30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 27

A Song You Associate With The Series

I had to put a lot of thought into this one because I never really had any songs associated with MTMTE. I decided to go with Dare by Stan Bush from Transformers: The Movie. Once I did, I found a lyric video on YouTube and when I read the lyrics, I could not believe how perfect a song that it is. Go ahead and watch the video, I’ll wait.

Awesome, right? This is exactly what Rodimus and the crew of the Lost Light are doing. Their dreams of a renewed and reborn Cybertron were shattered after the events of Chaos. Instead of a new Golden Age, Cybertron was a ruined, primordial shell of what the bots once knew. Nothing, save for a lone city, remained intact.

They chose to ignore Prowl and Bumblebee who would try to keep their spirits down and chose to leave their past behind and set out to find that place where dreams survive.

Rodimus literally held the future (the Matrix) in his hand as they set off. Now, largely through their efforts, Cybertron will be coming out of the darkness (Dark Cybertron), stumbling into the light.

Thanks to those who dared, Cybertron appears to be headed for a bright new future. One in which Autobots, Decepticons and those that remain unaffiliated can share in the majesty of a new Golden Age.

This entry is part 27 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 26

A description or sketch for a human version of one of the characters

You know, I never really thought about this until I saw this day’s topic. Well, there was Cybertronian Homesick Blues, where the bots take on Super Intuitive holomatter Avatars which essentially answers this question for a few.

Super Intuitive Avatars

One of Brainstorms few non-weapon projects.

I thought the characterization was right on – Rewind has the video camera, Skids’ ID card is blank (like his memory), Rung and Swerve are unmistakable, Tailgate is a baby (since he has been offline nearly the entire 6 million years of his life) and Whirl has an eyepatch (so he only has a single useful eye) and guns. Bonus points for the eyepatch on Whirl’s Autobot badge!

I didn’t include Ultra Magnus here since his avatar was simply a representation of Verity Carlo and not of his personality. But you know, it would be interesting to see whether it would end up representing the Ultra Magnus we know and love or Minimus Ambus – the guy in the suit.

Finally, we were treated to Ratchet’s avatar back when he was on Delphi, albeit a corrupted version.

Ratchet's Corrupted Avatar

It’s actually pretty accurate since Ratchet was corroding at the time.

Of course, this is far from a new concept. We can go all the way back to the original G1 comics for the first look at holomatter avatars. Here’s a shot of mine from Transformers Issue #14:

Hoist's Avatar

After all these years, I still do.

This entry is part 26 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 25

Favorite Action/Fight Scene

The titan battle in Dark Cybertron!

Ultra Magnus and the others helped Metroplex get back to Cybertron after using his thumb to find him corroding away underwater on an unknown world. He immediately began fighting against Shockwave’s undead Necrotitan, as if he knew that he needed to be there to protect Cybertron.

Metroplex Battles the Necrotitan

It’s a tale of two cities.

Unfortunately, Metroplex was still weak from all those years away from Cybertron and the Necrotitan quickly gained the upper hand.

Necrotitan gains the upper hand.

I believe in you Metroplex!

Megatron realized that Metroplex was trying desperately to get to the Lost Light because he knew that his thumb was there. Megatron, with the assistance of his new best friend, Bumblebee, used his internal space bridge to transport Metroplex’s thumb right into his waiting hand.

Metroplex smiling

How Metroplex got his thumb back.

This was all the ancient Autobot titan needed to turn the tables and stop not only the Necrotitan, but also the disease that he was spreading throughout the cybertronians in Iacon.

Metroplex wins!

Metroplex is my kinda town!

This entry is part 25 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 24

The Character That First Stood Out To You

Swerve!

Swerve Yay!

 

I was familiar with most of the characters on the Lost Light, but Swerve was a new one to me. After reading some older issues, I realized that he was around, but as not much more than a background guy. Now, he’s one of the main guys.

He stood out immediately because he was the comic relief from the very first issue.

Swerve, the Questbot.

Swerve, the Questbot.

Every time he has shown up from then on, it is there has been some comedy involved, whether he is cracking a joke or is the butt of one. Either way, it puts a smile on my face.

Swerve having a riveting conversation.

 

I have seen a few other blogs that got this far and Swerve seems to be a popular guy for this Day 24 and it’s pretty obvious why:

Swerve, idol of millions

This entry is part 24 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 23

Favorite Fandom Output

Without a doubt, it’s the art. Here are few of the many, many examples of fan art that I have enjoyed, mostly found on tumblr. Click the pictures below for links to the original art.

Windblade has been popular lately.

Love me some Fort Max!

Nautica had fan art within hours of making her debut.

I’m a big fan of Cyclonus and Tailgate, but mostly Cyclonus.

Skids and Getaway, purveyors of thought warfare!

 

This entry is part 23 of 30 in the series 30 Day MTMTE Challenge

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 21

A Tragic Character

Empurata is a terrible crime that was used all too often by the old Senate. This is but one of many things which brought about the Great War. It was used as a way to publicly shame anyone that disagreed with the Senate by removing their heads and hands and replacing them with the cyclops, claw hands look. Whirl is one such victim.

