Introduction:

Welcome to Beast Wars International's first newsletter. Sapphire's apologies for it starting a month later than intended! Hopefully it will remain a monthly thing, full of fun content submitted by YOU, the fans. It's never too late to get onboard this project! All you need is enthusiasm and something Beast Wars-related to submit, be it a comic, a review or even an exciting piece of news. There will be a few regulars in the newsletter, like Crab's comic reviews and Silver's Advice Column, to give a few examples. There's also a cool "Bother a Beast Warrior" section, where you can ask the character of the month a question! The best questions will get selected, answered and displayed here. Be sure to give this newsletter a proper read through and please feel free to email suggestions to Sapphire as to how she could spice it up and improve it, if you have any. The background and images you see here will get refreshed with news designs as the issues progress. Enjoy!

- Sapphire (sapphire@bwint.net)

Greetings human creatures with which I would have no reason to speak to ordinarily, it is I, Megatron, chosen first for your “Bother a Beast Warrior” column. In all honesty, I have more important things to do, so I will just get this over with.

The first question to be addressed is from Wistwin:

What kind of bet did you lose to end up being the first Beast Warrior we get to bother?

Ah, yess. I thought people would wonder. I will be brief: Starath talked me into it.

And speaking of that squeaking demon…

Megatron, are you so smart that you predicted things before they happened in Beast Wars, or did you look at all the elements and come to conclusions about what would happen that way?
Also, can I have a hug?
--Starath

Your lattermost suggestion is more accurate. I did not predict outcomes so much as looked at all factors involved in a given situation and worked out what would mostly likely occur, adjusting things as I saw fit so that the outcome would best suit my needs. To an outsider it would appear that I could make future predictions, but I have no intention to correct the assumption that I am just that good.

Also: NO.

From Beastly:

do u like ur colour purple? if u could choose wich colour would u prefer to b?

My color scheme is what I have always had, so I suppose, yes, I like the color purple. If I had to choose another color scheme I would like red and black. By the way, your spelling and grammar is repulsive. Invest in a dictionary and attend school more often than once a month.

The following is from Wicked Woman:

Hey Megatron, you have a ferret, a roulette wheel and a hammer, what do you do?

I would remove the hammer’s metal head and attach the handle to the roulette wheel and use it to launch the ferret at the Maximal Base. Surely it can do better than my minions…

Nyx asks:

If you hadn't gotten a T-rex as your beast mode, what animal would of you chosen for yourself?

I would have chosen something with useable forearms.

Dear Megatron

As an aspiring Megalomaniac with dreams of grandeur, conquest, and general warfare as just part of my aspirations, I just can’t seem to recruit an army to begin my unholy rampage across this pathetic world to conquer its equally pathetic people. If you have any tips on how I might begin recruiting some sucke--- err... loyal... followers... I'd be more then happy to pay you due tribute by having you melted down and rebuilt into a statue of yourself.

Please Help! A Fellow Megalomaniac is in need!

PS
Would developing an odd speech mannerism make me a better arch villain? We all know that your "Yessss"'isms made you all the more memorable and I am thinking of adopting "Verily and Forsooth!" as part of my repertoire.

Dear Fellow Megalomaniac,

In my own experience I have found that it helps to recruit those of lower intelligence that yourself. This, however, has its obvious downfalls. I also recommend you take public speaking instruction so you learn how to give persuasive speeches. If you wish to add a speech mannerism to your repertoire, I suggest you choose something short, yess. Keep me updated on your progress, and if you succeed, I will melt you down into a statue in your honor.

And finally,

Megatron,

A lot of us thoroughly enjoyed Starath's fan fiction, "What To Do When You Meet Megatron". However, I was curious as to what YOU thought of it?
Love always,
The Crab

Oh, it was horrible. I didn’t sleep for three weeks.

That is all, for now. In future issues of the Beast Wars International Newsletter this section will be handled by a Beast Warrior. Next month CHEETOR will answer your questions. I would almost pity you, Maximal, if I cared enough.

