#galaxy convoy

[jj-gold-falcon]

When you get your Friend who is also a Lion to become a Giant Lion Man Arm so you can both punch bad guys with the power of friendship and furries or somethin'

[jazzluca]

GALAXY UPGRADE OPTIMUS PRIME ( Leader) War for Cybertron SIEGE

Ammetto che appena uscì non badai troppo a questo GALAXY UPGRADE OPTIMUS PRIME, dato che come remold dell'Ultra Magnus Siege era davvero troppo estemporaneo e quasi una mosca bianca in mezzo a tutti quegli omaggi diretti ai personaggi G1, ma appunto questo omaggio al Cybertron Op era praticamente un precursore dei Legacy, nei suoi limiti, ed ora con altri rappresentanti della Trilogia di Unicron ha già più senso averlo in collezione, da qui questo mio recupero tardivo… e considerando pure che ADOOOOORO il Convoy Siege! ^^

Come CAMION DEI POMPIERI D'ASSALTO, il nostro è un cacchio di retool esteso del Magnus di qui sopra, omaggiando al meglio l'originale veicolo Cybertron, con un nuovo muso e paraurti e tutta la parte posteriore a parte le parti centrali del retro che diverranno gli "stivali" del super mode.

I fucili laterali neri che in Magnus erano un po' ridondanti qui trovano il loro perchè citando le armi laterali del Galaxy Convoy originale, mentre fa un po' specie che i cannoni argentati principali siano scambiati di posto da destra a sinistra, ma questo perchè poi saranno dritti nella modalità combinata. Anche qui però al cannone più corto si sistema il fucile argentato sulla punta.

Peccato che non sia possibile realizzare la modalità di camion volante come nell'originale, data la poca posabilità delle ali, ma il retro staccato con queste aperte almeno ricorda bene la modalità di "stazione di battaglia" del giocattolo del 2005.

Niente male neanche tutti i dettagli dipinti sparsi, sopratutto nel muso della cabina, anche se però sono caduti in una pacchianata, ovvero che hanno dipinto i lampeggianti sul tettuccio di rosso invece che lasciarli nella plastica trasparente blu originale, sminuendo così il look sempre dell'originale.

Anche qui la CABINA MOTRICE, così come era per Magnus, come veicolo a se' fa un po' ridere i polli, ma questo succedeva pure nel Galaxy Optimus, quindi passiamo direttamente alla TRASFORMAZIONE in robot, sempre uguale al suo stampo d'origine, con il muso che si apre per tirar fuori la testa, le braccia in vista che si proiettano in avanti, il bacino che ruota, le gambe che si abbassano ed il paraurti con le ruote anteriori che dal sedere sale su in cima alla schiena.

Il ROBOT risultante anche qui fa un po' specie, dato che a differenza della modalità normale del Galaxy Op ha il muso del camion come torso e non come spallacci, ma provenendo dallo stampo di Magnus, è praticamente un Optimus G1 col petto più cybertroniano, laddove sappiamo che in Siege un Commander tale c'era già nel Voyager uscito a parte, ma col torso dal design più terrestre a citare le stridenti prime apparizioni dei Transformers sul loro pianeta natale ma con già i corpi che richiamavano i loro prossimi alt mode terrestri… ^^'

Ma vabbè, sebbene sia un po' largo sui fianchi dello stomaco alla fine è guardabile e sensato nella sua cybertronietà, e non a caso è stato preso come riferimento durante il reboot dei fumetti IDW nelle storie ambientate appunto prima della guerra civile dei Transformers.

Di certo avere un Optimus simil G1 "in mezzo" ad uno che dovrebbe essere il Galaxy Convoy fra alt mode e super mode fa strano, dicevo, ma possiamo far finta di dimenticarcene così come ci si dimenticava del robot bianco di Magnus, e passiamo quindi a smontare il retro del camion per ricavarne l'ARMATURA.

Come accennato, la parte posteriore si stacca e diventa gli stivali, non prima di averci estratto da dentro le spalliere però, così come bisogna togliere dal paraurti posteriore del robot motrice le ruote anteriori che vanno sugli avambracci, ed ovviamente il paraurti va abbassato sul sedere e la testa normale rientra nel torso, in modo da accogliere l'ultimo pezzo col jetpack e la testa nuova, ripiegando adeguatamente il modulo di plastica grigio dietro la schiena.

Ora si che almeno il SUPER MODE ricorda bene l'originale Galaxy Optimus, fra ali, torso, avambracci, testa, eccetera eccetera, magari con solo le gambe con dettagli argento sugli stinchi con lo stesso stampo di Magnus, ma sono quisquilie.

Carina l'idea delle ruote farlocche scolpite e dipinte sulle ali, così come i cannonnazzi che possono stare a riposo dietro le ali, mentre quando sono in modalità di attacco rivolti in avanti, si ritrovano delle inedite impugnature per i pugni che sono una trovata semplice ma indovinata.

Bella la scultura in generale, sopratutto quella dei finestroni sul petto in plastica trasparente, ed il nostro guadagna la rotazione di pugni e bacino rispetto all'originale, ma il confronto con questo in generale resta impietoso per massa e gimmick, nonostante la comunque alta giocabilità data da fori per armi e l'assemblaggio del super mode.

Ma bisogna prenderlo per quel che è, ovvero un OMAGGIO a quel personaggio usato sfruttando lo stampo di un altro, piuttosto che non una versione aggiornata con tutti i crismi o QUASI, come i recenti Armada di Legacy, per citarne alcuni. E come dicevo nell'incipit, se ai tempi della sua effettiva uscita poteva risultare superfluo, ora che sono usciti e usciranno altri personaggi di Cybertron il nostro acquista una sua dimensione, e coi tempi che corrono non so quanto sarà probabile che venga ripreso di nuovo in una ulteriore versione Generations magari Commander.

Quindi, in definitiva, ovviamente non allaccia le scarpe al giocattolo originale, che consiglio a tutti di recuperare, ma per chi ci piacciono le varianti di Optimus, per chi ha adorato Cybertron E la versione Siege di Magnus, alla fine è un acquisto che soddisfa. Appaga pienamente magari no, ma soddisfa sì, dai. ^^

[staticnonapus]

Nitro Convoy

[megaturtle1012]

Nice to see Tobot Y changed his appearance to avoid Evac’s lawyers.

Pretty fun Tobot, not quite as fun as Z, but still a joy.

[pocoslip]

Maybe I should get Legacy Armada Hot Shot just so he and Override can be Together...

[blueikeproductions]

The Trigger collab animation came out and it’s the best thing Transformers has done in the current decade.

Truly a love letter to Transformers from G1 to EarthSpark, it squeezes in everything it possibly can from most media. However the catch is that it’s only animated media and the live action movies, the comics (any assorted manga, Marvel, Dreamwave, IDW & Skybound) aren’t referenced, while some Japanese exclusive stuff gets a lil’ bit more attention (understandable since it’s, y’know, Japanese fans being nostalgic about the anime they grew up with).

Transformers Go, Q-Transformers, and the Beast Wars anime got particular attention.

This shot of Liger Megatron and Green Lion Lio Convoy is especially cool.

I think initially I was expecting a Trigger animated greatest hits from select moments from each show, and while they still technically do that in spots…

It’s mostly a mega crossover with different characters interacting otherwise.

And it’s all the better for it.

I mean where else are you gonna find TFA Optimus about to smash Masterforce Overlord’s face in?

There’s no real narrative, it’s just random cool shots though the closest thing to a framing device is the PV opening with Vector Prime looking down on Cybertron across all time lines.

Regarding EarthSpark’s contributions to the short, they’re minimal. The Terrans and Mandroid don’t appear at all, which is a little bizarre.

ES Megatron appears among the other Decepticon leaders instead of being with ES Optimus on the Autobot leader side.

You’d think Mandroid would be there next to BWII Galvatron instead, but I guess not. Sadly they omitted RiD15 Steeljaw too, instead using RiD15 Megatronus Prime’s floating head.

SatAM Robotnik voice: Ah well, life is not perfect.

The main ES rep are the Maltos.

This just reinforces ES needed to be 2D, because they actually look good. Roche’s style doesn’t work in 3D.

Anyway the human cast they chose for this final shot amuses me.

Love seeing my favorite Clays being included. The lack of RiD Steeljaw (G1 Steeljaw did appear with Lio Junior and RiD15 Aerobolt though) is forgiven.

