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Tarn
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | English: Tarn Japanese: ターン (Tarn) (more on TFWiki.net) |
| Occupation: | Decepticon |
| Relationships: | |
| Fandom: | Transformers |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Tarn is a minor character in the Transformers franchise. He leads the Decepticon Justice Division and is the most popular member with fans. He only appears in The Transformers Generation One IDW Comics and to a lesser extent, Transformers Cyberverse.
Canon Background
[characterization, story role, further important appearances]
Popular Tropes & Fanon
- Hero Worshiper / Fanboy Tarn: he had a canon hero worship of Megatron and the Decepticon cause as a whole in the IDW comics. A lot of meta has been made about how Megatron warped his mind and emotionally abused Tarn and the rest of the DJD, though fix-it non-Decepticon Tarn works are rare.
- Melodramatic Sadist Tarn: in-line with his canon and fanon characterization, along with "cruel" and "asshole."
- Addict Tarn: as he's canonically addicted to transforming to the point that he extorts Pharma for t-cogs, the equivalent to extorting the head of a medical facility for the organs of their patients. This aspect of him is is the subject of ableism discussion meta. Some fix-it works, or works critical of how he's portrayed in canon, may be tagged with Non-addict Tarn.
- Pre-War Tarn: before Megatron gave him the name "Tarn," he was known as "Damus," as well as "Glitch." Some works for him take place pre-war, with works taking place after he joined the Decepticons but before he became Tarn being much rarer. Related is Damus Was Never Tarn, a rare canon divergent trope for works focusing on both Damus and Tarn as separate characters, as well as in works where someone else became Tarn in general.
- Roller is Tarn: a common headcanon while the IDW comics where ongoing was that a minor character, Roller, eventually became Tarn. Although this was disproven in 2016, the theory still is common as a canon divergence AU.
- Voice Kink: voice kink is popular, given Tarn canonically can "sing" mechanical beings to death and is commonly headcanoned to have a pleasing, rich timbre.
- Yandere Tarn: Tarn's canonical possessive tendencies over Delphi, a planet the DJD largely controls, can be interpreted as him being yandere towards things and people, including Pharma.
- Service Top Tarn: (mostly) where he either tops to please the bottom out of loyalty (Megatron) or to manipulate them for his own gain (Pharma.) This trope was largely coined by AsYouCommand in the fic series The Legends of Service Top Tarn, Archived version in 2020.
- Submissive Bottom Tarn: seen often in Pharma/Tarn works, as Pharma is commonly headcanoned as a dominant top.
- Tarn Lives: mostly seen as canon divergent rather than a fix-it.
- Tarn is often seen as "his own warning," similar to "dead dove." Gore is a common trope for Tarn.
Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta
Tarn's characterization within the Transformers Generation One IDW Comics, primarily by head writer James Roberts, is often the subject of ableism discussion meta.
Relationships
Please add any notable relationships in fanworks if they are missing.
| Primary Canon | With... | Who is a(n)... | Full Label | Type | Ship Name(s) | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDW Comics | Pharma | Autobot | Pharma/Tarn | M/M | Tarnma | タンファル | ファルタン | Enemies, Pharma is forced to work with him under duress |
| IDW Comics | Deathsaurus | Decepticon | Deathsaurus/Tarn | M/M | Tarnsaurus | Became temporary begrudging allies |
| IDW Comics | Kaon | Decepticon | Kaon/Tarn | M/M | Tarnkaon | Kaon works under him as a member of the DJD |
| IDW Comics | Overlord | Decepticon | Overlord/Tarn | M/M | Overtarn | Often hatesex; both worship Megatron but in different ways |
| IDW Comics | Megatron | Decepticon/Autobot | Megatron/Tarn | M/M | Megatarn | Tarn worshiped Megatron before his defection to the Autobots |
See List of Transformers Relationship Names for more.
Example/Notable Fanac
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan Communities/Fan Events
- Tarnsaurus Week, Archived version, a fanweek primarily held on Tumblr in 2019 for Deathsaurus/Tarn.
Wikis
Fan Fic
Fan Art
- Lost and damned by camingeri0620, Archived version (2022)
- fan art by koroa for ablazer, Archived version (2016), with Roller as Tarn.
General Fanworks
Fan Mixes
- I'm God I'm the Devil by leprosy, Archived version (2015)
- Cadenza by cadenza, Archived version (2016)
- (CONSUMED) by altmodes, Archived version (2016)
- HELL TO YOUR DOORSTEP by predacon, Archived version (2018)
Fan Comics
Meta
- "To Children Ardent For Some Desperate Glory": A War Story Reading of Tarn's Death by lord-squiggletits, Archived version (2024)
- I think it’d be really really funny if Tarn was actually terrified of Starscream by the-final-sif, Archived version (2023)
- how I imagine this conversation went… by robotsandramblings, Archived version (2016), about the reveal that Tarn wasn't Roller.
- As much as I love poking fun at Tarn (...), he’s a compelling character since he was directly warped by Megatron by witchofthesouls, Archived version (2024)
- there’s no way somebody hasn’t already done this right by justicedivisions, Archived version (2022), meme.