#arcee/anode

[pcktknife]

i love rabbitholes i just found out there are trans lesbian transformers

[elfdragon12]

Transformers yuri

[chownkiies]

Femme concepts hur

[steelthroat]

Me: *looks at Optimus Prime*

Me: Girls should peg you

[medusamagic]

If I had a nickel for everytime the IDW Transformers comics paired a transgender lesbian with a girl two-thirds her size, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.

[pluralsword]

An Essay: Trans History and Retcons Regarding IDW1 Arcee and Her Spotlight

As we've slowly learned more and deeply immersed into IDW1 Arcee's writing over the years, finding much more than just kinship to her, we felt this urge to dig further, to understand, feeling threads that were there regarding trans history, but not having much knowledge regarding historical transmedicalism, so we dug. We dug because we wanted to show that Arcee's writing from 2012-2018 not only is a beautiful trans story unique in science fiction, but that her personality there and in part in her Spotlight (which absolutely did not intend trans stuff and walked into a minefield in that regard that inadvertently opened up the opportunity for the writing and consulting team in Phase 2 and Phase 3 to figure out beautiful character arcs for her) are direct successors of the original personality frameworks for G1 Arcees, and to show the impact and legacy of both Sunbow/Marvel and IDW Arcees along with more Arcees combined on many versions of her thereafter.

Here's the introductory paragraph:

In much of the last decade, a lot of people familiar with Transformers’ trans stories appreciate Arcee being trans and her arcs in that regard from 2012 onwards. But during those six years from 2012-2018 where her narratives that firmly navigated her agency as a trans gal were being established by a number of writers, with consulting help in 2015 for Ask Vector Prime and 2018 for IDW1, there was and remains uncertainty over how exactly that works for her, specifically for her comic iteration where her transness was first hinted and then plainly stated. The variety of understandings in this regard in part originates from her introduction to the IDW1 run, Spotlight Arcee, in 2008, which was received rather turbulently because of how it portrayed her gender and transformer gals at large. Writing years after would navigate resolving this rather beautifully as showing Arcee having struggled with transmedicalism, isolation, abandonment, loneliness, and alienation, the brutality of a violent (and androcentric) world, as many trans people across gender and parallel spectrums or lacks thereof have in real life. Her story is done in a wlw trans gal context in particular. She is shown getting closure on all this, finding her happiness by the end of that continuity that would along with her story at large as a sweet, ferocious, outspoken old warrior sage help set the tone for her portrayals afterwards. Much of this overlaps with how she was described in her The Transformers Universe bio all the way back in 1986. In these regards, we (the writer of this is plural, we'll have a note about that near the end) think it is pertinent to take another look at how her story played out, what was actually written and shown vs. what was intended, to navigate transmedicalist history that overlaps with her story, and to show that Arcee’s trans iterations are directly part of the legacy of G1 Arcee overall

also a brief fact check edit regarding HRT:

we said HRT only effects hormones but realized we should fact check that, and apparently for some people HRT does effect their genes!! (this is separate from the discussion of gender journeys and epigenetics which we personally know next to nothing about) this a deeply understudied topic you can read about it here:

Gender-affirming hormone therapy induces specific DNA methylation changes in blood

[decepti-thots]

i know a lot of people in MTMTE/LL fandom didn't read the OP ongoing or even Unicron so are people aware that anode and arcee canonically knew each other. i feel like fandom needs to know this. hang on let me find the panel

[vigilante-apologist]

This updated meme is brought to you by my unending love for Nightshade

[loveofbots]

I think my favorite part about being a writer and just taking canon and going “No.” Ambulon? Alive and worried 24/7 Red and Fort Max and Prowl? Gay and recovering Arcee and Anode and Lug? Happily murdering, thieving, and resurrecting folks in peace. Tarn? Dead as hell. Piece of shit.

[energons]

How do Perceptor and Arcee get along with the other members in their team?

i think this sums it up pretty well

[get-more-bald]

hey i just misread transformers as transfems i think I'll go to sleep <3

trans(formers)fems❤️

[thenamesblurrito]

A commission for @pluralsword for the lovely fic Addendum over on AO3, following Arcee on her gender journey! Some snippets are under the cut, including the bit this illustrated scene is from.

The torn metal thread shreds of the Crystal City Messenger newspaper fell from my hands. My body shivered and I felt bellows build up in my voice box unreleased.

“We have truly entered a world of madness- we are dead, dead peoples,” I muttered at my doorstep in the empty residential hallway.

