#i think optimus should have some trauma too. as a treat

[maverick-prime]

finally watched transformers one for the second time last night and i can't stop thinking about the missed opportunity to make optimus' final design have scars from the fusion cannon blast... it would've been the perfect foil to d-16/megatron taking on megatronus' symbol as the decepticon sigil, and would've been PERFECT angst bait because then the two of them would have permanent marks from each other. the awful reminder of what used to and can never again be....

[krockdove]

You know, after watching the last batch of Earthspark, I was really disappointed for a number of reasons. I was angry about it.

But then I learned the producers were treated terrible by Paramount and had no choice but to end a lot of things in season one, now I'm not mad at them at all. I instead curse Paramount forever.

so....I'll write some headcanons I was looking forward to in Earthspark. I maybe do a series of related posts. Today is about one of the most important characters, Starscream.

Warning! This post contains spoilers.

Let me make one thing clear: I have no beef with his redemption. No, rather, I believed that Earthspark would do it as a matter of course. I never once doubted it.

The one of themes in Earthspark is "Second Chance". Starscream is the character in the Transformers franchise who most deserved a second chance, the character who could become the most dramatically three-dimensional with a second chance. Even though S1C was made under pressure to wrap everything up quickly, his redemption eventually came, which is what the show was meant to do from the beginning. The problem is, because the story had to be wrapped up in one season, all the dramatic plot points, connections between moments that should have been important, and characterizations were weakened across the board.

We are happy with his Redemption, but this is Earthspark. Not TFP. That means, we once had the opportunity to explore Starscream's character much more deeply. Not just in one episode, but a few.

Especially since I was serious about what was hinted at in the Warzone episode, I was disappointed that it wasn't used in the story.

I've seen several theories about that episode, the conclusion was that Starscream was caught in the Space Bridge explosion and was officially declared dead. I was actually pretty sure. That's why his appearances were low throughout the season, and he survives the explosion, BECAUSE Allspark revives him and fuses with him, right?

It makes it natural for Megatron to talk about the battle like that way and reveal his trauma, especially if he thought he lost both Shockwave and Starscream because of his actions. (This explains Soundwave's anger too.)

So Starscream was treated as dead, but actullay he was secretly imprisoned by the evil GHOST. He was unconscious when it happened, so it would have taken him a long time to figure out what was going on. He doesn't know that others to think he's dead. He sees his comrades locked the cell and thinks Megatron has really abandoned them.

This misunderstanding would have been a very important source of conflict when he was later reunited with Megatron. I even expected him to be the one to reveal the truth about GHOST.

I was almost certain that the GHOST and Mandroid plots would carry over into S2, so I thought it would be a conflicted ending with Starscream revealing the truth at the end of S1. It would have been nice if Starscream's character to be explored at the beginning of S2, along with his redemption, and the past war story.

And that would have made for some interesting drama not only between him and Megatron, but also with Optimus.

Imagine if that really happened. Starscream insists GHOST is wrong. How do you think Optimus and Megatron would take it?

Yeah, I can hear their doubts up here.

The point is, Starscream is seen as untrustworthy. Megatron would have a 50/50 chance of trusting him, but Optimus certainly wouldn't. From his perspective, Starscream would be seen as trying to drive a wedge between him and Megatron and reignite the war. In this situation, no one is lying, but someone ends up being unfairly labeled a liar. Optimus would compromise for the sake of the people he cares about, but they wouldn't include Starscream.

And I think this is the perfect moment for Hashtag to appear!!

Like, she's going to show up and be one who believes Starscream. If she believes in him, so do some of the Terrans – not all of them for now – but eventually the Hashtag and the Terrans believe in Starscream, and it would be really touching if that led to his redemption!

(also it inspires Terrans to dig into the truth of the GHOST themselves)

After it was revealed that he had an Allspark inside of him, he must have had an internal conflict. When he realized that the hope of his home planet and their people lay within him, could he handle it?

He struggles with it, but eventually does something heroic to help the Terrans. Maybe he uses the power of Allspark.

Terrans believe in Starscream when even Optimus doesn't, and it changes him, it would have fulfilled the show's message – Everyone deserves their second chance.

[comicarc]

𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 (𝐈𝐕)

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Eva just wanted to escape Jasper after she graduated high school, but recent circumstances have made it seem like an impossible endeavor. She's seen things she shouldn't have, heard things that should never be said, and felt things she should never feel. Maybe she'll make it out on top, or drown from the hauntings of her past. or An inside look into every character of TFP, their grief, struggle, past and present, through the eyes of my OC (with a little romance). *TW for abuse, psychological and physical trauma, kidnapping & death*

wc: 3442

𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎,

●・○・●・○・●

The burden Eva carried in her mind was finally lifted. Confiding in Optimus seemed to always lift her spirits albeit only temporarily, it provided her with clarity. These past few weeks had left her mind in disarray, straying her further from her goals, particularly, it left her with little room to focus on school. Now, she was back on track to the routine she had always followed, with a few modifications of course.

The only exception to this illusion of perfection was Jack, as Eva had neglected to realize his recent distance from her. Vince fueled her obliviousness with his small affectionate gestures. A hug had replaced every greeting and a kiss on the cheek replaced every departure. Her heart burned with lust and passion, though a naive sense of it, the feeling was strong nonetheless. Eva had lost her mind in the insanity of love for she failed to reason his touches or his words for what they might truly be: weapons. Jack, too blinded by rage, failed to see how Vince’s every action was glaringly deceptive. He spewed sweet little nothings, splitting the seams of the fabric that wove together the friendship that Jack and Eva had treasured since they had met.

Two weeks of this ordeal had passed but today seemed more cheery to Eva than most days. The afternoon sun filtered through the windows in the hallway, casting a golden glow on Eva as she walked past the lockers, eager to see Vince. Her heart pounded in her chest with anticipation and a blush crept on her face as she thought of his voice indulging her. She knew she was entranced, but she didn’t care, for the romantic love she never knew she needed was finally here, within him. Optimus was right, ignorance was bliss. Maybe it was too good to be true, maybe her heart would be broken, but she didn’t care as long as something could go right in her life.

Her mind then drifted to Jack, the first boy in her life. She thought of him as a brother, as a friend, as a confidant. She never wanted to lose him, but it seemed that was the only thing she could do. Left to her own devices, this is what her life had come to. A life in which she remained isolated, alone, left with someone she had no guarantee was hers. The ache of her heart outweighed any of the pleasure she had felt moments ago. It was then, as she had made it halfway across the hallway, that she realized her idiocy. How could she leave Jack in the dust for someone he hated? Rather, how could she even think of leaving Jack?

“Sierra, I don’t know how to explain what I feel about her.” Jack’s voice. Eva slowed her steps to pinpoint where the sound had come from. A few steps ahead was an intersection where she could see Jack and Sierra holding each other as they spoke. There was nothing particularly irking about the scene, but there was definitely something that had sparked jealousy within Eva. She walked forward and hid behind the wall, peaking from the corner to hear their conversation more clearly.

“Jack, you can tell me anything. C’mon, trust me.”

“It’s just–I hate her. I don’t think I’ve hated anyone as much as I hate her now. She treats me as if I’m invisible now that she’s got some attention…I get that I wasn’t enough for her, but this is too far. She’s trying to hurt me by hanging out with that asshole and it’s working. Honestly, I wish we’d never have met. After everything I’ve given her, after everything I’ve done for her, you’d think Eva would’ve come chasing after me, but I guess people aren’t always what they seem.”

