@sephirose Asked For Guardian Wedding Things So Here We Go! Now, I'd Say This Is Hc I Made Up For WatM

@jessica-cooper Thank you so much for these amazing drawing of my guardians (and their lovers)! They are beautiful, and one of them might be the header for a future chapter of Forbidden!

Smol Destiny squad part 1.

THERE’S STILL A LOT OF WORK AHEAD.

Watercolor Cayde-6 

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee father/son appreciation post

Just some wholesome gifs of O.P and Bumbles being the best father/son duo ever:

Let Me Keep You

notes: genji x gender neutral s/o

written in: english, not adapted to any other language (2/06/2023)

genre: angst with comfort, happy ending.

additional details: s/o / reader will be a support character, abilities are similar to ana but with lucio’s mobility. healing is done in the form of bullets from two handguns.

the mission was meant to be relatively simple. it was a quick mission, get in and get out. blood stained their face, covering the concrete and their hands. gods, it was all over them. the blood and gore of a poor sniper lying on the ground, eyes lifeless and unseeing. their pistols laid on the ground, long since discarded as they had finished the kill. they had slaughtered this poor, poor person; all with their own hands.

white noise filled their head, static pitching in and out of their ears. they couldn’t hear anything, they couldn’t even see. the only thing they saw was that sniper who hadn’t had a single clue what was about to happen. a finger on the trigger, they hadn’t expected the attack, their rifle discarded as they fought for their life. (name) had never taken a life. despite working for a hospital turned vigilante, their foundation had been against slaughter.

crumbling to their knees, the medic clawed at their arms. blood that belonged to the long deceased covered their torso, their very face. they had taken the life of someone who had likely had children; kids who would wonder where their parent had gone. or perhaps, that sniper had been like them. a street urchin taken off the roads and forced to fight with a gun they never learned to use.

abruptly, a figure pulled them into their lap. a shriek erupted from their lips, tearing at the arms holding them so securely around the waist. yanking and clawing at those mechanical arms, it felt like they had been snatched up from the water they were drowning in. breathing raggedly, their eyes looked around the empty street, taking in the insignias of fallen talon soldiers and the overwatch members standing tall. the figure made no noise, only pulling their head to rest against their chest. the shocking cold of machinery helped to ground them, their desperate clawing slowly giving in to the embrace.

sobs emit from their chest, a guttural cry wanting so badly to just escape. “i didn’t- i swear, i swear- i didn’t kill them, i didn’t! i’m not a murderer, i promise-! i promise, i didn’t- i never meant to kill them!”

the arms around them remain there, but something cold gently pressed against the top of their head. the gentle humming of machinery seemed to lull them, warbling cries turning only to quiet murmurs. rambling phrases of guilt and horror slowly became silent. after a long while of gentle sniffles, they finally spoke, “what did you want to be when you grew up?”

it was a voice that the medic hadn’t expected. a gentle voice of a man long scorned, a thick accent covering each syllable. their hands rested atop his arms, quietly tracing the different cracks and scratches in the armor. they hesitated for a long moment, gathering their thoughts.

“i wanted to be a doctor,” they responded. a hum was what they got in response, though one of the arms slowly released them. taking one of their hands in his, he carefully runs a thumb over their knuckles. hands covered in blood, they tried to snatch their hand from him, only for his grip to tighten.

“tell me more. i want to know more about what you wanted. did you have a specific idea of what kind of doctor you wanted to be?”

they paused for a long while, watching as he carefully ran his thumb along their hand. after another minute, he pulled away, returning only with a small wipe. vaguely, they wondered if he carried them around just for this situation. was he, too, stained with the crimson ichor of others? running the wipe along their hands and arms, they slowly found the strength to speak. “i wanted to help people.”

“a noble cause, i see. am i right in assuming that you think it isn’t possible, now that you’ve taken your first life?” it felt magnetizing but appalling all the same. feeling so seen, yet by someone who’s face they’d never tried to look at. they glance up, meeting a fully metallic figure. a green visor replaced where his eyes would be, yet if possible, they could feel the gentle and genuine care he extended.

