#doctor mandroid

[chaoticsorceressztc]

People and Transformers

[astrokea]

Thinking about Mandroid, Morocco, and Silas gathered around a table discussing how kids (and bots) keep ruining their plans despite literally all the odds being stacked against them

[yayoineko]

Not a speculation, only silly musings.....

Maybe this dude, Doctor Arkeville (from Transformers G1), was Mandroid's (Dr. Meridian), Grandpa!

They kind of resemble eachother:

Both worked with Decepticons, both are really on thier own side. Both care about the Earth (though Arkeville wants to rule Earth, while Mandroid wants to save it). Both have biomechanical parts--though, for Arkeville, it's not expained how he got his cyber-parts. Both invent things that can manipulate minds (human mind control from Arkeville, and Cybertronian mind control from Mandroid).

From TFWiki about Arkeville (after he's unconscious from injury) : "He later woke up strapped to a table, having been rebuilt more fully into a cyborg by Medicroids in order to save his life."

Much like Mandroid was rescued by his Arachnamechs, except Arkeville was involutarily made into nearly all cyborg.

But the thing I like most:

Dr. Arkeville: "I, Doctor Arkeville, genius of science, say... Open Sesame!"

Mandroid: "I, Dr. Meridian, will rid this planet of your invasive species!"

It explains a lot of why Mandroid is so campy at times. XD

That Baxter Stockman fellow from TMNT gets different forms too, like Mandroid. (I wonder if Dr. Arkville inspired Doc Brown's design? The Transformers episode featuring Dr. Arkville first aired in 1984. Back to the Future was released in 1985.)

[transingthoseformers]

SG Earthspark: While Meridian is still G.H.O.S.T's prisoner, Schloder warning him to "Remember what happened to dr. Morocco".

Perhaps what they did to dr. Morocco is never revealed.

Oh no (YES)

I vote yeah, what they did to doctor Morocco is never revealed

[earthstellar]

Just want to point out that this was a hit directly to his solar plexus, which means realistically he’d probably be winded (due to reflex diaphragmatic spasm) and on the ground groaning and struggling to take gasping breaths immediately after. Some people also gag following a hit like this, so there’s also that.  

One of the most realistic depictions of a hit like this that I’ve ever seen in animation was when Jeremy gets punched in the solar plexus in Smiling Friends, if anyone wants a non-real life example. Skip to about 10 seconds in for the relevant scene. 

Dot knew exactly where to aim that punch to 1) not knock him out (presumably in case she had the opportunity to question him further) and 2) make it really fucking suck for Mandroid. 

It’s sort of interesting that there was plenty of time for Mandroid to react-- Dot has to run up a bit on him to make contact with this punch, so it was telegraphed-- but his only response is to throw his arms wide open upon being hit, as if he doesn’t have any idea what to do except maybe grapple her if he can grab her. The hit still startled him. 

Which makes sense; Mandroid is a scientist, and we don’t know if he ever had any field experience or combat training during the war. 

I just really like this little scene because it’s a quick action sequence that is really effective in emphasising character via their fighting styles, or lack thereof in Mandroid’s case here. 

Dot was a soldier. She’s a fast thinker, and assesses situations on the fly. She takes the initiative, and follows through effectively. She takes action with precision, but does so with speed, which we see several times in different scenes throughout the series so far. And we see that here, in how she intentionally aimed this punch, how she walked up on Mandroid without hesitation. One fluid movement. 

Mandroid is an extremely bitter tech lab nerd. He doesn’t necessarily know how to react to being directly physically engaged with like this. He fully expected to be able to finish his sentence at the very least, but he’s a think first act later kind of person-- Slower, more methodical. Dot tends to do both thinking and taking action simultaneously. His approach to battle and how he thinks about physical conflict is very different from how a former soldier will read a situation. 

Also, it’s just really fun to see Dot level this dude in about a second, lmao. 

I know that hit had to hurt so fucking bad. 

The best response to that sort of bullshit from a villain.

[angelsdean]

ok actually. i am not asking. i am DEMANDING. we NEED more ronald in AU fics (or canonverse fics!). but like i have seen every character under the sun be AU dean's exes / pals but i have never seen ronald ????? dean likes him so much !!!!! ronald should be part of the charlie nerd squad in non-supernatural AUs he'd fit right in, they'd bond over doctor who and ron would talk abt the cybermen and his mandroid theories. UGH. put him in fics pls he deserves it !!!

[ultimatefartwizard]

EARTHSPARK MESSAGES AND SUBTEXT THATS NOT EVEN SUBTEXT

It's been a while since I have posted as I've been busy with finals, but I saw a post that absolutely made me spur a headache with just how utterly fatuous of a take I saw on Transformers Earthspark and the messages it sends.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT USE THIS POST TO ATTACK OR HARASS ANYONE, THIS IS ONLINE DISCUSSION OF A WORK OF MEDIA.

THIS ALSO COVERS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 OF EARTHSPARK, IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SUCH A TOPIC PLEASE REDIRECT YOURSELF.

@monocle-teacup Won't repost your post as the way tumblr reposts works would have everything funnel onto your account, but I'll be pinging you and I did screenshot your post for viewer's context:

I have ALOT to talk about here, while also being completely in shock and disbelief how you end up BELEIVING THE SIDE THAT IS A GENOCIDAL LUNATIC WHO SEES THE TRANSFORMERS AS SUBHUMAN AND A DISEASE ON THE EARTH??? AND IS WILLING TO FULL ASS MURDER AND MUTILATE PEOPLE? From here any * you may see is likely a footnote mark to check details I put at the end for clarity. If I miss something, let me know and I will clarify.