Megatron, glorious leader of the Predacons

NEXT BEAST WARRIOR to bother: CHEETOR! Submit all your questions to botherabeastwarrior@bwint.net or check THE FORUMS for the question thread.

By: Beastbot

Scorponok (Deluxe) [Movie]

Allegiance: Decepticon
Size: Deluxe
Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Milky slightly purplish gray, brownish bronze, and some light milky gray, silver,
light red, charcoal black, light brown, metallic gunmetal gray, and dull metallic gold
Rating: 6.9 (out of 10)

Scorponok's robotic scorpion mode is freaking amazing, to put it simply. He's very close to what he looks like in the movie, with great proportions. His legs are a bit undersized, but that's his only problem in that respect and it's not that bad. His paint apps are great-- the miniature 'CAUTION' and 'FUEL' signs, the silver, gold, and gunmetal paint apps all over him-- it all looks really nice. And his mold detailing isn't anything to scoff at, either-- he definitely looks like a killing machine, with his pointy twisted claws, his drills behind said claws, his VERY highly-detailed face, the 'drill' that makes up the core of his body, the armor plating-- heck, it all looks good. The color scheme is realistic and 'metal-colored' like many of the other movie Decepticons, but this particular combination of grey, black, and brown goes really great together
and is rather eye-catching. His articulation is also pretty good for a scorpion, too-- he can move at the shoulders (at three points), the elbows, at the base of each claw, at the base of each leg, at the tail at five separate places, and his head can move up-and-down slightly, which makes for a surprisingly varied number of poses he can assume in this mode.

Scorponok also features two gimmicks in this mode (and in his robot mode, too). The first one is that if you press on the trigger on the top of his tail, the stinger will launcher forward about an inch, to 'skewer' anyone in front of him. The other, far more impressive, gimmick pretty much involves the rest of his body-- as you roll Scorponok along on a flat surface, his claws rotate as well as the drill that makes up the core of his main body. This automatic movement can work either way, too-- rotate the drill to rotate the claws, or visa versa. It's impressive how this works even with articulation in the shoulders and elbows, and emphasizes Scorponok's 'sand shark' digging aspect very well. In addition, Scorponok can latch on to Voyager-class Blackout in Blackout's vehicle mode and, when Blackout's rotor button is pushed in, Scorponok's claws will spin in unison. The
two toys are definitely out-of-scale with each other, though, and it admittedly looks rather goofy
with Scorponok squashed under Blackout like that.

Scorponok's 'robot mode', however, is a piece of sad sack. It's literally just his scorpion
mode standing up, and was clearly less than an afterthought. The sides of his main body become short, odd-looking legs, but other than that he's the exact same. His tail can't swing up over his main body, his scorpion head looks really odd mounted in a normal humanoid position, and the scorpion legs hanging off the sides of his robot legs look really bad. His legs can move at the hips (at two places) and at the knees, otherwise his articulation is the same in this mode. A much better 'fan mode' robot mode is easily doable, though, and I've included a picture of it because I think it's a much better option than the official robot mode-- it looks very alien like you'd expect from a creature like Scorponok, but it looks a LOT less like his scorpion mode standing up.
Basically, you tilt his head to the rear position, straighten out his scorpion arms and extend out the claws to form the robot legs, unfold the official robot mode leg pieces and position the scorpion legs around them as seen above to look like claws (and thus form his 'fan mode' robot arms), and then his scorpion tail becomes his head. I think it looks pretty cool, and to me it's what Scorponok's 'real' robot mode is, none of this afterthought nonsense.

Conclusion: Scorponok's scorpion mode is simply incredible, and has some great detailing, proportions, and gimmicks. His robot mode is very bad, however, as it's clearly just his scorpion mode standing up and nothing else. If you can look past his horrible robot mode, or prefer to use my described 'fan robot mode' instead, by all means get him-- but if a good official robot mode is that important to you, then definitely pass on this one.