Anyhow, the specific use of the Clays, the (S3) Witwickys, the Maltos and the Onishis (this is especially funny since Koji’s mom never met her universe’s Optimus) is somehow very random, but also kinda appropriate. Like I get Spike and Dot’s families, since it serves as bookends, but the Clays and Onishis still feel a bit random. Still, including both Robots in Disguise families is a nice touch in my book!

The short ends with a different bookend as mentioned.

What starts out as G1 Prime & Megs transitions to ES Prime & Megs shaking hands. The old with the current series. It works~! I admit I’m surprised they didn’t include TFONE somehow. I know it’s technically not out yet, but there’s enough material to have had Orion and D-16 have some kind of tussle. It would’ve been an interesting way to tie it into the above scene and this one:

When it comes to general rep, the stuff that gets the most focus is G1, Beast Wars, Animated, & Galaxy Force. Cyberverse doesn’t really get anything beyond the leader shot, but there is this awesome but very random shot of Croaton over looking Holi’s Rescue Patrol walking on a beach littered with the dead bodies of the generic Decepticons from “War Dawn”.

Sucks to be you guys.

It also occurs to me the Rescue Bots cartoons appear to be omitted along with BotBots, but that might partly be due to them not having Japanese releases? I’m not sure, but it’s funny how Q-Transformers is acknowledged of all things, but not Heatwave or Burgertron. Maaaaybe that’s for the best on the later…

Still the PV is a blast and is pry the most earnest passion project that GETS Transformers vs what we’ve been getting post Aligned cartoon wise.

I still hope this leads to a proper TF anime series made by Trigger, like what happened with Gridman. We need a return to good 2D animated TF shows and not more CGI slop like WFC or S2 ES. That Beast Wars and Machines are still superior despite being retro by today’s standards says something…

The catch however is the original video is region locked…

but some fans have ripped it and posted it on their YT:

So go check it out while you can! It’s pure Energon-y goodness!

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: The price of a meter

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)   The Klendari War saw the most brutal fighting the galaxy had seen since the days of the Fracture Wars.

On one side you had the Coalition of United Planet, a loose union of several dozen star faring civilizations brought together for economic and military security, and on the other stood the Klendari Empire which had reigned in its corner of the universe for some several thousand years.

The Klendari had survived so long because of their instinctual need to fortify their holdings. Their worlds were labyrinths of fortress walls, gun emplacements, razor trenches, and all other manner of engineering fortification. To try and take a world from the Klendari it was deemed the attacking force would need a minimum of ten times their standard forces to even have the slightest chance to succeed.

Relations between the two powers were cordial for many years. The Coalition had no desire to expand into Klendari space, and the Klendari benefited from wider trade access through the Coalitions standard market system. Events only began to take a downward spin when Klendari immigrants began spreading further and further into Coalition space.

Their travel permits were entirely legal and they established communities on several dozen worlds within the Coalition; often forming small Klendari quarters of larger cities as they would tend to group together. It was here that the nature of the Klendari began to upset their new world’s hosts.

They would begin fortifying their quarters and neighborhoods and turned them into sudo-military fortresses. Blockhouses became guard towers, avenues blocked off by reinforced gates, windows reduced in size to firing slits, etc. Within a few months of several families of Klendari settling on a world their new homes would be an impregnable bulwark of the Klendari Empire.

Naturally the legitimate rulers of the worlds were concerned by the sudden militarization of portions of their cities. Local law enforcement agencies tried to maintain order within the Klendari quarters but found with more and more Klendari migrating to them they began following the Klendari Empire laws instead. It was not uncommon for law enforcement to eventually refuse to patrol those areas as the Klendari began reacting hostile to them, as if they saw them as invaders.

Tensions reached boiling points on a dozen worlds but only when the Klendari Empire made an official statement declaring all Klendari settlements and enclaves within Coalition territory to be in fact part of the Klendari Empire did conflict erupt.

Coalition planets with Klendari enclaves issued ordinances denouncing the notion that they would relinquish sovereign territory and sent military units to demand the surrender of the enclaves. The enclaves refused, the military attempted to repossess the enclaves, and so the enclaves resisted triggering the Klendari War.

Each enclave took several months to reconquer, which was made worse by the fact the Klendari Empire was sending troops to reinforce each of the enclaves. Multiple convoys of troops were intercepted enroute, but a handful making it and further dragged out the war.  

By the seventh month of the conflict and only a handful of enclaves recaptured Coalition Military Command deemed that a new strategy was needed to bring the Klendari to the negotiating table. The idea was put forward that if the Coalition could capture a single Klendari world it would show them that they were not as invulnerable as they believed. Septimus Prime was deemed the perfect target as it was deep enough in Klendari territory to sends shockwaves when captured, but not too far that supplying it would become untenable.

So the Coalition assembled a massive invasion force, diverted 75% of their naval forces to protect it, and dispatched it for the heart of Klendari space. The moment the fleet exited their jump they found the Klendari resilience was well merited.

The first elements exiting the jump found themselves emerging into an orbiting minefield at the edge of the system. The mines were set to roam randomly throughout the system and only target ships that were not equipped with a Klendari transmitter. The “Righteous Fury” super battleship took the brunt of the damage upon emerging as it was the largest vessel. The shields held out as long as they could but by the time the rest of the fleet emerged it had sustained so much damage it had to be abandoned.

From there the fleet elements pressed forward to Septimus Prime while creating a cordon for the troop transports to move through safely. Though the Klendari had minefields in place they had not expected such a brazen attack into their territory and only a few Klendari fleet elements were present. These few ships hugged the orbit of Septimus Prime and used the orbital and ground based defenses to augment their lethality.

Coalition ships fought hard against the Septimus defense network, losing several more ships to ground based energy cannons. Klendari ships held out as long as they could but were eventually driven off when the final Hydron Cannon platform was knocked out of orbit removing the last of orbital defenses. They reduced themselves do hit and run tactics while they waited for the rest of the Klendari navy to arrive. With them driven off the Coalition could begin ground landings to take the planet itself.

There was a large debate about who would be the spear tip of the assault. Projections listed that whoever it was would take massive casualties. As brave as the various Coalition races had been to join the effort, none now were willing to be the first into the grinder.

Humanity did not share such hesitations.

Through the flak and energy cannon fire their drop ships rained down on Septimus Prime. 30% were lost in the first wave before they had even touched the ground. When they did the humans were met with an intense counter assault by Klendari forces that had been waiting to repel the ground invasion which resulted in a further 45% loss of forces before the Klendari withdrew.  

Despite their losses humanity had secured the beachhead and further reinforced it with additional forces. Soon the beachhead was a military compound with scores of humans marching out in columns.

To watch humans fling themselves at Klendari defenses was something beyond understanding. You would watch dozens of armored tanks charge across no man’s land to be wiped out one by one all for the destruction of one reinforced pillbox, or their soldiers crawl through piles of their dead to sneak up on their enemy unnoticed. Lesser species would have broken from the losses but humans simply put their heads down and continued marching forward. The rest of the Coalition contributed of course, but when faced with the stubbornness of the Klendari fortifications it was more often the humans who were brought in to finally break them open.

Meter by bloody meter the Klendari were driven from their strongholds as the death toll continued to mount. Wrecks of vehicles turned the surrounding landscapes into forests of rusting metal and were filled with the stench of rotting flesh. Some Coalition forces suffered such horrendous casualties that they withdrew from the assault, but humanity was one of the few that continued the fight until finally, after almost a year of intense fighting, Septimus Prime surrendered and the Klendari Empire as a whole opened up negotiations for peace.

[batsclass101-blog]

Galaxy Eyes - Part 3

————

Earth was charmingly provincial and full of ancient charm. Despite its charm, you found it quite sad with its overwhelming crime. True there had been crime in your universe, but it was centered on overthrowing rulers, petty crime, and the occasional murder. You missed the relative peace of your home universe.

The first trial of settling in a new universe and on a new planet was choosing a home. With your starship and the convoy you’d recently discovered… it wasn’t an easy task.

Quick but thorough scans of the planet and its land ownership rules allowed you to formulate a plan. Using cloaking technology and one of the adult scholars in your group you purchased two thousand acres of secluded forest. Eradanians loved nature and all architecture would serve yourself and the natural habitat and creatures.

Your foreign technology and skills allowed for a protective perimeter with cloaking technology to be established. Next, construction of your new sanctuary was undertaken by the head scholars.

