#this incarnation of Smokescreen is young

[vhaos-chaotic-writing]

HIII HELLO1!!1 (I'm 19 btw just too shy cause this is like. My first time requesting. So sorry if this is kinda weird!)

Could I request Optimus (your choice of incarnation) x a reader who's an outlaw and commits crime 24 hours??(bonus if reader is a deception hehe), like when they first met, they were both at each other throat, but now? THEY'RE KISSING IN SLOPPY MODE-

Sorry if this request is too hard, i don't mind if it short! Thanks and love your writing!!

Finally got to your ask!! (It's okay, bestie!!) - oh Primus, a chaotic reader with an Optimus Prime to deal (and love) with it!! - Vhaos likes it! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧ Hehe... I think I know the perfect incarnation of Optimus to use here!

TFP Optimus Prime w/ a Cybertronian!Reader who is a Decepticon... and a danger to society.

WARNINGS: Kind of suggestive (heavy sloppy make out session), I'll even categorize this as crack, somehow. Reader is a cybertronian, a decepticon and gender neutral. Megastar implied (you'll understand).

A pain in the aft and a danger to any kind of society - that's how the Autobots described you.

... Well, nearly aaall of them, since one of them had an extra title for you.

A pain in the aft, a danger to any kind of society and the bot that makes Optimus fragging Prime actually NOT think before acting.

Oh my Primus - said deity and the past Primes are definitely disappointed in him. And he wants to kick his own aft!

You were one of the most crazy Decepticon any of the Autobots have ever seen - and they've dealt with Megatron and Starscream before!

You were a constant 'keep-an-optic-on' for the Autobots, as you would be sent to cause a couple of problems here and there, the typical tactic about having your enemy doing multitasking between the main problem (aka. The war and Megatron) and other problems to deal with (Aka. You).

Last week you got a whole factory on fire (thanks to Primus no human got hurt in the process), a couple of days ago you managed to get Arcee, Bee and Bulkhead lost inside of a cave system after having chased you. And so on.

And lately, Optimus has been dealing with you, trying to stop you from whatever and such.

And by Primus, you knew how to put a fight, make a disaster and even have Optimus give his everything to keep up with you. Even when he got to land a hit or such on you, you would cackle and stand up back, and the cycle continues.

Although... And Primus, it was so wrong to admit it. He found you... optic-catching. Yes, you were a serious problem and a crazy-aft Decepticon.

Still... that didn't stop Optimus Prime from feeling his spark twirl and beat loudly against his chestplate.

Somehow in this battle, Optimus and Megatron weren't fighting faceplate to faceplate - instead, Arcee, Smokescreen and BumbleBee were doing such a good job at dealing with the Warlord while Optimus had to deal with you.

"C'mon, Prime! Land a hit already!" You shout, wide smile on your faceplate as you shoot with your firing weapon at the taller mech.

And Optimus did fire at your pedes, which got to make you trip back - alas, when you fell backwards you fired and it got to his kneeplate, making him fall foward. In the end, the Prime had you caged on the floor.

Blue optics meet (color) optics with astonishment expressions. Suddenly the sound of his teammates fighting Megatron in the background became such a far, far away sound. Were you always this pretty this close? Well, you always kept moving, this may be the first time Optimus got to see you still! And well, he wasn't thaaat bad looking, right? You think, a small sly smirk forming on your faceplate.

Maybe that's why your cheekplates got a soft blue hue on them. And Optimus' cheekplates, too.

"Bee-wee-beep?"

Arcee and Smokescreen, with Megatron doing the same, turn their helms at you and Optimus were... to then feel like frozen in place.

Optics closed and holding each other closer as if long lost lovers (or two young bots with too many hormonal systems doing their jobs), you and the Prime were... making out. Primus, it was too much! (Bee swears, feeling his spark leaving his frame, he saw your glossa all tangled with Optimus'). It was sloppy, loud. Frag, you were even holding Optimus' helm from the back with your servos, preventing him from pulling back. Not like he was actually planning on doing it, with how he was holding your frame with his own servos.

While Arcee, Smokescreen and Bee were frozen in place, feeling like their softwares just fried up, in the blink of an optic, Megatron punched Optimus on his back, managing to sent him flying and separate him from you.

"YOUNG BOT, WHAT THE FRAG ARE YOU DOING?!" Megatron yells. angrily as he picks you from the back of your neck like a cat.

"That fine mech is a wiiild ride!" You answer back, giggling and cackling, all limp in Megatron's hold.

"WAIT UNTIL YOUR CARRI- I MEAN, STARSCREAM KNOWS ABOUT THIS - YOU'LL BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE!" Megatron warns, throwing you over his right shoulderplate, turning around and starting to walk away.

"You two are not even my two creators - babe-Prime! I'll be back, I promise!" You shout your promise at the Prime, wide smiling and waving your servo at him, and then at his teammates before you and your leader enter an opened ground bridge.

Optimus stands up from the ground, dusting off his lap to then turn towards his three teammates, who still have shocked expressions on their faceplates.

"Heh... well..." He starts.

"Nah, Optimus - are you serious?" Smokescreen interrupted, wincing.

"Down bad." Arcee groaned, trying to forget the whole making out session she saw as Bee gave a few pats to her back, understanding her pain.

Well - this was going to be a funny story to tell back at the base!

Hehehehehehe (≧∀≦)ゞ Vhaos out!

[megadoomingir]

I lost track of how many times I've read stop me and truth to be told. It was a good escape from reality or it either hit too close to home.

I'm keeping an eye for a post. But in the meantime do take care of yourself! Happy endeavors!

Also if the characters in stop me had a type of pokemon what type would they be?

Hey, thank you for the ask.

I understand what you mean about the ‘escape from reality’ while also adding in the ‘hit too close to home’. I had some abusive people in my past so when I write, I take those very real emotions and press them into the fictional world. Unfortunately, it can take those moments and situations and make them a little more non-fiction for those who know what that’s been like. Stop Me has been many things for me, including therapy at some point. From certain asks and DMs, I can see that it’s been the same for others, too.

So thank you for addressing it and pointing it out. I hope you’re doing well. :)

As for your other part of the ask…

Goodness~! XD

How to answer… You said ‘type’ of Pokémon and not ‘species’; I’m going to go with ‘species’ as it’ll still reflect correctly and I will also be writing my choice of Pokémon in as a partner. But this will solely pertain to the characters they’ve become in my writing and will not reflect what others may feel about them in their canon incarnate.

Arcee: Shiny Bisharp. Fight me. And yes, specifically a ✨shiny✨ Bisharp. Knife hands and great honor while still learning to grow as an individual, still learning that emotions are valid but let’s not let them get out of control. Situation is key. I would have said ‘Shiny Pawniard’ but our femme is a big girl and has more skill and ability than a Pawniard. A shiny Bisharp definitely reflects well as her partner.

Bumblebee: Bolthound. Now before you toss me out of the room by my ankles- Bee is a playful mech, but he also takes his job as a scout seriously. He may ‘bend’ orders a bit, but his priorities are his friends and teammates. A Yamper would be too young to understand that, but a Bolthound? Grown enough for the challenge. Still one heck of a playful partner, when it’s appropriate. They’d be unstoppable.

Bulkhead: I immediately thought of a Golem. Easy to lob around, loves rolling down mountains, can withstand the thrills and insanity that comes with doing stunts. But also a defender and community-type. Gotta be there for the TEAM, especially the younger/little ones. Golem is ya boi and he knows it.

Ratchet: Forgive me. Forgive me. XD The most exhausted looking Audino. I was going to say a different Pokémon that happened to be able to learn ‘Heal Pulse’ but it has to be Audino. A grumpy one. Both of them just being tired of trying to make and fix things and somehow stuff just keeps getting broken. Rude.