The front-page article and first two sentences ran over and over in my mind. THEOCONOMIST FORM-ESSENTIALISM MADE LAW AFTER TAMPERED PUBLIC POLLS. Nova Prime endorses the theoconomists favoring form over aesthetic and orders the demolition of all aesthetic archives, programs, and organizations in the name of ‘freedom,’ and ‘moving on.’ We write with urgency – because of our reporting over the millennia against the reactionary rise, maintaining of records, and projecting of voices of the decreasing population that still connects to gender or anything like it, we are among the news groups hereby outlawed-

-

In my wordless scream of frustration and his of terror, I severed his head from his neck and immediately charged towards the door, deflecting the shots and cutting down the handful of bots in front of me, while taking scatter blasts to my back in yells of pain-

Blasts that fell silent as the hauler’s metal screeched and tore from rocket explosions at the front, spinning us wildly. I stood alone, legs bent and jumping about, while the rest tumbled.

I was about to run- Don’t run- and instead began to bear down on each with my blades in rapid succession while I bled. Four stabs through sparks by the time the remaining eleven stood back up in the back corner gravity had left them in, near me, and I sliced through the group’s torsos in four blows with a triumphant yell, as all fell to my blades beyond their experience or technology.

-

I sputtered, exhaust fumes coming out of my transforming seams in nervousness in my chair in her brightly lit office.

“You can say it, you know it as I do, and we’re here for you, just like people were for me,” she got up from her chair and stood in front of me, her sturdy shoulder stacked frame’s firm graspers towards me. “Can I hold your hands? Would that help?”

“Yeah...” I reached out and held her own, feeling her fingers gently find an easy grip around me. “It’s nice to actually be able to trust a doctor and a friend with understanding me and my body, that of a linked trans gal.” 

-

"Sibling, you shouldn't be here," Galvatron crossed his arms and leaned on the wall. "This is far too dangerous, not in a combative sense, but that of you against the world," He frowned. "Including danger from your supposed patron and protector."

"You mean, the only person who has done right by our kind with any sort of power to protect us?" I stared back. "You showed up now to tell me that? No hug, no gladness to see me?"

-

“Hang on m’am I’m messaging a medic named Safety he’ll be right over with his team-” Phreaker replied.

I was flabbergasted. “Phreaker!”

“What? Just finished talking to him, sorry about that lady,” Phreaker transformed back and extended an arm. “I’m way smaller than you, but you can barely stand, and you need a friend. Lean on me.”

“Why did you use she pronouns and gender terms that some have associated with women? I haven’t told you my pronouns or my gender or terminology therein,” I stared at his cube of a face.

-

I spotted recent Cybernought tracks in the direction of my heading. No no no this is bad!! =”ANODE! LUG! Can you read me??”=

I slowed and reached the residue point- there was a crater with a shattered shield staff in the middle, and pink blood everywhere. 

I transformed, crouched, and spotted split off pieces of Lug’s chest and torso armor.

-

“Hey Arcee, what’s up? Surprised to get a call from you after our last conversation,” Windblade’s holodisplay visage smiled at me, wings outstretched.

“I’ve been playing around with Earth mode reformats to choose.” I sent her communications table the file scans of considered alt modes and altered files I had tinkered with. “And actually found some euphoria from the shapes I’m considering, but I realized, I realized I didn’t want to be alone right now for this, I wanted someone who would understand to be present.”

-

“So, after all these millions of years, after all your labor for a radical revolution and then for survival in the wider galaxy, why in the stars would-” I fumbled over my words, the weight of my title and path of peace pressed on me, as I looked on at Arcee and Windblade, the old and new wiser than me, and both our future. “Why would you, an ancient trans woman anarchist, join up with the Autobots and work as my right hand, and even a commander in my stead?”

-

“Hey, hey, Arcee, Aileron told us what was happening,” Lug rubbed my back stacks, as did Anode from my sitting position where Aileron held me. “I know it’s a lot sometimes when we visit, and especially the occasion today.”

 I let their rubbing and embrace anchor for me a moment, and then whimpered out: “come around so I can hug you- let me try to stand-” 

Aileron helped me up, and the four of us hugged close. Lug’s head nuzzled on my waist, Anode leaned her head on my shoulder, and Aileron touched the three of us with her arms and torso. We had a quiet, lovely moment. 

-

“Reading Anode and Lug’s journals again I see,” Prowl sat across from my cell bar’s door. “I have to ask, what do you of all people see in them besides curiosity? A change of spark, historical inclination?”

“It’s how they lived with the resources they had, and how strong they were with so little material,” I turned my head, and put the journal down. “They had in abundance things I didn’t value that only they could make- their euphoria, their companionship, their epistemes, their memories, their family. Resources I lost understanding for their true meaning long ago and am trying to retrace, (rest of quote removed due to spoilers)

-

Aileron's drippy face looked up at me as Gauge and Sideswipe held her hand, and Ailering, Greenlight, Anodes, Lugs, and Lancer hugged her. "I know we'll be family again too, Windblade..." 

"I know we will," I smiled and joined the embrace, letting her chest rest on my head. "I have no doubt." 