“Meti’ri (little queen), we have pledged ourselves to you. But you are a youngling to both our race and this new world.” A gentle hand was laid on your shoulder. “You are not entirely alone little Weaver. But this new path of yours will not be easy.”

“I know… but I cannot change the old path yet. I’m fragile when in Eldaria. Here… here I can grow strong. Bamil’so, will you help me?”

“Till the stars crumble into the sea.” Bamil’so bowed with a soft smile crinkling his youthful face.

“How old do most Eradanians become?”

“Ah, that is a a hard question. My own great grandfather still plots the stars. I am but 500 years old. Here you and I differ. You will age until your twenty - fifth year according to legends. And unless violence claims your life you… will remain unchanged.”

“Oh…” you turned starry eyes upon him and he averted his gaze. “It is… a sad existence I think. I will see this new world die and change. Life… goes on.” A tear the shape of a pearl fell from your eye.

The days passed in a blur for you. Every waking moment you studied this ‘Earth’ and felt amazed. Younglings your age were… free, unburdened and wore strange clothing. Where your hair resembled a dark void peppered with moving stars and planets… those of earth were plain unmoving colors. They used artificial colors to imitate the vibrant colors that sometimes filled your races hair. Your eyes were not normal either on Earth or in Eldaria. If you wanted to fit in your clothing needed to change and you needed to cloak your features.

————-

Damian was sure his soul-bond wasn’t human, or at least she was a meta of some form. Age nine found him dreaming in languages he’d never heard before. Next, he found he was able to hover if he fell and his skin was almost protective. ‘Useful skills.’ He was quite pleased at both developments. All the while he hid the bond from his mother and the league.

It was hard turning ten, everything changed. He was sent away from the only life he’d ever known and he felt more protective of his bond. Distrust was perhaps not a skill, but he hoped it leaked over to his bond. He wanted to protect her and himself.

“Damian, do you have a soul-bond?”

“Ttt’, soul-bonds are a sign of weakness, Drake.”

“Knowing someone else is out there isn’t a weakness…” Tim muttered absently. “Mine is a klutz. She keeps tripping over things.”

“Weak. Just as I said.” Damian scoffed and disappeared to his room with his heart in his throat.

The League beat it into each member that having a bond was weakness. Speaking of such bonds was met with danger. He closed his door and shuddered at the memory of members finishing off their bonds. It was unsettling to hear Drake, Grayson and his father openly speak about their bonds.

A soft inhale and he let gentle light weave between his fingers. When unsettled it always helped him to tap into his bond’s skill. Soft warmth pooled into his palm and he wished for once that his bond could feel him using the skill. How could he miss someone he’d never met?

[justagalwhowrites]

Beskar Doll - Ch. 8: Ancient History

Sometimes, you just have to tell a Mandalorian about everything you're running from. A continuation of Beskar Doll Ch. 1-7 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Din Djarin/The Mandalorian x Female Reader

Warnings: mentions of torture, canon-typical violence, death. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ only.

Length: 3k

“My family had a history of service to Naboo,” you began, a familiar ache in your chest as you remembered your home. “My mother was a handmaiden to Queen and then Senator Amidala. But both of my parents were always politically active, both in opposition to the Emperor’s rise to power from the beginning. They were resistors early. By the time I was born, they were deep into a still burgeoning movement. My mother was well connected - she knew many diplomats from her time with Senator Amidala - and she decided she had to use that to push back against the Empire. 

“Bothese was the second language I learned, after Basic,” you took a drink. “So many spies were Bothen and a child was an excellent tool to move information. No one ever suspected me, I could translate and carry messages wherever they needed to go. I didn’t fully understand what I was doing, just that it was very important and very secret, but I knew I was good at it. And kids get into places they shouldn’t all the time… Anyway, that’s how I got my start. Running information, carrying it to places my parents couldn’t be seen going, providing a buffer for the Rebellion.” 

You absently picked at the label on the whiskey bottle, watching as it separated from the glass, peeling away from the thing it was made for. 

“My childhood didn’t feel strange though,” you continued after a moment. “I had friends, including Sosha. She was the real talent, the one with promise. They sent us both to the Legislative Youth program when we were 11 and by the time we were 12, they’d recognized her potential. They wanted her to be queen one day and they started training her for it. But, on Naboo, queens need handmaidens.

“Sosha had been my best friend for years and as much promise as she showed in the skills needed to be queen, I was proving to be a good fit to serve as her handmaiden, just like my mother had for Amidala. I already spoke half a dozen languages, had a grasp on the political machinations of the Empire and how Naboo fit into them and Sosha and I loved each other. They knew I’d die for her and kill for her. Which is the most important role - protector. So they started training me that way, too. I learned how to fight, shoot, survive overwhelming odds - all to keep my best friend safe.” 

You took another drink. You could feel the Mandalorian’s eyes on you as you spoke, the tightness in your chest making it so you couldn’t relax at all. 

“I didn’t really think she’d get elected,” you said. The whiskey burned in your stomach. “I thought she’d be great if she could get it but we were 15 when she won. It was surreal, the galaxy was on the brink of war and suddenly people would want to kill my best friend and it was on me to keep her alive…. 

“Sosha wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines. She wanted to be involved - she’s a fighter pilot, you know? She was running to become queen and she just… became a fighter pilot. Because she wanted to do it herself. She hated the Empire but Naboo didn’t have much hard power, so she and I came up with a way to move around them. When you’re a queen, you’re going on diplomatic missions, you have excuses to be anywhere and everywhere. And anywhere you go, your handmaids go. She’d plan trips to places near where information was being supplied or was strangely lacking, the whole fucking royal convoy becoming a Rebellion information smuggling operation. And I… well, I spoke the most languages, was the closest to Sosh and I was the best at getting into places I shouldn’t be. I had practice.

“At first, it was easy,” you said. “Probably easier than when I was a kid even, being that close to power gives you a lot of cover. But eventually, we got into more trouble than we could really handle. The war was ramping up and we were on a diplomatic visit to Kamino when we got intel of a pet project of the Empire’s out of Scarif. Sosh wanted to check it out herself and right away, but we couldn’t find a good reason to go, there wasn’t any excuse we could come up with to visit Scarif or even just go to Rishi and see what we could learn as we passed at sub-hyperspace.” 

Your nails rapped against the glass of the bottle. 

“She flew,” you said. “I couldn’t fly for shit, still can’t. It was always Sosha or Dagres flying, never me… Anyway, we were almost there when we picked up an Imperial tail. We got into a dogfight and ended up crashing onto the surface of a moon that I don’t even know the name of. The air was barely breathable but we got lucky and we could get by for a bit. But the Imperials who shot us down came looking for us. 

“It was totally uninhabited and arid, not many places to hide but we dodged them for a few days. They found us but I managed to kill one and overpower the other. I knew, if we had any hope of survival, we’d have to take their ship and get off that moon. So I made him take us back to his ship - he was a lower ranking officer, he’d just had one trooper with him - and when we got there, he wouldn’t tell us how to get the damn thing going. It needed a code and he didn’t want to tell us what it was. I knew I had to get it out of him to survive, to keep Sosha alive, I didn’t have a choice so… I pulled it out of him. There was blood everywhere, just…” 

“How old were you?” The Mandalorian asked, his head tilted as he watched you. 

“Sixteen,” you said quietly. 

He just nodded slowly. 

“We made it back to Kamino and I was still covered in his blood,” you said. “I did my best to cover my tracks. Called on the secured com for a pickup on a nearby moon, ditched the Imperial ship with the body there. I hoped it would be enough that it wouldn’t be traced to us. Another handmaid, Nobé, stood in for Sosha so no one knew she was gone. I’d hoped that was the end of it but… the war was getting worse. The Empire destroyed Alderaan less than a year later, taking one of my most solid Rebellion contacts - Bail Organa - with it. 

“A lot of my usual channels for information started collapsing then. I started needing to break into more places and steal things. Sometimes the information was important enough that we’d capture someone and it would require… extraction. There weren’t many people who had the stomach for it - I’m not sure I really did, either. There were a few who did, but they were more heavy handed. They usually had a grudge against the Empire, just wanted to make someone hurt for it. I could keep them alive for longer, build trust, make them want to tell me. I’m not proud of it, but I know the information I collected saved lives. A lot of them.” 

You took another drink, hoping Mando wouldn’t mind if you drank him out of his liquor. 

