Spoiler I won't be satisfied until we have Soundwave graphically giving birth to hybrid babies right there on the page
A short thing about Chromedome during his tenure at the New Institute, featuring a very worried Brainstorm and a very creepy Trepan. (STRONG warning for suicidal ideation/mentions of other suicides, unreality, body horror, and eventual relinquishment clinic visit to run into Rewind)
Spoiler yeah there's no way this is the real Afterspark. even if the 'oh you need to spend some time in the waiting room before achieving one-ness with Primus' thing was true, why would ascending rip a spark out and leave a corpse behind. and why would tailgate be all alone, and where's Skids? so yeah definitely fake.
Spoiler WHAT WHAT Anyways, two out of five matrices sounds about right, I Do Not Trust This, and it seems like a lazily slapped-together model of what an afterlife would look like if you needed to trap a few suckers in there. There are a SHIT-TON of dead cybertronians, and I definitely don't believe they've all found peace. This space should be more crowded, is what I'm saying. And Springarm has been here for FOUR BILLION YEARS. Victorious crab whirl is one of the best things I've ever seen I am reminded of why Rodimus is my good boy and I love him I want Ratchet and Drift to have a private conversation and for Nautica to have a minute with Nightbeat to talk to him. I was guessing the 'you gave me a home' preview line was probably Ten but I didn't want to say it because I was afraid of what would happen, but I wasn't expecting THIS. I'm Highly Suspicious of what was going on before with Ultra Magnus and the personality amplification thing, and the weird armor nonsense from after Megatron left. My heart just about BROKE at Cyclonus with that hopeful smile because he's realizing he's dead (also further low-key heartbreak over Whirl's everything) I need to type for real when I get home, but this is WAY too reminiscent of what Sunder was doing with the mind looks to keep the LL dissenters in line. It's not a looping memory, but like.... an easy setting to recycle, and easy way to placate anyone weirded out by how off this seems. (I'm also worried about Drift, Swerve, Cyclonus, and Nightbeat particularly whenever this falls apart) (Ratchet being respectful about Drift's faith and not poking him in the emotional bruise, y/y? this doesn't PROVE the religion, but this afterlife being false doesn't disprove religion either) (WHAT WOULD MEGATRON DO! I don't know what I feel about that line, but I am DEFINITELY feeling things)
Spoiler: LL16 liveblog I DISLIKE THIS COVER I DISLIKE THIS COVER GREATLY what the shit rodimus RODIMUS also I like how they're carefully dancing around saying what exactly roddy and drift are let them be amicae you fools RODIMUS YOU COMPLETE DISASTER CHILD I LOVE YOU TEN IS ADORABLE WHAT THE SHIT WHAT THE ABSOLUTE CHRISTFUCKING SHIT god bless brainstorm in which jro continues to insist on bringing in mechpreg DON'T STOP HIM NOW "Here's an idea: let's all play the making sense game." #same whirl this feels..... really clunky for JRo and I Have Some Concerns "Actually, where's Drift, I don't want to have this argument twice!" bless ratchet Cy's running off to look for Tailgate, callin it now "face-shaming" oh my GOD they're married I don't make the rules I mean I'm glad that theory panned out but also I don't believe a word of this it's too explain-y Whirl continues to be great at people and it's kind of amazing oh my god rodimus OH MY GOD RODIMUS ...............okay but what if we approach the "reboot" as "rodimus literally rewrote creation because He Wants His Damn Ship Back"
Spoiler actually yeah, if this is a simulation - then the actual landscape is basically the easiest thing ever. the same room, copied a bunch of time, and then mostly a flat plane with some geometric mountainy areas. No vegetation, no proper sky, just that giant floating matrix.
Spoiler tbh if it were just chromedome I'd be down for some more Expert Mnemosurgeon Flips Weird Brain Shit Around rewind tho rewind is doing me a concern
Spoiler: LL No sign of Anode and Lug either, I think, outside of the flashbacks So that’s two happily married couples weirdly absent from the lotus eater, and a bunch of heartsick, emotionally traumatized people getting lured in Calling it now that Rodimus is about to receive some Stern Fatherly Approval from the Guiding Hand (and possibly Primus) to give him the love and respect he always craved from Optimus so he’ll be sucked into the simulation
So. I got a Tailgate fig on Friday And in a hilariously appropriate twist of fate He has a production defect that makes it impossible for him to fully transform into alt (part of his windshield is molded on a little janky so it can't actually.... attach to his hood.....) I'm kinda sad I can't nyoom him around as little toy car, but also: good job hasbro