Before I get into the meat of dissecting your clearly ill-informed and definitely not thoroughly thought out post, I need to get something out of the way because I believe you'll use this as a means of shielding yourself from incoming critique: It's okay to like and enjoy characters who are clearly bad people. There is a CLEAR difference between enjoying a fictional character and agreeing with whatever they might do or say. I enjoy many bad and morally reprehensible characters, including Mandroid/Doctor Meridian, but that doesn't mean I agree with them or don't find their actions and ideas deplorable. If you find yourself agreeing with someone who sees another group of people* as being subhuman or a danger to society you need to reconsider your ideologies and thought processes. Like ASAP.

Okay onto the actual deconstruction of your statements, why they are blatantly lacking a thorough reading of the messages in Earthspark, or even lead into uncomfortably ignorant territories both with Transformers and very real-life, human related things.

As a first point, you state that you hope this show re-examines the fact that hatred towards another group of people (even if they are fictional) automatically makes them a terrible person, and bring up the statement that the show makes GHOST's detainment of transformers look "cartoonishly evil" but does absolutely nothing to address Dr.Meridian's statements of transformers being dangerous.

Yes. Yes it ABSOLUTELY DOES address that throughout the entire show. In fact, the whole season is literally about deconstructing the notion that BOTH Dr.Meridian's and GHOST's ideals and methods are harmful if not downright discriminatory towards transformers as a whole.

GHOST's method of control is a guise under the US government by detaining any transformer they deem as "a threat", this can even mean autobots or non-aligned transformers who don't want to join their organization or are just doing their own thing. They will willingly classify them all as "Decepticons" to justify their inhumane treatment of them. This is paralleling how humans will stereotype and conflate other groups of people, as being all associated with one singular event or organization of people that is seen as bad or a danger to society* and use that stereotyped ideal to weaponize it against them and justify harming them in multiple ways; which is what Dr.Meridian ALSO DOES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SHOW. Dr.Meridian is a scientist that literally works with and is a huge provider of technology to GHOST, he literally works with them and experiments on the detained transformers. You can't say "oh GHOST bad Dr.Mer not so bad" when he's LITERALLY PART OF GHOST AND YOU CANNOT SEPARATE THEM. HE IS EXTREME AND OUTSPOKEN ABOUT HIS HATRED THROUGHOUT THE SHOW AND ACTIVELY IS SHOWN TO BE ENTIRLEY IN THE WRONG BOTH IDEOLOGICALLY AND ACTION WISE. You clearly have not watched with a critical eye if you think they never address his points or somehow he is right about something. He never is and it shows just how harmful his mentality is. You don't even need words spoken out loud to know he's ALREADY HEINOUSLY WRONG AND BIGOTED.

Why should the show, one that shows transformers having to battle against racist and xenophobic hatred towards them from humans, re-examine that relationship? People are being discriminatory to people they don't like, and to them it doesn't matter if they are decepticon or not; they're all the same and dangerous in their eyes. Yes, there was a war brought onto earth's soil from pure happenstance of where the Ark and members of the two named groups had landed, and yes it was bloody and many lives were lost like any war is. Should the war, as well as atrocious acts of violence by a few and the circumstance that which the birth and type of being transformers are deem all transformers as dangerous? OBVIOUSLY FUCKING NOT. That's literally stereotyping. That's what Dr.Meridian is doing. He's literally grouped them all into one conglomerate in his head and sees them all as pests to be exterminated.

The transformers are both immigrants and refugees of war that had lasted thousands of millions of years and a desperate attempt to find any source of energon because they would STARVE TO DEATH IF THEY DIDN'T AND RESOURCES WERE DANGEROUSLY SCARCE ON CYBERTRON. They are thousands of lightyears away from home in a place that doesn't have the cultures they are familiar with and structures built for them which accommodates their needs. And to add onto it, most were never originally outfitted with guns and shit. They had to ARM THEMSELVES TO PROTECT AGAINST ATTACKS. JUST BECAUSE YOU SEE A GUN POP OUT OF THEIR BODY DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE BUILT LIKE THAT NOR DOES IT MEAN THEY ARE AUTOMATICALLY ALL DANGEROUS. The only ones who are theoretically "built for war/violence" are war-frames like seekers, but they didn't even CHOOSE THAT LIFE OR WANT IT! THEY ARE COLD CONSTRUCTED* AND LITERALLY ENSLAVED INTO BEING CANON FODDER FOR WHATEVER SKERMISH THEY ARE DEEMED NEEDED FOR. Starscream wasn't even a warrior before this, he was just some nerd ass scientist. Cold constructed bots and War-frames are already deemed subhuman by other transformers. The entire war that you see is a continual millions of years struggle which the origins are in a fight against their own horrible systematic oppressions to try and bring freedom and put an end to the horrible reign back on Cybertron. How does them being robot organisms displaced by ongoing war, a continual brutal and bloody struggle for freedom back at home, and dangerous resource scarcity make them any more dangerous than your average person? And the "they are robots/walking death machines" argument doesn't count because you're only seeing them from a nonhuman lense in that case. Take off those nuts and bolts covered glasses and think of how this would be if they were all humans instead. The visuals of only seeing them for their robotics are blocking your ability to view this group as simply a mirroring of humans in nonhuman bodies. Humans are just as dangerous and ostracizing as them. Literally humans slaughter other humans frequently; bring upon hatred and obscene actions onto one another with or without robotic attachments and aid of machines. Just because the transformers are robotic extraterrestrials who are "different biologically/mechanically" makes it no different from the dehumanization and other forms of racism and xenophobia. Transformers are literally just... humans in a robot shell. You can't argue against this at all because most if not all have human forms, ALL of them have human minds, and just happen to come from a planet they need to be insanely large sized on, as well as already pre-armed due to conflict that they have escaped from.