Review by Beastbot-- for more reviews, visit Beastbot's Fortress at http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/bbfortress.

Beast Wars
The Gathering #1

A review by The Crab

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

The story opens up with a simple question. “Where are we?” The answer? “The beginning.” A splash page filled with the events of Beast Wars Season 1, Season 2, and the beginning of Season 3. A voice is narrating over how the Beast Wars were a timelost series of battles, and how the stasis pods were a catalyst for many fights. The voice then describes how Covert Agent Ravage was sent to isolate and contain Megatron, and how he failed.

It is revealed that the voice belongs to Predacon General Magmatron. With him are several of his Predacon soldiers. Although Magmatron’s orders were to pick up where Ravage failed, and capture Megatron, he has no intentions of doing that. He then orders his troops to their respective duties, in preparation for something as of yet unknown to the reader.

It is then that Depth Charge makes himself known to the Predacons. But the strange thing is, he pays no attention to them, as if they weren’t there. Magmatron reveals that they are chronically displaced from the timeline by just a few seconds. Thereby rendering them invisible to the Beast Warriors.

Magmatron has a flashback, to which he is giving a speech to his fellow Predacons on Cybertron. He claims how the Tri-Predacus Council is far too weak to uphold their “half-formed promises of some distant uprising.” He proclaims that they, the true Predacons, are strong and committed.

At a later time, Magmatron is in the presence of the Tri-Predacus Council. They tell him how they diverted the Transwarp Wave, but how the crisis was still there. They also mention how they expect closure from their special agent (Ravage) shortly. Magmatron notes that he is monitoring all Maximal channels, even the ones they think the Predacons don’t know about. The Council commends him for understanding why they must bide their time.

Later, Magmatron is cursing out the Tri-Predacus Council, claiming that by the time they are ready to attack, the opportune moment will have been long-since lost. He also notes his frustration at how the Maximals have been slowly tightening their grip on the planet after the Pax Cybertronia. It is then that he is contacted, and given the tactical planetary scans of Earth, courtesy of Ravage.

Back in the present time, Magmatron asks Razorbeast how long until the transmitter array is aligned. Razorbeast says twenty-one minutes. Magmatron asks why so long, and Razorbeast begins explaining to such detail that it’ll take several readings to even begin understanding what he’s saying.

Magmatron replies with a very flat “Yes, yes. All very fascinating, I’m sure.” A lot of us were thinking that, as well. He then states that he wants to be alerted when the signal is sent, as he wants to meet his new recruits personally.

Razorbeast then goes into a flashback of his own. It’s revealed that he is a Maximal, deep undercover, under the command of Lio Convoy. He explains to Razorbeast that their unit doesn’t exist, that their discussion didn’t take place, and how his mission is not sanctioned by the Maximal Imperium. And if he’s discovered, the Maximal Imperium will deny any involvement, and abandon him.

Lio Convoy says that officially, the Maximals and Predacons are “one big happy family”, but they know better. Megatron is a loose cannon, and the real enemy is Magmatron. They know he is recruiting and planning something big and bad. Razorbeast asks what he should do if he can’t report back in time. Lio Convoy tells him to do what he can, and start running.

In the present time, Razorbeast has finished setting up the array. Magmatron gives the order to activate it, and the Maximal spy does so. Magmatron then opens up a comlink to all of his Predacons, and orders a report from them all. They are all present at a Stasis Pod, and they all open up… As Predacons. Magmatron grins as the Shell Code in the array is mass-converting the Maximal Protoforms into Predacons. His army awakens!

But then, Spittor is attacked by a Maximal polar bear, and alerts Magmatron to it. The Predacon General almost immediately suspects Razorbeast, who, in turn, does as he was told, and started running.

