Tarn, by Natalie Imbruglia.

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Auntie Slag
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Tarn, by Natalie Imbruglia.

Post by Auntie Slag »

The great thing about MTMTE is it invades my thoughts when I've got deadlines. Now, for instance I'm thinking about Tarn's identity (again) in an effort to guess it before the big reveal. I was pretty resigned (and happy with the idea) of it being Roller.

Then I thought about the possibility of Tarn being Delta Magnus. Here's someone we know next to nothing about other than Ironfist adored him, and the TF Wiki mentions that DM's design in the comic incorporates elements of both Ultra Magnus and Orion Pax.

Because the current Ultra Magnus is a member of the house of Ambus, that removes the old familial relationship between Magnus and Prime that we saw in Dreamwave. But what if, in MTMTE-world its actually Delta who is Prime/Pax's brother? This would be a nice alternative, and still a hark-back to all of us who got Magnus as toy and thought the white Prime cab could be a brother.

Where's the story in that? Well, if the Institute were to turn Delta into Tarn, who then goes on to be Megatron's personal assassin, then there's the possibility that Pax would have to face killing his own brother to get to Megatron, which would be a cool layer of insurance for Megatron, and a proper evil thing to do.

I'm trying to think of a way that Megatron could be dastardly, manipulate his opposite half (Pax) into a no-win situation, and get a double-win if using the Functionist Institute tech to create a being of his own (Tarn) who can deal proper Deception justice, which is about freedom from Functionist tyranny, which could imply that's what the real purpose of the Deception Justice Division is about.

I thought of this only because of a panel where Ratchet makes a comment about Megatron's eyes back in issue thirtysomething (the one where Trailbreaker gets drunk and steals Megatron's personal energon rations). Which makes me think the Functionists are still a very real threat, and Megatron knows he's been tampered with.

Also, should the Lost Light command be able to regress Tarn and talk to him, Whirl could refer to them as Del and Rodders.

And if Verity comes back it'll be Del, Rodders and Uncle Magnus.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

I'm still of the idea that Tarn being Roller is an open secret to both the readers and the in-universe transformers. There's a certain irony in the most loyal decepticon is the ultimate betrayer of Optimus Prime. Also, all the various hints seem to be TOO obvious at this point. In a way, I think roberts has simply use the slight ambiguity over who Tarn is to gradually show us his origin story though the events of Roller. By the time we get the big throw down between Tarn and the Lost Light I fully expect us to get an issue spotlighting Tarn but not in a "Holy Shit! It was Shockwave!" but in a "ok, you know Tarn was once Roller, now here's the REAL reason he defected".
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Post by Auntie Slag »

I’m sure you’re right, and I agree its probably the way its going to go. Particularly if it distinguishes itself from Shockwave’s story where he was turned against his will, but Roller does it willingly.

I’ve just got a bee in my bonnet about Delta Magnus all of a sudden & I’m trying to find a way to work him into the plot. Right now we know he was the leader of the Primal Vanguard who were dedicated to off-Cybertron peacekeeping. Then this 'Phobos controversy’ happened and a Vanguard member shot some body donors at the Relinquishment clinic in Apophenia (Nightbeat mentions this to Quark when they’re drinking outside Maccadams in Shadowplay).

Phobos was a criminal & the Vanguard were linked to him. His case was also precedent for Prime to give Megatron a public military trial. So without this mystery (to us) surrounding Delta and the Vanguard, we may not have Megatron on the Lost Light. Its also possible that without Delta and the Vanguard, Megatron would even have been put to death.

Delta Magnus also carried the Matrix in the time between Nova Prime and Nominus. I can’t wait for this storyline to come about in MTMTE. I hope it does, because I think it'll show why the Functionists gave away Luna 2, and the value organics see in Transformer tech.

I think there’s a suggestion that the Tyrest Accord was not so much to keep Transformer technology out of the hands of organics, as to protect Transformers from organics. That the Functionists sold the moon in an effort to buy time and make Cybertron unconquerable, which is why they want every form to serve a function, make the planet as strong as it can be.

Makes me think a lot of the Necrobot’s technology is to keep him out of sight of organics as much as locating fading Cybertronian sparks.
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

The house of Magnus is intriguing (as in the idea that we have related houses of transformers). If delta doesn't have some relevance to the present I would fully expect we still might get him showing up in some past tales a-la shadow play.
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Post by Unicron »

Auntie Slag wrote:Delta Magnus also carried the Matrix in the time between Nova Prime and Nominus. I can’t wait for this storyline to come about in MTMTE. I hope it does, because I think it'll show why the Functionists gave away Luna 2, and the value organics see in Transformer tech.