The whole story of Earthspark is LITERALLY about the experiences of the Terrans; first generation descendants of immigrant refugees navigating the struggles that come with being just that. They make whole episodes surrounding their feelings of alienation and their struggle to have a place in the world, their culture and history and who they are. They want to feel they belong and feel they have a place in this world and be seen just as human and belonging as their human family. Their government and the world around them alienates them and treats them sub-humanly despite them being just as human, flaws and all, as us. Since I'm praddling on about this topic, did you even ABSORB ANY OF THE EPISODES HOME PART 1 AND 2???? IT'S ABOUT THIS TOPIC AND TEACHES HOW THIS MENTALITY OF TREATING THE TRANSFORMERS AS SUBHUMAN ALIENS THAT NEED TO GO AWAY OR NEED TO BE CLASSIFIED AS DANGEROUS/A INVASIVE "SPECIES" THAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED IS BAD. IT SHOWS THE RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA THAT ESPECIALLY COMES WITH BEING CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE ISOLATION THEY FACE.

Please, I heavily implore you to go back and watch them. You somehow miss the entire point of the show and ESPECIALLY this episode. Many episodes cover different points of their existence as first gen children and the reality that the transformers have to face in general while being refugees on a planet with others being hostile and degrading to them but this particular episode is the one that tackles the points I make in this post the most. It may not go super deep into it due to forced time constraints and other executive nonsense that makes it harder to go into more detail but it still covers the topic very well.

Humans getting nipped at the heels for being bigoted towards transformers isn't some "ouugh you can't think the decepticons did bad things" type of nonsense and I absolutely hate the "oh because you can't be bigoted towards a group of people it means you suddenly can't criticize the actions of someone who happens to be someone of that group" mentality you seem to be concocting out of thin air. It's them associating the entire race of transformers as all bad, unbelonging or worthy of being seen as dangerous and to be wary around them or like they need to not be on earth and "go back where they came from". You go between "decepticons" and "transformers" interchangeably and seem to do exactly as the show heeds against heavily; conglomerating the actions of a FEW to encompass the overall worthiness of a WHOLE POPULATION OF PEOPLE.

Doctor Meridian is wrong and genuinely evil and disturbing with how he treats them and him seeing them as dangerous and a pest needing to be eradicated nor should any of his views be agreed upon, no matter how much you may try to defend him. There's more I could add but for simplicity's sake but that's what I mainly will state. The rest of clarity can be discussed in the comments.

I'm not sure whether your lack of understanding of the show and its messaging you are discussing or your love for one of the major villains is clouding your judgement, but please read EVERYTHING here to its fullest extent. Nothing here is intended as an attack on your character (if you're somehow seeing it that way) but as a heavy critique of your views on this show and how you are analyzing things. I might sound like I'm yapping to yap or "it's not that deep", but it literally is. The show and it's writing make it a big point and I will refuse to accept any iteration of "you're making a mountain out of a molehill" type statements. If you have any questions or comments you're free to bring them up.

-With confusion and annoyance, Wizard.

-Footnotes- *By group of people, I refer to sapient (human minded) beings who are grouped by either race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, etc. By this classification, Transformers are considered a group of people; even if they are "nonhuman" *If you are somehow seriously confused or appalled by me pointing out real world racism and xenophobia as parallels to what is being done by GHOST, Dr. Meridian, and your average run of the mill civilian, you need to reread absolutely everything. Racism and xenophobia are a huge talking point in the show and I refuse to retract this statement. *Cold Constructed means the transformer was made in a factory, more often than not to be a worker slave for whoever is demanding they be produced. Two characters off the top of my head who are cold constructed is Starscream and Megatron.

[poptimus-prime]

[Image ID: Mandroid from Transformers Earthspark, extremely disheveled and with two Cybertronian arms, lying down and his arms crossed as a doctor stands beside his hospital bed. They are on a background that is just a gradient from white to blue-grey. They are having a conversation, and it is as follows:

Doctor: You're dying of sepsis. You drank gasoline.

Mandroid: Yeah

D: And why did you do that?

M: Hungy.

D: OK. Well.

D: You also have tetanus. And Gangrene. And stomach ulcers. And jaundice. And aspiration pneumonia. And internal hemorrhaging. And acute hepatitis. And heart failure. And gallstones.

End image ID]

Mandroid was looking ROUGH this last batch of episodes.

[monocle-teacup]

I really want a scene where Mandroid starts doing one of his villain speeches and doesn’t get past “I, Doctor Meridian.” before he gets interrupted by the other characters being mind blown that his name isn’t Mandroid. 

[milesonthenet]

Earthspark has the potential to do great things.

Welcome to the House of Milesverse, and today we will be reviewing Transformers: Earthspark. Releasing in 2023, Earthspark is a 3D-animated Transformers cartoon. Like many series before it, it takes place in its own continuity. Interestingly, it is also not that far removed from the first series.

First, i have to apologize for putting it off for a while. I was set to do this earlier, but another topic just grabbed me at that moment. It felt more interesting to pull my thoughts together for that one. I hope you guys are still able to bear with me through this, though.