As Spittor is easily defeated by Polar Claw, Magmatron immediately begins to counter. He makes it specifically known that if Razorbeast is found, he is to be left alive. Razorbeast, meanwhile isolates himself, and sends out a call to any and all Maximals that can hear him.

As both the Predacon and Maximal armies begin building, and even meeting on some fronts, Transquito asks Magmatron how they should respond. Magmatron replies by transforming into his beast modes (Yes, modes) and proclaims to unleash the Beast Wars!

To be continued…

---

Thoughts

The new Beast Wars comics are a mixed bag. The back story to this was written by Benson Yee and Simon Furman, and both of them managed to combine both Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo into the current storyline. This story is based in said universe. However, a lot of people didn’t like it. The way I see it, you can look at this comic as an expansion of the already-existing Beast Wars story, or as a ‘What If?’ alternate universe kind of thing. Personally, I’m looking at it as official canon material. Although I know about them, I’ve never seen Beast Wars 2 or Beast Wars Neo, so this is a nice treat.

Should you choose to think of this as canon, then it answers the questions about the Stasis Pods that were not accounted for during the show. In the original pitch for this story, Magmatron came for the Stasis Pods after the Maximals left the Earth. However, I find it more fun this way, as it also gives some of the original cast some page time. And maybe even some interaction with the new guys. ;D

During the flashbacks on Cybertron, everyone is seen in their Cybertronian forms. That is way awesome. Don Figuroa is an amazing artist and even cooler is his ability of re-designing Transformers, and these comics are no different. Everyone, from Magmatron to Razorbeast to Lio Convoy, to even Big Convoy (who makes a cameo in a thought of Lio Convoy’s) are of Cybertronian design, and it looks stunning. It kinda makes ya wanna see an entire show animated like that. At least it does for me.

The dialogue is very reminiscent of Beast Wars, using lots of old, familiar terms first established in said TV show. The writing and overall plot is fun, too. Nothing too excitingly epic, but hey, it’s the first, introductory issue. The unfortunate thing is, the Gathering is only four issues long. The end result is a story that feels a little rushed. I honestly feel that this one issue could have fit well into two issues, and Razorbeast getting caught would have felt more dramatic, rather than hurried. But then, considering IDW gave it a four-issue run, I can’t blame Simon for doing what he can. And given the small timeframe, he pulled it off well.

Like I said before, Don Figuroa is an amazing artist. He doesn’t over-clutter the panels, his angles are amazing, and his detail is mind-blowing. It’s incredibly easy to see why he’s a fan-favorite. Beast Wars is an interesting art style, because he has to blend both organic and technological looks to the Beast Warriors. He pulls it off spectacularly.

The colorist, Josh Burcham, became one of the most well-known colorists through the internet. His talents show through here wonderfully. The colors are vibrant, bright, and never dull. A very nice touch was during the flashbacks, all of the colors were faded, and given a ‘mist’ kind of look to them. It really gives off the vibe of a flashback! It also shows Josh’s varieties in coloring.

Overall, this is a fun beginning to a new series of Beast Wars! Again, if you want to include it into the official story like me, then it’ll make it feel much deeper. But if not, then this is a fun ‘What If?’ story. Either way, it’s entertaining, and warrants a pick-up.

Next month, Beast Wars: The Gathering #2!

-The Crab

Reviewed and written

Nyx

Hello everyone and a Happy New Year in 2008!

I’m Nyx and this is the first Fan Works Review for the BWINT Newsletter!

Now, I’m hyped up like a little kid about this first review! I’m so excited and happy that I was allowed to write and review Fan works and I’ve been biting my nails with nerves, Haha!

Anyways, I will hunt around for the most wonderful fan art and most fantastic fan fictions from the well-known fan writers to the new bidding artists. And I will take a look though and post a review of the fan-fiction or fan-art. There will be a link to take you to the story or art to see for yourself how great it is!

Now, this has been really hard for me. Why? Because there is so much talent out there! It’s really difficult to choose between all the work so many people have put into their pictures and their stories!

