#quintessons suck as usual

[chocolateisbrainfood]

FIC: When The Beat Drops

So I wrote an unexpected sequel to my JazzWave fic Can You Feel It? which is itself a fic based on the amazing art I got as a secret solenoid gift this year. It also ended up fitting the TF Creatives Discord bimonthly prompt of "Love Song." It gets kind of dark in spots so it's rated M to be safe, but the dark parts are on par with canon typical violence in IDW and Skybound, so go in prepared.

He made sure his team was deep into the underground tunnel E818 – one with three exits, including a secret one he was sure the Quintessons hadn’t found yet or they would have used it long before now – before he stopped, watching the distance between them grow and grow. “Bee,” he called out, “when ya get back to base, tell Blaster he’s gonna need to drop the beat.” Then he set off the nearest hidden charges he knew were planted in every mine shaft and tunnel. Just enough of them to collapse this side of the mine and prevent anyone else from following. “What was–Jazz! Jazz, do–!” His words were cut off as the ceiling of the mine collapsed right in front of Jazz’s face, making him step back just enough to avoid getting hit by the debris. ====== Jazz sacrifices himself to save his team, and that leads to a less-than-fun time for Jazz. But he's not worried. He knows if he waits long enough, someone is coming to get him. Sucks for the Quintessons that the one coming is exactly who Jazz thinks it will be.

[scribescrawls]

tfone Starscream is so fascinating, bc here's an untold story there. Like, implications that he has some moral integrity, as ruthless and cynical as he is now.

Because here's the thing - there's people claiming the High Guard was pissed at Sentinel bc he made them lose their high standing in Cybertron. But the thing is... If that's true, they could easily just gain that same high standing back if they just pledged loyalty to Sentinel and his caste society. They could still be the High Guard to a "Prime" and still do the same things they do. If their moral integrity is that low.

But they didn't. Instead, they stubbornly survived on the surface, choosing to live hand-to-mouth and at constant risk of being killed by either Quintessons or by Sentinel because they're rebelling against him. Heck, even Starscream - you can't really JUST claim the reason why he chooses exile was just to maintain his leadership and power over his group. Like, he could have done that while not at the constant threat of starvation or death because let's face it - some incarnations would have him cozying up to Sentinel, still live in Iacon and maintain his privilege and comfort in any way he can, and then just find an opportunity to stab Sentinel in the back and then rule over Cybertron himself. But he doesn't. Their exile is straight up a horrible situation, but they still chose it over serving Sentinel. It just gives off implications that they aren't really as self-centered nor immoral at the start as you'd think, that there ARE some lines they won't cross. It's more heavily implied that they DID use to be a prestigious group with ideals, but repeated travails lead to said ideals corrupted over time.

YES!! You put it perfectly like I agree with everything you said and it is so fascinating the implications the movie gives us about TFOne Starscream and the rest of the High Guard in general! So many different possibilities! Rotates them in my brain like a rotisserie chicken!

I think Transformers One Starscream has so much potential as a Knight in Sour Armor with Jade-Colored Glasses trope.

For those who are unfamiliar with the trope Jade-Colored Glasses is like having the opposite of Rose tinted glasses. Basically you have or have gained a cynical way of looking at the world. Meanwhile the definition of the Knight in Sour Armor is: “The world is filled with Wide Eyed Idealists who believe in truth and justice and devote their lives to fighting for it. And then the dark, cruel and brutal world keeps letting them down. For them, Being Good Sucks. But rather than giving up on their goals, they choose to fight, not because they believe they will truly make a difference, but because it's the right thing to do…They're usually survivors who have largely given up on believing in Honor Before Reason, but still strive to be Lawful Good or as close to it as reality allows them to be. They are willing to bend the rules to save them.” (Definition taken from TVTropes)

I just think there’s something really interesting that TFOne Starscream was leader of the High Guard working directly with the Primes and the fact that he states they witnessed the Primes fall and have been doing whatever they can to sabotage Sentinel has so many unsaid possible implications. Like you don't stay in exile and commit guerilla warfare on someone in terrible dangerous conditions just for your average run of the mill leader who passed away, like there's the high possibility that the High Guard personally cared for the Primes a lot and believed in their cause. You explained it really well, that going against Sentinel does the High Guard no favors and yet they still do it. They obviously have the odds stacked against them and if they genuinely pledged their loyalty, Sentinel could have a trained fighting force with years of experience under him which they could use as their bargaining chip to get him to agree plus it probably strokes his ego if the High Guard bowed to his rule. They could have been living much more comfortably if they just sold out to Sentinel, but they don't.