Every regret that Eva had previously, was washed away by the flood of offense that overtook her. She knew she had made a prominent mistake by liking his bully, but that was it. She never furthered Vince’s advances, her interactions with him were always kept to a minimum, only seeing him in the halls or after school. And after everything she’d been through, she deserved some happiness, especially since Jack had begun to avoid her all those weeks ago. If anyone should be feeling regret, it should have been him.

Stepping out from the corner, Eva was in full view of Jack as she began, “‘Some attention?’ Do you think I’m shallow? Never once in my life have I been ungrateful for your hospitality. Never once have I ever hurt you knowingly. Yeah, it was stupid of me to go along with Vince for this long, but I didn’t do it to hurt you.” She needed to take a deep breath before she would say something she’d regret. “You left me, not the other way around. Where were you that day I was left in the canal. Where were you when I was searching every nook and cranny to find out if you hadn’t fallen off the face of the Earth only for me to be kidnapped in the process? Where were you when I needed to know I had something left of my life after it had fallen apart before my eyes? I’ll tell you–you weren’t there.”

She couldn’t keep doing this, holding onto people who clearly didn’t want to hold onto her. So she decided, “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. Maybe I do deserve what’s happening to me, so, after today, let’s be strangers. That way, it would be as if we’d never met in the first place and you’d get your happy ending.”

She enunciated the last two words of her final sentence before the ache in her heart had grown too strong to suppress. Her legs began to move automatically, as she rushed back the way she came. The hallway felt more and more suffocating by the minute, causing her to break out into a sprint as she rushed past the school doors and well off of the school grounds before finally slowing to catch her breath.

Jack’s face hung in a dumbfounded expression as he watched Eva leave just as suddenly as she had arrived. Sierra, having been a spectator throughout the ordeal decided it was best for her to let the two sort their issues on their own and opted to leave. Jack was least bothered, for he stood motionless, contemplating his own words and her outburst. As much as he refused to accept it, the truth would always remain unchanged. Eva was right, he’d neglected her more than she had him, and though the two have both made their fair share of mistakes, his seemed to have been the ones that tipped them across the threshold. He’d messed up big time, and there was no recovering from this.

Eva, on the other hand, didn’t waste a second to think. After her minor break just outside the campus, with her form hunched over her knees as she panted furiously, she continued to run. Her legs moved unrelentingly, for she feared that if she stopped then her heart would too. She continued until the breath from her lungs finally ran out, and the muscles in her legs throbbed with the pain. The fog had lifted from her mind and the betrayal she had felt transformed into anger and confusion.

Looking around her, she realized she was in the canal again. The same place where it all had started, where she had found the Covenant. The Covenant . She took the backpack’s straps off, placed it on the ground with a little more force than necessary, and rummaged through its contents until she finally found the leather-bound book. She held it up to the light, watching its insignia shine against the sun. How could something so captivating prove to be so deadly? She was convinced that the book had caused the recent turmoil in her life. The betrayals, the loss, the pain. It was bleeding her out, little by little. Now it was her turn to hurt it. It was as if madness had blinded her sense of self. She opened the book and ripped out each page, one by one. It wasn’t as though she was destroying anything, for the stories written within the papers were carved into her mind. She couldn’t forget them even if she wanted to, and she most definitely wanted to.

When she had finally finished desecrating the inside, she threw the cover to the ground. Kneeling beside it, she wept as her arms flailed up and down on the thin piece of leather. The torn paper surrounded her, moving inch by inch away from her as the breeze began to pick up. Eva closed her eyes, feeling comforted by the singularity of the darkness in her vision. She found solace in it until even that was uprooted a moment later.

Overpowering blackness wraps around D-16 like a suffocating shroud. The air is thick with the acrid scent of useless metal and scraps, the miner’s breath echoing as a stark reminder of his solitary existence. The rhythmic chipping and scraping of the pickaxe against unyielding stone reverberate through the desolate chambers, creating a haunting melody. His large frame barely fitting in the hole he had mined, left him cramped and crouching as he continued his work. A prison for many, lay a home for him as he had never known anything but such taxing and cruel labor. His only objective each second of each hour was to mine for Energon.

This particular day was going rougher than usual, and before D-16 realized that he had hit a soft spot, the tunnel collapsed on him. He was built with the strength of ten bots, and though he was injured, his back held up the roof of the mine giving him a chance at survival. He waited for endless cycles before someone finally decided to help him. Using the same shaft in which he would put the Energon, D-16 was taken above for the first time.

The light emanating from the sky and the city was blinding and the bustling noise that strung around him hurt his ears. His sensory systems were overloaded as he took in his surroundings. Though he had never been given a mind to think, the bot had developed his own intuition, albeit a very childish one. The colors the sounds, they seemed magical to him. And once he understood how lively this new environment was to his old abode, he decided he would never leave it.

To preserve his newfound freedom, D-16 refused to listen to the commands of the superior who had hoisted him above and instead stood motionless as he was told to go back into the shaft. He was all patched up now, feeling more rejuvenated than he had in ages which fueled his courage. He never intended for his dreams to begin with spilled Energon, but as his overseer yelled and abused him with weapons, enabling the slave’s rage, D-16 crushed his skull without a second thought. From there he ran until he stumbled upon a new life. The life of a gladiator.

●・○・●・○・●

This vision was nothing new as Eva had become accustomed to it by now. Rather, when she awoke, Eva opted to head for the base with her newfound cool mind. Entering the faux structure, she saw June Darby standing beside Raf at the bottom of the platforms. Immediately, her first instinct was to try and blink away the figure, hoping that June was just a mirage concocted by her mind. But, June remained firm, unwavering from her position. She was as real as Eva’s eyes could make her out to be, and that shook her with fear.

“June?”

“Eva?”

This new life caused Eva to lose all the people she cherished, and with June here Eva could barely hold in her anxiety. “What are you doing here? How do you know about all this? How long–”

Raf interjected with a chuckle, “A lot happens while you’re not here.” It was true that Eva hadn’t spent as much time at the base these past few weeks as she normally had, but it seemed absurd that no one would update her about things like this.

Standing frozen at the entrance tunnel, Eva could barely pay mind to June as she left for work. All she could think about at that moment was how isolated she had become. No parents, no guardians, no friends, no one. Optimus was a good listener, but with the life he’s lived, Eva doubted that she would have left enough of an impression to be his companion. And this team was never hers to begin with either. It was very plausible for her to be left in the dark and it was very surely her own fault, a self-inflicted pain. Eva had already lost June and it was about time she realized it. Having had enough of her wallowing, Eva headed to Raf, determined to change her life, for the better.

Yet, before Eva could reach Raf, a hand gripped her arm and led her down one of the corridors. The feel of his fingers now almost felt unrecognizable, only the faint softness of his palm had given away his identity. Eva was tired and upset, but she wasn’t going to be unreasonable, not anymore. These past few weeks had changed Eva a lot more than she’d like to admit. She wasn’t the same, more unruly and impulsive. It was as if her rationale had descended into utter chaos, leaving her a hulking shell of emotion. No longer had there been any logic behind her actions or her words. She had been rash with her response to Jack, she had been stupid to not have realized how her actions impacted others, and she had to take responsibility for it.

Jack led her to a secluded area haunted by an inhuman silence. Finally, releasing her hand he began, “I’m sorry, please Eva. I don’t want to lose you.”

Eva listened, empathetic of Jack’s upset demeanor. She was in the wrong, she always had been. Everything that had happened was because of her. He shouldn’t need to apologize, but she did, she had to, if not for him then for her own sake. “No, I’m sorry. For Vince, for being oblivious, for hurting you, for everything. I know the canal wasn’t your fault or the kidnapping. I shouldn’t have blamed you and being frustrated is no excuse for that.”

