#rereading!

[kryptonitecore]

Rereading: Last Stand of the Wreckers

This must have been a shock to the system when it came out for the first time  and, in terms of quality, I think this clears everything from IDW1 so far. I have so many good things to say about the art. I love the use of upward angles to get you into a certain perspective, the creative panelling and the way that Roche will cram so much detail into every page. I loved the colour swap between the present timeline and the invented story that Ironfist tells about Impactor and Springer. I also love Pyro’s design, especially how there are areas where his Optimus-esque paint-job have chipped and you can see black and yellow underneath.

The pace is borderline frantic from the beginning with set-up being blunt and fast, especially compared to the likes of All Hail Megatron and Costa’s decompressed run. Some of the comics from this point in the continuity are borderline apocalyptic in terms of the way they talk about the status quo of the story, but this is one of the ones that actually sells it. The way the Wreckers are introduced has so many telling contradictions in it, between the new members’s enthusiasm versus Dipstick’s reaction versus Ultra Magnus’ exhaustion and frustration. In fact, particularly Ultra Magnus’s reaction: ‘Look, it’s easier for me to turn a blind eye to the wreckers’ methods when I’m not in the same bloodbath as you guys’. The idea that the Wreckers are at a point where they are picking up some of the most obviously ‘disposable’ candidates possible is also really helpful in that regard, plus the references back to earlier events like the number of people lost trying to rescue Kup, you actually get a broader sense of how the faction can be warped by what is, effectively, the celebrity-worship of certain members (RIP Guzzle’s friends). Another thing is that LSotW is surprisingly well-integrated into the wider canon, which is interesting, because I’m so used to thinking about it as more of a standalone, one of the things that people recommend to you as separate from the likes of the ongoing or MtMtE.I have also had the horrifying realisation that the ‘Dipstick’ in the beginning might be the unfortunate ‘Dipstick of Operation Doom Patrol’, in which case, no wonder he’s so angry. 

It’s interesting to see Fortress Maximus prior to Overlord, as limited as it is, and a little sad to see how much more assertive he is here. I continue to be mildly baffled but entertained by Verity. I’d always assumed that there was an explanation for how she ended up on Ultra Magnus’ ship earlier in IDW1 and I simply missed it because I hadn’t read those parts of the continuity… But no. I would do terrible things for more stuff focused on Verity and Magnus, as I am deeply curious as to how they came to be such good friends. 

Speaking of characters I would do terrible things for, Ironfist and Snare. The flashback with Ironfirst is wonderful, I love his conversation with Prowl and that Prowl’s face is always at a bit of an off-angle on the screen and ‘Thank you, but I’m done’ is up there as one of the saddest lines of the continuity so far. I had also forgotten how sad Snare made me - the fact that Impactor offers to ‘take you somewhere safe’, the question of whether he really means that, the fact that Snare’s mask is partially blown off so you can see his face, but only as he dies…

Meanwhile, not even other Decepticons are happy to see Overlord, the faces on the Predajets behind him whenever he is speaking are a sight. Overlord’s whole philosophy here, ‘I grant you freedom, Decepticons - in every sense of the word’ (a.k.a. chaotic ultraviolence through freedom) sets up an interesting contrast to Megatron’s ‘peace through tyranny’ thing. Overlord is delightfully weird about watching other characters fight, especially with the way Roche/Roberts lean into more eroticised language quite consciously with his character, lending him a sadistic enjoyment  of gladiatorial combat that is ideologically interesting for a Decepticon and especially one with such a fraught relationship with Megatron. There’s not a ton of backstory for Overlord besides the whole point one-percenter thing, but it’s such a strange state of being: immediately identified as useful at birth (before birth?), presumably kept by the Senate/Council for many years, fascinated by gladiatorial combat, desperate for Megatron’s attention… There’s a lot there. Him being intensely powerful and self-willed but not politically power-hungry is quite an interesting combination, as his goals are so comparatively petty and passive. That idea of a lack of agency or interiority is what I think Kup is supposed to be getting at with his comment: ‘I remember lookin’ into his eyes and seein’… Nothin’. An absence, y’know? Like his mind was someplace else’.

The book includes a few references to real historical events or atrocities, the same kinds of WWI/WWII/mid 20th-century imagery of war and dictatorship that’s somewhat common in Roche and/or Roberts works. It’s infrequent but a little underwhelming, especially as references to things like concentration camps don’t really serve much of a purpose except to tell me that Garrus-9 is a unpleasant place to be, which I think I could have deduced just fine. On another level, I have some mixed feelings about the utility of the ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ allusions that become so dominant towards the end, as it provides a recognisable cultural touchstone and a lot of rhythm and inspiration for phrasing in that closing issue. However, there is a bit of a detachment between the respective narratives there, as although both focus on a suicidal charge in order to achieve a strategic goal, I would argue that ‘Charge’ is ultimately more about loyalty to incompetent and undeserving commanding officers than LSotW, because although Prowl’s mission has a significant body-count essentially baked into it, that’s not really a sign of his incompetence, it’s a sign of his callousness and his willingness to choose ‘more disposable’ team-members.

