#and I actually would like to read ALL of the idw continuity but I know I’d get so overwhelmed

[lord-squiggletits]

Thinking about IDW Optimus again and the fandom's aversion to even acknowledging he exists bc he's a cop or whatever and like. Most of the time people literally just replace him in fic with some white bread knockoff archivist/librarian, not even bothering to keep in IDW OP's personality (which just bolsters my theory that the problem isn't him being a cop the problem is that he's too multifaceted but I digress).

And it's annoying because you could totally write IDW Optimus as not a cop while still keeping his canon personality. You just have to realize that the reason IDW OP became a cop in the first place is because his formative experiences when he was young shaped him to basically have two priorities: 1. To help people and 2. To do it by being on the ground actively doing something about the bad things happening to people.

IDW OP would not be a fucking librarian or archivist because even though those are noble pursuits that can help people and change the world, and Optimus is educated/smart enough for the profession, he wouldn't be satisfied just teaching people or spreading information about activism or social-historical studies or whatever. He's a mech of action: he needs to be doing things right now, in front of him, to people he sees/interacts with in his own eyes, improving society with concrete actions rather than indirect action or abstract inspiration.

So basically the alternate job ideas I can think of for IDW Optimus are something like being a firefighter (or any first responder really) or even whatever the equivalent would be to international charity organizations, those ones that send volunteers across the world to do stuff like build housing/infrastructure or distribute food or whatnot. I mean I can't imagine that the equivalents to these things would be exactly the same in IDW Cybertron, so you'd have to get a little creative with it, but these are just some ideas of jobs that would fit IDW Optimus' personality while still filling the niche of "not a cop" for people who are just that opposed to it.

Though I think the revulsion against coptimus is annoying in general tbh because IDW is already a continuity that rejects the idea of easily defined good/evil people or groups. It feels like people really want Optimus to be a good person in a very sanitized and academically approved way, so he has to be nice and squeaky clean but also like, a perfect leftist who knows theory and holds the most progressive opinions on every single issue....

There is no room for the idea that good people join bad institutions, there's no room for the idea that the reason people think cops are good guys who help people is bc of the government propaganda everything is saturated with. Hell there's even later issues of the Optimus Prime series by John Barber where Optimus like, MULTIPLE FUCKING TIMES, is shown in flashbacks grappling with the fact that he as a cop/Zeta's regime that he works for might not actually be improving society like they say they are, and dealing with the fact that he feels more like a lesser evil compared to the Decepticons (perhaps not "lesser" at all).

It's like there's this idea in fandom of like, fictional media and opinions on media having to strictly adhere to progressive ideals at all times. So people just go "cops bad, this character is a cop, therefore they suck" without being willing to engage with the idea of like. IDW OP is born wanting to fight injustice and protect people -> a good way to protect people is to fight the people who are hurting them and committing crimes -> surely following the law is a reliable moral code to guide him in this -> becomes a cop because he's been indoctrinated into a society (much like our own) where he was told that the state/the law exist to protect the people and being a cop means you get to fight bad guys that hurt people. There's really so many interesting concepts there that could be (and CANONICALLY IS) explored about how good, well-intentioned people can be led to harmful actions simply because they have been fed the idea that the things they're doing are good/helpful/noble. Which is especially important for a character like Optimus, I think, who has a cultural icon status as The Irrefutable and Perfect Good, so it's really important actually to use IDW Optimus as an example of how even the most noble people you know have held problematic beliefs or done bad things at some point in their life. You know, because no one is born perfect and ideologically pure, and in fact society is constructed in exactly a manner to make people drink the kool-aid and believe that the systems designed to hurt them/others are just a normal, if flawed, society.

I mean the writing in IDW literally has Optimus deal directly and indirectly with the harm he's done as a cop and how people don't/didn't trust him because of that. I don't know what the fuck else this fandom wants if the source material literally saying "OP realizes that cops suck and he hurt people and earned their disdain by doing the things he did" doesn't stop them from going EW cop bastard sucks and is the worst Optimus. Like the narrative barely stops short of outright saying ACAB and Optimus himself would agree with this sentiment.

At that point, the collective fandom beef with IDW OP isn't because he's a cop and the narrative didn't do enough to condemn that. The problem is literally just that people don't read and don't care

TLDR: Consider the fact that good people can do bad things sometimes especially when living from birth in a corrupt society that thoroughly disguises its vices/oppressive structures as completely normal parts of existence

[beenthere-neededthat]

The ferocity with which I want to reread mtmte/ll has such a chokehold on me

[thankskenpenders]

After a recent interview where Iizuka said it was possible for IDW characters to show up in the games, I've seen some discussion about how the characters need to be introduced "the right way" for people who don't read the comics. And, like, this is obviously true to some extent. You want to convey why people unfamiliar with them should care about these characters, instead of just assuming everyone already knows who they are and their whole backstories and everything. (Anyone who's watched Disney+ Star Wars already has some easy examples of times where they were like "you guys already know this character from the cartoons, right?" and casual fans were completely lost.) But I think people are overestimating how much work this would actually take, especially people who argue that the characters need full-blown reintroductions in the games that depict their backstories all over again and treat them as characters Sonic doesn't already know

I think it's easy to forget that not everyone who plays Sonic games has played every Sonic game. Kids especially. Every single major recurring character in the games debuted before today's generation of Sonic kids was born, and as such every new game is someone's introduction to those characters. The games with the introductions for the Chaotix, Blaze, Silver, Omega, Cream, the Babylon Rogues, Fang, Mighty, Ray, etc. are straight up not available at all on modern hardware without resorting to emulation. To many people picking up Team Sonic Racing or Mania or whatever, those characters are already some random characters Sonic apparently already knows from some previous story. These are not things that every single person who picks up a new Sonic game is intimately familiar with. And yet the games don't feel the need to stop and recount their entire backstories every time they appear.

Also, like, even if you have played every single game, Sonic already has a long history of introducing new characters with little to no fanfare, often treating them as characters Sonic has already met. Core characters like Tails, Amy, and Metal Sonic were really just dropped into Genesis era sequels with no explanation for people who didn't read the manual (i.e.: most players). Sonic has a kid sidekick and a girl who has a crush on him and a robot duplicate now, just roll with it. The modern era would continue to do this with characters like the reimagined Team Chaotix, or Orbot and Cubot, who just appeared in the games one day with no setup. We got along just fine.

(This is to say nothing of the nature of the creative medium the IDW characters originate from, where every new comic arc is treated as somebody's first and supporting characters are periodically given reintroductions to get newer readers up to speed. We've been over Whisper's backstory multiple times now.)

Again, obviously I do want characters like Tangle, Whisper, and Surge to show up in the games with compelling introductions that do the characters justice, but I think people are overthinking how much effort that actually takes. You do not need a whole elaborate adaptation of Whisper and Surge's backstories in the games just for them to have a cameo. You can have Sonic already know them, and if the details are even relevant you can convey that stuff in other ways - brief exposition in the dialogue, context clues, in-game character bios, new stories that showcase their important character traits without 1:1 recreating the stories that have already been told, out-of-game promotional videos and animated shorts like the ones they did to get people up to speed on who the hell Fang is, etc. This is pretty basic stuff when writing for a long-running multimedia franchise.

[toomanybrainrots]

hello everything is fine? I saw that orders are open!! I would like to know if you can write mtmte ultra megatron, rodimus and fort max headcanons with a cybertronian s/o who can create portals to other dimensions? (as if the reader were going to travel through the multiverses of Transformers Prime, G1, Bayverse, etc.).

Everything is fine, and this is the first request! It's been a while since I've read the IDW comics, so this may be ooc(especially for fort max cause this is the first time i'm actually writing him) but I can say I atleast tried. I'd like to not there's probably grammar mistakes due to me not being that fluent in english and because this has not been proofread.

Ultra Magnus, Megatron, Rodimus and Fortress Maximus with a Cybertronian!S/O who can travel to different universes

Ultra Magnus

Ultra Magnus found out about your ability by accident

When you had locked yourself in your habsuite, he thought nothing of it, thinking that you simply needed some alone time

You did, but not in the way he was thinking

So it definitely surprised him when a portal appeared in his own habsuite and it spat out you

You both held prolounged optic contact as he registered what just happened

You hadn't anticipated that the portal was going to spit you out into Magnus' habsuite, and now you were trying to think of ways on how to explain this...situation.