Jack leaned closer as tears rolled down his cheeks, embracing Eva in a hug. In a show of good faith, attempting to forget what had transpired, Jack joked, “Sibling’s fight, right?”

Eva chuckled, her voice threatening to crack as she responded, “Yeah.” After a pause as the two embraced each other, each knowing that they could never live without the other, Eva asked, “So Sierra, huh?”

●・○・●・○・●

Hunched around Raf’s computer, Eva, Jack, Miko, and Raf surfed through the internet searching for any sightings of the Autobots that they needed to erase. Eventually, they came across a photo of Bumblee on the highway that someone had dubbed, “Phantom Car” which claimed there was no driver in the vehicle as it was speeding down the road.

Chuckling Jack remarked, “Camera sure loves Bee.”

Miko enthused, “What can you do? When you’re a superstar, you’re paparazzi bait.”

Noticing Bee’s photo on the screen, Ratchet questioned from behind, “Is that Bumblebee?”

“On a conspiracy website where users report evidence of close encounters. But we just scrub and replace Bee with…” Raf explained as he replaced the photo of Bee with a talking cat.

Hearing Ratchet laugh, Jack thought to ask Optimus if he wanted to see something funny. Eva nudged him, telling him to shut up, as Optimus replied with a curt no.

Entering the room, Arcee explained, “Don’t take it personally, Primes are built that way.”

Bulkhead added, “Never seen him laugh, cry, or lose his cool.”

Ratchet continued, “While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check, I’ve known him far longer than any of you have. And he was different before he was made a Prime.”

Eva remembered Megatron’s memories as Ratchet reminisced a peaceful past on Cybertron. He was a lanky, small bot half the size of Megatron and designated as an archivist. From what little she had witnessed, Eva had understood him to have had a bubbly and inquisitive attitude as Orion Pax, heavily contrasting his current personality. Becoming a Prime had come with many burdens, chief among them being coping with the loss of a brother, so it should come as no surprise how drastically he had changed. For better or worse.

As Eva drifted deeper into her reverie, fatigue enveloped her like a heavy blanket. Her body felt as though it were succumbing to an unseen force, limbs growing heavy and sluggish. Panic surged as her hands and legs seemed to betray her, refusing to obey commands. Desperate to break free from this sudden paralysis, Eva tried to call out for help, but her lips remained sealed shut. For the umpteenth time, her vision gave into the darkness.

In the next moment, a neon purple flooded her surroundings, permeating the darkness. Within this vibrant realm, Eva found herself regaining control of her body, albeit in a surreal, weightless manner. As she floated amidst the pulsating hue, she frantically waved her hands, attempting to propel herself forward. Slowly, she managed to navigate away from the colorful expanse, only to realize that the color emanated from a pair of colossal eyes. Rusted metal surrounded the artificial orbs, forming something resembling eyebrows and part of a nose. 

Before Eva could analyze her surroundings or investigate who exactly was in front of her, she seemed to have been transported to a different part of the world. Now, she looked down with an aerial view of an active volcano. The lava that bubbled up to the rim of the formation’s opening, had hints of purple rocks, scattered within the liquid. Yet surprisingly, it didn’t melt, rather, it glowed similar to the eyes of the being she had seen moments ago.

Just as instantly as her visions had transpired, Eva was awoken by the feeling of June pounding down onto her chest. Her ribs felt somewhat sore with every push, until finally the pain had awoken Eva’s senses and allowed her to gasp. With shaky hands, and quivering lips, Eva put her hand on June’s and asked, “What happened?”

“Thank god you’re alright.” June, brushed off Eva’s question, relieved that Eva, the daughter she never had, was alive. As she was about to embrace the girl, Eva held out her hand, demanding an explanation before any affections were exchanged. 

June took a moment to recompose herself, wiping the stray tear that fell from her eye, before beginning, “Before I came, Jack had told me you passed out and your heart wasn’t beating, but you were still breathing. And then almost 20 minutes later, Bee arrived back at base with an injured Raf, so I had to come to save both of you…”

“What happened to Raf?” June looked away towards the decontamination chamber that the bots often used with a solemn look. She didn’t want to distraught the girl, especially in the condition she was in, so with pursed lips June remained silent. 

“Please tell me,” Eva begged, but when her pleas weren’t answered, she resorted to standing up, pushing away June’s restraining hands. With her trembling legs, Eva slowly made her way to the small crowd near the chamber, where she saw Raf lying motionless on the hospital bed. 

Jack moved closer toward the girl, seeing the horror on her face, and whispered, “He’s fine and healthy. Now he’s just resting.” Seeing the relief in Miko’s eyes, she was satisfied with his explanation for now . There were still many questions left unanswered in Eva’s mind, but for now, her vision had to be dealt with first. 

Ratchet was preoccupied with consoling Bee, so the only bot that would be able to decipher what Eva had seen, with a cool mind, would be Arcee. Turning toward the femme, Eva’s hand snagged on the side of Raf’s bed, cutting her in the process. Though the wound was as small as a paper cut, it bled crimson and fell down to the tips of her fingers. The small stream of blood, trailed from the tip down to the floor, yet when it touched the surface, its color transformed from a rich red color, to a brilliant purple. As dark and deep as the blood of Unicron.

[bumbleblurr]

gives shockwave sympathetic traits but also won't let him escape the consequences of his actions

[toonformers]

Ok, guys, I'm gonna say a few things about Sentinel here.

So...I love this character. Not only because I find him being the butt of the joke kinda funny, his design and the fact he's a walking reference to The Tick, but also because of his potential as a character. He's got great potential for a redemption arc, but I don't see people here going in that direction for him. I see the same thing every time. Sentinel is a bad bot, he becomes the butt of the joke and he deserves it.

If you like those things, it's fine. I'm not here to judge, but my opinion is why are you gonna say someone deserves bad treatment? Because of how bad they treated others? An eye for an eye? It's just strange to me that that's the direction people go for with Sentinel. Because I find it so messed up that people think that because of all the terrible things Sentinel did, he deserves terrible things to happen to him.

Let's look at this from the character's perspective. Sentinel goes to a forbidden planet with his friends, which is interesting, don't you think? Sentinel knew what was on that planet. He knew there was energon there. He knew it's value. Why would he bring Optimus and Elita if he only cares about himself? Well, because he doesn't. If Sentinel had hidden the fact there was energon on that planet, but he didn't. He was planning to share what they found.

But then what happens? Elita one (in Sentinel's eyes) dies, and he knows it's his fault. He tried multiple times to go back for her, Optimus being the one who kept stopping him. And since he just couldn't admit to himself that it was his fault, Sentinel snaps at Optimus. Lets him take the blame. Was that a bad decision? Absolutely. But for Sentinel, it was the only way he could react in that moment. Rush of adrenaline, running for their lives from organic creatures, explosions. I wouldn't be thinking straight too if that happened to me.

Sentinel's mistake was not correcting himself after that outburst. Admitting "you're right, this is my fault". Instead, maybe he just thought it was too late. Then buried himself in that anger, fear, trauma, grief. Can you imagine the pain he had to bottle up in the Autobots Academy, because he lost his (probably) only friends? It's horrible.

Of course, having to bottle up these emotions would cause someone to slowly grow bitter and cold. A soft spot being in there, somewhere, but it's so faint at this point, you can barely see it! This would be projected as anger issues, and with the trauma from organics comes his discriminating attitude towards them. I mean, they killed his friend! Of course he'd be on the fence about them. But then getting so much praise from climbing the ranks unfairly leads Sentinel to believe he did nothing wrong. He's convinced himself at this point that he's fine.