And It is all in the name of our favourite show, Beast Wars!

Now to the review, as I said, there was so much to chose from, I couldn’t decide! But with Miss Sapphire’s help, I have chosen a fairly recent fan-fiction, which I have enjoyed very much.

Cybertronian Events

Part One

By Blazemane

Plot

It’s a Pre-Beast Wars story that tells us about the events leading up to the theft of the Great Golden Disc though the eyes of Quickrim, a bot that has been assigned to the most difficult case of his life.

The tale begins with a scene outside the Cybertron Database or CD for short. This is like a giant library of codes and information from the planet’s history to the security information of the government.

The first character we meet is Galeforce, a security bot for the CD. As he is going home from his shift, he is attacked and two mysterious thieves steal his entry card for the most classified codes.

Just four hours after this happens, Quickrim, a maximal government agent, is assigned to investigate a break in at the CD. He is quick to respond and as soon as he enters the CD building, he notices what the “thief” was looking for, Information of the security based at a Cybertron museum containing the Great Golden Disc.

Before he has time to ponder this however, he is soon caught up into a high speed chase with an invisible thief that turns out to be some sort of a cat bot. (We can only assume it is Ravage)

After an action packed fight between the pair, Quickrim wins. However, the thief manages to escape, leaving Quickrim with more questions than answers.

Sometime later, Torcher, a good-natured, gun-loving cop (one of Cybertron’s elite officers, in fact.) joins Quickrim to help his with the investigation. No sooner have the pair gone to interview Galeforce in hospital that a strange new bot comes on the scene to, which we assume to assassinate Galeforce.

However, Torcher manages to stop the bot entering the room with Galeforce in and a fight ensues in the hospital corridors.

With this, Part one of the story ends and we are left hanging with a very tense cliffhanger.

Overlook

Now, at first, I’d admit, I wasn’t sure that I would like this story but I really did enjoy it.

For a first time newbie to action stories, this kept me on the edge of my seat and kept tempting me to read more. (And in this case it was, “Just one more sentence” or “I’ll just finish this paragraph”)

The story grabs you to the action as soon as the first paragraph is finished and you can just picture what is happening. It is so visual that it literally draws you in and you feel as though you are an onlooker, watching it as it happens.

The words Blazemane has chosen to describe the streets of Cybertron, buildings and his characters are well used and it makes it even more believable. And I have to say this, the fighting scenes between Quickrim and the Thief or between Torcher and the mysterious nameless bot, are incredible.

Well described and entertaining, Blazemane keeps us on the edge of our seats as the battles have you cheering on for the good guys.

The only thing I would have anything bad to say about this is that there isn’t a sequel to this.

Verdict

Well, all I can say is that if you are looking for good fight scenes, intriguing mystery and a story to keep you wanting more, then stick around and read the first part. You never know, if enough people read and send their comments to Blazemane, He might decide to write a sequel!

I hope you enjoyed my first attempt of a review and Many Happy times in the New Year!

BWINT - The Site

As I am sure many of you will have noticed, BWINT is not being updated as often as it used to. This is because it's been run solely by one person, and she's extremely busy with University work. However, I will strive to keep the site updated as often as I can. I ask people to keep submitting content to the website as well as to this newsletter. That way we can keep the fandom alive. The heart of the community are the forums, so as long as people are active there, BWINT will survive. A special thanks goes out to all who contirbuted financially towardfs BWINT'S hosting plan renewal. It's secure for another year.

BOTCON 2008

Botcon will be taking place in Ohio this April. Unlike the previous two years, there isn't going to be a large BWINT crowd attending this convention, due to its timing. However, some of us are planning on going, and you can keep tabs on who they are by watching this thread. If anyone wants to review Botcon 08, please email your fan report to me so I can put it up after the event, at the site's Conventions page.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you getting involved in the Beast Wars/Transformers community? Have you got some work running on some competitions, or are you launching a website of your own? Have you any exciting news for the visitors of BWINT to read? Email any news YOU'D like to see in this column to sapphire@bwint.net !