You stared at him. He stared back. This continued for what seemed like an eternity before you finally broke the silence

"...hi?"

Ultra Magnus was internally screaming in his processor, you could tell.

You both sat down, and talked like the civil bots you were(despite you both internally screaming) and you explained your ability.

He listened intently as you explained your ability, and he couldn't help but be a bit fascinated by it. After all, you can travel to different universes, and that alone is pretty groundbreaking. He didn't believe in alternate universes but now? You just proved him wrong.

After you finished, he started to ask questions. Could you only bring yourself whenever you travel to other dimensions? If not, is there a limit? Can you bring another from one universe to the next? He wanted to know the full details, to be fully prepared if anything happens.

You answered all of them, and furthee explained your ability in the process. He mentally took notes, listening intently.

After that, it became more and more normal to him whenever a portal opened up in his habsuite. Either you just got back from travelling to a universe, or you wanted to show him something from a universe. Either way, he was happy to indulge in you whenever he could.

However, in the back of his processor, there was a small feeling of worry. What if you didn't come back? What if you died? Would he feel it through the conjunx bond you shared? What if he couldn't?

But for now, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his processor, and listened to you explaining a plant that came from a universe you went to. To him, all that mattered was that you came back safe.

Megatron

Like Ultra Magnus, he also found out by accident

He knew you were hiding something, the signs were obvious to him. He didn't ask or demand you tell him though, as you'd probably tell him whenever you wanted to

It was purely a coincidence that he had walked into the engine room at the same time you were walking out a portal, having gone to another universe

Thankfully, no one was in the engine room at the time besides you and him. So, you didn't have to worry about anyone else finding out

Megatron, thinking he had been hallucinating and probably low on fuel at the time, started to slowly back out of the engine room after a long period of silence

When he walked into the engine room, he didn't think he'd see you coming out of a literal portal that lead to who knows where.

You looked at him. He looked back.

After a long period of silence, Megatron deemed it a good idea to get out of the engine room before the hallucinations worsen. He should probably get some fuel on the way too, clearly he's low on it.

"Hey, wait!" He heard you call out. Oh no, the hallucinations have worsen.

After convincing Megatron that you were not a hallucination caused by low fuel— you also scolded him for not fueling properly— you explained the situation

He listened intently, nodding along as you explained your ability. When you demonstrated it by olening a portal to another universe, he was surprised. He did see you come out of one, but he hadn't fully seen it up close

Never had he seen an ability like yours in his lifetime, and he almost felt like a fresh spark seeing the world for the first time. It was more than fascinating, and he would definitely ask questions later

He couldn't help but feel a pang of worry now that he knew about this. You had probably been doing this for some time, but he couldn't help but feel worried. What if you got hurt during one of your trips? What if another version of him hurt you?

Because of that, he often insisted he go with you whenever you go on a trip to another universe, insisting he protect you. You knew he was doing this cause he cared, but you could handle yourself, you've been doing this for vorns for pits sake!

After a long talk, he agreed to tone it down a bit. But he still insisted he go with you for a few trips. With an annoyed sigh, you agreed, knowing that he probably wouldn't stop until you said yes

He felt more at ease whenever he could join you in your trips to other universes, knowing he was there meant he could protect you. There was still some worry in the back of his processor, what if you got hurt when he wasn't there? He couldn't forgive himself if you did.

For now, he pushed those thoughts away, choosing to admire the way your expression was filled with awe as you looked at the universe you two were in.

Rodimus

Rodimus knew you were hiding something, and always bugged you about it, begging you tell him your little secret. You always refused, and that made him pout(of course, he'd never admit it outloud, but you could always see it)

That was, until he accidentally found out.

Rodimus had suddenly barged into your quarters, having gotten bored and wanting to spend time with you

Unbeknownst to him, you had just finished a trip to a universe, and had stumbled out the portal when he suddenly barged in.

You stumbled out of the portal when you heard someone coming into your quarters suddenly, falling midway walk

"Heeyyy, think you can—" Rodimus paused as he saw you, who had fallen over and still had your pede in the portal.

He had his intake hanging agape, while your processor was working overtime to try and explain this

"HOLY FR—" You tackled faster him than you've ever had

He exploded into questions, clearly confused and also very curious. It took a while for you to get him to shut up and sit still(not like he ever could)

He listened to you as you explained your ability. Really, he was kind of tuning it out— but he was still listening! It's just that he had so much questions crowding his processor. But also doubts and worries, what if you never came back? What if you just left and found a better version of him?

But once you demonstrated your ability, and explained you could bring someone along with you, oh that was enough for Rodimus to get distracted from those gloomy thoughts

He begged you to bring him along the next trip you went, you refused him each time. He always had a pout on his face whenever you refused, and you couldn't help but feel guilty

Because of that, you ended up surprising Rodimus by bringing him to another universe disguised as a normal date

The awe and excited filled expression on his face, the way his spoiler kept twitching and moving in excitement. Yeah, it was worth it.

That was, until Rodimus almost got himself into trouble while you were there.

Fortress Maximus

Fortress Maximus almost had a spark attack when he saw you coming through a. Primus. Damn. Portal.

He honestly thought he was hallucinating and that someone had spiked the energon he was drinking.

He was also very a tad bit alarmed

Fortress Maximus almost physically jumped as he saw a portal appear out of Primus knows where and you coming out of it.

Was he hallucinating? Did someone spike his energon??

However, when you walk up to him and touch his servo. He realises that no, this is not a hallucination and this was very real.

You're very worried when he starts to look like he's about to faint

He manages to stay calm when you're explaining your ability. Hwoever, onc you're finished he turns into a complete flurry of questions

Were you okay? How long had you been doing this? Had this been hurting you or straining your frame? Had you been getting hurt and he didn't even know it for so long?—

You stopped him before he could ask more, and reassuring him that. Yes, you were okay. You had been doing this a while. No, it didn't hurt you. And no, you hadn't been getting hurt behind his back.

He calmed down a bit when you reassured him but he was still very worried for you

Now, whenever you got back from a trip to another universe, he always worried over you like a mother hen. Checking you over for injuries, making sure you got proper rest after the trip, all sorts of stuff

It was annoying at first, but you got used to it. This was his way of saying he cared for you, so you didn't mind overtime, and you always reassured him that you were okay each and every time

[arceespinkgun]

I'm sorry for this since I do hate how overrated he is in general, but I really wanted to make a post getting out my love for Prowl in the TF UK comics. He is just so clearly the best, most definitive version of the character in my opinion! Somehow, so many of the funniest moments from this continuity are Prowl-related and many of his quotes live rent-free in my head?! From jumping on a missile, to yelling at Jetfire in one of the Christmas specials ("You almost break the world record... FOR STANDING STILL!"), to thinking Jazz saying something will be "a piece of cake" is literal, that one time he yelled "SHUT UP!!!" at the Autobots and Decepticons and then added a tiny "please" afterward...!

And in my opinion the funniest panel in all of the comics is a Prowl panel where he thinks Grimlock is dumb as a brick and imagines a literal brick!

IIRC Prowl's introduction to the comics showed him trying to suggest other options than suicide when the Ark gets attacked only for Optimus to immediately ignore him, which really sets the tone for that dynamic. I was pretty surprised to see that Optimus (and later Grimlock, who is generally hilariously awful) are incredibly unstable leaders and that in almost every case I took Prowl's side in his arguments with them...?

When I say "unstable," I really mean it

He isn't perfect, but he seemed to just want to the War to end and then stay ended from what I could tell. I kind of get the sense that a fandom in-joke about Prowl being a prick may have gotten overstated and led to Prowl actually being extremely obnoxious and immoral in things like IDW, since to me here he really came across more like a character who's justified in being irritated by how other people, normally his superiors, are acting because they're endangering others. Near the end of the comics, I really didn't like that Prowl was very much treated as being wrong for trying to get it through Grimlock's thick metal skull that Decepticons are people too? This isn't going to make sense for people who haven't read these issues, but to me it felt like Grimlock was shirking his duties as a leader and then setting Prowl up to fail to teach him a lesson the hard way, and it felt pretty cruel are overly edgy to me and not in-line with how Autobot and Decepticon dynamics were portrayed earlier. I know I'm biased, but I personally thought it was brave that Prowl stood up to Grimlock, the way Blaster had much earlier on.