Then he has to go to Earth. An organic planet. He has to see Optimus. Who was his friend, now a lower rank maintenance bot from his own selfishness. He has to face all that grief and trauma he never got over, because there was no support system for him! Optimus got over it because he was still able to make relationships on Earth and with his team. He had a support system. Sentinel was so lost he just couldn't bond anymore. He couldn't make a support system. He was gone. The Sentinel Optimus knew was gone.

And yeah, while there were times where Optimus is just like "same old Sentinel", it's not like he completely disrespects him or his behavior. He tries to guide Sentinel, despite how horribly he treated Optimus. Which is a main point why I believe Optimus doesn't want anything bad to happen to Sentinel, even when he finds it too funny.

Which is why I think it's messed up some people believe Optimus would be happy if something genuinely terrible happened to Sentinel. If he was like that, how would that make him any different than Starscream, for example? Who takes joy in watching Megatron being weak and the idea of defeating him? Optimus as presented as a bot with good morality. So I genuinely don't believe he'd want something bad to happen to Sentinel.

In general, where is the morality in that? Like, how would you feel if someone told you that you deserve something bad to happen to you? Like you telling your bully that they deserve to be bullied. That's horrible and petty and hypocritical.

So yeah, Sentinel's actions in TFA are inexcusable. I'm not defending this character's actions in any way. No one deserves the things he's done. That includes Sentinel. No matter how bad a person has been to you, it should never be okay to say they deserve the same treatment or worse. I find it petty and selfish. So hopefully in the future ppl go in a different direction with TFA Sentinel Prime. Because he's not a bad bot. Just a bot who made bad decisions. And I honestly think a redemption arc where he finally gets the help he needs...would be beautiful.

Anyway! Reblog or like if you agree. If not, I don't care. I was just shouting my opinion into the world over a robot. Bye!

[woolydemon]

Tfa Megatron or Optimus? UwU

TFA Megatron thoughts

First impression

Idk actually. I think it was like :|.

i almost never pay attention to the main bad guy in anything ever tbh

Impression now

..Its complicated

its just?? Its very frustrating how he goes on about how the decepticons are oppressed but they never explain this in the show (I know the Allspark Almanac is there but. The show should be able to stand by itself) and just. The implications

a inarguably violent revolutionary leader of a cause that doesn't have tangible reasons??? makes certain things look bad

Despite this though, he might be my favorite megatron (though thats not saying much tbh)

I'd like to think there probably was good intentions in what he was doing but man. Things got rlly outta hand

Favorite moment

uhhhhhhh.. the... um... sorry i got nothing

i guess i like the one sentence in the Allspark Almanac where he says "optimus and prowl, and blurr and bumblebee" bc it implies that even he sees that blurr and bee have smth going on there

Idea for a story

the only idea i rlly have for him is just how he conditioned shockwave into the gifted student™ that he is

like,,, just being the only figure in shockwave's life growing up that gave him any sense of worth and he uses that to his advantage as he shapes shockwave into the "perfect" decepticon officer

Unpopular opinion

all of this is an unpopular opinion

Favorite relationship

I guess megatron/sumdac is kinda neat

like... There's only one way to explain Sari and it's those 2 so gay rights I suppose

Favorite headcanon

god other ppl have such better hcs about him than i do tbh but hmm...... i guess i like the hc that he likes poetry as a hobby

TFA Optimus Prime thoughts

First impression

i liked that he came from more humble beginnings and is somewhat flawed, it rlly sets him apart from the impression i got of optimus prime as a franchise bcharacter

Impression now

look. i like him!! I rlly do, hes one of the ops im genuinely interested in (normally i just simply do not care much for optimus)

but i see now that his flaws go beyond just being less experienced/not quite knowing how to lead to actually being dismissive to how other people feel at times and also leaning a little too far into the "cog in the great big autobot machine" mentality

if it were up to me i ignore canon optimus in favor for the optimus in my brain that makes sure everybody is emotionally ok and brings the team together as a found family and not a part of a machine

Favorite moment

i replay optimus calling masterson a "n00b" all the time in my head <3

Idea for a story

optimus taking the time to have a one-on-one talk to bumblebee about being a dropout of their respective educations + the trauma of being somewhat responsible for innocent ppl getting turned into techno-organics please and thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Either that or ratchet shutting down optimus's bullshit and knocking some sense into him like "HEY, THE WAY UR TREATING PPL LIKE BEE IS NOT OK" then he actually GROWS from his mistakes and becomes a better person for it!!!!

Unpopular opinion

ive already kinda discussed this but man ppl tend to skim over optimus's jerk moments and baby him like "uwu potat babie <33" but dude!!! he does shit like comfort SENTINEL over bumblebee after the waspinator situation when bee definitely was tramatized by that whole ordeal and simplifies blackarachnia's problems to just how she looks like.

he!! is flawed!!!! he is not an innocent sweet boy or whatever, and he should be properly confronted for it so he can improve!!

Favorite relationship

i think the only ship that has caught my eye is jazzop!! i think jazz's chill vibes could do him a lotta good!

Favorite headcanon

maybe whenever he retires he becomes a historian! he already is shown to have an interest in it from the first episode, so I think it would be neat if way down the road he ends up preserving the history he himself has gone through

[mk-wizard]

Proof that the Autobot Way is Flawed

Now, before I start exploring this Transformers theory, I want to make it clear that I do not think that Autobots are secretly evil. You can be part of a flawed system and be a good person. Heck, you can be part of a flawed system and even be aware of how flawed it is. Autobots have long since proven that they are good, well meaning people who want to keep their society clean and want to do good for the world, but it is NOT a perfect society. It has flaws that are glaring, feudal and in fact holding Autobots themselves back. And there are many instances which show that the Autobot way has flaws. Also, many of them are from Animated which I give honours to @auraturner for bringing up in her article here as many others did too. Here they are;

If you want to live in an Autobot society, you MUST identify as an Autobot yourself or you are not truly a part of the society and cannot live among Autobots. - Ever noticed that on Cybertron, EVERYONE identifies as an Autobot? And I recall in the G1 series, when Spike and Carly were given the ultimate honour among Autobots, what was this honour? Being called an Autobot. In other words, they were not true allies or equals up until that moment. While we would find being an Autobot cool as a kid, as adults, this feels off and kind of disturbing. Then there was the issue of Jetfire in G1. Why should he HAVE to be an Autobot to prove that he is good? He was good even when he identified as a Decepticon! He could have kept being a Decepticon and just fight alongside the good guys. What if a Decepticon wants to continue being a Decepticon, but just doesn’t agree with tyranny or Megatron’s way? What if a Decepticon was a good person, wasn’t even a fighter, had no criminal record and only wanted to live a quiet private life on Cybertron? Unless that Decepticon is willing to change their faction, the Autobots will deny them the right to live on Cybertron.

They have no trouble conscripting and imprisoning kids. - While we find it cute that Bumblebee is a young teenager, this implications here are actually very dark. What is a teenager that young doing in the army and going to war? Also, in the Animated series, Wasp was arrested and sent to the stockades and he was no older than Bumblebee. This is not ok. You do not give a kid and adult sentence.

Autobot society works almost like a hive mind or at least under the thumb of the Prime. - While Optimus and Rodimus were good and kind Primes who care deeply for others and allow personal freedoms, a large majority of the Primes were not like this. It is implied that Autobot society is a borderline communist society in which everyone plays a role to keep the system as it is forever and it is very rigid towards new ideas and such. This is why Megatron resorted to war in the first place. Nobody would listen to him. They listened to Optimus (as Orion Pax) in Prime, but the problem with this is that Megatron knows the problems better and knows the solution cannot be negotiated. Optimus doesn’t get that because he hasn’t walked in those shoes. Might I also add that the Autobots shot and used aggression first when Megatron start proposing change. That doesn’t look good. Moreover, you all have to believe in the same thing without question. Nobody is allowed free speech and speaking out against the Prime is considered as stepping out of line and if you question the Autobot way or point out that it has flaws, you will be accused of heresy.