“you’d be correct. it would be difficult to save lives if you can just as easily take them.” a hum of understanding. the fingers of startling cold slowed, the wipe resting in his left hand. pausing for a long while, he gauged his words. “you are not irredeemable for taking a life. you may not have realized, but for taking it from them, you saved another’s. there are people down there that i am rather fond of… that would have been unable to escape the sniper.”

the silence was loud. as the man’s grip fell from their hand, it instead began to trace circles in their wrist. a gentle sigh escaped the visor, the front of it resting against the top of their head. “…if you would be open to it, i can make a recommendation to take you with us. with overwatch, i mean. there are people who can help you. who have helped me, even. i don’t doubt that you can forgive yourself with their aid.”

they stared forwards for a long moment, turning around in his grip to stare back at the people below the vantage point. overwatch soldiers helping to cover the dead, most even helping the civilians. they watch as a woman with brunette hair vanished for a second, reappearing cradling a child covered in dirt and grime. an omnic below them was helping to ease a woman’s sorrows, not touching her but instead speaking in words they couldn’t quite hear. their gaze locked with a man staring at them, dark eyes merely observing with something akin to pity and sympathy.

“…i’ll think on it. at least keep my name in mind though, at least until i’m ready for that recommendation.” their hand gently squeezed his arm, glancing up at him. he tilted his head, shoulders seeming to slump a bit. “of course, though i’d need that name to even bring you up.”

“(name), but i’ve been called miracle too by the foundation.” the man nods, contemplating for a long moment. with one more circle rubbed into the back of their hand, he stood, carefully settling them onto their feet once more. he backed away with a slight lingering touch. “should you ever find our headquarters and take me up on the offer, you may say that shimada genji recommended you.”

a nod, and he vanished. a piece of paper fell, caught between your fingertips. “find where the water and rocks meet, ever fighting and ever learning.” a riddle, then? this would prove to be fun, hopefully.

seeing him again was not something they expected. biding their time, sitting in the foundation and learning, they grew. they wouldn’t make the same mistakes as before, their mind and instincts sharpened. now, as they stood in the central part of kanezaka, they waited. just as they had been doing for the past six months, they waited amongst the shadows for the time to strike.

then, just as intended, the sky fell. machinery and mechanical whirling filled the air and the streets, destroying everything in sight. peeling themselves off the wall and ensuring their skates were in place, they smirked. their intel wasn’t ever wrong when it came to finishing up the omnic crisis. darting out from the alleyway, they skated ahead, peeling along the fronts of stores as they approached the army.

with a cry of war, they launched themselves forwards. their dual pistols blazing, they slipped in between attacks and falling parts. fighting omnics was something much more their style, the bloodshed being something that they’d never grow accustomed to. it was one thing destroying non-sentient omnics and another to slaughter people, after all. abruptly, their wrist was snatched. with a yelp, they were thrown through the air.

a pair of hands grabbed them around the waist, eerily familiar but ever present. the gentle questioning of a certain accent filled their ears. “do you typically get yourself into danger like this? i thought we learned from last time.” a laugh bubbled from their lips, patting one of his hands as he set them down.

“perhaps, but it’s fun regardless. do you typically follow me around in case i’m in some kind of trouble, mister shimada?” the stiffening of his shoulders served as their answer. with another laugh, they turned to the growing army of omnics. cracking their neck left and right, the medic straightened their back.

“i hope you all have room for another doctor on your team, dear.” a gentle rumble of surprised laughter. “then i certainly hope you can keep up, hanii.”