“At some point, I got a reputation,” you continued. “One of the men I hurt was the son of an Imperial general. I’d known that when we’d taken him, he had information he wound’t have had otherwise. I snuck into a party - a lot like what we did - and I got everything I could from him. But I was seen, on camera. We didn’t have good enough coverage and his father was so powerful he could try to find me. And he did. He linked me to Sosha and came to the Battle of Theed after the Emperor died. He wasn’t there to win a war or even carry out the Emperor’s last wishes, he was there to make me hurt for the death of his son.” 

“I was trying to defend my home, Sosha flying which left me on the ground and he found me there. He brought a full column of troopers - I guess the Empire didn’t care about resource allocation when it’s a suicide mission and they’ve all but fallen - specifically to reach me. They were brutal, slaughtered everyone around me. We took down so many of them but they just kept coming and coming, their equipment alone overwhelmed us… He killed…” You swallowed closing your eyes against the memory. The Mandalorian gently, slowly, put a hand on your back, centering you. You took a deep breath. 

“Dagres was trying to protect me and he was so worried about watching my back he missed when they were coming for him,” you said. “I tried to save him but I couldn’t…” 

You remembered the moment the restraint you didn’t know you’d been showing snapped in you. It was sharp, an acute break in reality that happened as Dagres’ body fell to the earth. You picked up a second weapon and started firing almost blindly. You didn’t care if you got shot, you didn’t care if someone else got hurt. The General himself was in an armored transport and you ran up the stairs of the building you’d been sheltering behind, breaking out a window and leaping from it, not caring if you’d catch onto the transport or if you’d fall to your death. Either outcome would have satisfied. But you’d made the jump. You clambered up the side of the transport to the hatch and shot it open, dropping inside, everyone coming for you then. You managed to take down more than a dozen men before you were overwhelmed. The general cut you open himself, mimicking the wounds on his son’s body. You’d only survived because rebel troops arrived, pushing the Empire back and disabling the transport you were held in. You passed out from the pain and didn’t wake up until you were on Tatooine, having bacta applied to your injuries, the agony threatening to swallow you whole.

“The general took what he could from me,” you continued after a moment. “He slipped away when the Empire lost the city. He’s been after me since, wanting to finish the job, and I have some other choice Imperials who managed to avoid capture after the war. That’s why I can’t go back. Sosha couldn’t look like she condoned torture - the New Republic was supposed to be different from the Empire. Enough Imperials knew me that they could damage the tenuous grasp the New Republic has if I’m too close to anyone of note. And those same Imperials want me… well, not just dead. They want me to hurt and then they want me to die. I might deserve it…” 

“You don’t,” Mando said quietly. 

“Thanks,” you smiled a little, picking at the label on the whiskey bottle again. 

“Who was Dagres?” He asked after a moment. 

You thought for a moment, trying to quantify your relationship. How do you label something like that? 

You remembered the first time you’d met him, a pilot for the queen’s starship, when you were 17. He was a few years older than you and even the first time he looked at you, you could tell he saw you as more than Sosha’s handmaid. He’d let you into the cockpit for approaches to the planets you visited, pressed flower petals into your palm when he passed you in the royal residence on Coruscant and you were missing home. 

“Don’t get hung up on a flyboy,” Sosha had teased you one night when it was just the two of you in her chambers, no longer a queen and her handmaid but just two friends. “He’s a heartbreak waiting to happen.” 

He came to your room just two nights later. You were up late, reading, when he slipped in. 

“Here to fantasize about fucking a queen?” You’d asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Oh no, m’lady,” he said, crossing to your bed. “I’ve only been fantasizing about one woman for a while, and she’s not a queen. Though she’d be a great one.” 

You kissed him that night - your first kiss, more than a year after the first time you’d tortured a man to death. Soon, he was spending every night in your room if you weren’t watching over Sosha. You’d been so distracted by war and politics that you hadn’t had time for childhood crushes. Your first love had been all-consuming, both of you feeling the press of time, the galaxy crushing under the weight of war and death. It was easy to fall fast and hard when you felt you’d never have another chance. Dagres made it easy. 

“He was…” you paused, still not finding the words for what it meant to feel his lips on your forehead as your city burned around you before he went to die for you. “I loved him. He loved me. It got him killed, trying to save me.” You shook your head, trying to clear the cloud of memories. “No one else is going to die for me.” 

You glanced at Mando before sighing. 

“If you want to drop me on the next planet we get to, I don’t blame you,” you said. “I’m a danger, I know. And I’d understand if you didn’t want to have anything to do with someone who’s done the things I’ve done.” 

“You did what was needed,” he said. “And I can handle danger.” 

You smiled and leaned onto him, your head on his shoulder. 

“So,” he said after a moment. “I have a few names for you now. What do you like best?” 

You thought for a moment, taking another drink of whiskey. You were feeing it in your head now, but that was fine with you. You needed it. 

“Honestly?” You asked after a moment. “I think I like what you call me best.” He was silent, confused. “Doll. I think I like that better than any of my names.” 

“Why?” He asked. 

“Doll hasn’t let anyone down yet,” you said quietly. “No one’s died for her. No one expects anything out of a doll. A doll can’t fail because there’s nothing for her to fail at. I want to be something that can’t let anyone down.” 

“Doll,” he said softly, twisting a little and holding his hand out to you. You took it. “Nice to meet you, Doll. I’m Din.” 

“Din?” You asked. He nodded. It suited him. “Din. It’s nice to meet you, too.” 

You took another drink and sighed. You liked being here, with him. The armor that had set you on edge just a few weeks earlier was now a comfort, something familiar and secure. His voice, even modulated, was calming. When he was in control, things were safe. 

“Where do you want to go?” He asked softly. You frowned. “I have a… job I could use your help with, if you wanted to come. Or I can take you to Dantooine. Or anywhere else you want to go. I’ll take you anywhere.” 

“I’d like to stay with you,” you said softly. “At least for this job. I want to help, if I can.” 

He nodded and you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. The room was spinning now, the tingling feeling of intoxication spreading through your limbs. You let yourself drift. It would have been easy to drown in memories, but you didn’t. He was there, a life raft in the storm. It kept your head above water as you fell asleep against him. 

***

Din hadn’t known what to expect from you when you’d started talking, but it wasn’t that. He’d known war, of course. He knew what it demanded, the things it took from the people at its center, whether they put themselves there or not. Working backwards, he’d put you at 23-years-old now. You’d carried a lot of weight for someone that young. He wondered, idly, how many people he knew would be dead if it weren’t for you. Just what had you stopped? Changed? 

You drifted off, whiskey bottle still clutched in your hands. He took it from you gently before it could spill and took another sip himself. Din had never considered what life would look like with someone else in it. You hadn’t been on his ship very long and it had only been a few days that he’d even liked you - even though the thought of something bad happening to you had scared him for longer than that. Since the day the lightning almost struck you on Crait, part of him seemed to be with you. There was always a corner of his mind that was stuck worrying. Afraid of seeing you hurt or worse, the sight of you still and lifeless on the ground. It got worse after Hosnian Prime, seeing you in pain. It was so bad on Coruscant that he wasn’t sure he could have driven the speeder away when you went back in. He’d have sat there as the building burned, unable to do what he needed to to save the girl in the back because there was a chance you were alive and he couldn’t leave you if you were. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there with you, asleep against him. Your breathing was a comfort. He didn’t want to not feel your chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm against his body. Eventually, he gently picked you up - you so out of it that you didn’t stir and he carried you to his bunk. You’d said before that you liked small spaces, that it was easier when someone slept beside you. So he put you in his bed and held you against him, centering himself on your smell and your warmth. 

No, he hadn’t thought about what life with someone else would be. But he wasn’t sure he’d need to think with you. He could just be, and that was enough. 

[vintage-robots]

The ever so elusive Pepsi Prime or Pepsi Convoy has but one mission—to bring cool, refreshing carbonated beverages to the thirsty sentients across the galaxy. With his powerful CO2 soda gun, fueled by the massive Bottle Station, even the mightiest of thirsts shall be quenched!

[melanie-ohara]

WIP Weekend - Wolfwren. Wolfwrenkend. Is that anything?

I'm having a very tough week, so the writing is not going great. When I'm stressed I have a tendency to start things instead of keep working, so alongside the Wolfwren fic I'm already publishing (part 3 soon!), I started another. Here's all of it so far I guess

They were five cycles behind Baylan Skoll and the gap was getting was wider. Traveling with the Noti made them slow, even if Baylan was still on foot, but with Shin Hati and her bandits still out there Ahsoka and Sabine couldn't leave them undefended. At first, Sabine was impatient, and frustrated at Ahsoka for not explaining where they were going - but the closer they got to the mountain the more on edge Ahsoka became.