And without further ado? We jump in.

What is Earthspark about?

Earthspark is a unique Transformers series, in a way. Earthspark addresses the creation of the first 'earth-born' transformers. These are called Terrans, and they are the first of their generation. They are quite the anomaly, even gaining a different power source, as well.

Earthspark's story is also remarkable for adapting a post-war setting. Unlike prior series, it is not just an "Autobots versus Decepticons" story. Optimus Prime won, and now he's working alongside Megatron. Most of the 'conflict' in the series stems from escaped decepticon criminals, or other monsters of the week.

Or you know, Doctor Mandroid, the aptly named cartoonish villain. This second-rate Doctor Arkeville is the series' main antagonist. He represents the hatred against Transformers taken to the xenophobic extreme. After all, he's the type of guy to replace his arm with a cybertronian arm. I still do not know how he manages to lift that thing.

The series is also similar to the Generation 1 universe. The flashbacks do a lot to showcase the similarities, right down to animation styles. It is easy to see it as some sort of offshoot sequel, but I do not imagine there's much to actually focus on beyond being an homage.

Meet the Terrans:

As mentioned above, The Terrans are the evolution of Transformers. They are a new generation that's only just recently been born on Earth. They also act as the main viewpoint characters in the series. They are the fresh eyes from which we, as the audience, see the Transformers' stories unfold in a post-war setting.

The Terrans are the product of two children: Robby and Mo Malto. They act as usual human characters who tag along with the Transformers. Their contact with the Emberstone created the five main Terrans.

It's important to note that the Terrans are very 'human-like' in a sense most cybertronians are not. Their experiences make them more akin to awkward, giant robot children. This is important with how they play off with Robby & Mo. The two children act like their 'older siblings' in a way, which helps them learn about the world.

There are at least five Terrans we see in the series. All five of them have their own distinct personalities. The Maltobots is a recurring name that they have, and frankly? It is adorable.

The five Terrans are:

The competitive spy drone, Twitch.

The carefree motorcycle-and-sidecar, Thrash.

The extremely online SWAT truck, Hashtag.

The serene and calm owl, Nightshade.

The big-hearted stygimoloch, Jawbreaker.

Of the five? I believe Thrash is the one who needs the most development. Jawbreaker, Nightshade, and Hashtag have had major focus episodes based around them. Twitch also had this earlier on, including an episode with Wheeljack, her 'father'(he invented the drone she uses as her alt-mode). Thrash is rife with potential for storylines, and I hope season 2 takes a crack at it.

The Evolution of Megatron:

This series is, for a lot of people, the first time that they get to see a "good guy" Megatron.

Megatron is iconic for being an 80s menace with his various kooky powers. He's Optimus Prime's rival, a consistent thread between the two that is prevalent in every incarnation. Megatron's entire history has, for the most part, been him being played as the bad guy.

IDW is one of the most prominent examples of Megatron making a path to redemption. He's still committed numerous acts of hatred and destruction. He's ruined lives for the sake of conquest. Yet, that version of Megatron is content to face his path, and still believes he doesn't deserve true redemption.

Earthspark Megatron is, like IDW, a villain who's chosen to reform. He believes in a peaceful future for Cybertron, in spite of what many others think of his past tendencies. Megatron believes in the terrans as the future of what Cybertron can be. Megatron cares for his troops and detests the treatment and abuse that rogue decepticons are given.

Earthspark's Megatron is off to being a wonderful character already. The way he interacts with the humans, and Terrans, is a refreshing sight for fans only familiar with the cartoons. I am excited to see where his path goes. I would hope that the franchise does not decide to twist him into being a villain.

How Earthspark tackles human hatred:

One of the biggest pulls from Earthspark's history is its focus on war. It's hardly the first piece of media that has adopted the "War is obviously bad" stance. Other series have shown the damage and destruction that war has caused. With Earthspark, I just think it's taken an interesting approach to it. The way the world is set up, it's just brimming with potential.

Earthspark starts off with an interesting status quo for the Autobots. They are working together with the secret organization G.H.O.S.T. to protect the world from rogue decepticons. G.H.O.S.T. was on the frontlines helping stop decepticons during the great war on Earth. They formed an alliance with the Autobots, and saw much of the havoc that followed from the war.

On the surface, G.H.O.S.T. seems fine, but their ethics are morally dubious. They incarcerate decepticon prisoners with devices that lock them into their alternate modes. They basically control the autobots and how they act in public. G.H.O.S.T. are not the conventional "good guys" you would expect.

This leads us to Karen Croft, a high-ranking agent, and a real piece of work. Yes, her name is Karen, get it out of your system. Karen Croft is a driving presence in the war against cybertronians. She's the one who teamed up with Doctor Mandroid to accomplish her goals. All Karen wants is payback for the destruction wrought by the war. And how is she going to get that? Through conquering Cybertron, obviously!

Croft's genuine hatred of the cybertronians is played out over the course of her appearances. Her willingness to use her brother, and G.H.O.S.T. to get what she wants is frightening. Croft proves the angle that humans can be the real monster when they let their hatred blind them.

Speaking of Mandroid? He's no saint in the park either, he's just as bad. Mandroid, originally known as Doctor Meridian, lost his arm in the conflict years ago. Since then, he's become a delusional monster who seeks to destroy the cybertronians on Earth. Mandroid envisions himself as a defender of humankind.