Genji headcanons because i cant stop staring at him 👁👄👁

oh my this gif is so pretty

this isnt a headcanon, this is canon, i just wanted to say it: have you seen that man's ass?!?!?! double cheeked up frrr

smack it

catch him off guard

pinch it or something

you'll leave the man confused for days

tend to his wounds because the man fr needs healing smh

as your tending to his injured state, lay kisses all over his face

tell him how cool he looks, it will definitely boost his ego in a good way

tell him he's hot, he deserves it, just know that he will deny it with a bright red face

you and him definitely make fun of Hanzo, it's just required

he gets really insecure about his scars and the fact that he is literally mostly cyber, so please tell him otherwise

give him all the words of affirmation you have because it always does make him feel better

DONT TOUCH HIS SWORDS OR ANY WEAPONS FOR THAT MATTER

1. he doesnt want you to get hurt

2. those are his life, so if you touch them he will lecture you for an hour

he is little spoon

that's canon

mhm

confirmed

if in the moment he wants to be big spoon, he will bury his face in the crook of your neck

he will also just do that when he is little spoon, but cuddling you back

it's little spoon, but he's facing you, ya know?

he doesnt snore, he just has cute little breaths <3

he likes making fun of you, but never to hurt you, just to play about and it's cute because he really gets himself and you giggling

play videogames with him

especially stardew or animal crossing, i just so those chill games as his vibe

i also think he loves botw, so cuddle him as he's just exploring the world

he would introduce you to zen and y'all would kick it off immediately, trying to pull pranks on genji

pick flowers for genji, he's a sucker for it

get him a cat and he will be yours forever

make fun of his bowlcut from when he was a kid and feel the wrath of more than likely a tickle or pillow fight