Wheeljack: I know the easy answer is ‘Greninja’ but you know what? No. Hawlucha. Got nothin’ but respect and honor and he’s small and fast. Little winged hands like tiny knives. Jumps out of nowhere. Would constantly be surprising the enemy. Jackie would be laughing too hard. And who says you can’t give the little guy a knife? Ratchet? Naaaah, Sunshine’s gotta loosen up. It’ll be fiiiiiiine~

Smokescreen: A Bagon. HOLD YOUR PITCHFORKS BACK- Bagon is the representation of growth and potential. Smokescreen knows he has the potential but he lacks the experience and growth he needs to get to the next level. He has drive and ambition, much like Bagon does, and he never gives up. He has moments of ice-water clarity, but he never gives up. Which would reflect well in a Bagon.

Cliffjumper: Cubone’s Mother. No other notes.

Ultra Magnus: He needs a ‘no-nonsense’ Pokémon. Golurk. That thing has a ‘yes, sir/no, sir’ mentality. Hands like God’s Hammers. Will hunt you down. Will find you if you’re shirking your duties. Eyes that stare into your very soul and spark and have no qualms about ensuring you understand why you’re on inventory duty.

Optimus Prime: I had to think long and hard about this one but this feels right. Lucario. A Pokémon of emotion and empathy but also a discerning leader. Unshakable, unstoppable. Carries the weight of it all. And when in sync with its trainer, it can Megaevolve. Truly a Pokémon worthy of a Prime. :3

Soundwave: Shiny Porygon. Not 2, not Z. Shiny Porygon. Soundwave is already hella meta and beyond capable in the ways of new technology… so of course he would have an appreciation for the classics. And a classic lil guy a Shiny Porygon would be. Soundwave doesn’t need to be flashy with his kind of Pokémon; being shiny is enough. But his appreciation for the classics would definitely be seen in his Pokémon.

Knockout: I had a completely different choice written out here and I changed it when I really took into consideration how much Knockout has changed… aaaaand how much he hasn’t. XD And so, I settled with Scizor. Fast, strong, *red,* it’s everything KO could want and more. But KO knows he’s still the flashiest and he’d like to keep it that way.

Breakdown: Nobody. Laugh. Tinkaton. Our boy BD needs someone who understands the way of the hammer and when best to use it. Tinkaton has an *actual* hammer. The two would be a bane to everyone but mostly Ratchet, definitely Ratchet, yes…

Starscream: As it *solely pertains to characters and events of Stop Me-* Bulbasaur. Starscream needs more grounding. More ‘present’ energy. But he’s still stubborn. Thus, a Bulbasaur. A Pokémon of decent strength, cunning, care and potential. Also my favorite but *that has no bearing in this decision-* Starscream needs something calm, strong and just as stubborn as he is. Bulbasaur. Peak. 🙌

Predaking: Going off the continuation of being Stop Me-specific… Dragonite. The friendly boy. A lovable squish full of care and wonder and questions… until you make him angry or threaten the ones he cares about most. Paired together, the two are pleasant and playful. Unless they’re on the battlefield.

Airachnid: I know everyone would pick a spider Pokémon for her and I get why because that’s easy, but in regard to Stop Me, I feel like she would have something that was easily frustrated. And since she’s dead, I had to choose Annihilape.

C.Y.L.A.S.: I really didn’t want to use a mythical or ‘legendary’ Pokémon in a sense, but I think we can agree Type: Null is right on the nose. An amalgamation of parts that are NOT supposed to be together. The two are quite the pair.

Hardshell: Shedinja. Easily disposed of if you have the right, super effective move to take them out.

Bombshock: A little more of a pre-planner and defense-based, so a Durant. And they come in hives, too. Yes. I know what Hardshell has. :)

Dreadwing: Gallade. A Pokémon of strength and honor. Need I say more?

Darksteel: Deino. A snappy little brute and still young and immature. The potential is there and Darksteel would be reflected best with this kind of partner Pokémon.

Skylynx: Frigibax. Potential is still yet to be had but with his standoffish attitude, Frigibax pairs best with Skylynx.

Shockwave: I actually had to review three candidates for him, but I managed to settle on the most logical partner for Shockwave: Metagross. Both cunning and intelligent, Metagross also boasts a cruelty in battle that most don’t dare witness. Shockwave’s experiments would only become more complex with this Pokémon beside him.

Megatron: Spiritomb. Lock them both in rocks.

Jack: This took me another long think to get right. I want to respect that Jack has been put through a lot. But he’s also not quite there yet. I’d say he has the best reflection in a Pokémon partner with Charcadet. Jack still has choices to make as he grows up. He’d never choose a less moral path, he’s not that kind of young man, but he still has the ability to choose whether to be more in the face of things or slip into the background. Just like how a Charcadet has a choice in evolution.

Miko: I know a certain poison/electric Pokémon is pretty much base-Miko. But that’s not what I chose. I chose Loudred. Still inexperienced but on the way to controlling themselves and their need to be loud.

Rafael: This kid has been through so much. I would have said at the start of Stop Me a different Pokémon but the kid has earned his stripes and then some. Alakazam. And since the brainy Pokémon never stops learning, there’s always room for growth as Raf grows up.

Agent Fowler: Braviary. ‘Murica. Secret government agent style.

June: Jigglypuff. Still a healer if given the moves for it, but most of us remember Jigglypuff from the anime. You don’t f**k with Jigglypuff.

Thank you for the ask. This was a tough one! I hope all of my choices make sense and that my reasons were interesting ones. :)

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Blood Will Out ch 9 - The Enemy Approaches

Summary: When Agatha Sannikova learns she is, in fact, Agatha Heterodyne, she inadvertently kicks off a series of events that reopens old wounds, drags secrets into the light, and brings war to the doorstep of the all but defenseless Mechanicsburg. Saturnus struggles to crush his enemies with a town almost as broken as his body; Agatha, determined to undo the chaos she's unleashed, plunges into the depths of Castle Heterodyne.

Raised by a literal saint and the devil incarnate, Agatha - with an unleashed mind, a burning spark, and a band of very unexpected allies - will fight to do the unthinkable: be a good Heterodyne and a good person.

< Prev chapter | A03 link | Next chapter>

Mid-afternoon, the telegraph system went down.

At 5:15 pm exactly, a Corbettite monk, incandescent with rage and trailed by a nearly hysterical pack of tourists, appeared at the gate to inform them that the train tracks just outside the mouth of the valley had been sabotaged.

The next day, the usual stream of visitors and tradesmen died to a trickle before drying up entirely.

The Storm Lords were marching on Mechanicsburg.

Anticipation filled the air like humidity before a thunderstorm – filling the lungs and sticking to skin, leaving them all sweating on a cool spring day. And yet, in a strange way, the people of Mechanicsburg were enjoying themselves. For the first time in over a decade – honestly, in over two decades – they had a Heterodyne stomping around town, shouting orders and working on machines of chaos and destruction.

And Saturnus was in his element. The town had changed in the last fifteen years, but it was still Mechanicsburg, his town, his engine of beautiful destruction. Despite the stiffness in his fingers and the weakness in his heart, he could still feel Mechanicsburg singing in his blood. Every minute spent breathing life back into her, he felt more and more alive himself.

Mechanicsburg needed a Heterodyne, but so, too, did a Heterodyne need Mechanicsburg.

He wished Agatha could have joined him. He wanted to share it with her the way he had – briefly, when they were young and had not yet had an understanding of good or evil, when they had not learned to turn away from all that Saturnus was – shared it with Bill and Barry. But it wasn’t safe. Oh, Sturmhalten’s invasion was absolutely going to incite others. When word got out, Agatha's reputation as an incompetent might be deemed irrelevant, or perhaps dismissed as an act. But if they could maintain even a sliver of plausible deniability, they could at least keep some of them at bay.