I also think there’s something to think about how yeah Orion during D-16 and Starscream’s fight stopped Dee cause he firstly did not want D-16 to go committing a murder right then and there, but I think there’s also something to be said that Orion used the words and recognized that “he’s not the enemy” in reference to Starscream in this moment. And tbh at that point in time he’s not their enemy yet. The High Guard have such knights in tarnished armor vibes. (I also have some thoughts about possibilities of why they chose to follow Megatron over Optimus even if the Matrix chose Orion but this response is already really long so perhaps I will save that for a separate post lol)

[izunias-meme-hole]

It's been a day since I've seen Transformers One, and I'm still so fckin' amazed by how this movie gave us two actually phenomenal villains cut from two different threads without feeling too cluttered in the slightest.

On one hand we have the main antagonist, Sentinel Prime. Anyone who's familiar with any post-G1 content knows that Sentinel Prime is usually portrayed as a scumbag in some capacity, be it as a Frank Burns inspired jackass, or a backstabbing boomer. This iteration of him though actually seemed kinda cool at first, though as the film would continue we'd see just how scummy he actually is. He sold out the 13 Primes to the Quintessons, unintentionally caused the energy reserves to dry up while doing so, ripped the transformation cogs from newborn cybertronians so he could have mining bots, and happily established the current caste system that cybertron is built on, just so he could live like a king. It's actually fckin' impressive how much of the awful shit that happens film happens in the film links back to Sentinel's past actions, and even some of his current current actions, though what's even more impressive is what his corruption resulted in.

When I think of Megatron I either think of the charismatic and legendary war criminal from Animated, the egomaniacal predacon successor from Beast Wars, or the miner turned tyrant from the IDW comics, though all three of these characterizations have a lot in common. They're self-proclaimed "revolutionaries", they worship power and desire to dominate, and most importantly they're fueled by anger. That is who Megatron has been in his best appearances, and surprisingly enough D-16 is within the same league as those other characterizations I mentioned.

D-16 was a miner, a seemingly meek and optimistic one at that compared to his fellow miner and friend, Orion Pax. He had faith in the system, but only because he didn't exactly have many options. His life sucked and he didn't have many options other than to hope Sentinel Prime would fine the Matrix of Leadership and bring back the rivers of energy that once flowed freely. So when he discovered that not only did Sentinel kill his idol Megatronus, but also made him live one big fat lie ever since he was born, he lets out his true feelings, his bottled up rage. Those exact same feelings that only got worse when he finally got the means to fight back against anyone who would have the gall to bark orders at him... even if that someone was a bot he once considered a brother.

Megatron in this had every reason to rip Sentinel in half and burn down the system. He's one of the victims of the injustices committed by that dictator, but as we'd see when he literally lets Orion fall to his supposed death, he's pretty much lost himself. It's a similar villain arc to what Simon Laurent from Infinity Train and Koba from Planet of The Apes went through, and it's a type of arc that works well for the type of Megatron origin that this film needed.

[tarklesbehindthescenes]

🔥🔥

Double the flame, more salty rants. This one's going to be about the Netflix adaptation for Transformers War For Cybertron. Whoever is reading now, if you really enjoy the show, I recommend stopping right here because this show makes me angry. To the point that I won't hesitate to use stronger language than I usually do. Like Prime, there are some things I like about it and I will cover those at the end, but everything else makes me want to throttle the writers and producers. And if you haven't seen Siege or Earthrise, then understand there will be spoilers.