Going into these comics, I was really expecting to see a precursor to IDW Prowl or something, and I feel like I was misled! This version of the character feels almost like what IDW Prowl thought he was like. In the final annual story of this continuity, when Optimus actually apologizes for brushing Prowl off and explains that he's just been struggling emotionally (there's even a moment where it says, "Prowl gaped. Not only was he getting an apology, he was also getting an explanation," which really shows what kind of character Prowl is) and Optimus then says it's an honor to work with Prowl, I think I said "awww" out loud!!! And I thought it was hilarious that Prowl was so moved that he imagined a lump in his throat LMAO

"There's a ship fuelled and ready to life off, the assault team and medical crew are aboard. Prowl, I would be… honoured if you would join us," said Prime." And with that he extended a hand for Prowl to shake. There was a frozen moment or two before Prowl grabbed the proffered hand, pumping it. So charged with emotion was the moment, Prowl actually imagined a lump in a throat that he didn't possess!

I also thought Prowl was just as badass as he was hilarious: I loved it when Galvatron targeted Autobots including Prowl for having "mental flaws" by trying to use those to brainwash them into serving him and then Prowl's response was to just attack him and be like, "You forgot that we Autobots REPRESS our feelings!!!" Prowl was one of only three Autobots who ended up alive in the AU story "Rhythms of Darkness!" And he also once went back in time and had to relive his own destruction in order to stop Megatron, who he knocked out with a punch to the face:

(It's Megatron possessing Snap Trap's body). This "Prime?!" "Nope—Prowl!" *punches him in the face* is such an iconic moment to me

Prowl also has a great backstory and was even a veteran before Optimus Prime was ever leader! You can read about that in my Jazz analysis post since they share a backstory. Prowl led a team who went around freeing Decepticon-controlled territories early in the War, and was one of the most dreaded Autobots! Now this is what I like—Prowl being a "terrorist" only in the eyes of the oppressors, not a civil terrorist in peacetime like in IDW! I think it's pretty likely that Prowl's type-A personality and intense sense of responsibility was probably informed a lot by his trauma on one of those early missions going so horribly wrong, since he seems to have behaved differently back then:

Prowl leaned over to Jazz. "Did we do okay?" he asked uncertainly, hoping Jazz wouldn't interpret this as weakness. As team leader, Prowl worried constantly that he would foul up, make some decision that would end up costing lives: theirs as well as others.

I think I'm not the only one who thinks sometimes having a favorite transformer who's really popular but it's only a couple of iterations that you're not interested in (nothing against TFA Prowl at all, I like him, I'm just very neutral on TFA the show), while almost nobody seems to know about the iteration you like and what you like about the character, can sometimes feel like a bit of a curse lol That's why I felt like sharing all of this!

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

man.

In the IDW comic, Sonic's character arc is wild. It's all about how it's a bad idea to give his enemies "a chance to turn over a new leaf" by just saying something to encourage them to change and then 100% leaving them to their own devices. Like, just the Mr. Tinker thing -- probably more than half the named cast has called Sonic out on that whole mess. Sonic justifies it to Surge by saying he believes in ultimate freedom, which includes the freedom to do bad things and face consequences for it, and killing people would take that freedom away. However, 1. Sonic doesn't actually give them any lasting consequences, and 2. he has enemies who will continue to do bad things, no matter how hard he Gives Them A Chance.

He isn't really wrong to want people to change, of course; Sonic the Hedgehog clearly does not believe in retributive justice, and in fact his philosophy goes all the way through rehabilitative and restorative justice and into, like ... "redemption arc"-ative justice? Generally speaking, this in and of itself is treated by the story as not really wrong, because Sonic The Hedgehog (IDW Comics, 2018) is a children's story, and as such, it has a very black-and-white morality. It's just that Sonic's way of getting what he wants is objectively a mess.

And the next reason for that is because by framing it in those terms to begin with, Sonic is turning this into a direct attack on other people's ideologies. He's not just fighting you because he wants to stop you, he's also fighting you because he wants you to change your worldview and principles to align with his. Kitsunami, of all people, is the first one who calls him out on this, comparing Sonic's desire for his and Surge's redemption to Starline's mind-control.

And I mean like, okay, of course Kit is wrong and his view is warped by said mind-control, and of course Kitsunami and Surge in particular are probably going to end up better than they were after Starline scrungled their brains. But asking people to change their principles, to change themselves, to change that much, isn't necessarily reasonable! And in particular, the fact that Sonic isn't actually going to do anything to you except ruin your immediate plans means that you have no incentive to change! Sonic doesn't even try to debate his enemies, either; he just takes it as a given that his way is The Right Way and that maybe they'll "come around" someday! And it is shown in the story that this doesn't work! It's kind of a wild thing to happen in a story targeted at The 9-To-12-Year-Old Reading Range.™

Do I think Sonic's character arc is going to end up with him snapping necks? No, of course not; even if this wasn't a kid's story, it's also not reasonable to demand that Sonic should change his principles. Do I think Eggman is going to get redeemed? Also no; Sega's obviously not gonna let that happen, so Eggman has been written in the IDW comic as just not being the kind of person who changes.

But I do think that Sonic will ease up on his all-or-nothing approach to Personal Freedom, and he'll at least start to see that there is in fact a middle ground between "killing people, which you should never do ever" and "doing absolutely nothing and hoping really hard that the bad guys change their minds". Maybe some of the comic-original villains will get redeemed, and maybe they won't. Who knows! (If this wasn't a simplified black-and-white-morality kid's story, I'd want someone to sit down and explain to Sonic that you can't reduce the sum total of all ideologies to "the right way" versus "people being bad and/or making mistakes".) But Sonic's going to come to terms with a slightly more complex world, and the story will start furnishing new and idiosyncratic ways for Eggman or the Deadly Six or whoever to escape.

[indieyuugure]

I don’t know if you were already asked this somewhere, but will your Shredder have a real, sizable ambition, or will he just be focused on wiping out Splinter for the sake of his bruised ego?

I don’t mind how 2012!Shredder was made so complicated, and I guess it makes sense that he might not have to try world domination himself when’s already a successful crime lord, but I always enjoyed how 2003!Shredder made an evil laugh as he thought about achieving global, galactic, and then multiversal domination.

Secondly, does your Bishop secretly hate his own alien allies and plans to betray them, or is he like that Cemetery Wind guy from Transformers: Age of Extinction who hunts down Cybertronians of all kinds alongside an alien bounty hunter for sick kicks while intending to profit on Human-made Transformers?

I just don’t really know what motivates him at this time. 2003!Bishop at least had an understandable reason for discriminating non-Humans and in Fast Forward, actually turned his life around to make a better future. And the IDW Bishop is like that continuity’s answer to Hordy Jones from One Piece in my opinion, he hates non-Humans because he was raised up in that way of thinking, and by the time his own father realized that viewpoint was dangerous, it was too late for them both.

Lastly, this thought came to me from recently reading the 29th Mirage TMNT issue, but will the EPF oppose supernatural elements just as it does mutants and aliens? In a cosmic sort of way, that organization is like SHIELD and its numerous branches from Marvel comics, so I think there’s plenty of room to explore that.

It has not been asked, actually, you’re the first!

Hm, so my Shredder is motivated primarily by revenge, but he’s extremely power hungry and the prospect of more than just the criminal underworld wouldn’t be something he’d pass up. I think with his limited resources that was never a dream he could achieve, however with assistance from the Kraang, that would be a different story.

Bishop is a nerd with no morals or self restraint. He works with the Kraang because he is absolutely fascinated with non-human life forms, extraterrestrial technology and biology, and everything of the sort. He has a weird relationship with the Kraang because, while he’s paid to communicate with and investigate the Kraang with the intention to stop them, he wants to study them and often finds himself working for them instead of the EPF for bribes.

In my version of TMNT the EPF, “Earth Protection Force” has the soul job of investigating, studying and protecting the people of Earth from extraterrestrial threats. There is no magic at all in my version so the EPF only deals with aliens and mutants. The EPF works very similarly to the CIA but instead of spying on and investigating other countries, they study and investigate Aliens.