Fortunately – surprisingly – Agatha did not protest. She had been perfectly willing to spend the last two days sequestering herself inside the house, working on some gadget or other with the Sturmvoraus boy. Saturnus did not approve in the slightest for a variety of reasons, up to and including continuing the proud tradition of grandfathers everywhere refusing to believe any boy could be good enough for his granddaughter.

He allowed it, however, on the grounds that Sturmvoraus made a useful, if somewhat galling, smokescreen. Agatha was not a Spark. She was simply helping Tarvek, getting caught up in his madness the way any Mechanicsburger would.

But he didn’t like it.

“A Sturmvoraus! And a Valois!” he exclaimed to the minion currently assisting him in converting the shaved ice machine back into a railgun that shot icicles two meters long. “Both in one body, you might as well befriend an actual viper! He picks locks, she said!”

The minion stifled a yawn; a rant was no good for getting you fired up in the morning when it was one you’d been listening to for two days. Saturnus yanked out the gyroscopic converter that had been gnawed to pieces by rust rats and tossed it aside. He began to adjust the wires and gears, making room for the new, slightly larger, but more efficient converter he had built. 

“Is he a Spark or a common burglar? I’ve never picked a lock in my life! What’s wrong with a good blowtorch, I ask you? Or a miniaturized self-propelled battering ram? Lockpicks.”

He reached out and felt along the nearby table for the converter, which he was sure he’d set within arm’s reach.

“What did you need, my Lord?” the minion asked, snapping back to attention. Before Saturnus could answer, the converter was pushed into his questing fingers. Saturnus grunted in approval, glanced up, and did a double take.

Vole was not quite standing to attention, but his stiff-backed posture was not too far off.

Captain, Carson had said. It was doubtful that Mechanicsburg had enough fighting to keep him truly happy, but he’d clearly not suffered for it. He looked strong and well-fed; his uniform crisp and immaculate; his hat tall, if understated in decoration.

Saturnus tried not to look at said decoration, the Wulfenbach house sigil prominent and unmistakable. A gleaming reminder of Saturnus’ failure.

“De scouts from de far side of der valley haff returned. De army is here. It vill be at der valls in four hours.”

“Damn,” Saturnus said. “Well, the brat said two days and that’s what we got. Where’s Carson?”

Vole’s lip curled. “Dealing vit der tourists.”

“Ah, good. They’ll make excellent meat shields.” He caught the look on Vole’s face and sighed. “He’s getting them somewhere safe and out of the way, isn’t he?”

“Yez, sir.”

Saturnus made a noise of disgust and rolled his eyes. Even with Bill and Barry gone, the cleansing fire had scoured too deep. It might take decades for Mechanicsburg to go properly rotten again – if ever, considering Teodora’s effect on its heiress presumptive.

“You,” he said to the minion. “Go tell Teodora. I want her and Agatha in that house until this is over. She is not to open the door to anyone that isn’t me or Carson.”

The minion nodded, but hesitated, glancing at Vole.

“Go!” Saturnus bellowed, and the minion scampered off.

Only then did Saturnus realize this meant he and Vole were now alone.

They had not been avoiding each other. It was simply that the things they were working on were too important to leave to other people, and so necessitated any communication be sent via a third party.

Vole held out a folded piece of paper.

“De scouts’ report. Vut dey saw of de army before dey ran.”

Saturnus glanced at the paper, then at the device in his hand, and turned back to the icicle railgun. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to think about less: the last time he’d had Vole at his side, or the last time he’d seen Vole.

It’s not his fault!

No! It vuz willful. He tried to kill dem because he vanted dem dead! By Lord Villiam’s order, he lives, but not effen de Heterodyne could compel us to allow dis vun to stay a Jӓger.   

“I need to finish this damn thing,” he said, and waved off the report. “Tell me while I work.”

There was a silent moment where Saturnus could not bring himself to look at Vole, but then Vole unfolded the paper and started to read out the list. Soon Saturnus was distracted by the grim picture the report painted.

Airships, battle clanks, cannon towers, foot soldiers, monsters...

“The Geisterdamen?”

“Dey did not see dem.”

“They’ll be here somewhere,” Saturnus said.

“Yez. I sent de Black Sqvad out to search for dem.” The rustling of paper again, as Vole tucked the report away. “Deze is not exact numbers. De scouts did not stay long. It vuz more important dot dey let us know dey vuz here.”

“No, no, they did right. Hopefully the next group will be able to get a better look.” He finished attaching the wires and selected one of the small brass rods that would form the cage to hold the mechanism away from the engine’s pistons.

“Dis iz more den I thought Sturmhalten vould be able to get hold of dis qvickly. Dey dun have a standing army.” 

“The Fifty Families are always ready for a fight,” Saturnus said. Using two pliers, he twisted a rod into the shape he needed before welding it in place. “Sturmvoraus probably had them hidden in his basement or something.”

“Sturmhalten dun use siege engines,” Vole countered. Absentmindedly, he picked up a rod from the pile and twisted it into the new shape with his bare hands. “Dey dun march out at all. Dey trick de enemy into attacking dem, so dey can fight from behind deir own valls – und it lets dem claim dot dey iz de victims.”

Saturnus took the twisted rod from Vole, snorting disdainfully.

“Hah, and they only do that if they think they can’t get away with sending their damn Smoke Knights after the person they want dead.”

Even before the rod was set, Vole had twisted another. He passed it to Saturnus.

“He picks locks!” Saturnus exclaimed. 

“Hy know, Hy saw. Vuz pathetic. Und he can’t take a hit eidder. De whole family is like dot, dey neffer do anyting to hyu face if dey can help it.”

“But they must have had the army already,” Saturnus said. “The Sturmvoraus boy got here barely twelve hours after Agatha did, and his father was two days behind him – and that’s on foot, with the siege engines. It takes time to gather those forces if they aren’t with you already. You can’t pop round to the neighbors and say hullo, I’m launching an invasion, can I borrow a cup of air support.”

“I iz telling hyu,” Vole insisted. “Dey got dem from somevere else. De airships are big. If der prince already had dem, I vould haff seen dem ven I vent to—”

Vole cut himself off, but it was too late. The illusion shattered, both abruptly, painfully remembering that this was no longer normal. Saturnus was not Vole’s Heterodyne. Vole was not his Jäger. Saturnus’ chest ached in a way that had nothing to do with his heart – not the muscle, anyway.

No one had asked Vole to get Agatha, but he had gone anyway.

Nobody needed to ask him.

Hy alvays know vut hyu need.

But Vole had told Agatha he was concerned only that if the Baron found out, he would think he was still working for Saturnus. Because he wasn’t.

“Carson thought you might have something to do with it, with you coming back the same night as Agatha, and Sturmvoraus knowing you by name,” Saturnus said, carefully. 

“Und vut did hyu tink?” Vole asked, just as carefully.

“I knew what happened the second Carson said you’d arrived when Agatha did.” He tinkered very deliberately with the guts of the machine, not able to bring himself to look at Vole. “Only made Agatha cough it up so Carson wouldn’t be distracted.”

There was a moment of quiet.

“I think I owe you a debt,” Saturnus muttered. 

“Hyu dun owe me a debt.”

“Restitution, then.”

“Hyu dun owe me anyting.”

Slowly, Saturnus looked up at him. Vole’s expression held no anger or malice or bitterness – none of the things Saturnus would have expected. None of the things Saturnus deserved. Only solemnity, a kind that was quite odd to see on any Jäger – or ex-Jäger’s – face.

“You can’t say that,” Saturnus said. “Not after—”

The alarm gongs began to ring.