ASK SILVER!

Well, here we are. The dawn of a new life! Transmetal 2.... oops. It’s easy to get carried away with such things, but I guess many are used to that from me by now. Sooo... Silver’s Advice Corner

Most of you probably know me from my ramblings and ravings throughout the forum. Always getting up to mischief and having something to say about pretty much everything. I hope I have managed, from time to time, to dispense some of my accumulated wisdom to those in need and more importantly I hope that it has helped.

This brings me to the point of this little column. I would like to offer my services out to whomever might need some comforting words or perhaps some of that aforementioned accumulated wisdom. However, I’d like to make it abundantly clear that my words are not law, I am not a psychologist and you are welcome to take what I say to heart of with a grain of salt. I merely offer what I know and hope to learn more about the world, the wonderful people at BWint and myself through this.

As far as the “hows” of this thing, I’ll leave it up to you. I think a pm or an email directly to me would work best and in that email please state if you would like to remain anonymous. If you choose this method, we will place the article but it will not be linked to anyone and names can be omitted. This way if there is someone else who may be struggling with a similar issue, that can learn from our interactions and perhaps we can help more than one person at a time.

So the invitation is out there for those in pain, who need someone to listen to them, who want to have a gripe about something going wrong in their lives, please send them forth.

----SilverfromOZ

AURORA SERIAL

By: Razor One

Chapter One

Maximus watched the silvery blue mech stood within a pool of light amidst the darkened room, alone, but afraid.

She was young for a transformer, barely two stellar cycles since she had first come online, and Maximus could see that she had the youthful hope and vibrancy within her that he had had at the same age a century before when he had first stepped into that same light.

“Who Are You?” He asked from the darkness.

She jumped at his voice, not expecting it for one, and not expecting the authority that voice seemed to possess.

The surprise faded quickly however, and she soon regained composure. Whether it was bravado or the wish to hide what fear she might have would have to remain to be seen.

“I Am Aurora,” she said, “And who are you?”

“You are not here to ask questions!” he snapped.

Part of him marveled at the audacity she showed. The Inquisition usually sent fear into any bot that was brought forth to face it. To be able to face fear at such a young age as her showed that he had chosen well.

“And your answer,” he continued in a more terse tone, “Is insufficient. I did not ask your name. I asked who it is that you are.”

At this she frowned in thought. The young so seldom understood the difference between a name and an identity.

“I am a Maxima-“

“No!”

“I was created by –“

“No!”

“I am from –“

“No! No! No!” he shouted loudly enough for his voice to echo several times around the darkened chamber.

Maximus did not enjoy the harshness but understood its necessity. This was no test of knowledge or wit but one of character a test of spark, a test of soul.

“Perhaps an easier question would be in order,” He said with just a hint of snide in his voice.

“I’m not stupid or mis-programmed; your question is just unfair!”

“Unfair!” he cried, “Life is not fair Aurora! And unless I’m not mistaken you are just three short Decacycle out of basic programming! That’s certifiably stupid by any count!”

He paced about in the darkness, practically walking circles around her as she stood in the only pool of illumination in a pitch black room. She could hear him of course and the pacing served to heighten her tension while giving him time to formulate every word of his next sentence.

Though she hardly suspected as such, his every last syllable was carefully modulated and intoned specifically for her benefit. The more scathing and ruthless he seemed the more of her true character would become apparent.

Wisely on her part, she remained silent until he addressed her again.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“Because I was summoned.” She said irritably.

Maximus didn’t need to say a word. Aurora could feel his glare despite the darkness and softened instantly.

“I am here to be tested.” She said.

“That is why you are in this room, perhaps,” said Maximus, “But you miss the more important part of the question. Why are you here?”

He paused waiting for an answer with baited breath as she simply looked into the darkness, not understanding.

