Kibby

I've seen a lot of hate and disappointment about the finale seemingly "resetting" Megatron and erasing his path to redemption, like, everyone says they "ruined" him, "rolled back his development," that "Hasbro can't handle a good Decepticon"

But, uhm, I STRONGLY disagree. Cause personally... I see this not as a failure, but as a very bold and interesting narrative choice. Let me try to explain

One reeeally crucial thing to remember: in Earthspark, we never met a Megatron in the process of seeking redemption. We met a Megatron who had already gone through it. We found him at the, idk, peak of that transformation?

I mean. He already had his best human friend, solid dynamics with Optimus, acceptance (however partial) from the autobots, and even a family with the Terrans/the Maltos

His entire arc in the series wasn't about becoming good, like was in MTMTE, but about living as someone who has already become good

His attachment to Earth is the most big proof. When the chance to return to Cybertron arose, he chose to stay. Not because he was ordered to (sorry bee), but because he genuinely wanted to remain in the place where he found peace and connection

That's the decision of a sincere character, he rebuilt his life here, and that was a complete beautiful arc

And now, the finale

Yes, he was "reset"

But let's ask ourselves: what exactly was reset? Not the path of redemption itself, but its outcome. Not the memory of crimes and repentance, but that stable, peaceful state he ultimately achieved. And that's a big DIFFERENCE. This is clearly not what is called "character ruining"

The reset Megatron isn't just the evil tyrant from the past, I would say that this is a chance (yes, I trying believe that if the series continues...) to write the story of choice again, but this time, showing it to the audience too

Like, for us finally witness the process itself. Not just the result of redemption, but the struggle for it?

Can Megatron, stripped of the memory of past mistakes and bonds, find the light again? Or, with his power intact but without past lessons, will he turn to darkness once more? This question isn't for the writers ("they ruined the character" or whatever), it’s for Megatron himself

So, I don’t see a ruin or a studio afraid of a good Decepticon here. Just a narrative courage, which right now might looks like a painful cliffhanger

I think ( even if its just speculation on my part) the blades of time sent his memories back to not long before he left the decepticons and joined the autobots.

Also it was shown the effects of the blades of time are permanent either. Heck the blades of time could even be used again to reverse the effects as well or maybe the memories could come back on thier own if Megatron or even Bumblebee were revisit sites related to thier lost memories. ( like the memorial statue for Megatron's case)

The cliffhanger also was clearly showing that if the show continued, the autobots and Maltos would bring Megatron and Bumblebee back to who they were before the blades of time messed them up. Especially with the foreshadowing with Twitch and Megatron in part one of the special.

Yes, it sucks that the show ended of the cliffhanger with an unresolved plot line but it still shows thay even though we as viewers wont be able to see it, everything works out in the end. This is a kids show after all

A Terran from Japan would bow to others in-person and when on the phone due to their upbringing, say "itadakimasu" before consuming Cybertronian cuisine/energon and enjoy sitting on their legs. In a rural area in Mongolia/China, they may be less technology-literate due to their lifestyle and have different ways of doing things from other nations. A Filipino Terrans will use thedog call finger gesture on purpose to offend someone on Cybertron, but it's not offensive to them. I need more examples.

clark reupload

Now this gives me the idea of Hashtag being reformatted for cassettes. With Howlback and Garboil being her first cassettes.

It’s an au I would like to work on in the future.

Idk the idea of two war veteran tapes deciding to help a new cassette holder is an interesting concept.

Well, if we're exploring the notion... Then this is for you!

I have been trying to come up with something to draw for you, and your Earthspark AU idea was the perfect prompt to work with! It's a tad messy, and I'm far from the best with replicating the Earthspark style, but I hope you like it! Twitch is undoubtedly my favorite of the Terrans from the series, and I love experimenting with the idea of what a "mature" version of a member of a species that wouldn't physically age like a human might look like! Also, because Bumblebee in the series has a bit of an ego, the idea of him being "humbled" via the growth spurts of the very "kids" he helped train is a wonderfully satisfying hypothetical to me! I hope you enjoy this wee bit of silliness (not that you are obligated to use this design for any further AU idea-mulling, of course), and that your week starts out smoothly! Thanks for always being a real one and take care! I look forward to seeing the fun Transformers content you come up with in the future!

OMG HI? DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS MY TURN TO GET HIT WITH THE "ART SO GOOD IT INCINERATES YOU" BEAM

SHE LOOKS GORGEOUS, HERE HAVE SOME SKETCHES AS A THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME LIKE FOUR MONTHS OF TRYING TO DESIGN HER I'M USING THIS

Wait.

I know that telephone pole.

I know that telephone pole intimately because I’m the one who broke it.

Thats the pole next to Sycamore Jr. High, in between the jr high school and Pipkins, where I had my second car accident.  A woman t-boned my car and drove me into that pole in 2008 and it took them years to actually take it down.

That black metal pole you see just beyond the broken phone pole is a “Now Leaving/Welcome To Blue Ash, Ohio” sign, visible at 5520 Cooper Road on google maps.