I happen to reallylike Tranformers Animated. I own both AllSpark Almanacs and around ten of the toys (to be fair, cmyoung gave me about half of them because he’s awesome like that) and the first two seasons on dvd (because they don’t appear to have season 3 dvds and that makes me so mad). I really like Sari Sumdac – haters to the left.
What I don’t like about Transformers Animated is how closely it sticks to the Smurfette Principle. There are no main female Autobots except maybe Arcee who is basically a plot device not a full character, and the only major female transformer at all is Black Arachnia. It’s even more frustrating because I get the feeling that they tried to be more inclusive than former Transformers series. The (for lack of a better term) NPC robots in the AllSpark Almanacs are more evenly balanced gender-wise (don’t get me startedon robot gender btw). So what gives?
Well, apparently there was supposed to be a female version of Red Alert on the main team. Who was later changed to Ratchet, who I like but I can’t help thinking I might of liked Red Alert more. And I’m going to give the creators a bone and hazard a guess that it was sexism higher up – probably the merchandise guys spouting some “female toys don’t sell!” stuff. That being said, it still whomps.
I like Red Alert’s design. Maybe make a couple of adjustments or two – but I like the way she looks. I’m even going to jump forward and say she should have elements of the original Red Alert’s personality. By that I mean that I kinda like paranoid characters and I rarely see paranoid female characters and think that would be great.
Anyway, this post was originally supposed to be about my Dream Transformers Team but I got sidetracked so let’s get on that.
Optimus Prime – a given as Team Leader
Female!Red Alert – as described above, filling the role of Team Medic and Team Gruff Paranoid Cynic
Arcee – Pretty much her Transformers Prime incarnation which I adore and want to see more of – as Lancer and Fighter
Bulkhead – as the Heavy Fighter and also because I really like Bulkhead
Bumblebee – as Team Heart I kind of like TFPrime and the movie’s incarnation where he seems really sweet yet funny.
I could also see: Blurr (who could easily be genderbent) as the Speedster and Gets-into-trouble guy (mixing his personality with TFA’s Bumblebee) and Jazz as the Arbitrator (because these guys would probably get into loads of arguments).
I would also want to see Inferno in the Deceptions because I love Inferno and I think he’d make a good counterbalance to Starscream in the way that Lugnut does (I also love Lugnut).
The point is I really wanted Red Alert to be on the the main team. Also that I am not very good with G1 or G2 stuff. And I overuse parenthesis.
So, Autobot and Decepticon architecture. But mostly Decepticon.
First thing that gets one’s attention is colour scheme. Autobots like light or bright colours, golden being their primary peference. Decepticons’ favourite colour is purple (duh). I wonder why. I mean, it’s the colour of the insignia, but somebody chose it…
Seeing how the D-con insignia is designed after Soundwave’s head, purple is probably related to his paintjob as well. Somebody seems to like Soundwave way too much. *coughMegatroncough*
Decepticons’ mania for gigantism (you know, huge towers, halls, statues) is the result of their past. Most of Decepticons were used to being confined in small spaces before the war: mines, barracks, you name it. This is why after they got a chance to organise space around them, they… went a bit overboard with it. For most of them, it seemed like an amazing luxury: look, vast hallways! Tall ceilings! All of this room just for us?!
The lack of light on the Nemesis is a result of Decepticon mentality too. The ‘cons are obsessed with gathering energon; most of them were nearly running on empty in the past, and the fear of hunger is one of the strongest among them. Decepticons spare no expence on rations and fuel for their weapons; however, they strive to conserve energon in every other way – including lights inside the ships or buildings. After all, they can always calibrate their optic sensors to see in the dimly lit areas.
When it comes to architecture, Autobots like soft, firm lines; their buildings look sturdy, close to the ground, solid. Favourite shapes for them would be square and circle. Decepticons, on the other hand, fancy sharp angles and tall towers. They took a lot from Seeker traditional architecture, as seen in the city of Vos, including the love for open balconies and terraces with no railings. Because what use are railings for a faction mostly consisting of flyers? (This is where the upper throne terrace of Darkmount came from.)
Autobots’ ideal architectural feature is a dome; for Decepticons it’s a spire. The same goes for their standards of beauty: Autobots like curves and round forms, Decepticons find spiky lines and angles attractive.
Can we all appreciate the fact that Breakdown was probably one of the few Decepticons that actually cared for the well being of his fellow Decepticons. Like in Episode 10 “Dues Ex Machina” when Starscream extracts the energon from a random vehicon and breakdown tries to reach for him, like wanting to help him but knowing he too would perish if he did.
Or when he has a coversation with a Vehicon
he just a protective giant that cared for the wellbeing of his friends. ;____;
The Rise of the Functionist Cybertron, and the rise of Megatron’s Decepticons.
Survive and Thrive, the main mantra of Cybertronian Religion. Given that those words are associated with Primus, The Primus that birthed the Guiding hand, it is safe to assume that several Cybertronian religions use that phrase in one way or another.