While the Autobot faction came to be, their ancestors deleted a lot of the records. - This chilling fact is official in the actual Allspark Alminac. I don’t think I need to say much on this one. Anyone who throws away part of their own history is obviously hiding something.

Autobots have no respect for other factions or beings. - While the Autobots showing a lack of respect for the Earth or Decepticons is played off for laughs, such things are actually quite despicable. When Autobots mine for energon rather than produce it using alternative sources (like the Decepticons did in G1), it does a heck of a lot of damage to the planet. And you know what else does damage to Earth’s property and environment? The Autobot’s war and often at times their own clumsiness. I recall one episode in RID where the Autobots carelessly destroyed and entire golf course in seconds while duking it out amongst themselves and while this moment got passed off for comedy, I didn’t find it funny. It takes a lot of work to set up a golf course and even more to build a building, make a car and don’t get me started on how many injuries bystanders can endure. It is any wonder Prime’s Agent Fowler didn’t like them? I would be mad to if I gave amnesty to people who showed a lack of gratitude through a lack of respect for my home. Also, since the days of G1, the Autobots have mocked and objectified their prisoners either by taunting them or by taking pictures with them. Moreover, Autobots call Decepticons racist terms like “Con” or “Decepticreep”. I have never seen a Decepticon mock a captive except for Starscream and Megatron chastised him for it calling him childish and saying he shamed himself. Also, I have never ever heard the Decepticons call the Autobots a racist slur. Heck, Autobots including Optimus himself have used the term “Decepticon” as another word for “evil”. I also want to throw out there that Autobots do not take prisoners very often nor do they show a lot of mercy. Yes, Starscream is a sadist and a half, but the other Decepticons will not kick someone when they’re down or kill if they don’t have to. In fact, sometimes, their honour drives them not to. As for Autobots, they are not so nice and sometimes, even the noblest ones (including Optimus himself) have been known to take getting even too far.

They do not allow alt mode autonomy. - If you don’t know what that means, it means you are not allowed to choose an alt mode you want. It has to somehow relate to your job or the Autobot way. I know this is all fiction, but wouldn’t the right to choose which alt mode you want be a form of bodily autonomy? And how does your alt mode relate to your job especially when you can only do your job in robot mode? We see Autobots sneak this lack of letting a bot pick and choose the alt mode they really want even in Rescue Bots. When Blurr and Salvage join the team, he takes them to a hanger full of vehicles that are exclusively trucks or automobiles of some kind. In other words, everything four-wheeler. And even in Rescue Bots Academy, this sneaky tactic of guiding the bot’s hand towards a specific alt mode is still there. The bots play up how much the recruits admire them and almost all of them choose alt modes that are similar to their teachers. In the episode where Hotshot choose a fire truck, if Heatwave was a bigger bot, he would have encouraged Hotshot to stick with the rocket like he wanted to be because there’s a reason he wanted to be that and he already changes into a four wheeler of some kind. I think Autobots only allow dinosaur forms because they have proven to be useful, but if you compare the amount of diversity of alt modes among Autobots to that of Decepticon, it’s a night and day difference. I mean... they allow a warrior Decepticon to change into a CAMERA (REFLECTOR) and no one mocks or judges the guy. Now that I look at it, how many Autobots out there change into things that are not trucks or automobiles? Not many. In fact, even Blades wasn’t originally a flyer. It worries me to think what would have happened if a jet flew by in the air and Blurr requested to change into it as it is fast. Or if either he or Salvage didn’t like any of the trucks or automobiles.

They delete feelings and memories. - This is just creepy and the more I think about it, the more it frightens me. A society that considers amnesia acceptable as way of coping with trauma makes me think this society is very crooked and only looks at short term solutions. Not to mention, the concept of dealing with problems is by forgetting them is also telling. It makes me wonder if they apply this as a treatment for all trauma victims or anyone they consider as a heretic. And by any chance, do they use this as a means of ensuring that a former Decepticon becomes a proper Autobot? Holy cow, this is scaring me... And it’s making me wonder how many Autobots were actually once Decepticons, but even they themselves don’t even know it because their entire identities were deleted?

They don’t allow misfits and freaks. - The most disturbing aspect of all. All Autbots are physically perfect and none are beast types with the exception of the Dinobots who are also deemed openly as the exception. I also don’t notice many handicapped Autobots with the exception of Fixit who became handicapped after his accident. I highly doubt he would have gotten a job if he was handicapped from before and even currently, he is treated like an invalid even though he isn’t. They won’t even allow him to fight or inform him of his fighting capabilities even after discovering that he can hold his own. As for Decepticons, you will see tons who do not fit into some perfect mold or have ailments like having psychological issues or other handicaps, and most importantly, you’ll find diverse beast types. It is not for nothing that a large majority of the misfits of society rebelled against the Autobot way. The Autobot way outcasts the flawed and imperfect.

[butterflyinthewell]

I’m gonna lose followers. Oh well... a rant by me.

People who harass others about SHIPPING FICTIONAL CHARACTERS are irksome.

Preface: if you say you don’t want someone role playing a NOTP with you or sending asks about it, or you don’t want secret Santa stuff containing it, if you ask people not to suggest fics with that pairing for your fic collections, if you stay out of your NOTP’s pairing tags, if you choose not to interact with material related to your NOTP, if you blacklist the pairing tag and ask people not to tag your fanwork with your NOTP, if you heed warnings and don’t click something with material you don’t like, I do not have a problem with you.

But if you write novel long posts about why a ship is gross to you and tag the pairing so shippers see it, send people hate over their ships, reblog fanworks of your NOTP with nasty messages to the op of the post, if you make a blog all about hating that ship and anyone who ships it, claim it must be grooming, or if you call people pedophiles or abuse apologists because they wrote something morally heinous in fiction that they will most likely never do irl, I’m not gonna have much respect for you beyond you being a fellow person.

Guess what? Shit you hate is going to exist on the internet. If someone tags their work appropriately or tags with appropriate warnings, you should not be clicking on it and harassing them! They have done what is necessary to protect those pearls you want to clutch.

Banning all questionable material is not going to save people who are targeted by predators and criminals.

Calling people pedophiles because they ship a fictional minor with a fictional adult gives actual pedophiles who go after actual minors a hiding place. These days you can’t tell if someone is an actual pedo or got called one over a ship they ship. Pedos are totally banking on that.

Fiction is supposed to break rules and let people explore dark subjects that are morally messed up because you can close a book or close a website if it gets too weird for you. A child with a predator’s hands on them right this moment can’t click an x or close a book to stop it.

Think about that.

No one is forcing you to go read morally messed up stuff. Not clicking on someone’s creepy fic with your NOTP is nowhere in the same realm as turning a blind eye to actual predators predating on someone.

Running someone off a website because your ass is on fire about them writing a pairing you hate or whatever is not going to stop the bad shit happening in the real world.

Predators and criminals will use anything, so someone’s freaky babyfur smutfic that they wrote to troll a fan website in 1999 is hardly going to normalize bad behavior.

I swear some of you insult the intelligence of people with your moral abuse garbage.

Teaching people to recognize predatory behavior and what to do about it will actually help. Teaching people what is and isn’t a healthy relationship will help.

Remember how people called out Twilight for how unhealthy Edward’s behavior towards Bella was? I’m sure a lot of preteen and teen girls learned to open their eyes a bit more. And I’m sure others still enjoyed the books and movies anyway because it’s fiction. It is the job of parents and guardians to teach their children what is and isn’t healthy in a relationship, but the unfortunate problem there is that can fail if the parents aren’t in a healthy relationship.