Sabine's connection to the Force was still tenuous most of the time, but she felt more and more like Ahsoka was cutting herself off from her and she had no idea why. They hadn't argued - yet - but things on the ship were tense and rather than stay aboard as it hovered along on a quarter power, Sabine opted to move into Ezra's pod. It was built for a Noti, so it was far too small, but it was good to have her own space separate from Huyang and Ahsoka. One of the Noti - who didn't seem to have individual names, as far as she could decipher their language - had adopted the Howler she called Mirshko, which meant she just had space to stretch her legs from the bed to the kitchen counter while she looked through the stuff Ezra had left behind.

Most of it was junk - scraps of wood he used to carve the Alliance symbols for the Noti and the hand tools he used to do it, a few drained power cells, and empty ration crates he must have stolen from Thrawn's star destroyer - but there was a neat little wooden box that caught her attention. It reminded her of her own memory box, now billions of light years away on Lothal, only Ezra had clearly made his by hand. Inside she found fragments of Ezra's two broken holocrons - Jedi and Sith artifacts she still didn't understand - and the smashed remains of his first lightsaber. She smiled at the memory of him sprinting into battle with a burst of blaster fire from the ridiculous hilt before it sparked to life and split a stormtrooper helmet down the middle. The crystal from it now sat in the hilt of his new lightsaber, but Sabine still wondered why he'd turned down the one he had given her all those years ago. She'd never got the chance to ask.

Sabine sighed and closed the box. It was getting late. If she went up to the ship now, Huyang would prepare her a warm drink before she went to bed. Ahsoka hadn't returned yet from scouting their route ahead, which used to worry Sabine. Now Ahsoka spent more time on the path following that strange white Convor than she did with the Noti convoy, barely sleeping or eating. Sabine had never seen the bird before, but Ezra had told her how it always seemed to show up just before Ahsoka did, and when they had all thought Ahsoka was dead she had painted it on her pauldron in remembrance. That all seemed such a long time ago now, especially given it had all happened in a distant galaxy. Ahsoka seemed at peace with the idea of never returning home, but Sabine hoped every day for a pod of Purrgils to appear overhead to carry her away. But Ahsoka had made it very clear that if Baylan Skoll reached the mountain unchallenged, something terrible would be unleashed. He had to be stopped, and it was all Ahsoka seemed to think about.

Sabine had given up worrying about her Master and for now she'd rather not subject herself to Huyang's company, pleasant though it was. She had to crouch to use anything in the kitchen, and she'd found it was much more convenient to sit cross-legged on the floor while she made her evening meal and before-bed drink. That was a tradition that dated back to the Ghost - Hera used to make warm milk for everyone before they shut down for the night. Zeb insisted on it long after Ezra and Sabine had grown out of it, and it continued until their victory on Lothal. Until they went their separate ways. She missed the good old days, when they were all together still. Being a squad commander during the official Galactic Civil War had been trying, and then Ahsoka's return and attempts to train her before the Empire obliterated Mandalore, and her family along with it…

There was a clatter as Sabine put the delicate Noti tea set down too hard.

"Karabast," she cursed under her breath. Nothing was broken though, and she picked up the small cup and blew steam from the pale pink liquid inside. It wasn't as sweet as the blue milk she was used to, and she wished she had a few meiloorun flowers to drop in, but it was warm and comforting, and it would soothe her enough to sleep. Sabine took a long sip and then started on her armour. Beskar was comfortable enough that she could sleep in it, but it weighed heavy on her of late and she'd felt the need to take it off more and more since the war ended. She changed out of her underarmour into the tank top and loose trousers she wore for training and clambered awkwardly into the small bed to finish her drink and go to sleep.

-

Shin Hati watched from the crest of the hill overlooking the Noti camp, waiting for the ship to take the bait and move off. The Noti were immaterial, and she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against the Togruta Jedi even with her bandits, but the Mandalorian… she could take her. Shin had watched quietly for days now, and she knew Wren's routine probably better than she did herself. The bandits she had sent after Tano would prompt her to call her ship to return her to the convoy, which would give her a narrow window to get in, kill the Mandalorian, and get out. The idea that Wren's Master would be signing her death warrant with her arrogance brought a grim smile to her face.

Finally, she saw the engines flare and the ship gradually accelerated away from the Noti camp - clearly, the droid didn't want to wake anyone. Shin silently thanked him for his courtesy as she hurried down the hill and into the camp. Nobody on guard. No sensors or traps. Occasionally Wren planted proximity explosives around the approach to the camp, but she was sloppy and only seemed to bother when she'd seen wild Howlers. Tonight, the path to her pod was clear. As she advanced, she unclipped her lightsaber from her hilt.

[liaswritesrobots]

I can't find that one post that was going around about making a tf series without Bumblebee, Optimus, or Megatron but I think it could be an easy thing to do. Maybe it's cause the niche tf continuities have such a grip on me that I often forget Bee has a main character problem to begin with but there's so many characters that are considered "Japan only" or comic only that we have an entire cast and then some of characters that a lot of people have never heard about.

Anyway, my idea for a show without using those three involves also getting rid of a lot of the "main" characters too like Soundwave, Prowl, Arcee, Grimlock, pretty much anyone easily recognizable to people who only watch American tf shows/movies.

Cast: Autobots

Yellow Splendid Convoy (or just Yellow Convoy, Splendid Convoy, Splendid, or SC) is fresh out of training and ready to make her mark on Autobot history by protecting peace throughout the galaxy. Unfortunately her crew's ship crashes and they get stranded on Earth, a planet of many autobots learn about from history of the war. She is very kind and courageous and tries to live up to the legend of the Primes before her time, which can be pretty stressful at times.

Nautica is the ship's tech specialist and scientist. She's often working on a new invention or found doing maintenance on the ship. She has a natural curiosity for everything around her and can often help brighten her teammate's day by trying to help them look on the bright side. She does struggle a bit with self confidence in areas that do not pertain to science though, and has trouble reading social cues.

Ambulon is the ship's old and somewhat grumpy medic. He used to be a Decepticon but defected mid war after watching the atrocious his fellow cons were ok with committing on civilians. He and Nautica have what Earthlings would call a sibling like relationship as the two are close, but she often teases him to his dismay. Being a veteran medic from the war his teammates hold a lot of respect for him and Splendid likes to hear him talk about the days of old.

Lander is the ship's sharp shooter and self identified "ladies man and mans man". He often flirts with people of all genders no matter where they go. He even flirts with sapient organic races, which some older set-in-their-ways bots might consider scandalous. Despite his carefree attitude and jokes he's quite the warrior! He's got amazing blaster skills and can hit a mosquitobot from a mile away! Ambulon finds him obnoxious most of the time. He is third in command.

Holi is the ships scout. Cute, tiny, and fast, he can quickly find places that are good for hiding or good vantage points. He tries to come off as serious and more mature so his teammates will take him seriously, but it rarely works. He has a girlfriend back on Cybertron, which Lander often teases him about. He has a bad habit of letting Lander talk him into doing stupid things with him.

Roadmaster is the teams powerhouse. When they need something big and heavy moved then she's the girl! She's a bit quiet at times as she's unsure if her input would be appreciated, but if asked she's more than happy to give advice. She's a gentle soul that enjoys long drives through nature, and most people find her easy to get along with, but if you make her mad (like hurting her friends) then she very well could rip you in half. She seems to want to get closer to Nautica but is a bit timid around her.

Delta Magnus is an intelligence officer that volunteered to come along on Splendid's journey to record data. He may be a talkative nerd at heart that's a stickler for the rules but rest assured, he can hold his own in battle. With a might that could rival some legends of old, he's a fierce opponent for any Decepticon. He's often found taking notes and overusing the word "glorious". He is second in command

Cast: Decepticons

Despite being a Decepticon, Esmeral is fair and willing to negotiate with anyone that isn't an Autobot. The Empress of Destruction holds a deep grudge against all Autobots for taking her husband from her, and has vowed to wipe them from face of the galaxy. Still, even with a rage burning brighter than the sun she treats her subordinate fairly, especially Lyzack, her second in command. She is also very doting mother! She is currently in ruthless pursuit of Yellow Splendid Convoy's ship.