Mandroid is a monster, and over the season, he becomes more monstrous. At first, he simply stole the arms off of cybertronians to make himself stronger. This causes him to require energon for sustenance. By the season finale, he's become an advanced, alien war machine. Mandroid goes even further when he kills Croft, by disintegrating her alive.

Mandroid and Croft stand out as being such visceral depictions of hatred. Their willingness to abuse and experiment on Cybertronians - even Decepticons, is cruel. Yet, I find that quality makes them fascinating for what they represent. They are what happens when humanity brings out their worst qualities. They are greedy, selfish, hateful, and full of spite.

The Transformers are often to blame for all the things that the war caused. The Home two-parter does a good job at displaying this. In the first half, Robbie Malto, one of the main protagonists, visits his old friend Stevie.

Stevie's first encounter with Twitch and Hashtag is meant to come off as insensitive and hurtful. The group comes across a graffiti piece that reads "TRANSFORMERS GO HOME". Stevie tries to play it off, indicating that the graffiti probably meant 'Decepticons'. The last straw for Robbie is when Stevie says that his father told him the Transformers "invaded" the planet.

Stevie is innocent, and he genuinely sees nothing with anything he's saying. However, it's easy to see how that mindset can influence people. In the end, Stevie grows, and he changes the graffiti to read "TRANSFORMERS ARE HOME".

It's likely that a lot of humans out there have disdain for the Transformers. I like the way that this story is structured. I feel like more focus on this could have been interesting to look at. What other stories could they have spun out of this plotline?

And why Transformers are people too:

That's enough focus on all the negatives. Now how about we focus on the positives?

As I said before, I think the 'maltobots' as a nickname is hilarious. It also is doubly fitting for the Terran cast. They are just as much a part of the family. This is heartwarming, even for Alex and Dot Malto, the parents. They adopted a bunch of sentient earthborn alien robots into their family.

The series really hammers in how close the Terrans are to the Maltobots. They are literally connected to Robbie and Mo, even emotionally. Because of this, the Maltobots can feel the humans' own reactions.

What i also love is the dynamic that the Terrans have wih the Cybertronians. Optimus Prime doesn't look at them and think that they are not real 'people'. He treats them just the same as any other cybertronian. He accepts them as they are, even in spite of them being untrained.

Megatron sees them as the future of their species and embraces their hybrid nature. They are lucky to be born in this current era, where they would not suffer from the effects of Cybertron's long-drawn war.

The series makes its effort to show how not all Cybertronians are 'bad' guys. This is even true of the Decepticon characters. Some of them are especially sympathetic in this iteration.

Tarantulas is a name usually related to laughing mad spiderbots who also might eat people. Earthspark reinvents him into being a reclusive spider bot with no interest in evil. Or eating people. All Tarantulas wants is to just be left alone so he can start a new life. Tarantulas may have been a decepticon, but he does not carry the usual lust for war that's commonly associated with them.

Tarantulas makes good friends with Nightshade, and the two are able to bond over science. They helped Tarantulas create his holographic projector. Tarantulas in addition, helped expand Nightshade's mind on what their alt-mode could be.

Starscream is a name everyone knows, as he's one of the most popular characters. He's typically portrayed as a treacherous force working to undo Megatron's reign. Any abuse that he suffered through those incarnations was warranted, due to his incompetence.

Earthspark's rendition of Starscream is notably tragic. Compared to his other incarnations, Starscream's abuse is played straight. Megatron's actions traumatized Starscream, and he's still deeply scarred. Starscream is able to find a sympathetic ear in Hashtag, who believes his stories. This act endeared Hashtag to him, and the two of them bonded.

Breakdown is a Stunticon, and the Stunticons are all generally crazy. Breakdown's usually the paranoid one, whose always superstitious of others. In spite of his scaredy cat nature, Breakdown is not a threat to be trifled with.

Earthspark's Breakdown humanizes him and gives him a relationship with Bumblebee. The two of them are old friends from before the war began. Now that the war is over with, they spend their time racing together.

Breakdown chose to sacrifice himself to save Bumblebee from being detected by G.H.O.S.T. This was during a race that Breakdown wagered with Bumblebee. If Bee won, he would lay low and hide. However, if Breakdown won, he would get Bee's energon suppressors. Ultimately, he lost, but he managed to help Bumblebee escape from their trackers.

These there are stand-out examples of Decepticons who aren't just "villainous". They might have joined the wrong side, but they always step up for their friends. I'm hoping that we see any of the three in the next season. It just seems natural to want another appearance.

Conclusion: Earthspark is one heck of a road, but one worth paving.

Earthspark's ideas are certainly worth exploring. However, I feel like there's more depth that can be explored through the series. I want to see them really engage with the cybertronian hate in later episodes. I want to see the Terrans get more acquainted with Earth's interesting customs. I want to see so much happen with this series and watch it blossom int osomething amazing.

I am hoping that Earthspark finds a way to tie Cybertron into it's storyline. It just feels like a natural path to take with the series. I am just curious on how the residents of Cybertron would react to the growing life on Earth. You could even make a divide between the Cybertronians and the Terrans.

Earthspark is filled with so much potential for a Transformers series. I hope that it's not squandered over the course of it's series. Things are just starting to heat up, after all. We have another season or two to deal with. Even more, there were some funny allusions to the iconic Quintessons in the last few episodes...

What's next?

That was my review of Transformers: Earthspark! I hope you enjoy it. I will try to keep up the pace with these Tumblr posts. I'm trying not to get lazy on ya'll with my next few.