That’s why there needs to be more discussions about “this is healthy, that might be fun in a story, but that is not healthy in the real world and anybody who treats you like that is waving abuse red flags” rather than attacking somebody by saying “you’re a monster for shipping that”.

The whole point of art in any form is to create an emotional reaction in the audience.

Fucked up fictional shit exists on the internet. Get over it. I think the fact that people get freaked out by weird stuff in fiction is a clear indicator that it’s not being normalized by that piece of fiction. Flailing about it is not helping anything except your ego. It’s not gonna help survivors who write messed up stuff to cope, it’s going to make them go more silent.

Imagine being someone with an abusive pedo parent who takes comfort in the SessRin ship and being called a pedophile for it, or seeing people in the tag call Sesshoumaru a pedophile. That’s triggering as fuck for somebody.

Imagine being a Starkster going through sexual abuse who takes comfort in the ship, and being called a pedophile for it. Imagine seeing people in the tag call Tony a pedophile. That’s triggering as fuck for somebody.

Imagine having the heinous thing that happened to you being turned onto you as an accusation by people on a moral high horse who forget what pedophile means. That is triggering as fuck for somebody.

Nobody owes you a trauma history in order to be ‘allowed’ to create and post morally messed up fanworks. It’s on YOU to check for warnings and keep scrolling if it’s so offensive to your sensibilities.

What’s better? Discussion of tropes that are harmful if done badly. That’s a place to start. Save the accusations for people who are knowingly doing harm to people and not caring that they’re doing harm.

Go after shit that is actually exploiting actual people right now instead of harassing creators whose trauma you don’t know. Tell pedos their attraction to kids is not a sexuality and they have no place in the LGBTQIA+ community. Warn minors away from MAPs/NOMAPs. Expose predators who have exploitative materials of actual real children. Teach people to recognize predatory behavior like grooming. Find ways to get people out of human trafficking. Question adults if you see them touching or treating a child in a way that doesn’t look right. If you’re a minor and somebody keeps sending you porn material or pictures of their genitalia after you said stop, remind them that you’re a minor and expose the shit out of them. If you’re an adult and know somebody is doing that to a minor you talk to online, help them expose that person. That’s not all you can do, but I can’t think of everything. There’s a lot you can do that will actually help people!

But telling someone not to create something questionable because a predator might misuse it is utter horseshit.

I can bet you anything that every single person who hounds others about their ships has a whole bunch of fucked up stuff they read and never talk about because they know it will get them run off by the same people they use as shields against scrutiny.

I’ve read fucked up shit that I enjoyed because it was done well, but I can grasp that it is not okay to do the same thing in the real world and I would be horrified if I saw somebody doing the same thing in the real world. I am able to experience that moment of being horrified, sit with it and see where the fanwork takes me with that feeling.

I say this after I have just read an awesome morally gray Inuyasha fanfic called “Devour Prometheus” by ladybattousai on AO3. It’s gorey, there is murder, there is abuse, there is exploitation, there are allusions to animal trade and it’s the darkest thing I ever laid eyes on. My stomach twisted several times. It’s a fantastic lens on society right now. (Sesshoumaru’s speech about “don’t hold me to your hypocritical human morality” was epic af.)

And some of you are going to think the author is some kind of violence glorifying freak based only on that.

I feel like a lot of anti shippers and antis in general can’t get past that horrified feeling. They yell that they can’t enjoy the fandom if the material makes a hated pairing canon, so it’s like they don’t want anyone else to enjoy the fandom or the pairing. It’s very immature and scorched earth, and it hurts everyone.

Hey, guess what? I have written pairings with hella huge age gaps. Oh, the horror!

OptimusxMikaela? I headcanon Optimus as being 10 billion + years old, and Mikaela was 18 when they hooked up. Mikaela ages as the stories carry on through the years as my Danceverse series, so she’s in her 30s currently. They fucked and still fuck explicitly.

UnicronxStarscream? Unicron is as old as the universe, so 13 billion + (headcanon), and Starscream is probably 11 million or so (headcanon). They fuck explicitly.

Whouffaldi? The 12th Doctor is 2000+ and Clara is in her 20s. They fuck explicitly.

BeastGojixMiki? Godzilla has been alive for probably close to 65 years in the story, but he acts more like he’s in his 20s and he looks to be in his 20s when he turns back into a human. Miki is 18. They fuck in the story, but it’s written non explicitly.

Bowser JrxOC? Cherry is an oc who is 19. I aged Junior up in that story to be about 20. Their ages aren’t specified, but they’re mentioned to be adults. They fuck in the story, but it’s written non explicitly.

I have written fanfics with rape, abuse, murder, manslaughter, bdsm, stuff that’s morally messed up, etc, and I’m not a murdering rapist who eats children now, am I?

No, because I have no desire to do those things in the real world (because some are not possible...cuz I would date Optimus 😛) and I can distinguish fiction from reality. I can grasp the concept that fiction / art is not always endorsement.

Now get a grip on yourselves, put the pitchforks down and stop policing people’s imaginations.

[ark-of-eden]

Fanfics for Appreciation.

(R:) This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of every awesome fic author or awesome fic that I love, because that is a huge list and I am honestly writing the following recs based on what comes up first in my mind or in my collections and how long I can write this before my brain melts. ^^;; Please do not assume that if you aren't below then I don't read or like your stuff; if you write fic, assume that I love you and you deserve all the treats and affection. :D

Uh, just for the record, in the course of compiling this list, I learned that I seem to like more darkfic than I thought I did, so...C_C;;;

The World's Translated Thus by Abyssal1/Aleph_Abyssal: I believe that @12_drakon deserves thanks for reuploading the PDF in Google docs? The above link is literally the only place I can find it anymore. The prequel, Red Letter Days, is downloadable here in EPUB. This fic is one of the famous ones, IIRC. I love it because it has the very best alien worldbuilding for G1 Cybertron that I have ever read. This is one of the fics that is so well-contained that I feel like I could easily rec it to anyone who knows nothing about Transformers and they would be able to grasp it all just fine, provided that they were cool with the quantum alien goo sex and tons of angst. (And if anyone out there knows what Abyssal1's pro name is, tell me so that I can buy the shit out of her novels and whatever else she's writing these days.)

The collected works of Anax (Imperator): Anax is technically on AO3, but most of his TF fics remain on LJ. All existing chapters of Five Million Years are there, while only eight were ever uploaded to AO3; LJ also holds the two incomplete sequels. Please send ups to this dude so he will Rite Moar because he is brilliant. His worldbuilding is magnificent, depicting early-war military life with all sorts of brilliant politicking and character interactions.

Starcrossed Duology by gatekat & Verilidaine: Another infamous fic, IIRC. Amazing character development and breadth of story, and the most tearjerky ending I have ever seen on a fic. The first fifth to fourth of the main story is the most soul-numbing stretch of extended horror and torture that I've experienced (and I have read quite a bit of horror and torture), but the really great thing is that the echoes of those events continue for the rest of the entire fic, shaping the lives of the people involved and prompting a very realistic recovery/adaptation in the wake of the trauma. The rest of what these two wrote together is also good; I especially like Judicium and The Making and Breaking of a Trine, but all of their work is hugely detailed. (Just really pay attention to those tags.) For even more of the even more if you find that you need more, search gatekat's immense outpouring for the more. There is so, so much. x_x

Borealis by tainry: This fic is amazing. It starts with the discovery of how the Bayverse Cybertronians can reproduce after the loss of the Allspark and a way of turning salvaged human minds into new Cybertronians, and then it expands through ages of time and cultural advancements until it's beautiful and huge. Science and technology are wrapped into the setting with special skill so all the tech feels believable.