“Dot is too soon,” Vole said, once more the captain of Mechanicsburg’s occupying guards, all professionalism. “Dey cannot be here already.”

“Something’s here.”

Saturnus maneuvered the chair towards the door and nearly ran into Carson coming the other way. The man was ashen.

“Soldiers coming from the east of the valley,” he said.

“The east? “

“Impossible,” Vole said. “Dere iz no vay Sturmhalten could get around der valley dot fast!”

“They aren’t coming from Sturmhalten,” Carson said. “They’re coming from the Refuge of Storms.”

The Knights of Jove. The Refuge of Storms, Sturmhalten – all heirs to the Lightning Crown, the legacy of that damnable Storm King.

“Oh, hell,” Saturnus said. No, that didn’t feel right. He slammed his fist down on the table, sending the little metal rods flying as the old fury burned to life. “They want to come for Mechanicsburg? Let them come! Let them beat themselves bloody against our walls! We will slaughter them like the animals they are! The survivors will decorate the mouth of the valley, and their dying screams will sing to Europa a reminder of why the Heterodynes are feared!”

Much better.

Carson fairly leapt out of the way as Saturnus sent the chair storming out of the room and down the battlements to the east wall. The once-Lord Heterodyne was so swept up in his madness, he did not notice the look on Vole’s face.

But Carson did.

For the first time, he felt something like pity for the ex-Jäger, and left hurriedly before Vole sensed it and killed him.

The people of Mechanicsburg erupted into an even greater flurry of activity. Weapons were prepared in double-time, active repairs wrapped up with creditable speed, the young and infirm sent faster than they could protest to safety in the Great Hospital, which made its own preparations for war.

Nothing happened.

Von Blitzengaard’s forces arrived first, growing from a smudge on the horizon to a long parade line of soldiers and battle clanks, but they camped just out of firing range and stayed there. Some hours later, Sturmhalten’s forces arrived, and did the same. No attack came, but neither did any messages, threats, or demands. They simply...waited. Pinned between the two forces, Mechanicsburg had no choice but to do the same.

What they were waiting for turned out to be a small dirigible, a swift-moving scouting ship that bore the Wulfenbach crest and arrived at dawn. It drifted up to the city and stopped, hovering, right over the west wall, which made Saturnus grind his teeth so hard it was audible. It did not land, but disgorged a single individual by way of an emergency drop reel.

It was an absolutely immaculate young woman who landed neatly before Saturnus. From her dark hair slicked back in its painfully tight bun to the fitted longcoat to the shiny shoes, she was such a picture of no-nonsense professionalism, Saturnus knew what she was before she even opened her mouth.  

“Good morning,” she said as she tugged the drop reel to send it winding back up into the airship. “I am Millicent Kragen, questor for the empire.”

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Saturnus said scathingly. “Are you here to arrest the armies marching on this town in clear breach of the Baron’s peace, or simply raise a carefully manicured eyebrow at them until they go home?”

Kragen did not raise an eyebrow, but one did twitch slightly.

“I am here to investigate the allegations from Prince Aaronev Wilhelm Sturmvoraus that Mechanicsburg plotted and executed the kidnapping of his son, Master Aaronev Tarvek Sturmvoraus.”

Everyone’s jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Several days ago, Prince Sturmvoraus sent word to the Baron that a Jäger and a young girl from Mechanicsburg had entered the castle on false pretenses and kidnapped his son.”

“And what about our messages?”

“Yes,” Kragen said, in an amused, almost condescending tone that made Saturnus want to flip her straight over the side of the wall. “The Baron received those, too. I’m afraid your side of the story is not quite as believable. Geisterdamen? I’m far more ready to believe you wished to acquire a companion for your ward – the way you did for yourself.”

Saturnus’ lip curled in contempt.

“If you’re trying to use shame to cow me, it won’t work,” he said. “If Heterodynes could feel shame, we wouldn’t be what we are. Agatha ran away, as young people occasionally do. Vole went to get her back.”

“You sent your Jäger into Stur—”

“I iz not a Jäger.”

Saturnus was not sure when Vole had arrived on the walls, but there he was, staring down at Kragen with his own contemptuous sneer.

“Oh really,” Kragen said chidingly. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Der Baron does,” Vole said. “If he thought I vuz a Jäger, I vould be subject to de ban, und vould not be assigned to Mechanicsburg.” His lips quirked into a tiny, even more contemptuous smile. “Maybe hyu tink hyu iz smarter den de Baron? Hyu know better den him?”

Kragen’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.  

“I will do my own investigation into this matter,” she said, not-so-neatly sidestepping the accusation. “In the meantime, for the sake of peace, Prince Aaronev has agreed that if his son is returned, he will withdraw to Sturmhalten with no further action taken against—”

“Did he now,” Saturnus growled, and turned away from her. “I want men on every secret entrance to the town. Seal up every nook and cranny there is, and Carson, you go yourself to warn Teodora. Agatha and Teodora are to remain in the same room with no less than two guards at any time. Then grab that Sturmvoraus brat and get him out here.”

“You suspect—” Kragen began, but Saturnus thumped his fist down on the chair’s arm.

“Of course I suspect! The army is now a backup plan! Plan A is to keep us and you distracted while someone sneaks in and steals Agatha away – ah, there's that eyebrow!”

“You have a very suspicious mind, Lord Heterodyne. Or are you just basing this off of what you would do in his position?”

Saturnus snorted.

“I’m a Heterodyne, you pampered tracker dog. We don’t sneak around. We face our enemy head on with acid cannons and laser guns like Hell intended.”

There was a shout from below. Carson had not even made it to the end of the street – a guard was running towards them, waving his arms and shouting.

“They’ve gone! They’ve both gone!”

“Ah, how very convenient,” the questor said.

"Search the town,” Saturnus bellowed, “top to bottom—!”

“Not kidnapped, sir! They went off! Miss Sannikova left a note!”

Kragen frowned. “What the hell are you playing at?” she demanded.

But Saturnus had gone pale. Slowly his eyes rose, dragged inexorably to the hulking shadow over Mechanicsburg even before the man below drew breath to shout.

"They're in the castle!"

[elindae-writes]

Alpha Trion is hot garbage and lemme tel u why

“use Tumblr responsibly, Elindae”

“don’t use it as a platform to rant, Elindae”

welll mHMMMMMMMMM how the turn tables have TURNED

They’ve rotated around so much they gained escape velocity and are now halfway to the heliosphere at the outer edges of the solar system

I am having a Bad Day and so I am in the mood to rant about Alpha Trion because I straight up do not like that old coot, he’s like that one annoying old man we all know who uses a cane not because he actually needs it to walk but just so that he can wave it at you and point it at your freakin kneecaps

I am only aware of his Prime incarnation and I know diddly squat about the other versions of him, perhaps he is a fantastic, lovable, and quality grandpa robot in the other incarnations

But the Prime version?? Hot mess. Such a hot mess.

First of all, he took an Omega Key and just shoved it into poor Smokescreen’s chest like an absolute jerk. This chucklefuck knew Smokey would go into the escape pod and that it would crash into Earth and that Optimus would find it. So he took one look at the pod and was like “ah, yes, the perfect receptacle to store the highly important Omega Key in!!”

But was Alpha Trion normal about it?

no

He could’ve just taken Smokey aside and been like “hey there take this key and give it to Prime, it’s important”

Or if he was worried about the ‘Cons finding the pod and stealing the key he still could have stored it in Smokescreen’s chest and been like “hey store this inside of you and be very careful and cautious around the Decepticons because you have precious cargo, it’s for my boy Prime” and Smokey would have obviously been on board with becoming a living FedEx package if it meant he’d meet his idol Optimus

But Trion was just like “mhHMMMM I’ll knock this young lad unconscious and put stuff in his body without his consent or knowledge, hopefully he realizes he has the fate of Cybertron inside of him! it sure would be a shame if he never realized that and went driving off and getting into fights very recklessly in a way that could get him and the key destroyed!!”

