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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Same here, since I saw the Elita Episode during the original run, but since the movie didn't get a theatrical release in Germany back in the day, I didn't see it until several years later.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

And yes, that whole plugging into Elita to share his life-force with her is rather suggestive. Optimus even sighs, when he does it.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

That was Elita-1. Arcee was introduced in the 1986 movie. They look kind of similar, since they're both pink. I got them mixed up for a long time as well, but they're different characters.

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preternia @preternia.com · 09/10/2026

Hasbro Transformers 'Til All Are Loved Valentine's Day 2-pack Optimus Prime & Elita-1. Available early 2027.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Arcee and Optimus were never a couple as far as I'm aware.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

And note that my action figures kiss though most of them aren't built for it. Transformers are really hard to make kiss, because they're bulky and the size differences can be substantial. Masters of the Universe figures work better though making two men kiss is difficult because of the bulky bodies

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

PS: A different canon relationship has never sank anybody's ship, since fans tend to be very good at just ignoring canon relationships they don't like.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Finally - and this goes for all media companies - it's okay to have your characters get together and be happy. Good people in a healthy relationship are not boring and a committed relationship does not mean the end of adventures. There are still villains to fight and tyrannies to overthrow.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Nonetheless, it's ridiculous that we're getting an Optimus Prime and Elita-1 Valentine's Day set and still don't have a Adam/He-Man and Teela Valentine's Day set, even though fans have been clamouring for one for years.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

And yes, Optimus and Elita are a couple on my shelf, while Arcee is with Hot Rod (I don't have a Springer, though I just bought a Greenlight, so maybe Arcee will ditch Hot Rod for her) and Chromia with Ironhide.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

So in short, it's a cute set and I'm happy that Optimus and Elita get to be happy in toy form at least, even if they don't get to be together in media. I may well buy the set, because this is a more G1 accurate Elita than the one I have standing next to my Optimus Prime.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Besides, if Optimus Prime's only romantic/potential romantic relationships in his very long life are Elita and Dee-16/Megatron (yes, there is Ariel, but Ariel will become Elita), what does it say about his judgment when both become fascists, Megatron worse than Elita.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

But even if they don't want to upset the Optimus/Megatron shippers or the "They're robots. They don't fall in love and have sex" people, that still doesn't mean they have to character assassinate Elita.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Plus, Megatron is obsessed with Optimus and has never had a canon romantic relationship with anybody to my knowledge, though I have seen people ship him with Soundwave (yes, I can see it) or Starscream (won't work. They'd murder each other).

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

There is a large part of the Transformers fanbase that ships Optimus Prime and Megatron and unlike with He-Man/Skeletor, where it's weird and problematic, you can absolutely make a case for that pairing, because Optimus and Megatron were "like brothers" before it all fell apart.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Of course, it's understandable that Elita would be traumatised and embittered by millions of years of war and feeling abandoned by her partner, but that doesn't mean she has to turn into a fascist. Why can't she just be a badass female warrior who is nonetheless a good person?

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Coincidentally, I've seen Transformers fans welcome this set, but complain that Optimus and Elita are never allowed to be together and happy in the various tie-in media and that they tend to turn Elita into a fascist.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Optimus and Elita also tend to be a tragic couple, separated when Optimus went off to Earth in search of Energon/the AllSpark/whatever, while Elita remained behind on Cybertron to lead the resistance. She's usually not happy about that, since she believes Optimus abandoned her.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Especially since Adam and Teela have been portrayed as a couple/future couple far more frequently in Masters of the Universe media than Optimus and Elita and Adam and Teela's relationship is a lot more central to Masters of the Universe and Optimus and Elita's is to Transformers.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This is a really cute set and I may well buy it to get a more G1 cartoon accurate Elita for my Optimus. That said, I really wish Mattel would do something like this for Adam/He-Man and Teela.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Oh, look it's evil red and blue Wheeljack and evil white Bumblebee.