I'm going to finally start dealing with Moon Girl season 2 (Hallelujah!), do a top 10 on the X-Men's 'silliest' mutations, and maaaaybe dip into some of my favorite Moon Knight moments? Look forward to some more Unseen Stars as well!

And while we're at it?

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY, TRANSFORMERS!

Seriously, turning 40 years old for a franchise is a really big achievement for them. We have been watching these Robots in Disguise for the last 40 years. I'm glad to have been a fan of the franchise. I'm even more excited for what the future will hold.

[lycoris-artcorner]

Imagine if Mandroid ever went to a doctor (which I highly doubt)

- Sir, why exactly did you drink gasoline?

- Hungry

[blueikeproductions]

Since the last EarthSpark kids book pitches went well, here’s some more I toyed with, some focusing more on Mandroid… mostly because I forgot him when focusing more on the Decepticons.

Book Idea 9: Following his latest defeat by the Terrans and Autobots, Mandroid’s lab and equipment are in shambles. As his shell program tech was destroyed in the skirmish, Mandroid turns to other means: leftover weapons from The Great War. He learns of the Robo-Smasher, a device developed by Shockwave and used by Megatron to increase his ranks on Cybertron and Earth.

Locked in a secret compound called the Tyrest Vault, authorized by Optimus Prime to keep certain tech away from GHOST, Mandroid uses his Arachnimechs to break in and salvage the Robo-Smasher, but also The Immobilizer, Resonance Blaster, Polarity Gauntlet and Phase Shifter for future use. Interested in the Robo-Smasher specifically, his first act was to use it to reprogram the generic vault guards and the Constructicons, who had been loyal to Megatron and were since granted civilian construction jobs per his request to GHOST higher ups. Now armed with the original Decepticon superweapon, Devastator, souped up with the Polarity Gauntlet, Mandroid launches an attack on the gathered Autobots and Terrans alerted to the vault breach. While the Autobots are overpowered, the Terrans more hyperactive and on the fly maneuvers with the Maltos are able to trick the simpleminded Devastator into using the Polarity Gauntlet to destroy the Robo-Smasher and the Arachnimechs. Hashtag is then able to hack into the Gauntlet and uses it to reverse polarity, forcing Devastator back into his component parts. Magnetized and cluttered with Arachnimech scrap metal and stuck to Mixmaster, the annoyed doctor escapes with the Constructicons minus one Polarity Gauntlet confiscated by the Autobots. It’s not a complete loss, as on top of acquiring the Constructicons, Mandroid had managed to back up the Smasher, building a custom Arachnimech to house its program for future use. Optimus receives a semi comical and hypocritical chewing out from Croft over the Tyrest Vault.

Book Idea 10: Mandroid is experimenting on how to use his remaining weapons on to himself, not trusting Devastator with the task after what happened with the Gauntlet. Unfortunately for Mandroid, the weapons back fire each time he uses them in an attack against the Autobots. The Immobilizer only succeeds in immobilizing his mechanical arm, the Resonance Blaster sends him flying into the next county over, needing to be rescued by a recently Robo-Smashed Buzzsaw, while the Phase Shifter leaves his arm stuck in a wall of a Decepticon compound because the Shifter can only phase Cybertronian bodies.

Forced to realize his limitations, Mandroid sets his sights on the most bizarre super weapon Megatron oversaw during the war: the giant purple griffon.

Using the Constructicons to excavate it from its crash site and refurbish it with the Resonance Blaster and Immobilizer to demolish his Autobots foes.

While Megatron engages the weapon of his past alongside Optimus, Elita and Grimlock, the Terrans and Maltos race to find the one Autobot who defeated the Griffon, Commander Modesty himself, Sky Lynx.

The idea I had is that this version has a robot mode similar to his Sky Reign combiner mode, his usual unique Beast Mode, while his vehicle mode is a jumbo jet similar to Fire Dagwon.

Mostly as a means to explain why you can have Sky Lynx, but the Autobots didn’t just climb inside and fly back to Cybertron because he’s not a space fairing vehicle. I see his personality being the same as G1, but leaning more towards the nostalgic drunkard pilot Winston from the first Brendan Fraser Mummy movie. Finding him at his current job at the Witwicky airport sulking in a hanger, as he wasn’t scheduled to fly that day, the Terrans and Maltos appeal to Sky Lynx’s ego, and he races off in jet mode with the kids inside to face down his old rival once again.

Book Idea 11: A few months after the fight with the Griffin, Hashtag, Nightshade and Thrash and Malto kids are playing around filming videos until they find themselves inside a Decepticon bunker where they find Swindle and Chop Shop delivering parts to the Decepticon mob boss Turmoil.

They learn Turmoil is planning to escape Earth with the other free Earth bound Decepticons, and that in secret, they’ve been rebuilding the remains of the giant purple griffin into a space ship called The Victory.

Robbie and Thrash aren’t too concerned about this, the rabble rousing Decepticons leaving altogether would be better for everyone anyway. Nightshade points out however this would be worse because it means Turmoil could bring back hordes of surviving war mongering Decepticons out in space to Earth as revenge and destroy the fragile Cybertron Alliance and the planet. The Terrans are caught by Howlback who was patrolling the area, and the gang is captured by the Decepticons. Placed in cells with stasis cuffs, locked in Beast/Vehicle Mode, and under the watchful eye of Garboil, they’re forced to watch the completion and boarding of The Victory. Not all is lost, as upon the launch of the Victory, with the kids inside ready to be sold to the Skuxxoid at the nearest space port, Megatron, Sky Lynx and Dot arrive on the scene, Megatron having received a communication only Hashtag could provide. Now Turmoil and Megatron battle as the fate of the Earthbound Decepticons is decided upon here. Book Idea 12: The Decepticon scientist Vertebreak has been studying the Terrans, and is fascinated by their physiology and bonds with humans via the Cyber Sleeves.