And these are words to literally life and die by in the Functionist universe. These three words are what makes up the Functionist Cybertron and how it operates.
The problem is that it circling the drain, the whole race and culture dying off. We have in fact seen it before.
However, despite it’s outward appearances, the Functionist Cybertron is surviving and thriving, if you stretch that meaning of the word. They deal in absolutes and rule with an iron fist without mass-scale violence on Cybertron. They compromise and give in outside of Cybertron. They pay for peace, to be left alone.
Because that’s the only option that they have.
The rest of space was ready for them. They knew how to deal with mechanicals, they had formed entire bureaucracies in response to mechanicals that could spill over. So even if the Functionist Cybertron wanted to stretch out to gain more resources or bigger borders around them in space, they were slapped down.
But if that fate befell the Functionist Cybertron, why is it exactly Megatron that elevates the Cybertronian race to a force to be fearful of and respect?
It comes from the flawed way that the Functionists fight dissent.
By removing words.
It is a very effective way to fight. The ability to listen to others is very easy to use and accept. The ability to speak and convey ideas is very important when it comes to going against someone, to have the right words, which is a very effective tool. The Functionists believe that by attacking words they are attacking the root of the problem, crumbling down the foundation of something bigger that can overcome them.
The attack on words has even evolved and been made both better and more efficient in the millions of years that has passed. Going after the words is their main method of fighting.
And trying to do the same to alien species isn’t going to work. So there are compromises, the wish to be left alone, to be isolated. Because there is no way to fight against the words of aliens.
The fundamental flaw of this kind of fighting is the failure to acknowledge what lies beneath the words. Because words is not what comes first. It is the meaning of them, what lies beneath.
Because even when Functionist Cybertron Rewind loses hope, the concept behind the words is still there.
And that is what the Functionists overlooked.
Because when Megatron loses his words, but his conviction and the knowledge of the unjust world is still in his mind, he has one tool left for disposal, one thing he can use when words are lacking. Violence. Direct physical violence.
However the use of violence is very hard to direct. In fact others can easily use it and manipulate it for themselves. But what Ratbat failed to account for is whom he sent to manipulate the violence and direct it for his own gain.
Soundwave with his ability to read emotions and know how hard life is in the underground seems like an ideal candidate to negotiate with Megatron, to supply him with the weapons while knowing exactly what to say to him by reading his emotions. But by doing that, the words are stripped away and the underlying meaning stands bare for Soundwave.
Meaning and gestures is also a very powerful tool. It’s subtle, hard to use compared to the written word or to the sharpened sword, but it is still a way to show empathy, even if it is shown in small doses because it is hard to do something stirring emotions in millions of beings. But it is still a viable tactic to use.
Especially when the words are gone.
And from Cybertron arose a new type of Cybertronian species. Someone that does not manipulate words, but uses force first and foremost. Cybertron exploded into space in violence, and continued to use said violence as a default interaction with anything.
Megatron even does not allow anyone to be able to use words or violence against them as he strikes before anyone would even have the chance.
And yet, both Cybertron worlds are going by the words, Survive and Thrive. Functionist Cybertron does it by paying for peace while keeping the energon shortage at bay by reducing the demand for Energon. Megatron’s Cybertron does it by rapid expansion, making sure that nothing will be able to stand in their way or to rise up against them. Nothing can slap them down with a simple gesture, a single battle or with law, the Cybertronians are too great of a force to be just pushed aside and be forgotten.
So there’s a thing I noticed in MTMTE which I really like and which moves me deeply.
In this comic, the acts of greatest bravery are committed by two biggest cowards in the whole story: one from the Autobot side, one from the Decepticon. I’m talking about Tailgate and Fulcrum, of course.
First, there’s Tailgate. A little janitor bot who’s technically two weeks old in the beginning of the story; weak, jumpy, naive, full of insecurities and issues. Who missed six million of years of war and woke up in a completely unfamiliar world, only to learn that he is sick and slowly dying.
And this panicky, shy bot takes down the insane Chief Justice Tyrest – all to protect his friends. Using the symptoms of his illness to his advantage. It is easier for somebody like Rodimus or Cyclonus to be brave; they are warriors, they’ve seen many horrors in their lives, they are pretty strong and can take care of themselves. But Tailgate only heard of the war in stories; Tailgate is a very young civilian with major fears and crushed hopes; and he finds it in himself to use the fact that he’s dying to his friends’ benefit. To fight the most terrifying person he’s seen. This is what true strenght is.
And on the Decepticon side we have Fulcrum. And let me tell you this: I still think that his act in Issue 8 was the single bravest, most heroic and badass thing in the whole series – not to mention it was deeply touching and sad.