Good questions! :]

[graceofagodswrath]

Transformers x Humans Are Space Orcs - A Rant

Alright, I’m gonna complain about something I don’t see talked about enough. Maybe I haven’t found the people who do, so if you know em point me in their direction.

Transformers. I’ve been a long time fan. I’ve watched G1, Animated, Prime, Bayverse, RID, Rescue, WFC, and read all of MTMTE/LL, and I’m excited for the upcoming Earthspark. Course that’s only half if not less of all the content, but enough to prove I’m a fan. Love the characters and world building.

But unfortunately, the majority of not all the Transformers canon content suffers from one major factor that is common among entertainment featuring non-human beings: half-assed human characters. Humans described as wimpy little shits (except Agent Fowler from TFP that man has my eternal respect and love).

Usually the only reason human characters are inserted is to create a relatable character for viewers. But the majority of characters are already relatable, so it’s a moot concept I think we can all accept.

But I cannot for the life of me understand why one would have to give up a realistic, interesting personality for a human character, but give the non-human characters everything. Just take the human characters out for fucks sake!

If you’ve read my other posts, you’re aware I’m an avid lover of Humans are Space Orcs. This community is amazing at digging up mundane or strange facts about humans and turning those into shorts centered around terrifying aliens. That’s what I have always wanted to see in a Transformers story.

I hate the constant “don’t step on them, they’re squishy, gross organics, small and fragile, protect like little cute worm” shit. I’m so tired of it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware there are some badass human character sim the Transformers canon. But they are so far and few, and even then Transformers characters never give them their due.

And that is a main theme in the entire canon. Technoism, I think it’s called. Racism between inorganic and organic species. It’s a very real and moving part of the plot that I love and hate for its realism. Something that always gets me is how even the Transformers characters that are closest with humans (Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Jazz, etc) still seem to treat humans like little primitive puppies that need their constant protection (this is more prominent in IDW than the more pg shows). And the human personalities don’t help.

The point I’m trying to make is, I want to see Transformers reacting to humans the same way we write aliens reacting to humans. Being confused, scared, in awe or disgust. If someone else doesn’t write it, I will.

Eventually.

I want Megatron to actually recognize humans as a threat. I want him to freak the fuck out when he sees what we can do. I want Optimus Prime to feel a little fear at some human tearing apart a transformer. Somehow.

One idea I’ve always loved is a scenario where a human is mass displaced to be just as big as an average Cybertronian. And they kick ass. They go absolute apeshit like I wrote a character going apeshit over his cat. I want to see transformers understanding just how lethal humans are when you pick on a bitch your own size.

If I get enough requests to do it, I might write it. But I’ve started so much other shit I need to continue, oh mah lawd. I don’t care. I needed to rant.

Thx for coming to my Ted talk.

[ddaroll]

To be honest, I feel uncomfortable that Transformers fandom has a tendency to want Optimus only to be morally flawless.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you have to love all OP.

I fully understand with all my respect if you only want that kind of Optimus who is morally flawless.

The problem is the overcriticism of him who does not fit that standards of fandom.

Optimus is like the icon of Transformers. so he's in everyone's head like a soup with the images of all continuities rather than being thought of separately in each universes.

And if some Optimus in a particular continuity is being morally gray or making bad choices, people simply just read the wiki or read posts about that or ignore about the context why he made such choices then overcriticize him with confidence like he's the only one who's done wrong/bad things in the story.

And that's… that's just so weird. I've seen so many posts that overcriticizing him and getting self-righteous. They seem to feel themselves like… morally neat when they criticize Optimus. "I'm a very smart and analytical person who can spot these flaws even this overrated moral icon character!"

and... idk why but they are also obsessed with collecting Optimus' little faults and saying that Optimus should beg Megatron for forgiveness for THAT.

It's really weird considering Megatron also has done so many wrong things and they're always throwing same shits at each other in stories, but beyond that, above all, THEY ARE ALREADY PAST THAT STAGE!!

The two are no longer care about minor disputes in the past!!!

Megatron just wants to make Optimus know that his way is wrong, you little blind idealist, and Optimus is like "please just stop that madness and genocide and colonization. Universe hates us for this."

Do you really think that if Optimus apologizes to Megatron for the little things he did wrong in the past, the war will end just magically? AND DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT OPTIMUS NEVER TRIED SUCH THINGS DURING THE WAR?

I mean, if you really love and understand Optimus Prime, you should know that Optimus would have tried all the nonviolent ways to end the war arleady!

The initial feud between the two is no longer a matter now!The war between of them is now nothing but a huge ideological conflict!!

They are just divorced old men with a long history, not a fresh couple just started meeting each other!!!!!!

I just can't understand unless they enjoy criticizing the character who is considered as a moral icon to self-righteous themselves. I would fully understand if they criticize other characters equally, but no, they always have a huge double standard just for Optimus.

if they are all just nothing but Optimus haters, I still don't like it, but I could understand but this is also actually happening in Optimus fandom. Please show some love for him. at least don't try to prove your morality through him. please.

Oh I just read through what I wrote and I can see my anger is being expressed like a gradation LMAO I'm so sorry lol

anyway, so, yeah, please just see him as the same way like when you see the other common characters.

If you don't think of him as an overrated moral icon, or someone who should always be right, or a vessel of some kind of old ideologies (somehow people think that objectively correct ideologies are boring and outdated), but a person, you can enjoy the Transformers stories so much deeper. a low understanding of him will prevent you from enjoying thoes stories a lot. Like those ppl who blame Optimus just for cooperating with Ghost, without thinking about the consequences of not cooperating with them.

btw, the reason why I deleted my old tumblr was largely because of this. Back then, IDW Megatron was showing his redemption arc, and IDW Optimus was making mistakes to keep the peace he had barely achieved. and… yeah, I think you would know what was happend in Tumblr at the time. I left the fandom for 4 years because of that. The funny thing is, I didn't even know I was in love with Optimus until then. Anyone who knew me at that time would know how crazy I was about MTMTE lol

[thenamesblurrito]

assorted Transformers fics to rec (part 1...?)

i really do think fic recs are valuable to fandom so here’s a random collection of Transformers fics i like, with no particular theme. these were compiled by frantically googling half-remembered bits to try and find the only ones i remember reading years ago, and i know i’m missing some i’d like to include

EDIT: part 2 here!

A Prime Performance

TFP AU, incomplete, AO3. Megatron is an actor in a children’s show. this is just as hilarious as you think it is. some slowburn MegOp. i love all the easter eggs and references and the way this in-universe show is created and run?? it’s fascinating

All Roads Lead to Rome

no set continuity/vaguely Bayverse, oneshot, AO3. a huge robot warrior like Sunstreaker is odd enough in modern times, just imagine him in ancient Rome. extremely interesting premise to me i love this bit and would love more. warning for typical crass patriarchal expectations for women in marriage but nothing actually explicit

Another Gate

Bayverse, complete multichap, FFN. whatever Sam is now, it isn’t human. some REAL good body horror, friendship, and alien strangeness ooooo

Bodies (break)

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Ultra Magnus goes to therapy and Rung is something wrong. oooooooghhghghhf i LOVE when people lean into the oddness and creepiness of the local god

Brave New World

fan canon, ongoing webcomic, TFW05. a spin on BW among other things, following Rodimus Prime’s crew of beastformers as they face down an assortment of bad guys and mysteries. LOVE this canon guys i LOVE it, very very good beast mode choices, very heartfelt and very funny, i also love seeing the art progression over the years. lovely webcomic here

Burn a hole in the old grip of the familiar

TFP, complete multichap, AO3, NSFW near the end. it’s focused on Ultra Magnus/reader but the first half of this fic is probably my favorite. the overwhelm and incredulity the reader character grapples with for awhile, i feel like it’s pretty realistic for someone who’s been shoved into a weird new world. DEFINITELY did Breakdown dirty though. has sequels that i haven’t read

dares for the first time

G1, oneshot, AO3. lovely little take on a G1 Guiding Hand that makes me feel things

Dog of Law

IDW, complete multichap, AO3. the Lost Light crew don’t find Minimus in Tyrest’s cells, they find a small green turbofox. lovely character driven piece here and honestly i just really like when his canonical turbofox alt is used i think it’s a shame we never got it in the story proper