when you and kiriko are together, you are taking Genji DOWN

just expect a lot of love and sweetness from Genji <3

~~~~~

overwatch masterlist --- pinned post

@tonberry-yoda

Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow as humans!

pettiness is a dish always best served hot; guardian x crow and cayde :)

after getting that ask about Cayde being a third-wheel in this situation, I just had to write something for the Wild Card mission :) I hope this is as funny as it is in my mind :D also on ao3

Cayde hates stake outs. 

Getting into the fray, guns blazing, is where his true approach lies. A knife here, a bullet there, everyone who should be dead is dead, and he gets to eat ramen right on the dinner clock. 

Yet here they are, former Hunter Vanguard, his little Guardian protege and their formerly of the Awoken royalty boyfriend. Slash killer. Slash no, not anymore. Slash, unsure. What a crew!

“Cayde, stop moving!” Crow chastises him, kicking him lightly in the shin. 

Cayde narrows his eyes but obliges by sitting down on the ground, watching Crow. Now that one was made for scouting. Patient to a Hunter appropriate degree, wicked with a sniper, if Cayde were to judge. Knows his stuff. And according to the few conversations they shared, not even mildly scared by bureaucracy. Good, Cayde thinks.

A multitude of feelings swarm inside him. Curiosity, jealousy, a little bit of anger for the spice. Resentment, pride, appreciation.

But above all those warm and fuzzy feelings, there is one more. One that Cayde has made sure to nurture over his long long life. One that feeds into his very psyche.

“Guardian?” Crow calls on the comms. “I have you in my sights. There is a swarm of Scorn approaching your location. Wait, what? Uh…”

Whatever the reply is, Cayde doesn’t get to hear as the channel switches to private but for a second. And so he gives in to that feeling instead.

A wave of playful and unyielding pettiness.

And so Cayde-6 forms a plan. 

***

They sit around a small fire, celebrating one of the many latest victories of their hunt. Crow reenacts a shoot-out with a horde of war beasts, accidentally sending one of the bottles flying at the wall, covering the rock side with rich red. The Guardian is laughing, while the two Ghosts watch with a mixture of disapproval and parental condescension. 

Crow thoughtfully rubs his nape and reaches for another wine bottle, offering it to the Guardian. But before the bottle can make contact, Cayde smiles and swipes it from Crow's hand. 

“Oh, that's my favourite!” he exclaims. “Not vintage enough, but that will do.”

He lets the cool liquid pour down his mechanical throat, watching from the corner of the eye as Crow can't find any more wine in their supplies. The Guardian is smiling at Crow's quiet frustration and reassures him that it's fine and they can transmat in some more if need be. Their hands brush against each other as Crow sits next to the Guardian, and Cayde wonders if they don’t see him notice.

“Good wine?” Crow asks with a mocking tone, to which Cayde wipes his mouth and sighs with great content.

“Good enough, kid.”

Crow huffs and turns his attention to stoking the fire.

A warm feeling spreads in Cayde's chest. He oh so loves being up to no good. 

***

In-between the many battles within the Pale Heart, they take a moment of respite to take care of their weapons and ammunition. The Guardian is trying to get screeb stuff out of their armour to no avail. Rookie mistake to run straight into the thick of the horde and serves them right.

Crow polishes the feather-etched barrel of his gun. Cayde watches, proud that the kid has already figured out the important business of having a signature gun. Cayde tucks away a thought about a signature cloak, one step a time, but that's a done deal. He's decided, it’s just that no one else needs to know for now. 

Cayde looks at his own weapon, the Ace of Spades glowing with Light through cracks. Shabby, but trusty. His thumb runs over the white spade. Even here in this strange version of the afterlife, a memory of something distant and unattainable is haunting him.

When he raises his eyes, he finds that Crow has joined the Guardian in a fruitless attempt to wipe off the Scorn ether, yet the more they both try, the more the stain seems to eat into the armour.

Lovebirds, Cayde thinks. Oh how the tables have turned.