I do enjoy the narration with Prowl at the end, though, as it shows the areas where things didn’t go to plan (Springer nearly dying, Ironfirst not donating his spark), as both could be interpreted as Prowl underestimating those characters (Pyro’s capacity for actual selflessness and Ironfists’s willingness to reevaluate his admiration of the Wreckers). The way this story muddies the waters for Springer is also very interesting to me, as he knows he sent Impactor down so hard to help cover for the rest of the Wreckers, and the fact that the other Wreckers knew they could count on him to, let’s say, creatively interpret the truth in front of high command? I’m fascinated to learn that this story was originally going to incorporate Grimolock, which I feel I would have loved, even if it was just for a cameo. If anything, the original plan for the story described on TFwiki might be even bleaker.

The extras are lovely if you want a few more looks into the wider continuity, adding in some fun bits of world-building, and Skyfall is an interesting character to meet in terms of how he reflects certain Other Characters later on… Skyfall walked so that Getaway could run, etc. Additionally, this is an absolute shot in the dark based on very little, but ‘Pale Fire’ struck me as an interesting name for Squadron X’s ship, I wonder if it’s a Timon of Athens reference or if there’s something more obvious that I’m missing?

Do villany, do, since you protest to do’t,

Like workmen. I'll example you with thievery.

The sun's a thief, and with his great attraction

Robs the vast sea: the moon's an arrant thief,

And her pale fire she snatches from the sun…

[jandjsalmon]

Fun Story to Share.

I got my (now 18-year-old) daughter into Ao3 back in 2021. I taught her she should always comment - even if the fic looks old or abandoned or whatever. She did.

Well - she got this email this morning:

The fic was written in 2014 and essentially abandoned.

Bethy read and reviewed in 2021 (and was actually the only person who had commented at all).

Today in 2025 - the final chapter was posted by the author and this was her reply to Bethy’s comment.

———

Never question whether a fic is too old to comment on.

[septemberkisses]

the fact that i'm no longer the same age as the protagonists of novels and films i once connected to is so heartbreaking. there was a time when I looked forward to turning their age. i did. and i also outgrew them. i continue to age, but they don't; never will. the immortality of fiction is beautiful, but cruel.

[chessb0r3d]

Analysis so bad you don't even know what it's talking about anymore.

[skecherss]

@batbirdies honestly this SOUNDS like something your Jason would say

[pollen]

Kaveh Akbar, from "Wild Pear Tree"

[thatbuddie]

people telling you they reread your fic is the biggest compliment you could ever receive. there are thousands of stories out there begging to be found, to be explored, but your story meant so much to someone that they came back to it eagerly, they went over every word again. to love is to return and loving a fic is rereading it. thank you to all readers and rereaders <3333

[gerrykeay]

did you know there's a day-by-day timeline of the plot in the dungeon meshi adventurer's bible and TODAY is when it all kicks off

happy falin gets eaten and the gang starts eatin' day :)

[stemmmm]

more people gotta try this shit where bill has not improved and will not change but he's just chilling so its fine probably. its great

[theodysseyofhomer]

odysseus absolutely does present a threat to penelope if he perceives her as at all unfaithful, and i feel the unfairness of this, and i think people tend to undersell how much tension at least potentially exists between odysseus and penelope. but i'm also like. his reaction, all speculation aside, his actual reaction in the odyssey to her flirting with the suitors is delight, because he immediately ascertains that she is running a con. sorry that they're so in-sync in spite of the forces that try to drive a wedge between them, including their own misgiving hearts. sorry that they invented homophrosyne ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[lowkeydivine]

Underrated panel

[kryptonitecore]

Reread: Transformers: Hearts of Steel

Hearts of Steel had some interesting places to go and an attention-grabbing concept - Transformers in the age of steam. However, I don’t think the art always used that concept to its advantage and a lot of the designs ended up being quite generic. This was not helped by the fact that a number of the characters were made monotone, with grey being a very prevalent colour. Overall, the art, though not bad, seemed something of an afterthought, which was odd for a miniseries like this. The initial concept art for the series came from Ted McKeever, but three out of four issues were by Guido Guidi, and one of the issues was done by Antonio Vasquez and Luis Czerniawski - so perhaps this was a product of the concept being passed around a fair bit, for example some characters’ designs and colours change substantially between issues.

As for the time period, it’s not meant to be a realistic take and that might be for the best - Mark Twain and Jules Verne are palling around, John Henry shows up, etc. I’m not very knowledgeable about this period of American history, but I think this is going for more of a lighthearted, folkloric tone. I quite liked the book initially, as it seemed simple, but as if it was heading somewhere quickly. That impression soon started to wear off - the characters were flat and one-note and dialogue was blunt. A lot of the characters didn’t have much to do, including both Transformer characters and human characters, Bonaventure and Vanflet being good examples of this.

The pacing also seemed odd to me, as it made the whole mini-series seem like a non-event. I was reading a digital copy and hadn’t realised the comic was ending until I clicked onto the next page and there were the closing panels. There was very little build-up,and therefore I think the climax of the story slipped past me without my even realising that it was supposed to be the highpoint. 

As intriguing as the central concept is, I can’t honestly recommend this one. Alright, back to the Spotlights!

[laikabu]

save me mother and child imagery save me thistle’s innate desire for a family save me (peep the mother and child painting on the first pic)

[gojosbf]

[shining-just-4-u]

u ever read a fanfic so good that you want. fanfic of the fanfic