Whirl had, and still has, a flight-capable alt-mode. During the time of the Senate and the Functionists, this meant that his lot in life was to use that flight capability to the greater benefit of all of Cybertron. It is unclear what his exact flight duties were in the Aerial Corps, but it is known that he was one of the lucky ones to change to a job that was not related to his alt-mode. His chosen profession was a chronosmith – a watchmaker.

Whirls History

I hope he didn’t make Tailgate’s malfunctioning Chronometer.

When he had nothing left to lose, the Senate took his identity by removing his head and hands in an effort to persuade him to join their cause. As he has said, it is very convincing. Before too long, Whirl was working a Senate enforcer and was sent to deliver a message to a certain miner from Tarn who had been wrongly arrested for a barfight that he had not participated in, but was simply at the bar. It would be known years later that this “message” had turned the miner from a peaceful, freedom-fighter who preferred to use words to bring about change into the tyrant that we all know as Megatron, founder and leader of the Decepticons.

As the war loomed near, Whirl’s former commander, Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, invited Whirl to join the Autobot cause. He did, but he has never been able to release the anger that Empurata and the actions of the Senate has poisoned him with.

Whirls anger

He’s only happy when he’s mad!

He behaves irrationally and violently in nearly every circumstance and shows very little regard for the well being or feelings of others. Truly, Whirl’s actions are more befitting those of a Decepticon than an Autobot, but in war, it can be difficult to determine exactly who the “good guys” really are.

At the end of the day, when Whirl is alone and does not feel the need to maintain his tough-guy image with absurd levels of bravado, he is left alone with his thoughts and his one true longing.

Whirl Wants His Hands Back

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 20

Something You’re Disappointed With

I’m disappointed with the Circle of Light. The crew winds up on Luna 1 and manages to rescue what was left of the Circle and then they react like this:

Circle of Light Disappointment

Where did they get all those wrenches?

Talk about gratitude! If it weren’t for all those dysfunctional, cracked-in-the-head bots on the Lost Light, every single one of the Circle would have been melted down and used for raw material to build more Legislators. Then they go and act all holier-than-thou like this! I think even Drift would have been disappointed had he been there.

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 19

An Opinion That’s Changed Since You Started Reading

It took me a while to figure this one out since I pretty much go with the flow. As it is, this isn’t so much a change of opinion as it is a new concept that I have grown to like: Conjunx Endura or relationships in general.

In the vast history of Transformers, interpersonal relationships between bots is usually of a professional nature in that we generally only see them as part of a military-type unit. Sure, it got touched on in G1 in those couple of episodes when we met Elita-One, Chromia, Firestar and Moonracer and it was hinted at in pretty much any scene Acree was in with Springer or Hot Rod in the movie or Season 3, and got played up WAY too much in Beast Wars with the whole Silverbolt and Blackarachnia courtship. Still, the relationships didn’t get as much attention as it has in MTMTE. I think that has to do with the fact that a lot of people tend to think of these bots as male and these relationships are shown between two bots that are identified as male and that brings up connotations of homosexuality. Primus, I can’t believe I’m writing about this, but I already started so I guess i have to finish. Anyway, while humans identify bots as having a gender, they technically do not and since there is no gender and thus no sexual relations, there are neither homosexual nor heterosexual relationships between Cybertronians. These conjunx endura relationships are more like a best friend relationship.

Obviously the most popular of these relationships (and the one that I think sparked the most controversy) is between Chromedome and Rewind.

Chromedome and Rewind

While it may have been controversial at one point, I think everyone came to accept it and it was their relationship that made Rewind’s death so tragic. We’ve seen countless bots die over the course of the many series but there haven’t been many that have had the effect that Rewind’s did on the fandom.

Other relationships that have driven great stories include the evolution of Cyclonus and Tailgate:

Cyclonus and Tailgate

Another relationship on the Lost Light that never had much of the spotlight in the comic was between Rodimus and Drift:

Rodimus and Drift

Rodimus even explained their relationship in the most recent issue, Issue #26 (Dark Cybertron #8) when we was explaining to Orion Pax how he felt guilty for letting Drift take the blame for Overlord. He simply mentioned that he let his best friend take the blame. Of course we all know that was Drift.

I think this is what makes this particular comic great and really stand out above almost any other Transformers fiction. Sure, we all love the giant alien transforming robot battles and we always will, but there’s only so many ways to depict warring factions battling each other. Once these additional layers are added to the characters, the possibilities become endless and it keeps the fandom ravenously waiting for the next issue (and toy).

30 Day MTMTE Challenge – Day 18

A Theory About One of the Unresolved/mysterious Plotlines

Brainstorm’s Briefcase – what’s in it?

Ultra Magnus seems to think it can save the day:

Brainstorms briefcase Save the Day

 

 

 

Apparently it repels sparkeaters:

Brainstorms briefcase sparkeater

 

Maybe it’s a doomsday device:

 

 

Brainstorms briefcase

 

All we know for sure is that he’s very sensitive about it:

Brainstorms briefcase don't mock

My theory? I think it’s his lunch.