First Contact

IDW, incomplete, AO3. listen it’s only a little bit written but i am OBLIGATED to post isekai/modern girl in Middle Earth/falling into fiction type of stories and i really liked the setup for this one okay! i love isekai and this was the only one i could remember to track down

Grey Is The Night

Batman/vaguely IDW crossover, complete multichap, AO3. there’s a new police car in Gotham, and it’s up to no good. listen i don’t even do DC stuff but Batman meeting Prowl here is done MARVELOUSLY ohhh i love this very much, the plot is GOOD, and i bet folks who actually like DC will love it even more

Hazard Light

IDW, oneshot, AO3. a hanahaki take on Brainstorm/Perceptor that i actually like, despite not usually enjoying hanahaki at all, with some nice Cybertronian biology too

How to Save the World in 8 Minutes and 3 Seconds

vaguely G1/continuity soup, oneshot, AO3. how does Prowl save a species, with blocked communications, no visuals, and a short time limit? why, he just keeps an eye on social media of course! a lil dark and fun and clever

In Media Bellum

TFP, incomplete, AO3. human reader is caught up with Team Prime in a delightful exploration of culture and introspection and found family. no shipping but masterful platonic relationship work! it feels... idk relaxed? caring? i love the tone of this writing

Juxtaposition

vaguely G1, complete multichap, FFN (also on AO3 but never finished crossposting). a human OC gets in a car accident and starts hearing voices in her head, unknowingly saving a Cybertronian’s life, even if it’s in a very atypical manner. love this OC, love the whole premise here and the exploration of an alien reality from a human POV. no shipping, if that’s not ur thing

Lost Light/Rodimus

IDW, oneshot, Tumblr. the ship comes to life and has something important to ask Rodimus. i love this concept it’s very good, very intriguing

Magnus Carey

IDW, oneshot, AO3. Verity teaches Minimus about Christmas. short and sweet, i love their friendship

My Totally Real Mary Sue Husband Who Lives Back On Cybertron

TFA, oneshot, AO3, Dratchet. “Ratchet offhandedly mentions he's conjunxed. Bumblebee refuses to believe him. Hijinks ensue.” funny and in character and sweet

Mythbusters Season Nine Interlude: The Autobot Special

G1/Mythbusters crossover, oneshot, AO3. busting some myths AND some Decepticons! it just keeps getting better and better the further you read. i laughed out loud so many times, and cheered at recognizing so many classic Mythbusters bits, and i will get on my hands and knees to beg for a Dirty Jobs sequel these shows were my CHILDHOOD

Patronus

TFP, twoshot, AO3. Megatron has teatime with Rung, who... is not a normal bot. more good good Rung being something wrong

Property Of

Bayverse, incomplete, FFN. when Sam and Mikaela meet Bumblebee, it isn’t as an Autobot scout, but rather as a new owner of these recently discovered organic animals called “humans”. a very well done human pet fic that doesn’t veer into psychological torture or boundary crossing or anything (sorry if that’s your jam) and while it’s incomplete i still love what’s there, especially as the kids learn how to communicate their personhood to an ignorant Bee

Rules to Follow When Making First Contact

continuity soup/fan canon, ongoing series, AO3. listen i know many folks aren’t here for the human characters but i LOVE all the humans here they are each characterized so well and i love seeing how its been blended together across canons. this is a very clever, very engaging setup with a very grounded presence for alien robots that hits in ALL the right places for me. AUTOBOTS LEARNING ENGLISH YALL!!! YES!!! very good very good

Scrimscrim

TFP....... sort of, incomplete, AO3. what do you do when you end up with a Starscream toy brought to life? this is a hilarious premise with good characterization, a lovely human OC, a ridiculous situation handled very realistically, and generally good fun to read. reverse isekai is perhaps more of a favorite of mine than isekai!

SG Prime

TFP SG au, ongoing webcomic, own website and DA. REALLY REALLY COOL YALL. fantastic designs and inclusions and expanding on TFP lore and making very interesting SG dynamics and just. excellent.

TFP Wheeljack in TFA

TFP/TFA crossover, ongoing series of posts, Tumblr. i LOVE crossovers, i will kill and die for crossovers, and this is one of the few i’ve been able to find! there’s enough posts under that tag that i haven’t been able to read them all but what i did see is GOOD

The Echo Garden

IDW/TFP crossover, incomplete, AO3. Soundwave gets picked up by the Lost Light. okay i am a SUCKER for crossovers as previously stated and this one is Good. leans fully into being a crossover and expounding on the differences between universes. Soundwave needs to figure out what to do with himself! also features some delightful slowburn SoundRod and a lovely ensemble cast. Toaster is the best

The One Where The Decepticons Are The Good Guys

TFP SG au, incomplete, AO3. i’m not typically a fan of Shattered Glass stuff but this doesn’t feel terribly OOC or completely upended or alien to the original plot, i think this is done very well and i can’t wait for more

Transformers Recovery: Primal Launch

fan canon, complete multichap, AO3. it’s like the Lost Light but weirder, i don’t even know how to convey its awesomeness. VERY funny, VERY cool, Sky Lynx is there, Swerve is important, Riptide is such a good bot, Megatron exists, just all good things here. treat yourself and read this it’s such a delight

Twenty-Five to Life

vaguely IDW, oneshot, AO3. Starscream/Minimus soulmate au that makes me wheeze when i read it because it it so painfully in character and hilarious oh my god i am CRYING laughing by the time i finish it. petty criminal Starscream, noble Minimus, oil and water. gets raunchy but nothing explicit with an NSFW sequel

Under Control Till You’re In Front Of Me

G1, oneshot, AO3. i need more people to join the Shockwave/Moonracer ship please please it’s good

Xenoethnography

canon soup/based in TFP, ongoing series, AO3. a more hard scifi take on Transformers from the POV of an anthropologist hired to study them. y’all, THIS IS GOOD. seriously if there’s one fic out of all of these i could keep, it’d be this one, it’s just so so good ugh. ugh i love it i need to catch up with it again

[thecomicsnexus]

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS / TMNT II #1-5

December 2022 - May 2023

By Ryan Parrott , Dan Mora, Raúl Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire.

It's the sequel for the miniseries that was successful enough to have action figures!

The Turtles and the MMPR band together to stop Krang and Rita Repulsa, but a betrayal by their human ally leaves them without powers. And then things get creative...

SCORE: 8

I just want to put in writing that true leaders admit when they are wrong, so the dialogue above is not worthy of Leo.

Alright, let's move on to the actual story...

I was running against two challenges while reading this story.

I am pretty ignorant about Power Ranger lore. I have watched some episodes, a movie and the horrible reunion special, but other than that, I may miss some references.

It has been a long time since I read part one, so apart from certain elements of that story that I remembered, I was kind of constantly catching up.

And you really need to have part one fresh in your mind to read this one... they are basically the same story.

A thought occurred to me while reading this... what is going on with Casey Jones?

He used to be the not-very-bright American hero (think of Jack Burton from "Big Trouble in Little China." And that kind of adaptation used to be the case. But lately, Casey has been a little less temperamental, and sometimes smart enough to avoid getting into conflicts (think of the Rise movie, the IDW version and its spin-offs, like this one).

Classic Casey wouldn't have gotten himself in this situation. But given how much this universe borrows from the IDW continuity, I guess that Casey would behave like this.

Isn't it great when you find four morphin' devices that match the colors of the turtles?

The Turtles and the Power Rangers being able to morph all at the same time was already great, but the book manages to surprise with yet another creative twist... that I'll explore after the break...

Although, if you have already seen the covers, then you know what's coming...

I think the book really came together at this point. With (a very 2012 inspired) Splinter coming in to teach the new mutants how to fight with their new bodies.

And then this happened... man, those toys will sell themselves.

In general, the art in this book is stunning. It may not be high art, but it does what it needs to do, beyond expectations.

Shredder also gets a chance to morph again (it would be a crime if he didn't).

The zords in general look amazing. I guess if you are a MMPR artist, you really need to know how to draw robots... and humans.

So yeah, it seems like part 3 is to be expected... and I am okay with that.

The only thing that felt weird to me, is how the Turtles and the Power Rangers seemed to hang together all the time, despite this story taking place weeks after the first one. But given that this is a different universe, I guess anything is possible?