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SJ Groenewegen @sjgroenewegen.co.uk · 09/10/2026

What a thoughtful and interesting interview by Cora of Fiona. Read it and spread the word.

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Julian Fernandes @uknowjulian.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Battle Cat riding in the Battle Cat! #uknowjulian #customtoys #battlebeasts #MOTUtoys

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Thanks for the correction. A NERF gun would make sense, since NERF is also owned by Hasbro. I don't think I've seen a gun form Megatron since G1, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, especially since I'm only intermittently into Transformers and just may not have seen it.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I mean, if this sort of thing helps grieving relatives, who am I to stop them, even if I personally find it ghoulish and harmful. However, a grieving sister having an AI duplicate of her late brother is completely different from letting that AI duplicate testify in court.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I have no idea either and I frequently find myself in courtrooms as part of my work.

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Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 07/10/2026

Canada is refusing to issue ISBNs to books primarily generated with AI. This illustrates both the urgency of the problem of the growing flood of slop books, and also the toothlessness of addressing it on the honor system without there also being consequences for lying

Use of artificial intelligence
By registering with ISBN Canada, you declare that your book was created by a human author. You may use AI tools only for limited support tasks, such as brainstorming ideas, checking grammar, or formatting your book. You must not use AI to generate the text, create the artwork, or translate the book. ISBN Canada does not issue ISBNs for works whose content is primarily generated by AI. LAC is currently reviewing its policy regarding the use of AI content creation and our guidance is subject to change.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This is fucking awful. Dead people cannot testify, because they are dead. And AI-generated videos of dead people are fucking ghoulish and should be banned, especially since I doubt that the dead person ever consented.

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I think we know what this means

Variety: Glen Powell Is Staying Quiet on Politics Because It 'Divides People' and 'I Genuinely Do Not Like the Discourse'

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Jim Rossignol @rossignol.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

This gets said constantly, but it worth reiterating: Games Workshop being bigger than fishing is important to shout about because you wouldn't know it from government talking points, which are rarely about anything creative or artistic. Growth won't involve fish or steel, it will involve goblins.

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HK @hkesvani.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I’ve said this before, but it’s sort of insane that no British political party is willing to champion Games Workshop, one of the country’s most successful, British born and run companies, and would much rather simp for Palantir or OpenAI

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Rick Burin @rickburin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I want to hear more about the second of these writing sessions

Jeffrey Archer, former
Conservative politician and novelist, dies aged 86
Publisher says author died peacefully at home
'between writing sessions'

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Feel better soon. And remember, it's better than the Alternative.

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K.B. Wagers @kbwagers.com · 05/10/2026

Fun random things... When your hero weighs a baby against the weight of a gun. #booksky #gunrunnerempress

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Also, most of the original Transformers, even the ones who weren't in the movies, turned into iconic cars. Even though I've never seen a Datsun police car in real life to my knowledge, it is a beautiful car.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's almost as if those are good and noble things and that fascism is bad.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

BTW, it was quite difficult to find a modern Ratchet who turns into a traditional red and white ambulance. Because I really don't want an ugly Hummer.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

GM saw opportunity, while Volkswagen were blowhards.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That said, Megatron in gun mode looks so realistic you could use him to rob a bank or a gas station.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I guess it's because of the strict gun laws. No chance of anybody accidentally mistaking a toy gun for the real thing.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That said, the ending of the first one is hilarious, because Sam and Megan Fox have sex on the hood of Bumblebee (so does that make it a three-in-one?), while Ratchet, the ambulance, watches with great interest and probably takes notes, and Optimus delivers a heroic monologue.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The 2007 movie and Bumblebee (where he turns into a VW Beetle as intended) are really good. The second one is okay as well, then it gets repetitive and weird.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I guess Japanese parents were more sensible.

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Cora Buhlert @corabuhlert.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The 1986 movie has this amazing rock/heavy metal soundtrack.

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