I will start with the trailers. I was excited that we were getting a new Transformers show. But when I found out that it was a Netflix production I was worried. And when I found out that Rooster Teeth was supposed to play a part in it, I thought that there would be some hope. No. My boyfriend got to the series first and was texting me as he binged the first few episodes. All caps. Exclamation points. He even reported that he was making a list of everything that pissed him off. I got to look over that list after I binged the whole season of Siege myself. It was lengthy.

In my rant about Transformers Prime, I said that the show was trying too hard to be dark and gritty. Yeah, this show took that and did a nosedive. It is trying so much harder than Prime and I can't STAND it. War. Devastating war. I get it. Shit sucks. War is hell. But you know what show did a great job of covering a good chunk of the war experience? M.A.S.H. War is NOT all doom and gloom and drama, as my grandfather who was part of the Airforce during the Vietnam War would testify. Stressful as all get out? Absolutely. I won't deny that. And I will not dismiss veterans' injuries and traumas gained from any war they partook in. It's horrible they went through the experiences at all.

But this show thinks that if it focuses on all the dark themes and grit that it'll make it hip with the kids/adults. It's not trying to express and show the audience the real nature of war like M.A.S.H. did. And I don't understand why they decided to go with six episodes for each season. It is too cramped for them to do anything really meaningful with. There will be plenty of examples provided as I go.

Where to go from here... I guess from the first episode in Siege and the impressions I got from it. Bumblebee's an absolute dick! What the hell?! Little man, you got an iron rod up your tailpipe or what?! THIS is the direction they decided to take as iconic a character as Bumblebee?! Okay, fine! Every continuity is entitled to their differences. I'll deal with it. But then later on they have him inherit the "Alpha Trion Protocols"--

I'm going to pause the Bee rant for a moment. Alpha. Trion. Protocols. Do the writers even know what protocols are?! Or did they think that if they slapped together an important name with something vaguely technical that it would pass off as something impressive and comprehensible?! They don't even explain what these "protocols" do! Just, all of a sudden Bumblebee was chosen to inherit them, I GUESS, and then he got to meet Alpha Trion in spirit, and now he's a nice boy who wants to hang out with the Autobot team! This happens near the end of Siege, but I wanted to stay on the track of Bee's character and how rushed and stupid this development felt.

Jetfire. Oh. My goodness. I do like him more than most of the characters portrayed in the show. But MAN I wish they had given him more solid morals. Like, he's fine with dictatorship, but reprogramming bots on a massive scale is where he draws the line? And he SLICED OFF Starscream's arm WITHOUT PROVOCATION in the first fifteen minutes of episode one!!! I had to pause the episode so I could shout furiously at the TV and my siblings could laugh at me! I like the idea of Jetfire starting out as a Decepticon. But gosh. Darn it. Rethink his character in the beginning PLEASE.

The sheer. Amount. Of seeker deaths. I could cry. I shrieked when Thundercracker got his head blasted straight off his shoulders. And that was just the START. I talked about the vehicons and the abuse they take in Prime. This. Holy crap. This is so unnecessary. This REALLY doesn't make me root for the Autobots.

Speaking of not rooting for the Autobots. Optimus Prime? He's a grade A asshole. I straight up hate him. He makes Megatron seem like the reasonable one. He lowkey disrespects the fembots, he plays all sorts of hot and cold games, he shouts at some mechs that don't want to be a part of this dumbass war. Megs told him in Earthrise that Elita was dead and Optimus straight up didn't react for long. Wide optics for a moment, then he pulled a fanfic move and straddled Megs.

And the show actually makes Megatron out to be the more personable mech out of everyone. Until Earthrise when they show him with Ultra Magnus' head. ...Megan? Is your brain alright? Keeping the head of your dead "brother" really doesn't seem like something you'd do. Oh yeah, the show did Ultra Magnus dirty. It did a lot of mechs dirty. But they made Mags out to be some... soft flake.