Reading this story made me think hard on why I decided not to buy the crossover figures... maybe if there is a wave for this sequel, I may consider getting some dimension X power rangers... we'll see...

[lord-squiggletits]

I think another thing that annoys me about how prevalent it is for people to read MTMTE/LL and nothing else, is the fact that JRO's depiction of Cybertronian-organic relationships is slanted so heavily in favor of Cybertronians portraying organic aliens as tyrannical racists killing colonies for no reason (Galactic Council, the Black Block Consortia) that love torturing Cybertronians because they hate them so much and don't see them as sentient (that dude who was selling Cybertronian torture dolls to alien races).

And like, something that happens as a result of people only reading MTMTE/LL is that they get this idea in their head that it's Cybertronians who are oppressed by the rest of the galaxy. And an unfortunate.... take that I see as a result of this ends up with stuff like Decepticon/Megatron apologists trying to frame technoist colonialism as basically Cybertronians trying to strike back against being unfairly persecuted and being seen as lesser by alien species? They don't always explicitly say it as such, but I've seen a lot of people try to downplay the whole technoism and colonialism thing by framing it in context to organic racism and how both sides are equally bad or something like that.

Which is not fucking true because if you actually were to read exRID and OP, you would know that there are multiple Cybertronian colonies throughout the galaxy that were created by razing previously occupied organics planets, that Nova Prime (one of the original 13 Primes and the first Prime to rule a united Cybertron) wanted to conquer the entire galaxy which led to the creation of cold construction in the first place, and that the reason organic species hate Cybertronians so much is because Cybertronians were the first ones to go out and start conquering other planets millions of years ago.

It's even more infuriating because you don't even need to read other comics besides JRO's to know this! Tailgate and Cyclonus were from Nova Prime's time and the whole "yeah during those times we liked going out on a fun journey to kill organics for fun hahaha" is brought up at least a couple times in the series.

[quetzalpapalotl]

The only IDW I’ve read is MTMTE/LL, and I want to read more, specifically about Optimus. I only know him from Prime, and there, he’s the Superman-like hero, can do no harm kind of guy; I was hoping to see a different take on him. Where do I start for comics that focus on him?

Hello! So glad to have this question! I looove IDW1 Optimus and it's my interest to spread that, lol. When it comes to IDW1 Optimus, many writers have different takes on him, but John Barber is really the one that defines the character, or at least it is if you're interested in OP because of my blog. So the short answer is to read the exRID and Optimus Prime ongoings.

That being said, MTMTE is a far more self-contained story than the rest of the entries in the continuity. Barber's stuff not only gets a lot of crossovers and side stories, but Barber is known for being continuity-obsessed (same), and his Optimus is very much written as a reconciliation of all the interpretations of the character in the comics, taking even the negative implications others ignored and dealing with them face-on. The reading is definitively enriched by context.... but also I'm not gonna ask you to read all of IDW1 because a lot of those comics are... boring at best tbh, and I understand reading comics just for lore is not everyone's idea of a good time, haha.

So I prepared for you a Optimus-focused reading order for IDW1 with little explanations for each entry. Because Optimus is such an important character, his path crosses with many plotlines, so I tried to make it so you would be able to get a full, mostly-coherent story, while also keeping the focus on him. Just keep the following in mind: I am biased. This skips most, if not all, of phase 1 (comics published from 2005 to 2011) because I personally judged it not worth it in an attempt to lower the number of comics (so many). This also skips all the series and crossovers where Optimus doesn't feature prominently (so none of the Windblade series or things like Revolutionaries) so you will lack context for some stuff but I think you should be able to pull through. Finally, there will be issues of exrid/OP where Optimus doesn't show up, but it's all part of the storyline, and also Barber writes about Optimus not only as a person but as an ideal, his influence speaks even in his abscence.

Stormbringer by Simon Furman

An ancient evil awakes, Optimus deals with it while remembering the events that led to Cybertron dying. Nothing to write home about, you can skip it, but it's a quick read and it will give you a taste of how Furman writes Optimus (I'm skipping everything else by Furman btw), which was a heavy influence on JRo (from Marvel) and Barber. You can skip it if you want.

The Transformers (2009 ongoing) by Mike Costa

This is a big jump, so for context: previously the Decepticons did a full scale invasion of Earth as well as almost wiping out the Autobots thanks to intel from a traitor. Eventually the Autobots managed to come on top and defeat the Decepticons. Now the Autobots are stranded on Earth, humans have a terrible opinion of Cybertronians and Optimus wants to make reparations. This series presents a lot of interesting stuff that Barber will expand on. Unfortunately, Costa was (by his own admission) not invested in writing Transformers and it shows, particulary, he doesn't understand Optimus' appeal enough to make something interesting with it, but it was still an influence on Barber. There is some good stuff, but I'm afraid to bore you before getting to the actual good stuff. So you can skip it or come back to read it later.

Chaos Theory by James Roberts

These are issues #22 and #23 from the Costa ongoing, in case you decide to skip it. This is the one thing in phase 1 that you must read. We get a more complex take on Optimus, a look into his relationship with Megatron and their past. It introduces JRo's not-at-all controversial idea of making Orion Pax a cop (if only there was a writer that would later deal with the implications of that).

Autocracy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

A radically different take on Orion from JRo, this series is set in the past and shows us a bitter Orion who sees no good sides anywhere in the events that lead to the fall of Zeta Prime. Look, I like this in retrospective, but I don't think it's good on its own, feels very edgy for edge's sake (I have a lot to say about this, actually). Still a dear friend likes it so maybe you will. Either way, Barber will later write an arc that feels like a direct response to this that's one of my favorite parts of OP's character so it's worth a read at some point.

The Death of Optimus Prime by James Robers & John Barber

A single issue that serves as a prologue for the sister ongoings. after using the matrix to save the day at the end of Costa's ongoing, Optimus awakens to a rejuvenated Cybertron. The neutrals come back home and Optimus wonders about his place in peacetime.

Robots in Disguise #1-9 by John Barber Robots in Disguise annual

We see how Bumblebee and co. try to deal with an unstable peace on Cybertron. OP only shows up in issue 6, but since you will eventually have to read all of exRID, may as well read the beginning. Also Arcee shows up, and she will be as important for the themes as Optimus himself, so again, might as well.

More Than Meets the Eye #9-11 by James Roberts More than Meets the Eye #36 Spotlight: Orion Pax

It will do good to revisit Mtmte's Shadowplay arc as we see more of Orion's backstory and his relationship with Senator Shockwave. It may be a long jump, but since we're not focused on Mtmte itself, might as well complete JRo's stuff and read issue #36, where Team Rodimus travels back in time, in that issue we see what Orion is doing after angering Sentinel with no Senator to protect him, now under the guide of Zeta. All of this important for OP's character and for Cybertron's political backstory. Then in Spotlight: Orion Pax, we see Orion working under Zeta-now-Prime and his perspective on current issues.

Monstrosity and Primacy by Chris Metzen & Flint Dille

Following Autocracy, these two series shows us Optimus struggling with his newly-adquired Primacy. Suffer from a lot of the same issues as Autocracy, but in my opinion they're less pointlessly edgy. They don't have as much relevance, however, so you can skip them if it feels like too much.

Robots in Disguise #10-22 by Jonh Barber

We're back to the main series. Again, Orion only shows up in issues #10 and #19, but the same as above applies. Also this will lead up to...

Dark Cybertron by John Barber and James Roberts

A crossover event between the two ongoings, which honestly fits much more better on exRID than it does on Mtmte. It consists of 12 issues, of which #1 and #12 were published on their own, and the rest were published as More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise alternatively, but you can find it all compiled in one volume. Orion has some important moments here, including retaking the name Optimus Prime (but was that really such a good idea?).

Robots in Disguise #28-34 by John Barber

After Dark Cybertron, Barber leaves most of the stuff on Cybertron to Mairghread Scott and takes us back to Earth. Optimus is now at the center on this series and will remain there. Here we start to see his struggles in trying to maintain peace, which will only get more complicated.

The Transformers #35-#38 (2014 ongoing, exRID) by John Barder

This is the same series as Robots in Disguise, expect they reduced the name to just The Transformers to avoid confusion with the comics for the Robots in Disguise 2015 cartoon. That's why we refer to the whole thing as exRID.

