard one... but practically any time Rafael is in distress and Miko and Jack respond by putting their hands on him, arms around his shoulders and whatnot, my spark melts a little. Also in the Season Two finale, when Wheeljack tells Ratchet they’re always on the same side... I have a weak spot for that moment. But the one that gets me the most is the moment Bumblebee realizes that he has his voice back... and his first reaction is to turn and throw himself at Ratchet, immediately trying to share this moment with the medic who saved his life. I mean, Primus. That one hug is almost too much. Ratchet looks so genuinely happy for Bumblebee, and really, it couldn’t have happened without him. He made good in the end. It’s lovely.

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Music time! We all know TFP has a fantastic score, what’s your favorite part about it? What resonates with you? Don’t be afraid to post your selection! And if you don’t have a favorite part of the score, how about an AMV? Share your favorites!

Oh, wow, where do I begin? I adore the score to Transformers Prime! One of my definite favorites would have to be “Optimus Prime Returns”

I’m also, however, quite fond of “Dogfight” as a battle theme.

And then the different tones in Bumblebee’s theme have always been a favorite, too. Especially the middle section and the crescendo.

Now, I would also love to toss a few pieces from the Transformers Prime: The Game soundtrack up here... namely “Predator” and “Betrayal and Redemption” but Youtube is being a glitch right now. Slag it all...

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Finally, why are you doing this challenge?

I mean, we know the initial reason, but this was also meant as a way to rekindle that spark for the show and fandom, one I feel we needed when the Covenant came out. You’re back now for however brief a time. Why?

For me, it’s like... this series just meant so much to me, you know? I still roleplay it, I still watch it when I feel the mood. I missed sharing it, though. I missed analyzing it. I’ve been having so much fun reminiscing, popping in my favorite episodes again, and just remembering everything I used to, and still, love about Transformers Prime. I love having characters I can analyze and make little guesses or elaborate headcanons about where they come from. I love the characters themselves, their personalities, what they stand for. It’s just been fantastic to dip into all of that again. Thank you for this opportunity, everyone. Till all are one!

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Though the show has its drama, it has some wonderful humor. And…some wonderfully cracky shorts.

What’s your favorite funny moment of TFP? And yes, this totally includes Ask Megatron and whatever other short content that got produced. By adults. The decked out Nemesis is fair game, it’s totally canon.

Yeaaah guess what I didn’t get to do for a few days? So let’s play some catch-up while I give my coloring hand a break! Honestly, my favorite humor “moment” is pretty much everything that comes out of Knock Out’s mouth during the episode “Plus One” but I also have a soft spot in my spark for Ratchet... especially during “Faster, Stronger.” Specifically, when he flirts at Arcee. I say flirts at because flirts with would indicate that it was somehow mutual... and her stunned disbelief is part of what makes the scene. I also love the episodes “Patch” and “Grill” specifically for their humor value... both in the clip selections, and the character dialogue.

I also love bad name puns, and the series has a few of those, so overall I’m a happy viewer.

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Let’s get the obligatory ones out of the way. Besides, you’re probably itching to do them. Who’s your favorite Autobot and why? What drew you to them?

.... what? He went Autobot in the end! He counts!

Honestly, I loved Knock Out from the very first time I saw him... or, more accurately, heard him. As soon as he opened his adorable, sassy mouth I was sold. He was clearly intelligent, but had his own motivations and drives aside from just “the war” and even his own hobbies and interests... not many ‘cons have those, and oddly enough, not many Autobots do, either. Bumblebee plays video games and watches television with Rafael, and Bulkhead gets pulled into whatever Miko thinks up... but nobody else seems to have anything they do just for fun. So right away, I found that interesting about him, especially with how passionate he was about racing despite how hard it was discouraged. It was really just the tip of the ice berg.

As the episodes went on I also realized that I genuinely adored his sense of humor, questionable as it could be sometimes. The terrible jokes he shared with Breakdown, the shameless flirting with absolutely everyone, the constant sass... it was adorable in it’s own way. Knock Out could make me laugh even at the worst of times. I’ve always appreciated that about him.

He seemed to gain even more dimension to me as the seasons went on, more depth than a lot of the other characters (and that says a lot) especially during The Human Factor... and I was quite satisfied with his turn-coating at the end, considering the effects the loss of Breakdown and his continued disrespect at the hands of the Decepticons. You could go back through the episodes and see that yes, Knock Out was getting unhappier and unhappier... until a simple “thank you” from Ratchet reminded him that gratitude and dignity were still things that existed. This was a major thing to me, as I was one of those who felt that Blackarachnia’s turn in Beast Wars felt... forced. But seeing Knock Out actually survive the war, and be offered a welcome chance among the Autobots after the loss he suffered, made me genuinely happier than any other ending could have... short of getting my favorite big blue bruiser back, anyway.