***

The hunt for the ether-thieves goes on for a few more days. In that time Cayde thinks he and Crow have discussed every possible facet of things he would rather never talk about again. Good thing the kid is easily distracted with a healthy bit of competition, which they indulge in by shooting distant targets while the Guardian spots them both. 

At night they take turns to meditate and rest, another taking watch.

On one of the nights, Cayde wanders off from the camp. An excuse is easy, a strange noise nearby he wants to investigate, as if there isn't something strange happening every minute anyway. They are inside the Traveler, after all.

Cayde walks down a narrow trodden path and contemplates the ridiculous lip locking happening right around the corner. It doesn’t particularly bother him, but oh, amuse him it does. His favourite Guardian, all tangled up with this Crow. He wonders how it happened. Actually, he doesn’t, the more he thinks about it, the stranger it seems.

When Cayde makes it back to the camp, the kiss is still ongoing, with the two lovebirds none the wiser to his presence. Dangerous, could get shot like this, so they should be happy it’s just him.

Cayde pushes between the Guardian and Crow, plopping himself down on the ground. The Guardian is looking away flushed, while Crow crosses his arms.

“Found anything suspicious?” he asks, moving to make space.

“Nah, false alarm. There was this pair of love birds though…”

The Guardian chokes on a small hidden laugh.

***

“...that’s when Zavala punched him right. In. The. Face!”

As the Guardian laughs, Crow rubs his forehead with tired fingers. Cayde rummages through his memories to grapple onto a new story - and good thing that not all of them have to be true - when the Guardian stretches their arms. After a few pops, a glance at Crow and a ridiculously tired yawn, they begin to rise from the chair.

“Hold on, I’ve got one more!” Cayde exclaims. “Just one more, and off you go to see your sweet dreams. Promise!”

The Guardian sits right back, and Crow watches Cayde with eyes narrowed, only two brightly coloured irises glowing in the dark. He means to say something, and Cayde eggs him on with a prolonged pause, just to talk as Crow’s mouth opens.

“A-”

“Okay, there was this one time I sat in a bar, and in came a titan, a hunter and a warlock…”

One story turns into a couple more. A wine bottle is fished from the supplies, and the Guardian is doing all in their power to not let their eyes closed, when Cayde puts a final flourish on the story.

“And that’s why you don’t play cards with Ikora.”

“Good to know,” Crow says with an amused grin. “I think I’m going to catch some sleep. How… about you, Guardian?”

They rise from the chair and dust off their armour, even though it has now been made pristine.

As the Guardian heads to the tent, Crow turns to Cayde. Their eyes meet, some kind of momentary agreement or understanding. He doesn’t want to talk about it now, but he has learnt the importance of well-timed words. It may always be that you would not get a chance to say them.

“Come on,” Cayde ushers Crow with a flick of his hand. “Go get that sleep.”

Crow crosses his arms and arches his eyebrow.

“What, not another story? Or sleeping right in the middle of the tent like the last time?”

“Nope,” Cayde responds. “Let’s just say, I got my retaliation. Now go, shoo. The Guardian is going to fall asleep if you don’t get all cuddly and snuggly.”

Crow’s lips stretch into a wild grind.

“What in the Light’s name are those words?”

“No idea, hope I don’t get to repeat them ever again. Now go, kid. And… look after them, yeah? They are my favourite.”

Crow looks at the tent where the Guardian is fumbling with a light blanket.

“I will. They are my favourite, too.”

Florence Castle's HEROES OF CYBERTRON - Episodio Speciale 02: JAZZ

Seconda puntata speciale. Oggi infatti è il compleanno di @jazzluca e pertanto la festeggerò passando sotto i riflettori sul suo Autobot preferito...

NOTA: Alcune immagini non sono mie, ma vengono dal sito DeviantArt. Articolo scritto da me, con l'approvazione di @jazzluca.

***

SPECIALE 2: JAZZ, un guerriero “stiloso”