Sighing, he continued.

“Why are you here? In this life? At this time? Why do you exist?”

“I…. I-“ she struggled to answer.

Maximus watched her carefully, observing her body language, her facial expression, even the brightness of her optics he noted with all the fine detail of a botanist whom had found a rare and exotic flower. He could practically see into the depths of her mind as the faint beginnings of wisdom and intelligence grappled within her all too empty yet young mind until…

“I don’t know.” She said and hung her head in shame.

“You don’t know?” he said almost mockingly, “You don’t even know the reason for your existence?” he said with growing incredulity.

She looked embarrassed, shamed and defeated as she hung her head and clenched her fists, no doubt rebuking herself as what she saw as the stupidest mistake of her life.

“That, Aurora, is the very foundation of all wisdom,” said Maximus with a gentleness he had never used once before in their encounter thus far.

“What?” she blurted out in surprise.

She’d no doubt expected another rebuke, a string of mockery and disgrace. Instead…

“Anyone that proclaims they know why they came into being, that claims that they have a purpose in this existence above all others is the highest order of fool. Wise is the one who says ‘I do not know’, for in them lie our greatest hope”

Aurora was floored. She hadn’t expected this at all. She hadn’t expected any of it and the only semi-intelligent thought capable of asserting itself within her mind told her to lift her jaw up and stop gaping like a fool.

“There shall be a small recess. You may wait in the outer corridor until you are called for, I suggest you partake of energon and counsel during this time.” Said Maximus and shuffled out.

MORE NEXT ISSUE!

Taken from this thread at the BWINT Forums.

Blazemane:

What purpose would Transmutate serve in Beast Wars if she survived more than one episode?

Velociberg:

HMMM. An interesting question. Let's see...

Faction:

I'd say neither. Both leaders, for different reasons, wanted the same goal, to dispose of it. But If I had to choose a faction, I'd say Predacon. Yes, Predacon. And not because I'm naturally inclined towards them.

Transmutate never saw a difference between Inferno, when she blasted him, and Optimus, whom she would've blasted if Silverbolt hadn't intervened. The only transformers she DID recognize were Silverbolt and Rampage, respectively. Any who attacked those two would soon feel her wrath, see above. While not evil, such wanton carelessness of targets is more Predacon than Maximal.

Position:

I think, if she were to be on one side or the other, she'd be used more as a piece of equipment, and not in a role. She's just too slow for anything else, and apart from Silverbolt/Rampage, doesn't get respect from anyone, only pity or disgust, depending on the faction.

Interaction:

I see Rampage hiding her away, and developing her latent powers for use against others, notably Megatron. Silverbolt, I think, would eventually realize that perhaps doing things the way Optimus wanted them done would be the greater mercy than letting her continue on in a bleak existence of almost drone-like status.

But back to the Rampage scenario. I think that eventually, Rampage will, unintentionally, corrupt Transmutate, and then realize what he's done, what he's ruined. Rampage has shown us that he can be deeper than what he appears (and is), and realize that his friend no longer exists--and then destroy her, lamenting the loss, not of the twisted Transmutate that he created, but the Transmutate whom he met the first time.

Blazemane:

Position: I agree that it would be rather hard to get Transmutate to do anything, so she probably wouldn't do anything "officially". Probably help Rhinox around the base, do a little bit of maintenance and once in a while use a few secret weapons in dire situations.

Interaction: Yes, Silverbolt would definitely care for her as would Rampage (even if she fought for the Maximals). Rattrap would not get along with, her and most of the other Maximals would just about ignore her, except for Optimus, who would care (though less than Silverbolt) and assign to tasks, etc.