Sound and Fury Series by fractalserpentine & HopeofDawn: One of my favorite pieces of fiction ever, and another series that I could rec to non-TF-fans and feel confident that they wouldn't lose their grip on the setting. This is some goddamn beautiful worldbuilding focused on the culture of carrier and symbiote mecha with Soundwave and friends as a focal point. I cannot overstate how great the work on the setting and characterization is. Even cooler, the "interfacing" in this whole series is asexual (based on data transfer) and is intimate without being truly erotic. The end of this series wraps up in the end of the Giants of the Earth series (another badass piece that I, being ignorant of Iron Giant media, didn't expect to like as much as I did).

Domesticus Series by femme4jack, fractalserpentine, HopeofDawn, and Sakiku: The premise is that Earth is exporting humans to be turned into sex slaves for Cybertronians who don't see them as sapient beings. But the stories are way more than shallow xenoporn (though there's plenty of that in many lovely forms). Various Cybertronians end up learning more about the human species and work for greater human rights, especially after humans and Cybertronians are discovered to have a natural symbiosis.

Everything written by peacewish: She is intimidatingly brilliant. These Games We Play is the main story, and it's such a carefully-crafted epic in which Soundwave becomes too attached to Jazz (his postwar slave) and there is a great deal of politicking among the Decepticion elite, plus the small-scale mind games in which Jazz and Soundwave jockey for power in their relationship. It's so complex and it unfolds so perfectly.

Book of Hours by Kemmasandi: An in-progress fic that I love because of all the careful attention to worldbuilding (probably you can see a theme to my picks here). Cybertronian society and technology are written in a natural, effortless way that makes the whole setting feel very alive, and the characters are so well-crafted. I've yet to come across another fic that does the prewar development of Orion and Megatronus' relationship so believably.

Across the Great Divide Series by dragonofdispair and Rizobact: I freaking love this series to bits because it addresses disability in such an interesting way. Prowl has a sensory issue that makes it painful for him to touch anyone, but he wants to have a relationship with Jazz and they make it work. Involves other people learning about and respecting a disabled person's needs and a couple working to accomodate one partner's difficulties for mutual pleasure. Also cool cultural details and robot Mafia.

what you are in the dark by Enfilade: This is actually my favorite one-shot fic, the one I think of first after setting aside all those epic Great Cybertronian Novel fics mentioned above. The appeal for me is the simple setup of erotica in which one person cannot see and the other doesn't speak. The descriptions and everything else about this fic just amaze me... It's beautifully executed and I hold it very, very close to my heart.

Soooooo many other things by Enfilade: There's just...so damn much here to love...TT^TT The agonizing denial desert of These Shackles You Forged, the great character interactions in Mend What is Broken, the more great character interactions enhanced by extra added Tarn and Deathsaurus in On My Dark and Lonely Side... It's all so good. It's all so painfully good. TTT^TTT

oh god so many things by ultharkitty i'm pretty sure i have a problem: I confess that my favorite pieces by her are the extremely twisted ones that are permutations on the theme of sociopathic monster Vortex fixating on innocent angel First Aid. I'm just gross with how much I love the things she does with that pairing purely because it's her doing that pairing; otherwise, I couldn't give a damn about Vortex/First Aid. I have to make some specific recs here: -- Mind Games and Dream Fragments: The Fave. Vortex is cruelly kind in giving First Aid what he wants the most. -- What You Wish For: If you can handle very dark darkfic, PLEASE READ THIS. It's actually Vortex/Dead End, but the main storyarc involves Dead End becoming addicted to the experience of other people's deaths and eventually graduating to terrible misuse of spark bonds. All the characterization is razor-sharp, the pacing is perfect, the character development is wow, and the ending is inevitable. I love this horrible lump of pain. -- Rain: Sad, minimalist story of fallout from fraternization. -- The Wages of Compassion: First Aid sparkbonds with Vortex to save his life, and there is some twisted Combaticon culture and First Aid literally reformatting a dude. Characterization is lovely despite how dark this is. -- Euphoria: A non-war, sane-Vortex AU in which First Aid gets a membership at an exclusive kink resort and Vortex is his amazing dom. Downright cockle-warming!!

An Education by zuzeca: Sequel to Fading Embers by spaceliquid. Galvatron starts brooding after battlefield sex with Optimus and Cyclonus, worried that he won't ever be able to satisfy his lord again, starts taking pleasure lessons from the Prime. It sounds like it should be lolcracky, but it's actually gentle and bittersweet with very lovable characters. This is one of the fics that I keep rereading every so often because I enjoy experiencing it that much. Zuzeca's Pillars of the Temple series is also several stories of TFP AU win that include too much awesome to sum up here.

Fics and Fears by 12drakon: Damn, I love this fic so, so much. The underpinning of the whole thing is the function of fiction in different areas of life. Some people use it to cope with past trauma, others to spin events in their favor, others to prop themselves up with hero fantasies... It's like fanfiction about the concept of fanfiction, but the TFP story packaging it all is really great too.

Robots, Robots Everywhere Series by oriflamme: Each fic is very different in nearly every way, but holy shit, her use of language and world design is just amazing. I wish I could be more specific, but every story really is too different to write a capsule of the whole thing. :P IT GOOD. READ.

Just about everything by spockandawe: It took a bit for me to get used to the second-person narration, but the stories are so great that any delivery method is perfect. I love the character interaction. I love the narrative voice (it constantly makes me want to read them out loud because the language she uses is so fun). The sad bits are piercing but beautiful.

War Without End Series by AzarDarkstar & dracoqueen22: Finally, a series based on the enormous question of why Bayverse Optimus is so chill about his people getting killed and why he keeps bending in favor of the humans to the point of destroying his own species. The other Autobots are just as disturbed by these events. Eventually, Autobots and Decepticons gravitate together to save their own kind and learn to reproduce without the Allspark. This series is just designed and executed in a damn cool way.

Prisoner by hellkitty: I have such a soft spot for this one because it focuses on linguistic differences between Autobots and Decepticions that have developed over the war. The POV is of a human grad student who is given the injured Starscream to study because the Autobots and NEST don't care about her research.

Just about every other damn thing by hellkitty: For your convenience, the above link goes to the first of the 19 pages of fic she has. Just chug those damn things. Most aren't very long. Also, it's hard to pick out certain ones to rec without my notes elsewhere, because she tends to not include descriptions or link related stories into series, so reading oldest to newest is how to get most things in order. :/ I remember her fondly because she writes quite a bit of prewar Drift (including interesting stories of how poverty and sex work manifest in Rodion) and Deadlock, and I am just ragingly onboard for that content. Be aware that there's some twisted stuff in places, especially with her super toxic Turmoil/Deadlock. One specific rec I might make would be Meridian, a fairly dark AU in which Deadlock really did sell out the Knights and took Wing as a war prize when he returned to the Decepticons.

Upon a Star Series by dracoqueen22: I love this series so much. It makes my heart tender and my eyes tear up. TT_TT It really does feel like a fairytale and I love all the tiny details about Prowl and Sunstreaker and even poor, desperate Starscream. Turbocharged comfort fic like a fuzzy pillow fort.

So many things by Lycaste: There's just so many damn delightful pieces here. It helps that a lot of it has to do with the DJD and the like. XB Wired for Action, The Autobot Justice Division, Cry Havoc (In Quatrains), and Sibling Rivalry are some of my very favorites. After spending too much time stuffing my brain with darkfic, I really need well-written humor, and these are definite repeat reads.