I think there’s a suggestion that the Tyrest Accord was not so much to keep Transformer technology out of the hands of organics, as to protect Transformers from organics. That the Functionists sold the moon in an effort to buy time and make Cybertron unconquerable, which is why they want every form to serve a function, make the planet as strong as it can be.
Pretty sure the Matrix Delta would have carried was a fake. Nova had Tyrest tapping the real one for cold-constructed sparks, until it got stolen and replaced with a knock-off by one of the scientists.

The Functionists only sold Luna 2 in the alternate Functionist-dominated timeline, and the impression I got from the dialogue was that is was sold for the metal itself, not for any tech on it. Probably because the various Cybertronian metals are very rare in the rest of the universe.

You may be right about the Accords. Organics seem to have a tendency to come up with some potentially nasty stuff when given long term access to Cybertronian tech. Scorponok's Headmaster stuff on Nebulos and Earth, that Shockwave-based gun that took Megatron's face off, all that BS that Blackrock is up to over in the ex-RID comic (which I still think is being influenced by Scorponok).


While I'm here and mentioned the Functionist universe, there's something about it I can't recall having seen anyone talk about.
During Elegant Chaos when Rewind murders not-Megatron, his justification is that in the Functionist timeline, things are great for non-Cybertronians. No war wrecking various planets, etc. However, I don't think things were going to be all that peachy for much longer.
In 35, F-Rewind says the Council tasked F-Dominus with 'ranking the animals' and incorporating the "lesser species" into the Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy. While that could simply mean adding things like turbofoxes to it, I'm pretty sure this implies the Council wanted to spread Functionism beyond Cybertron and impose it on a galactic level.
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Post by Skyquake87 »

I think I'd be happy if Tarn was Natalie Imbruglia...
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Red Dave Prime
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Post by Red Dave Prime »

Skyquake87 wrote:I think I'd be happy if Tarn was Natalie Imbruglia...
Tru Dat.
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Post by Selkadoom »

I'm too deep into my "Dominus is Tarn" belief to let it go now
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Post by Auntie Slag »

Unicron wrote:Pretty sure the Matrix Delta would have carried was a fake. Nova had Tyrest tapping the real one for cold-constructed sparks, until it got stolen and replaced with a knock-off by one of the scientists.

I'm pretty sure this implies the Council wanted to spread Functionism beyond Cybertron and impose it on a galactic level.
Making them no better than Jhiaxus' terraformers or Megatron's Infiltration plans? I think you're right in that they asked Dominus because he'd spent a few million years away and perhaps met many species. He'd be their go-to guy for Greater Cybertronian Taxonomy.

After reading through Elegant Chaos again it really feels like Dave is right about Roller being Tarn. When I read it this time it really felt like Roller was doing everything to keep up and felt like this tenure with Pax was by a thread. He had some real insecurity issues, only once Chromedome shook all their hands and made them forget the intervening time. I wonder if it was a love thing? I mean, most people were so in awe of Pax it wouldn't be surprising, would it?

Thing is, Chromedome's fix was only to wipe their memories for that brief period of time. Surely Pax & the others would eventually remember "That guy Roller" and resume the search. I wonder if that's why, when he acquired his cab and three-piece component architecture that Prime called his little car Roller?

I guess the Matrix Delta carried could be fake, but you could also squeeze in an extra bit of time frame to accommodate the story if it wasn't. I'm just itching for that Primal Vanguard story now!

And Elegant Chaos really is a top class story. I didn't appreciate it as much previously, but its ace now. I love the ambiguity over Pax & co. guarding the sparks from the Senate, and the possible reason why there are no more outliers.

One other bit that confused me though. In the Functionist Universe Minimus says he's got to go off to a meeting with the rest of the Primal Vanguard. I wasn't aware Minimus was part of that group, maybe because I'm taking the words of the TF Wiki as gospel, as there's a page that lists all the members. I don't know where they got that information from, but I'm guessing it was from something other than MTMTE?
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Post by Terome »

I'm quite interested in how the Primal Vanguard functioned, as a sort of proto-Autobots. Lots left to explore!
I wonder if we'll have Dominus Ambus be part of the cast eventually.
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Post by Auntie Slag »

Yeah, I feel like its leading to an explanation of why living robots exist in a universe populated with organics.

Everyone and their dog would be after them for their metal, tech and whatever else. As an evil human myself, if Transformers existed I'd be knocking on the door of the Machination like a shot. I want my Dennis the Menace membership badge and robot-killing gun.

After the initial few months of screaming like a girl and hiding behind the couch, of course.
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