Fallo con stile o non farlo affatto!, questa è la sua filosofia di vita. Un Bot dal riconoscibilissimo altmode di Porsche 935 Turbo, sempre appassionato di modi e costumi delle culture autoctone di qualunque pianeta su cui si rechi (come la nostra Terra), il cui ruolo principale è sempre rimasto quello di agente speciale e sabotatore. Abilissimo guerriero, JAZZ (Tigre da noi in Italia) è il Bot “giusto” per antonomasia, abituato appunto a fare tutto con stile. In generale, egli è il braccio destro di Optimus Prime fin da prima della partenza da Cybertroncon l’Arca, ma dopo l’esilio sulla Terra questo suo ruolo si fa altalenante, forse perché troppo occupato a immergersi nelle abitudini terrestri. Quando però la situazione lo richiede, Jazz è sempre pronto ad affrontare i Decepticon con la sua abilità e i suoi potenti altoparlanti che sparano musica a palla! Ormai all’attivo conta ben cinque apparizioni nei millemila universi Transformer, di cui almeno una nel Movie-verso, e per questo motivo entra di diritto nella Hall of Fame dei TF.

***

Del G1 Jazz contiamo apparizioni nel cartone, nel film del 1986 (come membro della Base Luna Uno insieme al buon Cliffjumper) nei fumetti “classici” della Marvel e in quelli “moderni” della IDW con tanto di Spotlight, ma la popolarità del personaggio raggiunge l’apice in concomitanza dell’uscita nel 2007 del primo capitolo della saga live action di Michael Bay: sia nel suddetto lungometraggio sia nei fumetti ad esso dedicati, Jazz non si trasforma più in una Porsche ma in una Pontiac Solstice argentata, pur mantenendo però l’iconico assetto della testa con le “orecchie di gatto” e il visore, ora retrattile. In questa continuità Jazz mantiene il ruolo di primo ufficiale e il pallino nell’assimilare le culture aliene con tanto di famosa/famigerata parlantina da “figone” («Ciao, raga. Che si dice? Ganzo, questo posto... ci sto dentro!»); purtroppo, la sua sarà un’apparizione una tantum, giacché il povero Bot finirà fatalmente e letteralmente spaccato a metà dal redivivo Megatron.

Per sua fortuna, quel gran genio di Derrick J. Wyatt lo “resuscita” per un ruolo da protagonista nella sua serie capolavoro Animated, etichettandolo addirittura come membro della Guardia d’Élite di Ultra Magnus e abilissimo esperto nelle arti marziali armato di nunchuck, nonché un Bot curioso ed interessato a conoscere le culture aliene, anche quelle organiche... proprio come il G1! La cattiva notizia per noi fan italiani è che le sue gesta non vanno oltre la Stagione 2, a causa della mancata importazione della 3 in terra nostrana. E secondo The Allspark Almanac II, nella defunta Stagione 4 Jazz sarebbe stato inserito nel cast principale al posto di Prowl, così come Ironhide avrebbe sostituito Bulkhead – un palese rimando all’entourage ristretto del primo film di Bay!

L’anno seguente, in occasione della BotCon, a Jazz tocca anche una particina nell’universo speculare Shattered Glass (accompagnato addirittura dal fratello gemello Ricochet) ma nonostante adesso sia un Autobot “cattivo”, sfoggia uno schema di colori identico al G1... ehm, al G2 Jazz “buono”, stereotipato al punto che parla come il mitico B. A. Baracus della serie TV A-Team.

Il viaggio di Jazz non finisce qui. Già nella Continuità Allineata, infatti, egli copre un paio di ruoli importanti nei romanzi di Alex Irvine, nelle serie animate e nei videogiochi del dinamico duo Activision/High Moon Studios. Nel secondo caso, avremmo dovuto vederlo in azione nella serie in CGI TRANSFORMERS: Prime (con tanto di design curato dall’artista nostrano Emiliano Santalucia) e invece le nostre erano state delle speranze infrante. Per fortuna, il debutto del personaggio nelle serie moderne risale a una puntata della serie Robot in Disguise 2015, Sottoterra della Stagione 1: mandato sulla Terra dall’Alto Consiglio per indagare sull’incidente della nave-prigione Alchemor, Jazz incontra la squadra di Bumblebee, e insieme catturano l’ennesimo Decepticon fuggitivo, non senza prima aver insegnato un paio di dritte a un entusiasta Sideswipe. In questa veste, Jazz è sempre il guerriero rilassato, fermo, estroverso e giovale che abbiamo imparato a conoscere, e la sua leggendaria capacità di mantenere la calma nelle situazioni critiche è tale che gli permette di sconfiggere anche i nemici più pericolosi; ma nello stesso tempo è talmente estroverso da diventare subito simpatico agli occhi di Sideswipe, quasi come fosse un fratello maggiore! La cosa sorprendente è che l’aspetto generale del personaggio non solo è reminiscente alla controparte G1, ma possiede anche lo stesso potere dello “spettacolo di luci e suoni stordente” tipico dell’antenato originale, nonché l’inedito visore retrattile ereditato dall’omonimo Movie. Nell’e-dizione italiana, inoltre, è doppiato da Gabriele Calindri, la stessa dell’omonimo Animated, quindi potremo dire che a questo punto il cerchio si chiude, no?