Wanting to understand how it works so he can duplicate it for use in the Decepticons, he manages to capture the Terrans and Maltos, and puts them through rigorous yet comical trials in his underground lab. Tarantulas and Wheeljack wise up to what’s happening and team up to save the kids.

Book idea 14: Agent Croft: Tomb Raider or The Secret Origins of Karen Croft!. Agent Croft is taking a vacation to get away from her responsibilities for a bit. However work follows her wherever she goes, as the Autobots and Terrans appear to foil the Decepticons’ schemes of the hour. Croft recalls her late high school-early college years, revealing she was functionally the EarthSpark version of RiD01 Kelly, always caught up in the chaos of the Great War. Even her and her brother’s Jeep turned out to be the Autobot Brawn.

Unlike Kelly who just sort of accepted her lot in life, Croft snapped. The final straw was her and Schloder taking a camping trip to explore some caves. They stumbled upon the ancient remains of Fortress Maximus and the stasis locked Cerebros, but unfortunately so did Megatron and the Combaticons and Optimus’ Autobots and of course a fight ensued.

Caught in a cave caused by the fighting, the siblings were rescued by Bumblebee, earning Schloder’s adoration, but Croft’s ire. When GHOST was formed several years later, Croft busted her butt through the ranks to become Executive Agent Croft in order to finally exact her position to take down not just the Decepticons, but all Transformers. In the present, her hot spring vacation is saved by the Autobots, but the Decepticons trying to use geo thermal power to generate Energon and create a super weapon superheated her spring, causing her to comically boil. As she stews over her predicament, Croft wonders what became of Fortress Maximus as the base was never recovered. Deep in the Tyrest Vault however in a secret room, Cerebros had long since been recovered, and is on life support.

[rowiewritesstuff]

Hullo could I get an Earthspark or MTMTE matchup? I use they/them pronouns. I’m an art history major and archivists, my Myers Briggs is INTJ. I’m short with black curly hair, thick glasses and an average build, I also dress fairly goth. Lots of black jeans, spikes and comfortable boots. I’m a fairly reserved person and prefer listening in conversations and my love language is gifts, mostly things I make like drawings or knittings and food. I like horror movies, hiking and museums and someone who can make me laugh. Thank you!

I match you with: Frenzy!

Frenzy is a LOUD bot who loves to talk. She goes well with your personality- after all, opposites attract. She loved telling you jokes to watch a grin creep onto your face. Whenever you are sad or angry, that’s how she’d cheer you up. 

You both have a similar style, too. She had a goth/rock look to her, and she sometimes managed to put one of your shirts over her head to see what they’d look like on her. She normally ripped them, though.

Frenzy loves to play music for you to listen to, even if you don’t always like it. She often writes songs for you.

She in turn loves to look at your art. Whenever you get into a creative block, she’s the one who will help inspire you to make something.

Frenzy is a huge fan of horror movies, and it suits you both a lot. She’ll hold you close as you watch together. Whenever a jumpscare pops onto the screen she squeezes you tighter and laughs loudly.

She loves to take you on hikes too. She always asks you what flower is which, and why different trees have different colored leaves. Sometimes when you’d get tired from walking too far she’d carry you on her back. She would always say “Only the best for my little artist!” 

Sometimes you’d gift her little scarves you put together, or a nice painting of her and you. She’d give you your favorite foods and museum tickets.

You were terrified to meet her family. You’d already met Laserbeak- who became your best friend.

Soundwave approved of you, which was unusual. He normally hated humans, but you seemed to make his mini cons happy. You got along with the quieter decepticon pretty well, often going over to their base to hang out with them.

When Soundwave was captured you were there to comfort her. You went with Laserbeak and Frenzy when they went to Philly, and got a job as a counselor. 

You were there with them the night the fight with Mandroid took place, and got injured saving her life.

“Laserbeak! We have to get them out of here!” 

They dragged you out together and took you home. They weren’t human, so they had no clue what to do. They never even really considered you may need a human doctor- so they begrudgingly called Megatron who rushed over with their human friend Dorothy.

Dorothy looked over your unconscious form. “They should be okay, but they need to rest. Maybe even a hospital.” You whimpered in pain while still unconscious as Dorothy brushed over a cut on your arm.

“Don’t touch them!” Frenzy pulled you gently into her arms. 

They ended up taking you to a hospital with the help of Dorothy, and you were released two days later. 

Frenzy would always be there for you, and she hoped the same of you.

[transingthoseformers]

In my opinion human villains in Transformers can work if you make them really despicable like Silas, really smart like Mandroid, or both like Meltdown.

I liked a lot of the human villains we've seen in transformers, but as I've learned today my opinions in transformers are rather permissive (see: me not caring that bayverse isn't made well) so I may not be a good judge of whether a human villain works or not

[melyonza]

Will we see an aquatic Terran?

When Hashtag tries to help JB find his alternate mode, she brings him several vehicles so he can choose his alternate mode.

Curiously, she focuses more on the helicopter and the boat, but more on the boat, telling him to choose the boat as an alternate mode.

I don't know much about the geography of Witwicky in Earthspark. But when they confront Mandroid, we see a warship that is actually a Cape Odger (OPV-84) that is originally from Chile.

