Megatron should never be made a sympathetic character and should never have been friends with Optimus. If the Decepticons can only have one complete monster in its ranks, let it always be Megatron.

 

Yes, yes, YES!!!

Again, I never felt Megatron works as a sympathetic character. He is just a one-note Charlie (with the exception of the BW/BM version, who is radically different due to mainly being a successor to a previous Megs and basically having more complexity as a character), but the one thing that stuff like the Marvel G1 comics, the Sunbow cartoon, RiD 2001, the High Moon games and Cyberverse did perfectly is to embrace the one-note nature of the character and make him at least fun to watch. He isn't a sympathetic character, he is just a raving lunatic with an ego the size of the whole universe. Trying to add sympathetic aspects to him just makes him even blander as a character.

 

My main dislike of robot romance is that I don't think Transformers need to be engaging in every custom the human species has. To me the Transformers are far more interesting when there's a clash of cultures between them and the humans. I find the brand is least interesting when they just become "giant metal humans who do humans stuff". Why not give them their own rituals and customs unique to their species?

If they want to incorporate romance (or some sort of Cybertronian equivalent), they should differentiate it from human romance. Like, maybe in Cybertronian culture, dating rituals revolve around combat. They are battle robots after all...maybe combat skills are the most attractive aspect a Transformer can have, and combat rituals are how they appeal to a potential lover. Maybe a Cybertronian wedding involves both partners transforming at the exact same time instead of kissing. Stuff like that would be super fun and creative...and actually tie into their culture. Having Transformers date and marry in the exact same way as humans is the most boring thing to me. Why not just...do that with the human characters?

 

I don't care about robot mode scaling, only alt mode scaling.

I prefer extra details over screen accuracy.

 

I loathe it whenever Hasbro uses a previous TF noun onto a new series everytime. Yes, it's been a problem for a while now. But it generally shows they aren't accounting anything about any previous alliterations causing confusion.

To explain it: Hasbro calling the new Netflix series / toyline "War for Cybertron" created a discrepancy between the Netflix show and the HMS video games. Couldn't they just named it "Siege of Cybertron" ? It's the vice versa same problem with RID 2015 and RID 2001. So many news sites straight up put actual screenshots of the games when that show was being made into something completely different.

The worst offender I'd say is the Unicron trilogy Cybertron show. Oh no no no no you just had to name it after the TF homeworld. I'm sure all the search engines won't get confused with that one at all. Galaxy force would've fit this show's name properly.

 

Because Hasbro apparently doesn't think there's enough of a market to risk cranking out an individual new mold for Barricade.

 

My view on romance with Transformers was summed up quite succinctly by the Basics. "If they can feel enough to hate, they can feel enough to love."

Then again considering one of my all-time favorite songs is Eternal Flame... i might be a bit biased there.  

 

Normally when I realize I have a poster who will post a contrarian viewpoint no matter what, or if they are one of the people executing the behavior I remark upon and won't change their mind in either instance, I simply move on and don't waste effort. However, this is one instance where I feel you'll checkmark some sort of victory and assume you've "proven me wrong". I can't let THAT sit...

Yeah, you got me. Being inundated with shit relationship projections to the point that some MTMTE threads were around 60% of that commentary rather than discussing ACTUAL EVENTS IN THE GODDAMN BOOK does kind of wreck your enjoyment of and interaction with the community.

1-0 me.

We have a search function. You don't see that garbage NEAR as much as MTMTE getting shitcanned sent some of the more... passionate posters here expressly for the sort of overbearing shipper fuckery to other outlets.

And yeah, show me the TFA discussions replete with OPTIMUS X STARSCREAM lol XD

2-0 me.

When someone explicitly states "sexual tension" and I quote it verbatim, I'm pretty fucking sure they meant sexual tension. I don't give a fuck how you personally rationalize it, you aren't every poster. I'll assume you were not the one that asked Roberts "Are Mainframe and Perceptor fucking now or what?", and I'll assume you don't want to attempt to speak for them.

3-0 me.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK on topic. My issues with relationships has more to do with how completely they ape every aspect of human life and emotion. I have the same issue with SEVERAL aspects of portrayals and not just the whole relationship angle.



My unpopular opinion is that TFs don't need to be a 1-1 analogue with humans to be relatable.

 

I wouldn't be bothered by romance in the TF fiction because it's around since Arcee/Springer and the Beast Wars.

Except...


Old IDW first made it as something relatively uncommon then contradicted itself by stuffing it wherever it was possible.

Then they added actual sexual element to this by having two bots on the Carcer ship who couldn't keep their hands to themselves during a meeting with their commander - that was mentioned in the dialogue only... But it was a thing. Nevermind TFs in their old continuity clearly being an asexual species so there would be no basis for that.

Then they had one bot essentially mindraping and manipulating another into a relashionship with him.


At times it looked like the publisher was so desperate with their lower sales that they were trying each and every last ditch effort to attract the potential readers.


Just no.

 

Garry chalk would make a great rodimus prime

 

I mostly visit it for the artwork and the custom figures. I got bored with the sub because a majority of it consists of people posting photos of the exact same figures, and there's almost always a monthly "Bay bad, Knightverse good" post.

 

So it's like here, except the bolded part is a daily occurrence.

 

Bahaha, this is true in a lot of fandoms unfortunately. I think it stems from the fact that many Tumblr / Twitter users don't have many healthy relationships IRL so the only ones they know of when you say 'relationship' are the ones they read about or write in fanfiction.

IDW's first continuity had quite a bit of this type of thing, it was awful.

I'm mostly fine with romance in Transformers even if I'm also of the opinion that they're a sexless species of robotic aliens, ergo they have no reason to pair up because they don't reproduce like carbon-based lifeforms. I also want them to explore other kinds of relationships, because there's so many more interesting ones than just "ships".

 

I'll offer a counter unpopular opinion. Should Megatron be outright sympatheric? Frag no. But I always like the idea that "Villain Has a Point" in that pre-war Cybertron sucked, like in IDW. Him being a monster yet having a point early on gives depth the way sympathetic representation doesn't.

 

I have no problem with showing a pre-war Megatron having a point for being the way he is, but the problem is that the writers just don't do that with a pre-war Megatron, but with the current Megatron and it just doesn't feel very natural (IDW with the whole Autobot Megatron nonsense, TFP with that forced and tacked-on finale, Prime Wars Trilogy and, from what I've heard, Siege).

 

Transformers: Cybertron/Galaxy Force is among the best Transformers stories, and is certainly the most creative with its cast since Beast Wars considering the sheer number of new/reimagined characters.

 

Some of the best toys too

 

Same reason Cliffjumper is usually a Bumblebee repaint these days. Cost saving mold reuse. Never mind if it works for the character ...

 

Strongarm from rid15 is really annoying

 

The ship has sailed on the idea of Transformers as truly alien entities with unique cultures that have no real analogue with human culture. They're robots who act very human and have very human cultural values. Deal with it.