Anche nella Cybertron devastata dalla Guerra nella fortunata saga di videogiochi La Battaglia per Cybertron Jazz è sempre stato un protagonista versatile: se nel primo capitolo lo vediamo solo come cameoe poi come personaggio DLC per la campagna multiplayer, nel secondo (dal titolo La Caduta di Cybertron) è addirittura coinvolto nella pericolosa missione di recupero di Grimlock nel Mare di Ruggine, accompagnato da Cliffjumper come nel film dell’86: qui il nostro amico ha come talento speciale l’utilizzo di un rampino, che gli permette non solo di spostare oggetti altrimenti troppo pesanti ma anche di issarsi da una piattaforma all’altra. In questo senso, il Jazz Cybertroniano è praticamente l’alter ego alieno del G1 con annesso l’assetto pre-terrestre del robot e del veicolo, nonché il suo “biglietto da visita” che compare tra i tanti suggerimenti durante i caricamenti del gioco!

***

La domanda che sorge spontanea è: quanti modellini Jazz ha avuto nel corso della sua esistenza? Ce ne sono tantissimi: basti pensare che, considerando quelli più importanti, il G1 ne conti meno di dieci (inclusa la ristampa G2), tra modellini originali “classici” e rivisitazioni moderne. Il più “anziano” di tutti è ovviamente il G1 del 1984, o meglio il Diaclone dell’anno precedente, lo stesso modellino che l’italiana GIG importò dal Giappone insieme ai primissimi TF con i nomi italianizzati, appunto, e Jazz fu uno dei primi ad essere pubblicizzato – ricordate gli spot sul retro dei numeri di Topolino dell’epoca? Non solo, rilasciò anche un gift set chiamato Set Commandos con le figure di Jazz, Bumblebee, Grimlock e Starscream, e il boom classicheggiante continua negli anni 1989/90 con le serie Pretender e Action Master, rispettivamente dei robot chiusi in gusci umani a mo’ di uovo di Pasqua e action figure non trasformabili dotati delle armi e gadget più disparati. Ovviamente anche il nostro Jazz era presente in quelle linee e come Pretender era molto simpatico fin dal guscio umano munito di tuta bianca e azzurra e un casco che ricorda la testa del robot originale! Come Action Master, invece, in Italia si chiamava Bionic ed era simile per aspetto al settei del cartone animato e munito di uno skateboard che alla bisogna poteva diventare la sua arma.

Nel Duemila Jazz continua a essere un personaggio popolare, al punto da meritarsi nel 2004 un trattamento Alternator, Transformer con altmode ispirati a modelli reali di veicoli su licenza in formato die-cast, generalmente in scala 1:24. Lo storico Tigre si becca una bellissima Madza RX-8 bianca e nera, il cui stampo sarà riutilizzato per una versione rossa rilasciata per il mercato nipponico. Tra il 2008 e il 2010, intanto, è l’epoca dei cosiddetti CHUG, cioè delle linee Classic/Henkei, Universe e Generations: qui Jazz esce in due varianti, un adorabile Universe Legends purtroppo senza accessori (ma molto somigliante al G1) e un Deluxe altrettanto bello, capostipite dei Reveal the Shield della linea Transformers (2010) – anch’esso molto G1-esco, sebbene l’altmode è un ibrido tra la Porsche 935 Turbo dello stesso e la Pontiac Solstice del Movie, nonché la pistola simile a quella del Pretender; ciononostante, è un modello considerato uno delle trasposizioni moderne più fedeli del personaggio originale, visti gli impianti stereo che fuoriescono dalle “ali” del robot che riecheggiano le tipiche armi G1!

Sul finire del 2017 viene rilasciato un modellino di Jazz per la linea Power of the Prime (terza parte della cosiddetta “Trilogia Prime”), il quale condivide caratteristiche e ingegneria simili alle action figure Combiner Wars nonostante non sia il remolddi un personaggio preesistente – anche se, in effetti, presenta la gimmik della trasformazione in un arto per Combiner. Con il suo altmodeispirato a una Porsche 962, Jazz torna dagli anni Ottanta in questa nuova veste, e non è l’unico. Tre anni dopo, arriva persino il suo tributo nella Studio Series, più precisamente nella sottolinea dedicata al 35esimo anniversario del film animato – una gradita sorpresa che di certo ha reso felice i fan di questo spettacolare Autobot. Un’unica differenza: sulle portiere è presente il numero 14 e non il 4 a causa dei diritti ancora oggi detenuti dal modellino Diaclone.