Lyzack lost her twin brother Leozack thanks to Autobots. Lost as in she literally has no idea where he is. She isn't even sure if he's alive or dead, so she's searching far and wide for any sign of him. She acts mostly as a scout and medic for the Decepticons but she secretly yearns to be able to hold her own on the battlefield by herself like her idol and leader Esmeral, so she's secretly training to fight all by herself.

Solon is Esmeral's adopted human son. Before he was taken out by Autobots, Deathsaurus brought home a human baby and he and Esmeral officially adopted the boy. Solon is now 14 and he holds the same kind of grudge his mother does against the Autobots for taking his father away from him. He is often looked after by Lyzack when Esmeral can't tend to him and he trusts her and considers her to be like a big sister to him. He's never actually been to Earth so he's excited to finally visit the planet he came from and meet more humans.

Overlord isn't the most welcome guy amongst even the most ruthless of Decepticons, but Esmeral knows he's good at exterminating Autobots beyond repair, so she grits her teeth and deals with him. She at least knows her position as leader is safe from him since he "has no interest in leading, only destruction". He's also a warrior from later on in the war so she values that kind of experience. He absolutely loathes Delta Magnus, finding him annoying, and often targets him in fights. Shockingly enough, he actually likes Esmeral's son Solon, and often tries to mentor the boy in the ways of the Decepticons.

Sixshot. Sharp shooter. Intelligence agent. Mercenary. Bot of few words (unless he likes you). Sixshot is a mystery to even most of his comrades, but he gets the job done. He always gets the job done. His temper is something most Decepticons fear and they have nightmares of finding themselves staring down the end of his blaster. He seems to have a soft side though, one that's usually only seen towards Lyzack, Solon, and surprisingly enough, Nautica! He also seems to have a deep warriors respect for Roadmaster.

Double-Dealer is such a good spy, that you have to wonder whose side he's really on. He's cunning, intelligent, and a smooth talker. He can easily manipulate people around him into trusting him. He's currently eyeing Esmeral's position as leader, but he tries to make sure she's none the wiser of his schemes. He's also rumored to be older than he looks, and is said to have not only fought in the war, but to even fallen in love with an Autobot during that time! He considers Lander to be his greatest enemy.

Road Pig is kind of dumb, which makes him easy to manipulate and push around. He's usually going along with whatever scheme Double-Dealer has hatched. Lyzack takes pity on the guy a lot, knowing it's not easy being a Con of such standing. He enjoys taking Solon on joy rides for the two to cause trouble on.

Cast: Predacons

Magmatron is a multi-beast-changer that leads the Predacons in their quest to conquer the galaxy. He is well versed in the ways of the Decepticons but also notes their failures. This led him to make his team of Predacons "follow in the footsteps of the Decepticons. But Better." And better he can be. He's a power house that isn't injured easily, and being able to split into 3 different dinosaurs helps him have an evasiveness advantage. He's surprisingly rather relaxed about his ship rules, allowing the Predacons to do whatever they want most of the time. Though any that try to rise against him are quickly struck down. It's rumored that he had another team of Predacons once, but they all left him for a currently unknown reason.

Budora is second in command in Megmatron's team. He is a stern, serious soldier trained in many fighting styles. He's also easily envious, and longs for power and leadership over all Predacons. Despite this he works under a code of honor and never uses underhanded tricks in a fight. In dragon mode he breaths fire.

Judora is often underestimated by his opponents because of his prim and proper attitude, but make no mistake, he is still a very dangerous Predacon. While he prefers not to escalate things to brutish force he can still be a fierce opponent in a fight. He's as quick on his feet as he is with his wit. He prefers more intellectual and sophisticated things in life. In dragon mode he breaths a poison mist. He is very close to Gaidora.

Gaidora has tremendous physical strength. He may not be smartest Predacon in the group but he's still able to catch onto things going on behind the scenes rather quickly. He's rather quiet and reserved most of the time, and is often going along with whatever Judora is doing. He is fascinated by Earth ants. In dragon mode he breaths lightening. He and Judora are very close.

Bakudora is the youngest of the dragons. He's fast but he's also arrogant and brash, which is often his undoing. He gets easily excited for a fight and goads his opponents on. Upon meeting the Decepticons he and Solon become become friends despite the Predacon-Decepticon rivalry. In dragon mode he breaths ice.

Cast: Others

Anode is an explorer and treasure hunter that came to Earth a couple years ago to explore it with her wife. The two are traveling the planet in search of treasure and having a lot of fun meeting the locals. She's also a bit of a prankster, and upon meeting Splendid's group the first thing she does is play a joke on Ambulon, much to his dismay.

Lug is Anode's wife and travel companion. She's also adventurous at heart but takes more care on the paths they tread. She really has a thing for rocks, being a geologist, and is excited to make an expansive list of all the rocks and gems she finds on Earth. She's actually made it her mission to find and observe every type of rock on Earth. She turns into a backpack so she's often hanging onto her wife's back with whatever loot they've found.

Sky-Byte is an ex-merc for hire that used to run with both Predacons and Decepticons. Now he's a defector for both, wanting nothing to do with either faction. He's instead found his true callings in life, poetry and sea conservation. He works with some local human scientists to preserve the ocean and the wildlife within it. He also utilizes his shark altmode to scare away poachers that try to fish for endangered species. He's often wary of Autobots and Maximals and tries to avoid Decepticons and Predacons completely.

Lio Jr. is a young Maximal that ran off on his own after his father refused to bare responsibility for him. With Lio Convy often denying he was his son, Lio Jr. had enough and decided to head out on his own quest to help as many people as possible to become a great leader. His travels led him to Earth a couple of years ago, where he's been helping humans ever since. He won't talk about his father often, but he secretly yearns for his praise and wants to prove to his father that he can be a good leader like him someday. Once Splendid's crew arrives on Earth Lio Jr. becomes fast friends with Holi and Nautica. Lio Jr. and Sky-Byte are also good friends, with the shark often looking after and mentoring the young maximal.

[jazzluca]

METROPLEX ( Titan ) Generations LEGACY *Cybertron*

Dopo i svariati Titan visti sin dalla Generations Thrillin 30, tutti dedicati a personaggi G1, e la novità dell'Arca trasformabile in coda a War for Cybertron, è stato giusto in una linea come Legacy, celebrativa delle millemila serie dei Transformers, guardare oltre la prima originale per proporre un nuovo gigante… anche se effettivamente la scelta era davvero risicata, a guardar bene, ma infine è ricaduta sul METROPLEX di Cybertron.

Che nel contesto di essere un Titano ci sta tutto, per carità, così come ho adorato il suo giocattolo originale ai tempi, un Leader "allungato" fino a raggiungere quasi la scala di un Supreme, ma fosse stato per me non sarebbe stata la mia prima scelta, dato che avrei dato la precedenza ad un più iconico Tidal Wave di Armada, ma poiché questi lo recuperano per il 2024, non pensiamoci più.

Sebbene sembri per struttura corporea più snello e piccolo dei colleghi precedenti come l'omonimo G1 o Scorponok, complice anche l'enorme arma il ROBOT invece come peso e massa non ha nulla da invidiare agli altri Titan, ed esteticamente migliora il design dell'originale, con un torso meno allungato, piedi più corti e delle spalle più massicce, fra le altre cose.

La colorazione è ottima e fedele all'originale, anche migliorata direi, con un bianco e grigio più chiaro che fanno risaltare meglio il blu scuro, così come ora le mani sono del blu un po' più chiaro come le estremità dell'arma.

Questa, la cosiddetta SPARKDRINKER, è un'enorme MAZZA che ricorda le clave degli orchi giganti della mitologia giapponese mitigata dai cartoni e fumetti degli ultimi decenni, alta quanto il Titano stesso, con un'articolazione in meno nella parte inferiore per poterla piegare nella sua modalità di scavatrice, e ok, ma con la ruota che girava come nell'originale che manco mi ricordavo che lo facesse, nonostante la gimmick della Cyber Planet Key che una volta inserita nell'apposito vano, faceva aprire ed allargare la ruota che diventava una sorta di ascia bipenne.

Ora, CAPISCO che copia incollare e / o riportare la gimmick a molla di Cybertron può lasciare il tempo che trova, ma davvero non sono riusciti o non hanno voluto rifare quell'espediente in un cavolo di Titano?? ^^'' Certo, per una cosa che manca ALMENO ne hanno aggiunto un'altra, ovvero la possibilità di poter dividere in due l'arma per modalità intermedia di drone scavatore di cui parlerò poi.