Couldn’t this absolute cheesebag have left a message behind or something? Like maybe leave behind a pink heart-shaped sticky note on Smokescreen’s forehead that says:

Hi, Optimus, it’s me, your dead father figure ;) I left an object behind in this young lad’s chest cavity, better get it out cause it can save our entire planet, anyway bye I’m dead

That way when Optimus found it and read it he’d instantly be able to extract the key, find out about the existence of the others, and begin searching for them ahead of time

Is there something here I’m not understanding?

Second of all, he has a beard. All of the poor souls seeing this are probably thinking to themselves: “Elindae, why would robotic facial hair anger you so much?” but I think you should all be asking “why WOULDN’T the robotic facial hair be an angering subject?”

Was he forged with a beard?? Just fresh out of the oven did bb sparkling Trion come laden with full facial hair??? The worldbuilding implications of this have me shaken. Did somebody ever look at that sparkling and think to themselves “why does this eight year old look like an eighty year old?”

In the episode where Optimus was straight up dying I was on the edge of my seat and then freakin robotic Dumbledore’s ominous floating torso appeared on my screen and the first thing I noticed was that dang beard. I wasn’t even like “oh no, Optimus is dying,” no, my first reaction was “oh no, why does that robot have a beard?” When he transforms, where does it even go? Does he have a compartment in his undercarriage for it? Does he COMB it or oil it?

Did he have his faceplate resculpted to have a beardlike appearance as he got older? Like a fashion statement?? Did they get the concept of beards from other aliens in the galaxy? Did Alpha Trion just wake up one day all like “I want to be a subpar version of Gandalf”?? I need ANSWERS Hasbro

Do Cybertronians gain beards as they age? If so why don’t more of them have beards?? They’re robots why do they need facial hair WHY--

anyway.

I hope I didn’t offend the Alpha Trion fandom too much (does he even have a fan following??) and I’m sorry if he’s like your favorite character or something and you stan him and you are shakin in rage at the sheer audacity of my Trion-focused rant. “this bitch, this bitch, this bitch is criticiZNG ALPHA TRION--” hmmm yes I am That Bitch

Unless it turns out he actually has good and valid reasons for all of his moral and facial transgressions, in which case ignore this post

(I don’t hate him as much as I hate Jack tho)

I will accept whatever rage will come my way, I just needed to get this out of my chest and eject it as if it was an Omega Key placed there by some old sap

Next chapter is still WIP. Love you. Pls let me know if I am alone or not in my hatred of this ominous bearded grandpa bot

[marvelloussynergy]

COMIC BOOK REFERENCES & EASTER EGGS - Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

For me personally, while Spider-Man: Far From Home is a great film, it was made even better by the many Easter eggs and comic book references Jon Watts crammed into it—especially the really obscure ones! The following is a guide to all the ones I’ve spotted along with any deviations from the source material (I will update this as more come to light). Note that owing to the convoluted and complex nature of comic books, I’ve tried to include only the most essential information regarding a character’s history and backstories.

In the comics, Aunt May has worked for F.E.A.S.T. (Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter, and Training), an organization that helps the homeless. This is alluded to in the film, with her cinematic counterpart working at a Salvation Army homeless shelter.

A poster featuring Crusher Hogan and advertising a $100 prize can be seen in the kitchen of the homeless shelter. Crusher Hogan is the wrestler Peter Parker beats in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), with $100 being the amount he earns for doing so. And while partially obscured, another name that’s listed could be Bone Saw McGraw, the wrestler Peter fights in the 2002 film Spider-Man.

A Piazza New York Mets flag can be seen in Peter’s room (it was also there in Spider-Man: Homecoming), indicating that he’s a fan, something he has in common with his comic book counterpart. This is revealed in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #33 (2001) in which we find out that Uncle Ben often took a young Peter to see the baseball team play.

The suitcase Peter uses bears the initials BFP, referring to Benjamin Parker (his middle name has yet to be canonically revealed), Peter’s uncle.

Ned Leeds and Betty Brant become a couple in the film. In the comics, Ned and Betty also dated each other before marrying in The Amazing Spider-Man #156 (1976). Note that the MCU version of Ned isn’t necessarily meant to be based on Ned Leeds, merely taking his name while being modeled after Ganke.

Two new characters at Peter’s school are derived from the comics. In both media, Mr Del (spelt “Dell” in the film) is a teacher at Peter’s school (he’s specifically a science teacher in the comic books). The cinematic version of Brad Davis competes with Peter for MJ’s attention. In the source material, he was a quarterback at Empire State University who went out on a date with MJ.

Far From Home sees Mysterio pretending to be a hero and tricking the public into believing Spider-Man is a criminal, which is essentially the story told in his debut issue—The Amazing Spider-Man #13 (1964). In the comics, Quentin Beck/Mysterio was a movie special effects artist and stuntman who sought a quick path to fame by trying to frame and kill Spider-Man. Though he doesn’t posses any powers, Beck’s costume contains various weaponry he can employ in combat. Parts of his suit can emit a smokescreen and hallucinogenic gas, which he often uses in tandem with his hologram projectors to disorient his foes. The crystal ball-esque helmet he dons—that he can see out of, but others can’t see into—contains a sonar device that allows him to “see” through the smoke around him. His gloves can dispel a web-dissolving acid, while his cape would electrically shock anyone who touched it.

In the film, Quentin Beck says he’s from Earth 833, while Peter’s reality is Earth Dimension 616. This follows the multiverse naming convention used in the comics. The mainstream Marvel Universe is known as Earth-616, Earth-833 is where Billy Braddock/Spider-UK comes from, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been designated Earth-199999. For those curious, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy takes place in Earth-96283, while Marc Webb’s two Spidey films are set in Earth-120703.

Though not a direct adaption of anything from the source material, the stealth suit Nick Fury gives Peter in the movie was inspired by two costumes from the comics: the black costume worn by Spider-Man Noir and the stealth costume (which has a camouflage mode) Peter develops early on in the “Big Time” (The Amazing Spider-Man #648-656, 2010-11) story arc.

In the comics, the Elementals are a group of beings that hail from another universe, each of who can control one of the elements. Hellfire has mastery over flames, Hydron can command water, Magnum is able to manipulate earth, and Zephyr has power over air. For the film, however, director Jon Watts decided to amalgamate the concept of the Elementals with some of Spidey’s classic foes.

The MCU earth Elemental takes some inspiration from Sandman. Flint Marko, having escaped from prison, hides on a beach where nuclear tests are conducted. After a nuclear explosion, he finds his body has taken on the properties of sand.

The water Elemental is based on Hydro-Man. During a battle between Spider-Man and Namor on board the U.S.S. Bulldog, crewman Morris “Morrie” Bench was knocked overboard, falling into the water just as an experimental generator was being tested. The energy from the device combined with underwater volcanic gases granted him the ability to turn his body into water. In the film, Hydro-Man’s origin story from the comics is cited by Flash as a possible explanation for the existence of the water Elemental.

The lava Elemental resembles Molten Man. Mark Raxton’s skin turned to metal after he’s covered with a liquid metal alloy that was created from substances found inside a meteor. He finds that he now has super strength, possesses skin that is highly resistant to injury, and is also able to generate intense heat, giving his body a molten form.

The air Elemental, meanwhile, could be based on Cyclone. Andre Gerard was an engineer who invented a weapon known as the Cyclone. With NATO not wanting to use his creation, he instead incorporated the technology into a suit that could create high-speed winds around him.