E le altre iterazioni? Il Movie Jazz di cui sopra ha ben cinque modellini diversi, tra cui un Legends, un Deluxe il cui robot lascia molto a desiderare; un altrettanto deludente Fast Action Battler e due bellissime chicche (e mezzo!). Se si desidera avere una fedele riproduzione della controparte CGI del film del 2007, la Hasbro rilascia le cosiddette “Robot Repliche”, statuine non trasformabili che riproducono fedelmente l’aspetto dei robot nei minimi dettagli... e tra questi c’è proprio Jazz, con tanto di avambracci intercambiabili! Allo stesso modo, la serie Titanium propone un’altra statuina di Jazz, questa volta in formato die-cast con articolazioni solo dalla vita in su. Per fortuna, per la serie Human Alliance del 2010, ecco che arriva il modellino “definitivo”: il Jazz di questa linea è virtualmente perfetto in entrambe le modalità, e la gimmik del visore retrattile nella testa è un bel tocco di classe davvero apprezzabile.

L’arrivo del modello Studio Series prima e del Masterpiece poi ha strappato tale primato dal suddetto modellino, e adesso siamo di fronte a una replica più grande e una più piccola del primo ufficiale Autobot che ha avuto la sfortuna di debuttare e morire nello stesso film. Lo SS Jazz è fedele e ben fatto con la carrozzeria argentata e snodato il giusto, senza rotazione del bacino ma con la possibilità di inclinare lateralmente i piedi, anche se per far ciò si porta dietro i pannelli degli stinchi. Può storcere il naso che il fatto di essere una figurepiccola, ma questo è dovuto solo per mantenere la scala con gli altri modelli della linea. E il Masterpiece? Iniziata come una riproposizione giapponese di un paio di bei giocattoloni già visti in Occidente, il ramo dedicato al Movieverse si è poi giustamente evoluto, dalla terza uscita, in ciò che dovrebbe essere, ovvero il meglio a livello di somiglianza e scala dei robot visti al cinema che devono rappresentare: questo Jazz, pertanto, è un’ottima aggiunta alla collezione dei fan del personaggio ed agli amanti dei cosiddetti “Bayformer”, grazie alla splendida somiglianza al modello in CGI ed all’alta posabilità, anche nelle dita delle mani! Magari qualche articolazione è un po’ lasca, e rispetto alle altre auto della linea non è altissimo (ma questo è per via dell’accuratezza della scala fra i robot), ma a parte ciò è davvero una piccola, grande opera d’arte.

Per la linea Animated del 2008, il Deluxe Jazz è una vera pietra miliare per il suo look a dir poco accattivante, nonché l’altmode ibrido tra la Porsche 935 Turbo dell’omonimo G1 e una Corvette anni Cinquanta. Il personaggio, poi, è caratterizzato in maniera magistrale e il colore bianco con parti nere poste in punti strategici, dona davvero l’illusione che Jazz indossa una stilosa tutina da ballerino funky, tanto alla moda in certi ambienti americani. Inoltre, più si guarda quel collo leggermente ricurvo e la parte alta del casco (che sembra quasi un berretto con visiera) convince sempre di più di quanto lo stile adottato per i personaggi Animated sia fresco e rivoluzionario e, al contempo, dannatamente compatibile e cucito addosso ai profili caratteriali dei personaggi G1 che tanto amiamo! Di quest’ottimo modello sono uscite due ristampe, il Freeway Jazz con colori ispirati alla controparte filmica e una figure esclusiva della BotCon 2011 con le fattezze dello Stunticon Dead End.

La Continuità Allineata, intanto, ci regala giusto un paio di figure col nome di Jazz, a cominciare dal bellissimo Deluxe per la linea Generations dedicata al videogioco La Caduta di Cybertron: armato di una normalissima pistola omaggiante il G1, Jazz possiede delle parti posticce quali le ruote scolpite sui piedi per esigenze di show-accuracy, poiché quelle vere sono nascoste dietro i pannelli delle braccia. Inoltre, l’assetto del torace, normalmente parallelo al terreno, è inclinato verso il basso, forse come arrangiamento per il futuro remold (pesante!) in Sideswipe. Per i RiD2015, esiste un solo modellino: un Warrior che però pecca in colorazione (corretta comunque nell’equivalente Takara Adventure) nonostante una discreta scultura in entrambe le modalità; modello che sarà lievemente modificato sulla testa per il gift set Drift Origins per la Takara.

CONCLUSIONE

Con gli anni abbiamo avuto altri Autobot “stilosi”, ma Jazz verrà ricordato come il loro capostipite e anche il più famoso. È iconico, è simpatico per la sua parlantina pseudo-giovanile e per il suo amore per la musica. Il suo ritorno in auge sarebbe ben più che gradito per gli appassionati ed è veramente rassicurante che col tempo abbiamo avuto modellini che lo raffigurano nel miglior modo possibile. Doppi pollici in su per Jazz, allora!

Arrivederci alla prossima puntata! 😘