Punishment by John Barber

A miniseries where Optimus returns to Cybertron and tries to track down a Decepticon serial killer. Here Barber lays down some themes he will keep revisiting fot the rest of his work. Optimus faces some questions and we see how his self doubt is really taking a toll on him.

This is the first part of the Redemption of the Dinobots trilogy, followed by Redemption and Salvation set later in the continuity. Those two don't feature Optimus and so aren't on this list. However I want to say that they showcase the best of Barber's work when not restrained by editorial mandates, so I do recommend them.

Combiner Wars by John Barber & Mairghread Scott

A crossover similar to Dark Cybertron published across two series, this time between exRID and Windblade. Strascream schemes so Camminus will be indebted to him, Windblade and Optimus use OP's Prime clout to try to diminish his influence (this will surely not become an habit for OP). As questionable as that is, Prowl thinks is not enough and takes matters into his own hands. I think it does a good enough job depiste all the To Sell Toys mandates and either way, it will influence what's to come and we get to see the reason for Prowl and OP falling out

The Transformers #42-#55 (exRID) by John Barber

We continue with the Earth plot. Optimus keeps struggling with peace and makes more questionable decisions. Should he leave Earth alone or is he obligated to protect it? How do you protect that which doesn't want yout help?

Titans Return

A sort of crossover, it opens with a one-shot which is followed by exRID #56-57, and then Mtmte #56-57. For our purposes, you don't have to read the MTMTE chapters, but if you did while on your own MTMTE read you may want to revisit them now with context.

Revolution by John Barber and Cullen Bunn (+others)

Okay, this is where we start with the Hasbroverse crossovers. A six issue series (from 0 to 5) backed up by one shots from every individual series featured. This isn't impossible to follow, but it does drag because it features a buch of characters and plotlines a Transformers-only reader won't care about and the writing isn't great. It does feature some "WTF, Optimus" moments (as in, on purpose), Optimus learns humans are not so defenseless and it is kinda relevant, so you may still want to read it. If you do, make sure to also read the Till All Are One: Revolution one shot (and might as well add the The Transformers one because Thundercraker is in it and he's great, and again, the Mtmte one so you can read it with context this time).

Optimus Prime #1-8 by John Barber

We start phase 3 with an arc that's a favorite of mine. Optimus plays with fire to get Earth to join the Council of Worls for its own good. We also get flashbacks of Orion working under Zeta pre Autocracy and pre Spotlight. Barber recontextualizes Autocracy!Orion, deals with the cop thing in ways JRo didn't dare and explores why me made the choices he did without trying to wash his hands.

Transformers Annual 2017 by John Barber

I don't know why this isn't labeled as an Optimus Prime annual, but whatever, it takes place after issue #8. Optimus and Pyra Magna have talk.

Optimus Prime #9-10 by John Barber

We get what I think is one of the most touching issues followed by learning more about the history of Cybertron.

First Strike by Mairghread Scott and David A. Rodriguez (+others)

More crossover fun! I honestly can't tell you how easy this is to follow without having read Revolutionaries (not featured on this guide). Again it's kinda relevant, some of this is a consequence of Optimus actions, leads to Unicron being awoken, and it does have some key Optimus moments, this time by Scott rather than Barber, if you want to see what she does with him. It has the tie-in comics, Optimus Prime: First Strike and Transformers: First Strike by John Barber (the laters follow the former, despite having different names) which don't feature OP a lot.

Optimus Prime #11-14 by John Barber

We see what Optimus' followers get up to while OP is busy in First Strike and then what follows after that event.

Optimus Prime annual by John Barber

Thundercraker tries to make a movie about Starscream (who is in jail after confessing to all his crimes in the Till All Are One annual), it's great.

Optimus Prime #15-21 by John Barber

Barber starts to pay off things he has been building up since exRID as Unicron approaches.

This is the recommended order for what remains (all by Jonh Barber)

Unicron #0 Optimus Prime #22 Unicron #1-4 Optimus Prime #23-24 Unicron #5-#6 and finally Optimus Prime #25

Unicron is here to make Cybertronians face their legacy. Optimus arc comes to an end. OP #25 is my favorite comic issue. I hope you manage to get there, and if you do, let me know what you think!

I hope this was helpful. If you get confused by lacking context, it may help to check the continuity notes section of whatever issue you just read in TFWiki's page for it. And as always, feel free to as me more questions!

[thankskenpenders]

MORE behind the scenes Sonic info and other tidbits from the BumbleKast as I continue to get caught up. These range from September 2022 to early December. (This means there are spoilers for Frontiers in here.)

They're doing episodes even more often now, so I've got a lot to catch up on and I'm sure most of y'all do too!

1. The IDW comics are, in fact, canon to the games now. Ian was a little coy when first asked about it, saying he "would not argue against it" if people said the IDW comics were canon to the games now. "I have made it clear that the comics follow the lead of the games, so… as long as there's no contradictions anywhere, we're good." So, yeah, come on. The comics are canon.

2. Ian apparently pitched another idea for incorporating Sticks into the IDW series last year that was once again shot down, although he says this only makes him want to dig his heels in and try harder. (I'm assuming most of you are already aware of her shout out in Frontiers, confirming she's out there, somewhere...)

3. If Surge was a streamer, Ian thinks she would just grief people on Fortnite

4. On the October 7th, 2022 show, Ian says there is a behind-the-scenes answer for how the depiction of Silver's future in '06 can fit together with Rivals and Rush... but he can't talk about it right now.

It's hard to convey his tone through text, so just imagine he's saying all this with a big, defeated shrug:

"Here's the thing. Working on something else, I actually did get a straight answer, and it was... frustratingly simple. And, it's like, 'That works. [sigh] Okay!' No, I can't get into it - that's all private work stuff - but maybe it'll come to light eventually. But... there is an answer. And it works. And I kinda feel dumb for not thinking of it."

I honestly have no idea what this could be if it's something Ian hadn't considered, because he has talked about popular theories and readings before, such as the reading that Blaze was transported to the Sol Dimension at the end of '06. Maybe we'll hear about it in the comics, since Silver and Blaze are both back right now, or maybe they'll be the subject of a TailsTube episode.

5. Froggy is not sentient in any way he really is just a frog

6. Unrelated to Sonic, Ian was asked "who is best pony" and he said Fluttershy. My longest yeah boy ever dot jpeg

7. With Surge and Kit originally being pitched as purely synthetic beings before Sega suggested they be cyborgs instead, Ian says they would've struggled with whether or not they're even real, as opposed to the end product where they struggle with not knowing who they were before Starline modified them

8. When the female cast of Archie Sonic stopped getting drawn so busty all the time that was, in fact, a very specific editorial mandate from someone at Archie. Sega, on the other hand, has never cared.

9. Now that we're back to Classic and Modern being part of one nebulous timeline and the divide being more of a branding thing, Ian explicitly confirmed that the Classic-themed IDW Sonic comics are set in the past of the mainline IDW Sonic comics. They're set sometime after the events of Mania, and before all the Modern stuff. Just don't think too hard about it

But hey! If it's any consolation, this now means all the Classic characters like Mighty, Nack, and Honey are out there off-screen in the world of the regular comics, even if the casts are remaining separate for branding reasons for now. It also means Shadow is out there being held in a pod in a maximum security off-shore military prison during the events of all the lighthearted Classic comics lmao

10. Ian reiterates yet again that he's still pushing to try and get the Freedom Fighters back in some capacity where he can (as are others). He also says that he's pushing for them to return as a group rather than requesting individual members because he believes that's the best shot at getting any of them through Sega's approval process.

(I can't remember when the last time this came up was, but Ian has also implied that he thinks their best shot is to return as Classic characters since their one game appearance is Spinball.)

11. Ian outright confirms that the forward-looking character arcs in Frontiers are reflective of what he would like to see out of the main cast moving forward in the games. Not surprising since that's, like... the whole point of those arcs! But nice that he wants it to only be the beginning.

Ian does also say, however, that he's not guaranteed to return as the writer for future games since he's still a freelancer, but to editorialize here, I don't see why they wouldn't want him back for the next project.