Despite the film not featuring direct adaptations of Sandman, Hydro-Man, Molten Man, and Cyclone, the debut issues of each character are referenced in Far From Home. When Fury and Maria Hill are shooting the earth Elemental the numbers 462 can be seen as part of a car’s number plate (The Amazing Spider-Man #4, 1963; Sandman’s first appearance), Fury’s car in Prague bears the number plate “ASM 28965” (The Amazing Spider-Man #28, 1965, which was published in September; Molten Man’s first appearance), an overturned car on Tower Bridge has “TASM 143” as its plate (The Amazing Spider-Man #143, 1975; Cyclone’s first appearance), and though not in the final cut of film—but present in the trailers—“Asm 212” can be seen on a boat in Venice (The Amazing Spider-Man #212, 1981; Hydro-Man’s first appearance).

Speaking of number plates, the one on the car Fury drives in Berlin is “MTU 83779,” a reference to Marvel Team-Up #83 published in July 1979. The issue sees Spider-Man and Nick Fury team up against Silver Samurai and Boomerang. In addition to being Cyclone’s debut issue, The Amazing Spider-Man #143 (1975) is also the issue in which Peter and MJ first kiss—hence the “TASM 143” number plate appearing on screen when Peter and MJ kiss in the film. The number plate on Aunt May’s car, unchanged from Homecoming, is “AMF 1562,” a nod to Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962). And lastly, in the post-credits scene we see the number plate of Talos’ car: “HNM 62011.” This is a reference to Hawkeye & Mockingbird #6 (2011) in which a Skrull impersonating Nick Fury is discovered.

This cinematic incarnation of MJ reveals to Peter that she knows he’s Spider-Man, with her comic book counterpart having done the same in The Amazing Spider-Man #257 (1984).

While the zombie Iron Man we see in the film was merely an illusion, there actually does exist a zombie Iron Man in the comics. This version of the character hails from Earth-2149 where all the Marvel heroes have been turned into zombies.

Though it is a newspaper in the mainstream comic continuity, The Daily Bugle is a news website in the film. Both iterations, though, have an anti-Spider-Man slant. In the Ultimate Universe, however, the publication did go digital-only, doing so in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11 (2010). The website in the issue is dailybugle.com; in the film it’s thedailybugle.net.

In the comics, J. Jonah Jameson is the executive editor and publisher of The Daily Bugle. What’s significant about the MCU incarnation of the character is that he’s played by J. K. Simmons, who portrayed the character in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy!

Spider-Man’s identity has been revealed in the comics—accidentally or otherwise—to members of the public several times. The MCU has Mysterio do this, but in Civil War #2 (2006) Peter himself willingly does so at a news conference as a way of showing his support of the Superhuman Registration Act. 

And while not exactly a reference to the comic books themselves, in Venice the students stay at Hotel DeMatteis, a nod to J. M. DeMatteis who has written many Spider-Man comics. Additional shout-outs to Spidey writers come in the form of signs that can be seen in the city: Calle Bendiso (Brian Michael Bendis), Calle Slotto (Dan Slott), Calle Sterno (Roger Stern), Calle Michelinio (David Michelinie), and Calle G. Convayo (Gerry Conway).

In terms of references to the wider MCU, the biggest would have to be Tony Stark’s death, which occurred at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Pictures of him, along with Captain America, Black Widow, and Vision can be seen as part of the in memoriam video a student at Midtown School of Science & Technology creates. The disappearance and return of half the universe’s population is referred to as “the blip.” Happy Hogan hands May a large cheque for the homeless shelter signed by Pepper Potts. Videos about the Snap, Wakanda, Hydra, Einstein Rosen Bridges (featuring Erik Selvig), and Iron Man can be seen as part of the in-flight entertainment. Various other heroes are also named-dropped: Thor (who’s offworld), Doctor Strange (who’s unavailable to help Fury), and Captain Marvel (Fury tells Peter to not invoke her name). We find out that Quentin Beck was the one who invented B.A.R.F., and was present backstage at MIT during Stark’s demonstration of it in Captain America: Civil War. William—who we first met in Iron Man—has joined Beck in his revenge against Stark. At one point, Fury mentions the presence of Kree sleeper cells, and that this information was top secret. And in the post-credits scene we find out that Talos and his wife, Soren, have been impersonating Fury and Maria Hill respectively during the course of the film.

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[almostprime]

🗡.

  « MEME┇🗡Give my muse the option to face up to three tortures on this list, or else they will hurt someone they love. »

      ❝ go ahead, smokescreen. tell me how i should punish you. ❞

the brig’s dim, blue lights reflected from smoked finish, creating an aura of the borealis within his paint. doorwings trembled low upon his spinal column, his frame deceiving his futile attempts to remain calm, and appear unbothered by intimidation tactics. however, given the situation, smokescreen could no longer push his fear aside for the blinding urge to prove his worth. to make optimus proud, to... belong somewhere for the first time in his entire existence. the warlord knows where their base is. megatron was no stranger to deception, the young autobot was knowledge of that. however... the innocent, naïve youngling was easily swayed, processor crumbling with the unanswered “what if’s”. there was no escape, no getting around what was to come.

nonvoluntarily, smokescreen found himself backing away, optics lowered to avoid looking at the monstrous incarnate before him. his spark palpitated, haywire within his chassis. instinct told him to fight back, to run, to hide. plead for mercy. get away, escape. but there was no other option, logically speaking. drain me of my energon... lock me in the dark, promise me methods of torture beyond belief. terrify me. break me down, piece by piece. that was what smokescreen thought he himself could handle, it was tamer than any other unimaginable pain. that was what smokescreen wished to say. so his mouth opened.

     ❝ get fragged, you’re lying! ❞  his voice raised, fear driven. shrill and echoing off the walls, entire frame shaking with rage and... more so fear. it shown all over his body. smokescreen was not one to be able to hide how he felt... it was written all over his fascia. a sneer curled his lip, a hint of glistening lubricant within his optics,  

❝ there’s nothing you can do to me that i can’t handle. you. don’t. scare. me. ❞

[firebirdtransam68]

When I Prefer Micron Legend And Superlink Over Generation One

Without Generation One, there will be no Transformers franchise (no Beast Wars, no Robots In Disguise, no Unicron Trilogy, no Bayformers, no Animated, no Aligned continuity, no Bumblebee (2018), no other work relating to Transformers).

Generation One originated in the 1980's, considered to be the best decade in pop culture history.  Transformers gave us giant robots besides Mecha anime shows like Voltron, Gundam, Mazinger, Robotech, and Evanglion; cool music ("The Touch," anyone?), and many different ideas for fan media.  The franchise is also well-known for having so many different characters of many different incarnations, with G1 being the most intriguing.

That said, while I really like Generation One, I came across two (technically three, but I saw two) anime shows that have the most G1 callbacks of all Transformers works; these anime shows are Micron Legend (original version of Armada) and Superlink (original version of Energon).  As I saw both of these anime series, and am currently rewatching the Generation One TV show, there are many factors in Micron Legend and Superlink that are actually better than G1.