Starscream's treachery and smack down is totally unwarranted. In Siege Megatron complimented Starscream, saying he liked his ambition and gall. Starscream was all excited puppy-like when he got the promotion to leader of the seekers. And then in Earthrise suddenly he doesn't like Megatron and Megatron suddenly hates him and we get the classic Megs and Screamer dynamic. What? Why? There was no build up to this. There was no reason for this.

The voice acting makes me want to tear my hair out. It's awful. The line deliveries are rushed or unnatural, everyone either sounds deep and gravely or just WRONG. *sob* Soundwave, what did they DO to you?! Whoever made the decision not to go with the voice actor union made a GRAVE mistake.

I really... don't like Chromia and Moonracer in this... Like I said before, bots were done dirty. Moonracer--and everyone else--when in that zombie infested space that had the Allspark, just stood there as the zombies advanced. And then Moonracer continued to just stand there and scream as she got eaten. I'm sorry, but she deserved to die. Everyone had GUNS! Her included!! And they didn't USE THEM until Moonracer died!! Bad writing!! And then Chromia. Jumping to Earthrise. I didn't care one way or another about her up until she KILLED the Decepticon that helped her group out before WITHOUT a second thought! "Wait! I helped you before, remember--" [Bang!] Bitch!!

I'm going to talk about the pace of the writing now. There were several instances where we'd be in one scene, and then suddenly we'd be in another with no proper transition and I was left reeling and scrambling to figure out how we got to that point. Like when Galvatron suddenly showed up on Megatron's ship and started talking with him. Like, wait a minute. We're in some nether realm. Optimus is talking with Sky Lynx, then we jump to Galvatron just on Megs' ship. What? How? What led to this? Going back and rewatching did not help.

Impactor. I did not know who Impactor was before this series, so this was my introduction to him. And I loved him. And then they went and killed him off in a cliche method I saw coming a MILE away due to how they animated it, positioned the camera, etc. And I. Am. Salty. How dare they give him that kind of death and take away his dynamic with Ratchet.

This is so long... I'm sorry. I think I've covered most of the things that I had a major grievance with. I have a lot more, but I'll shut up and move to the positive things.

The animation is amazing. I was discussing this with my sister--who is more of a Rooster Teeth fan and enthusiast than I am--and none of the Rooster Teeth names showed up in producers or writers, so we're under the assumption that Netflix only hired on their animation team, and that's believable. The show looks like something Rooster Teeth would make. Which makes it a little easier to watch.

I adore the little Refracktor look-alikes. Scrapface and the guy whose name I can't freaking find that gave Megatron the tour. I would do anything to protect them... There's someone I'm following on tumblr who got the suggestion that Elita deserved to have a little Decepticon harem made out of those Refracktor look-alikes, and I'm inclined to agree.

I'm glad my boy Red Alert is getting some of the spotlight. He's not written how I prefer him, but he's not horrible. Just bland.

Most of the character designs look great. There's a few that I'm meh about, but I can't complain too much. They look like who they're supposed to be. Galvatron actually looked pretty good.

The Quintesson and Doubledealer's crew. The Quintesson is probably the best I've ever seen one written. It was shocking. Each face was its own person rather than the Quintesson having one face for each mood. That's how the previous Quintessons felt like to me, anyway. And Doubledealer's crew of mercenaries was great. I appreciate that the coneheads and Bug Bite were among the crew. And that they're perfectly fine shooting at each other.

Jetfire and Elita's dynamic is a mirror of Elita and Optimus' dynamic, only the two of them respect each other a heck of a lot more than Optimus and Elita did.

Ratchet. Ratchet. Holy. Cow. Talk about someone who deserves to have the Matrix. I NEED Ratchetus Prime to be a thing. And if they hadn't killed off Impactor, their dynamic would have continued to be beautiful. The Autobots do not deserve to have Ratchet in their midst. He takes no crap, he heals both sides, a bot is a bot. End of statement.

Scorponok was cute. I like him.

That's all that really comes to mind as far as I can recall. I'm sure there's more. But my brain has been emptied. This has been therapeutic. Thank you, and sorry again for the lengthy rant.