Ma lo stesso, parlando di accessori, salta all'occhio sopratutto la mancanza del Minicon Drill-Bit, già presente nel Leader originale, e ancora mi ripeto, ma DAVVERO per scelta o mancanza di due pezzettini di plastica non sono riusciti o hanno voluto metterci un cavolo di robottino piccino?? Sul serio??? In un Titan non avanzava quel po' di plastica per farlo????

Per fortuna, tornando al robottone, questo è ottimamente articolato, nonostante i già bei risultati ottenuti per lo stampo di Scorponok, qui abbiamo non solo l'inclinazione delle caviglie ma pure la rotazione, idem i polsi nonostante la rotazione dei gomiti, così come le spalle hanno due snodi per poter alzarle meglio lateralmente rispetto al busto, che può piegarsi sullo stomaco, e idem la testa che può alzarsi ed abbassarsi ed infine UAU! pure la bocca si apre, volendo!

In questo ben di Primus di articolazioni, magari fa strano che le mani possano "solo" aprirsi ma con le 4 dita unite e non separate come l'omonimo Titan originale, ma forse avevano paura che queste non potessero reggere adeguatamente l'armona, che tra l'altro si fa non poca fatica appunto a fargliela reggere al nostro, nelle sue due impugnature. ^^' Perlomeno, l'enorme clava può agganciarsi comodamente dietro la schiena.

Metroplex Cybertron aveva una TRASFORMAZIONE intermedia di drone scavatore, giustamente riportata nel Titan, accorcciando le gambe ed il busto, qui in un paio di passaggi invero interessanti, con poi dei pannelli che nella testa coprono di volta in volta la faccia del robot da quella del DRONE.

A dare un senso a questa modalità magari pretestuosa però PERLOMENO viene incontro una novità graditissima, ovvero la summenzionata possibilità di spezzare in due l'armona e sistemarla al posto delle mani retrattili, così da rendere effettivamente il drone con un po' più di "personalità", diciamo, laddove nel Leader del 2006 la Sparkdrinker era semplicemente posta sopra e dietro la testa / cabina di pilotaggio.

Perlomeno, l'aggancio delle due metà dell'armona ai polsi è più saldo di quello che dell'armona stessa fra i suoi due pezzi. Da notare la comparsa di un paio di laser per spalla mobili che nell'originale erano meri ornamenti, mentre il pannello centrale del petto che sorregge la testa non è fisso, ma il fatto che possa spostarsi lateralmente avvallora maggiormente l'idea di un drone robotico da lavoro, non so se mi spiego. ^^'

La "faccia" stessa del drone è più delineata rispetto a quella del Leader originale, che lì era chiaramente e semplicemente la cabina di pilotaggio senza tanti complimenti.

Ora non tocca altro che TRASFORMARE il nostro robot costruttore nel veicolo effettivo, e questo succede facilmente per le gambe, già pronte ripiegate, ma con in più la chicca dei cingoli nascosti sotti piedi da ruotar all'infuori, ma il torso torna ad essere in parte quello del robot normale, nascondendo la testa fra le spallone che ruotano verso indietro per rendere il mezzo più snello, mentre le due parti della Spardrinker restano separate aggangiandosi al modulo a forma di gabbia centrale che, da aperto, serviva a sorreggere l'arma sulla schiena del Megalo Convoy Legacy.

Lo SCAVATORE CON RUOTA A TAZZE gigante anche qui, come nell'originale, è abbastanza fantasioso, ma di certo aiuta il fatto che le braccia del robot siano rivolte in avanti piuttosto che indietro, togliendo così la fastidiosa sensazione che l'alt mode non fosse altro che il robot accovacciato a pancia in giù, anche se non era così manco il modello del 2005, ma purtroppo la sensazione era quella. ^^'

A parte la parte superiore che ruota e la pala che si muove ed apre, abbiamo ora le pale frontale che si alzano un po', e i laser bicanna laterali sulle spalle che si alzano, ma per il resto basta, direi, dato che la giocabilità che si poteva avere con un bel Minicon da sistemare su quei vani che paiono apposta quasi delle cabine di pilotaggio è svanita a monte, come sappiamo, e tocca a tornare a lamentarsi del fatto che un piccolo robot per questo veicolo anonimo ci DOVEVA essere, budget o non budget.

Anche qui, speriamo che al limite recuperino DRILL BIT in un pack a parte insieme agli altri Minicon, ma, aaaaaaancoraaaaaa, avrei vissuto meglio senza qualche nuova mezza articolazione del robottone grande se questo avesse garantito la presenza del suo compagno piccino originale.

Insomma, nonostante la summenzionata mancanza miniconica e della gimmick dell'ascia, di sicuro questo Megalo Convoy fa la sua degna figura, almeno come robot, anche perchè a guardare i cartoni è effettivamente in scala con la media dei Generations normali odierni, anche se gli altri personaggi di Cybertron si contano a malapena sulle dita di una mano, ma di sicuro è maggiormente gratificante poterlo comprare scontato ad un centinaio di euro ( anche se in ritardo ) che non a prezzo pieno, quindi se avete spazio in casa e lo trovate in offerta, fateci un bel pensierino. ^^

[staticnonapus]

Nitro convoy my beloved lil speedster…

[tarisilmarwen]

Ahsoka "Dreams and Madness" Liveblog

Heeeeeeeeee.

My week has sucked, let's get into this already, this is some of the only true joy I'm deriving from life right now.

(I'm okay but legitimately, my week has sucked, lemme have this.)

HELLO CORUSCANT YOU'RE LOOKING PRETTY.

Ho daaaaayum, Hera bringing the fire to this meeting.

I am... annoyed by the emphasis on Hera as a maverick though, she was the Rebels character MOST beholden to the protocol and procedure of the hierarchy, the time she saved Kanan was the only time she ever really defied orders and dammit I have just patchworked myself my own answer okay so obviously she's normally very rule-abiding EXCEPT for times when her family and the people she cares about most need her help and no one else will give aid to her.

Curses upon my ability to iron out plot wrinkles I don't like.

Filoni must REALLY not like Xiono, he's giving him all the skeptic lines.

Course this is also one of the times the writing has to be hampered by trying to patchwork and salvage the Sequel Trilogy by explaining why the New Republic ignored the problem of the First Order until it was too late.

HI THREEPIO.

Man I am gonna cry ugly tears when we lose Antony Daniels, he loves playing Threepio so much, he's always up for it, never once complained that no one knows him from anything else.

Right so I get why they had Threepio deliver a message instead of trying to CGI frankenstein Leia into this but also Disney are cowards JUST RECAST THE MAIN TRIO I PROMISE NO ONE ACTUALLY HOLDS IT AGAINST ALDEN, TLJ JUST SUCKED AND SOLO WAS THE NEXT PRODUCT WE HAD TO TAKE THINGS OUT ON.

Seriously, the de-aging and CGI puppetry is starting to get uncomfortable and weird.

Chopper bout to throw hands in this courthouse lol.

I'm sorry, the emphasis on just how LONG this hyperspace trip is is absolutely making me reel with adoration for Ezra, he held the air inside the bridge of the Chimaera and the door closed and Thrawn in place ALL THE WAY TO PERIDEA IN ANOTHER FREAKING GALAXY.

YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER.

Loosen up a bit Rosario, you're stiff.

Oof that little bow between Ahsoka and Holo!Anakin.

Huyang begrudgingly having to remember to trust the Force lol.

Ohhhhh bastard, he put explosives in orbit to stop the purrgil!

.....Making the ring against the planet like that was supposed to be a visual reminder of the Death Star right?

The look of subtle but dawning horror in Thrawn's face when he realizes Ahsoka was Anakin's padawan lololol.

Like, "Ffffffffffffff--"

"Jedi are very good at hiding. They've been practicing that for years." Ah yes, excellent, another moment/quote I can add to my collection of "Thrawn barely containing his seething loathing of Ezra" bits lol.

*perks* Oh? Are we at the interesting parts now?

Ahhhh yes the minivan convoy with mom and dad Sabezra at the front.

There should have been waaaaaay more infodumping in this conversation, I need Ezra to boggle over everything.

Sabine still avoiding the question, but lol at Ezra's "The usual level [of complicated] or worse?" that's so cute.

THEIR BANTER IS ADORABLE I AM PILLOWING MYSELF IN IT AND MAKING A BLANKET FORT.

FRICK THIS IS PERFECT.