Here are some examples where Micron Legend and Superlink are superior to the Generation One TV show:

- Micron Legend and Superlink prove to be darker and more heart-wrenching than G1; for instance, Thrust's death in Micron Legend looks more gruesome than Starscream's death in the 1986 film (getting slowly crushed to death feet first over freezing into crumbling stone the instant a laser hit its target), and the reactions to Optimus' death induced me to tears in Micron Legend (Hot Rod blaming himself for yelling at Optimus without getting a chance to apologize or say goodbye, even Megatron was grieving for his arch-nemesis' death (listen to him shouting Optimus' name after Prime was reduced to space dust in Episode 39), also Starscream's reaction in Episode 40), as well as Unicron

- Unicron's interior (and the Planet Eater, in general) is more unsettling than in G1; mind screwing other Transformers, tentacles trapping characters, paralyzed Transformers, the Micron's (Mini-con) origin, etc., the whole interior is similar to many cocooned scenes in Aliens (1986)

- The anime shows did not overdo it with puns (they hardly have any puns), while G1 had plenty of puns (yet interesting terminology); Armada and Energon, on the other hand, are filled with confusing puns that even 4Kids would have done better with during their career

- The characters in Micron Legend and Superlink were introduced better and more coherent than in G1 (G1 had the characters debut without any explanation as to how they arrived to Earth and allied with the rest of the Autobots or Decepticons (it was never explained how Brawn and Huffer came to be in Episode 9 vs. Silverbolt (Blurr) was called by Devastator (Scavenger) to search for more Microns in Episode 20 of Micron Legend)

- The Transformers in Micron Legend and Superlink are a lot more human than the Transformers in G1; for instance, they make sounds when in pain or distressed (grunting, groaning, screaming, and whining), show exhaustion after running or fighting, have inner thoughts (anime tends to do that, anyways, mostly with humans), and even sob (younger Transformers tend to cry, while older Transformers are silent, or scream in agony (like Optimus Prime in Episode 33 when Grap (Smokescreen) died); of course they have feelings and emotions); they even make grunting or screaming sounds while in their alt-modes (even more so than G1, which did not do as much human-like sounds with alt-modes as with robot modes); to put it plainly, they are more relatable to most audiences

- The soundtrack (score) in Micron Legend has a more variety than G1 did (classical, rock, 1980's style music, and sometimes techno (especially in Superlink))

- Even Superion looks better in Superlink than in G1

- Certain characters subvert their traditional G1 roles in Micron Legend and Superlink (like Starscream whose main motive was not overthrowing Megatron and is more sympathetic than his G1 counterpart, and Ironhide who is a Decepticon instead of an Autobot and is younger instead of older)

- The deaths in Micron Legend and Superlink are a lot sadder than in G1 (Starscream in Micron Legend (Episode 48) and Ironhide in Superlink (Episode 16), as well as Optimus Prime in Micron Legend (Episode 39) and a few others in Superlink such as Wing Dagger and Inferno (both of which got better and had new forms))

- Micron Legend and Superlink are more mature than G1 (even though G1 has more mature themes like espionage and betrayal than other cartoon shows)

- The two shows are more thrilling, exciting, suspenseful, action-packed, and have me at the edge of my seat, especially in the last episode of Micron Legend

- Age is more apparent in Micron Legend and Superlink than in Generation One (behavior, wisdom, height (sometimes), even voice); younger Transformers tend to be more emotional than older Transformers, for instance; both Autobots and Decepticons have really young, almost teenage-like, Transformers (Hot Rod (Hot Shot) and Ironhide (Demolishor) are really well-known examples) that make the anime shows a lot lighter despite their really dark themes

- While G1 was set in 1984 when the show debuted (1984), it was implied that Micron Legend was set in a more contemporary future like 2010 when the anime debuted (2002-2003)

- G1 had nearly the whole human population know about the Transformers since the More Than Meets The Eye portion, while in Micron Legend, the whole population (aside from the main human characters and the children) were unaware about the Transformers existing until Superlink (set in a farther away future); and since even Decepticons have children in their rankings, it is slightly concerning how the adult humans would react if they were to come across at least one of them (God forbid if they started to attack Ironhide in front of Megatron, Starscream, or Sandstorm (Cyclonus)), since Deceptions are brutal enemies, and their leader may be more dangerous when a younger Decepticon gets attacked (even in self-defense); in other words, humans are generally safer in Micron Legend than in G1, in which the Decepticons would be more than pleased to attack, kill, or even kidnap humans for their own agenda

- The two anime shows are how I became really interested in seiyuu in the first place (especially before I knew some of them in Sonic X); seiyuu are extremely underrated in Transformers since not very many fans (Trans-fans and seiyuu fans) talk about them as much

- Micron Legend and Superlink are generally really underrated anime shows

Of course, Generation One will always be better than most other works, but if you add the two anime series to the equation, Generation One has many flaws (then again, almost all Transformers works have errors), and some of their plots are slightly off and confusing.  Micron Legend and Superlink does better with the plot and introduction, but the only reason I will put them in a draw with G1 is that G1 has classic 1980's songs that the anime shows do not have, and the anime shows have more callbacks to Generation One.

That is all I will be saying for now.  I am still making a list of specific content that I want to see more on Tumblr, DeviantArt, and many other fandom-friendly sites; I still have more to be filled in before I consider it complete so I can post it.

Stay tuned for future posts.

This is FirebirdTransAm68 signing out.

[sclfmastery]

Okay you don’t have to post this or read this but can I just like. Vent in comment form rq? I say I’m unsure about 13 and I get hated on! Majorly! I’ve been unsure about every doctor until I’ve seen a couple episodes of them, and I love that we have a FEMALE DOCTOR NOW (like, that’s awesome), but people are asking me to have a full-fledged opinion of a tiniest corner of a painting still in progress! Like, Is it okay to be not fully on board with her rn? I legit don’t know. Sorry. needed to vent.

Nah, you know, it’s okay.  I mean first of all, I’m glad you felt you could vent to me without me being cruel in return; hopefully that shows I’m approachable and nice in some regard. <3   Especially since 90% of my blog lately is spam about how much I adore Thirteen lolol. 

What you’re talking about isn’t the same thing as the flimsy smokescreen excuses that male fans, and misogynistic fans in general, keep putting up on social media, when you can point to instances in previous, male, incarnations of the Doctor that hold the same “problems” that these fans claim make the Thirteenth Doctor “terrible.”  Like, “she’s too optimistic and clownish!” and you’re left scratching your head wondering what on earth grimdark show they’ve been watching since the 1960s.  

Moreover, you’re not saying “Jodie  Whittaker ruined Doctor Who!” like these fans almost unilaterally are saying.  You’re just saying that every time there’s a new Doctor, you have to undergo an emotional adjustment period.  And that’s perfectly fair.  And I’m sorry people are conflating that with the sexist assholes crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches.   I personally would argue that the sparse scenes we’ve been shown do already confirm that Jodie has the role under her belt, a combination of confused melancholy and emphatic, sometimes brusque, adventurousness, but not everybody will feel that way off the bat.  

Honestly I think I understand where you’re coming from because everyone has a “first” beloved incarnation of a recurring Time Lord character on this show, usually the Doctor or the Master, and I know I do.  When it comes to the Master, the first ended up somehow being the favorite too, for me.  And I have gotten a lot of flack (mostly over with and done, thankfully), over choosing Simm!Master as my favorite Master. I have even been accused of being “against” Missy, both as a character and as an expressly “female” Master, when in reality I adore Missy: she just doesn’t touch me on a personal level the way Simm’s performance does. 

 I always have to make it explicitly known that the chosen gender of a character has zero to do with whether or not I love them: all while saying that, also, in the science fiction community in particular, establishing both the Doctor and the Master as women is an epochal event deserving exuberant celebration.   The Doctor especially, imho, because she’s a hero figure and a role model to girls and young women now.  

It’s a balancing act, because while you don’t want to disregard the Doctor’s gender–because acting like “gender doesn’t matter” is a sign of gendered privilege and shouldn’t be encouraged–you also don’t want to make EVERYTHING about her gender either, eclipsing other nuances of characterization and storytelling intent.  