Depending on what faction she went with, the Predacons would just shoot at her. Oh what the heck, it doesn't matter what faction she'd go with, they'd still shoot her.
___________________________________

Lady Ocelot:

Faction

Well, due to Transmutate's nature this could really swing either way, as she can't/won't see the difference between Maxis/Preds or even two separate factions at all. Megatron wasn't convinced by firepower over brainpower and wanted her exterminated while Optimus saw her as a liability and wanted her put into stasis, yet with Rampage and SB in the mix the whole debacle turns into a tug-of-war between and within factions. For me, any or none of the factions are a perfectly viable choice and that the answer would depend on TM's expected longevity within the show. If Transmutate was to survive for only one more episode I'd go with the Preds - however, for a more lasting solution the Maximals would be a better way to go (where she'd be popped into stasis almost indefinitely (and/or repaired) until the time for a new warrior was needed) or Rampage and Silverbolt could come to some sort of agreement and drop her off in a secluded reserve-like corner of the globe to wait for the end of the war.

Position

Inferno hated Transmutate because he saw her as a drain on the colony and I think that ultimately he's right. Maybe she could be given some trial form of an education to make her more useful or research could be undertaken into her explosive shields (perhaps another episode there), but other than that all she'd really be good for is a door prop.

Interaction

The only "real" interaction she'd receive would be from Rampage and Silverbolt, unless Rhinox and Tarantulus wanted to probe her inner workings. Transmutate doesn't really see herself being "torn" between her friends and unless one somehow managed to physically keep her away from the other she would be constantly bouncing between the two. The Maximals could eventually warm up to her given time but it would be harder to find acceptance in the Predacon faction (although the interaction between her and Waspy would be solid gold ). I also believe that Rampage would try to corrupt her in his own twisted way but I reckon Silverbolt would be too, telling her to be Maximal and do only good with her power, etc, etc. It's basically another battle of good vs evil, but the problem with that is Transmutate either can't or won't make the choice between the two - after all, everyone's her "friend". Once the both of them realise that I think only SB would still accept her, even if he doesn't understand - Rampage is far too malicious and unpredictable to continue dealing with a bot that he can't warp.

_____________________________

Wistwin:

Faction

Yes, it'd be hard for her to get a faction. But it may be possible for her to remain factionless. While it's not exactly a safe option, I figured that Rampage might be willing to hide her from both the Maximals and the Predacons. Silverbolt would also be willing, so it could be either of them who would be taking care of her, just probably not both. That would be very very complicated.

If she did get a faction though, it'd most likely be the Maximals. I agree with Blazemane, her nature makes it so that she'd be better off with the Maximals. On the other hand, I doubt any of the Preds, besides Megatron, would be so keen to shoot her since Rampage is her friend.

Position

It's kind of hard to envision her as a fighter, but it's not impossible. As a fighter, she'd probably be able to end the war on her own. Scout/spy doesn't seem like a suitable position for her because, frankly, she might get a bit too distracted with her surroundings to stay focused.

I see her as someone on the sidelines, cheering her faction on, probably only getting into the battle when she feels necessary or if she was ordered to.

Interaction

((Ah, my favorite part of this debate.))

Obviously she'd have a hard time getting the others' friendship, Rampage and Silverbolt aside. The Maxis see her as dangerous and the Preds think she's useless, which is clearly going to cause strains in relationship if she were to choose a faction.

Rampage...well, personally I'm a fan of the pairing, but that aside, how long does anyone honestly think he'll put up with her? It's a very hard relationship to comprehend, because 1) Rampage doesn't seem like the kind for long standing relationships (aside from enemies), be it friendship or romance and 2) Transmutate is very child-like. I wanna see how long Rampage's patience will last.

Silverbolt is obviously a better choice for a friend, he'd be patient with her and he'd genuinely care for her. But then he's gonna have to face a jealous and probably very angry Rampage. Plus, Blackarachnia might not like having Transmutate around 'Bolts a lot. Ah well, think of it this way BA, it's child-care-training. X3

This newsletter is for Beast Wars International. Visit the site at www.bwint.net Email Sapphire with any queries or suggestions. sapphire@bwint.net