Curiously, the function of the OPV-84 is auxiliary, that is, it is more for search and rescue. Which wouldn't be a coincidence if a Terran doctor chose him.

Hashtag seemed to be very interested in her brother choosing a boat as an alternate mode. Will a future Terran have the boat as an alternate mode?To tell the truth, I think it would be difficult, since it could not move on dry land, unless its T-COG was special like that of the Hotshot autobot that could have three alternate modes, including a hovercraft.

The new Terran will probably be born with the uniqueness of having more than one alternate mode. Since we remember that the Terrans are special, since Elita-1 and Grimlock point out that it is not normal for JB to transform into a dinobot just by scanning bones. While Bumblebee points out that it's not normal with Hashtag when she snaps out of her vehicle mode.

Also, according to the Transformers comics, it is rare for transformers to be born with a Multi-cog.

[agentcable]

Supernatural Season 2 Ep. 12 "Nightshifter"

Sam and Dean investigate a series of bank robberies where the robber is then found dead. The autopsy shows the shape-shifter returned several days before the robbery.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

The episode starts with a news story. A bank in Milwaukee is being robbed. Police, paramedics, and helicopters are at the scene. This is the third hour of the hold-up. The SWAT team is ready to enter as we see the front door of the bank open and a man being escorted out by Dean.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (one day earlier) - Sam and Dean ask two employees at the jewelry shop about the robbery. Helena had been an employee for years. The night before, she cleaned out the display cases and the safe. Edgar caught her, but she grabbed his gun and shot him. She killed herself by throwing a hairdryer in the bathtub. There's no reason why she did it. The police got the security camera before the employees could see it. Franny, an employee Sam and Dean interview, tries to hit on Dean. He gets her phone number.

Later that night, Sam and Dean visit Ronald Reznick's house. He's security guard at the Milwaukee Trust. A month ago, something similar happened at the bank. The robber then killed himself. Ron asks for their IDs.

He invites them in to tell them what really happened that night at the bank. Ron says Juan Morales didn't rob the bank. He said the person who got into the bank wasn't Juan. It had his exact features. Ron says this is the work of a man-droid living in the sewer system. He shows them a magazine cover featuring one (an image of a Cyberman from Doctor Who). He shows the boys the security tapes. Juan's eyes flare. Sam tries to get Ron to stop thinking about the man-droid and the "laser eyes" on the security tapes. Dean looks uncomfortable lying to Ron. He's done a lot of the work for them.

Sam and Dean find the tapes at Ron's house and realize they're hunting another shapeshifter. Dean asks Sam why he got Ron out of the case. Sam says Ron isn't a hunter and he just stumbled on something. He'd get killed if he went up against the shapeshifter. Dean says the shapeshifter might target the next bank on the line.

The boys dress up as security workers to get into the surveillance room so they can find the shapeshifter.

No sign of the shifter. Then they see the bank manager's eyes flare at the camera. They als captured Ron locking the bank door with a chain at 12:10 am. He runs into the lobby, pulls out his rifle, and orders everyone to the ground.

At 12:34 am, Sam and Dean enter the lobby and try to negotiate with Ron. Ron orders them to the ground because they aren't FBI agents. Dean tells Ron the truth: there's something in the bank, but it's not a mandroid. Dean says they need to find the bank manager because the shapeshifter is in him. Ron lets Dean go with him but locks everyone else in the vault.

Dean and Ron burst into the office and find a layer of shed skin behind the desk. Dean tells Ron that when a shapeshifter changes form, it sheds the skin. It could be anybody.

Outside the bank, police are surrounding the building.

Police cut off power. Sam and Dean are talking about what to do next. The cops cut the power, so they can't see who the shapeshifter is. It could be in the halls or the vault. They have to find a way out of the building because Dean is wanted by the cops. Dean looks for the shapeshifter. In the vault, a guard has a heart attack. Sam calls the cops and asks for a paramedic. Dean sees a crack in the ceiling in one of the bank offices. He breaks the door open with the coat rack and a dead body falls to the floor. Dean turns the body over and realizes the shapeshifter is the African American guy in the vault. Dean goes back to the vault with Sam. They bring the guard out to trap the shapeshifter. The shapeshifter escapes with Ron chasing it. Ron falls into a trap set by the police and is shot.

Dean takes the guard out while Sam goes after the shapeshifter. Sam finds more shed skin and calls Dean. It could be anyone. Dean goes back to the vault to get everyone. Feds arrive outside the building. After getting everyone back in the vault, the phone rings. Dean picks up the phone and it's Henriksen, who knows it's him. He demands they come out of the building. He says he's been tracking the Winchesters for weeks. He knows about the St. Louis murders, the Baltimore slip-up, and the thefts. He gives Dean one hour to decide or the SWAT team will storm in.

Sam finds Sheri's body in an office closet. Sam and Dean bring Sheri out of the vault and show her the body. She screams and faints. They try to decide which is the shapeshifter. They hear glass shatter outside. The SWAT team is here. The shapeshifter grabs Dean by the throat. The shapeshifter headbutts him twice and runs away. Dean catches up with it and stabs it in the heart.

The brothers need to get out of the bank. Two SWAT team members order Sam to freeze, but he punches them and knocks them out. The boys put on their uniforms and leave. Agent Henriksen arrives and finds the SWAT team tied up. They walk to a parking garage a couple blocks away where the Impala is parked. Dean says, "We are so screwed" as they get in the car. Sam agrees and they drive off.

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