And hey, he’s gorgeous on top of all that!

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Time to crank up that Saturday Night Fever Starscream! Who’s your favorite Decepticon and why? C’mon, we all adore someone from the other faction. Transformers, betcha can’t have just one!

Hi, my name is Sparkpulse, and if you did not see this coming you must not follow my blog...

So yeah. Predictably, my favorite Decepticon... as in started ‘con and stayed ‘con... is definitely Breakdown. Because Knock Out went Autobot, and therefore counts as Autobot. Which totally gives me an excuse to gush about both of them before day thirteen. Yay!

Breakdown was another character that I instantly adored. His terrible sense of humor was surprisingly cute for such a big mech, and the friendly side he showed the Vehicons was absolutely endearing. He’s an honest gentle giant, only showing destructive tendencies when there’s an actual battle in front of him. And his relationship with Knock Out... Primus. Watching the two of them play off of each other was absolutely delightful, especially when Breakdown broke out the puns. And then he goes and plays off of his own name. Baby, noooo...

Honestly, his moments with the Vehicons have always fascinated me. The dialogue is great... but my favorite snipped is actually wordless, from the episode “Faster, Stronger” when he steps between a small worker and Ratchet. The Vehicon doesn’t even seem too afraid, he’s ready to go, but Breakdown guards him anyway. And if that’s not lovely, I don’t know what is.

I still have not gotten over his loss. I spent a very long time in denial, and then “Thirst” aired and I spent even more time in denial until a fan comic about how some spiders tend to preserve their victims gave me new hope... ahem. I digress. And then recently Takara released a few comics that completely validated my feelings and now you will never convince me that Breakdown is not perfectly happy and alive and back with Knock Out. Yep. Because he is.

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We all hit our rough patches. After all, it’s not life without them.

Did something ever make you stop watching the show? Did you love for it fizzle out somewhere along the way? What’s your story, your real story? 

.... nope. Never happened, actually. I faced my share of the spark-break but I never, ever stopped watching.

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How did you find TFP? What’s your story of getting into the fandom, characters, and stories?

I was actually introduced to Transformers: Prime by my brother-in-law. He knew I had been fond of Transformers as a child and enjoyed the movies, but I didn’t want to get into a series when I would have to catch up with an entire first season and a half just to watch the next new episodes, and therefore told him a new cartoon was a no-go. He, however, really wanted someone to share the series with, especially after the Orion Pax arc. So one day while I was playing games on my computer, he put on the first episode and hit the volume up right before Jack delivered his line about the “first rule of robot fight club” and... well... that did it. “Did I really just hear a Fight Club joke from a kid’s show?”

He restarted the episode for me and the rest is history! We watched the pilot ‘mini series’ and then the whole first season from there, and were caught up in about three days. After that I watched every episode new, sitting through the hiatuses and everything. By the end of the series I was even live-blogging my reactions. It was, and is, my favorite Transformers series, even though I’ve sat through a few others since then. There’s just something about Transformers: Prime that hits me where it counts.

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What was the first episode of TFP you watched? Did you wait in anticipation for every episode? What was your TFP experience like?

Aw, slag, didn’t I cover this already? The first episode of Transformers: Prime I ever saw was episode one... as my brother-in-law deliberately exposed me to one of the jokes to get me to watch it with him. And I was pretty much hooked from right there... the writing, the voice acting, the artistic design... I love this series. I would wait for every new episode to air, and once I got into Tumblr I started blogging my reactions live like I saw others do. It was so much fun, sharing what details we caught and getting excited together. I still remember the live response the time Knock Out used the word “interfacing” the same way the rest of us here do. I think of that as the day the fandom exploded, ha ha.

Primus, I miss that sometimes...

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Let’s face it, we’d all like to experience the TF universe for realsies. Mostly. Anyways, ever have an OC or self-insert? Share them here!

... there are legitimately too many of them. My OCs keep breeding, or bringing pre-war friends and relations into things, or in one case letting someone scan her neural net for a virtual reality program and accidentally digitally cloning herself in the process. I would not know where to start.

Oh, and then there’s what happens when you cross continuities...

And that one keeps reincarnating...

We... we don’t have all year for me to answer this.