Nearly everything by Owlix: Owlix writes a little bit of everything. I recall a lot of his pieces being small, carefully-made sketches of character interactions.

Dear Lies Series by dracoqueen22: I honestly like this one not because I enjoy the dynamic, exactly, but because it shows how insidiously and gradually abusive elements can enter into a relationship. Features Jazz as the too-intense antagonist. (TBH, I have a weird liking for fics in which Jazz is subtly or overtly sinister.)

And I'm pretty sure everybody likes something from Bibliotecaria_D: You can't really go wrong with her work. ^^ Highlights in my mind include White Lies (great postwar DJD sads), Constructicon Lite (Constructicons feeding Prowl), Gone Fishing (the wonderful adventures of the guy with Megatron's voice), Walk the Line (realistic, educational BDSM fic), and Playing the Long Odds (another cool realistic story about falling in love with friends and how that changes things).

There are so damn many more but my eyes are starting to get blurry from too much shuffling around in my archives. =_= I love all you wonderful fic writers. You bring me so much joy.

[mk-wizard]

Another Top 10 Reasons TF Needs to Change its Status Quo

After making this list, I realised 10 reasons are not enough and that alone is telling. After some thought, I realised there are many reasons though these are the ones that are most important as to why Transformers needs to change its status quo.

1- Proper representation that is respectful and with the times matters. - Did you know that Jazz is so far the only confirmed Transformer of colour and every damn time he is used, he’s a stereotype of a black person? Did you also know that even though everyone knows Knockout from Transformers Prime is gay, the writers denied it by denying that Transformers don’t have genders or orientations even though it has been confirmed that they do since Beast Wars? Also, the first openly “oriental” Transformers are a little ridiculous to look at it. Windblade looks like a geisha girl with hair and make up to match. Then we have Drift who looks and acts like a stereotypical overly stern samurai. And let’s not forget Transformers Animated Ratchet who is another stereotypical old man character who is predictably grouchy, not fun, anti-social, borderline ageist and has PTSD. I hate being politically correct, but as a progressive and open minded person, it’s getting a bit ridiculous that the writing still treats the times like it is the 1980s in which every type of character is a stereotype of itself. Write characters naturally and don’t be afraid to make diversity a natural thing without extremism in culture, colour or anything. And that thing that the writers said about Knockout was outright offensive. Why create a character who is gay if you’re going to force him to stay in the closet? And what really stinks about that low blow move is that Knockout is NOT a stereotype of what he is and not everything is about him being gay. He is a well written fleshed out character. Transformers has to move on from the 1980s and accept diversity with open arms respectfully.

2- Children do not follow a status quo when they play with the Transformer toys. - Here’s a secret that’s not a secret at all, people. When kids play with their toys, they don’t always make them act the way they are “supposed” to. When I was a girl, I used to pretend Barbie was a superhero and sometimes, when I played with Transformers, I didn’t always have them fighting. Sometimes, I used to pretend the Transformers would do regular stuff like go out, visit friends and stuff. I even used to know someone online whose daughter pretended Arcee was married to one of the Seekers (I don’t recall which one) and played house with them with other bots acting as their kids and neighbours. If kids don’t follow a status quo and are open to different settings when playing with the Transformers, they are going to be open to shows/movies/comics that don’t follow a status quo. In fact, I think it they would love it.

3- We need more movies and specials like Bumblebee. - In other words, films that showcase a fan favourite to give them their own backstory and character development which answers a lot of the questions fans have. Even if they are just straight to Blu-Ray or Netflix movies. I mean, DC and Marvel has tons of made for TV only animated movies and they’re great. I would love to see a movie that showcases Prowl, Arcee or tells us Megatron’s origin story.

4- A prequel of Transformers is worth telling. - Beyond short mini comic series, we have never delved into the origin of Megatron, Optimus or how the entire war began. All we know is that in the beginning, Megatron’s intentions were noble, but then went bad and he ruined Cybertron, so the Autobots rebelled. Transformers War for Cybertron attempts to give us a prequel, but it’s not quite one. It’s still a story about the war, but in the earlier phase while it was still happening on Cybetron only. Give us a real prequel. Please.

5- There are confirmed bad Autobots and it’s high time we treated them like villains properly. - Devcon is a bounty hunter who is Autobot by faction, but he doesn’t follow the Autobot values or any morals as he is just concerned with getting paid, and he has been known to do heinous things just to get a buck. Then there is Repugnus who hence his name, is the kind of guy who will disgust you because he is sadistic, he has no honour, he cheats, he fights dirty and has been discharged multiple times from the army for taking things too far. And for the record, the Decepticons won’t have him in their ranks because even they think he’s too distasteful. I think it would be interesting and good writing to showcase these two as reoccurring villains who even face consequences like villains instead of “pardoning” them just because they are Autobots.

6- Does Optimus have to be the Prime in every series? - Seriously, this formula is getting old. Even Robots In Disguise snuck Optimus in as Prime and it was supposed to be Bumblebee’s time to shine. Then there was Beast Wars who had an Optimus as a leader too. You don’t even have to kill Optimus! Just have a different group of bots with a different leader. Star Trek does that with every different series and it’s great for it. And get creative with the settings through that: exploration, repairing Cybertron, politics, home life, etc.

7- Make different versions of the same character DIFFERENT. - Transformers Armada always stood out to me as a series because it was the one series where Starscream was not only not concerned with overthrowing Megatron, he was the complete opposite! He was loyal to Megatron and just wanted his appreciation, and above all else, Starscream was a good guy. In fact, a lot of characters were very different from their moulds. Maybe we should do this more often. Make an Optimus who is not very nice, make a Megatron who is empathetic, etc. If you’re going to put out a new story and make the characters look different, why not make them different on the inside too? I think that would be fun.

8- Transformers is in fact alienating new fans by keeping the status quo. - A lot of the suggestions I am making are not from me a lot. A lot of fans especially the newer ones are begging for fresh new ideas, but for the most part, a large majority of Transformers’ media is just Autobots vs. Decepticons or something like it. If you keep ignoring the suggestions of new fans, you will cease having new fans.

9- It is ok for characters to fall in love and be in love. - If there is one thing that Beast Wars did right, it was incorporating romance into the storytelling. And it did it beautifully. A huge chunk of Blackarachnia’s character development was thanks to falling in love and with a great guy above all else. Moreover, it didn’t stop her, her boyfriend or anyone around them from being badass, goofy and going on with life in other ways that were not romantic. I also want to add that it is important for kids to see all of that so they can learn that love is not yucky. And that for most grown ups, falling in love and starting a family is a good thing and an adventure within itself worth taking. And more importantly, you don’t stop being you just because you’re married and have kids. Yes, some people don’t want to marry or have kids, but keeping everyone childfree and alone is just as unnatural and unrealistic as having them all get hitched and multiply. Besides, it has been confirmed that Transformers can be in love, be male or female and reproduce like we do. There’s no point of hiding it.

10- Transformer epilogues are worth telling. - Just as a prequel is worth telling, so is an epilogue. We sort of get that with Rescue Bots Academy after Transformers Prime and Robots In Disguise, but what about other series? What happened after G1 and how did the peace treaty between Autobots and Decepticons go down? Did it work out? How did characters adapt to peace? How did they deal with trauma and PTSD? What was life like for the civilians after? Were the problems that spawned the war fixed? Do Autobots and Decepticons even live together on Cybertron? Personally, I would love to see all of that as a huge fan of Steven Universe Future and Picard. Just because one story ends doesn’t mean another can’t begin. I think it would be a lot of fun and also, it would give closure to many Transformer series that never got any.

Do any of you have good reasons you can all think of as to why Transformers needs to change its status quo?