Ugh and he doesn't push her to talk about it, he's still so considerate of her armor and walls.

Someone, maybe multiple someones commented that they could see serious Two Towers aesthetics in this and... yeah no this is super LOTR-esque.

Lars Mikkelson continuing to kill it with his performance, as basic as it is.

[SIGHS HEAVILY AT THE CONTINUING INSISTENCE ON MAKING SABINE FORCE SENSITIVE] Okay, Filoni, whatever.

I'm ignoring this, I'm pretending she reached out to Ezra instead.

"Took me in when I really needed help." Ohhhhh do not do that, do not plant hurt/comfort ideas in my head ghgkasuhfkauhf.

He is so softly concerned about her aaaaahhhhhh.

I saw a few people confused by Baylan basically abandoning Shin to things here when he was acting so fond of her last episode so let me maybe shed some light on that situation. Ahem:

THE DARK SIDE DESIRE FOR POWER SLOWLY CONSUMES YOU UNTIL IT IS OVERWHELMING, UNTIL WHAT YOU WANTED THE POWER FOR NO LONGER MATTERS. THAT'S ITS NATURE THAT'S WHAT IT DOES. BECOMES MORE AND MORE OF AN OBSESSION UNTIL IT'S ALL YOU CARE ABOUT.

So yes, Baylan chucking Shin out to find her destiny or whatever because whatever it is that he's trying to seize power from is making him completely overlook her feelings.

"If Lord Baylan proves capable..." LOLOLOL BAYLAN DECIDED TO SCREW THAT NOISE HE'S IN IT FOR HIMSELF MY MAN.

GUNSHIPS! GUUUUUNSHIIIIIIIPS!

:D

Ezra can't leave the one crashed one, awwwwww.

Frick, him being the Noti's protector is just so frigging cute. I need fluff fics.

I'M GONNA DIE FROM THIS BANTER, IT'S ADORABLE.

Battle Couple Sabezra now? Y/Y?

Baylan's whole demeanor is changing, it's like he's soaking up the Dark Side energy of this place. Once again, awed by Ray Stevenson's sheer presence. The man feels massive and he's just standing there.

LOLOL THIS WHOLE ARGUMENT OVER THE "OUR" LIGHTSABER.

I'm grinning.

But also I wanna see Ezra hold his lightsaber again, pretty please?

Ahsoka doing much better now that she has both her blades this time.

*pillows hands* Can I watch Ezra forever please. I missed you son. Never leave me again.

HUYAAAAAAAAANG! :D

Oh man, how much dread and chagrin do you think Ezra had when he saw the stormtroopers?

Ho ho Thrawn looks eager for this.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEE.

(They are this close to holding hands you guys.)

This is probably giving Ezra flashblacks.

Oh sue me I want some angst and whump and pain to have happened in the interim.

Ahsoooooookkaaaaaaaaaaa! :D

Oh for, please stop using the beskar as literal plot armor. It sucks a lot of danger out of the fight.

Thrawn being all Xanatos Gambit like the pro he is.

Shin looking like she might cry, oh wow actual emotions.

FRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIICCCCKKK THAT ADORABLE LITTLE LAUGH.

Oh gosh, don't jinx it don't jinx it don't jinx it...

Wheeeeeeeeee that was... fun, actually!

The Sabezra bits were adorable. I have quibbles here and there but I'm just so happy being Sabine being happy and content and seeing Ezra being... Ezra.

Nervous for the last ep though. Hhhgnghhhhh I am very much stressed and I do not wish to be.

[swimming-karyss]

Ace and Sabo in the sci-fi au!

I tried to keep Ace's description simple otherwise it'll be a wall of text. And Sabo is meant to be mysterious (I didn't really think things through with the composition...). Also Sabo's picture was finished like a month ago and meant to go with the Romance Dawn Trio, so it's just flat colors.... While with Ace I was testing a new way of coloring (and he was born after 9 moths normally so he's older!)

A close-up of the pretty pretty boy

More about Ace, Sabo, Whitebeards and RA under cut!

Ace was born in other star system and was brought on Earth by Garp, for the sake of safety. He spent his childhood mostly in the Wind turbines area/district, but as time went on he sometimes spent time at Makino's place (it's in the other part of the city. I'll talk about the Goa kingdom in the next sci-fi au post bc I want to draw a simple map for illustration purposes). He set out at 17, and after some time he joined the Whitebeards!

Also his arms were personally made for him, and have a rather unique feature. These dark bars on their sides are heat meters! So not only his punches hurt more because of the metal, they can also leave burns! And his hands are warm all the time, he gives great hugs :> the temperature is controlled consciously by Ace. I've been thinking that it'll be rather dangerous if he could accidentally activate it in his sleep, and considering his narcolepsy....

also a bit of, idk, worldbuilding?

I've been thinking about cybernetic modification, bc they are removable (Sabo has three, one human-looking, one to tinker with and one to do the tinkering. Why does Sabo suddenly have engineering skills? bc I think it suits him + backstory reasons (it's his parents and I'll tell about it later) + Dragon left him with Ivankov and Lindbergh for a year(there is no way Sabo would've had his cheerful and unbearable attitude if Dragon was the only one raising him) while he deals with some stuff) and if the ports are the same(realistic? no. but who cares) so prostheses are interchangeable, then what about their length? I think that simple models with no additional functions let you just adjust the length. And more complex variants are obviously made specifically for one person with their proportions in mind.

So about the Whitebeards... I didn't really know how to call them, like 'group'? 'Company' doesn't really sit with me... Let's go with 'organization' for now. Whatever, the point is the Whitebeards provide various services like protection (bodyguards and convoying merchant ships), delivering goods, technical maintenance, etc. They have so mush influence, to the point that some parts of habitable galaxy are considered their territory. (a bit like The Interastral Peace Corporation from hsr, but not so big and the WBs usually take more mediatory/intermediary role) It's no secret that the Whitebeards don't mind dealing with the criminal sphere or breaking some laws. They may very well be considered a criminal organisation, but the World Government can't do anything because WB is just that powerful. (plus they do have their rules and a certain code of honor, so they have a lot of respect from civilians and businesses alike) It's also the reason why some revolutionaries often turn to them when it comes to transportation (while some avoid it like fire because big organization=lots of attention)

I've mentioned that the WBs have their own values and code of honor, and I think one of the services they might provide is like mercenaries/headhunters in a sense they will either assist finding ppl who has wronged their business partners(and like if someone is willing to pay additionally for hunting specific criminals maybe?) or just doing it themselves. And Ace is a part of this division(so he's the one chasing Blackbeard), and he holds a rather high position? ( he would enjoy field work way more than paperwork)

In this au the Revolutionary army is much more decentralized, because the space is big, duh. The founder trio(duo now unfortunately) as well as the four commanders each is responsible for their sector of inhabited galaxy, but they still give the general reports to Dragon like monthly(and some teams are empowered to make their own decisions and come to the best conclusion without necessarily getting "approval" from up top). Sabo is mostly in charge of communication and distribution of information between the sectors, plus sometimes he deals with problems that are important enough to get them to higher-ups but not that important to go to Dragon with them. He's got quite a lot of work to do, but he still really really wants to go to field missions, so he does sometimes, I mean who would stop him? Above him only Dragon and God. And both have enough problems to deal with already.

So, as I mentioned, the RA is decentralized and doesn't have physical headquarters or a base (they have private protected servers tho and Dragon's cool spaceship lol but now that I think, the Wind Grandma is their base... it mostly moves around the galaxy away from most common travel routes. it's very protected and is difficult to detect) so the revs are scattered all around the world, in small groups that sometimes come together for missions but mostly work by themselves. And one of such groups is Sabo, Koala and Hack, although after Sabo's promotion it's mostly Koala&Hack with Sabo accompanying (hanging out with) them, for the sake of the legend they're keeping. He has to be online most of the time and doesn't really have time to go on missions :( And their legend ties to my hc of Sabo being keen on photography, so they pose as bounty hunters who also lead a travel blog for alibi. They either lay low actually traveling and camping or speedrun the designated area in a couple of hours taking photos, editing them slightly (there is when the acquaintance with Strawhats comes in handy, and they can commission Usopp to edit the sky, lightning, etc. and everyone is happy: Usopp gets pocket money, Nami gets additional income, Koala, Hack and Sabo get more time to prepare for the missions) and putting them on queue.

Their group is small and mostly relies on Koala's hacking skills, swift strikes on WG bases and ships and infiltrating official events and facilities.