It can be tough, I know. I hope your experience in our fandom improves soon.  <3 

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Trapped by Tropes: Spoon, The New Pornographers, Alt-J, Charly Bliss

Forget authenticity, anti-commercialism and the like — above all, indie-rock as a genre fascinates for how performers quiver beneath the anxiety of influence, nervously seesawing between referents. One new sound can stay in the culture forever if acolytes repeat it, pay tribute to it, revive it when it falls out of fashion, or reverse it while acknowledging the original’s primacy. In 2017 it often takes effort to distinguish between novel forms and received ones, alternative forms and normative ones. The four bands reviewed below walk these tightropes with varying degrees of grace.

Spoon: Hot Thoughts (Matador)

I’d say this clinches it, but they clinched it a decade ago: Britt Daniel and company only know how to make one album, which they’ve done about a half dozen times over a now storied career. It’s a pretty good one, though, and it keeps getting more fanciful within established strictures. That four to five men should for years take such professional delight in tweaking such an oddly staid model of lightweight guitar-rock, rather like a cat batting around a ball of yarn, is an amusement in itself.

If ever a band were trapped by formula, Spoon is it, but that misses the point somehow. Formula is their subject, their muse. That jerky, tensile style of guitar/piano jitter rattles around in their bones, as inextricable from the band dynamic as Daniel’s raw bleat. Musical strategies that with other bands might indicate attempts to break the mold have long since become integrated into said formula; Spoon’s mild spareness accommodates any range of sly sound effects and compositional experiments. Recent Spoon albums have abounded with more good and bad sonic ideas than most bands manage to pack in, and this installment is no different — the long synth intro with gradual guitar fade-in on “WhisperI’lllistentohearit,” the shakers/rainstick on “Pink Up,” the keyboard belches augmenting or replacing the guitar parts — and yet none violates the boundaries of the compressed, muscular template they invented around the turn of the millennium. The title track’s confluence of ominous electronic ostinato, heavy guitar crunch, and plinky cowbellesque percussion produces quite the slinky stunner, while “Shotgun” lopes purposefully along, its interlocking rhythm guitar parts barking at each other. Much of the rest remains beige, clunky, and male, which isn’t a bad thing — imagine those adjectives in their friendliest incarnations.

The brand of quirk-rock available here isn’t quiet, but it is slight; the album might not fit into casual contexts. Spoon’s jarring, stop-and-go motion demands the listener pause and contemplate the album as a self-conscious aesthetic object. The preponderance of these objects in indie-rock is at once its most pressing limitation and its great gift to the world.

The New Pornographers: Whiteout Conditions (Concord)

Self-consciousness usually compounds formal dilemmas rather than solves them, but every album don’t work out that way. Sometimes it’s fun to watch musicians puzzle their way out of a tight box, as with the New Pornographers, the infamous, long-running, ever-shifting aggregate of Canadian singer-songwriters who here defeat indie-rock’s self-referential impotence with, er, a beguiling concept album about self-referential impotence. It rocks, too!

Dominated by mainstay A.C. Newman and essential covocalists Neko Case and Katherine Calder, this is their best project in a decade or more because ordinary rules regarding the linear motion of time don’t apply: like many bands acutely conscious of their predecessors, they frolic in the wreckage that litters posthistorical space. Furthermore, they’ve written a bunch of songs about being an indie band struggling to survive in some dystopian confluence of straitened material circumstance and the aforementioned abstract posthistorical space .”I only play for money honey,” begins the first song, and by the end their “blues from the last world/news from the future” has been “consigned to the dustbins.” They dodge their chronic scatteredness, adopting a consistent sound that, puzzlingly, recalls Broken Bells, testing the preciousness of their guitar-based songwriting against integrated electronics that function as jabs in the ribs. Their smooth mesh of acoustic and electric guitars readily admits alternately whizzy, spattery, and serene synthesizer parts, caught up in crafted, high-flying soar. Propelled through the air from beginning to end, the album deploys its riffage with such streamlined efficiency it takes several listens to notice the spiraling melody adorned with synth staccato in “Whiteout Conditions,” the raw guitar blasts dotting the steady bassline in “Darling Shade,” the way the chorus in “Colosseums” swells up anthemically only to clamp down on itself hard, all achieving grace and ease that belies the frustrations expressed in song.

The depth of their defeatism reveals the limits of their musical world; the collapse of their own particular tradition doesn’t mean the collapse of all music. It’s hard to fault said defeatism as a critic who has made criticisms of indie-rock similar to those the band repeats and turns on itself. No collapse of tradition prevents genre obsessives from assembling records into elegant, hummable, distinct pop shapes. Come for the hooks and stay for a scary, inchoate sense of political urgency.

Alt-J: Relaxer (Infectious/Atlantic)

Caring about indie consensus in 2017 means pondering bands who mistake eccentricity for notability and consider divergence from received form reasonable evidence for talent. After two passable albums on which they defined their own amateurish, electronic, mechanized, folkish sound, the English experimental rockers here tweak that sound several steps over the edge in accordance with the above two misconceptions, and the whimsy is just too much to bear.

There’s no denying their originality — no other band assembles slithering acoustic guitar strings and antiseptic keyboard hum into such hushed, mesmerizing, immaculately interlocking clockwork ticky-tock. They demonstrate excellently how admirable attempts to create new sonic templates often produce labored ones. Theoretically, the organic and electronic elements would click into a striking musical contraption, a hissing, chirping metal machine cobbled together from moving parts, spinning reassuringly around the coffee table; indeed, “Matilda” and “Fitzpleasure” from their first album exemplify this ideal. There’s a calming quality to it, as the charm of the mechanical elements overlaps with the relaxed, brushed folk guitar. To accentuate the prettiness on the current album, they slow down the tempos, sing more breathily, foreground the painstakingly strummed or plucked acoustic riffs, and generally dilute each element until they attenuate the wires running through the machine, and the whole thing unravels into a pile of gears,poles,snapped strings, and smaller contraptions themselves unraveling. The record that emerges from the mess, at once wispy, whispery, and robotic, struggles to associate attenuated sound with attenuated emotion. The one upbeat exception sticks out awkwardly: “Hit Me Like That Snare,” as crazed a sex-rocker as you’re likely to hear this year. Its tinny guitar chug comes as a relief.

Given music this tightly sprung, make sure not to hit the quick release. Provided the parts haven’t rusted over, I await the day they reassemble their gadgetry.

Charly Bliss: Guppy (Barsuk)

The question’s been asked a billion times: given a billion practically identical young punkish bands, why the hell does this one sound so special? There’s often no answer; hear enough such bands and ask the question often enough, and a healthy respect for the gods of arbitrariness emerges. That Charly Bliss’s brand of power punk should delight so makes no sense, and delights for that too.

Despite their sunny cheer, the pop-punk tag sits uneasily on them. The tempos are too frantic, the rumbling guitar roar too distorted, the mix too dirty. This is more like Grimes singing for Roomrunner — scrawny messy energetic whomp meets Eva Hendricks, whose squeaky, sugary scream abrades at this moment in history like no electric guitar will. Positing a dialectic between girly vocalist and tough band would be too facile, reliant on a spuriously gendered equivalence between guitar noise and macho defiance. It’s the musical juxtaposition that thrills, as Hendricks and the electric riffage press similar buttons in the mind’s ear. As for the guitars, she and Spencer Fox rip out harsh, fuzzy, clanky power chords as if throwing a smokescreen in front of the frenetic pounding beat hot on their tails. Sweet melodies shake out the dirt from their hair before turning back on themselves in perfect feelgood resolution (“Black Hole”); others get halfway there and rub their dissonance in your face (“Westermarck”). Stylistically and technologically, the album could easily have come out in the ‘90s, but I like them better in our modern age — you can hear how much they adore a form passed down and refined through history. That’s their secret.

I hope they don’t maintain such ebullient crunch forever — it would wear thin — but for at least the length of an album, it galvanizes. Here’s another riddle: do the songs themselves express joy, or were they just so happy to have written these songs that the joy springs from the performance?

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