Fulcrum is a technician who was prosecuted for cowardice on the battlefield. He wad reformatted into K-class, meaning that he became a kamikaze programmed to transform into a bomb when he jumps from a height. Which he – the only one of all K-class – didn’t do because he was so afraid that fear paralyzed him during the jump. He meets the Scavengers – a ragtag group of misfits who are known to be “the worst Decepticons ever” – and who instantly take him in.
The DJD come after them – a squad of fanatics whose job is to torture and murder all traitors to Decepticon cause. You know, the DJD. Whose very names cause every Decepticon nightmares.
And Fulcrum – the coward, the loser, the one plagued by fear – stands upto the DJD. He calls them out on every horrible thing they did and attempts to sacrifice his life to get rid of the DJD and protect his newfound teammates: he jumps off the cliff. His attempt failed and, fortunately, he survives, but it’s the act that matters – and it was amazing.
So… I like these two plotlines very much. And I like what they mean: that no matter how much you fear, how weak or insignificant you deem yoursef – if you have something dear to protect, you can be a hero.
Now, you guys know all about Knock Out and Breakdown and how they’re all married in the comics, right? And how on Velocitron, speed is everything?
So that sucks for Breakdown from a societal point of view. But from a practical point of view, speed is important to the Velocitronians for other reasons.
And why was that a big deal again?
Right, that.
So if you aren’t super hella fast, you run a significant risk of burning to death in the intense heat of the Velocitronian sun. Now in the comic, the only two Velocitronian bots we ever see chilling outside their city period are Moonracer and Knock Out.
And by virtue of the things we see them talking about, and their high social standing, we can probably assume they’re two of the fastest bots on the planet.
Now… the holiday special issue. We only get a tiny bit of Knock Out and Breakdown, but what do we see them doing?
Awww, he and Breakdown went on a honeymoon out in the Acid Wastes! That’s adorable!
But also, consider. Leaving the city on Velocitron is dangerous. If you’re not naturally fast, you stand a very good chance of dying a fiery death. Moonracer is the first bot to race outside the city in seventy years, and keeping pace with Navitas for a day was an impressive enough feat to get her a position as an interplanetary diplomat.
Breakdown… is not a fast bot. He’s so very not-fast that some people treat him “like a cripple.” Has he ever driven outside? Has he ever even had his wheels on natural ground? From what we hear about Velocitron, it doesn’t seem that likely.
And Knock Out took him to the Acid Wastes. Undeveloped land, stretching for miles and miles, no buildings even in sight, no reason to rush back or worry, no natural hazards that come anywhere near the danger of suddenly burning to death because you couldn’t outrun the sun. Just wide open spaces, and all the time in the world to drive it. I’m pretty sure Knock Out just gave his husband the most romantic present he could ever have imagined.
1.
He may be a mech of unsubtle manners, but he makes a split-second moral
decision that put his rescuer’s seemingly righteous actions to
shame. This suggests he has a moral compass that operates independently of his allegiances and his grudges and is capable of overturning both.
2. He is not
a disposable member of the Decepticon command. I hear a lot about how
“nobody went looking looking for Breakdown” when he was abducted, but
they forget that Starscream & Co risked a heck of a lot to get him
back. While SS’s motives were ultimately self-serving, they don’t negate the
fact that he considered Breakdown a “valuable” member of his team.
People tend to assume that Breakdown arrived in tow when Starscream
summoned Knock Out to the Nemesis; in fact, Starscream summoned them
both.
3. His aim is not compromised by the loss of an optic.
4.
At no point does he accept that he is beaten by MECH. He remains
defiant up to and beyond the moment when he believes himself beyond
rescue. This fact makes me cry a little sometimes.
5. Both his hands can turn into hammers but the left almost never does. This is objectively neat, and it also means he’s right-handed.
*
I actually can’t bloody watch that episode anymore, it’s too upsetting.
But I remember a reading a review that complained of the lack of
character development it afforded Breakdown, which is rubbish. He
undergoes more development in that episode than some of the Autobots
do in the entire season. The only thing worth complaining about is how subsequent episodes seem to forget about all of it.
Serious Sci Fi™ always assumes that alien ships, weapons, uniforms, etc., will be in Serious Colours™ – black/white/grey/dark red/etc.
but like. what makes a colour Serious is totally culturally/environmentally defined.
what i’m saying is if you don’t have at least one alien race with terrifying badasses who dress entirely in pastel pinks and yellows you’re a goddamn coward.
In at least some Transformers continuities, their vital fluid is pink. It doesn’t come up often, but there’s at least one Decepticon out there with pink claws.
Also due to being The Girl One there’s the all pink and white Arcee in G1 as well. She doesn’t get much to do, but I always find it deeply amusing that gender stereotyping led to the creation of a robot who looks drenched in the blood of her enemies.
Does anyone remember the Cybertronian goth theory from the Padded Cell? How all the girls are the colors of death- the red of rusty iron, pink of energon, turquoise of rusty copper, etc.? The Resistance ladies are TERRIFYING
Cybertronian Database 