"Aunty, do you think-," Gauge wrapped an arm around me. "Do you think if our world had been happier- if we had not had 12 million years of empire- that her life would have been able to blossom more than it did? To never have been so alone?"

[valkylander]

Gotta love how Transformers belongs to trans lesbians.

[transingthoseformers]

The MesoProwl kids refuse to be born except when it can inconvenience everyone the most.

Roddie has twice, Twice, had to play midwife. Which is a weird two penny situation.

Once, when helping Meso unpack Ostsros/Springer from his test tube and Arcee defended them while the ship was invaded.

Then, while helping Prowl pull the "piping hot gray gooey blobmination" (Roddie's descriptor) of Blackarachnia off his spark chamber while they were kidnapped by an alien race who cold into a the black and gold spiderling of Meso's dreams and their unsuspecting shipmates nightmares.

It was the Vok who kidnapped them.

Roddie refuses to endure this a third time, but Sunstorm, polite sane nice Sunstorm, has everything happen as scheduled in the medbay with doctors, Mesothulas, and the recently recruited Anode presiding. Admittedly, everyone spent that day paranoid and suspicious waiting for the other shoe to drop with some disaster.

Glitch is having to make a system and rules addressing this and is frantically studying organic laws about "work daycares" and "parental time off" with increasing despair.

He has no idea what the growth rates should be, so how can he get a number? Should he include maternity leave? What is baby proofing and how does it apply when Blackarachnia has natural defenses that can take down Overlord (she bites him once) and Ostsros has a weapons system?

Only he would be stuck with this kind of nonsense.

When he meets MTMTE Roddie he gets to commiserate about the love boat aspect but not even they have experienced pregnancy.

Yet.

(Brainstorm and Perceptor are a little too interested in Mesothulas new science. And the Scavengers met Connie so are a little less fazed.)

Oh Roddie

Also OOOO BA BEING A MESOPROWL KID, YES

Also yay! Sparklet: squishy goopy addition!

Of course it was the Vok.

You know I don't think I've ever seen Sunstorm described as polite and sane but on the Towards Peace (which I think is what we named it)? Ohhhoh yeah.

Yep yep makes sense, the other two newly invented children decided to come at the exact wrong times and everyone's waiting for a catch on the Sun² kid

Glitch making the smart move: research time

Bae I feel like that's when you need babyproofing the most: when you get a kid who can be wayy destructive 🥰

Only he indeed indeed

Yes. They'd have such interesting interactions, not gonna lie.

Juuuust a little too interested😁

[benevolenterrancy]

Okay there's waaaay too much lore to explain but yes: Arcee, Anode, and Lug are all transgender women in the IDW Transformer comics.

good for them u.u this is the sort of lore i ALWAYS have time for

[pluralsword]

ID: A meme using Arial font in white with black at the top and bottom for the text, with Transformers comic and cartoon images, tfwiki text, and/or dialogue focused on Arcee, Aileron, Greenlight, Gauge, Marissa Faireborn, Holiday, Lofty, Anode, Lug, Nautica, the Mistress of Flame, Windblade, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Starscream, Howlback, Archadis, Overlord, Nightshade, and Mo Malto, specifically dialogue or actions about transness and/or aesthetic actuation, same gender love, pronouns, gender terminology, playing music, joy, smooching, love, survival, family, medical issues, poverty, value of aesthetic journey in spiritual reforging terms, and criticism/opposition to empire and hegemony.

The meme text reads:

You [(Transformers) fanfic] writer:

Are you normal about trans/expansive people & how our stories are unique?

End ID.

(Please note regarding the image dialogue that Bumblebee and Starscream are not trans canonically yet because of how IDW1 works but nonetheless their stories are uh, not at all standard to the human cisgender experience lmao)

Image sources are: TFWiki Ask Vector Prime Facebook archives for December 23rd 2015, The Transformers #44, “The Transgressors”, The Transformers #50, “All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth”, The Transformers: Lost Light #2, “Dissolution Part 2: Anomie”, The Transformers: Lost Light #8, “An Axe to Break the Ice”,  The Transformers: Till All Are One #12, “Your First Mistake”, Optimus Prime #16, “The Falling Chapter 2: Another Mine”, The Transformers Lost Light #17, “The Everlasting Voices 2: The God War”, Transformers: Unicron #4, “Road’s End”,  Optimus Prime #24, “A Sunrise Dark”, The Transformers Lost Light #24, “Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers”, Optimus Prime #25, “Post”, Synergy: A Hasbro Creators Showcase, "An Arcee Sort of Day" (Arcee’s comic is also findable in Transformers: Best of the Rarities),  My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron #1 “A Real Mother,” Transformers #38, “Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Two”, and Transformers: Earthspark episode 10, “Age of Evolution, Part 2.”