12. On the subject of Amy's characterization in Frontiers, Ian personally pins her general seriousness mostly on the fact that she's the companion for the first island, where the mysterious and somber tone Sega wanted for the story is being established and Sonic is still trying to figure out what to do. He says that she'd probably have been more bubbly if she was interacting with Sonic on the second or third island, after he starts to get his bearings. I hoped this was the reason why she felt a little dry compared to Knuckles and Tails, so it's nice to hear this isn't the new direction for Amy or anything.

13. While "officially" Sage's name is just an anagram of Sega and a reference to her wisdom, Ian seems to be cheekily implying that it's also a nod to the annual Sonic Amateur Games Expo. Hell yeah.

14. When asked to clear up some Frontiers lore from the Egg Memos, Ian explicitly confirmed that some of the Ancients left the Starfall Islands and went on to devolve into the Chao as we know them today over the course of tens of thousands of years. He says, however, that this doesn't mean that Ancients and Chao are literally the same species, comparing it to the difference between humans and australopithecus. But yes, they're related.

[decepti-thots]

For character ask game—I feel like I always ask you about either rodimus or tarantulas so I’m going in a completely different direction. Tell me about Optimus Prime

we will continue the streak and do IDW Optimus!

one aspect about them i love: I like the way Barber handles Optimus as someone who finds out there is no way to idealize yourself, that is, to make yourself into an ideal, and then go back to being a just a person. There's something really compelling about the way that Optimus post-war tries first to abdicate the legacy he helped create to win the war and then tries to make it into something else that can exist during peacetime and just... fails. He made himself too remote and now he has no way back. He made himself too central and now if he leaves things collapse in his wake because nature abhors a vaccum. It's really interesting.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: this is kind of in a metatextual sense, but. People who in IDW have mostly read MTMTE/LL often assume that in phase two, Optimus is shown in this uniformly positive light by the narrative. And he's just not by Barber! When he makes very bad decisions in those comics, you are supposed to see the downward spiral. There's an arc called 'All Hail Optimus', it's not even subtle.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: This is a completely baseless one that I don't even know why I believe so strongly: Optimus guessed- had a suspicion deep down that he tried not to look at- that Prowl, not the Decepticons, bombed Carpessa. Optimus understood how Megatron conducted himself and his army well enough to recognise that doing it would have been an uncharacteristically stupid decision at that point in the war (demoralizing to people on the fence about which side to join, strategically not useful, likely to be useful to the Autobots for propaganda purposes) but. He really needed Prowl not to have gone behind his back and have done it; he needed to not lose a key member of his command at a delicate point in the war. So he persuaded himself he was being ridiculous, and that set off a chain reaction of sunk cost fallacy reasoning which is a part of why Prowl avoided suspicion of wrongdoing outside his remit for so long. Because acknowledging anything else meant admitting that he had always been willing to overlook an obvious, truly egregious crime for the sake of keeping a useful resource he didn't want to give up.

one character i love seeing them interact with: I really, really love all the stuff with him and Shockwave. I still find it amazing how Shadowplay sells me on that relationship so quickly and in so little time, so that everything which comes after is convincingly tragic. And it is! God, it's so tragic. And yet also really. Fucked up? Hey remember when Senator Shockwave had someone perform unknowing surgery on Optimus so he could be a candidate to carry the matrix. WILD. There's this weird power dynamic at play there I find SO fascinating.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: I wish we'd seen more one-on-one stuff between him and Arcee. She's a character uniquely suited to see through the Prime bullshit as someone from a time before all of that becoming entrenched in their society, and also able to bring a perspective to the ways that Cybertronian society's problems well pre-date his experience. And he's someone trying to work out how to stop the cycle they're all stuck in repeating yet again during peacetime, which mirrors Arcee's personal arc. Also she can mock him for acting like he's sooo old or whatever like. You Are A Baby To Me. I think she would puncture him in a way that he would actually appreciate. She's one of the only people in a position to see him as not much more than just a guy in charge.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: I don't think Optimus likes Rodimus. And I think a lot of that is that he recognizes he fucked up with Rodimus, at Nyon, in a way he has no real way to... do anything about, or even acknowledge now it's been so long. So he can't even truly get pissed when Rodimus fucks something up, because a little part of him is like. Hm. Well. He is, on the whole, partly my fault, isn't he. Which is frustrating, because he can't fix it, and he can't lash out about it without that niggling thought, and in the meantime Rodimus is just constantly there being kind of weird about him and causing problems. And so all that's left is to translate that situation into a kind of diffuse discomfort he grits his teeth and bears. Also, Rodimus is one of the only people willing to call him out on his weird Megatron hangups, which is infuriating because Optimus tries really hard to ignore that he has any.

[transingthoseformers]

I have this crossover idea that i call Alterity (Alternity was taken by a Transformers toyline, but Alterity propably also works).

All canonical Shockwaves (and maybe a few closely related people/creatures like Driller and Cyberverse's spider drones) scientifically end up in one place where there isn't anybody else around and they can't leave. Conflict ensues because many of them are not in fact compatible.

I'm not extremely familiar with many of them, and a few of them (ex. Cloud) i haven't read/watched/played at all or are outright inaccessible to me, or the character only appears very briefly or barely exists, so i'm not sure about the differences between them and the other Shockwaves. Because figuring out how they all are different from each other is the key here, obviously.

Also they know need nicknames to call each other, because it'd get extremely confusing otherwise. Shockblast would call everybody something insulting, but i can't think of anything for their "official" nicknames. Ideas?

The Cast

Funpub SG Shockwave — The one who looks exactly like Shockblast. Accompanied by his assistant Fistfight? Not a actually a scientist, because G1 Shockwave wasn't.

SG Animated Shockwave — He appeared in SD SG. Idk if TFA Shockwave is an actual scientist.

SG IDW Shockwave — From the IDW'S 2021-2022 Shattered Glass comic. I don't think it was a good decision,

IDW Comics Shockwave — As pre-Dark Cybertron or post-Unicron? Or immediately after Dark Cybertron? Or as the slightly dodgy senator?

Sunbow G1 Shockwave — That incompetent Megatron simp. Not actually a scientist?

Marvel G1 Shockwave — The competent backstabber who kept trying to overthrow Megatron. As pre- or post-Regeneration One (where the epilogue gave him, Starscream, and Ravage some kind of offscreen redemption arcs)? If it was post-Regeneration One, Starscream and Ravage could end up there too or are there too many people who aren't Shockwave in this? Not actually a scientist.

TFA Shockwave — Another Megatron simp, but also a shapeshifter. Did he really have a personality in the show or is most of it the fandom filling in? Is he actually a scientist?

Cyberverse Shockwave — I like to think he's actually a beastformer with an alien bug altmode. Accompanied by the spider tank drones?

IDW2 Shockwave — I haven't read, but apparently he's weirdly chaotic and fought in a Cybertron vs eldritch abomination war on the eldritch abomination's side?

Bee Movie Shockwave — Tfwiki says it's the same continuity family as Bayverse but it's obviously not.

Bayverse Shockwave — Accompanied by Driller?

Dreamwave Shockwave — Also haven't read. I think this was the first continuity where he was a scientist.

Netflix Trilogy Shockwave — The powered-up cannibal mode whose eye spontaneously changed color?

Transtech Shockwave — Don't know the guy at all.

Cybertron Shockwave — The one whose name is actually Shockblast and who doesn't act like Shockwave at all, but was only called Shockblast because of copyright issues. Could have Sixshot with him?

Cloud Shockwave — Also don't know the guy at all.

Earthspark Shockwave — They did my boy dirty and the series is still ongoing, but every Shockwave is every Shockwave.

TFP Shockwave — Post-Predacons Rising, accompanied by Ripclaw who was the clone in the tube? I'm thinking about Emperor Kumqyat's analysis video...

I know they canonically are the same, but should i treat TFP as a separate continuity from the WFC games and the other Aligned material because of the characterizational differences TFP had from the games and the Covenant of Primus in regard to Shockwave?

Honestly i think how the tfwiki calls it the aligned continuity family tells us so muchhh

Tfa Shockwave was actually a science! He was working on the Omega Supreme clones that ended up taking after Lugnut! He just was also a spy. I think.

I think? They're calling it Knightverse now? I call it beeverse but that's probably not gonna catch on